Shell pulls out of Arctic drilling in 2013 amid safety fears
Shell has suspended drilling operations in Arctic waters for 2013 after a series of mechanical failures. However, the oil giant states that it remains committed to exploration in the region. In what is a huge setback for the company’s Arctic plans, the firm has abandoned plans to drill off...
Nestlé CEO: water scarcity is a major threat to the food industry
Nestlé CEO Paul Bulcke has warned about the possible consequences of a global water shortage – a threat that will hit the food industry particularly hard. In a speech at the annual City Food Lecture entitled Water – the linchpin of food security, Buckle argued that the overuse of...
Polar Bear Day aims to inspire action on Arctic crisis
Today is International Polar Bear Day – an event led by the world’s leading polar bear conservation group, Polar Bear International (PBI), to celebrate and protect one of the most elegant creatures on the planet. PBI created the event to draw attention to the recent decline in the polar...
Kellogg’s and Mars among poor performers in Oxfam ethics scorecard
Some of the world’s largest food and beverage companies fail to meet ethical and environmental standards in developing countries, a report by Oxfam has revealed. The Oxfam campaign aims to tackle global poverty and has analysed the social policies of the 10 largest food and beverage companies in its...
Church of England ethical investment arm to promote responsible GM investments
The Church of England Ethical Investment Advisory Group (EIAG) has encouraged the church to take a “precautionary” stance on investments in genetic modification (GM). In an update of its policy on investing in genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the EIAG claims that companies developing GMOs will have to meet strict “ethical...
Deet is losing its effectiveness against mosquitoes, scientists say
Mosquitoes are now able to ignore the widely used insect repellent Deet, say scientists, because their receptors are becoming less sensitive. Deet, whose chemical name is N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, is one of the most common insect repellent in the world, and is depended on for its valuable protection against mosquitoes. It...
Mongolia announced as host of World Environment Day 2013
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced that World Environment Day 2013, whose theme is “Think. Eat. Save. Reduce your Footprint”, will be hosted by Mongolia. UNEP says the country is one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, and has dramatically increased its green investment levels in recent years, especially...
Carbon Trust honours companies with inaugural water reduction award
Coca-Cola Enterprises, Sainsbury’s, Branston and Sunlight are the first four organisations to win a new Carbon Trust award for water reduction. The quartet were revealed as winners on Wednesday, when the Carbon Trust launched their inaugural water standard prize. The organisation says the award aims to “catalyse business action...
International response urgently needed for the Arctic, says UN
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has declared that an international response to challenges in the Arctic is “urgently needed” in its review of the past year. As melting ice increases, new opportunities including easier access to oil and gas, minerals and fisheries are developing. UNEP’s 2013 yearbook, called...
Water efficiency could provide 3.7m jobs by 2020
A comprehensive report released by US thinktank the Pacific Institute has highlighted the vast potential in job growth connected with increased investments in water efficiency. The study, Sustainable Water Jobs: A National Assessment of Water-Related Green Job Opportunities, demonstrates how investments into the sector can help tackle contamination, drought...
Greenpeace aims Twitter decarbonisation campaign at MPs
Environmental group Greenpeace is calling on individuals to tweet MPs, telling them to support an amendment to the energy bill that would see a 2030 electricity decarbonisation target added by April. Conservative MP Tim Yeo and Labour’s Barry Gardiner tabled the additions earlier this month, calling for the government...
Land grabbing poses investors ‘numerous’ financial risks
A new report suggests that land grabbing – which involves buying out huge plots of land for the extraction of resources, usually in developing countries – has substantial financial risks for investors. Acquiring cheap land from emerging economies has become common practice in recent years, according to the report,...
Arctic sea ice loses 36% volume in a decade
Arctic sea ice cover shrunk to its lowest ever point in August last year, but a team of researchers have found that the remaining ice also lost significant volume. Studying a period between 2003 and 2012, scientists using NASA and European Space Agency data found that the size of...
Garden centres to remove insecticides harmful to bees from shelves
Four garden centre retailers that own 60 stores across the UK have pledged to remove a harmful stream of insecticide that has been linked to the declining bee population. Notcutts, Hillier, Squires and Blue Diamond follow the lead of hardware giants Homebase, B&Q and Wickes in taking the neonicotinoid chemicals,...
Defra: horsemeat in lasagne ‘cannot be tolerated’
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) have criticised food producers, retailers and caterers for allowing horsemeat to be used in a number of products. They add that all involved are “concerned”. This comes after an investigation into a lasagne dish...
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