Reduced pollution from petrol stations New legislation will require service stations in the EU to be equipped with petrol vapour recovery, resulting in improved protection of the environment and public health. Read more
EU states postpone air quality compliance Nineteen member states have so far notified the Commission that they will need time extensions to comply with EU air quality standards. Read more
Top of the dirty thirty list Having spewn out 31 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2008, the Polish Belchatow plant is listed as EU’s most polluting power station in terms of its greenhouse gas emissions. The German Niederaussem power plant was the second dirtiest and emitted nearly 25 million tonnes. Read more
A push for cleaner industry The new Industrial Emissions directive received its first reading in the European Parliament in March, and the Council position is expected at the end of June. Read more
Transport emissions still on the increase Greenhouse gas emissions from the European transport sector rose 26 per cent between 1990 and 2006, while all other sectors show a declining trend. Read more
Particles cost billions Health damage in Sweden from fine particle pollution costs SEK 26 billion (€ 2.4 billion) every year, according to a recent study prepared for the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. Read more
Small but dangerous - new facts on particles Fine particles cause 546,000 premature deaths each year in Europe, of which 39,000 are due to emissions from international shipping. Read more
Worse than worst case... Carbon dioxide emissions from fossilfuel burning and industrial processes is accelerating not only in industrialized countires, but at a global scale. The emissions growth rate has been over 3 per cent for the present decade, compared to 1.1 per cent during the 1990s. Read more
Greenhouse gas emissions from rich countries still increasing Almost half of the signatory states to the Kyoto protocol have reached their emission targets. Still overall grenhouse gas emissions is increasing. The USA alone was responsible for over two thirds of the increase in 2007. Read more
Shipping would profit by cutting CO2 emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from the global shipping industry could be cut by at least one fifth without any cost or even at a profit. Read more
Environmental ship index underway On request from several leading ports in northwestern Europe, including Le Havre, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Bremen and Hamburg, the Dutch research institute CE Delft has developed an environmental ship index to be implemented voluntarily from 2010 to promote greener shipping. Read more
Ships pollute half as much as world’s cars Since most shipping traffic takes place close to the coastline, ship emissions are a significant health concern. Read more
The double benefits of climate policy Action to cut greenhouse gas emissions could save millions of lives because of the cleaner air that would result. Read more
Cleaner ship fuels to save American lives The United States and Canada want ships to burn cleaner fuel when approaching the continent to reduce smog-related deaths. Read more
Editorial: Europe needs Emission Control Areas Over the last twenty years, fuel and emission standards for land-based transport have been dramatically strengthened over most of the world. But international shipping has for a long time resisted similar legislation, both as regards emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases. Read more