<p>On January 10, China's top planning agency announced plans to launch a series of subsidy-free wind and solar projects this year to address an $18 billion payment backlog. The projects will generate renewable power for sale at the same prices as non-subsidized coal-fired power plants and will not be required to comply with capacity quota restrictions. According to the National Development and Reform Commission, the new policy will further boost income from solar projects by cutting land costs and promoting new market mechanisms like green certificate trading.

<p>The European Union's executive body has approved the slaughtering of some 200,000 wild boars in Poland to protect livestock from the deadly African swine fever. A spokeswoman for the European Commission said that shooting wild boars, which spread the virus, if done properly is one way of stopping the disease. Poland is not the first country to take this approach—Germany killed over 800,000 wild boars last year as a precaution. Massive board hunts are planned for remaining weekends this month.

<p>On January 9, Italy's industry ministry announced plans to halt the issuance of roughly 36 oil and gas exploration permits, including three permits already issued in the Ionian Sea. The proposal is part of the country's long-term plans to cut its carbon footprint, which include phasing out coal power production by 2025 and phasing out fossil fuels by 2050. The ministry has said the proposal will be discussed in parliament in the coming days.