<p>On December 13, a European Union (EU) court partly overturned the European Commission's 2016 regulatory amendment that raised the limits on nitrogen oxide emissions from cars and vans, in a complaint brought by city authorities from Paris, Brussels, and Madrid. The General Court determined that the part of the amendment that increased nitrogen oxide limits exceeded the Commission's authority and broke EU human rights and other laws.

<p>On December 12, the Argentine Congress passed a bill that establishes two new marine protected areas—the Yaganese Marine National Park and the Namuncurá-Burdwood Bank II Marine National Park—covering a total area of about 37,000 square miles. The parks are home to a diversity of marine creatures, including the South American sea lion, rare cold-water corals, and vulnerable and threatened species, like the black-browed albatross and the South American fur seal. The designation of these two parks increases Argentina's total area of protected ocean to approximately 8 percent.

<p>The Tanzanian government has signed an agreement with two Egyptian companies to construct a hydroelectric dam along the Rufiji River in the Selous Game Reserve. The reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is renowned for its animal populations and variety of wildlife habitats. Conservationists say the project would destroy the reserve, which is a tourist draw and source of revenue for the country. The dam is expected to produce 5,920 gigawatts of power annually.