VW emissions scandal is a one-off incident, says motor industry boss
Cheating on vehicle emissions is not an industry-wide problem, insists UK’s top representative of the car industry The row that has engulfed the diesel car industry over cheating on vehicle emissions tests is limited to one company and should not be taken to indicate an industry-wide problem, the UK’s top representative of the car industry […]
Live Q&A: What will be the next big discovery in the energy sector?
Join an expert panel on Thursday 8 October, 1-3pm BST, to discuss how to encourage innovation to improve energy access and sustainability “I was told it could be a little better than an incandescent bulb, but that was about it,” said General Electric engineer Ed Hammer, who invented the spiral compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) in […]
Balcombe 'fracking village' gets green light to go 100% solar
Solar farm wins planning permission, clearing way for Sussex village that staged major anti-fracking protests to be powered entirely by clean energy Balcombe, the Sussex village that saw the UK’s biggest anti-fracking protests so far, is set to be powered entirely by the sun, after residents won planning permission on Thursday to build a nearby […]
US food industry backs government plan to aggressively cut food waste
The USDA and EPA want to reduce the 133bn pounds of food tossed in the garbage each year by 50% by 2030, and companies seem to be onboard In September, the US government announced the first ever national goal to reduce America’s food waste, giving an extra push to a movement on the part of […]
Half of Europe opts out of new GM crop scheme
Bid for exclusion by 14 countries and three regions would make two-thirds of Europe’s population and arable land GM-free Half of the European Union’s 28 countries and three of its regions have opted out of a new GM crop scheme, in a blow to biotech industry hopes. Under new EU rules agreed in March, 14 […]
Climate pledges by 140 countries will limit global warming – but not enough
Analysis of nations’ carbon emissions pledges ahead of Paris climate summit shows they would see 2.7C warming by 2100, breaching 2C ‘safety’ threshold Plans submitted by 140 nations to limit their greenhouse gases would go some way towards tackling climate change, but not enough to prevent the planet from warming by well over 2C compared […]
A healthy environment is a human right | Ken Conca
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals summit failed to introduce the idea of a right to a clean environment. We must fix that For all its flaws, the United Nations remains the only plausible forum for engaging broad global challenges like sustainable development. The most important environmental achievements of the past 40 years – the […]
Can Open Data Make Better Cities?
The potential for big data to have a positive impact on the way in which cities function and the quality of life of their citizens is beginning to transform from feeling intuitive, to being backed up by practical evidence. However, there are a number of debates still raging over how powerful software and coding […]
Dell Announce Project To Make New Products From Scrap Materials
Computer technology company Dell has announced a new partnership with industry supplier SABIC, which will see the company utilise previously disused scrap carbon fibre in new products by the end of 2015. Licensed under CC – credit Flickr user: Long Zheng The company estimates that it can prevent around 820,000 pounds of carbon fibre from […]
Australia says Volkswagen faces legal action if 'defeat devices' found
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says presence of pollution-cheating software would violate consumer law and risk fines of $1.1m per breach Volkswagen faces being hauled before a court and fined by the consumer watchdog if pollution-cheating software is found in its Australian cars. In an update on its investigation into the local impact of the […]