Environmental Journalism in the UK: Covering Climate, Nature and Pollution

Essential UK Environmental Data Sources

Strong environmental journalism is built on data. The UK has several publicly accessible datasets that every environment reporter should know:

• DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs): Publishes annual statistics on air quality, waste management, water quality, and land use. DEFRA's “ENV” statistical releases are the gold standard for national environmental data and are freely downloadable.
• Environment Agency: Maintains real-time flood monitoring data, pollution incident records, and the Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) data on storm overflow discharges — the dataset behind many sewage pollution stories. Their Catchment Data Explorer maps water quality by river catchment.
• ONS (Office for National Statistics): Publishes the UK Environmental Accounts, tracking resource use, emissions by industry, and the monetary value of natural capital. These figures are essential for putting environmental claims in economic context.
• BEIS/DESNZ energy and emissions data: The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero publishes quarterly energy statistics and the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory, the official record of national emissions broken down by sector.
• Natural England and NatureScot: Hold data on Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), designated habitats, and species surveys. Useful for biodiversity stories and planning disputes.

Climate Reporting Guidelines

Reporting on climate change requires both scientific literacy and editorial judgement. Several principles will help you produce accurate, impactful coverage:

• Attribution science: Modern attribution studies can determine, with quantified confidence levels, whether climate change made a specific weather event more likely or more severe. Quote these studies accurately — say “climate change made this heatwave twice as likely” rather than “climate change caused this heatwave.”
• False balance: The scientific consensus on human-caused climate change is overwhelming (over 99% of peer-reviewed studies). Giving equal airtime to fringe contrarian views in the name of “balance” is misleading and has been criticised by Ofcom and IPSO alike.
• IPCC language: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change uses calibrated uncertainty language (“very likely,” “high confidence”). If you reference IPCC findings, use their terminology accurately rather than paraphrasing into vaguer or more dramatic language.
• Local angles: Climate change is a global story, but readers connect with local impacts. Link national data to your patch — flooding risk maps, local air quality readings, council net-zero targets, and community energy projects all make the story tangible.

Detecting and Reporting Greenwashing

Greenwashing — making misleading environmental claims — has become one of the most important beats for environmental journalists. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published its Green Claims Code in 2021, and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) actively rules on misleading green advertising. Here is how to spot greenwashing:

• Vague language: Terms like “eco-friendly,” “sustainable,” or “green” without specific, measurable claims are red flags. Ask: green compared to what? By how much?
• Carbon offsetting claims: Scrutinise offsetting schemes. Many have been exposed as ineffective. Check whether offsets are verified by recognised standards (Gold Standard, Verra) and whether the company is reducing its own emissions alongside offsetting.
• Net-zero pledges: Examine the detail. When is the target date? Does it cover Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions? Is there an interim target and a published plan? A 2050 net-zero pledge with no interim milestones is essentially meaningless.
• Companies House and annual reports: Cross-reference public environmental claims with actual company filings. Some companies promote green credentials while simultaneously lobbying against environmental regulation.

FOI and the Environmental Information Regulations

Environmental journalists have a powerful additional tool beyond the standard Freedom of Information Act: the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR). These regulations implement the Aarhus Convention and provide broader access to environmental information than FOIA:

• Wider scope: EIR covers not just public authorities but also private companies carrying out public functions with environmental responsibilities, such as water companies and energy providers.
• Broader definition of information: EIR covers any information on the state of the environment, factors affecting it (emissions, discharges, waste), measures designed to protect it, and cost-benefit analyses of such measures.
• Presumption of disclosure: Under EIR, there is a presumption in favour of disclosure. Exceptions must be applied restrictively, and the public authority must consider the public interest in disclosure even where an exception applies.
• Practical tip: When requesting environmental data, cite the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 rather than FOIA. This gives you access to a broader category of information and makes it harder for authorities to refuse.

Covering Environmental Protests

Groups like Just Stop Oil (JSO) and Extinction Rebellion (XR) have made environmental protest a major news story. Covering these events requires balancing several considerations:

• Your rights at protests: As a journalist, you have the right to observe and report on protests in public places. The journalist safety at protests guide covers your legal protections in detail, including press card use and police interactions.
• Beyond the spectacle: Protest coverage that focuses only on disruption misses the story. Why are people protesting? What specific policy change are they demanding? What does the scientific evidence say about their claims? What is the government's response?
• The Public Order Act 2023: New protest laws have created additional criminal offences around protest tactics such as locking on and slow marching. Understand these laws so you can accurately report on arrests and charges.
• Photographing protesters: Be mindful that images identifying protesters may put them at risk of prosecution or harassment. Consider the photography rights framework and your ethical obligations.

