Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (XR BCP) held a striking silent actionon the morning of Sunday, 9 November, on Bournemouth Pier Approach, calling out what they describe as the “failure and hypocrisy” of the international COP climate talks ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil. At 11:00, the group began with a two-minute silence. Participants […]
84 per cent of Cornish residents support a ban on bottom trawling in marine protected areas (MPAs) Bottom trawling, which destroys reefs, seagrass and marine life, remains legal in all Cornish MPAs in the consultation despite bans elsewhere in the UK Iconic fish stocks are collapsing: cod in the Celtic Sea is down 98 per cent since 2012 and mackerel is down 78 percent over the last decade A new Cornwall-wide […]
Annie Hill-Smith: On 7 November at 10.00a.m. the Dartmoor National Park Authority’s Development Management Committee will hear the Tree Protection Order relating to the trees at Kenwyn. The Park’s Tree Officer is recommending that the order is granted. Hurray! The meeting will be at the DNPA’s office at Parke, just outside Bovey Tracey. I’ve lobbied […]
Do we truly have the kind of democracy in our country which is fit for the challenges of the 21st Century? Does our government fairly represent the views and aspirations of voters? How can we best tackle and mitigate the effects of climate change? All these questions, and more, will be up for debate in […]
It’s been a while since I last wrote an article. I struggled to find the time last month; I returned to my second year of sixth form to find a larger work load as well as the extra pressure of university applications and extra-curricular commitments. Most of my spare time I spent socialising rather than […]
On the surface it looks like another ‘conservation versus industry’ planning controversy, with the odds predictably stacked against nature and wildlife. A multinational quarrying company wants to expand its operations in Devon, which will mean destroying a large forest. As the company prepares its application for planning permission, a group of local residents are fighting […]
One for the women and girls, whatever your age, but also for the gents because it is important to be informed and know how this subject is affecting the ladies in your lives. We’re halfway through Environmenstrual Week, organised by non-profit Women’s Environmental Network (WEN), to raise awareness of just what is in the period […]
Activists, community groups and campaigners came together in Poole on Saturday 11 October 2025, for a march for climate justice. Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (XR BCP) organised the event as part of Black History Month. The march highlighted the deep links between the climate crisis, colonialism and corporate exploitation — both globally and […]
Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (XR BCP) and allied groups will march through Poole on Saturday October 11, calling for climate justice and standing in solidarity with communities around the world on the frontlines of the climate and ecological crisis. The march will begin at Poole Park at midday and finish at Poole Quay […]
Dorset Council is considering an application to extend a previously granted oil drilling plan for ten years. The decision was deferred last week by the Planning Committee after questions were raised about the “significance” of its greenhouse gas impact. It’s now likely to be decided in November or January. Objections were raised in 2023 when […]
A new independent review of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council’s weed management programme has raised serious concerns about the widespread use of pesticides and herbicides across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. The analysis carried out by local environmental researcher Steve Harper, found that 49 of the 51 chemicals used by the council in 2024 – […]
Local residents gathered at Boscombe Pier on September 6, 2025, as part of a nationwide day of action demanding that the government reject Rosebank, the UK’s largest untapped oil field. The Bournemouth action featured a striking banner drop from the pier, music from Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole (XR-BCP) Rhythms drummers, and an outreach […]
According to Oxfam, private jets are the most polluting form of transport per passenger. A single flight from London to Paris on a private jet emits six times more CO₂ per passenger than a commercial plane, 12 times more than a car, and 180 times more than taking the train. A round trip from London […]
A Global Plastics Treaty, wouldn’t that be fantastic? An agreement between all nations, in essence to drive down plastic pollution, from extraction to production to final disposal. Five previous rounds of talks and negotiations could not resolve the impasse to accomplish this in order to limit the rampant damage to our shared planet. Why did […]
