Articles by Valerie Volcovici

What Do Countries and Companies Want in Global Plastic Treaty Talks?

Global leaders will gather in Canada’s capital this week to discuss progress in drafting a first-ever global treaty to rein in soaring plastic pollution by the end of the year. The hoped-for treaty, due to be agreed at the end …

Nations Strike Deal at COP28 to Transition Away From Fossil Fuels

Representatives from nearly 200 countries agreed at the COP28 climate summit on Wednesday to begin reducing global consumption of fossil fuels to avert the worst of climate change, a first of its kind deal signaling the eventual end of the …

Hillary Clinton Calls for Reform of Insurance Sector at COP28 Climate Talks

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Sunday for reform of the insurance sector, where companies are increasingly withdrawing assistance against climate shocks. Lower-income countries and workers in nations most affected by climate change are struggling to access …

France, US Plan to Seek Ban on Private Finance to Coal-Fired Plants at COP28: Sources

France, backed by the United States, plans to seek a halt to private financing for coal-based power plants during the U.N. climate conference later this month, three sources familiar with the deliberations told Reuters in India and Europe. The plan, …

Biden’s Carbon Proposal is Unworkable, Power Sector Warns

U.S. power plant owners warned the Biden administration on Tuesday that its sweeping plan to slash carbon emissions from the electricity sector is unworkable, relying too heavily on costly technologies that are not yet proven at scale. Top utility trade …

What Are the Green Guides and Can They Stamp Out ‘Greenwashing’?

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will weigh major changes for the first time in a decade to its Green Guides, a set of standards for companies making environmental claims, as it sifts through thousands of comments it received on …

Norfolk Southern Ordered to Clean Polluted Ohio Derailment Site

The U.S. government on Tuesday ordered rail operator Norfolk Southern Corp. to clean up contaminated soil and water at the site of a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and to attend all public meetings with local residents. The Environmental …

COP27 Delivers Climate Fund Breakthrough at Expense of Progress on Emissions

Countries closed this year’s U.N. climate summit on Sunday with a hard-fought deal to create a fund to help poor countries being battered by climate disasters, even as many lamented its lack of ambition in tackling the emissions causing them. …

Biden Administration to Declare ‘Forever Chemicals’ Hazardous Substances

The Biden administration said on Friday it will propose designating certain “forever chemicals” as hazardous substances under the nation’s Superfund program, in a bid to spark cleanup of countless sites that have been found contaminated by the toxic industrial compounds. …

Biden EPA to Tackle Coal Industry Carbon With Rules on Other Pollutants

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to use new limits on traditional pollutants like ozone and coal ash to help encourage the retirement of the nation’s remaining coal-fired power plants, after the Supreme Court limited the agency’s ability to impose …