Why it’s time for a coordinated global approach to plastic pollution

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Mark Schneider, Chief Executive Officer, Nestlé, Antoine de Saint-Affrique, Chief Executive Officer, Danone With the United Nations member governments negotiating on a plastics pollution treaty this week in Paris, the need for coordinated, consistent action across all private […]

Pollution: MEPs support stricter rules to reduce industrial emissions

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. On Wednesday, the Environment Committee adopted its position on EU rules to further reduce pollution and steer large agro-industrial installations in the green transition. The industrial emission directive (IED) lays down rules on the prevention and control of pollution from large agro-industrial installations emissions […]

These entrepreneurs are helping reduce plastic in our ecosystems

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Ewan Thomson, Senior Writer, Formative Content We use over 460 million tonnes of plastics a year, according to the OECD – and that number is set to almost triple by 2060. Less than 10% of all plastic waste ever […]

Pioneering the technology that could lead us to a waste-free world

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Nivedha RM, CEO and Founder, Trashcon Over 90% of all the waste in most cities in developing countries is dumped or burned, causing all kinds of pollution. My street in Bangalore was no different. It was common to see […]

How trade can help end plastic pollution

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Soumyajit Kar, Specialist, Sustainable Trade, World Economic Forum Government representatives are currently meeting in Uruguay to kickstart the first Intergovernmental Negotiation Committee (INC) on reaching an internationally binding treaty to end plastic pollution that the United Nations Environment […]

Why does air pollution disproportionately affect minority ethnic groups?

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Ian Shine, Senior Writer, Formative Content Ella Kissi-Debrah was the first person in the world to have air pollution listed as the cause of death. She was just nine years old when she died. Ella was also from […]

Asia’s megacities are using sensors to detect high-polluting vehicles

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Andrea Willige, Senior Writer, Formative Content Air pollution in the world’s biggest cities is linked to premature death, a new study demonstrates, with Asia particularly affected by high levels of air pollution. Cars are the dominant source of […]

How road pricing is tackling congestion and pollution in cities like London and Singapore

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Kayleigh Bateman, Senior Writer, Formative Content Private vehicle traffic is skyrocketing – bringing with it more traffic jams, longer travel times and worsening air quality. Modifying road pricing can play a pivotal role in solving these challenges as […]

Three experts on why eradicating plastic pollution will help achieve gender equality

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Kristin Hughes, Director, Global Plastic Action Partnership, Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum Geneva Women fight on the frontlines against plastic pollution. The transition to a circular economy for plastics – and the shift to a […]

Want to stop plastic pollution? Start by supporting your local zero-waste business

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Christian Kaufholz, Affiliated Programs and Knowledge Development Manager, World Economic Forum The zero-waste movement has persevered throughout the pandemic, despite weathering significant challenges. Governments, businesses and consumers are increasingly realizing that recycling is not enough to address plastic […]

Scientists say this ‘super plant’ could help soak up pollution on busy roads

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Sean Fleming, Senior Writer, Formative Content 4.2 million premature deaths were caused by polluted air. 91% of people breathe air below WHO quality guidelines. A UK study has found a plant that could help cut pollution levels. The […]

1 in 5 deaths globally caused by fossil fuel pollution, a new study reveals

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Douglas Broom, Senior Writer, Formative Content Burning fossil fuels is causing nearly one in five of all deaths worldwide. A new study found the death toll is almost twice as high as previously thought. China’s clean-air initiatives have […]

Marked improvement in Europe’s air quality over past decade, fewer deaths linked to pollution

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Better air quality has led to a significant reduction of premature deaths over the past decade in Europe. However, the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) latest official data show that almost all Europeans still suffer from air pollution, leading to about 400,000 premature deaths across […]

Scientists now think air pollution is fuelling violent crime

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Douglas Broom, Senior Writer, Formative Content High levels of air pollution may be putting lives at risk in more ways than one. It’s already well known for causing more deaths than smoking. But now a team from Colorado State […]

Trash bin at the top of the world: can we prevent Arctic plastic pollution?

