Although the US midterm elections gave the Republicans a majority in Congress, a majority of whom hold climate-denying views, the Democrats have not given up fighting climate change. Rhode Island Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse introduced the American Opportunity Carbon Fee Act on the 19th, requiring emitters to pay a fee based on each tonne of emissions, starting at $42 per tonne in 2015, with an annual adjustment of 2% based on inflation. The bill would "compensate polluters for all man-made environmental costs," the White House stated. "Currently, we subsidize large-scale polluters with hundreds of billions of dollars annually, allowing them to pollute the environment without paying any price." The White House believes this mechanism could generate $2 trillion in benefits over 10 years and "give back to the American people." "The costs—health impacts, property damage from rising sea levels, reduced fish catches from ocean warming—will all be borne by the people." If this bill becomes law, all carbon pollution costs will go into the American Opportunity Fund. This bill applies to all coal, oil, and natural gas producers within the United States or importers from abroad, and requires carbon emissions assessments for any non-carbon greenhouse gas emissions or carbon dioxide emissions originating from sources other than fossil fuel industries. Hawaii Democratic Senator Brian Schatz, a co-sponsor of the bill, said, "This bill gives us control over our..."

Thousands of people have been urging Amazon to join Google, Apple, and Facebook in providing a green internet powered by 100% renewable energy. Excitingly, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos seems to have heard the public's voice. On November 20, 2014, Amazon Web Services updated its sustainability webpage, explicitly stating its long-term commitment to using 100% renewable energy for its global internet services. This was a major breakthrough in Greenpeace's long-standing efforts to promote a green internet. Amazon Web Services, a subsidiary of Amazon.com, is the world's largest public cloud computing system. When you watch movies on Netflix, the largest online DVD rental company in the US, browse photos on Pinterest, read reviews on Yelp, book rooms through Airbnb, or post hyperlinks on Reddit, all this data is transmitted and stored through Amazon Web Services' data centers. According to a 2012 report, one-third of internet users visit at least one website using Amazon Web Services daily. Amazon's data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity, and their power consumption is growing at an unimaginable rate.

A survey report reveals that Americans buy consumer electronics far faster than they recycle unwanted ones. A study commissioned by Staples, America's largest office supply retailer, on "American Electronics Recycling Habits" shows that 74% of Americans own more than two televisions, and 38% own more than two smartphones; however, only 8% recycle unwanted electronics. Most Americans don't stop buying newer or more functional products simply because they already own a particular electronic device. The report indicates that over half (52%) of respondents hope to receive electronics as Christmas gifts, with 36% saying they would like the latest technology. When opening gifts, a staggering 56% of those who hoped for electronics found the received items not what they expected. The survey also shows that most people are constantly replacing their old electronics. Over one-third (36%) of respondents replaced their smartphones in the past year, while 23% replaced their televisions. Of those respondents who replaced their home electronics in the past year, only 11% recycled their old devices. As a result, every American household is filled with unused electronic products. On average, every 100 American households owns 139 smartphones, 119 laptops, and 252 televisions. It is estimated that 2

On April 9, 2014, Toyota announced a massive global recall of nearly 6.4 million vehicles due to issues such as airbags failing to deploy and seats potentially shifting during a collision. Just weeks earlier, Toyota had agreed to pay the largest criminal fine ever levied against an automaker for concealing safety defects from the public. This recall includes nearly 1.8 million vehicles in the U.S. market, bringing Toyota's total recalls in the U.S. for 2014 to nearly 2.9 million vehicles, a much faster growth rate than the previous year. Analysts pointed out that the announcement was a sign of Toyota taking a more proactive approach to recalls, which involves numerous models and vehicles manufactured as early as 2006. Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice concluded a four-year investigation into Toyota, finding the company guilty of concealing information and failing to disclose defects that could cause sudden, unintended acceleration in several models, and subsequently levied a $1.2 billion (approximately NT$36 billion) criminal fine against Toyota. "They made a very bold statement, indicating that Toyota will stand by whatever the impact of the recall may be," said Alec Gutierrez, senior analyst at automotive research firm Kelley Blue Book. "Toyota is seizing this opportunity to declare that we will..."

