Organised by The Wildlife Trusts, National Marine Week actually spans two weeks. This year’s theme is ‘Sea’ the Connection. It runs from July 27 to August 11. It is deliberately timed to coincide with the school summer holidays to encourage individuals and families to explore the rich diversity of marine life and to help raise awareness about marine conservation.

The ecological importance of marine life

The UK’s marine environment is incredibly diverse, hosting an array of ecosystems ranging from rocky shores and sandy beaches to deep-sea habitats. These ecosystems contribute to:

• Nutrient cycling – the breaking down of organic material and recycling nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus.

• Carbon sequestration – absorbing about 25% of the CO2 emitted by human activities.

• Oxygen production – marine phytoplankton are responsible for producing roughly 50% of the Earth’s oxygen.

They also support a wide variety of species, including marine plants, plankton, countless invertebrates, fish, seals, dolphins, whales, and seabirds. These species, whether they are predators, prey, or decomposers, each play an important role in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem. 

This biodiversity is crucial for the stability and resilience of marine ecosystems. The removal or decline of one species can have cascading effects throughout the marine environment.

Challenges facing our seas

Despite the beauty and importance of marine ecosystems, they are under threat from human activities. Plastic pollution is one of the most visible issues, with millions of tonnes of plastic waste entering the oceans each year. This pollution harms marine life, damages habitats, and can even enter the human food chain.

Overfishing is another critical problem, leading to the depletion of key species and the disruption of the marine food chain. Additionally, climate change is causing ocean temperatures to rise and increasing acidification, both of which have profound impacts on marine biodiversity.

Marine conservation

In the UK efforts to protect marine life include the establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and sustainable fishing practices. The UK employs quota systems, gear restrictions, and seasonal closures to prevent overfishing and promote stock recovery. However, despite this UK fish stocks are still in a deeply troubling state.

Other efforts include pollution control measures, and public awareness campaigns. These initiatives aim to safeguard marine biodiversity and ensure the health of marine ecosystems.

Get involved in National Marine Week 

Events and activities

There are a range of events during National Marine Week that you can get involved in. These include guided rock pooling sessions, organised beach cleans, educational talks, snorkelling adventures, and boat trips to name just a few. The Wildlife Trusts and other participating organisations provide resources and expertise, making these events accessible and informative for all ages.

Use the interactive Wildlife Trusts map to find an event near you. 

Contribute to science

One of the highlights of National Marine Week is the chance to participate in public science projects. These projects encourage individuals to contribute to real scientific research by recording sightings of marine animals, monitoring beach litter, and helping with habitat restoration efforts.

Take action

Everyone can play a part in protecting marine environments, and not just during National Marine Week, although it is the perfect time to start. 

Simple actions such as reducing plastic use, supporting sustainable seafood choices, and participating in local beach cleans can make a significant difference. Additionally, staying informed about marine issues and supporting policies that promote ocean conservation are crucial steps towards ensuring the health of UK seas.

Written by © Anne Baker

Photo Credit: © Anne Baker, kindly reproduced here with permissions for the 2024 GPW committee

The post National Marine Week  appeared first on Green Party Women.

The motion is reproduced below. Conference seemed to spend a lot of time on GPEW business this year which sadly prevented members discussing all the motions they wanted to hear about and vote on.

Motion E19: 50s Women CEDAWinLAW campaign: 

“For the Green Party as a whole and our four newly elected MPs to support and pressurise the new Labour Government to rectify this historical wrong as a moral imperative and finally get these women the justice they deserve.

Conference calls upon the Green Party of England and Wales and our Members of Parliament to:

• Write to Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to commit to the ADR with CEDAWinLAW representatives forthwith, stating our Party and Parliamentary support for the “The50s Women CEDAWinLAW Campaign” and CEDAW GR40 recommendation
• Write to the Prime Minister for this purpose
• Forward an Early Day Motion for this purpose, as necessary”

Write to your MP

As part of our support for the #50sWomen CEDAWinLAW campaign we are calling on all of our members to write to their MPs asking them to join the Cross Party Alternative Dispute Resolution Group for 50sWomen.

A template for doing this is provided below in Word format, or you can copy and paste from the template below into your preferred software.

If you are yourself one of the 50sWomen, you may wish to also add additional information about your own experience of the State Pension Injustice you have suffered and any evidence.

If you are not sure who your MP or how to contact them by visit www.parliament.uk or you can use WriteToThem, an online service that makes it easy to write to the politicians who represent you – even if you don’t know who they are.

Write to your MP – 50sWomen Template

Dear [Insert MP’s NAME],

Re. Compensating 50sWomen affected by State Pension age changes

Congratulations on your recent victory at the election.

