150 NGOs call on Edi Rama to halt HPPs, protect Vjosa river in Albania
In an open letter to the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, nearly 150 national and international NGOs, are asking the Albanian government to stop the construction of hydropower plants (HPPs) on the Vjosa river. According to a press release from EcoAlbania, the Vjosa river is a hotspot for biodiversity and home to many endangered […]
Just transition report looks into post-coal job prospects in Romania’s Jiu Valley
NGOs Greenpeace and Bankwatch Romania have launched a new report outlining scenarios for the just transition of Romania’s best-known coal region, Jiu Valley, highlighting job growth and economic development without coal is very much possible in the region. The report, Just transition in Hunedoara – Economic diversification in a fair and sustainable manner, outlining scenarios […]
Major action organized at Košutnjak to mark World Cleanup Day in Serbia
A major cleanup action was organized at Pionirski Grad in Belgrade’s Košutnjak forest by Ekostar Pak and the SBB Foundation under the auspices of the Ministry of Environmental Protection to mark World Cleanup Day in Serbia. Cleanup actions were also held in other cities around Serbia. World Cleanup Day, September 21, is the largest volunteer […]
Belgrade joins global climate strike with second Fridays for Future protest
The Fridays for Future global climate strike is taking place around the world today, inspired by 16-year-old Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, who protested outside the parliament in 2018, demanding climate action in line with the Paris Agreement and who later resumed her “school strike for climate” on Fridays. Millions of people are estimated to […]
Taxes on polluting fuels too low to encourage shift to low-carbon alternatives – OECD report
About 70% of energy-related CO2 emissions from advanced and emerging economies are entirely untaxed, offering little incentive to move to cleaner energy, according to a new report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). As world leaders gather for a UN climate change summit amid mounting public pressure for action, a preview of Taxing […]
Children starting school in Belgrade to plant their own tree
A unique tree-planting action is taking place in Belgrade, Serbia, with children being the main protagonists. All first-graders will plant their own tree and monitor its growth until they complete elementary school. The Class Tree is the possible translation of the name of the City of Belgrade’s project to involve all elementary schools and all […]
Greece to start shutting down coal power plants
A business plan being drafted by the management of majority state-owned Public Power Corporation (PPC) includes a “sweeping divestment” of its coal power plants in Greece, Ekathimerini writes. The plan to start shutting down PPC’s coal-fired power plants, which is expected to be ready by mid-November, is meant to be factored into the structural changes […]
Regional cooperation crucial for implementing Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework
Global efforts are under way for preparation of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework that will be adopted next year, and the Biodiversity Task Force (BD TF), which is representing the South-East Europe (SEE) regional perspective, has submitted the joint position that regional cooperation is a key prerequisite to implement the new post-2020 framework. The BD […]