Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Kraków’s ban on burning solid fuels plus subsidies for cleaner heating has led to clearer air and better health As a child, Marcel Mazur had to hold his breath in parts of Kraków thick with “so much smoke you could see and smell it”. Now, as an allergy specialist at Jagiellonian University Medical College who treats patients struggling to breathe, he knows all too well the damage those toxic gases do inside the human body. “It’s not that we have this feeling that nothing can be done. But it’s difficult,” Mazur said. Continue reading...

UniSuper says change was made ‘to expand the investible universe’ but complaint to Asic claims members were not properly informed Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A major Australian super fund has been accused of greenwashing after it continued to badge an investment option as “sustainable” despite halving its environmental criteria. UniSuper, which invests $158bn on behalf of 670,000 members, promotes its Global Environmental Opportunities option as a portfolio “selected on the basis of environmental considerations”. Continue reading...

President’s move, which also seeks ‘immunity’ for makers, faces backlash from health advocates and Maha coalition Donald Trump has signed an executive order protecting production of glyphosate-based herbicides, such as Roundup, which some bodies and studies have linked to cancer and which are the subject of widespread US litigation. The president’s move, which also seeks to provide “immunity” for makers of the herbicides, was strongly criticized by health and environmental advocates including some figures in the Make America Healthy Again (Maha) coalition. This story is co-published with the New Lede, a journalism project of the Environmental Working Group Continue reading...

The deregulation agenda being pushed by Germany’s chancellor and Italy’s prime minister is economically and ethically flawed When the European Union launched its green deal in 2019, putting into law the goal of climate neutrality by the middle of the century, it showed strategic foresight as well as global leadership. Russia’s war in Ukraine has starkly underlined the extent to which the continent’s energy security – and its future prosperity – is dependent on the transition away from fossil fuels. Lately, however, EU leaders’ environmental approach appears to be echoing the youthful St Augustine’s plea on chastity: make us greener, but not yet. The recent European Industry Summit in Antwerp made unusually big headlines thanks to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s xenophobic outburst over immigration. But it was also notable for fierce attacks on one of the most important pillars of EU environmental policy. The bloc’s emissions trading system (ETS) – which makes polluters pay for the C02 they emit – has achieved dramatic results in driving down overall emissions since 2005 and encouraging green innovation. Worryingly, the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, appeared to sympathise with demands from Sir Jim and other CEOs for a radical relaxation of the rules. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...