John Vidal
Human impact on wildlife to blame for spread of viruses, says study
Hunting, farming and the global move of people to cities has led to massive declines in biodiversity and increased the risk of dangerous viruses like COVID-19 spilling over from animals to humans, a major study has concluded. EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian, reports.
HFC deal big step in fighting climate change
They went to Kigali, Rwanda, to eliminate hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and take 0.5C out of future global warming, and the 170 countries that successfully negotiated an amendment to the Montreal protocol treaty agreed to get rid of 90% of them. Not bad for four days and three long nights of hard work.
Microplastics should be banned in cosmetics to save oceans, British MPs say
Cosmetics companies must be banned from using plastic microbeads in scrubs, toothpaste and beauty products because of the marine pollution they are causing, say a group of MPs.
Surge in renewable energy stalls world greenhouse gas emissions
Falling coal use in China and the US and a worldwide shift towards renewable energy have kept greenhouse gas emissions level for a second year running, one of the world’s leading energy analysts has said.
El Niño is causing global food crisis, UN warns
Severe droughts and floods triggered by one of the strongest El Niño weather events ever recorded have left nearly 100 million people in southern Africa, Asia and Latin America facing food and water shortages and vulnerable to diseases including Zika, international aid agencies and governments have said.
Brexit would return Britain to being ‘dirty man of Europe’
Britain risks becoming the “dirty man of Europe” again with filthy beaches, foul air and weak conservation laws if it leaves the European Union, a group of leading environmentalists warned on Wednesday (3 February).
Norwegian industry plans to up fossil fuel production despite Paris pledge
Norway wants other countries to leave their coal and oil in the ground to meet new global climate change targets, but its industry is planning to increase production of its own fossil fuels.
Five G7 nations increased their coal use over a five-year period, research shows
Five of the world’s seven richest countries have increased their coal use in the last five years despite demanding that poor countries slash their carbon emissions to avoid catastrophic climate change, new research shows.
Green groups walk out of UN climate talks
Environment and development groups together with young people, trade unions and social movements walked out of the UN climate talks on Thursday (21 November) in protest at what they say is the slow speed and lack of ambition of the negotiations in Warsaw.
€208m forests initiative launched at UN climate talks in Warsaw
A new $280m (€208m) initiative to help save the world's remaining forests was launched by the UK, the US and Norway at the United Nations climate change talks in Warsaw on Wednesday.
Europe must tackle air pollution, warn UN scientists
The health effects of air pollution have been underestimated and Europe should revisit its laws to tackle the problem, UN scientists have concluded after a major review of new evidence.
Car manufacturers ‘manipulating fuel efficiency tests’, report says
Drivers who find that the fuel efficiency in their new car doesn't match up to the claims made by the manufacturer, now know it is not their driving to blame. A new report reveals that carmakers routinely manipulate official UN-backed miles/gallons tests, with a series of tricks including stripping the car down to weigh as little as possible, overinflating the tyres and testing in the thin air at high-altitude tracks.
Europe ‘has failed to learn from environmental disasters’
Europe has failed to learn the lessons from many environmental and health disasters like Chernobyl, leaded petrol and DDT insecticides, and is now ignoring warnings about bee deaths, GM food and nanotechnology, according to an 800-page report by the European Environment Agency.
US and EU must change biofuel targets to avert food crisis, says Nestlé chief
Nestlé, the world's largest food company, has added its weight to calls by the UN and development groups for the US and EU to change their biofuel targets because of looming food shortages and price rises.
Burying electricity power lines ‘cheaper than UK National Grid’ claims
Countryside campaigners fighting hundreds of miles of 50-metre tall electricity pylons said that they have been vindicated by an independent report, which says burying cables is far cheaper than has been claimed by the National Grid.
Leaked document reveals Rio+20 sustainable development goals
Countries will be asked this summer to sign up for 10 new sustainable development goals for the planet and promise to build green economies at the first earth summit in 20 years.
African nations move closer to EU position at Durban
Europe's position at the UN climate talks in Durban won support yesterday (8 December) from the chair of the 54 African nations.