Lignite - Expensive and unsustainable
Germany continues to invest in brown coal mining, despite ambitious climate targets. Requirements for carbon capture and storage could eventually make the fuel unprofitable. March 2008
Acid News
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Air quality in Europe may be deteriorating
Air quality in Europe has declined in recent years, according to a report from the European Topic Centre on Air and Climate Change (ETC/ACC), which also cautions that the short time period involved makes it difficult to draw reliable conclusions. March 2008
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IMO moves slowly on ship air pollution
Regulation of polluting emissions from international shipping lags far behind land-based sources, despite widely available cleaner fuels and exhaust after-treatment technologies. March 2008
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Proposed binding rules weaken current target
The aim of the proposed new legislation from the European Commission is to limit the average emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from new cars sold within the Union to 120 g/km by 2012. But carmakers will only be responsible for an average of 130 g/km, with the last 10 g/km to be made up by other measures for which legislation will be proposed by the Commission later this year. March 2008
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EU wants to show the way but is aiming low
The EU Commission's climate package calls for a 20-per-cent reduction in emissions by 2020, a fact that may indicate they do not expect an ambitious international agreement. March 2008
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Cleaner fuels could save tens of thousands of lives
According to results from continuing scientific research, premature deaths caused by air pollution from international shipping will total over 80,000 by 2012. Using the same methodology as in previous work, scientists have estimated mortality changes by 2012 associated with three of the six policy scenarios currently under review for the IMO's ship emission regulations. March 2008
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Renewables target remains, but with stiffer requirements for biofuels
When the European Parliament