Local officials remove permit for controversial Philippine gold mine
Local activists have hailed the revocation of the permit as a victory in a decades-long campaign against the mine.
Pollution
Pollution touches air, water, soil, and human health across every continent. This archive tracks real progress: bans on harmful chemicals, cleaner waterways, cities cutting emissions, and communities holding polluters accountable. The news is better than you might expect.
Maine bans toxic ‘forever chemicals’ under groundbreaking new law
Maine has enacted a groundbreaking law that will ban the use of toxic PFAS compounds in all products by 2030, except in instances deemed “currently unavoidable”.
Pollution in the Mississippi River has plummeted since the 1980s
The great waterway was shown to become filthier and filthier until 1980, when the effects brought about by the 1972 Clean Water Act (CWA) started to kick in.
Air pollution falls in China after extensive efforts to reduce emissions
New research published by The Lancet and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the China National Key Research and Development Program has found that annual deaths from air pollution in China are now below 1990 levels, having peaked in 2013.
27,000 deaths avoided in the United States by shutting down coal plants
Researchers from the University of California – San Diego found that tens of thousands of deaths had been avoided between 2005 and 2016 by replacing coal plants.
Environmental pollution in China is now declining
For decades pollution in China has paralleled economic growth. But this connection has weakened in recent years, according to a new international research study.
The Indian state of Chhattisgarhwill not build any new coal power plants
The falling costs of solar power means that Chhattisgarh is likely to rely on using solar to fill up any excess demand.
Air pollution in Delhi drops 25% in four years
Five years ago, in 2014, a global study on air quality trends by the World Health Organisation had declared Delhi the most polluted city in the world.
Beijing breathes cleanest air on record
Beijing reported the lowest level of air pollutants in the first half this year since the city started recording related data 35 years ago.
Paris bans nearly 3 million vehicles during weekdays to curb pollution
The policy is set to ban diesel cars and vans made before Jan. 1, 2006, from the city between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays.