Europe

Written by: Kimberly White Germany is taking a step forward in the battle against plastic pollution. The German Cabinet has agreed to end the sale of several single-use plastic products beginning next year.  Single-use plastic straws, food containers, and cotton buds...

Written by: Charlotte Edmond Just because a net is no longer being used doesn’t mean it can’t continue to catch things. Italian divers have freed a sperm whale entangled in a fishing net off the northern coast of Sicily. The...

Written by: Jeff Berardelli Alarming heat scorched Siberia on Saturday as the small town of Verkhoyansk (67.5°N latitude) reached 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, 32 degrees above the normal high temperature. If verified, this is likely the hottest temperature ever recorded in...

Written by: Kimberly White The European Commission has proposed a new plan to catalyze a global transition to sustainable food systems.  The Farm to Fork Strategy (FFS) is set to be a core part of the European Green Deal, which will...

Written by: Kieran Cooke The energy that has powered a continent for several hundred years, driving its industry, fighting its wars and keeping its people warm, is on the way out, fast: Europe’s coal is in rapid decline. Coal is far...

Written by: Kimberly White The government of Wales has announced a new plan to battle plastic pollution. In honor of Global Recycling Day, the Welsh government unveiled its plans to ban single-use plastics in 2021.  Straws, cotton buds, stirrers, balloon sticks,...

Written by: Kimberly White  The UK government is phasing out petrol, diesel, and hybrid cars by 2035. The sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans will be banned as of 2035. After the ban comes into effect, only...

Written by: Ian Boyd Around 20% of the UK’s farms account for 80% of the country’s total food production, and they do this on about half of all the farmed land there is. At least 80% of farms in the...

Written by: Kimberly White France is beginning the decade by phasing out single-use plastics. France became the first country in the world to ban disposable plastic cups and plates following the ban of single-use plastic bags in 2016.  As of January...

Written by: Filippos Proedrou Efforts to tackle climate change often focus on international agreements and the actions of large countries such as the US and China. But most of the world’s countries or autonomous states have fewer than 10m people. What...