The Sewage and Water Quality Story: A Case Study in Data Journalism

The sewage scandal — in which UK water companies discharged billions of litres of raw sewage into rivers and seas — became one of the defining environmental journalism stories of the 2020s. It provides an excellent model for how environmental reporters can combine data, FOI, and corporate accountability techniques.

The story was broken and sustained not by a single outlet but by a combination of campaign groups (Surfers Against Sewage, Rivers Trust), data journalists, and local reporters who used publicly available Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) data to build a picture of systematic, widespread discharge across England and Wales. The collaborative dimension of the story is instructive: sharing methodologies, datasets, and findings across competing outlets and civil society organisations produced a far more comprehensive account than any single newsroom could have achieved alone.

For local journalists, the sewage story has a ready-made template: download the EDM data for your area, identify the worst-performing overflow locations, cross-reference with local bathing beaches and beauty spots, and then request the water company's internal performance monitoring data for those sites under EIR. The local angle — “your beach was affected by raw sewage for X hours last year” — is consistently one of the most read environmental stories in any regional outlet, because it directly affects residents' decisions about where to swim, walk dogs, and take children.

• Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) data: The Environment Agency publishes EDM data showing the frequency and duration of storm overflow discharges by water company and individual overflow location. This data, freely downloadable from the EA website, powers most sewage investigations. Compare it year-on-year and by company to identify the worst offenders.
• Bathing water quality: The EA and Natural Resources Wales test bathing water quality at designated sites throughout the season. These results, published on the Swimfo website, provide accessible local angles: is your local beach cleaner or dirtier than last year?
• Water company enforcement history: Ofwat (the economic regulator for water) publishes enforcement decisions and fines. The EA publishes prosecution records. Cross-referencing these with EDM data and annual reports reveals whether enforcement is proportionate to the scale of discharges.
• Director remuneration: Water company annual reports disclose executive pay packages. Cross-referencing these with discharge volumes, consumer bill increases, and fine totals is a classic accountability journalism technique that consistently generates strong public reaction.
• EIR strategy: Water companies carry out public functions under their operating licences and are therefore subject to EIR requests for environmental information. Use this route rather than standard FOIA to access operational data that companies would otherwise treat as commercially confidential.

Corporate Environmental Accountability: Beyond the Press Release

Many of the most significant environmental stories involve corporations, and experienced environment reporters know that the gap between what companies say publicly and what they actually do is frequently the story itself. Here is how to interrogate corporate environmental claims effectively:

• Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD): Since 2022, all UK-listed companies and large private companies must report under TCFD, disclosing how climate risks affect their business and their transition plans. These disclosures vary enormously in quality and specificity. Comparing what a company says in its TCFD report with its actual capital allocation is a productive investigative avenue.
• Companies House accounts: Statutory accounts often contain environmental liabilities, remediation provisions, and regulatory risk disclosures buried in the notes. These can significantly contradict the rosy picture painted in sustainability reports.
• Lobbying disclosures: Companies that make ambitious green public commitments while simultaneously lobbying against environmental regulation are practicing the most egregious form of greenwashing. The UK Register of Consultant Lobbyists (maintained by ORCL) and parliamentary evidence submissions provide evidence of behind-the-scenes lobbying positions.
• Planning and environmental permit applications: When companies seek planning permission or environmental permits for new facilities, the applications and consultations are public documents. These often contain environmental impact assessments that reveal the actual environmental cost of operations that companies prefer to describe only in aggregate terms in their sustainability reporting.

