logo
Lawmakers move to extend historic ban protecting vital landscapes: 'Our peatlands are this country's Amazon'

Lawmakers move to extend historic ban protecting vital landscapes: 'Our peatlands are this country's Amazon'

Yahoo26-04-2025

The peatlands in the United Kingdom cover over 12% of the country. They are so essential that they have been called the country's lungs. This is because peatlands have an incredible ability to store carbon. They also prevent flooding and increase biodiversity.
For these reasons, the UK government has proposed extending a ban on burning peatlands. The proposal would increase the protected areas from 220,000 hectares to 368,000 hectares, covering over half of the country.
Historically, peatlands have been burned to encourage new growth, which is important to game bird hunters. But the burning comes with a host of environmental risks. Perhaps most significantly, it releases stored carbon. It also increases the risk of wildfires and destroys the habitat of endangered species, including rare bog-mosses and dragonflies.
Proponents of the ban tout its many environmental benefits. Extending and expanding the ban would protect animal habitats, decrease carbon pollution, and improve air and water quality.
Laws and regulations like this that are specifically designed to protect the environment are one essential way humans can help preserve our ecosystems. But governments also need oversight and mechanisms to enforce them, so they can ensure they pay dividends.
And they do pay dividends. For instance, California introduced strict legislation regarding chemical exposure in 1986. A recent study found that Californians had lower levels of 18 different cancer-causing chemicals in their bodies than people living in the rest of the country.
Another regulation the United States government recently announced is that it would no longer accept fish imports that do not meet standards intended to protect whales, dolphins, and other marine life. This will hopefully have a major impact on protecting our oceans' diverse ecosystems.
The lawmakers backing the burning-ban proposal didn't mince words when describing the importance of the peatlands. "Our peatlands are this country's Amazon rainforest — home to our most precious wildlife, storing carbon, and reducing flooding risk," said Nature Minister Mary Creagh. Environmentalist Guy Shrubsole agreed: "This is excellent news and will come as a relief to the residents … who have had to breathe in the acrid smoke from moorland burning for far too long — and suffer the flooding that this ecologically destructive practice exacerbates."
Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty?
Definitely
Only in some areas
No way
I'm not sure
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Newsom Rallies Californians to Stand Up Against Trump's ‘Assault on Democracy'
Newsom Rallies Californians to Stand Up Against Trump's ‘Assault on Democracy'

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Newsom Rallies Californians to Stand Up Against Trump's ‘Assault on Democracy'

Newsom Rallies Californians to Stand Up Against Trump's 'Assault on Democracy' originally appeared on L.A. Mag. Governor Gavin Newsom gave his first address on Tuesday night following five days of ongoing protests against ICE raids in Los Angeles, where he accused President Donald Trump of 'fanning the flames' of the protests by sending in the National Guard, turning the protest violent by nightfall.'He again chose escalation. He chose more force. He chose theatrics over public safety,' said Newsom. 'He federalized another 2,000 guard members. He deployed more than 700 active US Marines.'Newsom said that the initial protests were standard, as Angelenos exercised their right to free speech and assembly to protest, and police were sent out to maintain the peace. It wasn't until the president deployed 2,000 of California's National Guard soldiers to the streets of Los Angeles 'illegally and for no reason.' 'What then ensued was a use of tear gas, flashbang grenades, rubber bullets, federal agents detaining people and undermining their due process rights,' said Newsom. 'This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers and even our National Guard at risk.'The governor's address went further than what's going on in Los Angeles. He warned people that this will not end with California, he said that this is an attack on democracy, the way 'authoritarian regimes begin.''This moment we have feared has arrived. He's taking a wrecking ball to our Founding Fathers' historic project,' said Newsom. 'The most important office is the office of the citizen. At this moment, we all need to stand up and be held to a higher level of accountability.'White House assistant to the president and director of communications Steven Cheung responded to Newsom's address with a post on X, saying that the governor should have used his time to do his job instead of preparing for a 'webinar.' He also compared the faulty audio quality to the quality of Newsom's leadership. The governor's office has not responded to this statement from ended his address advising Californians, if they do exercise their First Amendment right, to do so peacefully.'I know many of you are feeling deep anxiety, stress and fear. But I want you to know that you are the antidote to that fear and that anxiety,' said Newsom. This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.

