If the world fulfills the pledges made at COP 21 it might be possible to keep the rise of average global temperatures to between 3.3 and 3.8 degrees above 1990 levels, but this may be unattainable. CO2 emissions reached an all-time high, with an increase of close to 3%, in …
Austria and Poland face fines for failing to implement EU law on making buildings more energy-efficient, the EU executive said on Thursday. The European Commission is asking the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) in Luxembourg to apply a penalty of 96,720 euros ($131,900) against Poland and 39,593 …
Global warming will harm sovereign creditworthiness around the world this century, with poorer nations the worst hit, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said. Climate change is one of two “global mega-trends” alongside aging populations that dominate global economic risks, the agency said today in a report. It identified the most …
According to official statistics from Eurobserv’ER, 23.4 percent of the electricity in the European Union came from renewable energy sources in 2012. The total output for 2012 has been estimated at 763.5 TW. This represents an important increase from 2011, when these energy sources brought "only" 20.4 percent of total …
Eleven European Union nations breached ceilings for air pollution in 2012 despite plans to avert health-damaging smog of the sort that choked Paris this month, the European Environment Agency (EEA) said on Monday. The number rose from 10 in 2011, with the addition of Malta to the list of states …
More people smoke worldwide today than in 1980, as population growth surges and cigarettes gain popularity in countries such as China, India and Russia, researchers said Tuesday. 270fce4639917f8434891238d4d47f072d999972For instance, China boasted nearly 100 million more smokers in 2012 than it had three decades ago, even though its smoking rate fell …
Austria should pay a daily fine of more than 40,000 euros ($54,000) for breaking EU policy on renewable energy, the European Commission said on Wednesday. The Commission, the EU executive, has asked the Court of Justice of the European Union to approve the fine and said it might also bring …
The European Union is on course to approve cultivation of a new type of genetically modified maize for the first time in more than a decade, according to a draft proposal from the bloc's executive seen by Reuters. The proposal was drawn up after Europe's second highest court last month …
Climate change is likely to worsen floods on rivers such as the Ganges, the Nile and the Amazon this century while a few, including the now-inundated Danube, may become less prone, a Japanese-led scientific study said on Sunday. The findings will go some way to help countries prepare for deluges …
One of the notable details of Monday's landmark ruling to ban the use of some neonicotinoid pesticides across the European Union was Germany's vote in favour. Germany hosts chemical giant Bayer, which makes the most widely used neonicotinoid, but switched from its previous abstention. This move was entirely in line …
A total of 1.05 million Austrians were at poverty risk in 2011, the latest available figures released in a report revealed yesterday, ORF reported. The European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) social report also stated that if those who were living under significant material deprivation or were …
The UK increased the share of municipal waste recycling from 12% to 39% between 2001 and 2010, according to a new report. Published by the European Environment Agency (EEA), the report looks at the management of municipal solid waste, mainly consisting of household waste, in 27 EU Member States, Croatia, …
Fewer European countries could face fines for breaching air pollution limits after recession slowed industrial activity and limits on sulfur emissions kicked in. Eight EU states, including France and Germany, are likely to have failed to meet EU emission standards in 2011, down from 12 countries in 2010, according to …
Many nations will fail to meet target of recycling 50% of waste by 2020, warns the European Environment Agency Recycling rates in the UK rose faster in the first decade of the millennium than any other country in Europe, according to official statistics published on Tuesday. Although the UK started …
India has been ranked a lowly 40th among 50 economies in the world in terms of “dynamism”. Singapore topped the list, which was compiled by assurance, tax and advisory firm Grant Thornton. According to Grant Thornton’s Global Dynamism Index (GDI), the economies were analysed on 22 indicators of dynamism. These …
In the Grant Thornton Global Dynamism Index (GDI), they define dynamism as the changes to the economy which have enabled recovery from the 2008-09 economic recession and are likely to lead to a fast rate of future growth. The model was developed by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), who analysed …
Austria will invest 160 million euros ($213.4 million) in climate protection projects in Europe to cover the gap it faces to meet commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, Environment Minister Nikolaus Berlakovich said on Wednesday. He said the money would go towards "green investment scheme" projects in other European countries. Austria …
Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann expects petition drives to start in at least six European Union members this year with the goal of having the EU abandon nuclear power, he said in a newspaper interview. Under the EU’s Lisbon Treaty, petitions that attract at least one million signatures can seek legislative …
European farmers are likely to fall behind in the competitive world grain market as EU consumer hostility to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) drives away research and prevents cultivation of high-yield and pest-resistant crops. The European Union has approved only one GMO grain for cultivation - Monsanto's insect-resistant MON810 maize (corn). …
European farmers are likely to fall behind in the competitive world grain market as EU consumer hostility to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) drives away research and prevents cultivation of high-yield and pest-resistant crops. The European Union has approved only one GMO grain for cultivation - Monsanto's insect-resistant MON810 maize (corn). …
The European Commission said on Wednesday it had approved an Austrian scheme to support renewable energy production. The Austrian plan would create incentives to increase the production of renewable energy while also limiting distortions to competition, said a statement from the Commission, which acts as competition regulator in the 27-member …