Science Communication and IPSO Accuracy

Environmental stories frequently involve complex science. Getting this right is not just good practice — IPSO Clause 1 (Accuracy) requires it. Scientific claims in articles must be supportable:

• Peer review: Prioritise peer-reviewed research over press releases, campaign group reports, or preprints. If using non-peer-reviewed sources, make this clear to the reader.
• Distinguish weather from climate: A single cold snap does not disprove climate change, just as a single heatwave does not prove it. Climate is about long-term trends, not individual events.
• Statistical literacy: Understand confidence intervals, statistical significance, and the difference between correlation and causation. Misrepresenting statistics is one of the most common failings in environmental reporting.
• Expert sources: Build relationships with university researchers, the Met Office, the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, and the British Ecological Society. Independent scientists provide more reliable commentary than campaign groups or industry spokespeople.

Biodiversity and Land Use: Key Stories and Sources

Alongside climate change, biodiversity loss has emerged as a defining environmental story of the 2020s. The UK has some of the most comprehensive public data on species and habitat loss of any country in the world, making it a rich territory for data-driven environmental journalism:

• State of Nature report: Published every five years by a coalition of conservation organisations, the State of Nature report is the authoritative overview of UK biodiversity. The 2023 report found that 16% of species assessed in the UK were at risk of extinction. This provides the long-term baseline against which all biodiversity stories should be measured.
• SSSI condition data: Natural England publishes quarterly data on the condition of Sites of Special Scientific Interest — the UK's most important nature reserves. As of 2024, less than 40% of SSSI area is in favourable condition. Mapping SSSI condition in your local area against the national average provides a compelling local angle on the biodiversity crisis.
• Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG): The Environment Act 2021 introduced mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain for new developments: developers must leave nature in a measurably better state after their project. BNG plans are submitted as part of planning applications and are public documents. Investigating whether BNG commitments are actually being delivered is an emerging investigative beat.
• Agricultural subsidies: Post-Brexit, agricultural support in England has shifted from area-based payments under the EU Common Agricultural Policy to Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS), designed to reward farmers for environmental outcomes. DEFRA publishes data on scheme uptake and payments. Coverage of whether ELMS is actually achieving its environmental objectives is an important long-term story.
• Water abstraction and rivers: Chalk streams — a globally rare habitat concentrated in southern England — are under severe pressure from water abstraction. The Environment Agency publishes abstraction licence data, and the Chalk Stream Restoration Group provides specialist expertise. This is a story with strong local angles in Hampshire, Hertfordshire, and other chalk stream counties.

Practical Checklist

Before publishing any environmental story involving data or scientific claims:

• Cross-reference all statistics against primary government or peer-reviewed sources (DEFRA, ONS, DESNZ, IPCC)
• For climate attribution claims, check that the confidence language matches the source study
• Apply the EIR (not just FOIA) when requesting data from water or energy companies
• For greenwashing stories, check the specific ASA or CMA ruling if one exists
• Ask an independent scientist to check scientific claims in complex stories before publication
• For protest coverage, verify the legal charges faced by arrestees via police or court records
• Cross-reference corporate net-zero pledges against annual reports and Companies House filings
• Offer both a company and an independent expert a right of reply for investigative pieces

Common Mistakes

• False balance on climate science: Treating fringe contrarian views as equivalent to peer-reviewed consensus is factually misleading. This is now explicitly noted in Ofcom and IPSO guidance.
• Using FOIA instead of EIR for water/energy companies: These companies are often subject to EIR (which covers private bodies carrying out public environmental functions) but not FOIA. Using the wrong route can result in unnecessary refusals.
• Accepting press releases as source material: Company sustainability reports and campaign group press releases are starting points, not evidence. Verify claims independently.
• Ignoring Scope 3 emissions in net-zero analysis: Many corporate net-zero pledges exclude Scope 3 (supply chain) emissions, which often represent the majority of a company's carbon footprint. Always ask which scopes are covered.
• Over-simplifying carbon offsetting: Not all offset schemes are equally valid. Check whether offsets are verified and additional (i.e., would not have occurred without the payment).
• Confusing weather events with climate trends: Attributing a single event to climate change without attribution science to support the claim can attract IPSO accuracy complaints.

