Italy’s electric car market tripled in 2020
With over 32,000 full electric cars sold, the Italian BEV market tripled in 2020, surging to 2.3% market share.
Europe
This archive covers progress stories and milestones from across Europe, spanning health, climate policy, social equity, and scientific research. From small-nation experiments to E.U.-wide initiatives, these reports highlight what is working and why.
VW opens a recycling plant for batteries at the end of their lives
Volkswagen expects this process to yield the raw materials needed for new battery production, such as copper, aluminum, lithium, manganese, cobalt and graphite.
Court makes “historic” ruling that France is responsible for climate inaction
The court gave the French government two months to take appropriate steps before ordering it to lower emissions or compensating for the effects of its inaction, The New York Times reported.
Dutch court orders Shell Oil to pay for harm done to Nigerian farmers
Royal Dutch Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary must pay punitive restitution to Nigerian villages for oil spill contamination that brought death, illness, and destruction to Nigerian farmers and communities.
U.K. supports climate action in the Global South with $4 billion plan
The U.K. government has announced it will commit at least US $4 billion to climate change solutions in developing countries, helping to protect and restore nature and biodiversity over five years.
64% say climate change is an emergency in world’s largest-ever climate poll
The UN Development Program and the University of Oxford surveyed 1.2 million people across 50 countries through ads distributed in mobile gaming apps. Only 10% think world leaders are doing enough to address climate change.
German scientists make paralyzed mice walk again
German researchers have enabled mice paralyzed after spinal cord injuries to walk again, re-establishing a neural link hitherto considered irreparable in mammals.
Gothenburg, Sweden develops world’s first zero-emissions zone
The developers hope to make the city one of the world’s largest-scale testing grounds for zero-emission technologies. If the initiative works as proposed, Gothenburg Green City Zone will implement 100% emission-free transport modes by 2030.
Vegan restaurant is awarded Michelin Star for first time
The restaurant is in southwestern France and was started by chef Claire Vallée, a 41-year-old former archeologist who became a vegan after a trip to Thailand.
Record number of people sign up for Veganuary challenge
The annual challenge Veganuary announced Tuesday that it had received more than half a million sign-ups and counting, the most in a single year since it first launched in 2014.