The Environment Chronicle

Bulgaria's outgoing parliament confirmed on 27 February an earlier decision abandoning plans for a new nuclear power plant, after a referendum forced a review of the issue. MPs voted with 114 in favour and 40 against to uphold a decision from March 2012 that officially ended the Belene project. The results of the referendum in January 2013 were not legally binding because of the low turnover.

"Objections are raised to the notification by the Federal Republic of Germany of a postponement of the deadline for attaining the limit values for NO2 set out in Annex XI to Directive 2008/50/EC in zones 2, 3, 5-7, 9 (as regards the annual limit value), 10-14, 17, 19, 20, 23, 24 (as regards the annual limit value), 30-42, 44-46 and 56, as specified in the Annex to this Decision."

The twenty-seventh session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC27/GMEF) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was held in Nairobi, Kenya from 18-22 February 2013 at the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON). The meeting was the first Universal Session of the GMEF following the decision of the United Nations General Assembly to strengthen and upgrade UNEP. Delegates adopted 14 decisions on, inter alia: IPBES; coordination across the UN system, including the EMG; oceans; sustainable consumption and production; green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication; advancing justice, governance and law; state of the environment; and chemicals and wastes. The GC also adopted a decision on institutional arrangements that, inter alia, recommends the UN General Assembly rename the Council "UN Environment Assembly of UNEP," and provides that the UN Environment Assembly "will ensure" the active participation of all relevant stakeholders and explore new mechanisms for promoting the effective engagement of civil society in its work, by developing by 2014 a process for stakeholder accreditation and participation.

An estimated 40,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C. on 17 February 2013 for the Forward on Climate Rally on the National Mall. The rally preceded a march to the White House to urge President Barack Obama to take action against climate change and reject the Keystone XL pipeline.

On 15 February 2013, the SIN List was updated to version 2.1, adding additional chemicals to the list of Substances of Very High Concern identified by ChemSec. There are now 626 Substances of Very High Concern on the SIN List, compared with 138 on the official REACH Candidate List.

At the first meeting of the Federal government/Länder round table on the EEG reform on 14 February 2013, Federal Environment Minister Altmaier and Federal Economics Minister Rösler presented a joint proposal on curbing the costs of expanding renewable energies.

The International Year of Water Cooperation 2013 was officially launched on the occasion of a special kick-off event organized at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France on 11 February 2013. The official slogan for the Year was revealed during the ceremony: "Water, Water Everywhere, Only if We Share".

A major reform of the EU's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) which aims to cut fishing to sustainable stock levels, end dumping at sea, and base long-term planning on sound scientific data, was approved by Parliament on 6 February 2013. Overfishing is widely seen as the worst failure of the current CFP, dating from 2002. The new one is to take effect in 2014.

On 28 January 2013, a new smartphone app was introduced by the Federal Environment Ministry together with Hellmann Process Management, which built the app. The free "eSchrott" app helps smartphone users find the nearest facility to drop off electronic waste ranging from hair dryers to laptops to old cellphones. The new app in Germany helps people easily find 3,370 communal collection centers for old electronic devices as well as 8,400 private collection centers for energy efficient lamps containing mercury.

The nations that are members of the Arctic Council have agreed to make Tromsø the permanent home of the Secretariat. On 21 January 2013, a signing ceremony took place in the Norwegian Polar Research Centre. The so-called Host Country Agreement was signed by Foreign Minister of Norway, Barth Eide, and newly appointed Director of the Arctic Council Secretariat ,Mr. Magnús Jóhannesson.

More than 140 nations have adopted the first treaty to reduce mercury emissions.

The world’s first large passenger vessel to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), Viking Grace was delivered to Viking Line on 10 January 2013, and took service on 13 January 2013. LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) is natural gas that has been cooled down to minus 162 degrees Celsius (minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit). This transforms it from gaseous to liquid form and shrinks it 600 times in volume. Natural gas is a fossil fuel that emits about 25 per cent less carbon dioxide during combustion than oil does. The gas burns with a clean flame, emitting neither dust nor soot. It is sulphur-free and is low in nitrogen oxide emissions.

The winners of the German Environmental Award of the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umweltstiftung (DBU)2013 have been selected. The 500,000-euro award, is to be shared in 2013 by the founder and managing director of the company Hock (Nördlingen), Carmen Hock-Heyl (58), and the chairwoman of the board of Netzkauf ElektrizitätsWerke Schönau (EWS) e.G., Ursula Sladek (67). Hock-Heyl is receiving the award because she established insulation batts for house building made out of the eco-friendly raw material hemp on the market, and the “electricity rebel” Sladek is being honoured for creating the first green-energy provider in Germany on the basis of a civic action group.

On 1 January 2013, beverage can deposit celebrated its 10th birthday.

The French city of Nantes had been named as winners of the European Green Capital award for 2013. Nantes, France's sixth largest city with a population of 285 000, has successfully linked its green and blue urban areas, integrating urban challenges with a location on two major rivers (the Loire and the Erdre), through a sustainable water management programme. Several Natura 2000 and other nature conservation areas border the city, and conservation of the flora and fauna are a key concern for its population. Nantes has a long established integrated and sustainable transport policy with a focus on public transport and cycling and was the first French city to successfully reintroduce electric trams. Its ambitious transport policy has reduced air pollution, and a new climate plan aims to cut CO2 emissions by a quarter by 2020. One novel initiative for citizens' health is an allergy risk evaluation system, in the form of an experimental “pollen watch garden”.

European Commissioner for Environment Janez Potočnik has declared 2013 as the Year of Air for EU policies. The plan is to highlight the importance of clean air for all and to focus on actions to improve air quality across the EU.

Moss of the year 2013 is the Marchantia polymorpha, sometimes known as the common liverwort or umbrella liverwort.