Ecology
India introduces car sales tax to combat pollution
India has introduced a new tax on car sales aimed at helping fight high levels of air pollution and congestion. The surprise move, announced by the finance minister, Arun Jaitley, is a victory for campaigners and a defeat for the…
The First American City to Ban Plastic Water Bottles
Plastic pollution is one of the greatest burdens to the environment. Believe it or not, enough plastic is discarded every year to circle the globe four times. Even worse, it is estimated that 50 percent of the plastic on this…
IEA and UfM join forces to strengthen climate action in the Euro-Mediterranean region
The International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) signed on 17 February in Paris a memorandum of understanding (MoU) setting out the outlines of closer co-operation between the two organisations on projects of mutual interest in…
Obama says confident in legal footing after Supreme Court carbon decision
U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday called the Supreme Court’s decision to delay implementation of his administration’s Clean Power Plan “unusual” and expressed confidence that the White House would prevail. “We’re very confident that we’re on strong legal footing here,”…
Commission welcomes landmark deal on CO2 standard for aircraft emissions
The Commission welcomes the agreement reached yesterday within the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on the first ever-global standard to cap CO2 emissions from aircraft. EU Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc said, “This agreement is an important step to curb…
Global initiative introduces first proposal to reduce airplane pollution
Governments proposed for the first time on Monday to reduce climate pollution from airplanes, plugging one of the biggest loopholes in last December’s landmark Paris agreement. The global initiative was a first attempt to halt carbon emissions from air travel…
Paris climate deal could ‘displace millions of forest dwellers’
The Paris climate agreement could make millions of forest dwellers homeless, according to a new analysis. Many developing countries will try to curb carbon emissions by setting aside forested areas as reserves. But experts are worried that creating national parks…