President Obama has ordered the US environmental protection agency and department for transport to develop greenhouse gas standards for medium- and heavy-duty lorries.

A transatlantic coalition of environmental NGOs has been recognised as having sufficient expertise to be allowed to submit evidence to a court case in which three American airlines are claiming the EU’s decision to force aviation into the Emissions Trading Scheme is illegal.

A group of NGOs, including T&E, has sent an open letter to EU president Herman van Rompuy, on the eve of the European Council on 17-18 June, pointing out how investing in a green economy could help the EU overcome the economic crisis.

The European Commission’s communication on biofuel sustainability (1), published today, will do precious little to address the impacts on land and emissions from crop-derived fuels used in transport, according to BirdLife International, ClientEarth, the European Environmental Bureau and Transport & Environment. The four environmental groups remain deeply concerned about the Commission’s failure to address the critical issue of expansion of agricultural land into environmentally sensitive areas when food production is displaced by fuel crops, a process known as indirect land use change (ILUC).

In a letter sent to the European Commissioner for the Environment, Janez Potocnik, T&E - together with a coalition of NGOs - has urged the Commission to stop postponing the adoption of legislation in the field of air pollution and has called for stricter national emission ceilings.

A transatlantic coalition of environmental groups today joined an action at the UK High Court to defend Europe’s right to tackle carbon emissions from foreign aircraft that visit Europe.

Efforts to reduce climate emissions from road freight transport were given a boost last month when the Commission suggested the introduction of carbon dioxide emissions standards for the first time. The idea has been floated in a communication on clean and energy-efficient vehicles, which concentrates mainly on setting a framework for the development of electric cars.

A report for the German government says a range of measures, headed by traffic avoidance, needs to be adopted if transport is to make a meaningful contribution to fighting climate change. The report comes as the latest TERM report on the environmental performance of Europe’s transport shows polluting modes are still rising.

The Commission has dismissed suggestions by the aviation industry that the cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland that disrupted flights over north-western Europe last month should alter the terms under which aviation enters the EU Emissions Trading Scheme in 2012.

A special focus on catering to the coal and steel sector

Contract logistics and distribution sees solid revenue growth and higher margins

DHL offices in Pakistan rally support and provide direct aid

Three smaller demonstrations in vastly different regional locations

DB Schenker and Kuehne + Nagel among those that have had proceedings filed

Group continues European expansion

Fleet test with 15 battery-electric vehicles in Berlin and Stuttgart

The company, a subsidiary of utility giant Exelon, launched what it is calling a "Smart Grid Innovation Corridor" in 10 Northern Illinois communities where there are already smart meters installed in 130,000 homes. Five pilot tests will take place in the corridor, using the smart meter technology as the foundation.

Instead of asking how much cap-and-trade will cost, we should be asking how much it saves us. The glacier in the room is that the real costs won't come from cap-and-trade, but from climate change itself.

Salt Lake City’s Salt Palace Convention Center could be getting the largest rooftop solar facility in the United States.

NexGen Energy and Bella Energy have been chosen to develop a solar installation on the roof of the Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake City. The team presented a plan to install up to 2.6 megawatts of solar modules on the structure. If built to that capacity, the companies say it will be the largest U.S. rooftop solar facility, generating more than 3,330,000 kilowatt hours of electricity every year while reducing the building’s consumption by 25%.

NexGen Energy will own and operate the facility and sell the power to Salt Lake County at a 20-year fixed rate. Bella Energy will design and install the project. Construction is expected to begin later this year. The final contract will include an option for the county to purchase the system in the eighth year. NexGen Energy has retained the renewable energy credits associated with the project.

The Federal Trade Commission's forthcoming 'green guides' for making environmental claims promise to shake up how green -- and not-so-green -- products promote themselves. Here are four things you need to know.