Google says it has wiped out its carbon footprint

Having become carbon-neutral in 2007, the company claims it has now offset its entire carbon legacy

All hands on deck: the shipping industry’s mission to become more sustainable

Getting the shipping industry to reduce its environmental impact presents a huge challenge. Fortunately, a number of collaborative initiatives have been launched in the hope of creating a greener future

The UAE unveils its first floating solar power plant

The island of Nurai in Abu Dhabi has recently installed a floating solar power plant that is set to have a capacity of 80 kilowatts

False climate solutions are benefitting no one

Governments within the developed world must re-evaluate their current economic systems in order to drastically cut carbon emissions at the source

Obama bans Arctic drilling

Barack Obama and Justin Trudeau have moved to ban oil and gas drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans ahead of Trump’s inauguration in January

US President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau see eye-to-eye on Arctic drilling ban

On December 21, US President, Barack Obama, and Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, launched a ban on oil and gas drilling in most of Arctic and Atlantic oceans. The ban aims to protect the area’s ecosystems, as well as those indigenous to the region. Obama used a particular 1953 law to make it difficult for the ban to be overturned in the future: marking an effort to ensure the environmental measures remain in force throughout the Trump administration.

The ban covers the “vast majority” of US waters in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, as well as all Arctic Canadian waters which have been designated as “indefinitely off-limits” for future oil and gas licensing.

The ban is intended to protect Alaska Natives and other indigenous communities from oil and gas extraction

A joint statement from the US and Canada said: “[The new measures will ensure] a strong, sustainable and viable Arctic economy and ecosystem, with low-impact shipping, science based management of marine resources, [which is] free from the future risks of offshore oil and gas activity.”

The ban is intended to protect Alaska Natives and other indigenous communities from oil and gas extraction – which has the potential to damage their culture and subsistence. The joint statement emphasised that both Canada and the US are committed to supporting the “well-being of Arctic residents, in particular respecting the rights and territory of indigenous peoples”.

The move will also protect the area’s ecosystems, which are vulnerable to the effects of oil and gas extraction – particularly given the potential for oil spills.

The announcement comes at a time shrouded with uncertainty after president-elect, Donald Trump, plugged campaign promises to eschew environmental legislation and tap into US resources. However, Obama’s move to enforce “indefinite” protections indicates that Trump may be powerless to follow through on such promises.