I’m contacting you as a [Insert CONSTITUENCY name ] Resident to ask if you will pledge your support for Settlement-Talks for ALL #50sWomen detrimentally financially affected by State Pension age issues.

I support 50sWomen and would like you to join the Cross Party Alternative Dispute Resolution Group started by Sir George Howarth (previously Knowsley Constituency MP).

Will you do this please to represent me as my MP?

Any Settlement based on the PHSO Ombudsman’s Report alone will NOT represent Justice as he did not investigate discrimination.

50sWomen’s enforceable rights have been breached and restitution must be made.

Just under 4 million 50sWomen born in the 1950s were affected when successive governments failed to notify them of State Pension age changes. Some 50sWomen have been forced to sell their homes and rely on foodbanks as a result, and currently one 50s woman is dying every 13 minutes, without ever receiving any compensation.

50sWomen have been impacted and affected by many different factors including:

• Gender PayGap
• Gender PensionGap
• Lack of Equity
• Lack of Equality
• Proven Indirect & Direct Discrimination

See: https://davidhencke.com/…/direct-discrimination-former…/ for breaches of UK and International Law.
50sWomen and I am watching and waiting for the Government and the Work and Pensions Secretary to act promptly to set up Settlement-Talks.

With one affected woman dying every 13 minutes, they simply cannot afford to wait any longer for justice. Would you please write to the new Secretary of State on my behalf and commit to raising this in the Commons?

I would be grateful if you could reply to me very soon and as a matter of greatest urgency. Yours sincerely,

[Please include your full name, full address and Postcode and a contact telephone number to show you are a constituent]

The post 50s Women CEDAWinLAW campaign appeared first on Green Party Women.

Just prior to the General Election the Green Party Women committee voted unanimously to join the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) group supporting the 50s Women CEDAWinLAW campaign. The ADR group was created by Sir George Howarth in 2023. It was a response to the CEDAWinLAW campaign and calls for ‘Mediation’ talks with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to right historical and current sex discrimination.

We think you will understand why we have chosen to support this campaign as part of this year’s committee aims to #RaiseWomensVoices and we are not alone in the Green Party.

When she was Party Leader, Caroline Lucas joined the ADR group. In the run up to the general election many of our Prospective Parliamentary candidates (PPCs) pledged to support the campaign, including our Co-chair Tina Rothery and Treasurer Anne Baker.

What is the 50s Women CEDAWinLAW campaign about?

CEDAW stands for the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. CEDAW is commonly referred to as the international bill of rights for women. It defines what constitutes discrimination against women and girls and sets out a comprehensive framework for tackling inequality.

In 2019, the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women advised the UK Government to “take effective measures to ensure that the increase in the State pension age from 60 to 66 does not have a discriminatory impact on women born in the 1950s.”

When the UK government ratified CEDAW, it pledged to dismantle or avoid enacting laws or measures that adversely affect women more than men. The 50sWomen CEDAWinLAW campaign calls upon the Government to provide a financial remedy to 1950s-born women which they have neglected to do.

Historical sex discrimination

Pension Inequality

Women born in the 1950s have many faced challenges. The changes in the state pension age introduced by the then Tory government in 1995 has increased. These women, who often began work at age 15, were promised that they could claim their state pension at 60, but the age has gradually been increased to 65 and then to 66, to align with men. This change has had significant financial implications for women who had planned their retirement based on the earlier age and approximately 3.8 million women have suffered direct discrimination.

Additionally, many of these women, when in work, were advised to pay a married woman’s stamp (National Insurance contribution (NI) which led to a reduced state pension. This generation also bore the brunt of childcare and were not routinely made aware that any NI credited on receipt of child benefit would be accredited to the father if they did not receive it in their own name.

Workplace Discrimination and the Pay Gap

Women of this generation also faced systemic sex discrimination in the workplace, including unequal pay compared to their male counterparts. While progress has been made over the years, many women from this era still experience repercussions as they were unable to obtain a private pension.

50s women pension delay Report 2022

In November 2022 a report was published by former judge the Hon Dr Jocelynne Scutt AO on the plight of 1950s women who have waited up to six years to get their delayed pension. When the report was published Jocelynne presented it to Parliament.  You can view her speech below.

Finance and the NI Fund Shortfall

The amount taken from 50s Women has been calculated as £181.4 Billion.

In 2019 CEDAWinLAW along with other campaign groups negotiated a 58bn settlement and Labour called it a debt of honour, but has yet to pay up.

Other campaign groups were talking with the previous government about a settlement of £7 Billion. However, such a small sum will not provide any kind of justice for both the sex discrimination and maladministration, or for the financial losses 50s Women have actually incurred.

There is also approximately £80 Billion currently in the National Insurance Fund (NI Fund) which could be used to redress this discrimination.

There is also an estimated £271bn that is missing from the NI Fund, having been used for other purposes separate from the original intended purpose of the fund.

