Pollution








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North America

Pollution

The US Supreme Court sides up with the federal agency in nuclear waste facility licensing

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday against Texas and the oil industry in their challenge of Nuclear Regulatory Commission's authority to license certain facilities for nuclear waste storage. The conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh authored the 6-3 ruling that reversed an earlier court decision declaring illegal a license granted by the NRC for a company named Interim Storage Partners, to operate a storage facility of nuclear waste in western Texas. The NRC regulates nuclear power in the United States. The NRC granted a license to Interim Storage Partners, a joint venture between France's Orano and Dallas' Waste Control Specialists in 2021...

Pollution

Texas startup sells fungi that eat plastic to reduce landfill waste

Could baby poop, fungi and landfill waste work together? This is the concept behind a new product from an Austin-based startup, which sells disposable diapers with fungi that are designed to break down plastic. Hiro Technologies MycoDigestible Diapers come with a packet containing fungi that should be placed in the diaper before throwing it away. The fungi will begin biodegrading after a few weeks when they are exposed to moisture in feces and urine. Disposable diapers are a significant contributor to landfill waste. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, approximately 4 million tons worth of diapers was disposed in the...

Oil & Gas

White House reviews EPA's proposal for biofuel blend obligation

The proposal will impact the oil and biofuels industries as well as major lobbying power. Sources say that the EPA's proposal is expected to cover 2026-2027. Sources: White House is considering a plan to deal with the backlog of requests for refinery exemptions By Stephanie Kelly and Jarrett Renshaw NEW YORK - According to the Office of Management and Budget's website, the White House completed its review of a proposed rule regarding U.S. Biofuel Blending Obligations and has returned it to the Environmental Protection Agency to be further acted upon. Oil and biofuels industries, two major Washington lobbying forces, eagerly...

Coal

Sources say that Trump Administration is set to announce rollbacks of power plant regulations

According to three sources, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will announce Wednesday that it is rolling back the Biden administration's rules to reduce carbon dioxide, mercury, and other air pollutants from power plants. This follows through on the promise made by the agency in March. The announcement is a major step in President Donald Trump’s efforts to undo environmental regulations that he believes are unnecessary barriers to industrial growth and increased energy production. In March, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced his intention to undo three dozen air and water regulations. Sources say Zeldin is expected to roll back carbon...

Pollution

Canadian Indigenous wildfire evacuees seek refuge at Niagara Falls

Joseph Garry, aged 63, was forced to flee the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, or Pukatawagan in Manitoba's remote northern region, as wildfires spread. He took a helicopter from his Mathias Colomb Cree Nation reserve. He and other evacuees took three different government flights, before boarding a shuttle bus to reach Niagara Falls, Canada’s most popular tourist attraction, some 2,000 km from his home. Since the beginning of May, scores of wildfires have spread across Canada, forcing more than 35,000 people to flee in three provinces. Smoke has also been spreading into the United States and disrupting crude and mining production....

Energy Markets

US declares Biden fuel efficiency rules exceed legal authority

The Transportation Department has paved the road for looser fuel economy standards in the United States by declaring on Friday that former President Joe Biden’s administration overstepped its authority when it assumed a high uptake of electrical vehicles to calculate rules. The Department made this declaration when it published its final "Resetting of the Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency Program" (CAFE). Fuel economy requirements will be revised by a separate rule issued by the Trump administration. "We make vehicles more affordable in the United States and we are making it easier to manufacture them." In a statement, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy...

Pollution

Smoke from Canadian wildfires spreads to a third of the US

Forecasters reported that smoke from wildfires burning across three Canadian provinces covered a third or more of the U.S. Wednesday. However, the air quality was not affected except for New England, parts of New York State and the Midwest. According to the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center, College Park, Maryland, the haze that brought dangerous levels of particulate pollutants to Minnesota the day before, stretched from Dakotas to Ohio Valley to the Northeast, and even as far as Georgia. The haze was particularly thick in New York, New England and the Midwest. Marc Chenard, National Weather Service, said that...

Environment

Thames Water's creditors are aware of a "short window" to save the company.

Thames Water's senior creditor said that there was a "short window" to a market-led recovery of the water company, after U.S. Private equity firm KKR withdrew from a multibillion pound financing plan on Tuesday. The creditors announced on Wednesday that they had presented a long-term solution to the problems of Thames Waters. The water company in Britain, the largest, is heavily indebted. On Tuesday, KKR pulled out of an equity investment worth about 4 billion pounds. The group of senior creditors said that they were stewards with a track record and could provide "substantial new investment" in order to turn...

Environment

Smoke from Canadian wildfires spreads to US Midwest

The smoke from three wildfires in Canada is now spreading to the Upper Midwest of the United States, bringing back memories of the heavy pollution that blew south from Canada during the worst fire season ever recorded there two years ago. Smoke pollution is already blowing through Minnesota and other neighboring states. This poses a serious health threat to the tens or millions of people who live there. Over the next few days, it is expected to reach New York City and other East Coast Cities in a less severe level. Doug Brugge is a researcher in public health at...

