Climate change
Tropical storm hits Europe, fuels wildfires in Portugal and Spain, batters Ireland
Tropical storm Ophelia killed at least 36 people in wildfires raging through Portugal and another three in Spain on Sunday and Monday (15 and 16 October). Three people died in Ireland as the storm battered the island’s southern coast, knocking down trees and power lines and whipping up 10-metre waves.
Oyster flatulence worries climate scientists
Plans to expand aquatic farming could have a serious knock-on effect on climate change, climate experts have warned after new research revealed that underwater shellfish farts produce 10% of the global-warming gases released by the Baltic Sea.
Merkel suffers local election setback as Schulz survives to fight another day
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives lost a closely-watched regional vote on Sunday (15 October), weakening her hand as she embarks on complex coalition talks following a disappointing showing at last month's general election.
Ministers attach ‘strict conditions’ to EU’s carbon safety reserve
A carbon “safety reserve” aimed at helping poorer EU member states cut emissions in the transport, building and agriculture sectors will be accessible only for countries that reach their 2030 greenhouse gas reduction targets early.
City leader: Europe must simplify rules to help cities become more resilient
Europe is moving in the right direction in helping its cities become more resilient and sustainable, but the EU must streamline its myriad regulations and requirements to move the process along, the leader of an international NGO pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation told EURACTIV.com. Michael Berkowitz, the president of 100 Resilient Cities, also said …
EU rules out tax on plastic products to reduce waste
EU opts for public awareness campaign on the impacts of plastics on the environment saying a tax would not be sustainable, reports EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian.
Buildings law gets preliminary stamp of approval from European Parliament
MEPs on Wednesday (11 October) backed a revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) after a draft report managed to win broad support from across the political spectrum in a key Parliament committee.
Activists denounce EU’s ‘double-faced’ climate policy
Loopholes in a draft EU law aimed at curbing global warming emissions from transport, buildings and agriculture will result in a mere 23% cut by 2030 instead of the 30% originally foreseen, environmental activists have warned, denouncing a cynical ploy by EU member states to dodge their pledges made under the Paris Agreement.
Three ‘Fs’ to fix the Emissions Trading System
European lawmakers are meeting in Brussels on Thursday for (possibly) the final trialogue discussion on revisions to the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). Now is the time to turn rhetoric into real action, urges Rachel Solomon Williams.
Decision time for EU forest and climate policy
Forests are uniquely linked to climate change because they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. So why is the EU on the verge of following a disastrous path in a key area of climate policy? wonders Hanna Aho.
Revision of EU buildings law offers chance for ‘multiple benefits’ wins
Renovating existing buildings and making sure new builds are fit for purpose are the crucial tenets of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), which is being voted in the European Parliament's industry committee this week. EURACTIV.com takes a closer look at the detail of the revised bill.
Closing the loopholes in the EU’s centerpiece climate law
EU member states can enable the upscaling of good examples of local climate action by closing loopholes in the Effort Sharing Regulation, a centerpiece of the EU's climate policy, write Claire Roumet and Femke de Jong.
Sefcovic: France and EU ‘on the same wavelength’ on the energy transition
Europe’s energy transition is irreversible and France is poised to become its leader, European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic said at an event in Paris on Thursday (5 October).
MEPs urge EU to ratchet up climate ambitions ahead of UN summits
The European Parliament on Wednesday (3 October) backed a resolution that calls on the EU to increase its 2030 climate targets and to come up with a mid-century zero-emissions strategy by an all-important UN summit in 2018.
EU power utility boss: ‘Coal is finished, the hard question now is gas’
Apart from Poland, there are no plans to build new coal-fired power plants in Europe, says Francesco Starace. The hard question today is instead who will build a new gas power plant. “And many companies are not doing that either,” he told EURACTIV in an interview.
Photographer warns ‘mankind’s first people’ face extinction
A photo exhibition by Belgian photographer and journalist Roger Job has highlighted the risk of extinction facing the Turkanas, a nomad pastoral population in north-east Kenya, threatened by climate change and a significant recent discovery of natural resources in their lands.
Make or break time: Will the Commission make Europe a true industrial and climate leader?
The European Commission’s new Industrial Policy Strategy is a good start to provide the framework for Europe’s businesses to secure their position as a leading economy in the future, but the hard work is only just beginning, warns Seppo Parvi.
‘Thou shalt not burn coal’: Catholic institutions abandon fossil fuels en masse
Forty Catholic institutions from across the world will pull money out of fossil fuels this week, in the biggest single divestment made by religious institutions, including banks, universities and even the Italian town where Saint Francis of Assisi was born.
Corazza: Society can benefit from ‘gendered’ responses to disruption
In this new disrupted world, conventional thinking will not be enough to address the challenges posed by rapid changes, meaning a gendered perspective is needed to reveal fresh points of view, said Chiara Corazza in an interview with EURACTIV.
Smoke, mirrors and coal dust
Making coal power look like a worthy candidate for taxpayer support in a Europe moving to low carbon generation is no easy trick. A recent study tried to pull off this illusion and failed miserably, explains Dave Jones.
Europe’s two-faced climate change game
EU member states risk undermining the diminishing confidence Europeans have in the Union by playing a two-faced game on climate change, warns Wendel Trio.
UK celebrates greenest summer in history as clean energy records smashed
The UK has set a new landmark for clean energy after authorities announced that the electricity powering British homes and businesses this summer was the greenest ever. EURACTIV’s partner The Guardian reports.
Climate and energy policy could decide next German government
Climate and energy policy could emerge as a make-or-break topic in Germany’s coalition negotiations, after Sunday’s election result put Angela Merkel’s Conservatives on a path to forming a government with the Liberal and Green parties.
Scientists see ‘clear evidence’ of climate change behind 2017 heatwave
The record heat observed across Europe this summer was made “at least ten times more likely” because of climate change, scientists have concluded in a new study released on Wednesday (27 September).