Environmental awareness is still historically new and, consequently, so are the actions to fight the environmental harms caused by humankind. Climate change is already well-known in data and counts with an international legal framework, especially since 1992, with the establishment of the UNFCCC. The plastic pollution is newer, still lacks data and international legal solutions. But the two biggest environmental problems caused by humankind have … Continuer de lire SEVERAL REASONS WHY: Climate change as one of the motives why we are failing in the fight against plastic pollution by Luísa Cortat Simonetti Gonçalves Coutinho

The European Union has been increasingly active for more than a decade in the conclusion of free trade agreements (FTAs) directly with partner countries and outside the WTO. This has brought to the conclusion of some very large free trade agreements such as the CETA with Canada or the more recent EU-Japan FTA. On the 28th of June 2019 the EU reached an agreement in … Continuer de lire The unsustainable lightness of enforcement procedures: environmental standards in the EU-Mercosur FTA by Giovanni Gruni

The threat of increased emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) and its imminent threat to humankind have forced the EU and other global actors to adopt new regulatory measures. However, transport has continued to be a difficult and complex sector to decarbonise. A study commissioned by EEA found that in 2017 the transport sector accounted for 27% of the EU’s (EU-28) total GHG emissions. A further … Continuer de lire EU’s regulation of car decarbonisation: 25 years on bumpy roads by Mulugeta Getu Sisay

  This article is published as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story     One or two crises? “An absent dog does not bark, says an African proverb. The press has hardly been absent during the coronavirus outbreak; many outlets have run stories about little else. But the focus on the virus has distracted the press … Continuer de lire Coronavirus and climate change crises under EU law: the need for a common, coordinated and consistent risk management strategy by Alessandra Donati

Climate change is considered a driver for environmental sustainability actions in the food system, despite the lack of a comprehensive environmental policy framework and the absence of specific regulation in the food domain. According to EFSA, while a broad range of studies and reports examined the impact of climate change on food security, few scientific research and public policies have focused on food safety and … Continuer de lire Climate change, food law and policy in the ‘period of consequences’ by Marianna Vanuzzo

The EU Emission Trading System (hereafter ETS) has been the subject of a lengthy four-phased strengthening process leading to the construction of the most developed system of the kind in the world. It currently covers 45% of EU total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and is thus a major tool for the fulfilment of the EU’s climate commitments. It relies on a “cap and trade” model: … Continuer de lire On the eve of the launching of the Fourth phase of the EU-ETS: an overview of the developments and expectations surrounding the world’s largest emission trading market by Marie Escorneboueu