<p>Britain's high court ruled last week that the government can favor small vessels when redistributing fishing quotas. Small fisherman fought for the government to reallocate unused or underused permits given to large trawlers, saying that smaller ships provide more jobs and are more environmentally friendly than large vessels. It is unclear how broadly the ruling applies, however, because the court only considered unused quotas, which only represent a small fraction of UK's total.

<p>Eight cities in China are likely to follow Beijing's example and restrict the sale of new vehicles, according to an official at <span>the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. The group warned that restrictions could cut sales by 400,000 vehicles, roughly two percent of sales in 2012. The measures would be part of China's overall efforts to control air pollution. </span><span>Kiyotaka Ise, president of Toyota's Lexus brand, said that he would welcome measures that included incentives for hybrid cars.

<p>The European parliament's environment committee voted last week to limit the use of crop-based biofuels. The proposed limit of 5.5 percent of total transport fuel use would seek to ease the environmental damage thought to be caused by some biofuels, especially biodiesel, which accounts for more than two thirds of the EU's market. Recent studies have shown that biodiesel made from vegetable oils such as rapeseed oil, palm oil, and soy oil may do more damage to the environment than conventional diesel.