Eco Chamber

Hosted by Environmental Data Services (ENDS)

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213

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Aug 2026

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Every week, the ENDS team runs down the biggest green news stories, shines a spotlight on some pretty nasty chemicals, and takes a forensic look at one of the more deep-rooted environmental issues facing us today. Read more on the issues covered at <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.endsreport.com</a> or follow us on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/theendsreport" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@TheENDSReport</a> <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

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August 12, 202629 min

Turbulent skies: Raptor reintroductions and political hot potatoes

Over the past few weeks, environmentalists have been celebrating the release of six young sea eagles into Exmoor National Park.  Their release means more than 50 have now taken flight across England since their reintroduction on the Isle of Wight in 2019.  However, a recent investigation by the wildlife watchdog Natural England has found that some sea eagles, found dead, had ingested enough rat poison for it to have contributed towards their demise.  Dorset has been a particular hotspot for the poisoned birds.  On this week’s episode, podcast host <a href="mailto:jamesagyepongparsons@gmail.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">James Agyepong-Parsons</a> asks, why? With special guest Bob Elliot, the CEO of the legal campaign outfit Wild Justice, the pair discuss the importance of raptor reintroductions and the reality of what it takes to launch a successful wildlife crime investigation.   Alongside sea eagles, ospreys in England are also making a comeback.  The RSPB Campfield Marsh reserve in Cumbria has become the latest home to a pair of breeding ospreys, marking an end to their century-long absence from the bird charity’s reserves. Elliot explains why the return of large birds of prey is so crucial for England’s natural environment to recover.  The team also looks at recently released data giving an update on England’s ailing water bodies.  PLUS <ul><li>The Clacton by-election</li></ul> <ul><li>The UK’s ‘<a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1966631/uks-largest-ever-pollution-legal-claim-passes-5000-clients" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">largest ever</a>’ pollution legal claim…</li></ul> <ul><li>And the <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1966704/government-wins-gatwick-challenge-despite-judges-saying-runway-may-not-fully-compatible-uk-net-zero" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">airport runway</a>, running away in the courts…</li></ul> The ECO Chamber is brought to you by the journalists of ENDS Report. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

August 5, 202619 min

Britain burns as DEFRA ministerial portfolios take shape

The Environment Agency has declared <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/drought-declared-in-half-of-england" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">droughts across half of England</a>, as parts of the country are experiencing the longest dry period in 30 years. At the same time, wildfires have raged across the UK. Most recently, this has included the Dunwich Heath wildfire in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths protected area, which saw more than 150 hectares of rare coastal lowland heath burned.   On this week’s episode, the National Trust’s senior national specialist on climate adaptation, Keith Jones, tells the Eco Chamber what’s been lost, and what needs to happen next.  Jones explains how the National Trust is taking action now, but as a nation, he doesn’t believe the UK has the capacity to respond to a catastrophic wildfire event such as those seen in Europe this summer. The podcast team also gets to grips with the recently assigned portfolios of DEFRA’s new ministers. PLUS <ul><li>The deaths of <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1966254/total-failure-relaxation-rodenticide-rules-blamed-death-sea-eagles" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">England’s sea eagles</a> tied to rat poison </li><li>The <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1965910/construction-firm-fined-17000-death-150-bats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bat nightmare</a> of Lochmaben </li><li>And the river Ouse’s <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1965877/east-sussex-council-signs-river-ouse-charter" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">new charter</a></li></ul> The ECO Chamber is brought to you by the journalists of ENDS Report. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

July 29, 202621 min

Reshuffle kerfuffle: Nature minister Creagh cops it as Labour defends DEFRA aide appointment