Red Flags

• A company's public net-zero pledge not reflected in its statutory accounts or capital expenditure plans
• Environmental data published by a company that cannot be reconciled with Environment Agency or ONS published figures
• A campaign group citing scientific studies that turn out not to support the claims made
• An authority citing “commercial confidentiality” to refuse an EIR request — a much weaker exemption under EIR than under FOIA
• Offsetting schemes that cannot demonstrate additionality or verification by a recognised standard
• A local authority citing “commercial sensitivity” to withhold environmental permit conditions for a facility in a residential area — challenge this under EIR, which sets a higher bar for commercial confidentiality refusals than FOIA
• An environmental impact assessment that uses outdated baseline data — particularly where a project approval is delayed by years between EIA submission and planning decision, meaning baseline ecological or air quality conditions may have changed materially
• A corporate sustainability report that lacks third-party verification of the emissions data it contains — unverified self-reported data is not evidence, and its absence of verification should be noted in your reporting
• A water company's EDM data showing significant increases in storm overflow discharges while its annual report makes only positive environmental claims
• A council or company TCFD report that discusses only physical climate risks with no reference to the transition risks from net-zero policy — likely a sign of superficial compliance rather than genuine assessment
• An energy company's planning application for an offshore wind farm that omits cumulative impact assessment for other wind developments in the same marine area — a systemic gap in the EIA process that environmental lawyers have flagged as a significant legal vulnerability for multiple approved projects

Building Your Expert Source Network for Environmental Stories

Environmental journalism depends on a reliable network of expert sources who can rapidly assess data, peer-reviewed studies, and regulatory decisions. Building this network early in your career pays dividends throughout it:

• University researchers: UK universities host some of the world's leading environmental researchers. The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) “Gateway to Research” database lists every funded research project, including the lead investigator's contact details. Identifying researchers working on topics relevant to your patch gives you direct access to expert assessment on breaking stories.
• Science Media Centre: The SMC is a free service for UK journalists providing expert reaction to breaking science stories, including environmental topics. Register at sciencemediacentre.org. Their reaction pieces arrive within hours of major studies being published, and they will connect you directly with contributing experts.
• NGO specialists: Campaign organisations including the RSPB, Wildlife Trusts, WWF-UK, Friends of the Earth, and ClientEarth all have press teams and in-house policy experts who can provide context and data on environmental stories. Be aware of their advocacy positions when using them as sources, and balance their commentary with independent academic sources.
• Regulatory contacts: Building working relationships with press officers at the Environment Agency, Natural England, Ofwat, and the Office for Environmental Protection is essential for environmental reporters. These organisations publish a significant volume of data and decisions that are relevant to environmental stories — a good relationship means you are alerted to significant releases before they go live.
• Local groups: Volunteer-run organisations including the River Trust's local chapters, Wildlife Trust county branches, and planning advocacy groups often have granular local knowledge that professional organisations lack. They can be excellent first-alert sources for local environmental stories.

Open Data Sources for Environmental Journalists

Environmental journalism is data-rich in a way that most other beats are not. Multiple government agencies, regulators, and academic institutions publish environmental data openly, and the volume of this data has grown significantly as the UK has committed to open data principles. Building familiarity with the key data sources — knowing where to look, how to access the data, and how to interpret what you find — is a competitive advantage for environmental reporters and a prerequisite for data-led environmental journalism:

• Environment Agency Catchment Data Explorer: environment.data.gov.uk provides detailed water quality data, storm overflow spill records (updated following Water Industry Act amendments in 2021), and permit compliance data for thousands of regulated sites. The storm overflow data in particular has enabled major investigative journalism into sewage pollution.
• Air Quality England: airqualityengland.co.uk provides real-time and historical air quality monitoring data from hundreds of monitoring stations across the country. Cross-referencing air quality data with proximity to specific pollution sources (industrial facilities, busy roads) enables localised environmental journalism.
• UK Land Cover Map: UKCEH (UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology) publishes the UK Land Cover Map, updated every two years, showing land use change across the country. Comparing editions reveals deforestation, habitat loss, and urban expansion at a granular level.
• Defra's Magic Map: The MAGIC (Multi-Agency Geographic Information for the Countryside) portal at magic.defra.gov.uk provides spatial data on protected habitats, SSSIs, flood zones, air quality management areas, and dozens of other environmental designations. Essential for understanding the environmental context of planning decisions.
• BEIS Energy Trends: The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero publishes quarterly Energy Trends data covering electricity generation by source, energy imports and exports, domestic heating fuel use, and energy prices. This data provides the factual baseline for energy transition journalism.

