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8 articles

When Failure Pays: The Water Industry's Reward System

• via BBC News

When Failure Pays: The Water Industry's Reward System

How privatized water companies in England profit from underinvestment and rising bills

Five English water companies have successfully argued for higher bills to cover infrastructure failures they were supposed to maintain. The Competition and Markets Authority approved an additional £556 million in charges, on top of already planned 36% increases over five years. This comes as serious pollution incidents by water firms jumped 60% in a single year, highlighting a troubling pattern of privatized monopolies profiting from public goods while failing to deliver essential services.

Delete Your Emails While We Build 6GW of AI Data Centers: Britain's Water Crisis Response Reaches Peak Absurdity

• via The Independent

Delete Your Emails While We Build 6GW of AI Data Centers: Britain's Water Crisis Response Reaches Peak Absurdity

If you believe deleting emails saves water, wait until you see our AI plans.

While the Environment Agency asks Britons to delete old emails to save water, the government plans a threefold increase in AI data center capacity, consuming billions of litres annually. This contradiction highlights the systemic failures of British governance, where performative individual actions replace real infrastructure solutions.

The Green Dream Meets British Reality: How Net Zero Became a Bill Payer's Nightmare

• via The Economist

The Green Dream Meets British Reality: How Net Zero Became a Bill Payer's Nightmare

The Cost of Political Ambition in the UK's Energy Strategy

Ed Miliband's promise of cheaper electricity by 2030 clashes with the reality of soaring energy costs. The UK's net zero strategy, once hailed as a model for the world, is now a cautionary tale of political ambition outpacing engineering reality. As households face bills 20% higher than European neighbours, the question remains: who will pay the price for this green dream turned nightmare?

The Sewage State: How England's Water Crisis Exposes Total Institutional Collapse

• via The Guardian

The Sewage State: How England's Water Crisis Exposes Total Institutional Collapse

The UK's water crisis is a textbook case of how privatized monopolies plunder public goods

English water companies dumped raw sewage into rivers and seas at record-breaking levels in 2024, with serious pollution incidents surging 60% in a single year. While politicians promised a crackdown on water pollution, the reality is stark: 75 serious incidents poisoned waterways last year, up from 47 in 2023.

Environment Secretary celebrates "significant progress" while sewage flows and Thames Water collapses

• via The Guardian

Environment Secretary celebrates "significant progress" while sewage flows and Thames Water collapses

Labour's countryside comfort zone can't hide £96 billion in missing infrastructure investment

Steve Reed's appearance at Hertfordshire's Groundswell festival reveals the extraordinary disconnect between Labour's self-congratulation and Britain's accelerating institutional decay. While the Environment Secretary proclaimed "significant progress" from his hay bale podium, the nation's waterways continue to poison swimmers and Thames Water edges toward a collapse that will cost taxpayers billions.