The U.K. goes 55 hours without using coal for the first time in history
No coal was used for power generation by stations in the U.K. between 10:25 p.m. in London on Monday until 5:10 a.m. on Thursday.
Europe
England plans to ban on plastic straws and cotton buds
The U.K. Government is planning to ban plastic straws, stirrers and plastic-tipped cotton buds in a further acceleration of its war on the waste material.
Irish minimum wage rise in 2016 did not increase joblessness, study finds
“Our analysis revealed no negative employment effects because of the 2016 increase.”
U.K.’s Costa Coffee to recycle equivalent of all its takeaway cups each year
U.K.’s largest coffee shop chain has pledged to recycle up to 500m cups a year by 2020 — a fifth of the total used in the country
Decline in plastic bags on seabed near U.K. suggests measures to tackle waste are working
The number of plastic bags found on the seabed has plummeted, suggesting efforts to combat plastic pollution are working.
U.K. supermarket Waitrose to stop using disposable coffee cups
Waitrose, with more than 350 stores in the U.K., will stop using disposable coffee cups in a move the supermarket says will save 52 million cups a year.
Scottish wind power enjoys record-breaking start to 2018
Onshore wind turbines in Scotland are set for another bumper year of generation, with figures for the first three months of 2018 revealing a 44 per cent uptick in wind power output compared to the same time last year.
U.K. department store Selfridges to stop selling single-use plastic bottles
The department store has not stocked single-use water bottles for almost two years and it hopes the latest plan will encourage its clientele to stop using throwaway plastic and instead look to purchase aluminium cans or glass.
German diesel car sales plunge steepens in March
A decline in diesel-car sales in Germany accelerated in March, the first month after a court ruled that cities can ban vehicles to tackle pollution.
Portugal entirely powered by renewable energy for the month of March
Renewable energy accounted for 103.6% of Portugal’s electricity consumption last month.