News

New deal on air pollution is a missed opportunity

Parties to the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution reached a deal on amending the 1999 Gothenburg Protocol on air pollution at a meeting in Geneva last Friday.
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Warming in Europe greatest in the northeast

In northeastern Scandinavia, the temperature can increase by as much as 6°C in the coming century as compared to the reference period 1960-1990, according to experts from the European Environment Agency (EEA). Also areas around the Mediterranean and in Eastern Europe ..
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More effort needed to reduce summer ozone

Ground level ozone causes health problems, decreases crop yields and damages the environment. A new report from the European Environmental Agency (EEA) show that the long-term objective (LTO) for the protection of human health (maximum daily eight-hour mean concentration of 120 μg/m3) was exceeded ..
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Commission consults on 7th EAP

Environment Action Programmes (EAP) have guided the development of EU environment policy since the early seventies. With the 6th EAP from 2002 now in its final year, it is high time to replace it. The purpose of this consultation is, according to the Commission, to collect the views of all stakeholders, at EU and national level, and the public at large on the environment policy priorities up to 2020. Informed opinions are sought on the priority areas to be addressed and on the most effective tools for the EU to employ in addressing the challenges described in the consultation document.
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Energy efficiency standards to save Americans US$1.1 trillion by 2035

National efficiency standards for appliances, lighting and other equipment will save consumers and businesses more than US$1.1 trillion by 2035, according to the report "The Efficiency Boom: Cashing In on Savings from Appliance Standards", by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP). A typical household will save about US$10,000 between 2010 and 2025 by purchasing products compliant with today's minimum standards.
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Greenland ice sheet may disappear at 1.6°C temperature increase

The Greenland ice sheet may disappear permanently at a much lower global temperature increase than previously thought, that shows research recently published in Nature and Climate Change. Researchers have modelled how the ice melts during a longer period of warming and found that the threshold for an ice-free Greenland is in the range of 0.8 to 3.2 ° C with 1.6 °C as the most likely figure, which is 1.5°C less than previous estimations. “The more we exceed the threshold, the faster it melts,” says Alexander Robinson, lead-author of the study.
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Huge benefits of lower ship speeds

Speed controls on shipping could save billions in lower ship fuel bills and at the same time cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other air pollutants, according to a new report commissioned by environmental groups Seas At Risk and T&E. Reducing average speeds by 10 per cent will reduce emissions by 19 per cent across the world fleet even after building and operating new ships to make up for lost capacity. Emissions cuts from slower speed are immediate, don’t require prior investment, and have no adverse impact on ship operations.
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Gothenburg Protocol: EU should be more ambitious

According to a group of ten leading environmental organisations in the EU, the negotiations for revising the Gothenburg Protocol of the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP) have so far been a great disappointment, as most EU member states and non-EU countries appear to aim only for a very low level of ambition, with some member states even hesitating to accept emission reduction obligations for 2020 in line with business-as-usual, i.e. based on solely implementing already existing legislation.
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NEC directive limits exceeded in twelve countries

Twelve EU members states exceeded one or more of the emission limits set by the EU National Emission Ceilings (NEC) directive that covers four main air pollutants: sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) and ammonia (NH3). In some instances the limits were exceeded by significant amounts. Inadequate measures to reduce NOx emissions from a growing transport sector are the likely explanation for the poor results.
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European MEPs vote for stricter sulphur regulations

The European Parliament's Environment Committee has voted in favour of EU ship fuel sulphur legislation to be stricter than the standards agreed at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in 2008. The current global sulphur limit of 3.5%, in force since 1 January 2012, should be cut to 0.5% by 2015 and to 0.1% by 2020. Fuels used in EU coastal waters (within 12 nautical miles) should not exceed 0.1% sulphur by 2015.
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