A new global clean technology revolution has arrived, and China is key to its success or failure, said Wu Changhua, President of The Climate Group (TCG) Greater China, at the 2014 Global Clean Technology Summit in Beijing on September 11. Wu pointed out that due to the Chinese government's declaration of "war on pollution" and its strong advocacy of ecological civilization construction to balance economic development needs and promote the construction of an environmentally friendly society, the Global Clean Technology Summit will attract investors, industrial enterprises, clean technology companies, and policymakers from China, Europe, North America, and other markets, contributing to China's clean technology revolution. As a global non-profit organization, The Climate Group, together with the China National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation, co-hosted the Global Clean Technology Summit to guide the innovation and upgrading of clean technologies in China. The clean technology field has enormous potential and opportunities. In 2013, global investment in clean energy reached $254 billion. The world is moving towards a more interconnected era, and clean technology innovation will drive green growth and sustainable development. Wang Yi, deputy director of the Institute of Science and Technology Policy and Management, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that China's economic development is entering a new normal, requiring new industries, especially green industries and clean technologies, to support it. In the process of promoting the development of clean technologies, new industry standards and normative development order are being established, which presents both challenges and opportunities for the industry. The two-day event...

According to a recent report by Global Industry Analysts, the global green building materials market is projected to reach $529 billion by 2020. The practice of green building concepts stems from the use of environmentally friendly technologies and materials, such as insulation made from recycled jeans or wool, recycled concrete, and green roofs made from environmentally friendly materials. The expansion of the green building materials market and its increasing public awareness are due to the benefits of green technologies, stringent government regulations, rising energy costs, declining costs of green building materials, higher resale value of green buildings, and the increase in voluntary green building certification programs. The growing urgency for water and energy conservation, environmental health, and the risk of allergic respiratory infections among residents are key factors driving market growth. Continuous improvements in materials technology, changes in design and construction methods, and the increasing demand for more efficient production of mature products are also contributing to the market adoption of green building materials. The report notes that Americans are the most receptive to and supportive of green practices, making them the world's largest green building materials market. Increasing public acceptance and the long-term energy and health savings of green buildings far outweighing the initial investment are the strongest drivers for voluntarily converting existing buildings into green buildings. Source: Environmental Leading

Imagine a plastic pizza box made entirely of tomatoes. You could bake the pizza and box together, and it would become part of the pizza after baking. Embrapa Instrumentation, a state-owned Brazilian agricultural research company, collaborated with the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture to develop this edible plastic using spinach, papaya, guava, and tomatoes. This technology ensures sustainability in two ways: no food waste and replacement of disposable synthetic materials. "We can let the food recycling industry make the materials. Edible plastic technology can ensure sustainability in two ways: no food waste and replacement of disposable synthetic materials," said Luiz Henrique Capparelli Mattoso, the coordinating scientist for the research project. Embrapa's use of tropical fruits to create the plastic film is a global first. This material has similar physical properties, such as toughness and texture, to traditional plastics, keeping food clean. Edible plastics also open up more possibilities for the packaging industry. Mattoso said that poultry packaging plastic films can also have a flavoring function, and soup packaging plastics can dissolve in boiling water. Edible plastics are made from a mixture of dehydrated ingredients and nanomaterials, where the nanomaterials stabilize the structure. "The biggest challenge in this research is finding the ideal formula, the recipe and proportions of the raw materials, to give the material the properties we want," said José Manoel Marconcini, a materials engineer at Embrapa involved in the project.

In the second half of 2014, 372 voluntary participating companies in the UN Global Covenant failed to submit their sustainability progress reports for two consecutive years and were removed from the UN's participation list, bringing the total number of companies removed in 2014 to 657. Even so, the number of companies that voluntarily declared their membership in the UN Global Covenant based on its sustainability principles far exceeded the number of those removed; from July to December 2014 alone, 729 companies worldwide participated in the initiative. These participating companies declared that they would internalize the 10 principles of the Global Covenant into their business strategies and practice them in their daily operations. The Global Covenant requires participating companies to submit an annual Communication on Progress (COP) report on the implementation of the 10 principles, disclosing sustainability information to stakeholders (investors, consumers, civil society, and governments). The purpose of this policy is to ensure that companies joining the Global Covenant increase their transparency, continuously improve their corporate social responsibility performance, safeguard the integrity of the Global Covenant as a whole, and increase the exchange of best practices in corporate social responsibility. The global covenant has 10 principles regarding human rights, labor, the environment, and anti-corruption, as follows: Human Rights 1. The business community should support and respect internationally recognized human rights; 2.

