France to ban plastic packaging for most fruit and vegetables in January 2022
France’s environment ministry expects that the measure will prevent more than one billion useless plastic packaging items per year.
Climate crisis
The climate crisis demands action — and action is happening. This archive tracks real progress: policy wins, clean-energy milestones, community resilience, and scientific advances that show meaningful change is possible. Stories here come from every corner of the world.
Turkey ratifies Paris Agreement, becoming the last G20 country to join
Turkey’s parliamentarians on Wednesday unanimously approved the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, which aims to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels.
Mongolia to spend no less than one percent of GDP to plant one billion trees
The goal is to create a legal environment in which at least 1% of Mongolia’s GDP to be spent annually on combating climate change and desertification, and on increasing environmentally friendly and green facilities.
New iron-based batteries offer an upgrade to storing renewable energy
“Long-duration energy storage, like this iron-flow battery, [is] key to adding more renewables to the grid,” Venkat Viswanathan, a battery expert and associate professor of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.
Seven nations launch initiative to end new coal power
The Compact calls on nations to halt the construction of unabated coal-fired power generation projects by the end of this year. Initial signatories include Sri Lanka, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Montenegro, France, and the U.K.
U.S. federal judge overturns oil and gas lease sales on 58,000 acres of public lands in Colorado
A federal judge agreed with conservation groups that fracking and drilling will worsen air quality in a region where smog levels have exceeded federal pollution standards and threaten public health.
Ford announces $11.4 billion investment in electric vehicle manufacturing
According to Ford, the move will create 11,000 jobs and enable the company to produce more than a million electric vehicles per year.
World leaders pledge $400 billion to boost clean energy and renewables
More than 35 countries — from small developing island states to major emerging and developed economies — have made significant new energy commitments in the form of energy pacts, the UN said.
Hawaii pledges to conserve, restore or grow 100 million trees by 2030
The One Trillion Trees Pledge is part of the 24-hour Global Citizen Live event today to “defend the planet and defeat poverty” and is meant to achieve net-negative carbon goals and combat climate change.
New California laws make housing more affordable and sustainable
California got three new laws that allow more homes to be built. Denser cities should shorten commutes, lower emissions, and make for more equitable housing.