Your emergency briefing on the climate awaits
Plus all the eco news from across the North East and North Yorkshire
Good morning! I’m Sarah Hartley and this is The Northern Eco weekly update of environmental news. As you’ve received this newsletter then either you subscribed, or someone forwarded it to you. If the latter, then you can click on this handy little button below.
Let me start by promising you an election free look at the news! Team Northern Eco is fresh back from attending the National Emergency Briefing on the Climate which took place in York at the weekend.
Hearing/reading/watching the endless bickering between politicians seems miles away from the level of urgency on climate action which the briefing outlines is needed. Regular readers have already heard from our carbon expert, Tom Bray, with his view on the briefing and I’d urge any of you who’ve not yet attended to go and see these films for yourself.
It could be one of the most meaningful 50 minutes you spend this week and help galvanise much needed action tackling the world’s biggest challenge. So check out this interactive map to find the screening closest to your location.
The York event also included a panel of discussion after the screening chaired by Sarah West of SEI York; Rachael Maskell, MP for York Central; Professor Jan Selby, International Politics and Climate Change, University of Leeds; Richard Bramley, Arable farmer and NFU environmental lead and Rosie Toothill, Parents for Future.
The discussion mostly centred on actions to be taken in terms of engaging politicians but I was particularly impressed with the contributions from the NFU’s Mr Bramley. He was able to inform the audience about the practicalities of coping with increased flooding incidents on his farm south of York.
The session concluded with a call to action for attendees to lobby their MPs, connect with others locally and to spread the word about the series of briefings. I hope I’ve managed to do that by persuading you to attend a screening and I’d love to hear what you think of this unusual way to inspire community mobilisation too!
Onto the news……..wearing our green-tinted glasses we are looking at the eco news around the region including:
💦 The ‘biggest national day of action’ against sewage pollution
⚠️ The push for clarity over fracking ‘loophole’
💨 Plans for another wind farm - this time in Northumberland
From our website
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In other news
💦 The Environment Agency failed to prosecute any water company for a serious pollution incident occurring in the last five years, choosing a divisive alternative punishment instead, writes Alex Thomson for Channel 4 News below.
💦 Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) is holding a Paddle-Out & Protest to end sewage pollution at the weekend with local groups in Tynemouth, Saltburn, Scarborough and York among them. Organisers say that on 16th May, SAS’s biggest national day of action will see communities coming together, united with one demand: to end sewage pollution. Find your nearest protest here.
💦 Yorkshire Water has apologised for pumping sewage into designated bathing spots - including Scarborough North Bay and Ilkley Beach - for almost 8,000 hours in 2025. reports the Yorkshire Post. The figures from the Environment Agency, compiled by the Liberal Democrats, are a “national scandal”, according to party leader Sir Ed Davey.
The three most clicked links from last week were:
Earth Day? Is that still a thing?
💨 Plans for a new wind farm near the Northumberland village of Kirkwhelpington are being explored by energy company Vattenfall. Early plans from the Swedish developer include putting 20 turbines and a potential Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) on a 1,400-hectare site adjacent to the existing Ray Wind Farm, partially on the Ray Estate, reports Tom Keighley at ChronicleLive.
💨 Rishi Sunak MP has voiced opposition to controversial plans for a major wind farm development on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, reports Joe Willis at RichmondshireToday. The former Prime Minister said proposals for the Hope Moor Wind Farm - which could see 23 turbines up to 200 metres high built on moorland between Richmond and Teesdale south of Stang Forest - pose a serious threat to the landscape.
💨 A public meeting has been called to discuss the Hope Moor Wind Farm from 7pm on Tuesday, May 19 at The Witham in Barnard Castle and the public consultation period is now open.
🪶 The popular Malham Peregrine Project viewpoint will reopen this spring, offering free, guided opportunities to watch peregrine falcons at Malham Cove in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (YDNP). [YDNP Press Release]
🪶 Yorkshire-based sculptor Mark Butler and writer Gregory Norminton have collaborated to create a powerful piece of art to highlight the illegal killing of Hen Harriers on UK grouse moors, paying particular attention to those killed in Yorkshire, reports RaptorPersecutionUK.
☀️ Top of the Shop! Hundreds of solar panels could soon be installed on the rooftop of a North East bingo hall. Plans submitted to Sunderland City Council would see more than 900 solar panels installed on the roof, reports Will Foxx at The Northern Echo.
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Don’t forget, we’re going to be at The Artists’ Hub in Bishop Auckland from 10am until 3pm tomorrow (and every Wednesday). If you’re in the area, please do drop in. We want to hear your stories, understand more about the environmental issues that interest you and help amplify your community projects.
That’s it for now but, don’t forget, there’s plenty of stories you can browse on our website and via social media.
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