Illustration: Lars-Erik Håkansson
No. 1, March 2011
Several options for cutting ships’ emissions
A mix of regulatory measures, such as emission control areas and fuel efficiency standards, combined with market-based instruments, is the best way of reducing air emissions from shipping, according to a report published by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) in December.
NOx emission control in the Baltic Sea
Designating the Baltic Sea as a NOx Emission Control Area will more than halve ships’ NOx emissions by 2040
Strict sulphur standards no threat to shipping
The health benefits alone are worth 27 times more than the costs to the shipping industry, when tougher standards for sulphur emissions are introduced in 2015.
Air pollution in the UK linked to 200,000 deaths
Reducing concentrations of particulate air pollution would lead to significant gains for public health, according to new review from an independent expert group.
Further cuts in emissions of air pollutants needed
The European Environment Agency (EEA) recently released its fourth state of the environment report (SOER 2010), providing a comprehensive assessment of how and why Europe’s environment is changing.
Policy action improves air quality in Europe
A new study by the European Environment Agency (EEA) evaluates three key EU policy instruments for air pollution control and finds that they have significantly improved Europe’s air quality and reduced pollution-induced health damage. There is however scope for further improvement, if countries achieve all their binding commitments to reduce emissions.
Ongoing negotiations for new emission ceilings
Europe-wide solutions for step-wise improvements of health and the environment at the least overall cost are being investigated.
High economic benefits of new NEC directive
The annual benefits of achieving the interim targets of the thematic strategy on air pollution are valued at 15-49 billion euro in 2020.
How to cut global energy use by three quarters
It will probably be difficult to replace all fossil fuels with sustainable energy. But if we first cut energy demand it will be much easier – and the potential for energy efficiency is huge!
Carbon dioxide controls Earth’s temperature
Water vapour and clouds are the major contributors to Earth’s greenhouse effect, but a new atmosphere-ocean climate modelling study shows that the planet’s temperature ultimately depends on the atmospheric level of carbon dioxide.
100 per cent renewable energy globally by 2050
The world could be fuelled by 95 per cent renewable energy by 2050, according to a report by WWF, while maintaining rates of economic growth and with small lifestyle changes.
Negotiating forests in the Climate Convention
Among the plethora of acronyms flooding global climate negotiations, LULUCF is one of the most frequently used. Interpreted Land-Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry it has been a controversial issue in the negotiations for the Kyoto Protocol and its implementation since the beginning. The battle is still raging in an almost impenetrable fog of calculation methods, reference levels, caps and exceptions and with devils in virtually every detail.
The remaining carbon budget
Between 750 Gt and 1000 Gt of global CO2 emissions is all that remains if the world is to have a 75 per cent chance of staying below the 2°C target, according to three reports.
Necessary to go for 50 per cent by 2020
“the window for reaching this temperature target is diminishing very fast”
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Cutting PM pollution saves lives and money
Further reductions in pollutant emissions to levels that achieve the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) annual air quality guideline for fine particles (PM2.5) of 10 micrograms/cubic metre in ..
New boiler emissions standards save lives
In response to federal court orders, the US Environmental Protection Agency is issuing final Clean Air Act standards that reduce toxic air emissions, including mercury and soot, from ..
Database on impacts of electricity generation
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has updated its databases that help Americans understand the health and environmental impacts of electricity generation ..
Coal-fired power could be considerably cleaner
A new report by the American Lung Association, entitled “Toxic Air: The Case for Cleaning Up Coal-fired Power Plants”, documents a range of hazardous air pollutants emitted from ..
Air pollution control saved 160,000 lives
The benefits of reducing fine particle and ground-level ozone pollution under the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments will reach approximately US$2 trillion in 2020 while saving 230,000 people ..
Spanish cities hiding air pollution problem
Spain’s environmental prosecutor, Antonio Vercher, has launched an investigation into suspected manipulation of air pollution data in the country’s largest cities. In 2009 the Madrid ..
Non-compliance with EU air quality laws
Both Poland and Belgium have failed to transpose into national law the 2008 EU air quality directive. Consequently, the European Commission has sent a reasoned opinion to Poland ..
Industrial Emissions Directive published
The new Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) has been published and entered into force. Directive 2010/75/EU updates and merges seven pieces of existing legislation directives on solvents ..
Industrial Emissions Directive published
The new Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) has been published and entered into force. Directive 2010/75/EU updates and merges seven pieces of existing legislation directives on solvents ..
Climate policy links to air quality
A Dutch study has found that climate policy is likely to bring benefits to the country’s air quality by 2020. Measures that stimulate energy saving, energy efficiency, and the use of wind, solar ..
Arctic Ocean warmest in 2,000 years
Water flowing into the Arctic Ocean from the Atlantic Ocean is about 2 °C warmer today than it has been for at least 2,000 years, according to a study published in Science. The findings ..
Polar ice sheets melting faster than predicted
Ice loss from the massive ice sheets covering Greenland and Antarctica is accelerating, according to a new study. If the trend continues, ice sheets could become the dominant contributor ..
No new scrubber guidelines
Exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS), also known as scrubbers, can be used by ships as an alternative to low-sulphur fuels to achieve emission reductions, and scrubber guidelines ..
Greener shipping in North America
A new report by DNV suggests that liquid natural gas (LNG) is the most efficient and economical way to meet air emissions requirements in the US and Canada that come into effect ..
Call for Arctic ban on heavy fuel oil
Members of the European Parliament have called for an international ban on the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil on vessels operating in the Arctic, like that which is to apply to the Antarctic ..
Danes evaluate SECA solutions
The Danish Green Ship of the Future project has launched a new study on alternatives for meeting the air pollution standards applicable to ships sailing in SOx Emission Controlled Areas ..
Norwegian NOx fund renewed
An existing three-year voluntary commitment (2008-2010) by Norway’s industrial sector to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) is to be extended by six years, the environment ..
Opportunities and threats of short sea shipping
With freight transports projected to increase rapidly, short sea shipping has been touted as an economical, environmentally friendly alternative to trucking. A new report from Friends ..