Government employees in Bangkok have been ordered to work from home for the next two days in order to avoid a thick layer of noxious smog covering the city. On Thursday, authorities warned that air pollution levels in Thailand’s capital and neighboring provinces had reached unhealthy levels, reported Reuters. Non-government employees have been urged to […]
In a win for farmers and endangered plants and wildlife, an Arizona district court has revoked the approval of the destructive pesticide dicamba, saying the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) broke the law when it allowed it to be on the market. Dicamba-based weedkillers have been widely used on soybean and cotton crops genetically engineered […]
Mexico’s 966-mile Yucatán Peninsula Maya Train rail project — Tren Maya — is causing concern because of the potential for harm to environmentally sensitive areas like an ancient ecosystem of thousands of subterranean caves. In late 2023, a southeastern portion of the train service connecting Cancún opened, with the government announcing the remaining routes would […]
Voters in Paris approved an increase in parking fees for SUVs In a referendum on February 4. Vehicles weighing over 1.6 metric tons will have hourly parking fees tripled as the city seeks to become a more bikeable and pedestrian-friendly. The passed proposal also comes ahead of the 2024 Olympics to be held in Paris. […]
In a speech in Azerbaijan on Friday, United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell said the world needs at least $2.4 trillion each year to keep global climate goals within reach. Stiell, the executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, gave a timeline of the measures — and funding — that will be […]
The White House has confirmed President Joe Biden’s selection of clean energy adviser John Podesta to succeed John Kerry as the president’s senior advisor for international climate policy. Podesta, 75, is currently in charge of a team implementing Biden’s landmark climate bill, the Inflation Reduction Act. He formerly served as an adviser to Barack Obama […]
New Zealand is set to become one of the first countries in the world to ban per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in cosmetics products, with a plan to prohibit these “forever chemicals” starting at the end of 2026. PFAS can be found in cosmetics such as mascara, nail polish and shaving cream, where they are […]
The EU has drafted rules that will require companies linked to microplastic pollution to partially pay for cleanup. Companies will have to pay at least 80% of microplastic recovery costs, while the government will subsidize the rest. The proposed plan identifies specific industries that would need to help pay for the cleanup, also known as […]
China is the world leader in renewable energy, including 40 percent of the planet’s entire solar capacity, reported Rystad Energy. The United States comes in second place with 12 percent. Last year, China installed more new solar capacity than the total amount ever installed in any other country, Bloomberg reported. “China’s solar sector is set […]