<p>Ridhima Pandey, a nine-year-old Indian girl, filed a lawsuit against the Indian government last week to bring government attention to the need for action on climate change. India is home to 4 of the world’s top 10 cities with air pollution problems. Although the government has committed to addressing air quality, including changing its energy portfolio to draw at least 40% of its electricity from non-fossil-fuel sources, it has not proven enough.

<p>New information from Colombia’s National Hydrocarbon Agency reveals that the government has granted at least 43 hydraulic fracturing concessions to several multinational companies. The country’s oil and gas sector has been promoting the need to use hydraulic fracturing as conventional oil resources have dwindled. Exploratory drilling is already taking place in the Cundinamarca province, despite protests from local communities.

<p>Although Shanghai has been successful in some environmental protection efforts, the city is lagging behind significantly in its efforts to improve environmental quality. A month-long investigation by the Ministry of Environmental Protection found that garbage was being dumped illegally; approximately a third of the city’s water was unfit for either farm or industrial use; and the city has delayed improvements to its sewage and wastewater treatment.