The NI Fund was initially proposed by William Beveridge. The National Insurance Act 1946 implemented many of Beveridge’s recommendations. It expanded the scope of National Insurance to include a wide range of benefits, such as old-age pensions, widows’ benefits, and sickness and unemployment benefits. The NI Fund was established to manage these contributions and payments.

Read more about NI Fund shortfall

Our aim

The 50s Women CEDAWinLAW campaign aims to support women born in the 1950s in the UK by addressing systemic issues that have historically disadvantaged them and we aim to support them.

We have already begun to explore the ways in which we can get the Green Party as a whole and our 4 newly elected MPs to support and pressurise the new Labour Government to rectify this historical wrong as a moral imperative and finally get these women the justice they deserve.

We will keep you updated on our progress.

In the meantime you can show your support for the campaign by signing this petition calling on the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to attend settlement talks re ALL #50sWomen!

You can also write to your MP asking them to to join the ADR group . You can use this Write to your MP 50sWomen template.

The post Supporting 50s Women CEDAWinLAW campaign appeared first on Green Party Women.

Green Party Women have pledged to join the Restore Nature Now March on Saturday June 22. We would like as many of our members and supporters to pledge to come and join us.

Why join the Restore Nature Now march?

In the UK all our native species are at risk due to rivers and seas being polluted. According to the march organisers wildlife numbers are in a downward spiral. 1 in 6 British species at risk of extinction, and floods and droughts becoming more extreme as we see the escalating effects of climate change.

The UK is set to fail to meet its own legal targets to restore nature and reduce climate emissions.

Green Party Women along with a wide range of groups, from leading nature charities like the RSPB to environmental activists like Extinction Rebellion, are urging everyone who cares for nature to march with us to make a simple demand to all political parties: Restore Nature Now.

The demonstration aims to be the biggest gathering of people for nature and climate that the UK has ever seen.

Where to join us

We will be meeting at Hyde Park Corner at 12.00pm. Look out for the Green Party Women Banner to find us.

Follow us on X and we can DM you details if you’re lost!

View on map.

WHO has pledged to join the Restore Nature Now March?

Below is a selection of our committee and members who have pledged to join us.

The post Restore Nature Now March appeared first on Green Party Women.

Conference voted unanimously to fully support the Truth About Zane Campaign’s call for ‘Zane’s Law’. Well done to everyone who has campaigned for this for such a long time

GPEW proposes that the following measures be adopted into legislation by Government, to prioritise the protection and safety of people and planet.

The Legislation if passed would include:

1.    Each relevant Local Authority must keep a full, regularly updated Register of Land that may be contaminated within their boundary.

2.    The Environment Agency must keep a full, public ‘National Register of Contaminated Land’ to be regularly updated by information from Local Authorities.

3.    All above mentioned Registers of Land must be accessible and available for inspection by the General Public.

4.    Relevant Local Authorities must fully inspect any land registered that may be contaminated and must fully remediate or enforce remediation of any land which poses harm to public safety, or which pollutes controlled waters*

5.    Relevant Local Authorities must be responsible for inspecting previously closed landfill sites and fully remediating them, or enforcing their remediation when they pose a risk of significant harm to people or controlled waters.

6.    The Government must take full responsibility for providing the necessary funds for Local Authorities to meet these new requirements, following the ‘polluter pays’ principle: to recover costs as appropriate where those responsible for the pollution can be identified.

These measures are not all in place currently and would require significant investment and full funding from the Government to be implemented. Other statutory requirements (such as data protection provisions) would need be taken account of.

* Controlled waters are groundwater or surface water intended for human consumption

Truth About Zane article written for Green Party Women website by Elizabeth Mansfield – Lewes District Green Party, Truth About Zane Campaign Committee, GPW Committee Co-chair.

I’m so pleased to have been invited to write about the Truth About Zane (TAZ) Campaign for the Green Party Women (GPW) website. One of GPW’s key aims this year is raising women’s voices. Excellent. I’m raising my voice for Zane.

Truth! Justice! No More Deaths from Toxic Waste! Three urgent demands we’re crying out to be heard in the name of Zane Gbangbola, son of Kye and Nicole, who died in February 2014, when he was only 7-years-old, during terrible flooding at his home in Chertsey, Surrey.

Yet it wasn’t floodwater that carried this much-loved little boy away, but Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN) poisoning, detected at high levels in his home by the HAZMAT Fire and Rescue team on the night he died. His Daddy, Kye, is now  a rest-of-his-life wheelchair user, with a diagnosis of ‘Rhabdomyolysis due to Hydrogen Cyanide’, from the same incident – a diagnosis made by his Consultant Clinical Neurophysiologist.

