Most bread bought in shops these days comes in a plastic bag.Most people buy this bread as it is cheaper than unwrapped bread. Millions of bags end up in landfill . We need a campaign to change wrappers now!

I cycle to work in Bristol daily and increasingly get home with a tight chest and struggling to breathe. I'm not alone. A recent report on Bristol air pollution attributed 300 premature deaths every year to NO2 and soot particles (8.5% of all Bristol deaths being due to air pollution). Polluted air contributes to onset of heart disease and cancer, causes asthma and particularly affects children and older people (Source: Bristol City Council 2018 Air Quality Annual Status Report). 2 years after the previous "Let Bristol Breathe" petition led to promises of action from the Council we now need to see it. Marvin Rees - we need clean air, not hot air! AND WE NEED IT NOW!

Polystyrene is toxic and non-biodegradable, so can take hundreds of years to degrade, while alternatives such as cardboard or bamboo can disappear rapidly and pose no risk to health. It is infuriating to know the potential health issues associated with this material, whilst also having to dispose of the packaging from takeaway food knowing that it will end up in a land fill, the ocean or washed up on a beach. The US has taken the lead on this and many cities have already partially or completely banned the use of polystyrene. Reasons for the proposed ban include: 1, It does not biodegrade. It may break into small pieces but the smaller polystyrene gets, the harder it is to clean up. 2, It is made of fossil fuels and synthetic chemicals. Those chemicals may leach if they come in contact with hot, greasy or acidic food. Yes, they keep your takeaway food hot, but they may add an unwanted dose of toxins to your body. Styrene is used to make polystyrene plastic and is a contaminant in all polystyrene packaging. A 1988 survey, published by the Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education found styrene in human fatty tissue with a frequency of 100% at levels from 8 to 350 nanograms per gram. This amount is one-third of the level known to cause neurotoxic symptoms in humans. Styrene attacks the central and peripheral nervous systems and the accumulation of this material in the tissues of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves is correlated with acute or chronic functional impairment of the nervous system. 3, Animals can also eat it. Turtles and fish seem to mistake polystyrene for food, and that can kill them. Not only can they not digest it, but the foam could be full of poisons that it has absorbed from contaminants floating in the water. 4, It can’t be recycled. Some commercial mailing houses may accept packing peanuts, but for the most part recycling centers do not accept throwaway polystyrene food containers. Bristol is an example of a city that does not have the capacity to recycle polystyrene currently

Though the angling industry is directed by the likes of the World Health Organisation to remove lead from angling as it is a poison the industry fails to do so. Lead angling weights are known to cause humans, especially infants, a plethora of serious ill effects including: cancers, birth defects and brain diseases. Lead fishing weights are also proven to be hugely negative within the environment causing the death and harm to a multitude of life forms, from invertebrate life through to bird life. Only recently the European Chemical Agency have released a comprehensive report again highlighting the huge amount of ill effects to both humans and the environment. Unfortunately the angling trade 'protects' this product due to the huge profits made even though the facts about the harm caused by its manufacture and use are evident, and substantially proven. Just think, lead has been removed from the majority of walks of life because of its toxicity but not in angling - basically because there is no oversight and the industry is unregulated. Anglers now lose 1000's of tons into the environment each year through the insane practice of 'dumping' their leads when playing a fish resulting in further damage to the planet - one noted scientist, Vernon Thomas, stated this was now at a level where it should be classed as an environmental time bomb waiting to explode. You can no longer go in to a toy shop and buy lead soldiers due to their toxicity but you can go into any tackle shop and purchase lead angling weights. Lead has been removed from everything, from paint through to petrol but not from angling and all because of flawed profiteering. This is an out of sight issue to the general public that is very real and is harming the environment of a massive but unreported scale. In our day and age protection of the environment is paramount but this huge issue is being ignored. There are plenty of non toxic alternatives but the angling trade would not find these as profitable so they continue to sell lead regardless of the damage it is doing. Common sense needs to prevail and lead angling weights need to be fully banned - the irony is that lead angling weights under 1 oz are already banned due to their toxicity! One final thought - what impact will all this lead that is now lost into the environment have within our drinking water going forward? There is so much at risk here, this is not a case of scaremongering but the highlighting of something the fishing industry promotes purely for profit regardless of the consequences - fact!

