E.U. extends carbon market to shipping and road transportation industries
Polluters will have to pay for all greenhouse gases they pollute — CO2, methane and nitrous oxide — when sailing within the EU and 50% of voyages outside of the bloc.
Europe
Energy Dome launches world’s first CO2 battery energy storage facility in Sardinia
These “CO2 batteries” can store renewable energy over long periods and release it quickly, at less than half the cost of big lithium batteries.
England is turning 99,000 hectares of land into nature recovery projects
The initiative consists of five large-scale projects to boost biodiversity, tackle the climate crisis, and expand public access to nature.
German lawmakers approve minimum wage increase
Some 6.2 million workers in Germany are set to benefit from a minimum wage increase to to €12 ($12.90) per hour – an increase of €2.18 per hour effective on October 1.
Finland is the first country to pass a legally binding carbon negativity act
Finland’s parliament recently passed a new Climate Change Act which legally binds it to its commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2035 and negative emissions by 2040.
Germany returns stolen colonial treasures to Namibia
The decision is part of reparations for a period of colonial rule during which Germany committed a genocide against the Namibian people.
Same-sex partners in Croatia can now legally adopt children
Zagreb’s Administrative Court ruled on April 21 that same-sex couples should not face discrimination in state adoption, according to the Rainbow Families Association (RFA).
Switzerland votes for default organ donations to save more lives in the country
Under this new ‘presumed consent’ model, people who do not wish to become organ donors after death must explicitly say so.
The largest battery recycling facility in Europe begins operations in Norway
The Hydrovolt factory is now in commercial operation and expects to recycle 12,000 tons of depleted batteries a year initially, rising to 70,000 tons by 2025 and 300,000 tons by 2030.
First European psychedelic drug trial clinic opens in the U.K.
Clerkenwell Health will begin trials in its London in August, initially focusing on psilocybin treatments and poised to make the U.K. a leader psychedelic research.