So, why at Zane’s Inquest, held two years after his death, did the coroner find that Zane died of carbon monoxide poisoning from a faulty petrol pump? Good question. The Fire and Rescue team did find a petrol pump at Zane’s home that night, but they logged it in the National Incident Recording System as having been found ‘cold and unused’. They had also tested for Carbon Monoxide (CO), but none was detected, which fact they also logged.

Despite this clear evidence, on the morning after Zane died, the police publicly announced that CO poisoning from a faulty petrol pump was the most likely cause of Zane’s death. The announcement came hard on the heels of an urgently called emergency COBRA meeting, and before any investigation had begun.

The CO/ faulty pump theory continued, unswervingly, to be the authorities’ official ‘line’ right the way through to the coroner’s verdict, given in 2016, which confirmed the same. Kye and Nicole (Zane’s Mummy) were not listened to when they repeatedly said that they had not used the petrol pump, that it was faulty (a fact confirmed by the coroner’s own pump expert at the inquest) and that they’d only hired it as a back-up. Their statements were ignored, and they were accused of lying. Worse still, the implication that they were ’negligent parents’ was stuck on them. Disgraceful! Nothing could have been further from the truth.

More and more evidence has since emerged that the land next to Zane’s home was a historic landfill site, and that the land is contaminated. Post-war, it was commandeered by the MOD for amphibious tank testing (munitions), and in the 1960s thousands of tons of experimental waste were dumped there.

Kye and Nicole also discovered, shockingly, that the local authority knew all this, and that four years before Zane died, they’d advised the Environment Agency to put a gas proof membrane into a new property they were building, right next door to Zane’s home. The gas proof membrane was recommended following a report made from a desk top study, assessing the land, which had concluded that the land posed an ‘Unacceptable risk’ with a ‘high risk of migrating landfill gasses’, capable of causing ‘significant harm, serious injury and capable of causing death.’  The local authority kept quiet about the report, refused to test the land further, which had been strongly recommended, and failed to inform local residents that they were at risk. Now, that does sound like negligence!

None of this crucial evidence, however, was heard at Zane’s inquest. The coroner had determined that Zane’s death did not touch on ‘matters of public interest’ and therefore did not warrant an Article 2 type inquest, which would have required a jury, and would have put the verdict on Zane’s death into the jury’s hands. By making this decision, he awarded himself, as coroner, absolute power to determine which evidence was heard at the inquest and which was not. There was zero ‘parity of arms’. Kye and Nicole were denied legal aid three times in the period leading up to the inquest, while all other parties were represented by top QCs, including the coroner himself.

The Fire Brigade Union have stood solidly next to Kye, Nicole, and the TAZ Campaign, questioning the coroner’s verdict and calling for a full and fearless Independent Panel Inquiry to determine the truth of what happened to Zane. So have many other organisations and political parties, including the Green Party, trade unions and thousands of individuals. Our petition calling for an Independent Panel Inquiry for Zane, was delivered by Kye and Nicole, together with Matt Wrack (then General Secretary of the FBU), to No.10 Downing Street, in October 2022, on what would have been Zane’s 16^th birthday. The petition, signed by over 117,000 people, has been completely ignored by the government.

Andy Burnham’s (Mayor of Manchester) ‘Hillsborough Law’, now the ‘Public Authority Accountability Bill’, would reform coronial law, preventing the cruel injustices that have been perpetrated on the Hillsborough families, and now on Zane’s family. The Bill is still waiting to be passed into law. We can only hope that if Sir Keir Starmer becomes PM at the next election, he will do the right thing at last – speed the passage of this Bill and immediately grant an IPI to uncover the truth about Zane and the landfill next to his home.

No More Deaths from Toxic Waste!

Natalie Bennett has been supporting TAZ since I invited her to meet Kye and Nicole in 2016. She’s attended many events we’ve organised since then, including one she arranged herself, at the House of Lords. At Cop 26, together with Kye and Nicole, Natalie launched a new branch of the TAZ campaign ‘Zane’s Law’, at a Peace and Justice event hosted by Jeremy Corbyn.

‘Zane’s Law’ aims to close loopholes in the Environment Act 2012, by tightening up authorities’ obligations in relation to the registration and remediation of landfill sites and public health safety. And the law would require the government to provide the necessary funding and resources, following the polluter pays principle, to enable this work to be carried out. Zane’s law would be the first progressive UK law in decades to provide enforceable protection for local communities endangered or harmed by toxic landfill and polluted waters: A law to protect our children now, and in the future, from the dangers of contaminated land.