Environment

Smoke from Canadian wildfires spreads to US Midwest

The smoke from three wildfires in Canada is now spreading to the Upper Midwest of the United States, bringing back memories of the heavy pollution that drifted down from Canada during the worst fire season ever recorded two years ago. Smoke pollution is already drifting to Minnesota and other states nearby. In the coming days it is expected to reach New York City and other East Coast Cities, posing health risks to tens or millions of people who live there. Doug Brugge is a researcher in public health at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. He said that airborne...

Fossil Fuels

US approves Utah Uranium Mine after Two-Week Environmental Review

Anfield Energy’s proposed Velvet Wood uranium mining project in Utah was approved by the Trump administration on Friday following a rapid environmental review of 14 days. This is part of a process designed to speed up permitting for energy and mining projects. These studies can take many years to complete due to the potential environmental impact of uranium mining. The Canadian project is the first to be approved under an emergency process Interior Department must permit energy installations on federal land. The new procedures were created in response to the national energy emergency declared by President Donald Trump on his...

Pollution

Amazon Investors rejects all shareholder proposals again

Amazon.com shareholders at their annual meeting rejected all shareholder resolutions again, including three that addressed the impact of Amazon.com on climate change. The re-election of twelve directors as well as the proposed executive compensation was approved by voters. Amazon urged investors to vote against all eight of the proposals. There were 14 resolutions last year and none of them received enough votes to become law. One of the eight proposals this year was a proposal to require additional reporting about Amazon's total carbon emissions. Another focused on the climate impact data centers have, and a third called for more disclosure...

Europe

Environment

Budget watchdog: Climate change will cost Italy more than 5% of its GDP by 2050

The budget watchdog of Italy said that extreme weather caused by climate change could cost the country more than 5% GDP in 2050. It added that global actions to reduce carbon emission could reduce the impact. In the past few years, flooding has devastated cities in Italy, killing dozens and causing billions in damages. Severe droughts have also damaged crops and livestock, particularly in less developed southern regions. Sicily, in 2021, also set the European record for heat with 48.8°C. In its annual report, the UPB said that the impact of extreme events on the public finances in Italy would...

Climate Change

UN urges ratification to treaty protecting fragile oceans

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged world leaders on Monday to ratify an agreement that would allow nations the ability to create protected marine areas within international waters. He warned that human activity is destroying ocean eco-systems. Guterres spoke at the opening ceremony of the third U.N. Ocean Conference in Nice warned that illegal fishing and plastic pollution, as well as rising sea temperatures, threatened fragile ecosystems and people who depended on them. The ocean is a shared resource. Guterres stated that we were failing to protect the ocean, citing collapsed fish stocks, rising levels of sea water and acidification....

Environment

Prince William of the United Kingdom calls for urgent action on ocean protection

Prince William of Britain called on leaders around the world and business to take immediate action to protect our oceans. He said it was an unprecedented challenge. William spoke ahead of the U.N. Ocean Conference begins Monday in France. William says that rising sea temperatures, pollution from plastics, and overfishing are putting pressures on fragile ecosystems, and people who rely on them. William, the heir to Britain's throne said at the Blue Economy and Finance Forum held in Monaco that "what once appeared an abundant resource has diminished before our very eyes." "To put it simply, the ocean faces a...

Western Europe

East Asia

Pollution

Scientists in Japan have developed plastic that dissolves within hours in seawater

Researchers in Japan developed a plastic which dissolves in the seawater in just a few hours. This could be a solution to a problem that is destroying oceans today and harming animals. Researchers from the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science at the University of Tokyo claim that their new material breaks up much faster and leaves no residue trace. The team showed that a piece of plastic vanished from a container of salted water after stirring it for an hour. The team's research, according to project leader Takuzo Aida, has drawn a lot of interest from the packaging industry....

Environment

Nikkei reports that China will resume seafood imports to Japan once the fears over Fukushima thaw.

The Nikkei reported Friday that China and Japan had agreed on procedures for resuming imports of Japanese fisheries products. This could be a sign that a trade embargo is ending, according to a source in Japan's ruling political party. The agreement was reached at a bilateral meeting between officials on Wednesday in Beijing. Both governments are working to reduce tensions resulting from the release of treated wastewater by Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2023. The report stated that under the agreed-upon measures, Japan would register its fishery processing plants with Chinese authorities and export shipments would include certificates of...

Refined Products

US to declare Biden fuel efficiency rules beyond legal authority

Automakers said that the U.S. Transportation Department will declare that the fuel economy regulations issued by then-President Joe Biden, which included electric vehicles when setting the rules exceeded the legal authority of the government. Sean Duffy, Transportation Secretary, said that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the Department submitted to the White House on Friday its interpretive rule "Resetting Corporate Average Fuel Economy Program". He said that the previous administration "illegally" used CAFE standards to impose a mandate for electric vehicles, which drove up car prices. The reduction in fuel efficiency requirements could be achieved by removing EVs as...