Knock on the doors of the manosphere, and what I have discovered isn’t merely a collection of grievances and muscle-flexes – it’s an entire microclimate, its own weather front pressing against the future. Here, in these digital territories, fossil-fuelled bravado becomes the very air young men are taught to breathe, each exhale a small act […]
Set up by the Plastic Free Foundation, this is a global movement to help support us all in reducing our plastic waste. Think of it like a New Year’s Resolution but more enduring! It’s a chance to take a few practical, actionable steps to reduce dependence on single-use plastic and to embed these changes into […]
The scheme for five affordable homes by Darren Wills of Classic Builders was REJECTED. The community’s need outweighed the need for more housing. Statement from the Open Spaces Society at the bottom of this article. Please read! In the north of Plymouth, surrounded by a housing estate, there is a small, triangular patch of grass, […]
“I sometimes think my vision of the sea is the clearest thing I own” – Sylvia Plath This month, I wanted to write about the sea and its importance for two reasons – firstly, because of David Attenborough’s popular new documentary ‘Ocean’ (which I unfortunately still haven’t had the opportunity to watch as yet) and, […]
Let me start by saying straight off that I think everyone should read this book. If you are feeling bleak and despairing about the future of the planet, or utterly disgusted about the seemingly inexorable rise of the far right or just plain fed up with the way things are, then you definitely need this […]
Today I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease. I was bitten by four ticks 30 days ago, and had a red rash come up around one of the bites that soon started spreading… As there was no ‘bullseye’, I didn’t think it was Lyme, I assumed it was just a reaction, especially as the rash wasn’t […]
You may have heard about the ‘flex-collect’ three-year trial currently under way, which involves kerbside collections of specified soft plastics as part of the usual weekly collection by some councils. Recoup reported that the UK produced 309,000 tonnes of flexible plastic packaging, but only 8 per cent of this was collected for recycling. The aim […]
We have covered the resistance to the incinerator plans before, but, sadly, it seems people have to protest yet again. Local residents are angry that the BCP Planning Committee have made a summary recommendation to grant permission for MVV to build their proposed waste incinerator in Canford. The BCP Planning Committee are meeting at 1pm […]
The review commissioned by Plymouth City Council (PCC) in order for them to learn lessons from the Armada Way tree felling fiasco is complete and the report has been published. It is damning. The Armada Way Independent Learning Review (AWILR) panel was tasked with looking into the decision to approve the development of Armada Way […]
Hi there, my name is May and I’m a 17-year-old from East Devon who’s passionate about finding solutions to the climate crisis. Although local elections can seem less important than general elections, in reality they have a significant effect on setting the agenda for local policy, including on issues surrounding the environment and climate change. […]
Hundreds of people demonstrated on Exmouth seafront and out in the water on Saturday, May 17, demanding an end to sewage pollution. It was part of a national Paddle Out protest, organised by Surfers Against Sewage, that took place on beaches and at other waterside locations around England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It was […]
Thousands of people are expected to rally at noon on Haytor on Dartmoor this bank holiday Monday (26 May) to call on the government to pass a new Right to Roam Act. The rally comes in the wake of the Supreme Court’s unanimous verdict upholding the right to wild camp on Dartmoor, quashing a long-running […]
This is Piles Copse, the largest remaining fragment of high-ground temperate rainforest on Dartmoor. It’s a tiny speck of green in a dismal, human-made desert. Prepare yourselves for a story of breath-taking perversity. Even in fairly recent history, it used to be much bigger, to judge by two lines of evidence: a few surviving oaks […]
Let’s take a look at the recycling of aluminium cans. Did you know that it takes 95 per cent less energy to recycle aluminium cans than it does to make new ones? Making them from raw materials (bauxite) is an energy-intensive process, using the same amount of energy to make one new can as it […]
Nature-rich peatland habitats are to be better protected under plans set out by the Government today (Monday 31 March), which would ban burning on peat in the uplands, improving health and wellbeing of people in nearby communities. This is a very welcome statement from the government today. It recognises the value of our precious peatlands […]
The irony meter must be peaking like one of South West Water’s storm overflow monitors. Former East Devon Conservative MP Simon Jupp, who was an outspoken critic of the utility firm, has taken a job with its parent company, Pennon, advising on community engagement. During his time as an MP Mr Jupp did plenty of […]