The unresolved issue: living next to a polluted site
Many places in Europe have been contaminated by companies which, despite sometimes having been “ordered” to carry out remediation, fail to compensate residents for the damage caused to t...
Climate and air quality, UNEP: every dollar invested generates 15 in benefits
Climate change and air pollution are closely interconnected phenomena, yet they are almost always analysed separately. On the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, on 7 September 2026, the ...
Plastic treaty: civil society and science excluded from Nairobi talks
When Chilean ambassador Julio Cordano was elected the new President of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) tasked with drafting an international plastics treaty, on 7 February in Genev...
Sunscreens: striking a balance between skin protection and environmental impact
This article is part of our Beauty and Cosmetics feature: discover it here With summer approaching, we see the return of ad campaigns, social media tips and warnings on sunscreen. Dermatologis...
GRI Introduces New Sustainability Standard on Soil Pollution
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is undergoing a significant process of innovation. A key part of this process is the introduction of new standards covering ESG issues that had previously not b...
Air pollution: GRI fills a reporting gap
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has recently published the draft of a new reporting standard on air pollution issues, while simultaneously releasing standards on soil pollution and critical in...
Proving the ecocide in Ukraine is challenging
Three hundred kilometres upstream from the dam that no longer exists, on the outskirts of Zaporizhzhia, biologist Vadym Maniuk walks across the parched, crunching ground. Beneath his feet, millions ...
Cities are emitting more methane than they report. And the C40 network is responding
Cities around the world emit far more methane than official inventories suggest. And rather than decreasing, emissions are rising. This is what emerges from a study published on 13 April in Pro...
PFAS: a turning point in Europe as ECHA opens public consultation
This article is part of the thematic channel The Water Observer: subscribe to our newsletter and receive exclusive contents from the world of water Brussels – On 26 March 2026, the European C...
Startup, RiverRecycle: the River-cleaning Service that Gets Communities Involved
“Investing in sustainable solutions is the most effective way to combat ocean plastic pollution. Charitable initiatives alone are not enough. We must put capitalism at the service of a cleaner...
PFAS: inaction will cost the EU €440 billion by 2050
Four hundred and forty billion euros. That is the cost that European society risks incurring by 2050 if the current levels of contamination from PFAS, the so-called “forever chemicals”, ...
2026 will be a turning point for climate litigation
In 2026, the courts will be the new battleground for the climate crisis. This is not a metaphor: Ukraine is preparing to file the first claim for climate reparations in history against Russia, ...
Animal testing: Nearly 400,000 fish used in EU chemical tests
A total of 382,000 fish have been used in completed, ongoing and pending tests required under the European REACH regulation (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) to ...
The United States halted the adoption of the Net Zero Framework
The Net Zero Framework (NZF) is the International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) plan for decarbonising the maritime transport sector, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20-30% by 2020 and...
Asbestos, thousands of schools contaminated: Italy is lagging behind in removal
The bell doesn't ring. Doors are closed and classrooms are empty, not because of a strike or technical malfunction, but because of asbestos lurking in the floors. This happened at the Tasso Institut...
Iberian Wildfires Drive Spain’s Highest Emissions in Two Decades
This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile anche in italiano Summer is also, unfortunately, the season of fires, due to rising temperatures, dry soil and veget...
Startups Step In as Global Plastic Agreement Falters
The latest round of negotiations in Geneva on a global plastics agreement has once again ended without concrete results. More than 180 nations participated, but no consensus emerged. Despite ov...
Global Plastics Treaty, INC-5.2 ends without agreement and amid controversy
This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile anche in italiano After a night of closed-door meetings and a day later than scheduled, the final plenary session of...
Not just microplastics: mineral water may also contain PFAS
This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile anche in italiano ‘Mineral’ does not necessarily mean pure. In recent years, there has been much talk ab...
Miteni PFAS Trial: Historic Ruling Condemns 11 Former Executives
This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile anche in italiano After four years of deliberation, 130 hearings, approximately 300 civil parties involved, and an i...