Appeal against Teesside 'net zero' power station dismissed
An appeal against the decision to approve a new gas power station has been lost.Environmental consultant Andrew Boswell appealed a High Court decision after arguing against the green credentials of Net Zero Teesside, which is planning to use carbon-capture technology at the station.The case was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on Thursday, with Dr Boswell saying the ruling proved climate laws were "broken".The project's developers said they were "pleased" with the decision. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) declined to comment.
In March, Dr Boswell's legal representatives had argued the government did not fully explore the environmental impacts of the scheme before approving it.DESNZ said it had acknowledged the "significant" greenhouse gas emissions the scheme would cause before any decision was made.Barrister Rose Grogan, for DESNZ, had told the court: "Fossil fuel remains part of the government's energy mix. "It's part of the transition to a low-carbon economy... but it needs to be low carbon through the deployment of CCS [carbon capture and storage]."
The plant, which is planned for the Teesworks site, near Redcar, is being developed by a firm called Net Zero Teesside Power – owned by BP and Equinor.The company previously stated the project could generate up to 860MW of low-carbon electricity.It has claimed at least 90% of the gas power station's emissions would be captured and funnelled beneath the North Sea.
'No merit in challenge'
In its judgement, the court said its task was simply to determine whether or not the decision-making process surrounding the power plant was lawful.It said the "evaluation" and "acceptability" of the estimated emissions caused by the plant was a "matter of fact and judgement for the decision-maker".The government had made "lawful and properly reasoned conclusions" regarding the plant's potential greenhouse gas emissions, the court said.Net Zero Teesside Power said: "[We] welcome this second judicial confirmation that there is no merit in Andrew Boswell's challenge."Dr Boswell called for the government to launch a scientific review into the use of carbon capture and storage technology (CCS) for gas power plants.
Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
41 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
White Brits will be a minority in the UK within the next 40 years, report claims
White Brits will become a minority race in the UK population within the next 40 years, a new report has claimed. A study into birth rates and migration levels has predicted that white British people will make up only 33.7 per cent of the population by the end of the century. The research conducted by Professor Matt Goodwin of Buckingham University says the projected change will come in phases: first falling from the current level of 73 per cent to 57 per cent by 2050, then into the minority levels by 2063. Professor Goodwin's report also suggests significant changes for foreign-born citizens and second-generation immigrants, who currently make up less than 20 per cent of the population. These groups, the report says, will comprise 33.5 per cent of the UK's population in the next 25 years. It also predicts a near three-times increase in the number of Muslims living in the UK, suggesting that almost one in five people living in Britain will be followers of Islam by the end of the century. By the year 2100, the report expects 60 per cent of people living in the UK to have at least have one immigrant parent. Professor Goodwin said his research, which was based on Office for National Statistics and census data, will 'spark anxiety, concern and political opposition' among voters who wish to 'maintain the culture of the traditional majority'. He added: 'By the end of the current century, most of the people on these islands will not be able to trace their roots in this country back more than one or two generations. 'This raises enormous questions about the capacity of our country and leaders to unify people around a shared sense of identity, values, ways of life, and culture, and avoid the very real risk of us becoming what Sir Keir Starmer referred to in May as "an island of strangers".' In the report titled 'Demographic Change and the Future of the United Kingdom', Professor Goodwin also warned of the UK's ability to 'absorb and manage this scale of demographic change'. He said: 'What these projections show is that the UK is currently on course to experience enormous and historically unprecedented changes in the composition of its population.' Professor Goodwin's projections were based on non-white ethnic groups having a higher fertility rate until the end of the century. The UK- born fertility rate used was 1.39 for those born in the UK , 1.97 for foreign-born people, for Muslims it was 2.35, and for non-Muslims 1.54. The report comes just days after 1,200 migrants crossed the Channel to the UK in what was labelled 'a day of shame '. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer even faced criticism from one of his own ministers who said control of Britain's borders had been lost as a surge in dinghy crossings overwhelmed French and UK border patrol vessels. The latest Home Office figures show that 1,194 migrants arrived in 18 boats, bringing the provisional annual total so far to 14,811. This is 42 per cent higher than the 10,448 at the same point last year and 95 per cent up from the same point in 2023, 7,610. It is still lower than the highest daily total of 1,305 arrivals since data began in 2018, which was recorded on September 3, 2022. But the total of arrivals for the year, 14,811, is the highest ever recorded for the first five months of a year since data was first recorded on Channel crossings in 2018. It has also surpassed the highest total recorded for the first six months of the year, which was previously 13,489 on June 30 last year - and n 2024 the number of arrivals did not reach more than 14,000 until July 9, reaching 14,058. At Gravelines in northern France, more than half a dozen French police officers stood by and watched as migrants waded into the sea and scrambled on to an inflatable boat. French authorities said they rescued 184 people. One of Sir Keir's senior cabinet ministers admitted the scenes were 'pretty shocking' as he said the UK had 'lost control of its borders over the last five years'. Defence Secretary John Healey told Sky News that the latest crossings revealed a 'really big problem' - but insisted there was pressure being put on France for better co-operation and crackdowns ahead. Britain had agreed a deal in 2023 to pay France £480million over three years to stop the crossings, including £175million in the current financial year – more than £480,000 per day. