Robert Hodgson
USA
US pledges 61% emissions cut by 2035 as Biden bows out
The US has become only the fourth country to put a new emissions reduction pledge on the table ahead of a February 2025 deadline under the Paris Agreement to halt global temperature rise – but with president-elect Trump due to take office next month, its impact is questionable.
Europe News
Toxic flame retardants could face sweeping EU ban
A new report from the European Chemicals Agency suggests potentially carcinogenic aromatic brominated flame retardants, ABFRs, could be next in line for wide-ranging restrictions after the ‘forever chemicals’ known as PFAS also raised health concerns.
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Europe News
Governments back tight controls on plastic pellet shipment by sea
In the wake of the spillage of some 26 tonnes of tiny plastic pellets which washed up on Spanish beaches a year ago, environment ministers have agreed that minimum standards and monitoring should apply to shippers operating in EU waters.
Europe News
Oil and gas majors demand massive public support for carbon capture
The clock is ticking on a legal deadline for the petroleum industry to deploy carbon capture and storage (CCS) infrastructure – a technology it has championed for decades – at an unprecedented scale by the end of the decade.
Europe News
France demands nuclear-friendly replacement for renewable energy law
A ministerial debate on the future of Europe’s energy system saw calls to build up cross-border power grids and end dependence on Russian fossil fuels, while France said it was time bring nuclear power into the centre of EU decarbonisation policy.
Europe News
Ukraine’s energy crisis a lesson for EU, Polish minister says
As Russia deliberately targets energy infrastructure, war-torn Ukraine is inadvertently showing Europe how it can boost security and resilience, a senior Polish energy official says, as Warsaw prepares to take over the EU Council presidency.
Europe News
'Don't mess with the sun's rays,' EU scientists warn
Amid growing frustration over the slow pace of global action to limit greenhouse gas emissions, attention is turning to geoengineering to reflect sunlight away from the planet – but scientists warn that such tinkering could have dramatic and unpredictable side effects.
Europe News
Dangerous chemicals used in EU with 'sense of impunity', lawyers warn
Carcinogens, endocrine disruptors and other hazardous chemicals remain in widespread use across Europe due in part to lax enforcement of EU regulations by national authorities, according to a new report from the legal charity ClientEarth.
Europe News
Centre-right cries victory, NGOs cry foul over deforestion law delay
The centre-right European People’s Party is claiming credit for a one-year delay to a regulation blocking EU market access for products linked to deforestation, although it failed in its attempt to further water down the law despite support from the far-right.
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