Key players in the housing and construction sector have joined together to outline a plan of action for upgrading the UK’s woefully outdated housing stock. The Existing Homes Alliance (ExHA) 2010 Manifesto seeks commitment from the Government to deliver a national retrofit programme, essential for moving the UK towards a low carbon economy. The need for action is pressing. Emissions from UK households are not falling, and are 5 per cent higher than ten years ago.

Key demands in the manifesto include:
• All homes to have a whole house retrofit by 2030
• £6bn a year should be invested in retrofitting the UK’s existing stock
• A 2010 to 2030 roadmap to set out minimum regulatory standards and voluntary aspirational standards for the energy performance of homes
• Energy Performance Certificates to gain greater prominence in the marketing of homes, to ensure that energy efficiency standards are reflected in house prices
• A range of financing mechanisms are made available to homeowners to cover the upfront costs of retrofitting
• Greater investment in a support and advice programme that will engage homeowners to use less energy in their homes and seek higher EPC rated properties

The Existing Homes Alliance assert that such a programme of updating the housing stock will benefit the economy by creating new jobs and reducing levels of fuel poverty. It will also provide certainty for businesses investing in low carbon measures for homes.

Colin Butfield, Chair of the Existing Homes Alliance, said:
“It is a sad fact that in the UK the majority of our homes are underperforming leaving many of us out of pocket, out in the cold and wastefully emitting carbon emissions. This manifesto outlines what we see as the solutions to our housing crisis. It is now essential that the Government establishes a national retrofit programme with some urgency so that we can meet the UK’s carbon budget targets.”

Ends

Notes to Editors

ExHA is comprised of expert organisations working with all sectors including financial institutions, builders and installers, energy utilities, manufacturers, suppliers, retailers, social housing managers, homeowners, landlords, local authorities and with government, to develop a programme of radical low carbon refurbishment. For further information visit www.existinghomesalliance.org.uk

This week, West Hollywood may become the first city in the country to ban the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores, potentially dealing a major blow to puppy mills, where constant confinement and a lack of adequate veterinary care and socialization often lead animals to become unhealthy and difficult to socialize. In a world in which U.S. animal shelters must put 3 to 4 million dogs and cats to death every year because of the overpopulation crisis, this ordinance would remind residents that adoption is the only responsible choice for people who are looking to welcome companion animals into their homes.

blogs.catster / CC

With its history of pioneering animal rights legislation and its influential role as a cultural and political trendsetter, West Hollywood is poised to lead the movement against pet stores and puppy mills. But you don’t have to wait for WeHo to make its move. Urge your local legislators to end the exploitation of cats and dogs in your own community immediately.

Posted by Logan Scherer

activeoutdoorsconcierge / CC

Believe me, if anyone can appreciate the thrill of the hunt, c’est moi. Seriously, I can spend hours in a Goodwill store, tracking rare vintage vinyl and bagging unique treasures.

But if you want a surefire way to ruffle my feathers, show me a man with a gun setting out with his canine buddy to maim and kill ducks. Now tell me that said dog shot the hunter in his back, sending him to the hospital—which is what happened to one California man this weekend—and I can’t help but hope that the hunter, once he recovers, will have a change of heart and find a more constructive way to spend his weekends.

Posted by Karin Bennett

Today, PETA and Zoocheck Canada are officially initiating a lawsuit against the city of Edmonton, Alberta, over the cruel and apparently unlawful conditions under which Lucy, a solitary elephant at the Edmonton Valley Zoo, is forced to live.

kidssavelucy / CC

Lucy’s health issues—which include upper respiratory problems, arthritis, obesity, and chronic foot ailments—are the result of the substandard conditions at Edmonton Valley Zoo and are further aggravated by the region’s frigid climate, which is inappropriate for an Asian elephant. Lucy has also been alone for the past two years, spends most of her time in a small barn, and exhibits behavior that indicates severe psychological distress. Even Dr. James Oosterhuis, the Valley Zoo’s own consultant, acknowledged that the zoo’s indoor facilities fail to meet the industry’s minimum standards.

Consultations with experts prove that Lucy’s life is at risk in Edmonton. Dr. William Keith Lindsay—a Canadian ecologist who has been actively involved in research on the ecology of elephants with the Amboseli Elephant Research Project in Kenya since 1977—is one of several experts who confirm that Lucy’s living conditions are unacceptable. Dr. Lindsay states, “It is abundantly clear that Lucy would benefit greatly from the company of other elephants.” Elephants live in close-knit families, and the females spend their entire lives in herds that include all their female relatives. The solitary life that Lucy lives prevents her from taking part in any of the social behaviors that are necessary for maintaining an elephant’s health.

Dr. Joyce Poole, an elephant biologist and ethologist who has spent more than 30 years studying elephant social behavior and communication states, “Lucy has spent much of her life standing on concrete in a small barn and doing very little of what an elephant needs [to] do to maintain good physical health and mental well being. The consequence is that she is a young elephant in an old body. This causes her real privation and suffering.”

We won’t rest until we see Lucy moved to a sanctuary. As we take the city to court, we urge you to take action to help Lucy find the freedom she deserves and to share this information with everyone you know. Keep checking back here for more updates.