Since taking office as prime minister, Andy Burnham has made a swathe of ministerial changes across Westminster, including within DEFRA.  Dame Angela Eagle has succeeded Emma Reynolds as the new environment secretary and new faces have entered the department’s fold. They include Suffolk Coastal MP Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, who has joined DEFRA as a junior minister and water industry veteran Lee Pitcher, the Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme MP.   Pitcher is one of more than 50 new parliamentary private secretaries appointed across government. But one name absent from DEFRA’s ranks is Mary Creagh, the MP for Coventry East and the first nature minister who served under both environment secretaries Emma Reynolds and Steve Reed.   Across her career, Creagh has acted as both shadow secretary for DEFRA and later as chair for the Environmental Audit Committee.  On this week’s episode, the team discusses what her absence could mean for the department and asks why Natural England is worried about the implications of a recent High Court ruling on gamebirds.  PLUS <ul><li>The Environment Agency’s campaign to <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1965636/we-coming-you-ea-enters-new-phase-crackdown-waste-crime" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">clamp down</a> on waste crime</li><li>The <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1965759/defra-held-exceptionally-poor-regard-say-mps-sea-use-framework-call-shot-down" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sea Use Framework</a> sunk by the government.</li><li>And the former Southern Water chief executive charged with ‘<a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1965342/former-southern-water-chief-face-alleged-conspiracy-defraud-charge" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">conspiracy to defraud</a>’ </li></ul> <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

July 22, 202621 min

The Eagle has landed at DEFRA as Burnham reshuffle plays out

After weeks of political machinations, Sir Keir Starmer is out and Andy Burnham is in at No.10 Downing Street. While details have remained elusive on the former Manchester mayor’s environmental policies, as he picks his cabinet we can start to understand what type of government he intends to run. Dame Angela Eagle, the new DEFRA secretary, is not new to the department, having served as farming minister from September 2025 to June this year. But how green is she beyond that? Ed Miliband has been moved from his post as energy secretary to head up the Foreign Office, leaving Burnham “policy guru” Miatta Fahnbulleh heading up the government’s net zero policy. Where might that leave the controversial decision sitting on the DESNZ desk over oil and gas extraction in the North Sea? On this week’s ECO Chamber, podcast host Tess Colley and ENDS Report’s senior reporter Shosha Adie, come together to get to grips with these questions. PLUS: <ul><li>Why nature campaigners in Dartmoor have said the government has ‘caved into conspiracy theories’ over pony grazing controls</li><li>Who is Natural England’s new chief executive?</li><li>And news that Thames Water creditors are battling to prevent nationalisation as Burnham arrives in No.10</li></ul> The ECO Chamber is brought to you by journalists at ENDS Report. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

July 15, 202632 min

Reshuffles, SpAds & Miliband’s moment: Green policy predications as Burnham lands

Newly-elected Labour MP for Makerfield Andy Burnham is expected to be confirmed as the UK’s next prime minister in the coming days, having secured enough backing from Labour MPs to make it mathematically impossible for a rival to run against him for the leadership of the Labour Party. The former mayor of Manchester is expected to reshuffle his cabinet once he has the keys to Number 10, which would trigger sweeping changes in personnel in Westminster – both on the frontbenches and on the backbenches. There’s much interest in particular in the fate of current energy secretary Ed Miliband, who is tipped as a potential chancellor in Burnham’s administration. But what actually happens inside a Whitehall department when a new secretary of state is appointed after a reshuffle? What are the very first decisions that land on a new minister's desk? And how quickly do new special advisers (SpAds) embed themselves into Whitehall? To find out, ECO Chamber host Tess Colley and ENDS Report editor Jamie Carpenter are joined by special guest Isabella Gornall, the founder of the communications agency Seahorse Environmental and former environmental advisor to Zac Goldsmith. PLUS  <ul><li>Why a long-awaited delivery plan to restore nature by 2030 has been <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1964325/completely-insufficient-long-awaited-30by30-nature-plan-met-scorn-charities" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">met with scorn</a> by environmental charities. </li><li>The <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1964420/inquiry-launch-death-boy-lived-near-flooded-historic-landfill" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">inquiry</a> set to be held into the death of boy who lived near a flooded historic landfill</li><li>And news of the UK chemical factory at the centre of a PFAS scandal which has announced plans to <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1964469/uk-chemical-factory-centre-pfas-scandal-announces-plans-cease-production" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">‘cease production’</a>. </li></ul> <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

July 8, 202611 min

Nature's body: Will a new bill give the natural environment human rights?

