The environment

Fact checks about the environment, climate change, renewable energy and animal welfare

29 May 2019

How many plastic straws do we use?

In recent years estimates for the number of plastic straws used in the UK or in England alone have ranged from around 4 billion to 40 billion. All of these …

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How many plastic straws do we use?
16 April 2019

Do Conservative councils recycle more than Labour ones?

The best available data shows that Conservative councils recycle more of their waste than Labour.

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Do Conservative councils recycle more than Labour ones?
27 February 2019

Does the government subsidise grouse shooting?

Grouse moorland is eligible for agricultural subsidy, provided it is kept in a fit state for grazing. We don’t know how much subsidy grouse moors receive in total.

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Does the government subsidise grouse shooting?
27 February 2019

Overblown: Wind turbines don’t take more energy to build than they will ever produce

A post claiming wind turbines can never produce as much energy as was taken to build them is based on a selective quotation and is incorrect.

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Overblown: Wind turbines don’t take more energy to build than they will ever produce
22 February 2019

No, we are not experiencing “global cooling”

18 of the 19 warmest years on record have occurred since 2001, and the average global temperature has increased by about 0.8°C to 1.0°C since the period 1951-1980.

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No, we are not experiencing “global cooling”
7 December 2018

BBC Question Time: Recap and Factcheck

This week's Question Time was in Bishop's Stortford. The panel discussed the government’s Brexit withdrawal agreement, climate change and the police tactic of knocking suspected criminals off mopeds d

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BBC Question Time: Recap and Factcheck
1 November 2018

Is fracking causing earthquakes?

Fracking is causing lots of micro-earthquakes, most of which are at a level that can’t be felt. In the UK there are thousands of such earthquakes each year.

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Is fracking causing earthquakes?
1 November 2018

Are 100 companies causing 71% of carbon emissions?

There’s more to the claim that 100 companies cause 71% of emissions.

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Are 100 companies causing 71% of carbon emissions?
21 August 2018

Are there plans to build on the Green Belt?

Local authorities plan to build around 460,000 homes on the Green Belt over 15 years. That could cover 0.9% of the current Green Belt area.

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Are there plans to build on the Green Belt?
29 June 2018

The UK is not on track to meet its carbon emissions targets for the next 15 years

A report by the Committee on Climate Change says the UK is not currently on track to meet its carbon emissions targets in the 2020s and 2030s.

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The UK is not on track to meet its carbon emissions targets for the next 15 years

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