E.U. strikes ‘ground-breaking’ deal to cut maritime emissions
Under the law, which is being hailed as the most ambitious maritime fuel legislation in the world, ship emissions will be reduced by 2% as of 2025 and 80% as of 2050.
Trade
The E.U. to invest more than $270 billion in its own “green deal”
The Green Deal Industrial Plan will simplify regulation to help get proposed green projects up and running faster, accelerating access to investment, developing programs to train skilled workers in green industries, and more.
E.U. agrees to include shipping companies in emissions trading system
Starting in 2024, shipping companies will have to buy E.U. carbon permits to cover 40% of their emissions, including methane and nitrogen oxides, rising to 70% in 2025 and 100% in 2026.
E.U. strikes deal on world-first carbon border tariff
The levy aims to prevent European industry from being undercut by cheaper goods made in countries with weaker environmental rules and incentivize trading partners to decarbonize.
E.U. agrees to new law preventing import of goods linked to deforestation
The law will require companies to produce a due diligence statement showing that their supply chains are not contributing to the destruction of forests before they sell goods into the EU – or they could face hefty fines.
Connecticut becomes one of the first U.S. states to require schools to teach climate change
A recent national survey of science teachers found that most middle school and high school teachers devote just one to two hours of instruction on climate change during the entire academic year.
World’s first hydrogen-powered cargo vessel to set sail this year
Developed by French shipowner Compagnie Fluvial Transport (CFT), the vessel will be the world’s first cargo ship to run on hydrogen and is set to be deployed on the river Seine in Paris.
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala makes history as first woman and first African to lead the WTO
Okonjo-Iweala said she was “honoured” to be selected to lead the organization, and vowed to take on global economic and health challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
New design uses huge 80-meter sails to reduce cargo shipping emissions by 90%
The Oceanbird is capable of transporting up to 7,000 cars at an average speed of 10 knots on a North Atlantic crossing. It’s four colossal 80-meter (260-ft) high extendable wing sails promise to reduce emissions by as much as 90 percent.
In a world-first, India’s dozen major ports now run fully on renewable energy
The dozen state-owned major ports in the country have switched to renewable energy to meet their entire power requirements, making India the first nation to have all government-owned ports running on solar and wind energy.