environmentalism
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The Battle For Skaftafell: A New Development Threatens Our Most Cinematic Beauty
As you drive east along the south coast ring road towards Vatnajökull National Park, you encounter one of the most breathtaking views in Iceland. The long stretches of flat glacial outwash from the volcanic chains, known as sandur, unfold onto a grand…
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Ban On Plastic Straws And Cutlery Confirmed
It will be illegal to put plastic cutlery, dishes, straws, and cotton swabs on the market in Iceland as of July 3rd next year, RÚV reports. Styrofoam and food and beverage containers will also be banned. These amendments on hygiene and pollution…
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Puffins Being Shot By British Trophy Hunters
Activists and MPs in the UK are demanding that imports of puffin-hunting trophies be banned, as an effort to end the practice. Hunters from the UK are increasingly coming to Iceland to lay waste to the cute critters, as killing puffins is…
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Flowers In Town: Blóm Í Bæ Festival Brings Hveragerði To Life
The annual Blóm í Bæ festival (“Flowers in Town,” in English) is happening for the eighth time this weekend in Hveragerði, a town near Reykjavík that’s well-known for its geothermally active location, streets lined with leafy trees, and a gently pastoral atmosphere.…
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Well, You Asked: Only One Nine-Year-Old Child Welcome
Am I a bad environmentalist if I desire nothing more than warm baby puke upon my bosom? Well, technically, yes. Humans are a plague and the environmental toll of having one child adds up to around 58.6 tonnes of carbon each year.…
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Soda Machines And Mass Mail Restrictions: Iceland’s Parliament Responds To Climate Change
Installing a soda machine in the Parliament cafeteria has reduced the number of plastic bottles the legislature uses, the Environment Agency of Iceland says. Restrictions and regulations on mass mailings have also reduced plastic use. Last October, Iceland’s Parliament became a participant…
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Iceland Set To Explore Emissions Trading
Iceland has not been able to reach its Kyoto Protocol targets, and with the Paris Agreement set to go into effect, the Minister for the Environment plans to take action. Fréttablaðið reports that when Iceland ratified its role in the Kyoto Protocol,…
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Iceland’s Parliament To Examine Banning Plastic Bags
In the wake of both an EU directive and a homegrown grassroots movement, Iceland’s Parliament is now examining banning plastic bags altogether. The parliamentary proposal, submitted by the Social Democrats, calls for more than just a ban on plastic bags; it also…
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Green Light For National Park In The Highlands & Vatnajökull, Questions Remain
After several high-profile campaigns in recent years from Icelandic celebrities and environmental agencies—including the Björk and Andri Snær Magnason-fronted ‘Protect The Park’—the Icelandic government has set up a council to found a new National Park in the Highlands. The park would include…
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United Silicon Founder Claims Sneeze Caused Him To Speed At 180km/h
Magnús Ólafur Garðarsson, the founder and former CEO of Iceland’s most popular company United Silicon–which seems to mainly produce poisonous fumes– claimed in court that a sneeze possibly caused him to drive his Tesla at 180km/h on Reykjanesbraut between Reykjavík and Keflavík,…
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“I Thought Quality Of Life Mattered More”
Residents in Reykjanesbær in Suðurnes felt the effects of pollution from the nearby United Silicon plant last weekend. This is yet another incident of many between the town and the plant, and residents have had enough. RÚV reports that due to decrease…
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Head Of Iceland’s Conservation Association: Trump Is A ‘Sociopath’
Árni Finsson, the head of the Iceland Nature Conservation Association has called Donald Trump a “sociopath”, in response to the President pulling the US out of the Paris Agreement. “Well, maybe other words are better at describing him,” Árni said in response…
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Iceland’s Environmental Paradox
The average tourist is primed to think of Iceland as the greenest nation on earth. Advertisements endlessly yammer on about “pure nature,” and shots from ‘Game of Thrones’ and popular movies portray Iceland as a vast, cold wilderness untouched by humans. Every…
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High Hopes And Great Expectations: Three Icelanders Share Their Thoughts On Our New Government
Eleven weeks of negotiations have finally brought us a new government. Shortly thereafter, they made their joint platform public. Health care might be one of the biggest issues, but it isn’t the only one. We reached out to three Icelanders who have…
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Movement To Ban Plastic Bags In Iceland Gaining Ground
Thousands of Icelanders have signed a petition to ban single-use plastic bags in Iceland, and the idea is not as unrealistic as you might think. RÚV reports that Þuríður Helga Kristjánsdóttir initiated the petition, which calls upon whoever Iceland’s next Minister for…
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Reykjavík Aiming To Be Carbon Neutral By 2040
Iceland’s capital has established a formal plan to be completely carbon neutral by 2040. Reykjavík carbon footprint is fairly low as it is. All electricity in the city is derived from hydropower, and heating is provided by geothermally-heated water. However, there is…
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Iceland, The Green Enigma
It is an exciting time to be an environmentalist in Iceland. Exciting, and a bit confusing. Nearly two million tourists will visit Iceland this year, many drawn by the country’s imposing and unspoiled wilderness. The image of Iceland as a green paradise…
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Andri Snær Magnason Will Run For President
Andri Snær Magnason is holding a press conference at the National Theatre tomorrow during which he will announce his run for presidency, reports RÚV. Andri is a well-known writer who has devoted much of his efforts to environmental issues. He is perhaps best known for…
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Foreign Minister: Fighting Climate Change Will Be Expensive
Minister of Foreign Affairs Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson says that fighting against a 2°C warming of the planet will be costly, but Iceland is committed. The Foreign Minister is currently attending the COP21 climate change talks in Paris this week, RÚV reports, where…
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Industry Minister Wants To Meet Björk
Minister of Industry Ragnheiður Elín Árnadóttir says Björk has gotten some facts wrong about the government’s plans for the Highlands, and wants to meet with her to discuss Iceland’s natural world. Vísir reports that Ragnheiður, while happy that Björk has an abiding…
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Garbage In One Place Is Wealth In Another, Says New Minister Of Environment
On Friday, Sigrún Magnúsdóttir, now Minister of Enviroment and Natural Resources, officially received the keys to the ministry, as reported by RÚV. When prompted, by journalists present, to issue a statement on policy, the Minister said she did not intend to make…
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Laugasel: 2,000 Football Fields Under A New Ecovillage
Last January, Þórarinn Einarsson announced on Facebook that he had acquired a 1368 hectare (3380 acres) uninhabited plot of land in the North of Iceland, to share with others interested in creating a sustainable settlement in the area. The name of the…
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Majority Pushes For Eight New Hydro Power Plant Options
Last week’s Thursday, the majority of Alþingi’s Industrial Affairs Committee (AIAC) announced its intention to to re-categorize eight sites as “utilizable” options for the construction of hydroelectric power plants. These have until now been categorized, either as for preservation, or as on…