Women’s healthcare in Britain ‘worse than in China and Saudi Arabia’

Laura Donnelly
Mon, 23 January 2023

Women’s healthcare UK

Women’s healthcare in the UK is worse than that of China and Saudi Arabia, according to a global tracker.

Poor efforts at prevention, diagnosis and treatment of health problems left the UK ranked lower than several countries with a troubling record on women’s rights.

The research, which compared a wealth of data, found Britain fared worse than most comparable Western countries, including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, France and Germany.

The UK was placed 30th out of 122 countries, in the 2021 Hologic Global Women’s Health Index published on Tuesday.

The score – three points lower than when a similar exercise was carried out last year – places it on a par with Kazakhstan, Slovenia, Kosovo and Poland for women’s healthcare provision.

Overall, the place of 30th was far worse than the position of 12 reached the previous year.

While direct comparisons are not possible because several of the countries examined this year were not included last year, the findings show a deterioration in the position of Britain, which was previously rated better than countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, the US, France and New Zealand.

‘Government consistently deprioritising women’s health’

The index by Hologic, a global medical technology company specialising in women’s health, is based on a survey of more than 127,000 people worldwide by Gallup, the analytics firm.

Analysts said that poor access to screening, long waits for diagnosis and a lack of support for mental health were among the factors explaining Britain’s poor ranking.

The UK Government has been accused of “consistently deprioritising” women’s health after it was reported last month that gynaecology waiting times in England had trebled in a decade.

On average, women now wait nearly four months for a first hospital appointment with a gynaecology specialist. However, nearly 38,000 women in England have been on the waiting list for more than a year.

The index highlighted issues with mental health support provision in the UK, with the country’s score for women’s emotional health falling eight points in a year to 68 out of 100.

On preventive care, such as cancer and diabetes screening, the UK scored just 23 out of 100. A separate Hologic survey of 10,000 people in the UK found those from ethnic minorities were particularly at risk of missing out.

Women in pain taking the strain

In the UK, women in pain also often have problems accessing a diagnosis.

One in five British women experienced pain daily. However, more than a quarter had not been able to get a diagnosis at all and 15 per cent got one only after eight or more visits to healthcare professionals, the UK-only poll found.

Women in the UK who suffered with pain needed to see a doctor 4.3 times on average before the cause was diagnosed.

Dr Nighat Arif, a GP specialising in women’s health, said she hoped that the Government’s Women’s Health Strategy, which was launched last year, would help improve education and awareness around women’s health.

She said: “I see barriers every day in my GP practice that women face in accessing routine care and even life-saving preventative health measures, such as cervical and breast cancer screenings, that can cause unnecessary delays to diagnosis and treatment for women.

“Sadly, often [women’s pain is] seen as something to put up with, rather than something you can get support for. The reasons for pain in women are complex. For GPs, who have a limited time for consultation, it can be difficult to pinpoint a diagnosis in one appointment.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “We have put women’s health at the top of the agenda by publishing the Women’s Health Strategy for England, appointing the first-ever Women’s Health Ambassador, and taking action to increase supply and reduce the cost of hormone replacement therapy.

“The strategy sets out our 10-year ambitions for boosting the health and wellbeing of women and girls, and for improving how the health and care system listens to all women.”

Adverse reactions to medication

Elsewhere, a separate study found that women are at least 80 per cent more likely than men to suffer adverse drug reactions to pills doled out by their GPs.

Researchers found that one in four people suffered at least one such reaction over a six-year period, with women and those on at least five pills at least 80 per cent more likely to suffer such harms.

The study, published in the British Journal Of General Practice, monitored 592 patients aged 70 and older from 15 general practices in the Republic of Ireland over a six-year period.

Prof Emma Wallace, the study’s author from University College Cork, said women could respond differently to men to the same medications and might be put on different types of drugs, some of which might be more likely to cause stronger reactions.

Solving period poverty is about more than just making products free

Sophie King-Hill, 

Senior Fellow at the Health Services Management Centre,

 University of Birmingham
Tue, 24 January 2023 

STEKLO

Upwards of 2.8 billion people do not have access to safe sanitation. A third of the world’s population doesn’t have a toilet.

