article par Matteo Cassinelli (EnvIM 2019) The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an ambitious program of investments aimed at improving connectivity, national cooperation, integration of markets and income of BRI countries. Since it was announced by the Chinese government in 2013, the initiative has risen much hope and concern. Many have seen growth and development possibilities while others have urged caution over the risks related to the projects,
article de Jonathan Preist (RSEDD 2018) On 23 June 2016 the United Kingdom held a referendum on European Union (EU) Membership, with the outcome that the British public voted to leave the EU by a margin of 52% to 48%. At the time of the writing of this article the United Kingdom is still part of the EU and the future of its EU membership is unclear however, should
Juliette Landry (EnvIM 2018) A pathway towards a transformative and inclusive global framework One million species threatened, 75% of lands and 66% of marine ecosystems damaged, for the most part by… humans. The newly released global assessment on biodiversity and ecosystems demonstrated a terrifying reality and an uncertain future. Could multilaterism make a difference and create incentives? The silent crisis International negotiations represent an excellent opportunity
par Martin Courgeon (EnvIM 2018) There is no doubt for anyone anymore that anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are one of the, if not the, greatest challenge of the 21st century. The dangers of global warming caused by the greenhouse gases emissions, notably CO2, are becoming increasingly clear. Some of the impacts of global warming are already visible today, and the private sector must cope with them. Insurance companies for
par Emma Nicolas (EnvIM 2018) When thinking about planet Earth, the first adjective that comes to one’s mind is usually the “blue planet”. Indeed, water composes no less than 75% of the Earth’s total surface (Fig.1). But what about the ground? If water is absolutely necessary to life (and actually complex life came out from water), soils shelter all terrestrial species, including humans. Not only have they been giving
par Yiwen XU (EnvIM 2018) In July 2017, the General Office of China’s State Council issued the Prohibition of Foreign Garbage Imports: The Reform Plan on Solid Waste Import Management, proposing that in 2018, China will ban the import of four classes of waste, including waste plastics from households, unsorted waste paper, waste textile materials, and vanadium slag. What is more, in April 2018, the Ministry of Ecology and
par Lauren Harry-Villain (EnvIM 2018) As China has been the world’s biggest energy consumer since 2009 and is the biggest greenhouse gas emitter (International Energy Agency, 2017), it should play a crucial role in the global effort to reduce CO2 emissions and thereby limit climate change. Notwithstanding the fact that it consumes more coal than any other country by far (IEA, 2018), the country has shown in recent years
par Noémie Levé (EnvIM 2018) Plastic is great, it is lightweight, durable, versatile, hygienic, resistant, and above all cheap. It comes in every shape, color, size and texture. It has transformed our lives for the better in many ways. For instance, plastic bottles allow billions of people to have access to clean water every day, and it helped the space conquest thanks to its strength and weight properties. Without
par Juliette Paemelaere (EnvIM 2018) "Anywhere in the world that you go diving, you shouldn’t grab or take away any marine life” Source: ChinaDaily.com This excerpt from the 2013 Guide on appropriate touristic behaviors issued by the Chinese government revealed the global lack of environmental education of the Chinese people. Though Chinese tourists globally hold a terrible reputation when travelling abroad, scant international literature exist on their behavior at
par Héloïse Dumont (EnvIM 2018) In 2017, China has been the second largest green bond emitter following the United States of America according to the international organisation Climate Bond Initiative. There is currently a growing demand for more responsible investing all over the world, especially towards green finance, which is « the financing of investments that provide environmental benefits in the broader context of environmentally sustainable development, and will require tens