I tabled a motion to define and support ‘Zane’s Law’ for the October 2023 GPEW conference. The motion made it onto the agenda but wasn’t debated. However, I succeeded in getting the ‘Campaigns Committee’ on board, who have been immensely supportive in helping to promote ‘Zane’s Law’ as a GPEW national campaign. We created a resources pack, a dedicated website, and I set up a ‘Make Toxic Landfills Safe’ petition. Tom Scott’s support (chair of the committee) was especially invaluable. We included the as yet unheard ‘Zane’s Law’ conference motion in the resources pack, as a ‘model motion’ for campaigners/councillors to present to their local councils.

In Lewes, where I live, 17 Green councillors form the majority on Lewes’s Tory-free District Council. With the resources pack now launched, and the website and petition live, my friend and colleague, Councillor Imogen Makepeace* (see note at end of article), took the motion forward and it was included for debate at a full Lewes District Council meeting on Monday 19^th February.

Kye travelled to Lewes to be with us for this momentous occasion. Imogen spoke brilliantly, the motion was carried unanimously, and a standing ovation from all the other councillors followed… it was a very emotional moment I can tell you!

Since then, four more councils have passed the motion and hopefully there’ll be more to come. Special tribute to Green Cllr Kerry Pickett at Brighton & Hove City Council, Green Cllr Gabe Crisp at Adur Council, Green Cllr Rebecca Aldham at Stroud Council and Green Cllr Polly Gray at Rother District Council. Thank you!

Since I launched the petition, which now has over 3,500 signatories, people with concerns about contaminated land and water have been getting in touch with TAZ, rather like the postmistresses and masters who came forward when Mr Bates put out a call to them, during the Post Office Scandal. As a result of this, Kye has recently launched l ‘UK Landfill Campaigns’, a supportive network and resource for campaigners, through which people can connect, learn, and empower each other. Together we are stronger!

I’ve known Kye and Nicole for over 10 years now. I was living not far away from them at the time of the tragedy, and I also experienced that terrible flooding in 2014. I met them at a huge ‘post flood’ meeting held at the Spelthorne Leisure Centre, in Staines, and it was here that I first heard the shocking news of what had happened to Zane. I’ve come to know, love, respect and admire them both. They are amazing people, whose love for their beloved son blazes through them as strongly as does their grief and despair at his loss. They are fearless, brave, courageous campaigners, who will not rest until Zane has the justice he deserves, and until UK landfills and water supplies are made safe for people, for our environment, and for our beautiful planet.

Little Zane had helped to set up an ‘Eco Team’ at his school. And when he was asked about why sustainability is important, he carefully explained how much he and his family liked to look after their own garden… but that the world is one big garden and that we’re all responsible for looking after it together.

Rest in peace Zane, we heed your words.

What can you do?

Find out more about the Truth About Zane here: www.truthaboutzane.com

Find out about Zane’s Law here: www.zaneslaw.co.uk

Sign the petition here: Make toxic landfills safe – Support ‘Zane’s Law’! | 38 Degrees

Help get my Zane’s Law motion onto the agenda for the upcoming September conference, by clicking ‘Like’ (at the bottom of the motion) on Green Spaces here: spaces.greenparty.org.uk/content/perma?id=230661

• Find out about and connect with any local campaigns about landfill and/or contaminated water in your area and connect with the ‘UK Landfill Campaigns’ network by emailing truthaboutzane@gmail.com.
• Bring up the ‘Truth About Zane’ and ‘Zane’s Law’ in your local party. You could suggest a showing of these excellent films, with a discussion to follow:
• If you have a Green Councillor, talk to them about getting the model motion put forward at a council meeting. The Zane’s Law resources pack, including the model motion, is here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-Vv0c1vef0LhhmZXutFH2j-_PIqhzlgm/view?usp=sharing

Further information

Kye Gbangbola speaking about the need for Zane’s Law – (3.5 mins)

Paul Mobbs – Forgotten but not Gone: Contaminated land, climate change and government inaction (18 mins)

The Truth About Zane – a film (11 minutes)

*Imogen Makepeace

Not long after that victorious night, when Imogen successfully moved the first ‘Zane’s Law’ motion ever to be passed by a local Council, she was put on a ‘No Fault Suspension’ by the Deputy Chairs of the Disciplinary Committee, on what I consider to be spurious grounds. As a result, Imogen has now resigned from the Green Party. This has been a huge loss to our local party. We have been very upset and we rallied to support her at an EGM. Imogen’s ‘No Fault Suspension’ is, again in my opinion, an indictment of the Green Party’s disciplinary processes, which have been much used and abused of late. The Green Party’s loss, however, is Lewes’s gain – Imogen Makepeace was elected Mayor of Lewes on Thursday 9^th May.

The post Zane’s Law appeared first on Green Party Women.

This comes ten years after the death of seven-year-old Zane Gbangbola when water from a contaminated landfill entered his family’s home in Surrey.
You can find out more about the ‘Zane’s Law’ campaign on the campaign website and sign the petition here.

