Research Briefing
This note introduces the debate surrounding the surface water drainage charge, or “rain tax”. Following a change in legislation, water companies are now permitted to introduce surface water drainage charge concessionary rates for community groups.
Research Briefing
Tar sands (oil sands) have potential to provide a significant fraction of future global oil demand but there are concerns, acknowledged in an EC Fuel Quality Directive, about their environmental impact, not least on greenhouse gas emissions.
Research Briefing
This note (March 2011) examines the policy and issues relating to carbon capture and storage and in particular, how it relates to coal-fired energy generation.
Research Briefing
The Government has a deadline of 30 June 2011 to set the UK's fourth carbon budget covering 2023-2027.
Research Briefing
This is a report on the House of Commons Committee Stage of the Energy Bill. It complements Library Research Paper 11/36 (Energy Bill) prepared for the Commons Second Reading.
Research Briefing
This note describes how hill farmers are to be rewarded for their environmental contribution, rather than compensated for difficult conditions
Research Briefing
This note summarises some reports claiming that fish are being caught at an unsustainable rate, and describes the policy response.
Research Briefing
This note looks at the role of energy from waste and incineration.
Research Briefing
A common issue raised by constituents concerns the options available for formalising a right of way. This note highlights a variety of relevant legal provisions and procedures and provides a summary timeline of the key legislative acts which have shaped the classifications of rights of way since 1949. The options available depend on how the path came to be of use in the first place and if it has any official classification on the Definitive Map for the area. The Definitive Map records all recognised rights of way.
Research Briefing
Air Transport Statistics by Tom Rutherford (SN/SG/3760). This note looks in detail at trends in air travel in the UK and the latest official projections, passenger fatality rates; fares, air freight, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. It includes some key facts on aviation's contribution to the economy and employment. Some international comparisons of air transport are also given.
Research Briefing
Denmark has invoked Declaration No. 25 TEU in support of the whaling activities of its territories, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Denmark’s reliance on this Declaration at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has prevented the EU from presenting a more united stand on whaling issues at the IWC.
Research Briefing
This briefing on the Energy Bill has been prepared for the Second Reading Debate in the House of Commons. The flagship policy in the Bill is the “Green Deal”, a scheme whereby homes would be given finance upfront to make energy efficiency improvements, which would then be paid for by energy bill savings. The Bill would also set up a new obligation on energy companies to help certain groups of consumers with saving energy, who need extra support. The Bill also introduces a range of other measures designed to improve energy efficiency; such as facilitating the roll-out of smart meters, widening access to energy performance certificates and making information on energy bills clearer. The Bill also provides measures designed to help improve energy security, to encourage low carbon generation and to grant additional powers to the Coal Authority to charge for certain services.
Research Briefing
This note gives the present and previous governments' policies towards British Waterways; information on Defra's 2004-05 policy review of BW in which concluded that it was largely doing a good job; and summarises the pressing issues of recent years - the funding of BW, the effect of cuts to its budget, and its future institutional status.
Research Briefing
This note considers ways that farmers might reduce their consisderable emissions of greenhouse gases, mainly methane
Total results (page 52 of 59)