Climate change
Big oil’s ‘double speak’ on climate exposed in new report
The world’s five largest listed oil and gas companies have spent more than $1 billion touting their climate credentials since the Paris Agreement was signed, whilst lobbying to protect and expand their fossil fuel operations, according to new analysis published on Friday (22 March).
Summit leak reveals EU rift on climate change
Confidential documents prepared in advance of a two-day EU summit in Brussels have exposed an East-West divide in Europe on climate change, with Germany siding with Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic in their refusal to commit to climate neutrality by 2050.
Arctic black carbon work hampered by US and Russia, says Finland
The Arctic region’s co-operation in the battle against global warming by reducing black carbon emissions is being hampered by the United States and Russia, the Finnish foreign ministry said on Wednesday (20 March).
Europe ringfences 35% of research budget for clean tech
European Union negotiators struck an agreement late on Tuesday (19 March) to set aside 35% of the bloc’s research funding for climate-friendly technologies, despite ongoing doubts about the overall size of the EU's future budget after Brexit.
Brexit eclipses climate talks in leaked EU summit draft
EU heads of states are expected to reiterate earlier commitments on climate action when they meet in Brussels later this week, despite growing calls from youths across Europe to step up the fight against global warming, according to a draft EU summit statement seen by EURACTIV.
Burning trees as climate mitigation: A resort to the Court
There is no debate that burning wood for energy emits more greenhouse gases per unit of energy than burning fossil fuels. Yet the EU's renewable energy directive continues to uphold that burning forest wood is "carbon neutral," write Jean-Pascal van Ypersele and Mary S. Booth.
Researcher: 100% renewable energy requires ‘a lot of green hydrogen’
The production of so-called green hydrogen from wind and solar electricity is seen as a potential game-changer for the transition to a 100% renewable energy system. But getting there will take some time and some intermediary solutions will be needed, says Daan Peters.
Meeting the call of the youth: Governing the transition towards a climate-neutral Europe
The determination to combat climate change is deeply rooted in the values of the new generation. If well-nurtured, their commitment can drive a sustainable transformation of the whole European economy, write Matilda Axelson and Ólöf Söebech.
The burden of coal at the doorstep of the Energy Union
At a time when the EU strives to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, coal still represents more than half of electricity across much of the Western Balkans and other EU neighbouring countries, writes Janez Kopač. Making things worse, coal plants are intensively supported by Chinese and US capital, without active opposition of the EU, he says.
The Brief – Lessons from a 16-year old girl
School children across Europe are marching today in their hundreds of thousands in an unprecedented mobilisation for the climate, part of a movement which has now turned global.
UK Conservative politicians back ‘inspirational’ school climate strikers
The tide of British public opinion is overwhelmingly with children skipping school to protest climate inaction, data released on Friday shows, as politicians rode the wave of support. EURACTIV's media partner, Climate Home News, reports.
Study charts six scenarios for fossil-free energy by 2050
Cutting energy use in buildings, ramping up renewable electricity and developing large-scale storage with hydrogen are clear options in bringing energy emissions down to zero by 2050, according to a new study published on Thursday (14 March).
EU Parliament votes for 55% emissions cuts by 2030
Members of the European Parliament voted in favour of increasing the EU’s 2030 emission cuts target to 55% and a net-zero mid-century target on Thursday (14 March), bringing an end to weeks of infighting.
EU under pressure to pull the plug on Greek coal aid
Campaigners have urged the European Commission to reject a proposed aid scheme for the Greek power sector, saying the draft plan will allow “backdoor subsidies” for a new coal-fired power plant in Greece, in violation of the EU’s recently-updated electricity market rules.
Bosnian energy project ‘surprises’ EU enlargement chief
Bosnia-Herzegovina’s financial and political support for a coal power plant could have far-reaching consequences on the Balkan country’s EU membership prospects, according to one of the bloc’s top officials.
Resource extraction responsible for half world’s carbon emissions
Extraction industries are responsible for half of the world's carbon emissions and more than 80% of biodiversity loss, according to the most comprehensive environmental tally undertaken of mining and farming. EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian, reports.
Cruise ships chief: ‘The goal is zero impact, just fun’
More gigantic cruise ships will take to the high seas in the coming years, according to industry CEO Michael Thamm. In an interview with EURACTIV, he revealed how cruising intends to embrace low-carbon technologies in an effort to reduce its environmental impact and keep its customers satisfied.
Climate change – A people’s case
A Saami reindeer herder in Sweden's Arctic Circle and a livestock farmer in the Romanian Carpathians are both living proof that climate change is impacting Europe's water resources and endangering our fundamental rights, write a cross-party group of MEPs.
Carbon leakage: Energy-intensive industries and the EU’s decarbonisation roadmap
Does decarbonisation inevitably mean de-industrialisation?
EU bets on innovation to secure energy transition
Breakthrough climate-change-busting technologies are set to benefit from €10 billion in EU funding over the next decade, as the European Commission confirmed its punt on a major new innovation fund.
Investors put airline emissions on the radar, deride short-term thinking
Some of the world’s leading airlines do not have emission-cutting plans than extend beyond 2020, according to new research backed by investors worth trillions of dollars.
Five EU countries call for 100% renewable energy by 2050
EU energy ministers had their first public debate on the European Commission’s 2050 climate plan on Monday (4 March) but five member states derided the lack of a 100% renewable energy scenario among the EU executive’s proposed options.
EU dragged to court for backing forest biomass as ‘renewable energy’
A group of plaintiffs from Estonia, France, Ireland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, and the US are filing a lawsuit against the European Union on Monday (4 March) to challenge the inclusion of forest biomass in the bloc’s renewable energy directive.