The motion was proposed by Green councillor and Green Party Women member Imogen Makepeace..

During the meeting, which was attended by Zane’s father, Kye Gbangbola, she paid tribute to the “extraordinary courage” of his parents “who are still fighting for the full truth of what happened to their beloved son”.

Imogen added that the proposed law “would go a long way towards preventing such a tragedy happening to anyone else”.

Zane’s law update

Read the Truth About Zane article written by Elizabeth Mansfield of Lewes District Green Party.

The post zane’s law – Green Women in Action appeared first on Green Party Women.

There’s a petition on the parliamentary petition site that raises the issue of black women’s maternal mortality during and after pregnancy, and it’s an unstoppable force. When I sat down to write this blog, it had 181,772 signatures; half an hour later, there were 150 more. To achieve a debate in parliament, the petition needed 100,000 signatures; it reached that in mid-June. By the time it closes, in September 2020, it may have three or four times that number (or half a million – get signing…).

What is the issue, and why has it taken off so massively? The petition drafted by Atinuke Awe cites a November 2019 research study which found that black women in the UK are five times more likely than white women to die during and after pregnancy. With commendable restraint, it calls for ‘urgent action…to address this disparity’.

Awe is not alone in her activism.  Since shortly after the research study was published, young black women have driven the response to this shocking statistic. Already by December 2019 the hashtag #fivexmore and its campaign website were proving stunningly effective, publishing stories from women of colour and encouraging people to take selfies with the hand ‘stop’ sign (the campaign has also given clear and succinct advice to pregnant women of colour). Huge numbers of people, among them black trainee midwives like Alicia Burnett and Chelsea Beckford-Procyk, healthcare professionals, and ordinary citizens who think Black Lives Matter, have responded.  They continue to respond (see this recent interview by the Patient Safety Learning Hub with Tinuke, one of the co-founders of the campaign).

But the finding that black women are five times more likely than white women to die during and after pregnancy is not new news.  I went back to the report cited in the petition, Saving Lives, Improving Mothers’ Care, by MBRRACE-UK, an investigative unit based in the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford.   Their 2019 report analysed maternal mortality data from 2015 to 2017, but a year earlier, in November 2018, they’d published a report on data from 2014 to 2016 that said, ‘It is striking that there are areas where we seem to be making little impact [emphasis added]. Research is urgently needed to understand why black women are five times more likely to die, and Asian women twice as likely to die, compared to white women’.   It’s clear from the language that the medical establishment has known about this for some time.

Maternal mortality is relatively rare in the UK. In the years 2015 to 2017, 2,280,451 women gave birth; of them, 209 died from causes directly and indirectly related to their pregnancy – but proportionately more black, mixed race and Asian women died than their white counterparts.

Activism has focused particularly on the issue of black women, but all women of colour are affected.  MMBRACE-UK’s findings show that women of mixed ethnic origin are three times more likely than white women to die during and after pregnancy; women of Asian origin twice as likely.  The useful infographic shows 7 white women dying from every 100,000 pregnant women, 9 of Chinese or other origin, 13 women of Asian origin, 23 women of mixed ethnic origin, and 38 black women.

A case study in the report tells the story of a young African woman who gave birth normally ‘and was discharged on day 1… The following day she was readmitted via the emergency department with breathlessness while lying down, palpitations and dizziness which was attributed to her aneaemia’.   She was given a transfusion and discharged, and died later that night.

The autopsy found that she had rheumatic heart disease that had not been diagnosed, or even considered as the cause of her breathlessness; the report says she was discharged by a junior doctor and ‘no senior review took place before discharge’.

Black Lives Matter – but the activism that has pushed the issue of black women’s deaths during and after pregnancy onto the parliamentary agenda started before George Floyd was murdered.   Something is happening here.   Women of colour are saying NO – and it’s having an effect.   On 27 June the NHS said it was ‘boosting support’ to pregnant BAME women after analysis showed that ‘Black pregnant women are eight times more likely to be admitted to hospital with COVID-19’ (presumably than white women, though they don’t say); Asian women, ‘four times as likely’.

These are also staggering figures.  The virus has made the health issues facing women of colour during and after pregnancy even more stark.   Let’s keep making them visible until pregnant women of colour stop dying so much more often than white women.   ‘Parity’ is one of the key demands of Black Lives Matter.   It’d be better if no woman died during or after her pregnancy.   But in the meantime, let’s find out what’s killing women of colour and depriving their children of their mothers, and let’s stop it happening.

The post Is Black the colour of maternal mortality in the UK? appeared first on Green Party Women.

As the world braces itself for a second wave of Covid-19, there is a global battle to fight not only the virus but a resurgence of disposable plastics. HOLLY PITTAWAY explores whether our fight to contain the virus comes at the hidden expense of accelerating a key factor of Climate Change, in this Green Party Women exclusive.

