UNICEF Innocenti's Report Card 17 explores how 43 OECD/EU countries are faring in providing healthy environments for children. Beyond children’s immediate environments, over-consumption in some of the world’s richest countries is destroying children’s environments globally. This threatens both children worldwide and future generations. To provide all children with safe and …
For the fifth consecutive month, electricity prices in countries neighboring Germany have decreased, recently released Platts data reveals, due in large part to increased solar and wind generation in Germany. The Platts Continental Power Index (CONT), described as a "demand-weighted base load average of day-ahead contracts assessed in Germany, Switzerland, …
This week Belgium took a symbolic stand for elephants by crushing its entire stockpile of confiscated ivory in a move that condemns poaching and the illegal trade in wildlife. The event was hosted by Belgian Vice Prime Minister Laurette Onkelinx, who was joined by members of the International Fund for …
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 …
Since October sightseers on the hills above Edinburgh have gawped at a brand new landmark. Across the Firth of Forth, on a test site, stands the biggest wind turbine in Britain. The tips of its blades rise 196m above sea level. Its rotor sweeps an area twice as large as …
Scientists working on a landmark UN report on climate change are struggling to explain why global warming appears to have slowed down in the past 15 years even though greenhouse gas emissions keep rising. Leaked documents obtained by Associated Press show there are deep concerns among governments over how to …
Tonnes of e-waste from Bangalore and across India are shipped to Singapore, Belgium and Japan. For the country doesn’t have a single fullfledged unit capable of extracting precious metals like gold, silver and platinum from it. According to industry sources, approximately 200 tonnes are sent annually to these three countries. …
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 …
A relative slowdown in new wind turbine construction in China was offset by increases in the US, Germany, India and the UK Wind power expanded by almost 20% in 2012 around the world to reach a new peak of 282 gigawatts (GW) of total installed capacity, while solar power reached …
European Union fisheries ministers hammered out a 2013 quota deal on Thursday which they said struck a compromise between protecting over-exploited stocks such as haddock and plaice and safeguarding fishermen's livelihoods. Ministers agreed to limit the cuts to catches proposed by the European Commission in several North East Atlantic fisheries …
With a strong tradition of recycling and incinerating, it now has too many waste-to-energy incinerators and not enough rubbish to meet demand. It has become Europe's biggest importer of trash from other countries, currently mainly from Norway. But as the European Union seeks to reduce the dumping of 150 million …
The EU plant health regime is no longer fit for purpose in preventing fatal plant diseases, says the Forestry Commission The UK's forests are under "unprecedented threat" from foreign pests and diseases, according to the government department responsible for the protection of forests and woodlands. The ash dieback fungus found …
European Union governments will probably reduce emissions outside the bloc’s carbon market by 8.8 per cent more than required under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, according to projections published today on an EU website. The oversupply of reductions among the 15 older members of the bloc will amount to 1.03 billion …
PHS Datashred, a national paper and IT shredding business, has reduced its fuel usage by nearly 25% in the past three years - 20% beyond its original target. The company has been awarded the British Standards Institution's 14001:2004 accreditation for its commitment to reducing environmental impact. The international award also …
During the week leading up to the Olympic Games, London experienced its worst ozone episode for six years. Fortunately fresh westerly winds began to clear London's air pollution just before the opening ceremony. On 21 July high pressure moved over the UK and air began to slowly circulate over southern …
The sensitivity of groundwater recharge to different climate conditions was simulated using the approach of climatic analogue stations, i.e. stations presently experiencing climatic conditions corresponding to a possible future climate state. The study was conducted in the context of a safety assessment of a future near-surface disposal facility for low …
The majority of planned nuclear power closures globally are forecast to take place in Europe, with 150 plants in line for closure by 2030. That's the conclusion of a new report by energy intelligence provider GlobalData, which revealed that Europe accounts for 69% of the 200 closures globally. In contrast, …
The past quarter century has witnessed rapid advancement in the field of transplantation medicine. Various methods have been used which facilitate organ preservation, decrease organ rejection, improve organ matching, and, in general, augment the success rates of transplantation.
Britain's energy plans call for tapping Iceland's geothermal resources in a move that could rekindle talk of creating a "supergrid" for electricity linking the continent, UK, North Africa and Iceland. But experts say the project is too expensive and technically challenging to be feasible in the foreseeable future. "Interconnectors in …
