Planes, Trains and Automobiles

A Rocha UK’s Head of Conservation, Andy Lester, assesses the environmental impact of recent court decisions and the Chancellor’s budget.

On 27 February the UK Government were roundly defeated in a Court of Appeal ruling on the third runway proposal for Heathrow Airport. Local action groups and conservation organisations have hailed the landmark ruling as an incredible success story.

There is no doubt that an additional runway at Heathrow would be an unmitigated disaster – increasing carbon emissions and other pollutants and impacting air quality locally and more widely. The land taken would have been considerable too; damaging and destroying important green space and existing housing on the edge of London. Although the government has said it will not appeal the Court’s decision, Heathrow is expected to, so the battle is probably not over yet. 

Even so, the recent court decision is an example of common sense and a reminder of the power of courts to enforce UK legislation and international commitments on climate change even on the government itself. And, sadly, that is necessary since the UK government remains far, far away from ... Read more...

A Rocha UK’s work during the Covid-19 pandemic

A Rocha UK are committed to the well-being of our staff and volunteers and to assisting our supporters and churches as much as we can during the challenging time ahead. Our thoughts and prayers are particularly with those whose loved ones are vulnerable or ill, those who are ill themselves, or who are unable to earn, as well as those working in the NHS and in the social care field.

A Rocha UK Office

To protect our staff, volunteers and the wider community, our office based staff and interns will be working from home until further notice. We are able to send out small quantities of leaflets, but are unable to send out larger quantities of resources or Eco Church plaques for the time being. We are sorry for these delays and thank you for bearing with us.

For any enquiries, please continue to get in touch via email: uk@arocha.org or by telephone: 020 8574 5935.

A Rocha UK’s core programmes

We will continue to operate our core programmes – ... Read more...