Tag: CO2

SPECIAL REPORT / From wood stoves to diesel engines, the European Union has promoted fossil fuel alternatives and technology to help meet its obligations to reduce carbon dioxide emissions blamed for climate change. But these are also contribute to dirty air, leaving regulators to figure out some legislative repair work.

Governments must rally to make sure the EU's next long-term budget is geared towards curbing climate change, said an envoy from the World Bank and European lawmakers, warning that the globe was on track for a 4°C temperature rise.

Airlines profited up to €1.36 billion last year by passing “imaginary” costs from the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) onto consumers, says a study by a Dutch environmental consultancy published today (22 January).

After more than a century lighting up the world, the switch will be flicked off across the EU for the final time on incandescent bulbs on Saturday as the phased ban on their sale is completed.

Dumping iron into the sea can bury carbon dioxide for centuries, potentially helping reduce the impact of climate change, according to a major new study. The work shows for the first time that much of the algae that blooms when iron filings are added dies and falls into the deep ocean.

Every country in the world should each make a commitment to introduce a carbon price aligned with a scientifically-validated international standard, say Stéphane Dion and Éloi Laurent.

While the EU is discussing the further steps to Europe’s 'greener economy' as a way to emerge from the financial crisis, its energy dependency on 'dirty fuels' has failed to be addressed, writes Elena Gerebizza of the Campaign for the Reform of the World Bank.

Europe's record-low carbon prices are making carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology more of "an annoyance" in the absence of additional incentives, a delegate told a Brussels conference where policymakers and energy experts assessed the EU's energy strategies in the light of the economic downturn.

Countries opposing an EU law that charges airlines for carbon emissions should consider seeking waivers by adopting equivalent emission reduction measures, the EU's new ambassador to India said yesterday (23 January).

European Union plans to charge airlines for carbon emissions are "discriminatory" and violate global laws, a group of 26 countries including the United States and China, according to a joint declaration.

Recession drove European Union CO2 emissions down by a record 7.2% in 2009, putting the bloc ahead of its climate goals, a report released this week (20 April) by the European Environment Agency (EEA) says.

When the European Commission unveiled plans to slash transport CO2 emissions by 60% by 2050 last week, many assumed the figure would apply to road, rail and air travel in the same way. But EurActiv has learned that the cut for aviation is only 34%, a target both environmentalists and industry sources say is unrealistic.

New rules for limiting gas emissions from light vans were agreed by the European Parliament yesterday (15 February) but they immediately ran into criticism from environmentalists.

A cocktail of climate damage, geopolitics and the quest for new markets is fueling a rapid Chinese move into renewable technologies such as wind, solar and wave power, Miranda Schreurs, director of the Environmental Policy Research Institute at the Freie Universität Berlin, told EurActiv in an interview.