Flash news in environnement

At the Belgian level

11/09/2017 - Formal notice sent to Wallonia and Flanders regarding air quality.

This formal notice was sent by Greenpeace. The NGO accuses the two Belgian Region of a lack of action to fight against air pollution, especially nitrogen oxides, as well as to have put in place "an inadequate system of measures" to assess the situation.

28/09/2017 - Fines for overly polluting vehicles

From January 2018, Brussels will set up a low emission zone by gradually excluding the most polluting vehicles.

At the world level

2/08/2017 - the world lives on "credit" since August 2

Humanity has consumed all the resources that the planet can renew in one year, according to the Global Footprint Network. The date falls one day earlier than in 2016.

06/09/2017 - Belgium questions the European Court of Justice over CETA

Minister Reynders announced on Wednesday 6 September the filing of a request for an opinion to the European Court of Justice abput the compatibility of the treaty with European law, and more particularly with the arbitration mechanism (ICS) contained in CETA.

20/09/2017 - Treaty banning nuclear weapons opens for signature

On 7 July 2017, a large majority of countries had approved a treaty banning nuclear weapons. No fewer than 122 UN member states voted in favor of the treaty, and only one opposed it.

27/09/2017 - Controversial decree in favor of mining in the Amazon is removed

The Brazilian president, Michel Temer, has withdrawn this decree. Its object was to convert the natural reserve of Renca, in the north of the country, a surface of the Amazon equivalent to one and a half times Belgium in a mining exploitation.

2/10/2017 - Total, Shell, and Statoil commit to an international CO2 storage project

Statoil, Shell and Total have signed a partnership agreement to develop a CO2 storage project from industrial sites in the Norwegian continental shelf, in the North Sea.

12/10/2017 - The United States withdraws from Unesco

Though they were members since October 2003, the United States announced their decision to leave the UN organization. However, they will preserve an observer status.

12/10/2017 - the Court of Justice of the European Union is seized of preliminary questions concerning pesticides

The Foix Criminal Court (France) referred four preliminary questions to the Court of Justice of the European Union concerning compliance with the precautionary principle of the regulation of 21 october 2009 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market.

13/10/2017 - The European Council decided on the allocation of efforts to reduce greenhouse gases between Members States

The agreement reached by the environment ministers of the different EU members concerns the regulation on the allocation of efforts to reduce greenhouse gases. A final agreement still needs to be reached with the European Parliament. As a reminder, ahead of the Paris Agreement, the European Union committed to reduce its carbon emissions by 40% by 2030 compared with 1990.