This week the Welsh Government held a climate change and sustainability exhibition hosted by Professor Noel Lloyd, Chair of Higher Education Wales and John Griffiths AM, Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development. The exhibition showcased the work of Wales’ leading university research teams in issues relating to climate change, sustainability and associated technology.

Projects from a range of research areas including technology and climate change were exhibited including a particularly interesting collaborative project between Aberystwyth University and the investment company Compton Group. This project aimed to investigate methods for reducing methane production by cattle whilst increasing milk and meat production by adding sandalwood to the animals’ feed. Sandalwood inhibits the growth of methane producing bacteria in the stomachs of ruminants, diverting the energy normally used to produce methane to growth and higher milk production.

The exhibition was also attended by the Environment Minister John Griffiths AM who spoke about the important role of universities in tackling climate change. He said “Climate change is a critically important issue and one the Welsh Government is committed to tackling. Today’s showcase demonstrates that Welsh universities are taking forward some truly ground breaking work on this issue – work that will be key to helping us, the Welsh Government, to deliver on the targets we have set out in our Climate Change Strategy. It provides a real and tangible example of how, through the academic community, Wales is leading the way on climate change research and innovation as well as demonstrating how we in Wales are working together to solve business questions and environmental issues.”

Welsh Labour’s First Minister, Carwyn Jones, is set to ask the UK government to devolve powers to Welsh government when it comes to decisions over clean energy projects in Wales.

After a series of public campaigns against the National Grid plans to build a new 19 acre substation and expanse of pylons to support new wind farm developments, Welsh Labour are expected to call for devolved power because at present, the final decision for planning approval will be made in Westminster not Cardiff.

The First Minister stated that it was “unacceptable” for planning decisions regarding wind farms in Wales to be made in London and is expected to raise the matter at the British-Irish Council held in the English capital today.

As part of the UK government’s energy strategy to decrease emissions and increase the amount of energy derived from renewable sources to a total of 10% by 2010, the Welsh government proposed seven new areas in Wales, known as Tan 8, for wind farm development in the year of 2005. The decision has since proved controversial culminating with over 1,500 protesters campaigning outside the Senedd in May.

Following the protests, Welsh Government announced plans to limit the number of wind farm developments in the Tan 8 areas. Welsh Labour however, maintains that they are committed to UK energy targets (which they are currently achieving) but want more control over final decisions affecting Welsh landscapes.

Eight months ago plans to implement a badger cull in west Wales were put on hold following a winning appeal from the Badger Trust. The case has since been revived, and will tomorrow call upon Welsh Assembly Members (AMs) to vote on a legislative order. If votes are found to be in favor, the new legislation will allow authorities to proceed with a badger cull in north Pembrokeshire, and parts of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, Wales.

The controversial plans to cull badgers are part of a government attempt to help eradicate bovine TB, which is spread to cattle from badgers who are known carriers of the disease. There has been extensive research and much debate into the matter, with arguments over whether or not a cull offers an effective solution to controlling the disease making national headlines.

Welsh Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones said “we must continue to pursue a comprehensive approach towards the eradication of bovine TB from Wales” and that she had decided to go ahead with the order subject to “substantial scientific evidence”. Opposition groups such as the Badger Trust and Pembrokeshire Against the Cull (PAC) argue that cases of infected cattle are falling, and that vaccination offers a more effective and humane method of control. The practical problems and costs associated with doing so however often limit vaccination success. Additionally, they argue that implementing a badger cull may actually increase the incidence of bovine TB, as culling badgers encourages their dispersal, and as a result spreads the disease further.

If AMs do not object at tomorrows vote, the legislative will come into force as of 31st March 2011, however if the voting indicates opposition to the cull, it could lead to further debate and a vote in the Senedd.

Organisations around the UK are preparing to celebrate International Biodiversity Day, taking place tomorrow, 22 May. Celebrations began in Wales yesterday, with the start of a three day festival to highlight biodiversity to the public and to encourage individuals to ‘do one thing’ for nature. The BES and Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (IEEM) joined a range of organisations at the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, for the launch of the event, exhibiting materials to museum visitors.