If SZC nuclear power station were allowed to be constructed over the forecast 12 year build period in this flood-prone rural part of East Suffolk, the unacceptable scale of environmental, social and infrastructure dislocation will be all too evident as it will:- - devastate the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which provides a rich and varied mosaic of habitats that are a haven for an amazing variety of wildlife including iconic species such as bittern, marsh harrier and otter, - split the Sizewell Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest in half with a new permanent elevated road, - be constructed on the boundary with RSPB Minsmere, with 24/7 light, noise and air pollution being a huge threat to the internationally important nature reserve as well as the wider environment, - result in the loss of acres of valuable farmland, - threaten homes, land and businesses with compulsory purchase, - see road building and alterations for 25 miles around the site, including 7 new roundabouts within an 8-mile radius of Sizewell, - add hundreds of HGV journeys to and from the Sizewell site every day, causing unacceptable levels of CO2 and NOX emissions, - harm the flourishing and sustainable tourism industry of East Suffolk affecting businesses around the much visited towns of Aldeburgh and Southwold and many popular villages as well as RSPB Minsmere and the National Trust's Dunwich Heath, - see up to 2 million litres of mains water consumed each day of nuclear power station operation, in addition to the huge volumes used during construction, in one of the driest parts of the country, - see tons of fish and other marine life sucked into the cooling pipes along with an estimated 2.5 billion gallons of sea water per day, see article re Hinkley Point C(same design as SZC): https://www.burnham-on-sea.com/news/concern-over-hinkley-point-c/ - require nuclear waste to be stored indefinitely on our crumbling, sinking coast as sea levels rise, - create a huge upfront carbon footprint during construction and from the mining, milling and fabrication of the uranium fuel together with an unknown carbon footprint at the back end of operation - see why nuclear is not the answer to climate change: https://beyondnuclearinternational.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/climate-change-chapter.pdf - lead to the production of low level radiation with all its attendant risks to human health, especially to young children and those yet to be born, see: https://beyondnuclearinternational.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/radiation-and-harm-to-human-health_27-july.pdf SIZEWELL C CANNOT BE ALLOWED AND WE CAN STOP IT IF WE ARE UNITED IN OUR OPPOSITION. PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION. For more information: www.tasizewellc.org.uk twitter: @SayNo2SizewellC

Following storm damage in 2014, Network Rail are currently working on a resilience programme to upgrade the London to Penzance railway between Exeter and Newton Abbot. In 2018 they hosted public forums and presented plans to build a new line 30 -40 metres out to sea at Holcombe - a scheme which would have annihilated the beach. In November last year they then announced that revised plans were now being considered. Subsequent Freedom of Information requests for details have been denied, "in the public interest". In February 2019, Network Rail advised that their current proposal between Parson's Tunnel and Teignmouth is, "to deliver a new railway alignment involving a new sea wall beyond the footprint of the existing." Holcombe Beach, with it's open sea aspect framed by the towering red Devon cliffs, is possibly the most visually outstanding part of any journey on the iconic train route, and has been a cherished destination for both local's and visitors for many generations. Whilst it is agreed that the railway must be maintained and updated, we enjoin that this must not be to the detriment of a special and unique location. Network Rail must use their best endeavours to ensure that any development they undertake specifically maintains or enhances the visual and environmental merits of Holcombe Beach. Appropriate independent cost benefit analysis should be included in order that the opportunity cost of particular actions can be evaluated.

By 2050 our oceans will contain more plastic than fish. We can create a change and our daily actions are a vital part of reducing this devastating plastic pollution. However, for many of us students, this is a continual battle. Due to a lack of facilities on campus we are sometimes faced with no alternatives but to use single-use plastics. We believe that businesses, charities and large organisations have a larger impact than one individual. These organisations should be taking this responsibility on board too and prioritising it. We want our SU to listen to this strong student voice, deliver the change we want and phase out all single use plastic by 2020.

