BEIJING – China plans tougher pollution limits and heavier penalties in a revision of its air pollution law, state-run news agency Xinhua said, as the government battles to reduce smog that takes hundreds of thousands of lives each year. The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress is this week considering a draft that would…
What might the future look like if we took climate change seriously?
Merrian Borgeson, Senior Scientist, Energy and Transportation, San Francisco A new analysis lays out several detailed “pathways” to a low-carbon future for the United States, and offers practical guidance for policy makers. The bottom line finding is that there are multiple ways we can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with known technologies and with an…
Clean Water Delayed is Clean Water Denied: After a Decades-Long Dodge, EPA Must Update Polluted Runoff Rules
Larry Levine, Senior Attorney, New York A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… No, make that Washington, DC, in the year 1987. (Perhaps that is another galaxy. But that’s a topic for another blog.) Way back then—more than a quarter-century ago—Congress passed a law directing the Environmental Protection Agency to create a…
Historic Victory for Public Health as Governor Cuomo Bans Fracking in New York
Kate Sinding, Senior Attorney, New York City As most of the world now knows, yesterday Governor Cuomo made the incredibly bold and principled decision to ban fracking in New York State. For those of us who have been working so hard over the past almost seven years to ensure that science, not industry influence, guided…
EU reaches agreement on plastic bags usage
The Council of the European Union has reached an agreement on a draft directive to reduce the consumption of lightweight plastic bags. The council’s new rules seek to limit the environmental impact of plastic carrier bags on the environment by encouraging waste prevention and the more efficient use of resources. The new measures target plastic…
On the 40th Anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act, Where We Were and Where We Are Going
Mae Wu, Program Attorney, Washington, DC This year marks the 40th Anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act. As part of the celebration, I participated in an event recently at the National Press Club to talk about the challenges ahead on dealing with emerging contaminants in drinking water. Below are the remarks that I prepared…
Six Products in Your Holiday Shopping Cart that Drive Deforestation in Latin America
Amanda Maxwell, Latin America Advocate, Washington, DC Approximately 15 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions originate from deforestation and forest degradation, which are no longer problems that can be discounted as local or rural issues. Whether burned, processed, or discarded, trees release immense amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, feeding global climate change….