Environment | WPN World People News

The European Parliament has demanded swift action from the European Commission to cut Europe’s footprint on the world’s forests and its associated impact on climate change, species loss and human rights violations.

Environmental groups took legal action to address severe oil spill risks from the Energy Transfer Partners-owned Bayou Bridge pipeline in Louisiana, on September 11. On behalf of Atchafalaya Basinkeeper, Louisiana Crawfish Producers Association, Waterkeeper Alliance, Gulf Restoration Network and Sierra Club, Earthjustice filed a motion for partial summary judgment in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers failed to independently analyze spill risks and the devastating impacts they would have on the Atchafalaya Basin.

On September 11, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced its plan to gut climate and health protections from oil and gas sector methane emissions. Public health advocates contend that the move is the latest in a series of Trump-era giveaways to major oil and gas companies. Earthjustice and its partners prevailed in a lawsuit to stop the EPA’s earlier attempt to roll back the same health protections last year.

The following is a statement from Tim Ballo, staff attorney at Earthjustice:

WWF is working in collaboration with international whale researchers to better understand baleen whales in the Southern Ocean. This data is critical to help inform conservation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Antarctic.

“Greenpeace welcomes Sony’s commitment to power its operations with 100% renewable energy, which is an important first step to becoming a leader on climate change. But a 2040 target is far too slow and does not represent the urgency with which we need to act. Apple has currently achieved 100% renewable energy in their own operations, and Facebook recently announced it was committing to reach its 100% renewable target by 2020.

California Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 100 on Monday, committing the world’s fifth largest economy to 100 percent clean electricity by 2045. He also issued an executive order establishing a new target to achieve carbon neutrality.

Japan will once again try to get the international ban on whale hunting overturned at the global conference of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), which opened in Brazil on Monday.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion upholding a lower court’s ruling dismissing industry claims against Oregon’s groundbreaking Clean Fuels Standard, on September 7.

“These talks have been beset with tension and parties have wrestled with reaching a balanced proposal on the Paris rulebook. Progress has slowed, leaving the heavy lifting for COP24. A leadership deficit is the root cause of this slow pace and needs to be immediately addressed. The upcoming California Climate Summit, New York UN Climate Week and Pre-COP must now be leveraged to unlock contentious issues like finance and differentiation.