Environmental Protection

Food policy isn’t working. Does the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) address the problems, or can agroecology provide the answers?

Benjamin Joyeux interviews Indian activist Vandana Shiva about biodiversity, seed patents, and the commons.

Viewed with suspicion, TTIP hangs over us like a dark cloud. Deemed as a threat to social rights, welfare, the environment and constitutional sovereignty, a civil society resistance movement continues to gain traction. In light of a recent leak by Greenpeace Netherlands further exposing these threats, it is time now to reassess the state of play.

The severe flooding which hit large areas of the Balkan region in spring 2014 highlighted serious flaws in the state response to such emergencies, as well as failures of environmental policy and planning. Fellow citizens and volunteers became a lifeline for those in need, as a result.

Initiatives such as the Agenda for a Sustainable World Cup and the “Green Goal” program aim to reduce carbon emissions at this summer’s event, yet serious questions remain as to whether they promote genuine sustainability and benefits for the population in Brazil.

Greece ranks 15th globally in the number of tourist visitors each year, making the industry a major part of its economy. However for all the benefits the industry brings, poor management and planning threatens the beautiful landscape on which it is based. Recently passed laws look set to make this situation even worse, but WWF is proposing alternatives that can protect Greece’s tourist industry and its environment.

It is more vital than ever to transform the porous structure of the EU into a stable, federal house. A key instrument for this is the budget of the EU, through which European problem-solving capacities can be enhanced.