Dec.
Events
2th
Leading from within living systems, Bristol
4th
Iris Research Seminar Series, Gloucester
4th
Teaching Linguistic Fieldwork & Sustainability, London
5th
EASY-ECO Training on Strategic Environmental Assessment, Online
7th
The Secret World of 'Naked Snakes', London
7th-18th
United Nations Climate Change Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark
9th
Teaching Ethics to Bioscience Students: sustainability & the environment, Cardiff
11th
Creating Future-Proof Graduates Exhibition, Birmingham
Jan.
Events
10th
Overcoming Barriers to Student Learning in the Geosciences, Birmingham
12th
Conservation Biology of the European Eel, London
12th
A New Space Age for Britain: The Future of Britain's Space Economy, London
20th-22th
The New Green Economy: Aligning Science, Education, Markets & Systems for Sustainability, Washington, USA
28th
Rushlight Clean Technologies Show, London
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For further
details on
these &
other events,
see the
events page
of the IES
website.
Jobs
Head of Environmental Consultancy, UK-based
Head of Waste Consultancy, UK-based
Head of Health & Safety Consultancy, UK-based
Senior Ecologist, Shrewsbury
Senior Ecologist, Gloucestershire
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For further
details on
these &
other jobs,
see the
jobs page
of the IES
website. |
November 2009
IES News
Watch the Burntwood Lecture 2009 online
This year's Burntwood Lecture was given by Professor Bob Watson, Chief Scientific Advisor at Defra. In a broad-ranging talk Bob Watson tackled climate change and biodiversity loss in relation to four critical areas: food, water, energy and human security and highlighted the interrelationship of these issues. Watch the whole Lecture online or read the report.
Office move
On 12th December the IES will be moving office from our current location at 38 Ebury Street to 34 Grosvenor Gardens, London, SW1W 0BH. All other contact details will remain the same. We are hoping the move goes smoothly, but please be aware there may be some brief delays in responding to membership enquiries during December.
John Rose Award
At the Burntwood Lecture the 2009 John Rose Award was awarded to Carly Daniels of the University of Plymouth. The Award includes a grant of £1000 to support the publicising of her research project on developing and understanding the use of natural dietary biotic supplements in lobsters. You can also watch her presentation online.
The Olympics Edition
Our focus on the Olympics begins with the article below on Air Quality. In addition to this, the latest edition of the Environmental Scientist,  entitled 'The Greenest Olympics?' should be arriving through the post to all professional members within the next week. Student and Affiliate members will received an email with a link to an electronic copy. The next edition which will be themed around the environmental impact of food production and different strategies to make diets more sustainable. We are also thinking about future themes and are looking for members' suggestions. If you have an interesting broad idea, that brings in a number of strands of environmental science, please get in touch.
IAQM publishes Position Statement on Significance in Air Quality
Following discussion amongst the membership the Institute of Air Quality Management has prepared some recommendations for assessing the significance of air quality impacts, which it hopes will guide and inform air quality professionals when undertaking air quality assessments.
 Subscription Price Freeze
With the recession still influencing economies globally the Institution recognises that budgets will now tighter than ever. In response, the IES is pleased to announce that it will be freezing its subscription fees across all membership categories at 2009 rates. Unemployed and retired members can also pay 50% of normal professional fees. The reasons for remaining a member of the IES are varied: some members are looking for information and support, whilst others enjoy the opportunity to influence government and other policy makers. We believe that membership of the Institution is a valuable asset for any environmental professional and exceptional value for money.
SocEnv Newsletter
The Autumn SocEnv Newsletter is now available to download.
Website Poll
Our most recent website poll asked "Should the international community compensate developing countries for preserving their forests?" A overwhelming 95% of the 190 votes cast felt that they should. This month the IES asks visitors to its website "Has the publication of internal emails from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia damaged the image of environmental scientists?" To vote, visit the IES homepage.