Friday 26 JUN 2020 17:00

The dangers of plastic have long-been reported on. From its extraction, to its production, to its disposal, the material has detrimental effects on both the planet and, thus, our own health – yet it is everywhere. Worldwide, a million plastic bottles are bought every minute, and 2 million plastic bags are used in the same time. It covers our beaches, comprising around 73% of all beach litter, and destroys our wildlife, killing more than 1.1 million seabirds and animals every year. We even eat it, as it’s estimated that the average person consumes 70,000 microplastics annually.^[1] A report by the Centre for International Environmental Law warned that current levels of plastic production ‘threaten the ability of the global community to keep the global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius’, meaning that by 2050, greenhouse gas emissions from plastic could total over 56 gigatons, 10-13% of the remaining carbon budget.^[2]

Some promising changes, however, were being made in the UK. In 2016, a 5p charge on plastic carrier bags was introduced at large stores throughout the country;^[3] this levy proved effective, as in the same year it was reported that nine in ten shoppers in England were using their own carrier bags, a 20% rise compared to before the charge was added.^[4] In 2018, after it was reported that plastic producers could market single-use items as reusable in order to dodge the EU ban, a 272,000 strong petition succeeded in ensuring corporations would pay for their pollution.^[5] In 2019, a ban on plastic straws, stirrers, and cotton buds was announced, expected to come into force the following year as a combatant against the 4.7 million straws, 316 million stirrers, and 1.8 million cotton buds wasted in the UK every year.^[6] The last few years have also seen the widespread popularity of reusable coffee cups and mugs, with a number of coffee shops introducing a discount for those who bring their own cup.

Enter March 2020 and the coronavirus pandemic. Previous steps forward have been reversed and halted, as the world worried that reusable items would prompt a more far-reaching spread of the virus. As of March 21st 2020, carrier bag charges were dropped for online grocery deliveries, a change that promised to speed up deliveries and, thus, reduce risk of contamination.^[7] Similarly, the proposed ban of the aforementioned single-use plastic items was delayed as of April 2020, the month it was originally due to come into force, until October 2020, in order to reduce the pressure on the hospitality industry, which is currently suffering due to the coronavirus.^[8] Coffee outlets, such as Starbucks, Pret A Manger, Greggs, and Costa, have also temporarily banned the use of reusable coffee cups over fears that improperly cleaned cups could spread the virus more rapidly.^[9]

Environmentally conscious consumers have also struggled to keep up their eco-friendly habits amidst the pandemic, making the popular Kermit the Frog phrase, ‘it’s not easy being green’, ring true in a more serious sense. ‘Quarantine has made me less able to be eco-friendly in a number of ways,’ Katie Clarke, owner of sustainable accessory brand, ‘Luna Lane Accessories’, told me. ‘Moving home for lockdown has meant I don’t have access to the same reusable packaging such as food wraps, as my parents mainly use disposable packaging.’ Another eco-friendly consumer, Harriet Bywater, agreed; ‘I usually buy my food at bulk stores and at the market, but due to COVID-19, the family I am living with have been buying food for me. As grateful as I am, there has been far too much plastic for my liking in the shopping.’ Another shopper lamented at not being able to utilise reusable swaps; ‘I can’t bring reusable bags into grocery stores. Also, I can’t use my reusable coffee mug in drive through anymore, and now they are using single-use menus for outside dining where I’m from. It’s very disheartening,’ said Heidi Taylor. Fortunately, it seems that some consumers have responded to this plastic ramp up by being more selective of the products they choose to buy, minimising plastic packaging where they can.^[10] Some have even started their own campaigns, like PlasticFreePints, which encourages pub-goers to bring reusable cups when they get takeaway drinks,^[11] and this petition demanding supermarkets switch to paper bags for online deliveries.^[12]

As well as these backtracks, a new, more dangerous form of plastic is threatening our planet – personal protective equipment (or PPE). While there are guidelines in place for how to reuse PPE, it is often simpler just to dispose of it, in order to prevent any contamination from occurring. As it’s now being recommended that members of the public wear face coverings in order to prevent a second wave of the pandemic, issues of reusability versus disposability are being pushed to the forefront.^[13]

Mountains of PPE waste have already begun to wash up on our shores. Opération Mer Propre, a French non-profit that works to clean up beaches along the Côte d’Azur, began discovering “Covid waste” – gloves, masks, and hand sanitiser bottles – last month. Joffrey Peltier, a representative of the organisation, warned, “It’s the promise of pollution to come if nothing is done.” Another representative, Laurent Lombard, worried in a status on social media – “Soon we’ll run the risk of having more masks than jellyfish in the Mediterranean.”^[14] As a result, there are concerns that this new plastic pandemic could offset years of climate change work. Gary Stokes, co-founder of Oceans Asia, an advocacy group that investigates wildlife crimes and plastic pollution in Asia, also spoke of finding dozens of disposable masks at a Hong Kong beach. “I understand people are afraid because they don’t know what’s going on with this virus, but it’s just a major setback,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s almost just an excuse for going back and using plastic on everything.”^[15]