This broad, international issue links to poverty, destitution and environmental risk. It also provides the backdrop to the struggles women and girls the world over face in dealing with their period. At least 500 million women and girls lack access to adequate facilities to manage menstruation.

“Period poverty” describes these barriers, from the cost of sanitary products and access to toilets to being excluded from activities ranging from the classroom to sport. But the challenges don’t stop there.


Research shows that in communities shaped by repressive patriarchal systems, menstruating is still seen as a taboo subject. And with that comes shame and embarrassment. Further, when you’re young and just getting used to having a period in the first place, commercial advertising that, as Australian communication design expert Jane Connory has shown, sexualises or suggests needing to keep your period a secret, is damaging.

Free period products are a big step forward. New Africa

Why free products are only part of the solution

In Britain, it is estimated that up to 49% of girls have missed school due to their period. This appears to be primarily linked to the cost of period products. The simple solution, here, is to make these accessible and free.

Of the four UK nations, Scotland in particular is taking steps towards this. Following a successful pilot scheme in Aberdeenshire, in 2018 the Scottish administration made period products free for people from low-income households across the nation.

Research shows, however, that money is only part of the problem. Many women and girls are socially disadvantaged, with information and education about periods seriously lacking.

When shame is felt in relation to an issue, it results in people being reluctant to search out the information they need, to their own detriment. Embarrassment is compounded by a lack of adequate sex education, the latter often taught to girls only.

Research shows that up to half of girls in the UK are embarrassed by their period and that support in school is lacking. According to the Sex Education Forum, a charity focused on relationships and sex education, one in four young women did not learn about periods before they got theirs, a number which appears to be rising. This may have been further affected by the pandemic lockdowns and resulting school closures.

Girls and women may be forced to lie about periods so as not to take part in certain activities, such as physical education, due to the taboo and ingrained stigma around periods that endure in wider society. This appears to stem from periods, historically, being framed as a medical issue rather than a positive indication of the natural workings of the reproductive system and body.

Opening up the dialogue across genders within relationships and improving sex education within schools is crucial. But business has a lot to answer for, too.
How companies can make things worse

Misguided advertising campaigns that seemingly aim to break down stigma often inadvertently feed into it instead. This compounds the feelings of shame that surround periods.

In November 2022, Tampax US deleted a tweet from its official account, apologising for “messing up” and not being respectful while pledging to “do better”. The tweet, which read: “You’re in their DMs. We’re in them. We are not the same”, drew particular ire for appearing to sexualise the use of a tampon, referencing the social media trope of “sliding” into someone’s DMs – direct messaging them as a flirting strategy.

This messaging harked back to the 1970s adverts for Dr White’s which showed women in bikinis and underwear to advertise sanitary products. In the 1980s, Tampax used scantily clad prepubescent girls to advertise its products. Decades on, in 2015, advertisers for Thinx period pants opted for pictures of halved grapefruit and runny eggs, imagery suggestive of female anatomy.

Advertising that attempts to make sanitary products fun and edgy often links periods to sex. That’s because periods are profitable for those companies that make disposable products such as tampons and sanitary towels, and sex sells.

However, some girls start their periods as early as age nine, which makes such sexualisation of period products even more damaging. Research has shown that the common age for periods to start is indeed early, anywhere from ten years old.

What’s more, this type of advertising co-opts the language of empowerment for women and girls, thereby driving home the point about periods being something to be ashamed of. It can also be a subtle steer away from low-cost products such as menstrual cups, washable pads and period pants.

It is a common misconception that period poverty is only an issue for those who are menstruating. Many men and those who do not have periods also suffer as a result, either due to the financial impact of buying disposable products on a family’s budget, or the indirect impact that missed school and work days have on the wider class or workforce.

For many women and girls, menstruation can cause isolation and negatively affect their self-esteem and sense of dignity. Free period products and being able to deal with your period without shame or restrictions should be a basic human right.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The Conversation

Sophie King-Hill does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Why US libraries are on the frontlines of the homelessness crisis

MacKenzie Ryan
Tue, 24 January 2023 

Photograph: Dan Pelle/AP

Libraries across the US are increasingly on the frontlines of America’s homelessness crisis, especially during a winter marked by cold snaps and in the wake of the tailing off of the Covid-19 pandemic which has seen many public institutions reopen.

