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☆ Flash floods are a worsening scourge worldwide — here's why
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-30 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | Hannah Abraham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Flash floods are becoming more common and more intense due to global warming. The impact of flash flooding can be particularly severe because, often, there is very little warning. Why are there more flash floods? The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), a US-based nonprofit, said flash flooding has intensified because of increased rainfall and heat waves. Mateo Villalba Sanchez/Getty ImagesNon-environmental factors, such as new infrastructure and better weather warnings, can help prevent the impact of flash flooding.

Persons: Ernesto Rodríguez Camino, —, Mateo Villalba Sanchez, Jess Neumann, John Marsham, Liz Stephens, shouldn't, Stephens Organizations: Service, European Environment Agency, Victoria University of Wellington, Spanish Meteorological Association, Environmental Defense Fund, EDF, World Health Organization, WHO, University of Reading, University of Leeds, US Army Corps of Engineers Locations: Spain, Florida, Europe, New Zealand, US

☆ 'Liquid gold': An olive oil shortage is fueling record prices and food insecurity fears
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Sam Meredith | In Samuelmeredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Extreme hot weather and persistent drought conditions have dealt a severe blow to olive oil production in southern Europe, resulting in a significant surge in prices. Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty ImagesA shortage of olive oil, sometimes referred to as "liquid gold," has driven prices to record highs, fueled a crime surge and pushed the industry into crisis mode. The decline extends a downward trend, after olive oil prices reached an unprecedented peak of 9.2 euros in January. But analysts said that dwindling olive oil reserves would likely keep markets on edge for sudden price spikes over the coming months. Olive oil thefts

Persons: Kyle Holland, Holland, De Rust, Rodger Bosch, Vito Martielli, Martielli, Helena Bennett, Bennett, Xylella, Mintec's Holland Organizations: European Union, Anadolu, Getty, Centre, Market, Mintec, CNBC, Afp, Rabobank, Green Alliance UK, European Environment Agency, Nurphoto Locations: Europe, Anadolu, Spain, Italy, Greece, Spain's Andalusia, Olive Estate, De, Cape Town, Netherlands, Olive, Lecce, Puglia

☆ Could 'carbon passports' that limit how much we travel be in our future?
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Joey Hadden | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A recent report on the future of travel includes the concept of a "carbon passport." One tour company is proposing a solution: a "carbon passport" that would limit how much carbon travelers could emit each year. "Carbon passports have taken that idea one step further" because they would involve tracking and limiting travel carbon emissions, specifically, Hawkins added. In reality, a carbon passport would be challenging to implementHawkins and Matt Berna, the president of Intrepid in the Americas, said they didn't see a carbon passport as a quick fix, though. To track your flight's carbon emissions, Berna suggests booking through Google Flights, which has included emissions levels since 2021.

Persons: Paloma Zapata —, Zapata, Alex Hawkins, Hawkins, Matt Berna, Berna, it's, Anna Abelson, Jonathan M, Thierry Monasse, there's Organizations: Future Laboratory, Intrepid, Environmental Protection Agency, Sustainable Travel International, Business, The, Laboratory, Tisch Center of Hospitality, New York University, Airlines, International Air Transport Association, Wizz, Google, European Environment Locations: Americas, Greece, Italy, Albania

☆ Almost 400,000 deaths in Europe in 2021 attributable to filthy air -EU report
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Pollution from nitrogen dioxide (NO2), most harmful to people with diabetes, resulted in 52,000 deaths and short-term ozone (O3) exposure led to 22,000 deaths. Including a larger set of European countries outside the EU, there were 389,000 pollutant-related deaths in Europe, the EEA said in its report for 2021, released on Friday. "Air pollutant concentrations in 2021 remained well above the levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its air quality guidelines," the EEA said in the report. "Reducing air pollution to these guideline levels would prevent a significant number of attributable deaths in EU member states." NO2 and short-term O3 exposure had the biggest impact on deaths in Turkey, Italy and Germany, according to the report.

