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Beth Stevens, senior VP of environmental affairs at Disney Worldwide Services, is in charge of making strides in the direction of sustainability. How does the iconic brand not only tell an engaging sustainability story but walk the talk? Disney's sustainability goals are serious. It aims to halve its emissions by 2020 from 2012 levels. It signed on to the White House American Business Act on Climate Pledge ahead of COP21 and the Paris Agreement. It even maintains an internal carbon price. Stevens sees all this as a natural expression of the company's culture.

Sweden has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. The country plans to achieve this goal by cutting 85% of its GHG emissions from 1990 levels, and offsetting the remaining emissions.

Ahmedabad, a rapidly urbanizing city in western India grappling with rising air pollution levels. In an innovative step, the city, along with NRDC and other partners, unveiled the draft Ahmedabad Air Information and Response (AIR) Plan. The first of its kind, the AIR Plan is a decisive step by Ahmedabad to protect local residents from the debilitating effects of bad air.

The Environmental Defense Fund launched an advertising campaign to protest the proposed cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency's budget. The ad warns that cutting EPA funding could lead to increased health issues, more pollution and increased levels of lead in drinking water.

Members of UK retail industry body the British Retail Consortium including McDonald's, Asda and Sainsbury's have pledged to reduce their absolute carbon emissions from retail operations 25 percent by 2020 based on 2005 levels as part of a raft of environmental targets covering waste, transport, resource efficiency in buildings, water and refrigeration.

Guangdong, the province in southern China, has posted a plan to reduce dependence on coal and oil from 73% of energy use in 2010 to 60.6% next year. The move is part of the region's effort to reduce its carbon emissions per unit of gross domestic product by almost a fifth from 2010 levels by 2015

Europe will cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels, the toughest climate change target of any region in the world, and will produce 27% of its energy from renewable sources by the same date.

McDonald's and 24 other retailers committed to a new set of 2020 sustainability targets within their UK operations. The companies pledged to collectively reduce absolute carbon emissions associated with retail operations 25% from 2005 levels, account for 100% of their water usage, and divert over 99% of their waste from landfills.

Exposure to lead, mercury and organophosphate pesticides has led Americans to lose a collective 41 million IQ points, according to a study by a Harvard neurologist, and other common chemicals could be responsible for everything from ADHD to autism-spectrum disorders. Researchers compare the problem to climate change and say it's important for regulators to act even before the development of clear scientific evidence for safe exposure levels. "We don't have the luxury to sit back and wait until science figures out what's really going on," says environmental health researcher Philippe Grandjean

As evidence mounts that excessive use of light is harming wildlife and adversely affecting human health, new initiatives in France and elsewhere are seeking to turn down the lights that flood an ever-growing part of the planet

mounts that excessive use of light is harming wildlife and adversely affecting human health, new initiatives in France and elsewhere are seeking to turn down the lights that flood an ever-growing part of the planet.

The automaker uses climate science predictions to project production levels that will help meet its fuel efficiency targets.

Palm oil shipments from Indonesia, the world's largest producer, climbed to the highest level in eight months in October as a decline in supplies of substitute oils in India and China spurred demand from the biggest buyers.

South Africa, where gas and oil company, Sasol, has partnered with GE Power & Water to develop a new system for providing a high level of treatment for industrial wastewater that also recovers biogas for power generation. The new system, called Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor Technology (AnMBR), is transferrable to other industries

Hewlett-Packard will set supplier targets for greenhouse-gas emissions in a move that could reduce total emissions by 20% by 2020 from decade-prior levels. The company will offer incentives to suppliers that meet the goals and will report their success in its sustainability reports.

Hasbro set new 2020 sustainability goals of reducing scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions 20%, landfill waste 50%, energy consumption 25%, and water use 15% from 2012 levels at owned and operated facilities.

HP became the first high-tech company to set specific greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals across its suppliers and business partners and an aggressive one at that: 20 percent by 2020, compared with 2010 levels.

Illegal logging in Brazil poses a serious problem for businesses producing legal wood products.

Just 12% of the global population lives in cities with acceptable air quality, and half of all urbanites are subjected to air pollution levels more than 2.5 times the recommended threshold, according to a new study from the World Health Organization. Mexico City, Karachi and Delhi are among the worst offenders, and researchers also found poor air quality in the U.S. and in European metropolises such as Paris and London

America's cities are succeeding in curbing air pollution, according to data from NASA's Aura satellite. New York City has seen a 32% decrease in nitrogen dioxide since 2005, Atlanta's levels fell by 42%, and Denver scored a 22% decrease.

The Heartland Institute held its annual gathering of climate skeptics in Las Vegas last week, with some participants touting "climate optimism" as an alternative to outright denial. Rather than arguing that climate change isn't happening, climate optimists argue that global warming will be a net positive, with elevated carbon levels boosting agricultural productivity