Jane Davidson, Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing at the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG), delivered a speech to exhibitors and invited guests, in which she highlighted the Government’s track record in conserving biodiversity and ecosystem services in Wales. However, the Minister made it clear that the ecological community couldn’t underestimate the challenge of keeping in place some of the structures set up for species monitoring and conservation, given the difficult economic climate. However, the Minister assured the audience that she would do all she could to ensure that the importance of biodiversity is recognised across the WAG.

Both the Minister, and Rhys Jones, a BBC wildlife television presenter who gave a brief address after Jane Davidson’s speech, emphasised the importance of communicating the importance of biodiversity to the public at large. Rhys Jones said that ‘people look at biodiversity through giant binoculars’, understanding biodiversity as something that is ‘elsewhere’; on African plains or tropical rainforests. People do not appreciate the diversity of life around them; in their own back gardens for example. Jane Davidson emphasised the need to ‘keep the vision positive’, highlighting the challenges faced by biodiversity but in such a way as to engage, not alienate people, with the scale of the problem.

The BES and IEEM took the opportunity to launch a copy of our position statement on ‘halting UK biodiversity loss’, in Welsh. You can download a copy from our website.

International Biodiversity Day

Tomorrow, a range of activities will take place around the UK and around the globe, highlighting and raising awareness of the importance of biodiversity to our lives. The Natural History Museum, London, is organising a full day of events, including theatre and art performances and the production of a biodiversity day themed elephant for the ‘Elephant Parade’. The Guardian has today published its top ten picks of events from around the world. To find out more about events near you in the UK, access the International Year of Biodiversity UK network website.

The Welsh Rural Affairs Minister this week announced that a pilot scheme to cull thousands of badgers in Wales will start later this year, after the badger breeding season has finished in May. The £9m pilot cull will take place across a 288 sq.km area, mainly in Pembrokeshire, and will see five culls take place over the course of several years.

In making the announcement, the Minister, Elin Jones, said that bovine TB is “out of control” in Wales, and stated that the compensation bill for farmers was £24m in 2009, a rise from £1m in 2000. 12,000 cattle were culled in 2008 due to bovine TB.

The move has been welcomed by the British Veterinary Association and by farmers but condemned by others, citing the ten-year study by the Independent Scientific Group which showed the culling badgers could actually increase the risk of spreading the disease, conluding that “while badgers are clearly a source of cattle TB, careful evaluation of our own and others’ data indicates that badger culling can make no meaningful contribution to cattle TB control in Britain. Indeed, some policies under consideration are likely to make matters worse rather than better.”

Guardian: 13 January 2010, Badger cull to go ahead in Wales, John Vidal

Previous posts relating to the ISG report, the subsequent report by Prof. Sir David King, then Government Chief Scientific Advisor, the EFRA Select Committee and news stories on the topic can be found in the BES Blog archive.

The Secretary of State for the Environment, Hilary Benn, has announced (19 March) that next year will see the implementation of the first stage in Defra’s plan to vaccinate badgers against bovine TB. The disease costs the farming industry millions of pounds each year and results in thousands of cattle infected with the disease going to slaughter.

Six areas, precise locations to be announced after consultation with the farming industry, will be the focus for the first stage of the vaccination scheme, which will begin in summer 2010 and continue for at least five years. The Conservatives have challenged the Government’ focus on vaccination, calling for a badger cull. The UK Government’s plans are also at odds with those of the Welsh Assembly Government, which is expected to announce further details of its plan to instigate a large-scale badger cull in Wales, later this month.

Defra will begin to train farmers and vets, who will be responsible for trapping and vaccinating the badgers, later this year.

See more at the BBC Website

Applications are now welcome for the 2009 BES Parliamentary Shadowing Scheme.

The scheme is now in its third year. Since 2007 our ecologists have had the opportunity to shadow two Parliamentary Under-Secretaries (Barry Gardiner MP and Joan Ruddock MP) at Defra, two MEPs (John Bowis MEP and Linda McAvan MP), plus officials from the devolved administrations. Those members of the BES who have taken part have commented on the value of this experience to them; gaining an unprecedented opportunity to gain first-hand experience of how science is used to inform policy-making. Ecologists spend one-two days with the parliamentarian, before spending another day or so with civil servants and policy-advisors.