In California, green commercial buildings certified by third-party certification bodies, in addition to energy efficiency, showed an average reduction of 50% in water conservation, 48% in solid waste reduction, and 5% in transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions compared to similar traditional commercial buildings in similar locations. A survey conducted by the Center for Resource Efficient Communities at the University of California, Berkeley, analyzed over 100 commercial buildings in California that received LEED (Leadership in Energy Management and Maintenance) certification under the 2009 Existing Building Operations and Maintenance (EBOM). While green building typically focuses on energy efficiency, this study incorporated other climate change-related environmental performance into its assessment. To quantify the environmental impact of climate change, experts often translate considerations into greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, this study found that these LEED-certified commercial buildings typically employ strategies ranging from small-scale water conservation in landscaping and resource recycling to large-scale central computer-based energy-saving control systems. The results showed significant reductions in environmental impact. Using greenhouse gas emissions as the unit of measurement for environmental impact, the results show that emissions are reduced compared to traditional commercial buildings in terms of both water conservation and solid waste reduction.

Washington state regulators have referred consumer products with excessive levels of phthalates, cadmium, and lead to a federal investigation. Erika Holmes, a spokesperson for the Department of Ecology (DoE), stated that the test results confirmed these products violated the limits for phthalates, cadmium, and lead under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). The 226 consumer products tested were sampled by DoE personnel from 12 different retail stores and included toys, clothing, and face paint. To determine whether these products complied with CPSIA, they were sent to a certified laboratory. Since 2009, CPSIA has required manufacturers to self-disclose hazardous substances in their products and whether these chemicals exceed limits, but there is no mandatory enforcement. Five years after its implementation, CPSIA's random sampling results revealed that 35% of the 40 tested products exceeded the phthalate limit, with some products containing as much as 190,000 ppm. Of all the tested products, 28% exceeded the phthalate limit by at least 1,000 ppm. In all the tested samples...

Swedish furniture retailer IKEA has had its FSC certification revoked by the international non-profit Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) after it was revealed that the company had cut down 600-year-old trees in protected forests in Russia to make furniture. An investigation by the FSC found that IKEA subsidiary Swedwood had logging contracts for 700,000 acres of the Karelia protected forest, one of Europe's largest forests, located on the border between Russia and Finland. However, logging was required to avoid old-growth areas and hillside forests. The investigation found that Swedwood not only felled critical species but also used protected old trees to make furniture. An IKEA spokesperson confirmed that the company's FSC certification for the Karelia protected forest has been temporarily revoked. The spokesperson stated that the violation stemmed from inadequate forestry facilities, forest management systems, and employee training, and that the company will address these deficiencies and work towards restoring its FSC certification. The IKEA spokesperson also pointed out that this incident further confirms the proper functioning and necessity of the FSC mechanism. Source: Environmental Leader (February 26, 2014) (Compiled by PIDC)

Swedish furniture retailer IKEA has had its FSC certification revoked by the international non-profit Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) after it was revealed that the company had cut down 600-year-old trees in protected forests in Russia to make furniture. An investigation by the FSC found that IKEA subsidiary Swedwood had logging contracts for 700,000 acres of the Karelia protected forest, one of Europe's largest forests, located on the border between Russia and Finland. However, logging was required to avoid old-growth areas and hillside forests. The investigation found that Swedwood not only felled critical species but also used protected old trees to make furniture. An IKEA spokesperson confirmed that the company's FSC certification for the Karelia protected forest has been temporarily revoked. The spokesperson stated that the violation stemmed from inadequate forestry facilities, forest management systems, and employee training, and that the company will address these deficiencies and work towards restoring its FSC certification. The IKEA spokesperson also pointed out that this incident further confirms the proper functioning and necessity of the FSC mechanism. Source: Environmental Leader (February 26, 2014) (Compiled by PIDC)

