UK Government U-turns on deletion of ban on hormone disrupting pesticides, claims it was a ‘drafting error’

Following a legal letter from Leigh Day on behalf of CHEM Trust, the UK Government have announced today that they will re-instate a ban on pesticides with endocrine (hormone) disrupting properties in their no-deal Brexit laws.



The Government are claiming this is a drafting error, yet this European ban on endocrine disrupting pesticides has been a major focus of lobbying from pesticide companies and the US government for many years, so it is surprising that such an error could be made accidentally and not be spotted by those who work in the sector.

UK Government U-turns on deletion of ban on hormone disrupting pesticides, claims it was a ‘drafting error’

EU climate deal falls at summit, four countries wield the axe – EURACTIV.com

The European Council failed to agree on Thursday (20 June) on a landmark climate strategy for 2050 as the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary and Poland baulked at the mention of a specific date, despite the efforts of France and Germany to convince them.

Leaders of the EU-28 did not manage to broker an agreement that would have seen member states slash greenhouse gas emissions significantly by 2050, after Estonia and three of the Visegrad Four protested at the inclusion of an explicit date.

The next opportunity to return to the issue will be October, at an end-of-month summit due to be Jean-Claude Juncker’s last as Commission president. The summit is likely to be dominated by Brexit though as the UK is due to leave the bloc at midnight on 31 October.


Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis (R) and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (L) were two of four leaders to block conclusions on the climate deal. [Photo: EPA-EFE/MARTIN DIVISEK]

A final version of Thursday’s conclusions says the EU will “ensure a transition to a climate neutral EU ‘in line with the Paris Agreement’”, replacing the 2050 date that appeared in the latest draft this morning.

Continue reading at: EU climate deal falls at summit, four countries wield the axe – EURACTIV.com

Acute water shortages hit parts of India amid searing heat wave | CBC News

Climate Denial Kills
The southeastern city of Chennai is depending on water tanker trucks as taps run dry.
All four reservoirs that supply Chennai, known as the Detroit of south Asia for its flourishing automobile industry, have run dry this summer, largely because of poor monsoon rains last year.
Chennai is one of 21 cities that a government think-tank warned last year could run out of ground water by 2020. This year's monsoon is delayed, further compounding problems across a swath of western and central India.

People in New Delhi are also being forced to rely on tankers delivering water amid a searing heat wave. (Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters)
Continue reading at: Acute water shortages hit parts of India amid searing heat wave | CBC News

The women leading Asia’s zero-waste movement

China, Indonesia and Vietnam are amoung the worst ocean plastic polluters in the world, according to a 2015 Ocean Conservancy report.
But it's not just their own waste they are swamped with. At its height in January 2017, the UK was exporting 28,000 tonnes of waste to China in just one month alone. Following China's import ban, this fell to close to zero, leaving the UK scrambling for a new destination for its waste.
As images of plastic-choked rivers in Indonesia and dead whales washed onto the shores of the Philippines circulate on social media, individuals in Asia have begun practising a zero-waste lifestyle.
Amongst them are three inspiring women championing zero-waste in China, Indonesia and Vietnam. They spoke to the BBC about their quick tips on how to reduce our impact on the planet.
The women leading Asia’s zero-waste movement

Nature On The Eve Of Destruction -- The UN Extinction Report

One million species are close to extinction, thanks to Homo sapiens.
Thus warns a landmark new report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), presented at the 7th session of the IPBES Plenary meeting earlier this month in Paris.
Sir Robert Watson, Chair of the IPBES, said, “The health of ecosystems on which we and all other species depend is deteriorating more rapidly than ever. We are eroding the very foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide.”

Smokestacks and Garbage. It is no wonder that nature can’t compete in this wasteland of humanity. Bangladesh. See https://populationspeakout.org. M.R.HASASN
The Report highlights the urgency of global decarbonization and the need to increase nuclear power along with all other non-fossil energy sources. But while global warming will have a multiplier effect, this rapid decline in species is not just the result of climate change, but of humans all on their own.
Continue reading at: Nature On The Eve Of Destruction -- The UN Extinction Report

Germany to support EU climate neutrality by 2050 – leaked documents

Germany will join a growing group of EU countries to support the pledge to aim for carbon neutrality by 2050, increasing the likelihood EU leaders will agree to the goal at a meeting this week (20-21 June), several media outlets report. Documents show that Germany has thrown its weight behind an EU-wide target to cut net carbon dioxide emissions to zero by mid-century, after having resisted such calls by several neighbouring countries, including France, for months. Angela Merkel’s spokesperson Steffen Seibert largely confirmed the media reports. [Update adds Seibert's statement.]

Continue reading at: Germany to support EU climate neutrality by 2050 – leaked documents

Montana Judge Stops Mining at Yellowstone’s Doorstep

Thanks to Earthjustice litigation, a proposal for a giant gold mining project near Yellowstone National Park is now entirely off the table.
As people across the country prep for their summer vacations, residents and businesses in Paradise Valley, the northern gateway to Yellowstone National Park, are gearing up to greet them.

A Montana district court blocked an access road for drilling rigs and heavy equipment from tearing up this landscape. PHOTO COURTESY OF WILLIAM CAMPBELL
A destination in and of itself, Paradise Valley offers the full array of the Yellowstone region’s iconic wildlife and magnificent landscapes. With a lot riding on the tourist season, one thing the locals shouldn’t have to worry about is a massive new gold mine driving away tourists.
Continue reading at: Montana Judge Stops Mining at Yellowstone’s Doorstep