Ben Webster

Ben Webster works on investigations for openDemocracy into climate, environment and biodiversity issues. Ben spent 24 years at The Times, 11 of them as environment editor

Revealed: Farmers’ union successfully lobbied against food waste transparency

NFU told Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that revealing scale of waste could threaten contracts

By Ben Webster

/ 3 Oct 2023

Revealed: Farmers’ union successfully lobbied against food waste transparency

Gas industry invents new term to ‘greenwash’ boiler sales

Exclusive: Vaillant accused of misleading consumers to sell boilers that will never run on green energy

By Ben Webster

/ 21 Sep 2023

Gas industry invents new term to ‘greenwash’ boiler sales

British Gas advisers caught making false promises about ‘green’ boilers

Exclusive: Staff wrongly tell our reporter hydrogen will replace gas and that new boilers can burn it

By Ben Webster

/ 12 Sep 2023

British Gas advisers caught making false promises about ‘green’ boilers

Government rejected calls from its own experts to protect key nature sites

Exclusive: Natural England's key recommendation for halting devastating wildlife decline was snubbed by ministers

By Ben Webster

/ 26 Jul 2023

Government rejected calls from its own experts to protect key nature sites

Minister ‘gave Parliament false answer’ about landowner lobbying

Exclusive: Richard Benyon claimed he had not engaged with landowner groups over public rights of way – but he had

By Ben Webster

/ 6 Jul 2023

Minister ‘gave Parliament false answer’ about landowner lobbying

Polluting waste firms avoid £500m bill thanks to a government ‘loophole’

Exclusive: Incinerator industry tried to delay plans to close ‘loophole’ and force firms to pay for emissions

By Lucas Amin and Ben Webster

/ 28 Jun 2023

Polluting waste firms avoid £500m bill thanks to a government ‘loophole’

Some ‘renewable’ UK incinerators are more polluting than coal stations

Exclusive: Waste firms and councils accused of ‘greenwashing’ with false claims over burning rubbish for energy

By Ben Webster

/ 17 Jun 2023

Some ‘renewable’ UK incinerators are more polluting than coal stations

Public to lose access to thousands of miles of paths after landowner lobbying

Exclusive: Government U-turned on vow to abolish deadline for registering paths in England after letter from landowners

By Ben Webster

/ 13 Jun 2023

Public to lose access to thousands of miles of paths after landowner lobbying

UK airlines’ new ‘sustainable’ fuels may be causing deforestation in Asia

Exclusive: Experts fear lack of industry regulation means virgin palm oil is being passed off as ‘used’ cooking oil

By Ben Webster

/ 16 May 2023

UK airlines’ new ‘sustainable’ fuels may be causing deforestation in Asia

Water firms threatened to hike bills if made to clean up sewage in rivers

Exclusive: Water companies told the government they’d pass the costs of cleaning up England’s rivers onto customers

By Lucas Amin and Ben Webster

/ 9 Apr 2023

Water firms threatened to hike bills if made to clean up sewage in rivers

Airlines downplayed science on climate impact to block new regulations

Campaigners say the lobbying tactics used to argue against tougher measures on emissions echo those of the 20th century tobacco industry

By Lucas Amin and Ben Webster

/ 19 Mar 2023

Airlines downplayed science on climate impact to block new regulations

UK government lets airlines off the hook for £300m air pollution bill

The government wrote off emissions equivalent to 400,000 passengers flying from London to Sydney and back in one year

By Lucas Amin and Ben Webster

/ 16 Mar 2023

UK government lets airlines off the hook for £300m air pollution bill