Yearly Archives: 2013

Hanford Nuclear Reservation Tanks Leaking Radioactive Waste Underground

Six underground tanks that hold a brew of radioactive and toxic waste at the nation’s most contaminated nuclear site are leaking, US federal and state officials said Friday, prompting calls for an investigation from a key senator.
Washington Gov. official J.Inslee said the leaking material poses no immediate risk to public safety or the environment because it would take a while — perhaps years — to reach groundwater. Continue reading

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Global agreement to tackle mercury

The European Commission welcomed the successful conclusion of the multilateral negotiations to address the global threat posed to human health and the environment by mercury. This follows the decision of the Governing Council of UNEP in February 2009 to develop a global legally binding instrument on mercury and the subsequent creation of an International Negotiating Committee to conclude on the text of a mercury Treaty that held its final meeting this week. The EU was a key driver for the launch of this negotiating process. Continue reading

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European Commission consults public on unconventional fossil fuels (e.g. shale gas) in Europe

The European Commission is holding a public consultation on the future development of unconventional fossil fuels such as shale gas in Europe. All interested individuals, organisations and public authorities are welcome to share their views on the possible opportunities and challenges that may arise from the development of such projects and on the best ways to address the challenges identified so far. The consultation is open until 20 March 2013. The consultation is available in all 23 EU languages. Continue reading

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CO2 emissions from new cars fell by over 3% in 2011

The European Commission adopted a decision confirming provisional findings that average CO2 emissions from new cars in the EU dropped by 3.3% last year. This decision is based on emissions data gathered by the European Environment Agency and verified by car manufacturers.

The average CO2 emissions for the 12.8 million new cars registered in the EU in 2011 was 135.7 grams per kilometre. This is a drop of 4.6g CO2/km compared to 2010 and confirms that car manufacturers are on track to reach the 2015 target of 130g CO2/km. Continue reading

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