Volvo sets goal of 25 percent recycled plastics in cars from 2025
At least 25 percent of the plastics used in new Volvo car models from 2025 will be from recycled materials.
East Asia
Tokyo announces plan to install solar roads in time for 2020 Olympics
Japan has decided to continue the introduction of solar roads on government owned property, and will more likely focus on parking lots.
North and South Korea vow to end the Korean War in historic accord
The leaders of North and South Korea have committed themselves to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and pledged to bring a formal end to the Korean War, 65 years after hostilities ceased.
China meets 2020 carbon target ahead of schedule
China, the world’s biggest energy consumer, cut its 2005 carbon intensity level, or the amount of climate-warming carbon dioxide it produces per unit of economic growth, by 46 percent in 2017, Xie told a forum in Shanghai on Tuesday.
Renault-Nissan aims for next generation battery car in 2025
The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance is working to produce an electric car that uses solid-state batteries as early as 2025, in a move that puts it amid the frontrunners in the global race to launch the next generation of electric vehicles.
China institutes unprecedented ban on the import of plastic waste
China’s “National Sword” policy banned the import of most plastics and other materials headed for that nation’s recycling processors, which had handled nearly half of the world’s recyclable waste. The move was an effort to halt a deluge of soiled and contaminated materials that was overwhelming Chinese processing facilities and causing environmental havoc. Within one year, China’s plastics imports plummeted by 99%, leading to a major global shift in where and how materials are being processed and incentivizing less wasteful behavior around the world.
Hong Kong to host 2022 Gay Games as LGBT acceptance grows in parts of Asia
The win comes amid growing momentum for the gay rights movement in Asia, with Taiwan’s constitutional court this year declaring that same-sex couples have the right to marry, the region’s first such ruling.
China to ban production of petrol and diesel cars ‘in the near future’
The move would follow similar plans announced by France and Britain to outlaw the sale of petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040 in order to clamp down on harmful emissions.
Young democracy activist among Macau election winners
The results released early Monday are a surprising sign of faith in young people with progressive ideas among Macau’s notoriously apathetic electorate.
China to join forces with Canada and EU to continue fight climate change despite Trump withdrawal
Environment ministers representing Canada, China and the European Union will co-host a meeting in Montreal later this month to advance implementation of the Paris climate change agreement.