But plastic isn’t a cure-all when it comes to coronavirus. Research has suggested that the virus is capable of surviving on plastic surfaces for up to three days, while on cardboard its lifetime was just 24 hours, and on copper this was even more reduced to just four hours.^[16] The reusable face mask business has also taken off in recent weeks, with a number of larger companies and independent sellers creating them out of linen and cotton – linen in particular has natural antibacterial properties, and its surface is not an easy environment for germs to breed in, which makes it a highly coveted material.^[17] The desirability of plastic over other materials in combating coronavirus, however, is likely due to its simple sanitisation, as plastic surfaces can more easily be wiped down with disinfectant than cardboard or paper.

But what will life look like after coronavirus, and how ‘green’ will our recovery be? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain – we can’t continue down our current path.

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Please sign and share Holly’s petition to reduce plastic waste:

https://www.change.org/p/tesco-to-reduce-the-amount-of-plastic-waste-as-a-result-of-the-coronavirus-pandemic?recruiter=288157545&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=tap_basic_share 

A list of places to buy reusable face masks:

https://www.prima.co.uk/diet-and-health/healthy-living/g32448751/where-buy-face-masks-uk/ 

AMENDMENTS

Saturday 27 JUN 2020, 16:04, Author Holly Pittaway was incorrectly identified as Holly Martin in the article and graphic.

[1] https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/plastic-pollution-facts/?gclid=CjwKCAjw8pH3BRAXEiwA1pvMsU1F7rJZ6fctbNt4gcdZRNystK_QXESa743iLyUWAKR-3NgNvDSCjRoClkEQAvD_BwE 

[2] https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Plastic-and-Climate-FINAL-2019.pdf p1-2

[3] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34346309 

[4] https://metro.co.uk/2016/09/29/this-is-the-effect-that-the-5p-plastic-bag-chrge-has-had-6159334/ 

[5] https://actions.sumofus.org/a/plastics-envi-vote-oct-2018/ 

[6] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/gove-takes-action-to-ban-plastic-straws-stirrers-and-cotton-buds 

[7] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/single-use-plastic-carrier-bags-why-were-introducing-the-charge/carrier-bags-why-theres-a-5p-charge#:~:text=The%20law%20requires%20large%20shops,started%20on%205%20October%202015.

[8] https://deframedia.blog.gov.uk/2020/04/16/ban-on-plastic-straws-stirrers-and-cotton-buds-delayed-due-to-coronavirus-outbreak/ 

[9] https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/starbucks-bans-reusable-coffee-cups-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak_uk_5e6224c5c5b691b525f0e0c4?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZWNvc2lhLm9yZy8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAB_sE0I3t62R7jnOPwB5KDoPXaIOnTEf_guBDZlRbg1Zv9JMATJVBN2SFhXwDrbBFmMn1dUoaRRisyl5ZU62ZwePKaW4UxJ3n2FH9rfMLhOUn7RDTUkawaRlVtaiC7A_nDPGYMq-8qG5tSoaKXvIqKQcJs0Ov-xo6X3b25zneyOB 

[10] https://www.hydrogenfuelnews.com/consumers-struggle-to-keep-up-eco-friendly-trends-during-the-pandemic-crisis/8539967/ 

[11] https://www.ourstosave.com/?fbclid=IwAR0SD0jHJsqxRVpw6e9Nn6j4PuKiMAbe1hh933U-PtFz_haWcYrL96LSgk8 

[12] https://www.change.org/p/tesco-to-reduce-the-amount-of-plastic-waste-as-a-result-of-the-coronavirus-pandemic?recruiter=288157545&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=tap_basic_share 

[13] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-masks-study/widespread-mask-wearing-could-prevent-covid-19-second-waves-study-idUSKBN23G37V?fbclid=IwAR0t3L6wRaUhhd3OH7RkBqAN35U247Q1vZFaQE6Clpk_bRXp0BjZuK80CnM 

[14] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/08/more-masks-than-jellyfish-coronavirus-waste-ends-up-in-ocean 

[15] https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-06-13/coronavirus-pandemic-plastic-waste-recycling 

[16] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-update-uk-plastic-steel-surfaces-clean-pathogen-a9408126.html 

[17] https://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/face-mask-covering-where-to-buy-uk-coronavirus-reusable-washable-filter-a9562711.html 

[18] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-52202974 

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