Greenwashing: How to Identify and Report Corporate Environmental Claims

Greenwashing — the practice of making misleading or unsupported environmental claims — is a growing area of both regulatory enforcement and journalism. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) have significantly stepped up enforcement against greenwashing claims since 2021, and the FCA has introduced anti-greenwashing rules for financial products. Each regulatory action generates journalism opportunities: what was claimed, what was found to be false, what action was taken, and what the consequences were.

For journalists investigating greenwashing claims proactively — rather than waiting for regulators to act — the practical workflow involves: identifying the specific environmental claims made by a company in its marketing, annual report, or sustainability report; obtaining the data underlying those claims (Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions; supply chain audit reports; environmental permit records); subjecting the claims to independent expert analysis; and comparing the claims against the company's verified performance data. The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the Climate Action 100+ shareholder engagement initiative, and the Transition Plan Taskforce all publish data and frameworks that provide context for assessing corporate environmental claims.

• ASA Green Claims Code: The ASA and CMA jointly published a Green Claims Code in 2021 setting out the standards for environmental marketing claims. Comparing a company's claims against the Code is a straightforward framework for assessing whether a regulatory complaint is warranted — and whether a journalism investigation is likely to withstand legal challenge.
• Scope 3 emissions: Most corporate “net zero” commitments focus on Scope 1 (direct emissions) and Scope 2 (purchased energy) but exclude Scope 3 (supply chain and product use emissions), which may be 80-90% of the company's actual climate impact. A commitment that excludes Scope 3 is materially incomplete; reporting it as a comprehensive net zero commitment is inaccurate.
• Carbon offsets: Corporate carbon neutrality claims that rely on offsetting rather than genuine emissions reduction are widely challenged by scientists and campaigners. The integrity of the specific offsets used (are they additional? permanent? verified?) is a critical question. The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market publishes standards against which specific offset projects can be assessed.
• Supply chain journalism: Following a product back through its supply chain — from retail shelf through distribution, manufacturing, raw material extraction, and transport — often reveals environmental impacts that are invisible in the company's front-facing communications. Supply chain reporting typically requires freedom of information requests, shipping data, satellite analysis, and on-the-ground reporting, but the resulting stories are among the most impactful in environmental journalism.

Environmental Planning and Development: Covering Local Decisions With National Impact

Planning decisions are where environmental policy meets local reality. A national commitment to net zero, biodiversity net gain, or improved water quality only has meaning if it is implemented through the planning decisions made by local planning authorities across the country. Environmental journalists who understand the planning system — and its relationship to environmental law — can cover both the local decision and its national significance.

Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) are required for major development projects that are likely to have significant environmental effects. EIAs are public documents, submitted with planning applications and scrutinised by the Environment Agency, Natural England, and the public during the consultation period. They contain detailed analysis of expected air quality, noise, biodiversity, water, and climate impacts. Reading and interrogating an EIA — identifying where developer predictions appear optimistic, where mitigation commitments are vague, and where cumulative impacts have not been adequately assessed — is a core environmental journalism skill.

• Habitats Regulations Assessment: Developments near Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas, or Ramsar wetland sites require a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA). The HRA must demonstrate that the development will not adversely affect the integrity of the protected habitat. Developers routinely contest HRA conclusions; Natural England's advice on HRAs is publicly available under EIR and provides a check on developer assessments.
• Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG): Since January 2024, most major developments in England must deliver a mandatory 10% biodiversity net gain. BNG is calculated using a habitat metric that assigns value to different habitat types. Local planning authorities are developing Biodiversity Gain Plans as part of the planning system. Monitoring whether BNG requirements are being enforced — and whether the claimed gains are being delivered on the ground — is an important local and national story.
• Environmental court cases: The Planning and Environment Bar Association and ClientEarth publish summaries of environmental legal challenges, including judicial reviews of planning decisions and prosecutions for environmental offences. Monitoring these legal proceedings provides advance insight into significant environmental governance failures.
• Cross-boundary pollution: Air and water pollution does not respect local authority boundaries. Linking a local pollution source — an industrial facility, a road, a sewage treatment works — to air or water quality readings downstream or downwind requires understanding of dispersion modelling and water flow, which the Environment Agency, universities, and specialist consultancies can help with.

