Roundup – World Environment News (16th October, 2017)

Gucci boss pledges to go fur-free in 2018

Marco Bizzarri, the Chief Executive of Gucci has said that the decision to go fur-free was part of a commitment to “sustainability”. Gucci’s remaining animal fur items will be sold at auction, with the proceeds going to animal rights organisations Humane Society International and LAV. Gucci will also become a part of the Fur Free Alliance – an international group of organisations which campaigns on animal welfare and promotes alternatives to fur in the fashion industry.

Read more here.

The Supreme Court of India has temporarily banned the sale of firecrackers in the National Capital Region in an attempt to reduce pollution

In an effort to check alarming levels of pollution, the Supreme Court of India has placed a temporary ban on the sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR region during Diwali this year. The Apex Court maintained the ban would be lifted on November 1, 12 days after the ‘festival of lights’. The Court stated that adverse effects of firecrackers during Diwali had led to the closing of schools in the National Capital Region last year and the authorities were compelled to take various measures on emergent basis when faced with ‘health emergency’ situation.

Read more on the order here.

Procter & Gamble launches Fairy Ocean Plastic bottle made with 100% recycled plastic

Procter & Gamble Co. has launched the first-ever Fairy Ocean Plastic bottle made from 100% post-consumer recycled (PRC) and ocean plastic. The Fairy Ocean Plastic Bottle was created in partnership with recycling expert TerraCycle and will reach British consumers in 2018. The UK launch of 320,000 bottles will be the largest production run of recyclable dish soap bottles in the world made using ocean plastic. The innovative bottle will be made from 10% ocean plastic, collected from oceans and beaches around the world, and 90% post-consumer recycled plastic and aims to educate individuals on the problem of rising ocean trash.

Read more here.

Thousands protest across Australia against Adani’s coal mine project

Environment groups in Australia have been protesting against the Adani mine to be set up in Queensland as it would contribute to global warming and damage the Great Barrier Reef. The “Stop Adani” movement organised 45 protests, and these national rallies come as new polling showed more than half of Australians opposed the mine. Stop Adani also bases its roots in the Paris Agreement (signed by Australia) and the volatility of building one of the world’s largest coal mines when the Paris Agreement envisions reducing temperatures and climate change.

Read more here.

Trump administration swaps ‘climate change’ for ‘resilience’

In the Trump administration’s list of dos and don’ts, “climate change” is out and “resilience” is in. The changes swapped words like “adaptation” with resilience and also renamed the “Sustainable Transport and Climate Change Team” to “The Sustainable Transportation and Resilience Team,” according to an Environmental Data and Governance Initiative Website Tracking report. That same month, the Environmental Protection Agency removed all mention of climate change from its water utilities programs. The “Climate Ready Water Utilities” program was renamed to “Creating Resilient Water Utilities.”

Read more on this here.

Retailers in Singapore are giving discounts and free food for bringing your own bag, bottle or containers

Retailers in Singapore are acting to reduce plastic waste as part of the Bring Your Own (BYO) campaign launched by environmental non-governmental organisation Zero Waste SG. Zero Waste SG executive director Eugene Tay said his goal is to sign up 500 retail outlets and reduce the number of disposable items by 1,000,000 pieces by the end of the year. Besides the discounts, other customer incentives include cash rebates, free top-ups for food or drinks bought, gifts and reward points.

Read more about this policy here.

David Attenborough urges action on plastics after filming Blue Planet II

Sir David Attenborough has called for the world to cut back on its use of plastic in order to protect oceans. His new BBC TV series, Blue Planet II, is to demonstrate the damage the material is causing to marine life. The broadcaster and naturalist said action on plastics should be taken immediately and that humanity held the future of the planet “in the palm of its hands”. Blue Planet II will include evidence that plastic has flowed into ocean waters thousands of miles from land, and will show albatrosses unwittingly feeding their chicks plastic.

Read more about this worrying news here.

California Wildfires Emitted a Year’s Worth of Car Pollution in Less Than a Week

The wildfires in California released as much air pollution in the Bay Area in a matter of days as motorists in the state normally emit in a year, drastically reducing air quality and creating an immediate health threat. Hospitals around the Bay Area also experienced an increase in visits for breathing difficulties and chest tightness. The air quality levels were so bad, they rivaled those in smog-enshrouded Beijing.

Read more here.

Paris to ban all petrol cars by 2030 in pollution crackdown

Paris will step up its crackdown on polluting vehicles by banning all petrol-fuelled cars from the city’s streets by 2030, the mayor’s office has said. That promise comes in the wake of Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s recently announced plan to ban all diesel cars from the French capital by 2024, the year when Paris will host the Summer Olympics. Only electric-powered cars will be allowed in the world’s most visited city if the latest measures on petrol-fuelled vehicles – which have yet to be formally approved – are enforced.

Read more here.

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