December 22, 2021 By: John Epperson Commercial real estate (CRE) professionals are well aware that a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) is required when acquiring commercial property ...
Following the publication of its guidance on environmental claims in September 2021, the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) will start reviewing potentially misleading claims in January 2022. Enforcement action may follow if claims breach consumer law ...
The pandemic alongside a renewed focus on climate change following COP26 and the growing interest in ESG credentials are all contributing to a changing world of work ...
Taking agricultural land out of production to offset the impact of nitrate pollution from housing can generate income for its owner and benefit developers and local authorities. The problem Nitrogen and Phosphorus are essential nutrients for plants. Used as fertilisers they boost growth and increase crop yields. They are also a pollutant ...
On 24 November 2021 Shoosmiths hosted a webinar exploring recent developments and forthcoming changes in environmental regulation – the COP26 climate change conference, the Environment Act 2021 and trends in sentencing for environmental offences. COP26 David Symons, director of sustainability at WSP UK outlined the three main messages from the COP26 conference: The 1 ...
Given the growing need for new sources of water for human and industrial consumption, in order to unify criteria in the evaluation of desalination projects, the General Directorate of the Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine (“DIRECTEMAR”) has published the following 3 guides with basic technical guidelines: Guide for the Environmental Assessment of Industrial Desalination Projects in Jurisdiction of the Maritime Authority The purpose of this guide is to update the minimu
The UK Government’s consultation on mandatory climate-related disclosures As the old saying goes – ‘knowledge is power’, and businesses caught in the net of proposed mandatory climate-related disclosures will need to empower themselves quickly in order to get up to speed by the proposed April 2022 rollout ...
The EU strives to become carbon neutral by 2050. This objective has been formally regulated through the EU Climate Law[i] and is enshrined in the European Green Deal[ii], being also in line with the EU’s commitment to global climate action according to the Paris Agreement[iii] and Glasgow Climate Pact[iv] ...
Milton Keynes, the New Town famous for its grid system, roundabouts and concrete cows is every bit the planner’s dream. Fifty-five years after its foundation and bidding for city status in the Queen’s platinum jubilee year, Milton Keynes has come of age ...
The Ministry of Interior issued a new Prakas No. 2644 PK dated 19 October 2021 on the Establishment and Management of Mandatory and Voluntary Taskforces for Fire Prevention and Firefighting (“Prakas 2644”) ...
Following the government’s consultation on calorie labelling for food and drink served outside of the home in 2018, qualifying businesses in the out of home (OOH) sector will be required to display calorie information per portion from 6 April 2022. What is changing? Currently, businesses serving non-prepacked food and drink in the OOH sector are not required to provide calorie (energy) information ...
As it draws to a close, COP26 has seen world leaders aim to reach a consensus on actions to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and the adoption of electrical vehicles (EV) has been cited as a critical step in achieving that aim. According to data from the Scottish Greenhouse Gas Statistics published by the Scottish Government, the transport sector is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in Scotland, accounting for around 30% of all emissions ...
In Kabab-Ji SAL v Kout Food Group, the UK Supreme Court recently considered the question of which system of law the English courts must apply to decide whether there is an enforceable arbitration agreement. This case illustrates the different approaches taken in determining questions of applicable law and the consequences this can have for both annulment and enforcement proceedings in different countries ...
Two new categories of tax-exempt bonds were created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684) (the Act) adopted by the House on Nov. 6, 2021: “Qualified Broadband Projects” and “Carbon Dioxide Capture Facilities ...
Earlier this year I wrote about a court challenge being made by the rewilding charity Trees for Life against NatureScot, challenging the issue of licences to kill beavers. This followed the release of information by NatureScot reporting that, during 2019, 87 beavers were killed and 15 were live trapped under licences that it had issued to farmers and landowners ...