Environment

• Monday, April 16th 2018 - 08:53 UTC

  Ambitious IMO strategy to reduce shipping emissions 50% bu 2050

  

  Nations meeting at the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London have adopted an initial strategy on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from ships, setting out a vision to reduce GHG emissions from international shipping and phase them out, as soon as possible in this century.

• Monday, April 16th 2018 - 08:40 UTC

  UK earmarks £61.4 million to fight the rising tide of plastic pollution in oceans

  

  The UK Government has earmarked a £61.4 million war chest to fight the rising tide of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans. Theresa May announced the fund ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in London this week.

• Friday, April 13th 2018 - 08:44 UTC

  New Zealand bans new offshore exploration and targets a clean energy future

  

  Permits for offshore oil and gas exploration will no longer be issued by the New Zealand Government as part of its commitment to a clean energy future. The move will not affect existing permits for exploration or extraction, meaning the industry is likely to continue in the nation for several more decades.

• Thursday, April 12th 2018 - 08:42 UTC

  Global shipping industry discussing in London a cap to emissions

  

  Countries are meeting in an attempt to agree cuts to greenhouse gases from the global shipping industry, amid pressure on the sector to help tackle climate change. Shipping, like aviation, is not directly included in the Paris Agreement, the international deal on global warming which was secured in the French capital in 2015 and commits countries to avoiding “dangerous” climate change.

• Tuesday, April 10th 2018 - 09:02 UTC

  Plastic crisis: divert foreign aid to dumpsites in developing countries

  

  By Christine Cole (*) - Plastic pollution in the oceans is a major problem that is finally getting the attention it deserves, thanks to Blue Plan II. It makes headline news almost every week – and famous figures such as the Pope, Prince Charles, Dame Ellen MacArthur and Sir David Attenborough have all joined the debate.

• Sunday, April 8th 2018 - 21:16 UTC

  What does the new Falklands ‘Islands Plan’ mean for South America?

  

  Over the past decade it is has become customary for a newly elected Legislative Assembly in the Falkland Islands to publish an ‘Islands Plan’. As there are no political parties in the Falkland Islands, all eight members of the Assembly are independents. Therefore there is no collective manifesto when elected to office. This has traditionally been addressed via a consensus-based Islands Plan.

• Saturday, April 7th 2018 - 10:31 UTC

  Milestone Colombian ruling orders the government urgent protection of Amazon rainforest

  

  Colombia’s highest court has told the government it must take urgent action to protect its Amazon rainforest and stem rising deforestation, in what campaigners said was an historic moment that should help conserve forests and counter climate change.

• Tuesday, April 3rd 2018 - 07:25 UTC

  Bolivia shaken by 6.6 magnitude earthquake also felt in Brasilia and Sao Paulo

  

  An earthquake of at least 6.6 magnitude shook Bolivia early on Monday, causing no damage or injuries but driving people out of office buildings as far away as Brasilia and Sao Paulo in neighboring Brazil, officials said.

• Saturday, March 24th 2018 - 09:10 UTC

  Some 150 short finned pilot whales stranded on Australian beach have died

  

  All but six of more than 150 short-finned pilot whales that stranded themselves on a beach in Western Australia have died, despite efforts from authorities and local beachgoers to save them, officials said on Saturday. The marine mammals stranded themselves in Hamelin Bay, 315 km south of the state’s capital, Perth, between March 22 and 23.

• Friday, March 23rd 2018 - 14:00 UTC

  Heatwaves, hurricanes, floods: 2017 costliest year ever for extreme weather and climate events, says UN

  

  Hurricanes, monsoon floods and continuing severe drought made 2017 the costliest year ever for severe weather and climate events, according to a new report by the United Nations weather agency launched on the eve of World Meteorological Day.