Pollution

North and Central China is hit by heatwave

On Tuesday, temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degree Fahrenheit), scorched northern and central China. Authorities issued heat warnings to farmers and offered assistance to protect their food production. The temperatures in China's Hebei Province, Henan Province, which is a major wheat-producing area known as China's Granary, and Shandong province (in the east) all reached 40 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. Authorities reported that in Zhengzhou and Shahe (both located in Henan Province), the mercury reached its highest level ever for May on Monday. National Meteorological Centre of the United States said that temperatures will continue to rise until Wednesday. Climate...

Environment

North and Central China is hit by heatwave

On Tuesday, temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degree Fahrenheit), scorched northern and central China. Authorities issued heat warnings to farmers and offered assistance to protect their food production. The temperatures in China's Hebei Province, Henan Province, which is a major wheat-producing area known as China's Granary, and Shandong province (in the east) all reached 40 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. Authorities reported that in Zhengzhou and Shahe (both located in Henan Province), the mercury reached its highest level ever for May on Monday. National Meteorological Centre of the United States said that temperatures will continue to rise until Wednesday. Climate...

Pollution

EU legislators set to accelerate softer CO2 emissions targets for cars

The European Parliament has cleared the way for a rapid approval of EU CO2 emission targets for cars and vans, which will give automakers more time and reduce potential fines. European automakers warned that failing to meet existing targets this year could lead to fines up to 15 billion euro ($17.0 billion), as the goals depend on selling more electric cars, a segment in which they are behind their Chinese and U.S. competitors. After heavy lobbying by automakers, the European Commission has proposed that they meet their targets using the average emissions for the period of 2025-2027 rather than this...

Climate Change

Researchers say climate change is responsible for South Korea's deadly blazes.

Scientists said that climate change made the worst wildfires ever seen in South Korea twice as likely. They also warned that such disasters may become more common if temperatures rise. The fires that raged in the southeast of the country lasted for almost a week. They killed 32 people and destroyed around 5,000 structures before being brought under control at the end of March. The fires spread over 104,000 hectares (257,00 acres), which is nearly four times as much land as South Korea's worst fire season of 25 years ago. After combining observations with climate models, a 15-member team from...

Environment

China's glacier surface has shrunk by 26% in six decades

Official data released in march showed that China's glacier areas have shrunk 26% due to global warming. 7,000 small glaciers have disappeared completely, and the glacial retreat has intensified in recent years. According to a UNESCO study, glaciers are disappearing more quickly than ever. The largest glacial mass losses on record occurred in the past three years. Environmental groups warn that the shrinking of important water towers will lead to a greater competition over water resources. The retreat of the glaciers also presents new disaster risks. China's glaciers can be found mainly in the north and west of the country....

Pollution

Japan's food exports in 2024 will reach a record high despite China’s seafood import bans

Japan's agricultural, forest and fishery exports rose by 3.7% in 2024 to reach a new record, despite China banning seafood imports after the Fukushima nuclear plant water discharge. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said that exports in 2018 totaled 1.507 trillion yen, up from 1.454 billion yen by 2023. Kazuyoshi Nakasugi, deputy head of MAFF’s export policy planning department, noted that it was the 12th consecutive year of growth and a new record. He also pointed out that exports from China and Hong Kong were down, but exports in other parts of Asia and the United States increased....

Carbon Emissions

Trump consultants advise ending ecological reviews for mines receiving United States funds

Advisers to incoming U.S. President Donald Trump are advising he waive environmental reviews for federally moneyed vital minerals jobs to enhance domestic production of products utilized in electric lorries, electronics and weapons, according to a file seen . Implementation would show a significant shift in how Washington evaluations proposed mines on federal lands and aims to guarantee that projects receiving loans, grants or other federal government support are able to assist the U.S. cut reliance on China, the world's. largest miner and processor of lithium, cobalt and other. important minerals. The consultants, entrusted by Trump's transition group to develop. policy...

Pollution

Trump transition group plans sweeping rollback of Biden EV, emissions policies

Inbound U.S. President Donald Trump's shift group is recommending sweeping changes to cut off assistance for electric cars and charging stations and to reinforce procedures obstructing automobiles, elements and battery materials from China, according to a file seen . The recommendations, which have actually not been formerly reported, come as the U.S. electric-vehicle shift stalls and China's greatly subsidized EV industry continues to rise, in part since of its superior battery supply chain. On the project path, Trump promised to alleviate policies on fossil-fuel cars and trucks and roll back what he called President Joe Biden's EV mandate. The shift...

Climate Change

Leading emitter China tells World Court that UN treaties cover states' climate responsibilities

China informed the leading U.N. court on Tuesday that existing U.N. treaties must supply the basis for its advisory viewpoint on states' legal commitments to fight international warming and address the repercussions of their historical contributions to it. The U.N. General Assembly, after a campaign led by small island states, asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue a viewpoint on nations' legal obligation for the negative impact of climate modification. One of those states, Vanuatu, on Monday asked the court to acknowledge the damages environment change had actually triggered and order reparations for its repercussions. China, one of...