<p>On June 14, EU negotiators agreed to phase out the use of palm oil in transport fuels by 2030. The wording on the specifics of the phase-out are yet to be agreed upon, but EU negotiators agreed that the use of palm oil would be capped at 2019 levels until 2023 and reduced to zero by 2030. The agreement is part of the EU's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.

<p>Hebei, the steel heartland of China and the country's smoggiest province, has a new plan to encourage enterprises to cut pollution and carbon emissions, upgrade technology, and improve efficiency. Under the new "pace setter" plan, enterprises from industrial sectors like steel, cement, glass-making, coking, and waste-to-energy can obtain "pace setter" status by adopting stricter than necessary emissions standards or implementing a "green supply chain" system.

<p>France is taking aim at cigarette butt pollution, and looking to the tobacco industry for help. The government is asking tobacco companies to voluntarily propose commitments to reduce the number of discarded cigarette butts that litter the country's streets and contaminate its water. If the industry does not produce effective commitments by September, the government will force the industry to participate in measures to eliminate cigarette butt waste.