Latest News
Coal dust kills 23,000 people each year in the European Union -
A new analysis of the health effects of 257 of the EU's coal plants found that in 2013 the dirty fuel contributed to thousands of premature deaths and racked up 62 billion euros in medical costs. Huffington Post
San Francisco says goodbye to styrofoam -
The city banned polystyrene take-out containers back in 2007, and in the country's most extensive ban on the material yet, the new rules will also cover food packaging, packing peanuts, coffee cups, dock floatings, mooring buoys, and pool toys. The move is an important step towards San Francisco's goal of going waste-free by 2020. Science Alert
Northern Gateway approval overturned -
Canada's Federal Court of Appeal ruled that the federal government's approval of Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline proposal was invalid. The pipeline would cross multiple First Nations territories, and the court says the government failed to meet a constitutional requirement to consult with Aboriginal groups. CBC
Hong Kong discusses time frame for ending the ivory trade -
This week, officials called for an end to all forms of ivory trading in the city—a major hub for illegal ivory—by 2021. But environmental groups say the situation for African elephants is an emergency and five years is too long. Reuters
Clean air is a basic human right that most of the world's population lacks.
—Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, comments on a new study that links 6.5 million deaths each year to air pollution. The report calls for governments to adopt better energy policies and technologies to curb emissions.
Thousands of heat deaths predicted for New York City -
A new study finds that if emissions don't fall sharply, by 2080 an estimated 3,331 New Yorkers could die each year from heat-related illnesses. Between 2000 and 2006, the city had about 600 heat-related deaths annually. Reuters