This month two Denver-area libraries closed due to methamphetamine contamination, with library officials from Englewood, Colorado, reporting increased drug use this winter and citing an uptick in homeless people using the library since its pandemic reopening.

Related: The frontline scouts fighting to end homelessness in New York’s subways

Homelessness advocates say there is a nationwide trend of homeless people relying on public libraries as a safe haven where they can stay warm, use public restrooms, and avoid harassment from law enforcement. As a result, libraries and library staff are often trapped between a rock and a hard place, said Ryan Dowd, of Homeless Training, a conflict resolution program for frontline workers.

While library staff must be committed to serving patrons regardless of socioeconomic status, many of them don’t have training on how to deal with an unsheltered person suffering from untreated mental illness, drug addiction, or other problems.

Compared to homeless shelters, which are often loud, crowded and struggle to stay clean, “libraries are everything homelessness is not”, Dowd explained. “It’s a public space, for communal use. If the option is that or be outside all day in 15-degree weather, I know what I’d do.

“Homelessness is also incredibly boring,” he said.

Ty Bellamey, of Black Lives of Humanity Movement, said Volunteers of America help unsheltered people, who often don’t have permanent addresses, get a library card. Many of the homeless people she works with are avoiding the police, or other unsheltered people who might steal their stuff, she said. They go to bed, wake up, walk to the library when they’re cold, tired and hungry, and then do it again, even if they are handicapped or just got out of jail, she explained.

People who have access to shelter beds still will leave to read books and use library computers, Dowd said.

In recent years, libraries have also become the frontline for connecting unsheltered people with basic needs.

The Las Vegas-Clark county library district provides hygiene kits; almost 30 of the greater Las Vegas area’s libraries are designated Safe Place sites for homeless youth. Outreach staff in downtown Chicago host meetings to connect case managers and unsheltered people, helping the latter to get public benefits and fill out housing applications. A Salt Lake City library offers free clothing and for homeless people, many of whom reside in encampments along a nearby river.

“Many libraries have added social workers to their staff,” said Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada, the American Library Association president, citing a trend that started in the past decade.

Public libraries are “the first point of contact in helping people with serious needs”, she said, which includes referring homeless patrons to other community agencies. Pelayo-Lozada said library services and facilities are for everyone, the housed and unhoused, and staff addresses all patrons needs “without judgment to the best of their ability”.

Despite the inclusivity of a public library’s mission, conflicts between library staff, homeless people and communities have bubbled up this year. Last spring, in Anaheim, California, a homeless man punched a library employee and knocked them unconscious. He was later arrested.

In areas with higher socioeconomic status, the backlash towards the homeless is particularly vocal. This summer, some residents of San Francisco’s Castro district asked for the public library’s wireless internet to be shut off at night, citing the overwhelming number of homeless who camped outside the library.

In November, residents of Downers Grove, a Chicago suburb, raised safety concerns about indecent exposure, drunk and disorderly conduct, and physical assault stemming from the homeless population near the village’s library.

When Dowd trains library staff on de-escalation tactics, he hears a lot of comments like, “They didn’t teach me this stuff in library school,” he said. He says he teaches library staff to focus on the behavior they’re seeing. If someone is unhoused and caused a problem, then they have to deal with it. If a multimillionaire is in the library causing a problem, they also have to deal with it.

Bellamey said she hadn’t heard of any homeless people getting kicked out of the library. The people she works with tell her: “We’re just not allowed to fall asleep. And we’re not allowed to eat food at the tables,” she said.

Dowd stresses the importance of the pre-conflict in working with homeless people, many of whom may be suffering from mental illness or addiction. When a library employee greets and offers help, it generates what he calls sentiment override. People evaluate your actions based on how you acted in the past, he explained, and then when you ask them to do something, they give you the benefit of the doubt that you’re just doing your job.

However, “many people are just so terrified of talking to someone who is homeless so the first time they are talking to someone is when they have a problem,” he said.

THIRD WORLD UK 

New Thames Water map reveals where raw sewage is being discharged

Andy Gregory
Tue, 24 January 2023

A new map showing where raw sewage is being discharged via storm overflows has highlighted various locations where effluent has been pumped into English waterways for hundreds of hours without pause.

