Environment | WPN World People News

France has improved its environmental performance over the last decade, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, reducing some air pollutants and cutting its use of fresh water. Further effort will be needed, however, to reduce pollution by nitrates and pesticides and meet ambitious renewable energy targets, according to a new OECD report.

Pany Arceo, a local fisherman cleaning the daily catch. He has lived all his life in Ambergris Caye. About 17,000 people work in the Belize fisheries industry.

Whale shark

3rd meeting of the EU-Africa Socio-Economic Actors Network adopts joint resolution

Acting on data from multiple scientific studies in Puerto Rico that show that Zika is spreading rapidly and is a major risk to pregnant women and their fetuses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommend the people and the government of Puerto Rico consider implementing aerial spraying as part of an integrated mosquito control program.

Plans to update EU type approval rules and emission limits for internal combustion engines in non-road mobile machinery (NRMM), such as lawn mowers, bulldozers, diesel locomotives and inland waterway vessels, were backed by MEPs on Wednesday. These plans had already been agreed informally with the Dutch Presidency of the Council. NRMM engines account for about 15% of all NOx and 5% of particulate emissions in the EU.

Greenpeace International on 4 July releases its Detox Catwalk, assessing how effectively 19 major fashion brands are cleaning up their supply chains of toxic chemicals. Inditex (which owns Zara), H&M and Benetton are the only three “Avant-Garde” companies on track to clean up their chains as promised by 2020, while Victoria’s Secret and Esprit and sports brands Nike and LiNing are failing to take the necessary steps towards that goal.