Environment | WPN World People News

Cement plant in Midlothian, TX.
Too many overburdened, vulnerable communities are surrounded by toxic pollution from factories.

The people of Aceh have achieved remarkable progress in rebuilding their communities

In response to news that the Korean National Assembly has amended its fisheries law to help curb illegal fishing, the amendment to South Korea's Water Fisheries Act, passed by the Korean National Assembly, increases penalties for illegal fishing to a maximum of three times the value of the fish caught, up from the current fine of US$5,000. It also includes provisions for imprisonment, while industries involved in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, or mistreating their fishing crews, will lose their government subsidies under the new legislation.

175,000 public comments were submitted
to the U.S. Forest Service.

Africa's elephants and rhinos are being slaughtered at record rates for their tusks and horns, which are trafficked to Asia.

Singapore and Malaysia recently suffered through the worst air pollution crisis in 16 years, due mostly to slash-and-burn deforestation fires in Indonesia. The president of Indonesia has apologized and promised to investigate the cause, but his public commitment to reduce pollution and protect the environment, at least in the short term, have not slowed the rate of deforestation.

Under the new European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR) that came into force in March, it is prohibited to place illegal timber on the EU market and operators are required to minimize the risk of illegal timber entering their supply chains.

The Greenpeace East Asia report, 'Chinese herbs: elixir of health or pesticides cocktail?', shows that Chinese herbal products were covered in pesticide residues considered highly hazardous by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Some of the residue levels were hundreds of times higher than EU food safety standards.

The World Bank Group announced the debarment of China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group Technology and Investment Co. New Hope & Talroad (Beijing) Environmental Technology Co. Ltd. (CECEP New Hope), formerly known as New Hope & Talroad (Beijing) Environmental Technology Co., Ltd. for a period of two years following the company’s acknowledgment of fraudulent misconduct impacting the World Bank-financed Shandong Flue Gas Desulphurization Project in China.

United States and Tennessee Reach Agreement with King Pharmaceuticals Llc to Resolve Allegations of Clean Air Act Violations