By Zachary Shahan •
July 25, 2009
In a meeting with environment and energy ministers from other European countries yesterday, Sweden’s Minister of Environment, Andreas Carlgren, said that global economic problems should in no way slow movement to address climate change. Other leading European ministers agreed.
Economic problems today are in many ways a result of environmental missteps in the past. If we want a healthy economy in the future, we have to take the environment into account more than we have. The Swedish Minister of the Environment agrees and says that there should be no hesitation to combat climate change due to the current economic situation.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a group of young Europeans at the European Parliament in Brussels today that the global economic downturn provided a fresh new opportunity.
By Timothy B. Hurst •
December 10, 2008
The European Parliament reached a landmark deal on Tuesday by agreeing to meet 20 percent of Europe’s energy needs with renewable sources by 2020.
By Mark Seall •
February 5, 2008
Legislators in Europe are getting increasingly tough on products which emit large quantities of Co2, with patio heaters and large cars coming into focus during the past week.
Patio heaters have seen a big increase in popularity in the past year: Since the introduction of indoor smoking bans in many European countries, smokers can often be found huddled under the heaters as they take their nicotine breaks outside of bars and restaurants. In some countries, the UK in particular, the heaters have also proved to be an effective way to extend outdoor eating beyond the 3 days per year usually permitted by the weather.
Many larger retailers have already removed the heaters from their shelves, considering them to be particularly anti-social products due to their heavy energy usage. However, many smokers and outdoor diners may soon be quitting the habit or shivering in the cold as the heaters and are set to be banned outright under new legislation currently being considered by the European Parliament.
Leading the proposal, European Member of Parliament Fiona Hall said "Patio heaters are scandalous because they are burning fossil fuels in the open sky, so producing vast quantities of CO2 with very little heat benefit.”