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Halla Hrund Logadottir, Co-Founder and Co-Director, Arctic Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School of Government & Katie Segal, Research Assistant, Arctic Initiative and Louis Bacon Environmental Leadership Student Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School of Government Stranded polar bears, mining disasters, oil spills. […]

Pollution could be harming every part of your body. Here’s how

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Kate Whiting, Senior Writer, Formative Content It’s not just the environment that pollution is harming, it’s also our bodies. In addition to the well-known victim – our lungs – air pollutants can harm “most other organs of the body”, […]

The 10 most common types of plastic choking Europe’s rivers

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Douglas Broom, Senior Writer, Formative Content That our rivers and oceans are choked with plastic is well-documented. But where is all this waste coming from? Based on analysis of almost 200,000 objects found in rivers across Europe, including France, […]

This project is turning abandoned fishing gear into volleyball nets

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Johnny Wood, Senior Writer, Formative Content A team of environmentalists is turning “ghost nets” into sports nets, giving new life to abandoned fishing gear adrift in the world’s oceans. The organisation responsible for world volleyball (FIVB) has teamed up […]

Parliament seals ban on throwaway plastics by 2021

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. On Wednesday, Parliament approved a new law banning single-use plastic items such as plates, cutlery, straws and cotton buds sticks. 560 MEPs voted in favour of the agreement with EU ministers, 35 against and 28 abstained. The following products will be banned in the […]

Parliament proposes policy toolbox to curb air pollution

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. A resolution adopted on Wednesday sets out proposals to tackle air pollution from transport, agriculture and energy sectors. In a non-binding resolution adopted with 446 votes to 146 and 79 abstentions, MEPs underline that air pollution has a local, regional, national and cross-border dimension […]

7 of the world’s 10 most polluted cities are in India

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Alex Thornton, Senior Writer, Formative Content Air pollution is an insidious killer. If you are among the 91% of the world’s population who breathes air the World Health Organisation (WHO) deems unsafe, then every time you inhale, microscopic particles […]

How oysters are cleaning New York’s polluted harbor

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Emma Charlton, Writer 50 gallons of water. That’s more than a bathtub full. It’s also the volume that a single adult oyster can purify in a day, removing pollutants including sediment and nitrogen as it sifts for food. And […]

More than 90% of the world’s children are breathing toxic air

This article is brought to you thanks to the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Emma Charlton, Writer Nearly every person on the planet is breathing in dirty air that is likely damaging our health, often with fatal consequences, according to research by the World Health Organization. Image: Our World In Data Younger […]

Indoor air pollution is deadly. Here’s an unconventional solution

UNEP. Photo: UNEP This article is brought to you thanks to the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Ron Bills, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, Envirofit Just recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed how many lives are impacted by air pollution. Nine out of 10 people on this planet […]

UN Environment Assembly 2017: where the world convenes to #BeatPollution

The third session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) is concluding today in Nairobi, Kenya, with more than 4.000 heads of state, ministers, business leaders, UN officials and civil society representatives to partake in this three-day meeting. Pollution and the ways to eliminate all its forms is the target of every leader, activist, scientist […]

Climate change update: will the UN member states regain momentum despite the little progress at COP23?

The 23rd conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP23) concluded last Saturday in Bonn but little progress was achieved and everyone is now awaiting next year’s negotiations in Poland where a rule book for the Paris agreement has to be finalised. All member states should reconsider their emission cuts upwards via […]

EU Council: The US airlines may freely pollute the European air

The European Union dignitaries could at least have waited for the American Secretary of State, John Kerry, to leave Brussels before offering him yesterday our European dignity as a gift, for his first official visit to the EU capital city. The day that Kerry set his foot on Brussels, the European Council revoked the obligation […]