Speaking at the UN General Assembly's thematic debate on "Water, Sanitation and Sustainable Energy" on the 18th, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pointed out that the international community is currently working to plan and define the global development agenda after the expiration of the UN Millennium Development Goals in 2015. Eliminating extreme poverty and ensuring sustainable development are widely considered the most urgent priorities, but ensuring access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and energy for all is also crucial and must be given a prominent place in the post-2015 development agenda. Ban Ki-moon noted, "In the poorest communities around the world, hundreds of millions of people, especially women and children, spend hours every day gathering firewood and carrying water. Unclean water and household air pollution cause enormous harm to their health. At the same time, the lack of sanitation facilities poses a further threat to health, dignity, and development. Currently, approximately 2.5 billion people worldwide lack adequate sanitation facilities, and at least one billion are forced to defecate in the open. Therefore, we must give high priority to issues concerning people's well-being, such as safe drinking water, sanitation and environmental protection, and sustainable energy, in the post-2015 development agenda." Ban Ki-moon stated that the global population has now exceeded 7 billion and continues to grow. By 2030, the world needs to increase food production by 35% on top of current levels, while freshwater and energy demands will increase by 40% and 50%, respectively. Therefore, countries must develop coordinated and comprehensive policies and innovative strategies to address the severe challenges of water, energy, and sanitation shortages. He therefore called for...

A recent report on plastic recycling released by the American Chemistry Council (ACC) shows that the recycling rate of hard plastics (excluding plastic bottles) in the United States increased by 10% in 2012 compared to 2011. The amount of hard plastics recycled in 2012 exceeded 455,000 tons, more than three times the amount recycled in 2007. This "2012 National Report on Postconsumer Non-Bottle Rigid Plastics Recycling" report summarizes that approximately 8% of the increase in recycling volume came from public waste plastic recycling systems in U.S. cities and towns. About 57% of these recycled hard plastics were processed and recycled by recycling companies in the United States and Canada, but the remaining 43% was almost entirely exported to mainland China for recycling. Polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) plastics accounted for the largest share of all post-consumer recycled hard plastics, totaling 72%, with PP accounting for 38% and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) accounting for 34%. The main sources of these post-consumer hard plastics include plastic crates, buckets, water pipes, automotive parts, and lawn or patio products. Post-consumer recycling of other consumer products such as cutting boards, food containers, other kitchen utensils, toothbrushes, and razors is also increasing. Currently, a small portion of recycled hard plastics is used in composite products, such as outdoor timber, pallets, and railway sleepers.

China is calling on wealthy nations to take a leading role in addressing climate change and helping to avert crises such as heat waves, floods, and sea-level rise. On March 20, China's State Oceanic Administration pointed out that climate change-induced storm surges and sea-level rise caused direct economic losses of 16.3 billion yuan and 121 deaths (including missing persons) in China in 2013. Guangdong Province suffered the most severe direct economic losses from marine disasters, reaching 7.4 billion yuan. Storm surge disasters accounted for 94% of all direct economic losses. Climate change-related sea-level rise and increased sea temperatures are causing more frequent storms and typhoons, affecting coastal areas and exacerbating seawater intrusion and soil salinization. Therefore, in its report to the United Nations, China called on developed countries to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase aid to help poorer countries cope with global warming. China stated that developing countries have done more in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and curbing global warming. “Their contributions to global emissions reduction efforts far exceed those of developed countries,” said Jennifer Morgan, a climate expert at the World Resources Institute (WRI). A report submitted by China indicates that few countries were willing to compromise on reaching an agreement at the 2015 Paris climate summit. The United States and other developed countries argue that emerging economies must also adopt clear emissions reduction targets. China has stated that wealthy nations should provide $40 billion in aid this year to help developing countries address global climate change.

