Proposals seek to restore wildlife protections

In the U.S., the Biden administration proposed new regulations to restore protections to the Endangered Species Act. The rules would make it harder to remove species from the endangered list, strengthen protections for threatened species and eliminate a policy that allowed economic assessments to influence species protection decisions. 

These changes reverse the policy of the previous administration.

Historic treaty to protect marine life adopted

The United Nations adopted the first-ever treaty to protect marine life in the high seas to conserve biodiversity and establish marine protected areas. The treaty creates a new body to manage ocean conservation and sets guidelines for environmental impact assessments of commercial activities in the oceans.

Only 1% of the oceans are currently protected.

President Biden backs climate resilience plans

U.S. President Joe Biden announced over $600 million in funding for climate resilience efforts during a visit to a nature preserve in Northern California. The funding will support climate adaptation projects to protect the power grid and help coastal communities prepare for the impacts of climate change, like sea-level rise and storm surge.

The funds were allocated from the Inflation Reduction Act.

China extends EV tax exemptions

China extended tax exemptions for clean energy vehicles through 2027, allowing consumers to continue benefiting from electric vehicle tax breaks amounting to over $4,000 per vehicle. These tax incentives have been instrumental in boosting EV sales in China, making it one of the fastest-growing EV markets globally.

The exemptions will total more than $72 billion.

​