Environment | WPN World People News

Greenpeace released a list of 20 'monster boats', examples of the most destructive and oversized fishing vessels operating under European flags, ownership or management.

The German-flagged fishing vessel Helen Mary is involved in overfishing on a global scale, depleting stocks such as the Chilean jack mackerel in the South Pacific and pelagic stocks in West Africa. Large-scale vessels like this create little employment. The average catch per worker in 2008 was an estimated 614.2 tonnes, which is 5.2 times higher than the EU average.

More than 200,000 Antarctic blue whales used to live in the Southern Ocean – but 20th Century whaling decimated this population and latest estimates put this population at just around 2,300 animals.

MEPs have another busy week ahead of them

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice announced an historic settlement with the automakers Hyundai and Kia that will resolve alleged Clean Air Act violations based on their sale of close to 1.2 million vehicles that will emit approximately 4.75 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in excess of what the automakers certified to EPA.

Participants at press conference to launch Synthesis Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), including (centre) UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and IPCC Chairman Rajendra Pachauri. Copenhagen, Denmark (2 November 2014)

As the 40th IPCC session comes to a close, experts speaking at a Greenpeace press conference emphasized the leaps forward in renewable technology which refutes the dire future detailed in the draft 5th Assessment Report.

The waters off the Arctic—especially the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas—host a rich variety of marine life, such as beluga whales.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released the final part of the 5th Assessment report. For the first time scientists are clearly stating to decision-makers that they should aim for zero emissions.

By absorbing much of the added heat trapped by atmospheric greenhouse gases, the oceans are delaying some of the impacts of climate change.