The full list of Ministers, MEPs and Officials who have agreed to participate in the 2009 scheme has yet to be finalised. However, we are delighted to confirm that the following have so far agreed to take part:

• Jane Davidson AM, Minister for the Environment, Sustainability and Housing at the Welsh Assembly Government
• Professor Maggie Gill, Chief Scientific Advisor for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Scottish Government
• Linda McAvan MEP, Labour Spokesperson on the Environment, European Parliament
  Expenses

If you are a member of the BES and an early-career researcher (no more than eight years since finishing PhD) interested in the science-policy interface, then consider applying. The BES will cover all reasonable expenses you incur whilst on the scheme.

Find out more at the BES website.
Closing date: 27 February

The Welsh Government yesterday granted assent for the development of Wales’ largest wind farm – and the second largest in the world – off the North coast of the country. When complete, in 2014, and fully operational, the wind turbines will supply electricity for 700,000 homes.

The wind farm, at Gwent y Môr, will be built by NPower Renewables and will generate 750MW of ‘clean’ energy. The approval brings Wales a step closer to meeting its ambitious target, announced by Jane Davidson, Environment Minister, in February: to supply all of Wales’ electricity from green, ‘clean’ sources by 2025. Electricity generation accounts for 30% of Wales’ carbon emissions.

The UK is the world’s leader in generating power from offshore wind farms, with a total offshore built capacity of 590MW at present. The proposed ‘London Array’ in the outer Thames Estuary, which would generate 1GW of power.

The announcement from Wales follows Tuesday’s ‘plugging in’ of the largest wind farm in Europe into the Portuguese National Grid. The development, in the Upper Minho region of Portugal will provide 1% of the country’s total energy and will supply electricity for over 1 million residents.

See original article in the Guardian, 4 December 2008: Go-ahead for wind farm puts Wales on track to meet clean energy targets

The Science Policy team yesterday attended the final day of the annual Environment Agency conference, which saw Jane Davidson, Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing at the Welsh Assembly Government, Ed Milliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, and Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, deliver keynote addresses.

Jane Davidson set our her vision for ‘One Wales, One Planet’, a new scheme which commits Wales to become a ‘one planet nation’. The Government aims to reduce the ecological footprint of Wales to 1.88 global Ha per person, from 5.16Ha pp at present. This will involve an 80-90% reduction in the use of carbon-based energy, plus an associated reduction in carbon emissions, a reduction in waste and in travel. Wales is committed to a 3% year-on-year reduction in emissions from 2011.

Ed Milliband, delivering his first speech as Secretary of State at the new Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC), emphasised the need to “up the pace”, with respect to tackling climate change, calling on the public sector to play a greater role in energy generation. He stressed that carbon emissions from aviation can no longer be overlooked, with an amendment to the UK Climate Change Bill meaning that emissions from aviation will be taken account of in carbon targets. Mr Milliband also highlighted the opportunities for creating “green jobs” which a switch to renewable energy and development of ‘green’ technologies could bring: “greening the upturn” in the economy which would mark a climb out of recession.

Boris Johnson used his speech to announce a new ‘priority parks’ initiative, allowing the public to vote for 47 green spaces which they would like to receive investment. The top-10 parks will receive a £400,000 award for improvements. Mr Johnson stated that he had has his ‘mind changed’ over climate change, based on the ‘huge body of scientific evidence’. It was his duty as Mayor, he said, to create a city which is tree-lined, enjoyable and above all, a ‘nice’ place to live. London could be the centre of a green revolution. The cornerstone of this is the Mayor’s recently announced plan to introduce 6-10,000 bicycles to the streets under a cycle-hire scheme, and the introduction of cycle ’super-highways’.

A business forum saw corporate figures questioned by the Chair and audience over their sectors’ plans for mitigating and adapting to climate change. One speaker, Mike Barry, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Marks and Spencers, highlighted the need for organisations such as M and S to pay heed to ’sound science’ when making decisions regarding ‘greening’ their supply chains, and the importance of gathering multiple stakeholders together to discuss potential solutions based on this.

The Welsh Assembly Government has announced that it will provide £23.5 million to support a £55 million alliance between the universities of Bangor and Aberystwyth. The alliance will bring together Aberystwyth’s Institute for Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences and Bangor’s College of Natural Sciences to create the largest group of biological, environmental and rural scientists in the UK.

Research at the newly formed group will focus on some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges, including climate change, renewable energy, food security and wildlife disease.