International Update Volume 43, Issue 13
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<p>The European Commission voted to ban neonicotinoid pesticides linked to declining bee populations, despite opposition from several EU member states. Following a failed vote in March, 15 countries voted for the ban last week, short of the qualified majority needed. However, under EU rules the Commission now has the option of imposing a two-year restriction on the pesticides, which it says it plans to do by December of this year.

<p>The UK supreme court ruled last week that the government was guilty of breaching its legal duty to uphold European Union air quality laws. Britain's highest appeals court said that the government had breached a nitrogen dioxide directive and asked for guidance from the European Court of Justice on what actions need to be taken. The ruling marks the first time that a UK court has recognized that the government has failed to meet EU pollution rules, but the European court may take as long as 18 months to reply with answers to certain legal questions.

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<p>The UK supreme court ruled last week that the government was guilty of breaching its legal duty to uphold European Union air quality laws. Britain's highest appeals court said that the government had breached a nitrogen dioxide directive and asked for guidance from the European Court of Justice on what actions need to be taken. The ruling marks the first time that a UK court has recognized that the government has failed to meet EU pollution rules, but the European court may take as long as 18 months to reply with answers to certain legal questions.

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<p>The best way to meet growing demand for metals is for extraction companies to focus on recycling rather than increased mining, according to a report released last week by the United Nations Environment Programme. UNEP warned that demand for metals is likely to increase tenfold as developing economies emerge, putting severe stress on resources and bringing social and environmental consequences associated with mining. However, current recycling efforts focus on waste streams rather than reusing elements that have already been expensively mined, even though that can be cheaper.

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