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp branded the latest Channel scenes 'a disgrace but sadly entirely expected' and 'a day of shame for the Labour Government'. He added: 'It's a shameful failure by the French to discharge their duties to stop illegal migration. The French are failing to stop these crossings by illegal immigrants. 'Over a thousand illegal immigrants in a single day, boats flooding the Channel, Border Force stretched beyond breaking point, and even fishing vessels drafted in because our maritime rescue services are overwhelmed.' And Richard Tice MP, deputy leader of Reform UK, said: 'It looks like we pay hundreds of millions to give French police officers photography lessons because they are certainly not providing any security. Frankly, the Government should be suing the French for our money back.' At least 18 migrant boats were seen leaving the French coast on Sunday, June 1, carrying more than 1,000 people - exceeding the previous daily record for 2025 of 825, set earlier last month. Mr Healey added: 'Pretty shocking, those scenes [on Sunday]. The truth is, Britain's lost control of its borders over the last five years. 'The last government last year left an asylum system in chaos and record levels of immigration. 'But I think that [Sunday] tells us a really big problem which is that you've got French police unable to intervene to intervene and intercept the boats when they are in shallow water. 'We saw the smugglers launching elsewhere and coming round like a taxi to pick them up.' Mr Healey insisted there was 'new co-operation' with the French suggesting their officials would intervene in the water. When asked whether he was 'hacked off' with France for not doing so now, Mr Healey said: 'They are not doing it, but we've got the agreement that they will change the way they work. 'Our concentration now is to push them to get that into operation so they can intercept these smugglers and stop these people in the boats, not just on the shore.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Common diet Brits choose to lose weight could lead to depression, study finds
Yo-yo dieting which is used by many Brits to lose weight could lead to depression, a study has found. The diet involves managing calories to shed the pounds before putting the weight back on again. And researchers have discovered questionnaire scores for depressive symptoms, such as a low mood, low energy and sleep disturbances, were higher among those restricting calories using such diets, compared to those who reported not being on one at all. The scores were also higher among overweight people following low-calorie diets. The effects of calorie restriction on mood were more pronounced in men and overweight people, the study said. The findings contrast previous reports which claim low-calorie diets improve depressive symptoms. However, researchers argued prior trials included tailored and balanced diet programmes that may not be the same as what people realistically follow in everyday life. The team said a focus on 'idealised diets' can 'overlook the diversity of dietary patterns'. For the study, published in BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health, researchers in Canada used data from the 28,525 people who took part in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and had completed a health questionnaire relating to depressive symptoms, which gave them a score based on severity. A little under 8 per cent had reported depressive symptoms, while 33 per cent were overweight and 38 per cent were obese. The majority of the group (87 per cent) said they were not on a specific diet, while 2,206 (7.7 per cent) were restricting calories. Some 859 (3 per cent) were on a 'nutrient-restrictive' diet, low in fat, sugar, salt, fibre or carbohydrate, and 631 (2.2 per cent) were on diets tailored for the likes of diabetes. Researchers found low-calorie diets were more common among obese patients and those who were overweight. They said: 'Numerous studies have consistently focussed on "healthy" versus "unhealthy" diets. 'They have shown that "healthy" diets rich in minimally processed foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, lean proteins and fish have been linked to a lower risk of depression. 'In contrast, an "unhealthy" diet dominated by ultra-processed foods, refined carbohydrates, saturated fats, processed meats and sweets is associated with an increased risk of depressive symptoms. 'Therefore, individuals must adopt a perfectly healthy dietary pattern to reduce the risk of depressive symptoms. This dichotomy fails to capture the complexity of real-world eating habits.' Restricting calories can lead to deficiencies in protein, vitamins and minerals, researchers suggest, which puts the body under stress. They added: 'In contrast, real-life calorie-restricted diets and obesity often result in nutritional deficiencies, particularly in protein, essential vitamins and minerals, and induce physiological stress, which can exacerbate depressive symptomatology including cognitive-affective symptoms.' Researchers stressed the study has a number of limitations, but gives an insight to how diets recommended by healthcare professionals should be considered for risk factors for depression, especially in men and obese patients. Professor Sumantra Ray, chief scientist at the NNEdPro Global Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health, added: 'This study adds to the emerging evidence linking dietary patterns and mental health, raising important questions about whether restrictive diets which are low in nutrients considered beneficial for cognitive health, such as omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12, may precipitate depressive symptoms. 'But the effect sizes are small, with further statistical limitations limiting the generalisability of the findings.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Police told of racist attack weeks before Bhim Kohli killed
