Eco Chamber

Hosted by Environmental Data Services (ENDS)

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204

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Jun 2026

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About the show

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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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.

June 3, 202618 min

War of the words: Starmer's blog and Reform UK's quango policy

In the last week blog posts and essays have been published by the former Labour leader, Sir Tony Blair, and prime minister Sir Keir Starmer – along with potential contenders for the top job – over the future of Labour policy, including on net zero.  Blair has called for the government to shift to the “radical centre” and remove those parts of the net-zero agenda which “prioritise clean energy over cheaper energy”. Meanwhile, Reform UK has also been publishing detail on its own plans for government – including what it thinks of arm’s-length bodies like Natural England. In this week’s ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons speaks with ENDS Report deputy editor Tess Colley to find out how the prime minister responded to Blair’s intervention, what’s at stake in this battle of the blogs – and what you need to know from Reform UK’s policy documents.  PLUS  <ul><li>The ‘hundreds’ of dead sharks found on <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1959739/hundreds-dead-sharks-found-welsh-beaches-most-likely-due-ghost-nets" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Welsh beaches</a></li><li>A new charter signed to protect the <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1959395/councils-sign-charter-protect-wye-catchment" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wye catchment</a></li><li>And the Scottish salmon farm fined <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1959632/salmon-farm-fined-70000-breaching-f-gas-regulations" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">£70,000</a> over F-gas regulations</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.

May 27, 202623 min

The ties that bind: Toxic chemicals, dead monkeys and an English town

In the UK, no chemical company has ever been prosecuted for PFAS-related claims. But environmental law firm Leigh Day is <a href="https://www.leighday.co.uk/news/events/agc-chemicals-and-pfas-meeting-on-potential-legal-action/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">currently investigating</a> potential legal action against AGC Chemicals Ltd. on behalf of the residents in Thornton-Cleveleys.  Now, documents unearthed by ENDS can reveal that representatives on behalf of the company knew that since the year 2000, one chemical used in its manufacturing – PFOA – caused lesions and decreases in cognitive and motor functions in long-tailed macaques that ultimately lead to their deaths.  To find out more, ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons speaks to ENDS Report news editor Pippa about what six scientists meeting in a Scottish castle in 2000 has to do with the health impacts of PFAS forever chemicals on the residents of Thornton-Cleveleys now. Plus <ul><li>DEFRA’s £30m wildlife-farming fund</li><li>Scottish Forestry’s flawed environmental impact assessment over the northern brown argus butterfly </li><li>And a new study linking moorland burning to air pollution impacting millions of people.</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.

May 20, 202633 min

King's Speech debrief and unearthing Surrey's toxic landfill legacy

There are more than 21,000 historic landfills scattered across England and Wales. Of these almost 1,300 are categorised as containing hazardous waste. In Surrey, new documents unearthed by an ENDS investigation show how irresponsible waste practices carried out between the 50s, 60s and 70s, could be coming to haunt the present.  This week, ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report deputy editor Tess Colley speak with the journalist behind this latest ENDS investigation, Joe Sanderson Clarke, on why contaminated land campaigners are pushing for changes to the law. The team also discusses the King’s Speech as prime minister Sir Keir Starmer stands on shaky political ground.  Plus  <ul><li>The Dogger Bank offshore windfarms <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1958391/dogger-bank-offshore-wind-farms-green-lit-despite-nature-concerns" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">green-lit</a>, despite nature concerns</li><li>The 13 new official <a href="about:blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bathing sites</a>, which includes a site in London</li><li>And news that <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1958108/one-third-regulated-waste-sites-england-may-not-compliant-finds-oep" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">one third</a> of regulated waste sites in England may not be compliant</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.

May 13, 202630 min

Election results debrief: Will Labour losses see environmental policy zombified?

On 7 May, Labour lost control of the Welsh Senedd for the first time in history.  In Scotland, it recorded its worst ever result at a Scottish Parliamentary election, and in England, Labour lost 1,496 councillors as Reform UK and the Green Party made huge gains.  As the government sets out its legislative agenda in the King’s Speech this week, we ask what the political upheaval might mean for environmental policy. With resignations from Labour MPs and ministers including, Miatta Fahnbulleh the housing minister, Jess Phillips the safeguarding minister, Alex Davies-Jones the victims' minister, health minister Zubir Ahmed, and Tom Rutland, the parliamentary private secretary to DEFRA secretary Emma Reynolds, pressure is mounting on the prime minister to resign.  If he does, could we see environmental policy zombified as the government tries to get to grips with the in-fighting? To find out, ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report editor Jamie Carpenter speak with special guest Isabella Gornall, the founder of the communications and lobbying agency Seahorse Environmental and former environmental advisor to Zac Goldsmith. <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.

