[posted by Sophia Smith Galer on BBC, 28 March 2018] We’re about five metres away from the Mediterranean Sea. To my right, the Zouk Mosbeh power plant pumps out plumes of thick grey smoke into an otherwise bright blue sky. The Jounieh Valley towers behind me over the coastline, a metropolis full of hotels and entertainment venues just outside of Beirut. To my left, I can see some sort of resort in the distance. But all I can smell –...

[posted by Cecilia Erba on Politheor, March 21st, 2018] The production of fossil fuels is still considered of strategic interest in Italy. As of the end of 2015, 114 exploration and 202 exploitation licenses were in force on national territory. Such activities pose a huge threat to the preservation of the environment and the health of local communities. The recently uncovered Val d’Agri affaireexemplifies the damage that oil...

[posted by Anna Pantelia on The Guardian, March 23rd, 2018] Mining for lignite – or brown coal – in Greece is a huge industry. Together with Germany and Poland, the country accounts for more than one-third of the world’s coal production. But for residents of villages in the extraction areas of West Macedonia, it has many impacts, from displacement to health problems. Thick dust suspended in the atmosphere makes it hard to...

[posted by Karen Savage on Climate Liability News, March 26th, 2018] A Canadian legislator introduced a bill on Monday to protect Ontario residents from the costs of climate change-related damages and to make it easier to force fossil fuel companies to pay for infrastructure improvements needed to protect communities from climate impacts. “This act will give Ontarians the legal means to seek compensation from the world’s major...

[posted by Dinesh Sharma on The Wire, March 28th, 2018] New Delhi: Here is more evidence why we need to worry about climate change. A new study says extreme rainfall events are on the rise in India and attributes the trend to human-made emissions, what scientists call anthropogenic warming. Not just this, the trend is likely to become more prominent by mid-century, particularly in southern and central India. While previous studies...

[posted on BankWatch, March 16th, 2018] Multilateral development banks have supported no fewer than 82 hydropower projects across southeast Europe, including in protected areas, according to a study by CEE Bankwatch Network released today. The study finds that the number of hydropower projects in the region that enjoy financial support from multilateral development banks and commercial banks, is even greater than previously known....