Newsom speech taking on Trump encourages Democrats looking for a leader

time2 hours ago

Newsom speech taking on Trump encourages Democrats looking for a leader

California Gov. Gavin Newsom won praise on Wednesday for his speech Tuesday night seen by a national audience, something many Democrats saw as a shot across the bow to President Donald Trump that they can fight Trump -- and one that sparked new talk of Newsom as the party's standard-bearer in 2028. "The rule of law has increasingly given way to the rule of Don," he said, blasting Trump for sending the military to quell protests in Los Angeles. "The founding fathers did not live and die to see this moment. It's time for all of us to stand up," Newsom said in his eight-minute highly produced remarks, flanked by the California and U.S. flags. Newsom's message to Californians -- and Americans listening -- was politically sobering, arguing that "Democracy is under assault before our eyes. The moment we've feared has arrived." "What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty. Your silence. To be complicit in this moment. Do not give in to him," he urged what might have been millions of viewers watching on cable news channels. His rhetoric directly calling out Trump comes as Democrats are hungry for a leader to unite them as they try to rebuild from 2024 and other party losses. "We want somebody to fight, and so he's been fighting, and it's been glorious to watch," RL Miller, an environmental activist and Democratic National Committee superdelegate, told ABC News. Miller thinks Democrats have spent too much time "navel-gazing" since the November election, wasting time and resources rather than looking forward. "Newsom is going to be vaulting back into that top tier of presidential candidates with this," she said. His speech was just the latest in Newsom's verbal combat with the Trump administration. Earlier in the week, he challenged Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, after he suggested that anyone who blocked the administration's immigration crackdown should be apprehended, even Newsom, a comment he later walked back but Trump endorsed. "Come after me, arrest me. Let's just get this over with, tough guy," Newsom told NBC News. "That's the energy we need in this moment," Democratic National Committee spokesperson Hannah Muldavian said of Newsom during the party's new daily YouTube show. Other national Democrats echoed that praise. In a joint news conference Wednesday morning, top party brass, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer threw their support behind Newsom's new war with Trump. "All I add is President Trump is trying to intimidate Gavin Newsom," Schumer, D-N.Y., said. "He has shown he's not going to be intimidated, and we're all for that, all for him and proud that he is refusing to be intimidated by Donald Trump." Newsom's PAC, Campaign for Democracy, sent out fundraising texts asking supporters to donate to help Newsom "continue to fight back against the attacks and threats from the Trump administration." Rob Stutzman, a Republican strategist who worked with former California GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said Newsom with asserting authentic leadership for Democrats who have been "leaderless all year" and likely quite eager to see such a high-profile official "fighting back" to Trump. "There's resistance that often seems contrived, but these circumstances have given him an essential, authentic resistance footing," said Stutzman. Still, it remains unclear if Newsom can win on immigration, one of Trump's central campaign issues and a top concern of many Americans. As a whole, Democrats have struggled to offer a singular message and response to Trump's actions. And the White House is continuously highlighting the unrest in California as a prime example of what is says is Newsom's poor record. Trump blasted the governor on his social media platform Monday, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have "failed their citizens." She said Newsom "owns" the images of violent protests. Newsom, who is term-limited and has not ruled out a 2028 presidential bid, isn't the only Democratic governor pitching themselves as tough on Trump. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz recently traveled to South Carolina to recap their record to voters, though both are adamant they are not running for the White House this time around. Even still, Newsom seems to rise above the pack. In fact, some operatives in Trump's orbit see Newsom transforming into the Democratic Party's long-sought leader.

Pam Bondi Warns Of More Arrests In California Amid Protests Against Immigration Raids
Pam Bondi Warns Of More Arrests In California Amid Protests Against Immigration Raids

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Pam Bondi Warns Of More Arrests In California Amid Protests Against Immigration Raids

Attorney General Pam Bondi said people who loot or assault law enforcement will be subject to arrest after the Trump administration called in troops to Los Angeles against Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D) wishes. 'President Trump is going to make America safe again. We're going to protect Americans, and that includes Californians. If Gavin Newsom isn't going to protect them, we are,' Bondi told Lawrence Jones III on 'Fox & Friends' Wednesday. 'If you loot a business in California during this, we're charging you with robbery under the Hobbs Act,' Bondi warned. 'No longer are the days of non-prosecution for looting. It's a criminal act. You've seen on the news, all these stores being burglarized, vandalized.' 'All of our police officers, all of our federal, state, local law enforcement officers, being abused out there trying to keep California safe. Jointly, we've all made over 190 arrests, more coming. If you hit a police officer, if you assault a police officer, state or federal, we are coming after you,' Bondi continued. Bondi joins the litany of Republicans, including President Donald Trump, painting a picture of a lawless Los Angeles where 'riots' are underway and 'insurrectionists' are taking over, inviting immediate comparisons to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, that aimed to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The demonstrations in Los Angeles, which are largely peaceful, popped up as a result of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids across California. Trump signed an order authorizing at least 2,000 National Guard troops to be sent to Los Angeles, despite Newsom's opposition, on Saturday. Then the Pentagon deployed an additional 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines. Since the start of the protests, the Los Angeles Police Department has arrested 385 people, USA Today reported on Wednesday. Moreover, ICE agents have detained 330 immigrants in Los Angeles so far, White House officials said. Mayor Karen Bass announced a curfew in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday that is set to continue for an unspecified amount of time. Newsom struck back at the Trump administration on Monday by filing a lawsuit over Trump's commandeering of the state's National Guard troops. The following day, he filed a motion seeking an emergency order to stop the Trump administration's 'unlawful militarization of Los Angeles.' Bass and Newsom have said that the federal government's actions are escalating tensions and testing how far this administration can take authoritarianism. 'This was provoked by the White House. The reason why? We don't know,' Bass said at a press conference on Wednesday. 'I posit that maybe we are part of a national experiment to determine how far the federal government can go in reaching in and taking over power from a governor, power from a local jurisdiction.' She also claimed the Trump administration's actions show it is deliberately 'trying to cause fear and panic.' In an urgent address on Tuesday evening, Newsom said the issue is bigger than Los Angeles. 'When Donald Trump sought blanket authority to commandeer the National Guard, he made that order apply to every state. This is about all of us. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here,' he said. Newsom called Trump 'a president who wants to be bound by no law or constitution.' 'Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves,' Newsom continued. 'But they do not stop there. Trump and his loyalists, they thrive on division because it allows them to take more power and exert even more control.' Trump Sets National Guard On Los Angeles As Protesters Counter Immigration Raids: Live Updates National Guard Faces Off With Protesters Hours After Arriving In Los Angeles On Trump's Orders Gavin Newsom Offers Blunt Reality Check On Who's Really 'Defending Insurrectionists'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store