An elderly man who was racially abused before being fatally attacked had told police he witnessed an assault on another Asian man yards from his home two weeks earlier, the BBC has Kohli had been walking his dog in a park in Leicestershire in September when he was punched and kicked by a 14-year-old boy while a girl, 12, filmed the BBC has learnt that Mr Kohli spoke to officers in August after he saw two white boys aged 12 and 13 racially abuse a man and throw a large rock at him near the same park where the 80-year-old encountered his own attackers. Leicestershire Police said "organisational learning" to improve logging anti-social behaviour had been identified. Mr Kohli died the day after the "intense attack" against him in Franklin Park, Braunstone Town near Leicester, for which the boy and girl, now aged 15 and 13 respectively, were both convicted of manslaughter. They are due to be sentenced on eyewitness to the attack in August, Linda Haigh, said she warned police about racially motivated problems in the area before Mr Kohli died, and believes he would still be alive had they taken her more seriously. The victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, was walking to Franklin Park on 17 August when he was targeted by the two boys, who were not involved in Mr Kohli's told the BBC: "One of the boys started picking up stones and throwing them at me... and then the same boy picked up a quite a large rock from the front garden of one of the houses there, and tried to throw it at me."The man, aged in his 40s, said they shouted at him to "go back to your village"."It was a throwback to back to the 80s, when it was quite commonplace to be racially abused," he said. "I was shocked that this kind of behaviour was still around society."I've not been in that situation for a long time, maybe 40 years." It was when one of the boys picked up a wooden fence post and tried to hit the man with it that others - including Mr Kohli and his daughter Susan, and their neighbour Ms Haigh - intervened, according to the said he was shocked by the "kind of behaviour from such a young age group"."The racist language, the violence used as well... they were trying to physically hurt me," he added."The anger, but more just the vitriol of the whole thing."Police were called but the pair were not arrested until three days after the death of Mr Kohli, according to the believes a greater police presence in the area following the assault could have prevented the attack on Mr Kohli two weeks later."They should have really looked at putting more presence there, more officers, maybe mobile police cars driving around," he said."They could have deterred them. It's obviously very tragic." During the trial of Mr Kohli's killers, the court was told about an occasion "a week or two" before his death when the girl convicted of his manslaughter was present while other children threw apples at jury was also shown a video she had filmed on her phone of another Asian man having a water balloon thrown at him and being racially BBC has also been told it was reported to police that in July Mr Kohli had stones thrown at him, was spat at and had been racially abused by a group of children after he told them to get off his neighbour's garage Supt Jonathan Starbuck, of Leicestershire Police, said: "Prior to Mr Kohli's death, police were aware of two reports of anti-social behaviour involving youths in the Franklin Park area which were being investigated. "Partnership work in the area following Mr Kohli's death did identify further incidents which had not been reported."He added an investigation conducted by the force, reviewed by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, did not identify any "misconduct or missed opportunities which could have prevented Mr Kohli's death". The attacks have left the victim of the August assault fearful for his safety and that of his elderly parents, who also live in the area. His father, like Mr Kohli, likes to go for a walk, but since being targeted, he tells him not to, especially in the dark, he told the BBC."Even my nephews... you worry about them as well because you just don't know. It's just become more violent," he two boys involved in the August assault appeared in youth court in Leicester in December charged with racially or religiously aggravated common admitted the offences but were later dealt with out of court by way of a deferred youth caution following a referral to the youth justice panel for an out-of-court process aims to divert young people away from the criminal justice system where possible, the Crown Prosecution Service said. Ms Haigh, who was friends with Mr Kohli for more than 20 years, told the BBC she called police when she saw the two boys involved in the August assault pick up the boulder from outside her neighbour's house and throw it at the said she was aware of similar attacks by young people happening last summer in Braunstone Town and told police it needed to be "nipped in the bud"."I don't think it was taken serious enough," she said."I think they should have acted on it. I feel that we've been totally let down."Ch Supt Starbuck said: "We continue to monitor the area of Franklin Park and have engaged with the community through a local survey, drop-in centres, engagement with local schools, youth work and proactive policing patrols."
