Tag: sustainability

Germany's federal environment agency said on Thursday (14 February) it has proposed Brussels grant luxury automaker Daimler until the end of 2015 to meet new European Union laws mandating the use of climate-friendly air conditioning refrigerants in cars.

When it comes to choosing sites for wind farms, nature conservation is always the last thing to be considered, falling behind the price of land, proximity to power lines and opposition from locals, writes Luke Dale-Harris.

Europe recycles only 25% of its municipal waste, a far-cry from the EU's promise of a resource-efficient economy, says a study released today (14 February) by Friends of the Earth Europe.

European development ministers have agreed that the EU will speak with one voice in future international negotiations on new targets for sustainable growth and eradicating extreme poverty.

Now that a budget deal has been brokered between EU heads of states and governments, NGOs intend to be uncompromising in tracking the spending decisions at national level, writes Markus Trilling .

EU leaders who meet today (7 February) to work on the 2014-2020 budget are expected to cut spending for development aid up to 13%, says MEP Eva Joly, chairwoman of the European Parliament’s Committee on Development. She calls on EU leaders not to sacrifice development aid, which she calls “peace insurance for Europe”. 

A European Commission’s review of the REACH regulation on Tuesday (5 February) calls for a cut in charges to small businesses under the world's most far-reaching environmental law.

The EU has launched a rescue plan for Europe’s dwindling honeybee colonies: a 24-month ban on three widely-used neonicitinoid pesticides that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) says pose “high acute risks” to pollinators. 

With EU-backed forces advancing across Mali, the need for European and other donors to accelerate the development process in Africa’s poorest regions appears ever more pressing. For development experts a simple, yet unheralded solution exists - planting trees.

A majority in the Danish parliament signalled their readiness to allow extraction and exports of uranium from Greenland, marking a historical shift in Danish foreign policy after 30 years of opposition to nuclear power.

Governments must rally to make sure the EU's next long-term budget is geared towards curbing climate change, said an envoy from the World Bank and European lawmakers, warning that the globe was on track for a 4°C temperature rise.

EXCLUSIVE / A Canadian bid to persuade EU policymakers to soften proposed fuel quality laws has come unstuck, with one Canadian minister publicly disputing her government’s admission that tar sands are damaging Ottawa’s image abroad, and MEP's complaining about "undiplomatic power plays".

The EU must take action to reduce human's exposure to suspected hormone-affecting endocrine disruptors. Current regulation should be closely examined with a view to updating or proposing new legislation by June 2015 at the latest, the European Parliament's Public Health Committee said in resolution approved yesterday (23 January).

The European Commission has hailed a UN agreement that will establish the first global treaty to cut mercury pollution. Specific household items will be blacklisted and new controls on power plants and small-scale mines will be introduced, the United Nations said on Saturday (19 January).

Greenland's prime minister said on Monday (14 January) he has rejected requests from the European Union to block access to its deposits of rare earths, strategically important metals in which China has a near monopoly.

The outcome of the Doha Climate Summit disappointed observers and activists alike, but it was in fact another step towards creating the enabling conditions for civilisational change and moves to addressing global injustice, argues Bo Kjellén.

An agreement by almost 200 nations to curb rising greenhouse gas emissions from 2020 will be far more costly than taking action now to tackle climate change, a new report says.

The Dutch multinational Unilever wants to increase its participation in EU research programmes to develop the breakthrough environmental technologies. But for that to happen, the level of bureaucracy needs to be drastically reduced, says Dr. Hans Dröge, senior vice president for R&D operations at Unilever.

The European Union has not forgotten the commitments made at the Rio+20 conference six months ago, said EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik. Next year, the European Commission will publish results of the follow-up work, he promised.

The future of Europe’s agriculture policy shouldn’t be held hostage by the EU’s budget impasse, Ireland’s agricultural minister said in calling for negotiations to move forward even if final figures on spending are unknown until spring.

While Europeans’ cradle-to-grave social benefits are increasingly facing the budget axe, the European Union and other big donors are being asked to help the 5.1 billion people worldwide who lack basic social safety nets.

SPECIAL REPORT / Bulgaria loses as much as half its urban water supply through leaks, and across the European Union, some as much as 40% of piped water never makes it to consumers. But emerging technology could help reduce waste and turn water systems into energy sources.

SPECIAL REPORT / The world's largest drinks companies, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, have laid down ambitious plans to roll out 100% plant-based plastic bottles across the globe, triggering warnings from environmentalists who see a parallel with the ongoing controversy over biofuels.

EU energy ministers are poised to seek "non-binding" guidance from the European Commission on reform of green fuel subsidies as part of a debate on new post-2020 policy goals, according to a draft document.