Investing in carbon-intensive industries contributes to global warming and is contradictory to Wandsworth Council’s published commitment to “Reducing greenhouse gas emissions to slow down climate change and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Local governments have a moral duty and legal obligation to act for the public good to protect the global and local environment. Continuing to invest in fossil fuel industries is a blatant disregard of these duties. As it currently stands, the London Borough of Wandsworth pension fund has has £137,628,569 invested, directly and indirectly, in fossil fuel industries. Proven fossil fuel reserves (2,795 gigatons of CO2) exceed the total carbon budget we are able to burn (565 gigatons) by a factor of five. As these ‘proven’ reserves have been factored into the share price of the fossil fuel companies already, this represents a serious overvaluing of these companies’ share prices. The unusable fossil fuel reserves run a high risk of becoming a ‘stranded’ or worthless asset and a poor investment. The size of this ‘carbon bubble’ has been estimated at $4 trillion. By investing public money in assets that cannot be realised in the future due to stringent policy and legal restrictions; the current approach is financially irresponsible and likely to breach fiduciary duties. There are ethical, environmental and economic imperatives for the council to divest from fossil fuels immediately and re-invest in sustainable funds.

Climate change is happening. We can choose to take urgent action now, to protect our children’s future. To keep global warming below 1.5°C we must operate within a global carbon budget. Everyone must contribute. North Somerset Council must contribute by declaring a climate emergency and committing to be carbon neutral by 2030. North Somerset Green, Liberal Democrat, Labour and Independent Councillors have submitted a motion calling on North Somerset Council to declare a ‘Climate Emergency’ and pledge to make North Somerset carbon neutral by 2030. A decision will be made by your councillors at the full council meeting, 6pm on the 19th February. Sign this petition now, email your councillor asking them to support it, and join us outside the town hall from 5:30pm on 19th Feb to show our support. Find your councillor at: http://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/my-council/councillors/councillor/find-your-councillors/find-my-local-councillors/ The motion says: This council recognises: 1. The challenge and threat of climate change to residents and global community. 2. That to keep global warming below 1.5°C we must operate within a global carbon budget. In order to reduce the chance of runaway Global Warming and limit the effects of Climate Breakdown, we need to reduce our CO2eq (carbon equivalent) emissions from their current average of 6.5 tonnes per person per year to less than 2 tonnes as soon as possible. 3. Individuals cannot be expected to make this reduction on their own. Society needs to change its laws, taxation and infrastructure, to make low carbon living easier. 4. North Somerset Council has already shown foresight and leadership when it comes to addressing the issue of climate change, having reduced CO2 emissions by 28.5% between 2005 - 2015 and setting a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the equivalent of 5.8 tonnes per person, to 2.9 tonnes per person by 2035. (1) 5. Unfortunately, current plans and actions are not enough. The world is on track to overshoot the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C limit before 2050 (2). The IPCC’s Special Report on Global Warming (3) describes the enormous harm that a 2°C rise is likely to cause compared to a 1.5°C rise, and told us that limiting Global Warming to 1.5°C may still be possible with ambitious action from national and sub-national authorities, civil society, the private sector and local communities. 6. Councils around the UK and the world are responding by declaring a ‘Climate Emergency’ and committing resources to address this emergency. (4) This council will: 1. Declare that it recognises a ‘Climate Emergency’. 2. Take active steps to make North Somerset carbon neutral by 2030, taking into account both production and consumption emissions (5) . 3. Call on Westminster to provide the powers and resources to make the 2030 target possible. 4. Set up a cross-party Working Group to bring forward proposals and work with partners across the region to deliver this new goal through all relevant strategies and plans. 5. Report to Full Council every six months with the actions the Council will take to address this emergency. 1 https://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Climate-Local-Commitmen t-refresh-2018.pdf 2 https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement 3 https://www.ipcc.ch/2018/10/08/summary-for-policymakers-of-ipcc-special-report-on-global-warming-of-1-5c-approved-by-governments 4 https://www.campaigncc.org/councils_climate_emergency 5 https://www.carbontrust.com/resources/faqs/services/scope-3-indirect-carbon-emissions/