Thames Water launched its digital map earlier this month, providing real-time data on its discharges across the South East, amid growing public anger about the state of the country’s rivers.

There has been a 29-fold increase in untreated sewage discharges into rivers and seas over a period of five years, Environment Agency figures obtained via freedom of information requests revealed last August.

A sewage overflow outlet discharges into the River Thames in November (Getty Images)

Further analysis of the agency’s data – which showed raw sewage had been pumped into British waterways for a total of 9,427,355 hours since 2016 – showed that nearly one in four discharges went unmonitored the previous year.

Following sustained pressure from campaigners and growing public anger, the government and regulator Ofwat have sought to crack down on water companies’ ability to pollute rivers and seas.

Under the government’s Environment Act, water companies have been told to make near real-time data about the frequency and duration of all storm overflow discharges available to the public no later than 2025 – and ministers have said that all overflows will have monitors fitted by the year’s end.

Thames Water, England’s largest private water firm, became the first company to launch an interactive map providing real-time information on raw sewage discharges into inland waterways.

The map shows continuous flows of effluent lasting for hundreds of hours in some locations.

As of Monday at 9pm, sewage had been flowing for 554 hours at Clanfield and 564 hours at Standlake, both in Oxfordshire, for 839 hours in Burghfield and 841 in Stratfield Mortimer, both in West Berkshire, and for 758 hours in Fairford, Gloucestershire, among other locations.

Public consciousness about the scale of Thames Water’s raw sewage discharges via storm overflows has risen sharply since the company this month launched its digital map identifying discharges as they take place.

Ash Smith, a retired police detective and water activist from the Oxfordshire group Windrush Against Sewage Pollution, said that although the interest generated by the new map has been “remarkable”, ultimately “nothing has changed”.

Thames Water’s map: Locations in red represent ongoing sewage flows, while those in orange have stopped within the last 48 hours (Thames Water)

“It has created a lot of interest in what is happening, it’s been remarkable,” Mr Smith told The Guardian. It should put pressure on the more opaque water companies to do the same. But nothing has changed, the rivers are still being used as a toilet.”

Thames Water told the paper: “Our current investment programme, which is fully funded, will deliver major increases in treatment capacity at many of our sites.”

It added: “We are absolutely committed to protecting and enhancing our rivers and the communities who love them, and we want to make these discharges of diluted sewage unnecessary as quickly as possible.

“We are the first company to provide these alerts for inland waters … We want to lead the way with this transparent approach to data, and the alerts will be available through an open data platform for third parties, such as swimming and environmental groups, to use.”

The chart below sets out the ownership of Thames Water 

Our external shareholders

Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System 31.777% One of Canada’s largest pension plans, with C$105 billion of net assets and global experience managing essential infrastructure 2017-2018

Universities Superannuation Scheme 19.711% A UK pension scheme for the academic staff of UK universities 2017, 2021

Infinity Investments SA 9.900% A subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds 2011

British Columbia Investment Management Corporation 8.706% An investment management services provider for British Columbia’s public sector 2006

Hermes GPE 8.699% One of Europe’s leading independent specialists in global private markets and manager of the BT Pension Scheme (BTPS), one of the largest UK pension schemes for the private sector 2012

China Investment Corporation 8.688% One of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds 2012

Queensland Investment Corporation 5.352% A global diversified alternative investment firm and one of the largest institutional investment managers in Australia 2006

Aquila GP Inc. 4.995% A leading infrastructure management firm and a wholly owned subsidiary of Fiera Infrastructure Inc., a leading investor across all subsectors of the infrastructure asset class 2013

Stichting Pensioenfonds Zorg en Welzijn 2.172% A pension fund service provider managing several different pension funds as well as affiliated employers and their employees 2006

UK must be clearer about the carbon cost of flights, says aviation body

Lucy Thackray
Tue, 24 January 2023 

To fly or not to fly? UK air travellers are poorly informed, says CAA 

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has launched a call for evidence on sustainable air travel, saying that consumers want to travel more sustainably, but are not clearly advised on the environmental impact of flying.

