Tag: emissions

Chinese airlines are being urged not to cooperate with a controversial scheme that will force them to buy carbon credits for all flights entering Europe starting on 1 January, the head of the country's aviation industry group said.

With a significant rise of climate-related spending, the European Commission's proposed next EU budget demonstrates a clear commitment to sustainable growth and transforming Europe into a low-carbon society, argues EU Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard.

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.

The entry of airlines into the EU's carbon market next year will add at least €1 billion to their costs, make some operators less competitive and ultimately lead to higher air fares and carbon prices.

The European Commission is preparing tighter regulation for the European carbon market in a bid to clamp down on insider dealing, fraud and manipulation within the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

Both ecologists and companies investing in renewable energies have criticised the approach of the Czech government towards the 20/20/20 climate goals in the EU's 'Europe 2020' strategy. While ecologists blame the government for loosening rules on energy efficiency in buildings, it stands accused by companies of favouring large combustion plants over smaller renewable sources. EurActiv Czech Republic reports.

As 94% of Poland's electricity comes from coal, the country says it needs ''more time than others'' to meet its CO2 reduction targets outlined in the 'Europe 2020' strategy. Polish industry is even more critical of the goals. EurActiv Poland reports.

Despite professing environmental intentions, the Bulgarian government's green strategy has so far been ''completely hollow'' and companies are better adapting to EU environmental laws than the authorities, Boyan Rashev, managing partner at the Bulgarian office of sustainable development consultancy 'denkstatt', told Dnevnik – EurActiv's partner in Bulgaria – in an interview.

Cycling is not only good for the health, but can also help tackle global challenges like climate change and oil dependency, specialists argued at the world 'Velo-City' conference in Brussels this week.

MEPs yesterday (10 March) confirmed their commitment to EU-wide limits for industrial pollution, but with more flexibility in granting permits.

The European Parliament's Environment Committee has voted in favour of slightly watering down limits on nitrogen oxide emissions from trucks and buses, saying too tough a target would simply make it harder for them to cut their CO2 emissions.

Reaching agreement on the EU's energy and climate package before this year's UN conference in Poland is crucial if the bloc is to retain its position as the "motor" of international action on climate change, argues French State Secretary for Ecology Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet in an interview with EurActiv France.

The environmental cost of imported foodstuffs used in restaurants is much higher than previously thought, with cheaper meals carrying higher carbon footprints, according to a study by the University of Nottingham.

Trucks driving around the UK capital will be fined up to £200 per day if they are found to be over EU pollution standards in an attempt to improve the city's poor air quality. The initiative will be closely watched in Brussels as the Commission is currently considering action to 'green' transport in Europe's cities.

Food prices are rising in Europe because it has been too hot and has not rained enough, but also because farmland is increasingly being used for biofuels instead of food production, writes Hans-Werner Sinn, President of the Institute for Economic Research (IFO) and Professor of Economics and Finance at the University of Munich.

The recent UN summit on climate change revealed a "familiar absence of leadership from those with the most power" to mitigate the phenomenon, write James Russell and Janet Sawin for the Worldwatch Institute.

By the end of 2007, trucks and buses could be faced with costly plans from the Commission to reduce harmful emissions, such as particulate matter and nitrogen oxides.

The greenhouse-gas emission impacts from different corn ethanol processing plant types can vary significantly, new research from the US Centre for Transportation Research reveals - from a 3% increase if coal is the process fuel to a 52% reduction if wood chips are used.

A study of more than 4,000 Dutch infants has concluded that young children who live close to busy roads are more at risk of developing respiratory diseases such as asthma.

The Commission is hoping to contribute simultaneously to the diversification of Europe’s energy sources and to the reduction of pollution by promoting hydrogen powered vehicles.

This analsys prepared for the US Pew Center on Global Climate Change tries to compare how nine major world regions have implemented or proposed fuel economy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards. It finds that the EU and Japan - followed by China - currently have the most stringent standards in the world.