Persons: Flavio Lo Scalzo, Piotr Lipinski, Susan Fenton Organizations: Allianz, REUTERS, Rights, World Health, European Environment Agency, European Union, World Health Organization, WHO, Thomson Locations: Milan, Italy, Rights BRUSSELS, Europe, PM2.5, Poland, Germany, Iceland, Scandinavia, Estonia, Turkey

☆ What Uganda’s war on second-hand clothes means for fashion
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Sarah Kent | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Camille Delbos/Art In All of Us/Corbis/Getty ImagesSo Kolade turned to something that was available in abundance: second-hand clothes. “I have declared war on second-hand clothes to promote African wear,” the President said during the opening of 16 factories at an industrial park late last month, according to Ugandan newspaper Daily Monitor. Ugandan fashion house Buzigahill give new life to second-hand clothes through patchworking and splicing pieces together. According to the Uganda Dealers in Used Clothing and Shoes Association, there are a huge number of jobs directly and indirectly involved in the second-hand clothing supply chain. “It is clear that the second-hand clothing trade is broken because the firsthand clothing trade is broken,” said Ricketts.

Persons: Bobby Kolade, Camille Delbos, Kolade, patchworked sweats, Yoweri Museveni, Martin Kharumwa, ”, Corti Paul Lakuma, Bales, Andrew Caballero, Reynolds, Uganda’s, Buzigahill, Liz Ricketts, Ricketts Organizations: CNN, The, Fashion, Ugandan, Daily Monitor, East African Community, Policy Research, Greenpeace, Bloomberg, Getty, European Union, European Environment Agency, Uganda Dealers, Association, European Locations: Berlin, Kampala, Entebbe, Uganda, Turkey, China, East, Europe, East Africa, Philippines, Indonesia, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ugandan, Accra, Ghana, Africa, Kantamanto, California

☆ Wild weather turns up heat on EU debt stragglers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Meanwhile, record-high temperatures and dryness triggered devastating blazes in Greece, forcing thousands to flee popular summer destinations such as Rhodes. The extreme weather may be limited to southern European countries, but its fiscal repercussions make this a Europe-wide emergency. Reuters GraphicsAgriculture accounts for just 4.4% of GDP in Greece, and less than 3% in Spain and Italy, according to Moody’s. Letting Greece, Italy and Spain deal with such climate nightmares, on top of other economic challenges, risks landing them with a Sisyphean task. As climate risks intensify, the EU will need to consider widening its joint borrowing plans.

Persons: Nicolas Economou CATANIA, Rhodes, heatwaves disproportionally, Francesco Guerrera, Oliver Taslic Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Cogeca, Reuters Graphics, European Environment Agency, Union, Copa Cogeca, Thomson Locations: Rhodes, Greece, Italy, Sicily, Europe, Spain, EU, Corfu

☆ Train fares are up to 30 times more expensive than planes in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —As Europe swelters in a heat wave, and the climate crisis accelerates, many travelers are looking towards trains rather than polluting planes. According to a new report, taking a long-distance train in Europe can cost nearly 30 times as much as flying. The report, compiled by environmental campaign group Greenpeace, compared the cost of flight and train tickets on 112 European routes on nine different dates. Train tickets were double the cost of flying, on average, while train journeys from the UK to Europe, which involves taking the often-expensive Eurostar to the continent, were four times the price of flying on average. “Governments must remove airlines’ tax exemptions, such as from fuel taxes and VAT, as well as reduce rail tracks tolls.

