PARIS, France, July 16, 2009 (ENS) - Declining populations of tunas received conservation support from countries bordering the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean this week as governments realize how much damage overfishing has done to the world's tuna stocks. President Nicolas Sarkozy of France today announced his country's support for a ban of international trade in endangered Northern Bluefin Tuna, joining a growing call to list the overexploited fish under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. >>more

GENEVA, Switzerland, July 16, 2009 (ENS) - Driven by Asian demand for rhinoceros horns, worldwide poaching of these endangered animals is at a 15-year high, new conservation research reveals. "Rhinos are in a desperate situation," says Dr. Susan Lieberman, director of the Species Programme, WWF-International. "This is the worst rhino poaching we have seen in many years." >>more

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, July 16, 2009 (ENS) - The Baltic Sea is being contaminated with sewage from cruise ships because most of the major ports in the region have failed to upgrade their facilities to dispose of the waste, according to conservationists with the WWF Baltic Ecoregion Action Programme. Only three of more than 20 cruise ship ports around the Baltic – Helsinki, Stockholm, and Visby – have adequate facilities to handle waste from cruise ships when they dock. In a letter sent today, the conservationists urge ports to upgrade their facilities using some of the millions of euros from cruise ship tourism. >>more

LONDON, UK, July 15, 2009 (ENS) - A comprehensive plan to move the UK onto a permanent low carbon footing and to maximize economic opportunities, growth and jobs was published by the government today. Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said, "The UK was the first country in the world to legislate for carbon budgets. It was a dramatic change in approach. This is a transition plan for Britain, a route-map to 2020, with carbon savings expected across every sector and a carbon budget assigned to every government department alongside its financial budget. >>more

LONDON, UK, July 14, 2009 (ENS) - The European Commission today authorized a national plan proposed by the United Kingdom that introduces a trading system for emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide related to energy consumption, rather than energy production. Scheduled to start in April 2010, the Carbon Reduction Commitment, applies to non-energy intensive sectors not already covered by climate change agreements and the EU Emissions Trading System. Following the passing of the Climate Change Act last November, the UK is now legally required to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 percent by 2050, and 34 percent by 2020. >>more

LA PAZ, Bolivia, July 14, 2009 (ENS) - Bolivian President Evo Morales has signed the world's first law prohibiting the use of both wild and domestic animals in traveling circuses. This is the first national law to ban the use of both domestic and wild animals in circuses. The law arose as a result of evidence gathered during an undercover investigation by the nonprofit Animal Defenders International. >>more