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It's been almost 10 years since the Coca-Cola Company (PDF) vowed to "safely return to communities and nature an amount of water equal to what we use in our finished beverages and their production," with a deadline of 2020 for doing so. To get there, it teamed up with a broad array of NGOs and government aid agencies, who established clear rules for "replenishing" the aquifers and waterways that make up a watershed, and in 2015 the company announced it not only had reached its target five years early, but even surpassed it by putting 15 percent more water into the system than it took out. This tiny pack, however, is dwarfed by a massive herd of corporates that have made similar promises without offering any indication of how they'll deliver or whether they're making progress - and it's not just a water problem.

The Environmental Protection Agency has stopped working on a voluntary compliance program for power plants looking to cut emissions under the Clean Power Plan. The Trump administration has pledged to overturn the CPP.

New International Maritime Organisation rules that take effect in 2020 will require cruise ships to reduce their emissions. In advance of these regulations, several cruise companies are already taking steps to reduce their environmental pollution, the Guardian reports.

Chevron and Southwest Gas have been fined about $1 million for violating California's mandatory greenhouse gas emissions reporting rule in 2011.

Laws, oversight and guidelines are necessary to ensure we provide solutions to pressing environmental issues. From fracking regulations to carbon-pollution rules to a toxic chemicals act, here are three business policy items the American Sustainable Business Council is working on in conjunction with many other organizations - and information on how you can join the cause.

A new maritime fuel regulation from the EPA could crowd roads and increase onshore air pollution, according to a shipping group. The rule requires the use of high-cost, ultra-low sulfur fuels in ships operating within the 200 nautical mile boundary of the North American Emission Control Area (ECA).

White House officials told lawmakers this week that while President Barack Obama's climate initiatives will not, in themselves, halt climate change, they nonetheless constitute an important first step towards more sweeping solutions. "The carbon-action plan is a start, and if we do not make a start, we will never get there," says White House science adviser John Holdren.

The Obama administration is poised to announce the first federal rules mandating reductions in methane emissions. The proposals would require 40% to 45% reductions in methane emissions from 2012 levels over the next decade

The report, 2015 Global Climate Legislation at a Glance, covered climate laws and legislation in more than 98 countries that represent more than 93 percent of total global emissions and 46 of the 50 biggest polluters.

California's new environmental rules, which will mean much tougher efficiency standards for buildings and greater use of renewable energy, are good news for the state's businesses, some experts say. Many large new-energy and infrastructure projects will be needed to meet the mandates, and that means money and jobs. "The most important thing the businesses need is a market signal," said Steve Chadima, director of California initiatives for Advanced Energy Economy

The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to propose tightening limits on ozone, the lung-damaging ingredient in smog, to between 65 to 70 parts per billion. The current standard of 75 parts per billion has been in place since 2008.

The EPA released a final version of its Climate Change Adaptation Plan, which explains how the agency is incorporating climate change considerations into its programs, policies, rules, and operations. The EPA also released 17 implementation plans explaining how each of its program and regional offices will carry out the agenda described in the adaptation plan.

The Environmental Protection Agency's plan to cut CO2 pollution from coal-fired power plants now faces significant opposition

The US Interior Department on Friday released final standards for hydraulic fracturing on public and American Indian lands.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has been developing these rules for several years as part of its multifaceted strategy to achieve the goals of AB 32, California's landmark greenhouse gas emission reduction program.  Read more: http://www.environmentalleader.com/2016/02/11/california-leads-on-reducing-methane-emissions-from-oil-gas-operations/#ixzz40U7HsATq

The House is expected to vote on a pair of Congressional Review Act resolutions that would stop the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan and a separate rule for new power plants. The Senate approved its own resolutions before the Thanksgiving break

Clean energy has become a driving force in the US marketplace as costs have declined and major companies have unveiled investments in wind and other renewables, writes Chris Brown, Vestas' president of sales and service operations in the US and Canada. Wind, in particular, can provide the nation with a winning combination of affordable yet reliable electricity. "Whatever the courts rule on the CPP, there's no turning back or stopping this economic trend. Clean energy makes good sense for business, good sense for consumers, and good sense for the country," he writes.

This week, the city of Austin, Texas implemented a new rule that prevents restaurants from tossing wasted food straight into the trash.

The EU's Plastics Strategy aims to cut out non-recyclable plastics by 2030, while cutting down on single-use plastics and restricting microplastics, all by establishing a new circular economy around the material. The strategy lays out a few key steps to achieve this. The first is to introduce new rules on packaging that improve their recyclability and increase the demand for recycled plastics, thereby making recycling profitable for businesses.

Colombia's supreme court granted protections, filed by 25 children and other young people, that affirm that deforestation in the Colombian Amazon violates their rights to health and life. In the ruling, the supreme court ordered the president of Colombia and environmental authorities to create an action plan to protect this important natural area.