Consumers embrace Ireland’s first bottle deposit return scheme 23/10/2024

After initial consumer confusion and irritation, Ireland’s first ever bottle deposit return scheme has finally been embraced by the public, with 111m containers returned in August – up from 2m in February when the scheme launched – new data shows. ...more

Egypt, World Bank collaborate on Greater Cairo Air Pollution Management and Climate Change Project 22/10/2024

Egypt’s Minister of Environment, Yasmine Fouad, inaugurated the opening session of a World Bank technical mission visit to review the progress of the Greater Cairo Air Pollution Management and Climate Change Project. This joint initiative between the Ministry of Environment and the World Bank aims to address critical environmental challenges in the capital city and its surrounding areas. ...more

World lags on 2030 nature goals headed into UN COP16 talks 22/10/2024

The world in 2022 reached its most ambitious deal ever to halt the destruction of nature by decade's end. ...more

Top EU countries spend $45 billion subsidizing fossil-fuel company cars, study says 22/10/2024

The EU's five biggest members spend 42 billion euros ($45.60 billion) annually subsidizing fossil-fuel company cars, according to a study commissioned by environmental group Transport & Environment (T&E), which called for more subsidies for EVs instead. ...more

UK appoints first nature envoy to tackle species decline 22/10/2024

The government has appointed the UK’s first envoy for nature, a former environment campaigner described as “the environmentalist’s environmentalist”, who will be charged with forging global agreement on halting the precipitous decline of species. ...more

UK rivers contain ‘cocktail of chemicals and stimulants’ endangering aquatic life 22/10/2024

The UK’s rivers contain a cocktail of chemicals and stimulants including caffeine, antidepressants and painkillers from water company sewage releases, polluting freshwaters at levels which can pose a risk to aquatic life, testing has found. ...more

COP16: From forests to oceans, nature in a dire state 21/10/2024

Global destruction of nature has reached unprecedented extremes. ...more

Explainer: Countries must report nature protection plans to the UN. What does that mean? 21/10/2024

Nearly 200 nations face a deadline to report their nature conservation plans to the United Nations ahead of a two-week U.N. nature summit dubbed COP16, beginning on Monday in the Colombian city of Cali. ...more

Exclusive: Global coral bleaching event expands, now the largest on record 21/10/2024

The mass bleaching of coral reefs around the world since February 2023 is now the most extensive on record, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) told Reuters this week. ...more

Azores create largest marine protected area in North Atlantic 21/10/2024

The regional assembly of Portugal's Azores Islands approved the creation of the largest protected marine area in the North Atlantic to reach international conservation goals well ahead of time. ...more