Reporting the Energy Transition: Renewables, Grid, and Net Zero Policy

The UK's energy transition — moving from fossil fuels to low-carbon electricity generation while keeping the lights on and energy bills manageable — is one of the most complex ongoing policy stories in British journalism. It involves multiple regulatory bodies (Ofgem, National Grid ESO, DESNZ), major infrastructure projects (offshore wind, grid expansion, nuclear at Sizewell C), and daily fluctuations in electricity prices that affect every household and business in the country. Energy journalism that does not engage with this complexity risks being reduced to cheerleading for renewables or defending incumbents.

The electricity market is among the most data-rich beats in UK journalism. National Grid ESO publishes live generation and demand data (accessible via the Carbon Intensity API at carbonintensity.org.uk), Ofgem publishes price cap data quarterly, DESNZ releases energy statistics monthly, and each generating company publishes operational and financial data via regulatory filings. A reporter who can navigate these sources can produce data-led energy stories without waiting for press releases or political announcements.

• Planning applications for energy infrastructure: Major energy projects (offshore wind farms, grid substations, pylons, battery storage facilities) require Development Consent Orders processed by the Planning Inspectorate for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects. These processes generate large volumes of publicly available documents, including environmental impact assessments, community consultation responses, and technical appraisals.
• Energy poverty: The intersection of the energy transition and energy poverty — the risk that decarbonisation costs fall disproportionately on lower-income households — is one of the most contested aspects of UK energy policy and an underreported local story. Citizens Advice publishes regular data on energy debt and fuel poverty at local authority level.
• Ofgem enforcement: Ofgem regulates energy suppliers and can take enforcement action against companies that breach their licence conditions. Monitoring Ofgem enforcement decisions and open investigations provides early warning of supplier failures (relevant to consumer journalism) and systemic issues in the retail energy market.
• Nuclear journalism: Nuclear power is a technically complex beat with significant public interest dimensions. The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is the regulator; it publishes inspection reports and enforcement notices. Understanding the distinction between civil nuclear power and defence nuclear infrastructure is essential for accurate reporting.

Reporting Climate Science Accurately: The Journalist's Obligations

Climate change is now settled science — the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) represents the consensus of thousands of peer-reviewed studies by tens of thousands of scientists worldwide. UK journalists are not required to provide balance between the scientific consensus and climate denial, any more than they would need to balance the germ theory of disease with alternative medicine. The BBC's Editorial Guidelines explicitly state that “man-made climate change is accepted as fact by the scientific community” and that false balance on this question is editorially unacceptable.

This does not mean that all climate stories are settled. There is genuine scientific uncertainty and active debate around the pace and severity of impacts, the effectiveness of specific interventions, the relative contribution of different emission sources, and the feasibility and side-effects of various climate solutions. Reporting on these areas of genuine uncertainty — clearly distinguishing them from the settled question of whether human-caused climate change is happening — is both accurate and editorially appropriate.

• Use IPCC reports as your baseline: The IPCC's Assessment Reports and Special Reports are the authoritative summaries of the scientific literature. The Summary for Policymakers sections are written for non-specialists and are directly quotable. The most recent full Assessment Report (AR6, published 2021-2022) is the current baseline.
• UK Climate Change Committee: The CCC is the government's statutory climate advisory body. Its annual Progress Reports, which track the UK against its legally binding carbon budgets, are essential primary sources for UK climate policy journalism and are published with searchable data tools.
• Attribute temperature claims carefully: Claims like “the hottest year on record” should be attributed to a specific source (Met Office, NASA GISS, NOAA, or Copernicus) with the qualifier “on record” properly explained — UK surface records go back to 1659, global instrumental records to approximately 1850.
• Avoid false precision: Scientific projections come with uncertainty ranges. A headline stating that sea levels “will rise by 30cm by 2100” misrepresents a range (typically 20-100cm under different emissions scenarios) as a precise prediction. Report the range and the conditions attached to it.

Primary Sources

• Environmental Information Regulations 2004 — gov.uk guidance
• Environment Agency: Catchment Data Explorer — Water quality and storm overflow data
• ASA Rulings database — Search greenwashing decisions by company
• DESNZ: UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory — Official national emissions data
• Science Media Centre — Expert reaction for journalists on environmental science stories
• UKRI Gateway to Research — Find environmental researchers by topic and institution
• How to File an FOI Request in the UK — Step-by-step guide including EIR
• Data Journalism for Beginners — Tools and techniques for analysing environmental datasets