EC Environmental Policy

This year may be only half over, but 2016 is already on track to be the hottest year ever on record, with each of the first six months, from January to June, setting new temperature records, NASA officials announced this week.

More than 800,000 volunteers planted saplings in public spaces in the state of Uttar Pradesh hoping to reduce greenhouse gases and reforest the countryside

The World Green Building Council launched an initiative to create an enabling environment that allows all buildings to generate clean power and produce zero net emissions worldwide by 2050. The Council and its partners will collaborate to develop regionally specific net zero certifications and standards, and training programs for practitioners.

Global cloud patterns have changed since the 1980s, and scientists have found these shifts are consistent with predictions from climate model simulations.

As signs emerge that the global energy sector is beginning to rein in what once had been unbridled levels of climate-changing pollution, new United Nations figures show pollution from farming is continuing to get worse.

Lego is pumping millions of dollars into its quest to find new, sustainable materials for its popular plastic toy bricks. While the company's goal with this initiative is to build better toys, it may end up shifting the plastics industry away from its oil-based roots.

America's total gasoline consumption could fall by as much as 20% over the next two decades as electric vehicles become more widespread, according to a Wood Mackenzie report. Carbon savings from increased EV use could be offset by increased use of fossil fuels in electricity generation, the report warns.

A slowdown in the pace of global warming in the early 2000s was likely due to changing aerosol emissions -- and future changes could have the opposite effect and accelerate climate change, researchers say.

China could use wind to create more than 25% of its electricity by 2030, according to new Nature Energy study. China added 145 gigawatts of installed wind capacity in 2015 -- more than anywhere else, including the US and Europe.

General Motors has created revenue streams worth $1 billion through its waste-reduction and recycling programs while also reducing its risk exposure, says Mari Kay Scott, GM's executive director of global environmental compliance and sustainability. "Sustainability is good for the environment -- it's also really good for business," she says.

Using automatic analysis, Global Forest Watch's new PALM Risk Tool determines the level of risk that a particular mill is using palm oil from illegally deforested sources, making it a powerful platform for companies to not only better understand their supply chains, but figure out how to mitigate risk and allocate limited resources towards achieving zero-deforestation goals.

a new report by Copenhagen-based think tank Sustainia. The annual "Sustainia 100" spotlights climate solutions that stand to have an impact across sectors: food, buildings, energy, transportation, education and others. With that in mind, here's a snapshot of some of the most cutting edge approaches included in the report.

An ensemble of Global Business Leaders NGO'S and academics has joined forces to call for a, sustainable global economic model to be adopted by Governments and Businesses alike.

A partnership of leading international public and private organizations launched the Food Loss and Waste Accounting and Reporting Standard at the Global Green Growth Forum (3GF) 2016 Summit today in Copenhagen. The FLW Standard is the first-ever set of global definitions and reporting requirements for companies, countries and others to consistently and credibly measure, report on and manage food loss and waste. The standard comes as a growing number of governments, companies and other entities are making commitments to reduce food loss and waste.

Rust-belt cities such as Gary, Indiana, want to spur urban renewal through large-scale greening programs, such as transforming vacant lots into community gardens, parks and micro-habitats. "There's a tremendous interest because some of these things are lower cost than traditional development, but at the same time their implementation will actually make the other land more developable," says Eve Pytel of the Delta Institute.

The cost of wind energy in the US will continue to decline over the next three to five years as the industry prepares for the wind energy Production Tax Credit to lapse, according to Pattern Energy CEO and President Mike Garland. He said that Pattern has begun retrofitting its turbines to boost performance.

Premature deaths from outdoor air pollution could rise from 3 million in 2016 to 4.5 million in 2040 unless the world acts now to curb greenhouse gas emissions, according to the International Energy Agency. The group's report said that every country should have goals in place for cleaner air quality.

The amount of carbon in the atmosphere will hit 400 parts per million this year and will remain above that level for many decades to come, scientists say. The milestone is being reached sooner than expected, raising questions about the planet's ability to avert catastrophic climate change.

Apple seems to be embedding its renewable energy commitments into its corporate structure. The company recently created a new wholly-owned subsidiary known as Apple Energy LLC and filed an application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which regulates power companies, to be able to sell electricity and other power grid services to non-utility customers. The move is a strong sign that Apple will not only fulfill its plans to operate on 100 percent renewable energy through net-metering, but plans to generate and sell renewable energy back to the grid.