The naturalist Sir David Attenborough has said climate change is humanity's greatest threat in thousands of years and it could lead to the collapse of civilisations and the extinction of "much of the natural world". "We have 12 years to limit climate change catastrophe", warns the United Nations. "Urgent changes are needed to cut risk of extreme heat, drought, floods and poverty", says the International Panel on Climate Change. Our Government is ignoring these warnings and is not on target to meet the environmental commitments it made in Paris in 2015. Sheffield City Council should be a trailblazing Council like Bristol, Nottingham, Frome, the Forest of Dean, Scarborough, the London Assembly and the growing number of councils that are declaring an emergency and planning to quickly reduce their emissions. Declaring a Climate Emergency means acting as if it is an emergency by taking measures to reduce carbon emissions from both production and consumption as quickly as possible. We still have a chance to avert the worst of the scientific predictions currently being made but we must act now. Sheffield City Council is meeting on Wednesday 6th February and should declare a Climate Emergency before it is too late. It is vital the motion they pass sets a firm commitment to carbon neutrality by 2030. Please sign this petition, and contact your local councillor to ask them to support the motion for a zero carbon city by 2030.

Opencast coal extraction is a reckless and dirty industry that is fuelling climate change while hurting communities in the UK and abroad to fuel UK power stations. Over the next few weeks, the UK government faces a choice: it can let this dirty industry get bigger, or it can end opencast coal extraction for good, honouring it’s promise of a 2025 coal phase-out to the British people, saving communities and protecting the climate. Right now, the government is considering whether to allow two opencast coal mines in the North of England 1. Bradley in Pont Valley, which is already destroying the countryside, and 2. Druridge Bay, which threatens a pristine stretch of coastline. Both mines are being pursued by Banks Group; the only company in the UK pushing for the expansion of coal extraction. They have already extended their operation at Shotton, Northumberland and are undertaking a scoping inquiry into a new one at Dewley Hill, near Throckley, Newcastle. Together these four projects would extract over 6.5 million tonnes of coal and release around 13 million tonnes of Co2 . There’s no time to lose - at the Bradley mine in Pont Valley, each day that goes by means more coal being burned and more countryside being lost. The government is due to make a decision on both Bradley and Druridge Bay in the next few weeks. Banks Groups lawyers and lobbyists are putting forward their arguments in favour of their damaging projects. Let’s make sure we get heard too. Sign our petition to make sure that the government makes the right decision and ends opencast coal mining for good.

There has been NO consultation on this plan, which is significantly different from the original Plan. There are many major changes, including most of the housing sites being proposed now. • The “exceptional circumstances” that allow for development on the Green Belt have not been satisfactorily established. The harm caused by removing the Grenoble Road site from the Green Belt is greater than any benefits obtained. • The proposed development will have a major impact on the nature of the local environment and people’s enjoyment of it. • The proposed development will reduce access to the countryside as an amenity for many residents, of Oxford, Blackbird Leys and Greater Leys - paths, dog walking routes, etc. • The figures used to estimate the number of houses needed are questionable and out of date. • The proposed estate of 3,000 homes would inevitably increase noise, air and light pollution. • The proposed density of 70 dwellings/hectare is out of keeping with the area and inappropriate in a semi-rural location. It is higher than most new developments except in city centres. • The Grade I listed Nuneham Courtenay Park has views over much of the surrounding countryside and views from the Park will be very adversely affected by a large housing estate south of Grenoble Road. • There are inadequate plans to improve the infrastructure (roads, public transport, shops, doctors and other amenities) to support this development. • The proposed Park & Ride will attract more traffic up the A4074 through Nuneham Courtenay—especially if the Redbridge P&R is closed as has been proposed elsewhere. • The proposed Cowley branch line passenger rail service would be too far from the Grenoble Road site to be useful. Therefore, those working in Oxford or commuting from further away would add traffic to already congested roads. • The Plan is not coordinated with other plans like the expressway.