Last month, a Nature’s Rights Bill entered the House of Lords. Its aim is to make nature a legal subject, seeing nature’s rights “represented and enforced in legal and administrative processes”.  But Conservative peer Lord Frost said that taking the bill seriously would require every individual and organisation “to pay obeisance to nature and its rights, as if it were some kind of goddess”, which he called a “pagan vision”. Although the private members’ bill, proposed by Green Party peer Baroness Bennett, is unlikely to make it into law, it sparked debate in its second reading last week.  Although the government does not support the bill in and of itself, it has said it was ‘open in principle’ to the idea of supporting new environmental rights in line with the EU. On this week’s podcast, ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report’s senior reporter Shosha Adie find out what that means.  The duo also discuss how more than 18,000 homes have reportedly been “unlocked” across some of the most-water stressed areas of East Anglia, Lincolnshire and the Home Counties. PLUS <ul><li>The biodiversity net gain market’s move to <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1963363/bng-market-developing-at-pace-annual-value-close-100m-says-research" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">maturity</a>.</li></ul> <ul><li>The budgets squeezed in Starmer’s <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1963493/defence-investment-plan-whitehall-budgets-squeezed-projects-axed-further-cuts-planned" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">defence plan</a>.</li></ul> <ul><li>And the <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1963229/a-scientific-breakthrough-uk-researchers-uncover-simple-technique-boost-woodland-carbon-sequestration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">scientific breakthrough</a> improving carbon sequestration. </li></ul> The ECO Chamber is brought to you by the journalists of ENDS Report. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

July 1, 202631 min

Would the King of the North change Labour's path on environmental policy?

Four years ago, Burnham was interviewed on a Green Alliance <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/whats-the-role-of-city-regions-in-reaching-net/id1391032216?i=1000559813307" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">podcast</a> wherein he lauded Ed Miliband, now-energy secretary, as a “visionary”, gave his emphatic support for net zero amid the war in Ukraine, rejected fracking outright, and praised onshore wind.  But that was 2022.  Today’s political mood-music seems a far-cry from that time, with Reform UK surging ahead in this year’s local elections on an anti-net zero platform.  What’s more, Labour Unions Unite and GMB have accused Burnham’s rumoured choice of chancellor, Miliband, of prioritising environmental goals over protecting oil and gas jobs in the North Sea.  In his latest speech given in Manchester, Burnham promised “the biggest rebalancing of power in our country,” advocating for regional devolution, local reindustrialization and regeneration. On this week’s podcast, ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report’s senior reporter Shosha Adie speak with RSK Wilding’s legal counsel Alexa Culva about what it could mean for environmental policy.  The team also looks at what Burnham’s in-tray on environmental policy looks like should he become the next prime minister.   PLUS <ul><li>Government plans to align with <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1962677/defra-announces-plan-align-eu-deforestation-rules-consultation-long-overdue-regulation-open" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EU deforestation rules</a> gain traction. </li><li><a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1962473/post-brexit-green-deregulation-making-uk-greyer-less-healthy-says-report" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Post-Brexit deregulation</a> is weakening environmental protections, an environmental charity report warns. </li><li>And the new <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1962933/former-defra-minister-co-chair-first-taskforce-climate-nature-threats-security" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">taskforce</a> focusing on climate and nature threats to national security. </li></ul> The ECO Chamber is brought to you by journalists at ENDS Report. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

June 24, 202632 min

Brexit 10 years on: Is the UK still the dirty man of Europe?

