The Global Gender Gap Index annually benchmarks the current state and evolution of gender parity across four key dimensions (Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment). It is the longest-standing index tracking the progress of numerous countries’ efforts towards closing these gaps over time since …
Audi has drawn up blueprints for a range of high-performance electric cars to take on US firm Tesla Motors, according to sources at the German carmaker. Consumers have largely shunned battery-powered vehicles because of their high price tags and limited driving range as well as the scarcity of charging stations. …
European Union negotiations this week on planned energy and climate policies will focus on ways to share the burden of carbon reductions after 2020, according to an EU document prepared for the talks. In the series of bilateral discussions, the bloc’s senior officials and representatives of EU heads of state …
Coal dominated world energy markets last year by supplying the biggest share of demand since 1970, making it the fastest growing fossil fuel, according to an annual review by BP Plc. Consumption grew 3 percent last year, driven by coal use in developing nations, according to a statement today from …
BONN: A new round of talks on climate change sputtered to a close on Sunday, placing the onus on a UN summit in September to boost momentum for a global pact by the end of 2015. Delegates reported faltering progress in the 12-day session, a waypoint towards a deal to …
European Union policy makers may reach a decision in the first half of next year on a proposal to introduce automatic supply controls in the world’s biggest emissions market, according to a senior EU official. EU governments and the European Parliament are unlikely to finish work on the reform proposed …
World leaders will need to show “real political commitment” if an international treaty to tackle global warming is to be concluded in Paris before the end of next year, according to the Climate Action Network (Can). Alden Meyer, spokesman for the Washington-based Union of Concerned Scientists, told a Can-sponsored press …
At least five people were killed in violent storms that swept Germany's most populous state late on Monday, felling trees, disrupting public transport and leaving some roads impassable. After a scorchingly hot three-day holiday weekend, thunderstorms, strong winds and heavy rain pounded the western state of North-Rhine Westphalia, causing Germany's …
The European Union's greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by 19.2% compared to 1990s levels, according to the European Environment Agency. EU emissions dropped 1.3% in 2012, reaching their lowest level ever recorded, according to data reported to the United Nations by the EEA. The bloc's greenhouse gas output decreased by …
China is the investment country leader in the renewable energy industry, the Global Status Report of the UN-backed Renewable Energy Policy network for the 21st Century (REN21) showed Tuesday. Key findings of the report were released on the eve of the full report's formal launch Wednesday at the UN-hosted Sustainable …
Globally installed solar capacity will nearly triple over the next four years, boosted by strong growth in Asia, which dethroned Europe as the world's biggest solar market last year, according to a major industry association. Cumulative photovoltaic installations are seen rising to about 374 gigawatt (GW) in 2018, compared with …
Germany has drawn international attention for its energy policies in recent years. The term Energiewende – the country’s transition away from nuclear power to renewables with lower energy consumption – is now commonly used in English. The focus, however, has recently shifted to the role of coal in Germany. Over …
Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Jumped 27.5% for Adults, 47.1% for Kids From 1980 to 2013 The obesity epidemic is global: 2.1 billion people, or about 29% of the world's population, were either overweight or obese in 2013, and nearly two out of three of the obese live in developing …
Project ‘Meri Shakti Meri Beti’, which has been running in Delhi for the past several years, is now all set to roll out in Gurgaon and Manesar. The project, implemented by the Centre for Social Research (CSR) and supported by the German Embassy, aims at addressing gender-biased sex selection, replicating …
In a startling revelation, a new study has found significant increase in rates of obesity and overweight in both adults (28 per cent increase) and children (up by 47 per cent) in the past 33 years, with the number of overweight and obese people rising from 857 million in 1980 …
Almost a third of the world is now overweight, and no country has been able to curb obesity rates in the last three decades, according to a new global analysis. Researchers found more than 2 billion people worldwide are now overweight or obese, up from 857 million 33 years ago. …
The UK will have run out of oil, coal and gas in just over five years' time, scientists have warned. According to a new report by the Global Sustainability Institute (GSI), the country had 5.2 years of oil, 4.5 years of coal and just three years of gas remaining, which …
In just over five years Britain will have run out of oil, coal and gas, researchers have warned. A report by the Global Sustainability Institute said shortages would increase dependency on Norway, Qatar and Russia. There should be a "Europe-wide drive" towards wind, tidal, solar and other sources of renewable …
China emerges as top employer, followed by US and Brazil, but employment in the UK is stagnating The number of people working in the global renewable energy industry grew by 14% to 6.5 million in 2013, according to a new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena). However, employment …
The increasingly important role that renewable energy plays in job creation and economic growth has been further highlighted by a new report which reveals that 6.5 million people were employed in the industry last year. The report, published today (12 May) by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), reveals that …
German utilities are in talks with the government about handing over responsibility for decommissioning the country's nuclear power plants to a public foundation, two sources familiar with the proposals said on Sunday. This so-called 'bad bank' for nuclear energy would take over Germany's nuclear plants, which the government decided should …