Persons: Matteo Mirolo, Lorelei Limousin, ” Victor Thévenet Organizations: CNN, Greenpeace, Eurostar, Ryanair, European Environment Agency, Airlines, Transport, Environment, Transport & Environment, “ Airlines, International Air Transport Association Locations: Europe, Spain, London, Barcelona, Belgium, France, Italy, Edinburgh, EU, Greece

With polls indicating a PP/Vox coalition government as the most likely outcome of next Sunday's national election, the reversal signals what could be a broader shift in Spain's climate change policy. "We are going to continue building bike lanes," he told Reuters. Vox has also pledged to repeal Spain's climate law, which establishes an obligation to create LEZs in cities. "Bike lanes have to be useful and not generate social alarm, so each municipality has to analyse the most appropriate location," a PP official told Reuters. Valladolid has been awarded 10.6 million euros to create an LEZ and about 4 million for bike lanes.

Persons: Teresa Ribera, Vox, Alberto Gutierrez, Miguel Diaz, Santiago Abascal, Pedro Sanchez, Sanchez, Cristina Monge, LEZs, Carmen Moriyon, Frans Timmermans, Belén Carreño, Pietro Lombardi, Andrei Khalip, Charlie Devereux, Angus MacSwan Organizations: People's Party, Elche, Vox, Reuters, United Nations, Socialist, University of Zaragoza, EU, Brussels, Cars, European Environment Agency, Thomson Locations: MADRID, VALLADOLID, Valladolid, Gijon, Castello, Europe, Spain

☆ EU Parliament backs landmark law to restore Europe's nature
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Caolán Magee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The European Parliament on Wednesday voted in favor of legally binding targets to protect and restore nature in the European Union, despite strong opposition from some policymakers. The flagship EU nature law will also require countries to introduce measures to restore nature on a fifth of their land and sea by 2030. It is the first major piece of legislation to protect biodiversity in the EU in the last 30 years, according to Greenpeace. Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg reacts as she attends a voting session on EU nature restoration law during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Frederick Florin/AFP/Getty ImagesEU lawmakers and member countries will now negotiate the final text, aiming for a deal before EU Parliament elections in 2024.

Persons: what’s, Špela, Manfred Weber –, Manfred Weber, Mykhaylo Palinchak, ”, Ireland’s Frances Fitzgerald, “, ” Fitzgerald, Greta Thunberg, Frederick Florin Organizations: CNN, European Union, Greenpeace, Greenpeace’s, European People’s Party, EPP, EU Parliament’s, Twitter, Socialists, Democrats, Greens, Getty, European Environment Agency Locations: EU, Greenpeace’s Central, Eastern Europe, Europe, Swedish, Strasbourg, AFP

☆ This startup wants to curb fast fashion by helping you rent out your closet
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Cait Freda | In Caitfreda | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

By Rotation, a U.K.-based clothing rental app, hopes to eliminate the need for fast fashion by making peer-to-peer clothing rental mainstream in the United States. Individual users decide if they are willing to ship their items to users in other states. Despite the expected growth, online fashion rental and resale has proven to be a difficult business, especially on Wall Street. As the app grows, the startup is taking steps to ensure renters are trustworthy and lenders' items are protected from damage. "I wanted to wear nice clothes on my holiday and I thought about renting but there was no sort of digital fashion rental player here in the U.K. or even Europe," she said.

Persons: Eshita Kabra, Davies, Uber, we've, Kabra, Randi Wood, Wood, Martha Petrocheilos, Esther Gross, Ester Gross Organizations: Research, European Environment Agency, Marathon Asset Management Locations: U.K, United States, New York City, U.S, London, Los Angeles, Mexico, Rajasthan, India, Europe, Africa, Asia, New York

☆ Retailers to tackle sustainability at key conference
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

They will discuss the challenges facing their businesses as inflation causes consumers in Europe and elsewhere to reduce spending. The European Commission is drawing up new rules on textile waste that will make companies responsible for managing the waste their products create. Decathlon, the world's biggest sporting goods retailer, sells repair services, spare parts and tools for people to repair their own bicycles, tents, and kayaks. Retailers are working with local authorities ahead of an EU law that will require member states to separately collect textile waste by Jan. 1, 2025. Firms including Decathlon, Mango, Inditex, and IKEA recently created an association in Spain for the management of textile waste.

