The ocean is a key component of the global carbon cycle and plays a fundamental role in regulating the Earth's climate. It has slowed anthropogenic climate change by absorbing 91 % of the heat trapped in the system (more…)
In the current international political discourse, social and environmental priorities are closely intertwined. The aim of sustainable development is to simultaneously achieve the goals of (more…)
Our planet is choking on plastic pollution, while food packaging are among the main culprits of this crisis. In 2022, each European citizen produced 186.5 kg of packaging waste, which is 29 kg more (more…)
The LIFE programme has launched calls for proposals for 2025 (EUR 600 million of EU funding is available). Areas of intervention include: (more…)
⚙️ While individual steps in the fight against climate change are important, they will never reach their full potential without systematic support from governments and businesses. (more…)
Food waste is not only an ethical and economic problem, but also a significant contributor to climate change. According to the United Nations, approximately one-third of all food produced is wasted each year, which amounts to about 1.3 billion tons.
🌍 Greenhouse gas emissions from food waste
Food waste is responsible for an estimated 8–10 % of global greenhouse gas emissions citeturn0search0When food ends up in landfills, it decomposes and releases methane, a greenhouse gas that is about 25 times more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide. Interestingly, if food waste were a country, it would be the third largest producer of greenhouse gases in the world, after China and the US.
💧 Waste of resources
Food production requires a huge amount of resources, including water, energy and land. When we throw away food, we also waste these resources. For example, agriculture uses approximately 70 % of the world’s freshwater reserves. In addition, food waste also represents an economic loss. It is estimated that global food waste causes economic losses of approximately $1 trillion per year.
🏠 Households as the main contributors
According to a 2021 UNEP report, households generate up to 60 % of food waste. This means that each of us has the opportunity to contribute to solving this problem.
Much food is thrown away due to misunderstandings about best-by dates. For example, California passed a law banning the use of "sell-by" dates on food packaging to reduce waste.
🌱 Solutions and precautions
There are several ways we can reduce food waste and thus its impact on the environment:
Food waste has a significant impact on climate change. Each of us can contribute to solving this problem by shopping more consciously, storing food properly and minimizing waste. Reducing food waste is not only a matter of ethics and economics, but also a necessary step in the fight against climate change. Spring
According to the latest official EU data submitted to the United Nations by the European Environment Agency (EEA), the European Union's energy sector led the way in reducing the EU's domestic net greenhouse gas emissions by 9 % in 2023 compared to the previous year. The decrease represents the largest relative reduction in EU greenhouse gas emissions since 1990 and further strengthens the EU's progress in reducing its share of global emissions. (More on eea.europa.eu)
Researchers from Tohoku University, Hokkaido University, and AZUL Energy, Inc. have developed an efficient method for converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into carbon monoxide (CO), an important building block for synthetic fuels. Their process sets a new standard by reducing the conversion time from 24 hours to just 15 minutes.
"CO2 to CO conversion is currently a hot topic for addressing climate change, but conventional techniques had major pitfalls that we wanted to address," said Liu Tengyi of WPI-AIMR at Tohoku University. "The materials were expensive, unstable, had limited selectivity, and took a long time to prepare. They simply wouldn't be feasible to use in a real industrial setting." (Tohoku University, more at scitechdaily.com)
The world’s forests are essential for climate stability, biodiversity and sustainable development. However, financial mechanisms to support their conservation remain limited. The expected launch of the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) at the UN COP30 climate summit in Brazil later this year presents an opportunity to increase financing for nature conservation – provided governments and investors commit to it.
The TFFF represents a significant shift in conservation financing. Rather than focusing solely on emissions reductions, as REDD+ initiatives do, the TFFF is a permanent endowment fund that rewards governments for maintaining or restoring forested areas. (Peter Graham, more on climatechangenews.com)
Concept circular economy is a model that eliminates waste and pollution, keeps products and materials in circulation, and restores the natural capital of our ecosystemsIt operates on the principles of sustainable design, maintenance, repair, reuse, remanufacture, renewal and recycling. This contrasts with the linear economic model, which operates on the principle of "take, make, dispose".
Principles Zero Waste are focused on waste prevention and on redesigning resource life cycles so that all products are reused. Zero Waste is seen as a translation or practical toolkit that can be meaningfully implemented at the local level to achieve circular economy goals.Zero Waste strategies seamlessly integrate the concept of a circular economy into local-level solutions, providing concrete guidelines and policies that municipalities can implement in their communities to ensure a healthier environment. The Zero Waste principles are illustrated in the Zero Waste hierarchy, which emphasizes prevention, waste reduction, and reuse over recycling and disposal.
