How buying British can have a truly extraordinary impact on the environment
We've long known it: buying locally-produced food is far better for the environment. But work done by researchers Joseph Poore and Thomas Nemecek has detailed exactly how big that difference can be. Speaking to Country Life, Oxford University's Mr Poore detailed how British and European beef generated around half the amount of CO2-equivalent per kg of meat. And it's not just meat: 1kg of chocolate can be produced in a manner that's entirely carbon-neutral, or can produce 7kg of greenhouse gases — the same as driving a car for 30 miles.
With that in mind, Mr Poore has suggested a new food label to show the environmental impact of food to consumers as they make their choices in the shops, modelled on the 'traffic light' system already in place.
‘We want people to source their red meat locally from farmers who have well-grazed swards that act as a good carbon sink,' says Guy Smith of the NFU. Mr Poore's clever labelling scheme could help them do exactly that.
Read full story (Country Life)
Hero of the Day: Marc Headon, deer saviour extraordinaire
'Just saved this baby's life', said decorator Marc Headon after his moment of fame. 'No biggie.'
Stat of the Day
4,000,000,000
The number of trees being planted in Ethiopia to battle global warming — a huge commitment from a country which was 35% forest 100 years ago, and just 13% forest today.
This will 'transform our degraded environments for healthy lives and functional ecosystems,' said prime minister Abiy Ahmed as he planted the first seedling — no doubt it sounded a little grander and more poetic before getting lost in translation.
Read the full story (The Times - subscription required)
'Escaped raccoon dogs' are 'causing chaos' in sleepy English villages
Britain went briefly mad googling 'what is a raccoon dog' after an apparent escape of several of the creatures in Clarborough, Nottinghamshire. One couple apparently spent a couple of hours trying to fend it off with a plank of wood in the early hours.
And you thought that the worst thing you'd find in your garden this summer would be a caterpillar...
Read full story (Worksop Today)
Clean fuel=cheap fuel
'Electricity generated by onshore wind and solar photovoltaic technologies will in the next year be consistently cheaper than from any fossil fuel source,' says a report by the International Renewable Energy Agency. Despite falling oil prices, stick with your plans to order that electric car next time you need a change.
And finally... thought for the day
"Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant"
– Robert Louis Stevenson
Country Life Today: Box caterpillars knock slugs off top spot in the RHS's list of pests — but is hope at hand?
This morning we report hope in the fight against box caterpillars, take a look at what really happens when wolves
Country Life Today: Britain's most popular dog, how birdfeeders changed Britain and getting arrested for pebble-picking
The Kennel Club have released their latest stats on dog registration; the RHS are warning about a potential new garden
Credit: Getty / EyeEm
Country Life Today: The coming of the Age of Man – the first epoch defined by Man's impact on the environment
The arrival of the Anthropocene as a proposed new global era; a call to re-wild deer-stalking fields in Scotland; how
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Dawn Chorus: The world's highest property has a fittingly sky-high priceOur daily round-up of news includes a flat that's 2,500 ft above the ground, our stop-you-in-your-tracks picture of the day, a chance to see two of Country Life's best-loved experts, and news about our Quiz of the Day.
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Brockfield Hall, the great Yorkshire house that's gone from Regency mansion to modern family homeBrockfield Hall in North Yorkshire is the family home of Charlie Wood and Hatta Byng, editor of House & Garden, who have transformed it since they came here in 2020, winning multiple awards in the process. John Martin Robinson reports on the restoration project that revived this compact Regency house as a modern family home. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
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The brilliant tractor tribute to the NHS from a group of Warwickshire farmersPeople around Britain have been paying tribute to the efforts of our NHS workers at the time of the coronavirus pandemic — but few have been as creative and clever as this one.
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London's iconic red bus at risk and 6,000 year old chewing gum gives clues into our DNA historyCuts to industry subsidies and an increase in fares has left bus use at its lowest point ever, while DNA extracted from ancient 'chewing gum' allows scientists to decipher the genetic code of a Stone Age woman.
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90-million-year-old 'swimming dinosaur' skeleton found by dogs out walking in Somerset, and the nonchalant moths who don't bother fleeing enemiesA superbly intact dinosaur skeleton — described as being 'museum quality' — has been discovered on a beach in Somerset.
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Battle to ban 4x4s from the idyllic Lake District spot bequeathed by Beatrix Potter, eagle fights octopus and the 'snail's pace' climate talksThis morning we look at Little Langdale's fight for peace, reflect on the climate change talks in Madrid and discover the soundtrack for Brexit.
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Country Life Today: How Greta Thunberg shifted the dial on climate change — and the backlash shows just how muchThis morning we ponder whether Greta Thunberg is the Joan of Arc for the environmental movement, look at a key election — one from 19 years ago — and ponder the marvel of 'dad tidying'.
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Country Life Today: Great news for those who love our great country pubs — the years of decline are overThere is a great sign of health in the pub industry, we look back at Edward VIII's abdication message and fret about Greenland's melting ice.
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Country Life Today: Spain accused of being 'a deplorable choice' for UN climate conferenceA no-holds-barred assault on the Spanish fishing industry, Banksy raising awareness of the homeless and the woes of the Christmas jumper are in today's news round-up.
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Country Life Today: 'This is perhaps the ultimate wake-up call from the uncontrolled experiment humanity is unleashing on the world’s oceans'In today's round up, we examine why oxygen loss is putting oceans at risk, discover that action to cut air pollution brings almost immediate benefits to human health and find out which bird's arrival marks the start of winter in Gloucestershire.
