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EU slated for cynical 113m shale gas subsidy
Posted by EurActiv: None Given on June 13th, 2014
EurActiv: Environmentalists have bitterly condemned a new EU research fund which invites shale gas firms to apply for EUR113m (£90m) of subsidies, under a programme designed to encourage ‘competitive low carbon energy’.
The Horizon 2020 research fund, which runs from 2014-2020, is intended to help identify potential environmental impacts and risks from shale gas exploitation by using satellite observation, developing models and establishing scientific recommendations for best practices.
But the monies...
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Africa will not be Europe’s digital dumping ground, say leaders
Posted by EurActiv: None Given on August 9th, 2013
EurActiv: African countries have demanded action to stem the import of electronic waste, including old computers and mobile telephones from Europe, where stringent environmental laws make exporting used goods cheaper than disposing of them at home.
In a document released this week, African countries that adopted an international convention on hazardous waste called for uniform action to end the import of discarded electronic goods containing dangerous components. In some cases, the products are sent as...
EU embraces green infrastructure package
Posted by EurActiv: None Given on May 8th, 2013
EurActiv: The European Union adopted a new strategy yesterday (6 May) aimed at promoting green infrastructure, and putting natural processes at the heart of its spatial planning.
EU money will now encourage green solutions to infrastructure problems, such as allowing natural wetlands to absorb excess water from heavy rain, instead of building concrete flood protection infrastructure.
In what green campaigners in Brussels view as a 'Eureka moment', the package will allow stone beaches to receive preferential...
Droughts cut Europe’s food output, raise fire risks
Posted by EurActiv: None Given on August 21st, 2012
EurActiv: Droughts in southern and eastern Europe are contributing to the global decline in grain production while also elevating concern about the long-term impact on freshwater supplies.
The European Commission, which has declared 2012 the Year of Water, is preparing a review some of Europe's water legislation partly with climate change and extreme weather events in mind.
Food security and how the EU safeguards its liquid resources are among the topics due to be discussed during World Water Week events...
Bulgarian protestors demand ban on shale gas
Posted by EurActiv: None Given on January 16th, 2012
EurActiv: Thousands of Bulgarians have protested against exploration for shale gas over fears it could poison underground water, trigger earthquakes and pose serious public health hazards.
Protestors rallied in more than six Bulgarian cities on Saturday (14 January) calling for a moratorium on 'fracking' - shale gas tests using hydraulic fracturing - and demanding a new law to ban unconventional drilling for gas in the country.
"I am opposed because we do not know what chemicals they will put in the...
Flood studies bring climate change lawsuits a step closer
Posted by EurActiv: None Given on February 18th, 2011
EurActiv: A leading climate professor says that new evidence which further reinforces the connection between global warming and extreme rainfall is "extremely important" in setting out a methodology which could one day be used to sue energy companies for climate damage.
Background
In April 2007, EU lawmakers reached agreement on a Floods Directive for assessing and managing risks.
First proposed by the European Commission in 2006, it was a climate change adaptation measure, as floods are expected...