Circular economy and Zero Waste principles have the same goalsImplementing a circular economy can significantly contribute to waste reduction by the fact that keeps materials in use through long-term design, maintenance, repair, reuse, remanufacturing, renewal and recycling. If a material can be reused, there is no need to mine and produce new materials, which also leads to more efficient use of resourcesSystems based on the reuse of materials and less disposable packaging mean less circulation of toxic chemicals that harm the environment and human health. Spring
The world is full of opportunities, but very few are able to take advantage of them. Knowledge, skills and information remain out of reach for many. FundsforNGOs seeks to bridge this gap by showcasing the vast array of resources the world has and the ways in which they can help achieve sustainable development.
At a time when fossil fuels continue to play a key role in increasing greenhouse gas emissions and accelerating climate change, new research suggests that the world's perception of (more…)
A message, developed by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), provides assessment of relevant European research and innovation (R&I) projects aimed at decarbonising water transport in Europe in the period 2020-2024The report analyses various projects and initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in maritime and inland waterway transportThe basis for the analysis is European Commission Transport Research and Innovation Monitoring and Information System (TRIMIS).
Key aspects of the analysis:
The report emphasizes that Decarbonizing water transport is a complex challenge, which requires a combination of technological innovation, operational improvements and supporting policy measures. The results of the projects analysed contribute to shaping future research and policy agendas in this area within the EU. Spring
The European Commission recently announced that it is extending the deadline for new cars and vans to meet strict CO₂ emission standards. The proposed legislation would assess compliance with the 2025-2027 emissions targets by averaging results over three full calendar years, rather than annually. This approach would allow manufacturers to offset any overshoot in some years by offsetting excess performance in other years.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said this flexibility is key to supporting investment in clean technology while maintaining ambitious climate change targets. "Our automotive industry is highly innovative and dynamic. We are providing room for appropriate adaptation, while remaining true to our environmental commitments," von der Leyen said.
The proposal was presented as part of a wider Industrial Action Plan for the automotive sector, which aims to encourage a shift away from fossil fuels and accelerate the transition to electric vehicles. But Transport & Environment warns that the additional flexibility should not be used as an excuse for insufficient action. Critics say carmakers have already submitted incomplete and unrepresentative sales figures for 2024 to buy themselves more time to adapt to strict emissions standards.
According to T&E, the growth in electric vehicle sales in Europe in the first months of the year suggests that the existing 2025 targets are achievable, and therefore additional delays should not be a recurring exception. “Electric vehicles are selling faster and faster and the market is adapting dynamically,” stressed Julia Poliscanova, Director of Vehicles and Supply Chain at T&E. “The last flexibility must be the last – it is time to fully transition to low-carbon mobility and ensure the competitiveness of our industries.”
The European Commission hopes the new approach will allow carmakers to better invest in emission-reducing technologies while maintaining ambitious climate neutrality targets. If approved, the proposal will be the latest step in a series of measures aimed at accelerating the transition to clean technologies and supporting the competitiveness of the European car industry on the global stage. Spring
While sustainably grown wood can be an economical and environmentally friendly building material, its relatively low tensile strength limits its potential applications. However, this could soon change thanks to a new self-thickening technique for creating super-strong wood. Individual wood fibers are made up mainly of cellulose, along with a binding material known as lignin. This mixture forms the wall of what is essentially a long hollow tube – the fiber – that runs lengthwise through a larger piece of wood. The hollow space inside the tube is called the lumen, and it is that one limits the strength of the wood.
It begins by boiling a block of wood in a mixture of sodium hydroxide (lye) and sodium sulfite, which removes some of the lignin. The block is then immersed in a heated mixture of lithium chloride and a solvent known as dimethylacetamide. This causes the cellulose (and remaining lignin) to swell and expand inward to fill the lumen.
In the final step, the treated wood is left to air dry for 10 hours at room temperature. During this time, it shrinks inward evenly on all sides, but retains its original length. (Ben Coxworth, more on newatlas.com)
Environmental and climate pressures from textile production and consumption in the EU remain high. Of the 12 categories of consumption by European households – such as food, mobility, housing, health and education – textile consumption on average fifth largest in terms of environmental and climate pressures The EEA measured these impacts across metrics of raw material use, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and water and land use.
Textile production and consumption also contributes to other environmental pressures, including air pollution, chemical use and contamination, microplastic pollution from the production, use and washing of textiles, as well as pressures from the handling of textiles that end up as waste. (More on eea.europa.eu)
It is often assumed that older forest ecosystems can efficiently accumulate and sequester larger amounts of carbon over the long term. However, a new study by a research team from the University of Michigan Biological Station examined the carbon cycle over a period of two centuries and found that the process is much more complex than previously thought.
The study of community structure, which the interconnected effects of forest, tree establishment and fungi, as well as biogeochemical processes in the soil, affect the amount of carbon stored above and below ground more significantly than previously believed.
The research results were published in a professional journal and are the result of an ecological study of research activities that, over several decades, brought more than 100 scientists from various parts of the USA to the historic research station in Pellston, St.
SPONSORED BY
MOST READ
LEGISLATION
EN 
SK 