The industry body, which oversees and regulates aviation in the UK, published the call for evidence on 11 January, asking for insight on “what environmental information should be provided to people when they are looking for and booking flights” and “how that information can be presented in a way that is meaningful and enables people to make informed choices”.

In a statement, the authority said that consumers’ flight bookings do not tally with their professed commitment to more sustainable travel, and suggests that the UK implement clearer and more standardised information about the carbon cost of air travel.


Basing its view on its own 2021 study of consumer behaviour, the CAA said: “Consumers want more environmental information that they can trust about the impact of their flights on the environment.

“We know that there are many organisations, including airlines, international trade associations and internet flight search engines, working on different ways of providing such environmental information. However, there does not appear to be a standard approach to what information is provided or how it is presented.

“Passengers can find several different calculations of how much emissions a flight might produce (and their individual share of that total), with little or no explanation of why a flight on one airline appears to have a significantly different climate impact than another on the same route.”

Where there is carbon labelling or transparency about the impact of aviation’s damage to the environment, says the organisation, it can be unclear to the average traveller, and difficult to compare journeys.

“There is also little explanation of what the information means in practice,” says its analysis. “Most organisations present the information as ‘X kg CO2 per person per flight” but there is no comparator information to put this into context.

“This means that people cannot make fully informed decisions on their travel options or on whether they can take additional measures (such as offsetting) to reduce the impact of their flight [and] increases the risk that people will not trust the information and so ignore it.”

The concept of carbon labelling aims to clearly flag which journeys and modes of transport are most damaging to the planet, as well as highlighting options which may produce less carbon.

Some travel booking companies, such as Skyscanner, already underline flight options with lower-than-average carbon emissions, but the CAA is calling for a UK-wide, clear, standardised and regulated system for labelling air travel options at the booking stage.

‘Develop London with climate change in mind or suffer more flooding on Tube’

Rachael Burford
Tue, 24 January 2023 

Flooding in Stratford (Twitter/R0bday)

Concreting over London will cause further flooding of the Tube, the chief executive of the Environment Agency warned on Tuesday.

Sir James Bevan said that unless developments were designed with climate change in mind, the capital’s transport network would suffer during the increasingly heavy rainfall.

Basement flats were also particularly vulnerable to regular flooding in a warmer, wetter climate, Sir James said.

Parks should be built to act as “giant sponges” or grass planted on roofs “to allow rainwater to drain away gradually”, he said in a speech at Imperial College London.

He added: “As well as efforts to create better access to green space, our cities would have embedded sustainable drainage which increases the ability of our cities and their drainage systems to absorb large amounts of water when it rains.”

Flooding was seen across the capital in November (Ben Cawthra/LNP)

London’s transport network has been hit by flash flooding several times in the past few years.

Nine stations were closed in July 2021 due to heavy rain. Videos showed torrents of water submerging ticket barriers at Covent Garden and Pudding Mill DLR in Stratford.

In August last year sections of Victoria station along with Kentish Town and Holland Park Tube were shut due to a downpour.

The wet weather also impacted major roads, including Upper Street, Farringdon Road and Hyde Park Corner.

Dozens of homes were also flooded in east London when drains were unable to cope with the deluge of water.

While the city is no longer enveloped in the thick smog it saw during the 20th century, and wildlife has returned to the Thames in recent years after being declared “biologically dead” in the Fifties, Sir James argued there was still much that needed doing to make it resilient to climate change.

He pointed to developments such as the Olympic Park as “the urban environments of the future”.

“As our cities grow and our current drains reach full capacity, as we concrete over areas that used to act as natural drains, and as climate change brings us bigger and more violent rainfall, these schemes can make all the difference between basements, underpasses, city centres and Tube lines that are flooded and dangerous, and a city that just shrugs its shoulders, puts up its umbrellas, and keeps going.”

It comes as Mayor Sadiq Khan issued a high air pollution alert across London for today, with schools notified about the toxic air and signs displayed across TfL.

The capital has experienced moderate air pollution since Saturday as the cold and foggy conditions mean vehicle emissions disperse more slowly.

Mr Khan said people needed “to be careful” in the coming days to help the pollution dissipate.

The Evening Standard has backed “Ella’s Law”, a bill that will enshrine the human right to clean air in law.

The Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill is named after Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, the first person in the UK to have air pollution listed as a cause of death.

