DEMOCRACY, LAW AND THE ENVIRONMENT – UKELA ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2021

This is a speech I gave at the UKELA annual conference 2021. In summary, I argue that the rule of law will not long survive a failure to maintain the ecological foundations of the economy. The climate is the foundation in the most imminent danger. The ecological foundations of the […]

How does the coronavirus pandemic impact Earth Hour and the way that we think about climate change? – Al Jazeera

This is an enormous shock to the way that we think about ourselves in the world, and it’s a real reminder, of how important it is for us to work with each other to deal with things. It is giving us a real sense that there are no borders anymore, […]

Is this the end of fracking? – LBC

I did an interview for LBC on Sunday 13th October with Ian Payne. The discussion was “Is this the end of fracking?” Here are some excerpts from the interview: I wouldn’t claim fracking is over, it’s probably over for Cuadrilla, but there are other people seeking to do fracking in […]

More than two-thirds of Defra staff moved to Brexit-related roles

. Staff redeployed as ex-government adviser says Brexit is bad for environment . More than two-thirds of all staff employed directly by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) are working on delivering Brexit, according to official figures released by the government. The response to a freedom of […]

The future of nuclear power in Britain

Thank you for inviting me to contribute to this conference. Phil and Andy have done something very important in picking up an overlooked aspect of the public conversation on the future of nuclear power in this country. British Governments have become skilled in recent years at concealing their policy intent […]

The Environmental politics of Brexit – Speech at UK Environmental Law Association Conference

              The Environmental politics of Brexit – Speech by Tom Burke UK Environmental Law Association Conference October 13th, 2017 39 Essex Chambers, London Let me begin by thanking you for inviting me to speak today. This conference connects two issues that, more than most, […]

What does Brexit mean for Environmental Legislation in the UK – Guardian Podcast

    One of the things that you get out of our membership of the EU is an enormous amount of regulatory stability. It takes a very long time to create environmental legislation, but then it is very difficult for governments, in a whimsical way, to change it. Now from […]

Discussing government failure in controlling air pollution – Radio 4 – 2 Feb 17

                  This is the consequence of complete failure by the government to tackle a problem that it has known about for a long time. It is now in breach of our own laws about controlling air pollution, and it has known about […]

WE ARE EUROPE – WHAT ARE YOU #INFOR?

…the travel, our rights, better cities and clean air; 70 years of peace; women and men, parents and kids; the right to love whoever we want; science, art, music and culture; our spare time and our work time; action on climate change and the fight against global poverty; food and […]

So the country voted blue, did we go green? – Sky News – 5 December 15

        Sky: Tom Burke is the Chairman and founding Director of the Environmental Think Tank E3G, and he joins me in the studio.  So the country voted blue did we go green? Tom Burke: We didn’t go green. I think the coalition was a bit greener that […]