May 6, 202615 min

Boiling Point: MPs call for more water chief scalps as planned King's Speech debates raise eyebrows

This week, the team takes stock of the resignation of South East Water’s non-executive chair, Chris Train, who resigned following a damning report over the company’s leadership by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee.  But the MPs are not finished yet.  On this week’s ECO Chamber, podcast host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report senior reporter Shosha Adie sit down to discuss why the committee also wants South East Water’s chief executive, David Hinton, to step down.  The team also discusses news that the House of Lords will not be debating the subject of the natural environment in the wake of the King’s Speech.  PLUS: The rise of pharmaceutical pollution in honey potentially caused by sewage sludge, the tens of thousands of tonnes of shredded waste dumped on a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a former NRW board member rejected from running for Reform UK 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.

April 29, 202616 min

Chicken run? UK's 'biggest ever eco-lawsuit' and Natural England’s SSSI retreat

This week, the team takes stock of the thousands of people challenging  the giant poultry processor Avara Foods Limited, its subsidiary Freemans of Newent Limited, and the water company Welsh Water over pollution in the rivers Wye, Lugg, Usk and related tributaries.  The Wye catchment area is home to 24 million chickens, and lawyers are set to argue that the problem revolves around pollution from this chicken manure running off into the protected river. On this week’s ECO Chamber, podcast host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report deputy editor Tess Colley sit down to discuss the legal challenge and what’s at stake. The team also discusses the findings of a new report suggesting that Natural England has decided to freeze its work on SSSI designations.  PLUS: The Environmental Audit Committee’s <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1955828/restrict-remediate-destroy-six-key-takeaways-eacs-pfas-inquiry" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">PFAS risks warnings</a>, new guidance on <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1955733/professional-guidance-greenhouse-gas-assessments-updated-wake-finch-ruling" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">greenhouse gas emission assessments</a>, and a fresh warning that the UK’s growing hazardous waste pile is growing and the country lacks the “<a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1955908/long-term-storage-needed-uks-growing-hazardous-waste-oep-commissioned-report-states" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">long-term storage</a>” needed for the future.  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.

April 27, 202631 min

Election preview: where the environmental battles will be won and lost

Ahead of elections on 7 May, ENDS Report presents a podcast politics special in addition to your usual ECO Chamber episode. With polls suggesting Labour is facing crushing defeats across the country, we hear from a power house of special guests on what the implications could be for green policy if what is predicted comes to pass: <ul><li>Ben Goldsmith, co-founder of Nattergal and a former non-executive director of DEFRA</li><li>Paul McNamee, director of the Labour Climate and Environment Forum </li><li>and Kitty Thompson, head of campaigns at the Conservative Environment Network.  </li></ul> The trio join ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report news editor Pippa Neill. With a focus on England’s local elections, the team breaks down the implications of the latest polling suggesting that Reform UK is set to dominate and asks whether the government is likely to double down a narrative that nature is a blocker to environmental growth – or whether it may see cause to make peace with bats and newts?. 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.

April 22, 202624 min

Nature by numbers: Net gain shake-up as green watchdog sets sights on new leader

The government has confirmed potentially far-reaching changes to England’s biodiversity net gain (BNG) policy.  These include exemptions for development sites 0.2 hectare in size, targeted exemptions for residential brownfield development, and a delay to the inclusion of nationally important infrastructure under BNG’s remit. But what does it all mean in practice?  On this week’s ECO Chamber, special guest, Dr Sophus zu Ermgassen, an ecological economist from the University of Oxford, joins host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report senior reporter Shosha Adie to discuss the changes to BNG. The team also discusses the government’s first choice for new leader of the Office for Environmental Protection: Dame Helen Ghosh. Who is she?  PLUS: Clearance of the notorious <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1954654/work-begins-clean-up-giant-oxfordshire-illegal-waste-site" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kidlington </a>waste dump has begun; a <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1954821/watershed-moment-national-soil-data-made-available-first-time" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">treasure-map</a> for soil health has been revealed to the public; and an aquatic <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1954610/regulatory-milestone-united-utilities-sorry-fish-found-embedded-walls-protruding-organs" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nightmare-from-hell</a> for the thousands of fish that died in gruesome fashion… <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.

April 15, 202629 min

Aftersun: Reform UK casts long shadow over solar boom

On this week’s ECO Chamber, special guest Frankie Mayo, policy analysis and research lead at the energy think tank Ember, joins host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report news editor Pippa Neill to discuss the conflict between solar power and Reform UK. Heading into May’s local elections, Reform UK looks set to sweep more than 1,000 seats across England’s councils.  Party deputy, Richard Tice, has vowed to reverse some of the planning decisions made in favour of giant solar projects should they be elected to government. Will Reform UK’s anti-net zero rhetoric affect the outcomes of the upcoming local elections? The team also discusses the risks posed by proposed AI-data centres in England, which are planned for development in some of the most water stressed areas in the country.  PLUS:  One quarter of <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1954216/one-quarter-local-nature-recovery-strategies-yet-published" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">local nature recovery strategies</a> have not yet been published; <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1954178/proposed-changes-outdated-furniture-fire-safety-rules-reduce-harmful-chemicals-say-campaigners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">outdated’ furniture fire</a> safety rules are set for an overhaul; and plans for the development of the <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1953935/rosebank-jackdaw-oil-gas-fields-need-improve-emissions-assessments-considered-says-regulator" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields</a> could be revived. 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.