European Union

Europe’s ‘Green Deal’ doesn’t live up to its name, critics say

What do you get when you take the “new” out of Green New Deal?

With or without the U.S., the world’s going to move forward on climate change

COP22 wraps up with countries determined (for now) to keep Paris Agreement on track.

Younger Brits just had their future decided for them

Brexit may screw over young voters who care about climate change.

Critical List: NRC head Jaczko resigns; Iranian oil exports slow

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair Gregory Jaczko put in his resignation. Not because word got out that he’s a bully! Just because, you know, he had “a feeling now was the right time.” Iran’s oil exports are already slowing as the European Union’s embargo deadline nears. The Humane Society went inside a pig farm and found […]

Will organic free trade really do a world of good?

We're all for trading organic food with the European Union, but let's not forget about food miles.

U.S. gangs up with Saudi Arabia to crush European climate initiative

All the world's countries love to talk piously about the need to address climate change. What happens if someone goes beyond talk to action? If the E.U.'s aviation program is any indication, it ain't pretty.

The European Union bans battery cages for hens

In the European Union, hens can no longer be kept in tiny battery cages that pack them so tightly they could not walk or flap their wings. The EU voted to ban the cages in 1999 but gave the poultry industry 12 years to implement the switch-over. As of 2012, the use of battery cages […]

U.S. is freaking out over tiny E.U. carbon tax on air travel

Long ago, in a land far, far away, where it seemed possible that carbon cap-and-trade would be a thing that we all got on board with, the European Union decided it would make sense to include air travel in its carbon trading scheme, because flying on planes is one of the most carbon-intensive activities that humans engage in. But — psych! — turned out no one (*cough* Congress *cough*) really wanted to deal with carbon. The E.U., however, did not get that memo and still wants to charge American airlines for the carbon they emit on their way to Europe. Here's how that's playing out so far:

The U.S. airline industry: NO FAIR! We'll see you in court, suckers!

The European Union: Um, ok, well, they're our courts. 

European farmers spend millions on knock-off pesticides

Buying a knock-off Louis Vuitton bag is one thing, but in Europe, farmers are buying knock-off pesticides. Counterfeit pesticides have become a multimillion industry over there, and if that sounds like bad news, it is: According to the Wall Street Journal, these knock-offs contain a solvent that the European Union banned because it's a huge problem for pregnant women.

The WSJ's article also makes the E.U.'s efforts to deal with the problem sound like a giant clusterf*ck.  There are loopholes in counterfeiting laws that mean customs can't seize the fake pesticides. The company that's been ripped off has to deal with the goods and try to recoup costs from counterfeiters, who are obviously the sort of people who'll say, "Whoops, you found me! Here are the millions of euros I made selling nasty, dangerous goods under your name!" (Or, as the WSJ puts it: "[P]ractically this can prove complicated and even impossible, as many of these companies are beyond EU jurisdiction or completely bogus.")