Ban on new petrol and diesel vehicle sales brought forward to 2035

The new goal is five years earlier than previously planned and will include hybrid vehicles for the first time

China announces plastic bag ban for major urban areas by 2021

The nation also plans to stop restaurants giving out single-use straws by the end of 2020 and will force them to reduce the use of all single-use plastic items by nearly a third

Germany to pay out around €40bn in coal phaseout plan

The country aims to end coal power by 2038 at the latest and will compensate utilities, mines and state governments when it does so

Ireland proposes to ban sale of new fossil fuels cars from 2030

The government also intends to stop granting National Car Tests for petrol and diesel vehicles from 2045

Bristol Council votes to ban diesel cars from 2021

Under the plan, all privately-owned diesel vehicles will be banned from entering it every day between 7am and 3pm by March 2021

Former solar panel company directors banned for six years

Solartech North East made almost 75,000 unsolicited calls for direct marketing purposes to subscribers whose numbers were registered with the Telephone Preference Service

Plastic-stemmed cotton buds now banned in Scotland

The move follows concerns about people continuing to flush them down toilets, which contribute to the global marine plastic pollution issue

Tesco to ban brands that use excessive plastic packaging

The supermarket will remove all non-recyclable and hard to recycle materials from its own products

Plastic ban
Ban on plastic straws and cotton buds in England from April 2020

The government said it received ‘overwhelming public support’ for the move

EU Council adopts ban on single-use plastic products

The formal adoption of the new rules is the final step in the procedure