This is a joint response to the Government's call for evidence on 'Tackling the plastic problem: Using the tax system or charges to address single-use plastic waste', produced by CPRE, Greenpeace, Marine Conservation Society, Environmental Investigations Agency and Surfers Against Sewage. The group commissioned research from Eunomia Research and Consulting, which feeds into the recommendations. 

The full response is available to download below, along with a summary of CPRE's position on single-use plastics. 

Our beautiful and irreplaceable countryside provides vital space for recreation and reflection, a rich diversity of landscapes and a home for nature. We must value and protect the countryside from litter for the countless benefits it provides to our health, prosperity and wellbeing.

This is a detailed briefing based on CPRE's manifesto for the 2015 General Election.

This manifesto for the future of the national electricity grid has been issued by CPRE, in conjunction with a wider alliance of countryside campaigners. It calls for a smart grid that has a reduced impact on the landscape, and to reduce the need for new grid infrastructure in the longer term.

In May 2018 the government released a Written Ministerial Statement with worrying proposals that would effectively fast track fracking proposals, make it easier to gain permission for exploration and curtail the power of local authorities to oppose applications through the planning system - sidestepping local opinion in favour of making decisions nationally. It plans to consult on these proposals over summer 2018 with an expectation that new measures would be announced later in the year.

CPRE is campaigning for the government to drop these new proposals and to halt fracking until a series of environmental criteria have been met.

In July 2015, CPRE held a workshop for community representatives − the majority from rural areas − to provide a practical introduction to community energy and help them to initiate and get involved in community energy projects. You can download the workshop presentations to print below.

Generating energy is at the heart of human society. The relationship between humans and energy has shaped our landscapes for centuries, if not millennia.

We are in the midst of a massive shift in our energy system driven by technological innovation and the imperative to tackle climate change. Just a few years ago electricity was generated by 50 large power stations. Today we are approaching 1 million distributed electricity generators in the UK. 

We need to better understand what impact this changing energy system will have on the landscape and how energy infrastructure can be built in the right way and in the right locations to gain support from communities across the UK.

The study considers how varying 2030 future energy scenarios, consistent with the UK’s commitments under the Paris Climate Change Agreement, might affect both the physical features that combine to create a landscape and understanding of how humans perceive and assign a cultural value to the landscape; and, therefore, how they respond to change.

This report has examined the impacts of introducing a deposit refund system on the number and type of jobs involved in the collection and processing of beverage containers. From the combination of existing modelling and further research, the overall effect of the introduction of a scheme in the UK is predicted to lead to an increase in the number of jobs available by between 3,000 and 4,300 full-time-employees, depending on whether or not reprocessing jobs are included, as well as resulting in an overall increase in the number of higher-skilled jobs. The introduction of a scheme will therefore lead to an increase in green economy-based jobs.

Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) and the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) have joined forces to produce this 'Future Energy Landscapes' report. It aims to bring communities together to share their passion for local landscapes with their enthusiasm for a more sustainable future.