EU revamps fishing policy to save depleted stocks

BBC News, July 13, 2011

The European Commission has unveiled major plans to reform the EU's fishing industry and stop catches being wasted. The proposal, due to take effect from 2013, would give fleets quota shares guaranteed for at least 15 years. "Discards" will be phased out - the practice whereby up to half the catch of some fish is thrown back into the sea to avoid going above the quota. The environmental group Oceana said the plan had "some positive" aspects but stronger measures were needed. It called the plan "an incomplete work that does not provide the urgently needed strong solutions to restore European seas and ensure the long-term sustainability of fishing". Read more...

Landmark Global Warming Lawsuit Settled

ENN, February 10, 2008

A federal lawsuit that sought to force two U.S. agencies to address the global warming implications of their overseas financing activities was settled Friday after more than six years. The suit established important legal precedents related to global warming.
The plaintiffs, including Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the city of Boulder, filed the suit in 2002 alleging that Export-Import Bank of the United States and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation illegally provided more than $32 billion in financing and insurance to fossil fuel projects over 10 years without assessing whether the projects contributed to global warming or impacted the U.S. environment, as they were required to do under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Read more...

Ποινικές κυρώσεις σε όσους μολύνουν το περιβάλλον υιοθέτησε το Ευρωκοινοβούλιο

In.gr, 21 Μαΐου 2008

Το Ευρωπαϊκό Κοινοβούλιο υιοθέτησε την Τετάρτη οδηγία κατά των προσώπων και των εταιρειών που προκαλούν περιβαλλοντικές καταστροφές, οι οποίοι πλέον θα έχουν ποινικές ευθύνες, δεσμευτικές στο σύνολο των χωρών-μελών, ενώ θα βαρύνονται με το έργο του καθαρισμού της μόλυνσης. Είναι η πρώτη φορά που το Ευρωπαϊκό Κονοβούλιο θεσμοθετεί ποινικές κυρώσεις που θα αφορούν το σύνολο των 27 χωρών-μελών. Παράλληλα η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση εξασφαλίζει με την οδηγία αυτή τη βασική αρχή «ο ρυπαίνων πληρώνει». Διαβάστε περισσότερα...