Posted by Logan Scherer

ILAR – Regenerative Medicine: From Mice to Men. http://dels.nas.edu/ilar_n/ilarjournal/51_1/html/

Whenever people ask where my parents got my name, I never miss a beat before saying “The X-Men.” Am I really named after Wolverine? Maybe, maybe not, but as a lifetime comic book fan I think it’s a better story than “My great-great uncle three times removed was a Civil War hero …” and, well, you get the point.

After today, though, I just might start mixing my story up a little, considering that I now share my name with another hero for animals: Boston’s Logan Airport has agreed to stop using glue traps and is the latest recipient of PETA’s Compassionate Action Award. Massachusetts Port Authority CEO Thomas Kinton Jr. made the decision to pull glue traps after learning about the days of starvation and dehydration suffered by animals who become ensnared in the inhumane death pads. As a result, airport employees have agreed to implement a no-glue-trap policy and are working with PETA to implement more humane methods of catching animals.

cec-waterjet / CC

Boston’s Logan sticks it to glue traps, I have animal-tastic blogging skills, and Wolverine is on our list of the Top 10 Animal-Friendly Superheroes … I’m beginning to see a connection. Anybody else notice that Logan and vegan only differ by two letters?

Posted by Logan Scherer

I don’t think anybody can blame Joe, Ray Romano’s character on TNT’s Men of a Certain Age, for making Patricia De León the woman of his fantasies. This former Miss Panama has jaw-dropping good looks and a soft spot for animals, and we’re thrilled that she’s joined our campaign to promote a vegetarian lifestyle.

After watching our slaughterhouse video footage, several Thanksgivings ago De León gave animals something to be thankful for by ditching meat for good. In our exclusive interview, she explains how eating cruelty-free saves animals and contributes to good health. And if you think she’s the cutest thing you’ll see in the video, think again. Her two adorable dogs make an appearance too.

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Posted by Logan Scherer

MedicalNewsToday.com – Effective January 31, 2010, equine owners, intending to sell animals directly or indirectly to Canadian meat processors, are being advised to record certain information. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/177648.php

MedicalNewsToday.com – Effective January 31, 2010, equine owners, intending to sell animals directly or indirectly to Canadian meat processors, are being advised to record certain information. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/177648.php

A WWF/IUCN Global Review of Forest Fires (2000) has been the subject of comment in media regarding its use as a source for the IPCC and questioning the credibility of some of its claims. Some commentators have concluded that potential climate impacts on the Amazon are overstated and unsupported. WWF refutes this conclusion and stands by the credibility of its report.

WWF-UK would like to clarify the following details:

• The Global Review of Forest Fires says that “up to 40% of the Brazilian forest is extremely sensitive to small reductions in the amount of rainfall.” WWF’s source for this statement was Fire in the Amazon, a 1999 overview of Amazon fire issues from the respected Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia (IPAM – Amazon Environmental Research Institute). The source quotation from Fire in the Amazon reads “Probably 30 to 40% of the forests of the Brazilian Amazon are sensitive to small reductions in the amount of rainfall.” Our report does NOT say that 40% of the Amazon forest is at risk from climate change.

• WWF acknowledges that a reference to Fire in the Amazon as the source of the 40% claim outlined above was mistakenly omitted during the editing process of the Global Review of Forest Fires report.

• The essential point made in the report (and referred to by the IPCC) is that reduced rainfall increases fire risk and that a drying of the “normally fire-resistant Amazon forest” could impact the hydrologic cycle with implications for regional and global climate.

• WWF has since published a further, more detailed report that looks at this subject in further depth: Nepstad, Daniel C, The Amazon’s Vicious Cycles: Drought and Fire in the Greenhouse – Ecological and Climatic Tipping Points of the World’s Largest Tropical Rainforest, and Practical Preventive Measures, (WWF 2007). This report was supported by The Woods Hole Research Centre, the Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia, and the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, and independently reviewed by Prof Yadvinder Malhi, Professor of Ecosystem Science at Oxford University.

• What is not in contention is that the Amazon is at risk from factors which include and are complicated by climate change. Climate change is widely predicted to pose a significant risk to Amazon forest cover and type. A number of recent peer-reviewed studies support this.

• WWF cannot answer for the use of our 2000 report by other institutions.

The overwhelming majority of scientists from all relevant fields stand by the basic conclusion of climate science that human-induced changes in the composition of the atmosphere are resulting in warming which is driving damaging and possibly catastrophic climate change. This finding is supported by theory, modelling and more and more extensively by measurement over more than 20 years of what has become the largest international scientific collaboration ever mounted.

Recent controversies have largely concerned scientific standards employed in the assessment of projected impacts of climate change in a very small proportion of regions and cases studied. These incidents have no bearing on the overwhelming mass of findings on the reality and causes of climate change.

As the world’s leading science-based conservation organisation, WWF is committed to ensuring the information we provide to the public meets high standards of accuracy. WWF practice is to research any errors we are alerted to and make corrections where relevant.

For further comment please call Benjamin Ward (+44 7837 134 193) or Phil Dickie (+41 7970 31952).

Benjamin Ward
Head of Press & Media Relations
WWF-UK

+44 (0) 1483 412 378
+44 (0) 7837 134 193
bward@wwf.org.uk