Ecology
Beijing Meets Air Quality Improvement Goals With Crackdown on Polluters
Beijing successfully lowered air pollution levels following a crackdown on polluters last year, bringing China’s capital in line with air quality targets, according to Chinese officials. The announcement Wednesday by the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau followed a 2013 plan…
New York to Confirm Landmark Fossil Fuel Divestment Plan
New York City is to divest its pension funds of fossil fuels assets, in a move that could see the city authorities offload up to $5bn of fossil fuel-related investments. Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio and Comptroller Scott Stringer are…
‘World-Leading’: UK Microbead Ban Comes Into Force
The first phase of the UK ban on plastic microbeads will come into effect today, as the government moves to strengthen its crack down on marine plastic pollution. The ban on the manufacture of microbeads in ‘rinse-off’ products comes into…
Huge China Reforestation Campaign Kicks Into High Gear
If you want a feel-good story about a country that takes climate change seriously and is willing to take significant steps to protect the environment, China is a good place to start. Long the poster child for poisonous air, foul…
2017 Second Hottest Year On Record, After Only 2016
2017 was the second hottest year on record with regard to global average temperatures — after only 2016 — according to a new report from the Europe-based Copernicus Climate Change Service. The high level of heat was accompanied by abnormally…
Trump Plan to Reduce Marine Monuments Could Put Vital Ecosystems at Risk
A report from United States Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke recommends shrinking three ocean monuments and opening them up to commercial fishing. The monuments, two in the Pacific Ocean and one in the Atlantic Ocean, are undersea treasures according…
Sweden Hails New Climate Act as ‘Most Ambitious in the World’
Sweden’s ambitious new climate change legislation entered into force this week, setting out a framework for the Scandinavian nation to become a net zero greenhouse gas emitter by 2045. The new Climate Act, which became law on 1 January 2018,…