Today would have been her 19th birthday.

Bill Gates invests in cow gas climate start-up

Samuel Webb
Tue, 24 January 2023 

Bill Gates invests in cow gas climate start-up

An investment firm founded by tech mogul Bill Gates has invested in an Australian climate technology company that aims to reduce the methane produced by cows.

Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV), which was set up by the Microsoft co-founder in 2015, led a US$12 million funding round into Rumin8, which produces dietary supplements that reduce the emissions from livestock.

Gates has frequently spoken out about meat production’s impact on the climate crisis – animal farming accounts for an estimated 14.5% of all human-derived greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The cash will be used to accelerate Rumin8’s road to commercialisation.

“The demand for sustainable protein has never been more apparent, which is why BEV is keenly interested in reducing methane emissions from beef and dairy,” said Carmichael Roberts, BEV.

“Rumin8 offers a low cost, scalable toolbox that has already proven to be effective in reducing emissions. Our team will support Rumin8 in working closely with farmers to expand the reach of this solution globally.”

Rumin8 scientists have run trials that show red seaweed reduces emissions from cattle, and, instead of ocean-based seaweed cultivation, are reproducing the target compound from the plant rather than mass producing seaweed itself.

Managing director David Messina said: “We have been very pleased with the reception we have received from climate impact funds around the world,” Mr Messina said.

“There is a genuine desire to fund solutions to enteric methane emissions from livestock and fortunately for Rumin8, they can see the benefits of our technology.

“Our laboratory results continue to yield excellent results, our animal trials are reflecting the laboratory results, and the financial modelling we are undertaking is indicating we will be able to supply our products at a commercial price point.”

In December Gates topped the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s annual list of the 10 largest charitable gifts announced by individuals or their foundations.

He gave $5 billion to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to back the grantmaker’s work in global health, development, policy and advocacy, and US education. Gates, whose net worth is estimated at $104 billion, attracted attention in July when he announced he was giving $20 billion to the foundation he runs with his former wife, Melinda French Gates.

However, foundation officials confirmed in December that three-fourths of that $20 billion went toward paying off the $15 billion he and French Gates had pledged in July 2021. The remaining $5 billion was a new infusion to the foundation.

COP27
Fossil fuel lobby waged $4m disinformation campaign during climate summit, report finds

Stuti Mishra
Tue, 24 January 2023 

Fossil fuel companies spent millions of dollars on advertisements containing climate disinformation and greenwashing attempts when leaders assembled for the United Nations climate summit in November, new research has claimed.

A report by the Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD) coalition analysed fake information and misleading claims circulating online during the Cop27 summit in Egypt.

It found that a sample of fossil fuel sector-linked entities spent approximately $4m on Meta for paid advertisements to spread false, misleading claims on the climate crisis, net-zero targets and the necessity of fossil fuels prior to and during Cop27.

The analysis identified 3,781 adverts, the majority of which were from a PR group of the American Petroleum Institute called Energy Citizens, the report states. It also found that America's Plastic Makers alone spent over $1m and the Saudi Green Initiative ran 13 ads.

The report says there was a surprising increase in content related to outright climate denial, including a spike on Twitter for the hashtag #ClimateScam since July 2022, months before the summit began.

These adverts exploited issues like the cost of living to justify the use of fossil fuels, which remain the dominant cause of planet-warming greenhouse gases, and created false doubts about the reliability of green technology.

A broader scepticism over the climate crisis was also promoted through a “narrative playbook”, tying climate change concerns to “wokeness”.

The Independent approached Energy Citizens as well as the American Petroleum Institute for comment, but did not receive a response prior to publication of this story. In a mission statement on the organisation’s website, Energy Citizens described themselves as “passionate and determined to see our nation develop balanced energy policies that strengthen our communities, support our families and make our nation more secure”.

“The events of 2022 turbocharged a global ecosystem for disinformation,” said Jennie King, head of climate research and response at ISD. “Russia’s war in Ukraine and its impact on energy supply chains have renewed anti-climate attacks globally.

“State actors and lobbyists are attempting to ‘wokewash’ their opposition to climate action, and attacks on climate movements are becoming increasingly extreme,” Ms King added.