☆ Column: Europe's industry to feel the sting of high & rising carbon costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

EU carbon credit pricesTwo-thirds of Europe's emissions stem from just three sectors: energy supply (24.2%), domestic transport (20.7%) and industry (20.7%), according to European Environment Agency (EEA) data from 2020, the latest available. Industry accounts for 25% of Germany's total energy consumption, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), so any successful retooling of Germany's energy systems will likely set trends across Europe. That would mark a 42% drop in only 8 years, and compares to an 18.7% reduction in total emissions from 2010 to 2022. However, given the expected shuttering of Germany's remaining coal plants and least efficient gas-fed power stations, the energy sector's target may be reachable. Germany industry energy use by power sourceCertain sectors are banking on the roll-out of clean hydrogen for use as a fuel instead of natural gas.

☆ Abandoned Greek airport to be transformed into a 600-acre coastal park
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

Tegel Projekt GmbH/Atelier Loidl Kai Tak International Airport, Hong Kong -- With a runway that protruded into the sea, Kai Tak International Airport in Hong Kong once had one of the most arresting approaches in the world. PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP/AFP via Getty Images Hellinikon International Airport, Athens, Greece -- Hellinikon was once the only international airport in Athens, Greece, before Hellinikon was once the only international airport in Athens, Greece, before closing down in 2001 . Developer LAMDA is looking to complete the first phase of construction in 2025 courtesy LAMDA Development Stapleton International Airport, Denver, Colorado -- A photo of Stapleton International Airport from 1963. The grounds of the old airport became the 125-hectare (309-acre) Quito replaced its main airport with another bearing the same name. RODRIGO BUENDIA/AFP/AFP via Getty Images Downsview Airport, Toronto -- Downsview Airport in north Toronto was once a Canadian Air Force base.

Persons: Sasaki, ”, Michael Grove, Eero Saarinen, Kai, Kok, FREDERIC J . BROWN, Kai Tak, PHILIPPE LOPEZ, Hellinikon, Milos Bicanski, Ken Tillis, Lisa Martine, Sean Gallup, Maja Hitij, RODRIGO BUENDIA, Eleni Myrivilli, …, Aleksandra Kazmierczak, it’s, we’re Organizations: CNN, Ellinikon International, Games, Charleston Waterfront Park, Newcastle University, Tegel Airport, Tegel Projekt, Kai Tak International Airport, Kai Tak International, Getty, Foster + Partners, AFP, Stapleton International Airport, Denver International Airport, Denver, Getty Images, Airport, CNN Galeville Army, Galeville, United States Military Academy, West, Wildlife Refuge, Fish and Wildlife, Wildlife, Nazi, Maja, Mariscal Sucre International Airport, Old Mariscal Sucre International, Downsview, Canadian Air Force, Downsview Airport, City, Resilience, European Environment Agency, Development, Ellinikon Locations: Athens, Greece, Ellinikon, Boston, Charleston, Beijing, American, Grove, Berlin, Hong Kong, AFP, Europe, Hellinikon, Denver , Colorado, Central, New York, Ulster County , New York, Germany, Quito, Ecuador, Toronto, Downsview Park, Canada, Downsview, City of Athens, ”

☆ 'Every breath you take': Air pollution stifles Europe's health targets
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Juliette Portala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Air pollution is still the largest environmental health risk in Europe," the EEA said. "While emissions of key air pollutants and their concentrations in ambient air have fallen significantly over the past two decades in Europe, air quality remains poor in many areas." Air pollution aggravates respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, with heart disease and stroke cited as the most common causes of related early deaths. "Further efforts will be needed to meet the zero pollution vision for 2050 of reducing air pollution to levels no longer considered harmful to health," the EEA said. The European Commission proposed in October to set stricter thresholds for air pollution but also to enhance the right of citizens to clean air.

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