In China, the government is relaunching an initiative that provides subsidies for “green cars,” aimed at promoting the growth of the electric and plug-in hybrid car industry, as well as reducing urban air pollution. The initiative is being relaunched with increased oversight and technical standards after widespread cheating. Last week, the Chinese government released its first list of “recommended” vehicles, which makes 185 car models eligible for government subsidies. For the full story, see http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-china-autos-electric-idUKKBN15712I.

In Paris, the municipal government launched a new color-coding initiative to restrict the use of less-efficient cars in an effort to reduce air pollution in the city. The new initiative, which requires colored stickers to be placed on cars, comes after other efforts to reduce haze—for example, free public transportation and restricting vehicles based on license plates—have proven less successful. The new system will ban diesel-fueled cars registered between 1997 and 2000 from the city, approximately 6% of France’s cars. The Mayor hopes to extend the ban to vehicles registered through 2005. For the full story, see http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-france-pollution-idUKKBN1572IA.