“The situation is hugely concerning and needs a coordinated response everywhere, from Big Tech to its regulators. At this pivotal juncture, tackling climate disinformation is an essential part of climate action.”

The loss and damage fund, a new financial facility for victims of climate crisis-induced disasters that received a green light at last year’s conference, was presented as “climate reparations”.

The report supports the growing concerns several climate activists and organisations raised during the summit over the rising denial of climate science and the influence of fossil fuel entities.

Cop27 was criticised for the presence of the highest number of executives from firms related to fossil fuels with the final deal failing to bring a stronger outcome in favour of the green energy transition.

It also comes as the United Arab Emirates, the host of this year’s climate summit which is set to be held in Dubai, announced Sultan Ahmed Jaber, a CEO of an oil giant, as the president.

“This research shows that climate disinformation isn’t going away and, in fact, it’s getting worse,” said Erika Seiber, climate disinformation spokesperson at Friends of the Earth US.

“Until governments hold social media and ad companies accountable, and companies hold professional disinformers accountable, crucial conversations around the climate crisis are going to be put in jeopardy.”

UK

Greenpeace accuses Treasury of distorting its stance on biomass burning


Fiona Harvey and Phoebe Cooke

The Guardian
Tue, 24 January 2023 

Photograph: Lee Smith/Reuters

Greenpeace has accused the government of misrepresenting its stance on burning trees for electricity, giving a minister the impression of public support for the highly controversial practice in meetings with the power company Drax.

Greenpeace is firmly opposed to most forms of biomass burning for power generation, and suspicious of claims that the resulting carbon dioxide can be captured.

But in a briefing note to a minister before a meeting with Drax – formerly a coal-fired power station operator and now a major burner of wood for electricity generation – officials cited Greenpeace as having “provided a statement in support of BECCS [bioenergy with carbon capture and storage]”.

The notes, seen by the Guardian, were obtained by the investigative journalism organisation DeSmog under the Freedom of Information Act (FoI).

Doug Parr, the chief scientist at Greenpeace UK, said the claim was misleading and damaging. Greenpeace, along with other green groups, opposes biomass burning for power, except in special circumstances, for several reasons: burning wood releases carbon dioxide now, but regrowing trees to reabsorb the carbon can take decades; growing trees for power generation takes up land that could be better used; cutting down trees destroys wildlife; and there are few safeguards to ensure that wood for burning comes from well-managed sources.

“It’s just not true, and it’s really annoying [to be cited in support of the practice],” said Parr. “We see no evidence for BECCS being a useful way of reducing emissions.”

The FoI documents, dating to last March, show that ministers have been subject to fierce lobbying from Drax, the UK’s biggest single carbon emitter. Drax has converted four of its six boilers to burn wood pellets rather than coal, and was asked by National Grid on Sunday to “warm” its remaining coal generators in case they were needed to reduce strain on the UK’s energy network.

Drax has received about £5.6bn in subsidies from energy-bill payers over the last decade for its switch to wood burning, and is hoping for billions more under a revamped subsidy system from 2027, the details of which will be set out in 2025.

The thinktank Ember has estimated that Drax could be in line for more than £30bn in future subsidies. But green campaigners including Greenpeace argue the subsidies are misplaced.

There are signs the government is also prepared to rethink the subsidies. Last summer, the Guardian revealed that the then business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, told a private meeting of MPs that importing wood to be burned by Drax was “not sustainable” and “doesn’t make any sense”.

The Treasury briefing notes obtained by DeSmog were prepared before a meeting with Drax in early March 2022, just a few weeks after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which sent gas prices soaring and the government scrambling to secure the UK’s energy supplies. Will Gardiner, the chief executive of Drax, had requested the meeting with Lucy Frazer, then exchequer secretary to the Treasury.

To prepare for the call, which after delays took place on 9 March, Frazer was given a briefing note on some of the issues surrounding BECCS and Drax’s operations. This included a discussion of the UK’s legally binding target to reach net zero emissions by 2050, and Drax’s ability to provide 2GW of electricity a year.

