The European Congress of Conservation Biology is to hold an exhibition and contest of Policy Briefs in August 2012.

(More details of the full event on the congress website) 

For those who wish to submit, the definition of a brief being used at the event is:

Children and other vulnerable groups should be safeguarded from picking up E coli in the countryside by taking simple precautions.

This is the advice from reserachers on the Rural Economy and Land Use Programme who've been studying how the bacterium behaves in the rural environment, and the part that farmers, abattoirs and the public could play.

The UK’s first Climate Change Risk Assessment is published by Defra today.

Reports making up the assessment can be downloaded from the Defra CCRA webpage.

The Environment Agency is now government lead on helping organisations plan for the effects of a changing climate. This builds on the work previously delivered by the UKClimate Impacts Programme and will include an updated website containing information and guidance.

A major new report by the UK Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium  looks into how we can meet the future growing demand for energy, water, waste, ICT and transport systems. It recommends that different sectors work more closely together to provide coordinated systems. It also suggests measures to manage growing demand, like smart electricity meters, water meters and road pricing.

The LWEC-accredited AVOID Programme has studied different technology options to help China reduce energy related carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.

The findings are publidhed in a report available from the publications section of the LWEC website.