ES Links
UN Climate Change Conference 2009
The Conference needs no introduction, but did you know you will be able to follow all negotiations, press conferences and a number of related activities live at www.cop15.dk? You can send messages to world leaders, pose questions, debate climate change and express your hopes for Copenhagen via the conference’s YouTube channel, Facebook page or Twitter.
Private Businesses Set To Benefit At The Expense Of Public Bodies
McKinnon & Clarke, an independent energy and environmental service consultancy, has forecasted significant penalties’ for public sector organisations when the government’s Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) takes effect from April 2010. The scheme is  designed to reward organisations that cut their carbon emissions, but the odds are stacked against organisations that have already made significant strides to reduce energy consumption and have little freedom to significantly rationalise their consumption of energy. Public organisations such as hospitals and local authorities have already implemented energy-reducing measures, and little more can be achieved without impacting on performance or incurring prohibitive capital overheads. Unfortunately, the weighting mechanism used to take account of past performance may put less flexible public organisations at a disadvantage.
SDC Valedictory
Jonathon Porritt stepped down as Chair of the Sustainable Development Commission in July. His valedictory reflects on his nine years as Chair – and about the impact the Commission has had on transforming both policies and practices across the whole of the public sector in the UK. He has some strong words about some Government policies and a lack of leadership.
2009 Environmental Professionals Salary Survey
The 2009 careers and salary survey from Allen & York and Environment Analyst is now available for £59 + VAT. Over the summer they analysed the records of 24,500 UK environmental professionals. This provided a record of average real salaries across the environmental services industries, together with a snapshot of how the environmental industry is coping with the recession and the current state of the environmental profession.
Gap widening between human demand & Earth's supply
Humanity now requires the resources it would take almost one and a half planets to sustainably produce, according to figures to be released by Global Footprint Network. The data show that humanity is demanding nature’s resources and producing CO2 at a rate 44 percent faster than what nature can regenerate and reabsorb, meaning it now takes 18 months for the Earth to regenerate what we use in one year.
Articles
Air Quality and the Olympics
 Bad air quality and smog threaten the performance capacity of athletes and may also adversely affect spectators. However the Olympic Games are held in large cities where inevitably bad air quality and severe smog conditions are of great concern to human health. The exposure to particulate matter and ozone threatens the health of athletes and adversely affects their performances. Despite the large amounts of money spent on air pollution control during previous Olympic periods, the benefits seem rather limited. read more...
Twenty-Five-Year-Old Named Young Entrepreneur of The Year 2009
On 27th October a 25-year-old from London won the title of Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2009, walking away with the prestigious title and a £10,000 cash injection for his business, a carbon-friendly transport site, similar to eBay. Robert Matthams received the award, which recognises and celebrates the achievements of the UK’s finest young entrepreneurs, in recognition of the success of Shiply.com over the past year. read more...
Global access to safe drinking water likely to decline next year
 The world population’s access to safe drinking water could decline as early as next year, according to research by HaloSource, a leading clean water and anti-microbial technology company. The research also supports the strong correlation between access to safe drinking water and economic growth and means that falling access levels may affect global economic growth by 2050.
read more....
Letters
Dear Sir,
Re: Review of my book, Bad Hare Days in the July issue of Enviro-Science. I would make the point that it was written mainly for a "home"-Irish-readership and so I expect the admittedly lengthy accounts of interrogations, workplace bullying, and court cases would not have the same appeal for the reader outside Ireland. Here in Ireland, many people are very familiar with the issues I attempt to address in the book.
Also, I had a dual purpose in writing in the book, to expose nature of hare coursing itself, and to recount my own experience of the campaign to abolish it. I tried to convey not just facts and dates, but the drama of courtroom showdowns, interrogations by pro-hare coursing police etc in a novelistic style. The issues arising from the perversion of the justice system and the heavy-handed tactics employed by some police were as important to me as highlighting the barbarity of bloodsports.
But yes, I can see how all of this could fall flat with someone outside of Ireland, while, as evident from other reviews of the book, favourably impressing many readers in Ireland who say they were riveted by the lengthy (but hardly boring?) accounts of police and judicial activity.
Thanking you,
John Fitzgerald.
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