The notes conclude: “Power BECCS is generally unpopular amongst climate activists and NGOs, who are sceptical of cutting down trees and burning them to help save the climate. Some, including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, have written to the Treasury seeking for it to be blocked. However, Greenpeace have provided the following statement in support of BECCS: ‘A small proportion of emissions is likely to be unavoidable and must be offset by carbon dioxide removal, such as by tree-planting (afforestation/reforestation) or by technological approaches like bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) or direct air carbon capture with storage (DACCS).’ Greenpeace January 2021.”

Parr said the statement was not “provided” to the government, and was taken out of context. The sentence came from a report Greenpeace compiled regarding carbon capture technologies, discussing the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the body of the world’s leading climate scientists. The panel has said that ways of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere would be needed to avoid the worst ravages of climate breakdown.

Parr said: “This gives a false impression that there are environmentalists giving their support for biomass burning at a large scale. But civil society is strongly lined up against this.”

Elsewhere in the FoI documents, officials seem to be growing weary of pleas from Drax, noting “the next one in a series of lobbying attempts” at one point.

A Drax spokesperson said: “As the UK’s largest renewable power generator by output, Drax plays a vital role in keeping the lights on for millions of homes and businesses. It’s therefore essential for Drax to engage with government and other key stakeholders on matters relating to energy security and its future business strategy.

“Last year, at the request of the UK government, Drax agreed to extend the availability of its two remaining coal generating units to help bolster UK energy security as a result of the war in Ukraine.

“Drax plans to invest around £3bn by 2030 in critical renewable energy infrastructure projects, including BECCS and pumped hydro storage, which will support energy security, as well as efforts to meet the country’s climate targets whilst creating jobs.

“Biomass is the only source of reliable, renewable power which is available whatever the weather, displacing fossil fuels on the electricity grid and playing a vital role in maintaining energy security. Drax is a world leader in sustainable biomass and we adhere to all required legislation, regulations and standards which govern the energy sector, Drax’s businesses and supply chains in the UK, Canada, US and EU.”

A HM Treasury spokesperson said: “Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage is expected to play an important role in Britain’s future energy security and helping the UK to achieve its net zero target. The use of biomass in energy generation in the UK’s power sector has helped to dramatically reduce the use of fossil fuels. Drax is the largest renewable electricity provider, meeting 12% of UK renewable power demand.”

UK

New ‘fire and rehire’ rules will not stop another P&O-type scandal, union warns

Henry Saker-Clark, PA Deputy Business Editor
Tue, 24 January 2023

The TUC union has warned that new rules from ministers designed to tackle “fire and rehire” practices are “not going to stop another P&O-style scandal”.

The Government has said companies which sack workers who do not agree to accept worse working terms face compensation payments as part of a crackdown on rogue practices.

Business Secretary Grant Shapps announced the plans on Tuesday for a statutory code of practice for employers.

The announcement is partly in response to the actions of P&O Ferries, which last year sacked 786 seafarers without due consultation.

P&O was widely condemned for not providing staff with notice for the sackings, but an investigation by the insolvency service found their actions were not illegal.

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said the new rules from Government do not go far enough.

“This is a reheated, repeated announcement,” he said.

“A statutory code of practice is not going to stop another P&O-style scandal from happening, and it won’t deter bad bosses from treating staff like disposable labour.

Business Secretary Grant Shapps has outlined the plans (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)

“If the Government really cared about workers’ rights it wouldn’t have abandoned its much-touted employment bill.”

The Government pledged the new code will protect employees and clamp down on employers that use controversial dismissal tactics.

Courts will be given power to increase compensation to employees by 25% in certain circumstances if employers do not abide by the set of rules.

Mr Shapps said: “Using fire and rehire as a negotiation tactic is a quick-fire way to damage your reputation as a business.

“Our new code will crack down on firms mistreating employees and set out how they should behave when changing an employee’s contract.

“We are determined to do all we can to protect and enhance workers’ rights across the country.”

Susan Clews, chief executive of Acas, said: “We will carefully consider the Government’s consultation on its new draft code of practice and respond to it in due course.

“Our own advice is clear that fire and rehire is an extreme step that can seriously damage working relations and has significant legal risks for organisations.”

Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, said: “This code isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.

“It’s shameful that nearly a year after the P&O Ferries scandal the Conservatives can only offer this weak half-measure, which they admit will allow fire and rehire tactics to continue.”