Search Results for: Climate change
10 results out of 4041 results found for 'Climate change'.
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES LIBERALISATION OF SPARE PARTS MARKET
BY DAVID HAWORTH, in Brussels
THE EUROPEAN Parliament has given the go-ahead to legislation which will end design protection for most spare parts and other machinery components across the 27-country European Union (EU).
MEPs voted for the changes to the EU’s legal protection of designs directive, which will come into force in 2013, assuming it is backed by the EU Council of Ministers – which shares veto rights over EU legislation.…
COUNTERFEIT AUTO PARTS ABOUND IN CHINA, BUT THE INCREASING SOPHISTICATION OF LOCAL MANUFACTURERS COULD OFFER HOPE
BY MARK GODFREY, in Beijing
THE PRODUCTION of fake car parts is experiencing a "period of significant growth" in China, according to an umbrella group of foreign auto makers in China. In a report, 88% of members of the Automotive Working Group of the Quality Brands Protection Committee (QBPC), a coalition of multinational companies battling intellectual property infringement in China, have estimated losses to counterfeiting or piracy of auto parts, amounting to 15% of their overall sales.…
AL ZOUR: THE WORLD'S LARGEST 'GRASS ROOTS' REFINERY IS BEING BUILT IN KUWAIT
BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Kuwait City
THE KUWAIT National Petroleum Company is pushing ahead with multi-billion dollar energy projects, recently green lighting a US$14 billion budget for the 615,000 bpd Al Zour refinery, the world’s largest purpose built facility of its kind.…
EU MINISTERS STRIKE DEAL ON FOOD ADDITIVES APPROVAL RULES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A HARMONISED authorisation procedure for using enzymes in food products, covering all 27 countries of the European Union (EU), is to be introduced, following agreement at the EU Council of Ministers last night. Until now, enzyme usage has been regulated separately by each EU national government, creating a headache for food producers seeking sales across Europe.…
FUEL COMPANIES KEEN TO JUMP ON THE ECO-DRIVING BANDWAGON
BY CHRIS JONES, in Paris
FUEL companies are getting increasingly involved in support for eco-driving campaigns, but still have the own self-interest at heart, according to Peter Wilbers of Senter Novem, the Dutch energy agency.
Wilbers was speaking at an international forum organised by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in Paris on November 22-23, which brought to together policy-makers, fuel companies, car manufacturers and road users to discuss the role of eco-driving on fuel economy and CO2 emissions.…
UNDERSEA MINING ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS BEING DEVELOPED AS COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS LOOM
BY KEITH NUTHALL
SPACE maybe called the final frontier on TV, but for mining industry and environmentalists, bragging rights must surely go to the ocean deeps – the most inaccessible and unexplored regions on Earth. Speculation has been continuing for decades about the potential mineral riches on ocean floors, however there have always been four obvious problems about extracting them: noone really knows what is down there; the expense of prospecting for such minerals could be prohibitive; there is yet no comprehensive internationally agreed legal regime covering potential work in international waters; and there are risks it could cause irreparable damage to ecosystems that are barely understood.…
ACEA ELECTS PEUGEOT BOSS AS NEW PRESIDENT
BY DAVID HAWORTH, in Brussels
EUROPE’S auto industry announced a change of leadership yesterday when Christian Streiff, CEO of PSA Peugeot Citroën, was elected to replace Fiat’s Sergio Marchionne on New Year’s Day as president of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).…
UNRECOGNISED STATELET REMAINS HOTBED FOR FRAUD
BY DAVID ANDERSON, in Chisinau
AS the European Union (EU) expands its borders ever eastwards, the challenge of dealing with geopolitical and corruption issues grows larger. One such hotspot is Transdniestria, a mixed Russian, Ukrainean and Moldovan-speaking strip of land bordering Moldova, which is recognised by no other country as an independent state.…
EU MINISTERS APPROVE LAW INSISTING ON FIRE-SAFE CIGARETTES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
EUROPEAN Union (EU) ministers have agreed in principle that only fire-safe cigarettes, that stop burning if they are not being smoked, be sold in the EU. Ministers have given the green light to the European Commission to draft a technical standard for all member states, with formal approval being secured in 2008, and introduction of the rule probably coming by 2010.…
ARCTIC NATIONS STRUGGLE FOR ENERGY RIGHTS
BY LARS RUGAARD, in Copenhagen
REPUTEDLY immense riches looming below the glaciated surface of the Arctic Ocean have come within human reach because climate change is gradually thawing the world’s previously frozen-stiff polar regions. But this consequence of a milder physical climate has provoked tension between the countries with an Arctic Ocean, creating echoes of the long defunct cold war, and indicating a long and tough legal and political fight for what could be an important addition to the Earth’s undiscovered hydrocarbon reserves.…