In the book, The Dirty Man of Europe, it was said that without pressure from Europe, it was difficult to see how the UK would have made any environmental progress in the 80s and 90s. Many in the environment sector feared that the UK’s vote to leave the EU in 2016 would herald a return to its position as the ‘Dirty Man of Europe’. We’re now a  decade on from the Brexit vote, which saw then prime minister David Cameron resign swiftly, followed over the years by four other Conservative prime ministers. In the last week, Labour prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced that he too will be standing down following two years at the helm that saw a rise in anti-nature rhetoric, and a rise in support for right-wing politics in the form of Reform UK.  Across the Channel, the EU too is witnessing its own surge in right-wing politics with key environmental policies now being unpicked.  So is the UK still the dirty man of Europe ten years on?  On this week’s podcast, ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons is joined by ENDS Europe’s deputy editor Simon Pickstone and two special guests:  <ul><li>Ben Reynolds, the director of the <a href="https://ieep.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Institute for European Environmental Policy UK</a>.</li><li>And Dr Viviane Gravey, an environmental policy specialist from Queen's University Belfast.</li></ul> PLUS  <ul><li>Sir Keir Starmer <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1962385/starmer-resigns-6-green-policy-areas-limbo-ahead-looming-leadership-election" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">stands down</a> as prime minister</li><li>Andy Burnham’s <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1962229/burnham-victory-lauded-potential-win-nature-blow-fracking-loving-populist-right" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">by-election win</a> in Makerfield sets him on course for the keys to No.10</li><li>And MPs are <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1962135/mps-demand-unabridged-version-leaked-national-security-biodiversity-report-repeated-requests-denied" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">demanding full access</a> to the government’s national security biodiversity report.</li></ul> The ECO Chamber is brought to you by journalists at ENDS Report. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

June 17, 202653 min

Power List: UK’s top environmentalists discuss Brexit, today's politics and the future

This month marks a decade since the Brexit vote and five years since the inaugural ENDS Power List – when Boris Johnson was the prime minister.   A place on the final list has become one of the UK environmental profession’s most sought-after accolades. Three environmentalists who have made the draw five years running are: <ul><li>Richard Benwell, chief executive at the Wildlife and Countryside Link</li><li>Ruth Chambers, senior fellow at Green Alliance </li><li>Estelle Dehon KC, environmental lawyer at Cornerstone Barristers </li></ul> All three heavyweights spoke with ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons on 29 May to take stock of Brexit’s impacts 10 years on, the issues at stake for environmental policy today and where the debate goes from here. PLUS  <ul><li>The King’s Birthday Honours List</li><li>The departure of DEFRA minister Angela Eagle</li><li>And the legal challenge on chemicals laws against the government. </li></ul> The ECO Chamber is brought to you by journalists at ENDS Report. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

June 10, 202631 min

Green King of the North? How does Andy Burnham's environmental track record measure up?

On Thursday 18 June, the make-or-break Makerfield by-election will take place. Burnham is standing as the Labour candidate and is expected to launch a leadership challenge should he win. But where does he stand on environmental policy?  To find out, ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons speaks with ENDS Report senior reporter Shosha Adie, and the CEO of the Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside Wildlife Trust, Dr Tom Burditt.  The team also discusses the NGO concerns over how “loopholes” in the government’s biodiversity net gain policy are exacerbating unequal access to nature. PLUS  <ul><li>The RSPB announces <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1960457/external-pressures-rspb-announces-staff-redundancy-plans" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">staff redundancy</a> plans</li><li>The home of the <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1960351/englands-finest-limestone-grasslands-declared-national-nature-reserve" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Devil’s Chimney</a> becomes a national nature reserve.</li><li>And the latest spread of <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1960462/mapped-spread-uk-solar-power-%E2%80%93-political-constituency" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">UK solar power</a> across the UK.</li></ul> <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

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Listen to episodes

Turbulent skies: Raptor reintroductions and political hot potatoes

Britain burns as DEFRA ministerial portfolios take shape

Reshuffle kerfuffle: Nature minister Creagh cops it as Labour defends DEFRA aide appointment

The Eagle has landed at DEFRA as Burnham reshuffle plays out

Reshuffles, SpAds & Miliband’s moment: Green policy predications as Burnham lands

Nature's body: Will a new bill give the natural environment human rights?

Would the King of the North change Labour's path on environmental policy?

Brexit 10 years on: Is the UK still the dirty man of Europe?

Power List: UK’s top environmentalists discuss Brexit, today's politics and the future

Green King of the North? How does Andy Burnham's environmental track record measure up?

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