A government scheme to give motorists money off when purchasing electric cars has been cut by 80 per cent. Despite recent warnings from independent climate change groups that Britain must increase the amount of electric cars drastically if it wants to meet EU emission targets, the fate of low-carbon charging points hangs in the balance. Environmental groups, politicians and electric car-makers argue that cutting the incentive will reduce the amount of green jobs and harm the cars’ take up.  ... Full Story

Britain will not meet its targets on reducing carbon emissions, the government was warned today. According to the independent Committee on Climate Change, the only way the UK will live up to its 2020 EU targets is with drastic changes, such as reforming the electricity market and introducing more electric cars.   The committee also said that the large 8.6 per cent drop in greenhouse gas emissions seen last year was almost entirely to do ... Full Story

  Houseproud women who use certain cleaning products often are at a great risk of breast cancer, according to new research. Significant links were found between the disease of women’s use of mould removers, air fresheners and cleaning products.   With the women who used these products most, the risk of breast cancer is doubled, say scientists. Mould and mildew removers and air fresheners posed the highest risks according to the ... Full Story

A photograph of Everest taken by a mountaineer in 1921 has revealed alarming loss of ice. The Asia Society (AS) arranged for climber George Mallory’s photo to be mimicked exactly in a bid to compare how Mount Everest looked in the 1920s to now. In a statement, AS said the loss of ice in the Himalaya was “startling” and that the rate of melting over the past 89 years has been “alarming.”   Mallory took ... Full Story

Fresh fears have emerged that oil maybe seeping from the ocean floor near the Gulf of Mexico oil well. Thad Allen, an US official in charge of the clean-up at the stricken well, said that methane was leaking from the seabed, meaning oil may also be a problem.   If his fears are found to be true, Allen will order BP to reopen the recently capped well to allow the leaking oil to be funnelled ... Full Story

Carrentals.co.uk, a leading UK internet car hire booking website, has begun a new video competition to find the next best car-related YouTube video. Beginning this week and lasting until the end of September, Carrentals.co.uk will run a YouTube-based video campaign that will see one lucky winner take home a 16GB Apple iPad. Contestants can enter free of charge by logging into their YouTube account and posting a 90 second or less video on Carrentals.co.uk's YouTube page. The contest, dubbed 'The Carrentals.co.uk Video Challenge', will look to highlight the best car-centric video and also give ... Full Story

Waitrose wants to make its new store on the Isle of Wight its first outlet to be entirely powered by biomass. The retailer has asked the local authority for planning permission to turn an electricity substation into a biomass plant.   If the proposals are approved, all the heating, cooling and electricity needs the 18,000 square-foot East Cowes store could be managed sustainably. The store could supply its power completely off-grid and enjoy a ... Full Story

Greenpeace has accused massive international firms of contributing to species loss and deforestation in Indonesia. Companies such as Walmart, Tesco and Carrefour were slammed by the environmental organisation on Tuesday for buying palm oil and paper from global giant Sinar Mas. Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), a subsidiary of Sinar Mas, was said to be “relentlessly trashing rainforests”, driving species into extinction and releasing carbon into the atmosphere in the Southeast Asian country. Greenpeace added that Sinar Mas’s sustainability commitments are not worth the paper they are written on, and expressed shock that some of the world’s best known brands are ... Full Story

A leading car rental company has set up an environmental information website to respond to growing customer concerns about green motoring issues. Avis UK’s micro-site follows research which found that 64 per cent of Europeans want to protect the environment. This figure is up from just 55 per cent in 2007. The company claims that the creation of the micro-site marks the next step in its commitment to become more environmentally responsible. The website will share information on what Avis has been doing over the past ten years to prevent spills and leaks, reduce emissions, recycle and cut waste. Drivers can also ... Full Story

In order to focus on its 'everyday low prices' campaign, supermarket giant Asda has cut back on specialised promotions. As the Wal-Mart owned competitor continues to look for ways to beat out other grocers, the latest market data shows that shares for the retail giant fell for the fifth month in a row. The Leeds-based supermarket fell behind recording a growth of just 2.5 per cent with shares slipping to 16.8 per cent from 16.9 per cent last year. Meanwhile, Tesco held its own with a 30.6 per cent growth rate, which was similar to growths in Sainsbury's and Morrisons. Last week ... Full Story

A new investigation spearheaded by Chinese environmental groups has shed light on alleged international IT supply chains that could be linked to heavy metal poisoning instances in China. According to the new evidence, BT, Vodafone and 27 other IT firms could be contributing to dangerous manufacturing environments for Chinese workers. The investigation, conducted by a 34-group coalition, has linked lead contamination cases to mobile phone battery production and computer circuit board manufacturing by foreign IT companies. Findings by the 34-strong environmental consortium indicate that some foreign firms may not be completely honest about the cleanliness of overseas production. Over 4,000 people, the majority ... Full Story

The Green party was led to general election triumph today by Caroline Lucas in a victory at Brighton Pavilion. Dr Lucas made history by becoming the party's first MP at Westminster. With 31 per cent of the vote at a 1,252 majority, the Greens continue their strong showing in Brighton. Back in 2005, the party secured 22 per cent of the vote in Brighton, where they have maintained a strong support for years. Dr Lucas said that the party won because of its strong set of councillors in the area. She added that Brighton residents were accustomed to voting Green. Lucas, married ... Full Story