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 …
Shifting to a healthy diet may not only boost your wellbeing, but also save a lot of precious fresh water, according to a study. The study, published in the journal Nature Sustainability, found that compared to existing diets, the water required to produce our food could be reduced by between …
This report summarises the main insights from Coal Transitions research project. Firstly, it outlines the growing momentum behind coal transitions around the world, due to economic, technological and policy factors. Secondly, the report highlights key findings from case studies of six major coal-consuming countries (China, India, Poland, Germany, Australia and …
A recently published JRC article finds that EU households generate about 35.3 kg of fresh fruit and vegetable waste per person per year, 14.2 kg of which is avoidable. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that about one third of the food produced globally for human consumption is lost …
For four generations, Portz family life has focused around a quaint, red-brick farmhouse and the fertile fields beyond, ready for early harvest after this summer’s high heat. Soon, the family will pull its last potato and a final spike of grain from the rich Immerath soil. The Portz matriarch puts …
BERLIN (Reuters) - Use of glyphoste-based weed-killers should be halted during the current legislative period which ends in three years, a spokesman for the German environment ministry said on Monday. Shares of Germany’s Bayer (BAYGn.DE) fell more than 10 percent on Monday after a California jury ordered the company’s Monsanto …
While many German farmers fret about the sweltering heat which has damaged their crop, wine growers are harvesting early thanks to the hot and dry weather. Mathias Wolf, who manages a vineyard in Loerzweiler - around 40 kilometers southwest of Frankfurt - said the grape harvest was about two weeks …
The heatwave gripping large stretches of Europe has already been blamed for deadly forest fires and crop failures. Now freshwater fish could be its next victims. Some regions in Germany sweltered as the mercury hit 39 C (102 F) and the German Meteorological Office said the country's all-time record of …
Germany’s government is considering special aid for livestock farmers to help them overcome a sharp rise in animal feed prices after this summer’s drought, German agriculture minister Julia Kloeckner said on Wednesday. “In many regions we are suffering from a massive shortage of animal feed,” Kloeckner said at a press …
German farmers intensified calls for around 1 billion euros ($1.17 billion) in special aid on Tuesday after crop damage from a drought and heatwave, but Berlin said it would wait for an August harvest report before making a decision. The president of German farming association DBV, Joachim Rukwied, said drought …
A drought and heat wave in Europe this summer could cause a shortage of potatoes big enough for industrial production of French fries, a German industry group warned on Tuesday. Potato crop yields might be cut by at least 25 percent, the group said. Large size potatoes needed by food …
HAMBURG (Reuters) - The market is still uncertain about the size of Germany’s drought-damaged wheat crop as harvesting spreads northwards to areas which have suffered most from the dry weather, traders and analysts said on Monday. Germany is the European Union’s second largest grain producer after France. Its crops wilted …
Wealthy governments have been accused of promoting fossil fuel development in Africa at the expense of clean energy. Analysis showed 60% of public aid for energy projects was spent on fossil fuels, compared with just 18% on renewables. Oil Change International, a clean energy advocacy group that conducted the study, …
The German city of Stuttgart will bar only the most polluting diesel vehicles from its streets next year and will seek to avoid a widening of the ban by taking measures to improve air quality, a state ministry said. Stuttgart, the heartland of Germany’s automotive industry, plans to start banning …
Renewable energy sources satisfied more of Germany’s power demands than coal during the first half of 2018, marking a shift towards clean power as the Bundesrepublik continues to debate how best to phase out coal. According to data released on Tuesday (10 July) by the German Association of Energy and …
The German economy is undergoing a robust expansion, with record-low unemployment and real wage gains underpinning domestic demand while strong exports are driving business investment. The strong fiscal position will offer opportunities for funding structural reforms and public investment to meet future challenges, according to a new report from the …
Germany’s Environment Ministry has drawn up a position paper suggesting CO2 emissions from cars and light commercial vehicles should be halved by 2030 compared to 2021 levels, documents seen by Reuters on Wednesday showed. That compares to proposals from the European Commission for a 30 percent reduction. German Environment Minister …
Coppice and coppice with standards are important habitats for species of light forests, because regular cutting of re-growth applied in this type of forest-use produces forest structures that fulfil habitat requirements of these species. Coppicing had been a traditional forest-use system in Central Europe for centuries, but it has dramatically …
As the offshore wind power generation spreads to more countries, standardisation can help to overcome market barriers and spur further deployment. Initial experience in the sector has come mostly from mature energy markets, such as Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom. This report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) …
European Union consumers may do as much as regulators to propel the the region’s car sector into the electricity-powered age foreseen by Tesla Inc., according to the EU’s industrial-policy chief. European Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska said the EU has had a “breakthrough moment” since Germany-based Volkswagen AG admitted in 2015 that …
German carmakers have a moral obligation to refit heavily polluting diesel vehicles on the country’s roads, environment minister Svenja Schulze said, but conceded that the government had no legal means to make them do so. In an interview published in Die Welt newspaper on Monday, Schulze said refits could first …
