The report presents a mixed picture. Over the past 25 years, there have been notable improvements in child well-being in the group of countries examined in this report: steady decline in child mortality, overall reduction in adolescent suicide and increase in school completion rates. But the last five years have …
France is set to unveil a much-delayed energy transition bill on Wednesday that will avoid making tough choices on its dominant nuclear energy sector, instead focusing on measures to cut red tape currently stifling renewables and boost energy savings. Energy Minister Segolene Royal's flagship legislation will include a cap on …
France's highest administrative court on Wednesday annulled the decree setting wind power feed-in tariffs, marking the end of a complex legal procedure that has stifled investment in the French onshore wind sector. The French government has already prepared a new decree, which was cleared by the European Commission in March …
The world's food supplies are at risk because farmland is becoming rapidly concentrated in the hands of wealthy elites and corporations, a study has found. Small farmers, the UN says, grow 70% of the world's food but a new analysis of government data suggests the land which they control is …
Bathers in search of Europe’s cleanest waters for a swim may want to consider landlocked Luxembourg, sandwiched between Belgium, Germany and France. The grand duchy’s 11 bathing sites, which include rivers and lakes as well as beaches, have all been deemed to have “excellent” water quality in 2013, making the …
The Australian chemicals company Orica said on Tuesday it had applied to ship a vast stockpile of toxic waste to France to end a long-running saga over how to dispose of it. The company has 15,000 tonnes of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) – a byproduct and suspected human carcinogen of solvent manufacturing …
Beijing will join hands with Paris to explore third-party nuclear energy markets, Premier Li Keqiang told the French foreign minister on Monday. Li made the remarks when meeting French Foreign Affairs and International Development Minister Laurent Fabius at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in downtown Beijing. Fabius was on a working visit …
Russia has lifted its opposition to marine reserves proposed for the Antarctic, with Moscow for the first time laying down its demands to agree to the giant areas being protected. Opposition by Russia and a handful of other nations stymied two reserve proposals when they were put before Antarctic nations …
Environmental health effects vary considerably with regard to their severity, type of disease, and duration. Integrated measures of population health, such as environmental burden of disease (EBD), are useful for setting priorities in environmental health policies and research. This review is a summary of the full Environmental Burden of Disease …
In a matter of six years, India emerged as the world’s third-largest economy in 2011 from being the 10th largest in 2005, moving ahead of Japan, while the US remained the largest economy closely followed by China, latest figures have revealed. “The economies of Japan and the UK became smaller …
France must decide in the next few years whether it wants to continue its nuclear-driven energy policy at a cost of up to 300 billion euros ($415 billion) or if it wants to embark on an equally costly route towards using other fuels. Most of the country's 58 nuclear reactors …
Children in agricultural areas are being exposed to a dangerous cocktail of pesticides, some of which are banned substances, a French health and environment group has claimed. Générations Futures did independent analysis of the hair of young people living or studying near farms and vineyards after parents expressed worries about …
After laying inactive for 11 years, the Stocamine site will close, with some of the waste being conveyed back to the surface. In just 90 seconds, the pit lift-car drops 550 metres, to the sound of screeching metal and creaking timber. Wearing helmets and head-lamps, an oxygen emergency kit slung …
The European Union can set its 2030 carbon goals as soon as October if the region’s governments agree to ease the cost for poorer countries to implement the policies, according to Poland’s climate negotiator. The 28-nation bloc needs a “coherent” environment strategy for the next decade while ensuring its industry …
Segolene Royal, appointed French energy and environment minister this month, said on Friday she planned to create 100,000 jobs in the next three years with a drive for green growth. Royal told a news conference she wanted to accelerate investment in renewable energies like wind, solar, biomass and marine energy, …
France may be the world's most nuclear energy dependent country, but times are changing as the country looks to increase the amount of wind—sourced electricity in its power mix. When French President François Hollande took the reins of power in 2012 he pledged to reduce the country's nuclear dependency from …
There are now more than 400,000 electric cars on the world's roads - twice as many as a year ago, and on current trends there will be a million by 2016. Leading the market are the USA, Japan and China - while Europe trails behind. The number of electrically powered …
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, …
France's lower house of parliament adopted a law on Tuesday prohibiting the cultivation of any variety of genetically modified maize, saying it posed a risk to the environment. France adopted a decree last month to halt the planting of Monsanto's insect-resistant MON810 maize, the only GM crop allowed for cultivation …
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 …
New Zealand came first in a global index published on Thursday that ranks countries by social and environmental performance rather than economic output in a drive to make social progress a priority for politicians and businesses. The Social Progress Index (SPI) rates 132 countries on more than 50 indicators, including …