Walmart, the largest retailer in the United States, recently published implementation guidelines for its "Sustainable Chemistry in Consumables Policy" on its website. This policy aims to review and replace concerning chemicals in consumer products sold in Walmart stores. The policy implementation guidelines categorize chemicals into three levels of concern: 1. Priority Chemicals – These are Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) as defined in Article 57 of the EU Chemical Regulation REACH. 2. Walmart Priority Chemicals – This includes thousands of hazardous substances listed in 22 international chemical regulations derived from the EU, the US EPA, and state chemical regulations of other US states. A detailed list is provided in Appendix 1 of the implementation guidelines. 3.

The European Union has implemented the Rapid Alert System for Non-Food Products (RAPEX) since 2004. Its main purpose is to ensure European consumers can purchase safe products. It also serves as an information platform for market surveillance agencies among EU member states and the European Commission to exchange information and quickly notify consumers of dangerous goods. RAPEX publishes weekly reports on the names and brands of notified products, their country of origin, the reasons for being notified as dangerous, and subsequent market handling mechanisms. Since its inception in 2004, thousands of products have been added to the blacklist each year. Notified products are subject to varying degrees of corrective measures under the market surveillance requirements of EU member state authorities, and in severe cases, manufacturers may be required to remove the products from shelves and recall them. This week's latest RAPEX notification (the 11th issue) includes 28 high-risk consumer products. Eight of these are notified because they contain hazardous chemicals that violate REACH regulations, and 19 are related to injuries, including entanglement, suffocation, burns, and electric shock. The following table lists the products with excessive levels of hazardous substances reported in this RAPEX notification: Product | Brand | Country of Origin | Hazardous Substances | Measures Ankle Boots | MANGO | Unknown | Hexavalent Chromium Content 7.2 mg/kg | Hexavalent Chromium is at its maximum

The European Parliament's resolution represents a significant step forward in global efforts to protect the Arctic. Following the support of the Finnish government, the proposal to establish Arctic protected areas has once again garnered endorsement from key political leaders in the international community. Last August, Finland became the first Arctic nation to support the establishment of Arctic protected areas after adopting a new Arctic policy. Conversely, the remaining Arctic Council members, including Norway, Denmark, Canada, and Russia, have largely ignored the growing calls for Arctic conservation. The European Parliament's latest resolution directly challenges countries actively planning to develop Arctic resources. This resolution will also force EU representatives, including former EU Foreign Minister and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, to confront the urgent crisis facing the Arctic. The Arctic, a land untouched by industrial development, is a precious asset shared by all humanity. The proposed Arctic protected area, covering 2.8 million square kilometers, will be the largest protected area on Earth, allowing precious Arctic animals like polar bears and fish from Arctic waters to thrive. It will also provide breathing room for the global climate change crisis. However, Article 38 of the draft European Parliament resolution states: "The European Parliament supports the proposal of five Arctic states that, based on the principle of early warning, all fishing activities or energy development projects should cease in the Arctic high seas in the absence of a suitable management mechanism." This principle is highly likely to put Shell and Russia's state-owned oil company at risk.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has proposed establishing a system to identify potential chemical risks in the food and feed supply chain. The purpose of this system is to produce a list of toxic chemicals that are likely to be highly environmentally cumulative and have not been assessed, regulated, or authorized for use in food and feed. The Authority has developed procedures for identifying substances of concern, starting with chemicals from REACH notifications that have an annual production of at least one tonne in the EU. Screening is based on the following criteria: – Most likely to be released into the environment – ​​High production volume and potential for multiple uses, with persistence and bioaccumulation –

California's Enhanced Consumer Product Safety Regulations (SCP) were finally passed on October 1, 2013. This ambitious and groundbreaking regulation is likely to change market rules and even trigger lawsuits, prompting California product manufacturers, importers, and retailers to take it very seriously. This precedent-setting regulation, which aims to drive green chemistry initiatives in California, has drawn significant attention from stakeholders, especially given Washington's slow progress in reforming the crucial federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and California's large market size. A draft of SCP's priority products will be released before April. The definition of SCP consumer products adopts the definition of consumer products in California's Sanitation Safety Act 25251: "Products used for personal purposes or as a result of using, carrying, or renting parts of a product." Parts used in assembling products are also considered consumer products, but pharmaceuticals, medical devices, dental restoration materials, food, and pesticides are not. The California Enhanced Consumer Product Safety Regulations focus on four key steps: – Identifying candidate chemicals –