Court orders UK to act on air pollution

The UK Supreme Court has quashed the country’s ineffective plans to cut illegal levels of air pollution in Britain and ordered it to deliver new plans by the end of the year. The ruling is the culmination of a five-year legal battle fought by ClientEarth for the right of British people to breathe clean air, and it means the UK Government must start work on a comprehensive plan to meet pollution limits as soon as possible. Among the measures that it must consider are low-emission zones, congestion charging and other economic incentives.

ClientEarth Lawyer Alan Andrews welcomed the “historic ruling” and noted that particular action was needed on diesel vehicles. The European Commission is taking its own separate infringement action against the UK for breaching the air quality directive.

Source: ClientEarth press release, 29 April 2015.

In this issue

Higher ambitions needed for NEC

National emission reduction commitments for 2030 should ensure achievement of the World Health Organization’s recommended air quality levels.

Editorial: New NEC directive should clear the air

The proposed revision of the National Emission Ceilings (NEC) Directive is currently being debated in the Council and in the European Parliament. While there is wide agreement on the urgency ..

Cities’ air quality efforts ranked

Zurich topped a new ranking list of European cities based on efforts to improve air quality. It was followed by Copenhagen, Vienna and Stockholm. At the bottom of the list came Luxembourg and Lisbon.

France: 100% renewables as cheap as 50% nuclear

The findings of a new report show that renewables can entirely cover French electricity needs by 2050 instead of a mix of nuclear, renewables and fossil fuels, which currently is the government plan.

Biogas solutions for methane abatement

Four Nordic projects for anaerobic digestion of manure show the potential for this methane abatement technique under varying conditions.

Danish farming futures

Becoming independent from fossil fuels by investing fully in the new bio economy, or reintroducing wolves and the European bison, these are two visions explored in a new report about the future of Danish farming.

Marshall Islands calls for cuts in shipping emissions

By 2050, greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping are expected to increase by up to 250 per cent, equivalent to between 6 and 14 per cent of total global emissions.

Offsetting of shipping NOx cuts?

Emission control areas in the Baltic Sea and North Sea will cut NOx from shipping, but would make only a very limited contribution to member states’ NOx emission reduction targets for 2030.

Ship scrubbers questioned

The ecological risks to the marine environment of using sulphur scrubbers are ignored, while the economic benefits have been overestimated, says German environmental organisation NABU.

New ships less fuel efficient than those built in 1990

Ships are significantly less energy-efficient today than in 1990, calling for greater steps in regulation and binding energy efficiency standards for the shipping sector.

New draft EU air pollution limits weaker than in China

The EU is currently in the process of defining new emission limits for coal-fired power stations, but the draft new standards are in many cases weaker than existing national standards not only in Europe but also in China, Japan and the United States.

Shipping monitoring will contribute to CO2 targets

The newly adopted EU Monitoring Reporting and Verification (MRV) regulation that requires ship operators to publicly report information on the environmental performance of ships is expected to contribute to a decrease in shipping sector CO₂ emissions.

Sweden without gas

Natural gas is not a necessary part of the fuel mix. Most of Sweden, including Stockholm, has no natural gas. The combined pressure of environmental NGOs and farmers stopped gas and led to the development of biomass instead.

Potential for shore-side electricity

Connecting ships at berth to onshore power will provide health and environmental benefits by reducing air pollution, greenhouse gases and noise.

Main menu

Court orders UK to act on air pollution

In this issue

Higher ambitions needed for NEC

Editorial: New NEC directive should clear the air

Cities’ air quality efforts ranked

France: 100% renewables as cheap as 50% nuclear

Biogas solutions for methane abatement

Danish farming futures

Marshall Islands calls for cuts in shipping emissions

Offsetting of shipping NOx cuts?

Ship scrubbers questioned

New ships less fuel efficient than those built in 1990

New draft EU air pollution limits weaker than in China

Shipping monitoring will contribute to CO2 targets

Sweden without gas

Potential for shore-side electricity

Publications

Food for Thought

Northern forests, climate change and the UNFCCC

EU climate targets aligned with the Paris agreement’s 1.5°C objective

Baltic Sea Offshore Wind Collaborative-Learning project

Air pollution in Europe and children’s health

Climate Change: A Himalayan Odessey

No further discussion needed. The agreed global goal is to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C

Fossil-free electricity 2021

What we do

Air pollution

Climate Change

Policy initiatives

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