WASHINGTON, D.C. — Environmentalists today called on the eight Arctic nations of the Arctic Council to enact a ten-year moratorium on any increase in Arctic shipping to protect endangered beluga whales from the threat of growing ship traffic in their habitat. The moratorium will enable nations to finalize and implement the “Polar Code,” an agreement currently […]
The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has released a new report, Endangered Belugas and the Growing Threats of Climate Change, Arctic Shipping and Industrialization, which comprehensively documents the plight of the beluga whale, a species that was hunted to near extinction throughout its range. Today it continues to face a barrage of threats, including poorly-regulated subsistence […]
Held up as a beacon of hope by environmentalists and governments the world over, the Montreal Protocol has resulted in a 98 percent drop in the production and consumption of ozone depleting substancessuch as CFCs since 1987, corresponding to a reduction of over 10 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions per year. This immense achievement, which […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a landmark rule making today, which reduces the domestic production allowances for HCFC-22 at the lowest level ever and proposes a complete phase-out within five years. HCFCs, or hydrochlorofluorocarbons, are a class of refrigerants that are damaging to the ozone layer, and contribute to global warming. “We […]
Image Credit: Anthonycz/Shutterstock/EIA Today is International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, the theme of which is Ozone Layer Protection: The Mission Goes On. Although the Montreal Protocol eliminated the use of most gases which were damaging the ozone layer, its job is not done as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)—the chemicals which have replaced ozone-depleting […]
By Lisa Handy, EIA Senior Policy Advisor The trafficking of illegal wildlife products threatens security, rule of law, and the survival of the species. Today, a panel of experts, led by retired United States Army General Carter Ham and Congressman Norm Dicks, the former Chair of Appropriations, brought this message to Capitol Hill during a […]