<p>Conservative and Green Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) criticized EU proposals to reform farm payouts, saying it falls short on environmental targets and may increase big differences in farmers' incomes. The EU's agricultural committee will vote this week on the proposal, which allows 15 percent of environmental spending to be switched to direct farm support. Under current EU policies, direct payments to farmers make up most of the EU's agricultural budget, which itself makes up 40 percent of bloc spending.

<p>The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its fifth assessment last week, saying that without sustained and substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions the world is likely to see a 1.5C increase in temperatures above pre-industrial levels, and that climate change's effects will continue for several hundred years even if emissions are reduced.