A scientific review of the impacts of electromagnetic radiation launched today reveals our limited understanding about how changes we are making to the environment may be damaging wildlife.  Pollution levels have been rapidly rising, and plans for saturating coverage of wi-fi and 5G will push levels higher still.  Despite concerning evidence that such radiation could harm plants, insects, birds and other species, there is very little work underway to understand the impacts or to apply even basic pollution limits.  

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Today the EU Court of Justice confirmed that the 2013 European Commission decision to protect bees by introducing a ban on the use of three neonicotinoid insecticides on flowering crops, was proper and legal.  Bayer and Syngenta had challenged the decisions, throwing everything at the cases and claiming that: the EC exceeded its remit; the economic cost to the pesticide industry should have been a key factor in the decision; the bee pesticide risk assessment document should not have been used (because all member states had not endorsed it); the science showed neonicotinoids were safe to bee

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Parliament considers new wildflower corridors to save bees Our beleaguered wild pollinators move a step closer to recovery today as a new ‘Protection of Pollinators Bill’ is presented to the House of Commons.  Ben Bradley MP will introduce a new Bill aimed at delivering a national network of pollinator corridors containing fields of wildflower-rich habitats. The new laws would place a duty on the Department of the Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) to approve an English B-Line map plan and would encourage public authorities to help with its fulfilment.

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Today EU Member States endorsed the Commission's proposal to completely ban the outdoor agricultural uses of the three neonicotinoids.   

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Falkirk East MSP, Angus MacDonald, has hailed the success of Buglife and CalaChem’s partnership Green Roof project, on a recent visit to the industrial complex in Grangemouth.   In 2016 a biodiverse green roof was installed onto one of buildings on CalaChem’s complex by Bauder, a company specialising in roof systems, in order to provide a space for all manner of butterfly, invertebrates and even Oyster Catchers to have a place to flourish in the midst of heavy industry.  

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