Climate change

‘Politically-driven’ EU carbon market needs more transparency, analysts agree

The European Union’s flagship climate policy instrument, the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), needs more monitoring and transparency in order to prevent “speculation about speculation” and restore political confidence in the market, analysts have said.

EU lawmakers may push 70% emission cut on carmakers by 2030

The European Parliament's environment committee (ENVI) is due to vote on mandatory CO2 standards for car manufacturers on Wednesday (11 May), with the possibility of calling for a 70% reduction target by the year 2030. EURACTIV France reports.

Meddling with EU carbon market could have ‘unintended consequences’, MEP says

A leading European Parliament lawmaker has warned against the potential “unintended consequences” of intervening in the EU carbon market, amid growing calls from some governments and industries to curb the activity of financial actors taking speculative positions in the EU emissions trading scheme (EU ETS).

‘Money time’ for EU carbon market reform in the European Parliament

The lawmaker overseeing the adoption of a key package of EU climate legislation in the European Parliament has urged colleagues to stop fighting over the proposed reform, saying Europe must rise to the occasion in the current geopolitical context.

Climate impact of flying could be two thirds higher than thought

The EU's proposed green aviation law overlooks the true climate cost of flying, with the non-CO2 effects of air travel producing two to four times the impact of carbon emissions, a Greens MEP has said.

How the green paradox and climate policy can become Putin’s nightmare

A commitment by the G7+EU member nations to cut oil demand in the next two decades would incentivise global producers to flood the market with cheap oil and cut financing for Vladimir Putin's regime, write Robert Jeszke and Jan Witajewski-Baltvilks.

Warming in Europe reached 2°C on average in 2021, EU data shows

Europe endured record extreme weather in 2021, from the hottest day and the warmest summer to deadly wildfires and flooding, the European Union's climate monitoring service reported Friday (22 April).

Women are the missing key to tackling climate change in the Muslim World

The Muslim world, and its religious leaders, have a duty to empower women to play crucial civil society roles if climate change is to be slowed and – possibly even reversed, writes Dr Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa.

Why the green vote has struggled in Spain

Climate change and protecting the environment are a major public concern across the world. But while in northern European countries green or environmentalist parties are enjoying great success, in Spain the so-called 'green vote' continues to develop slowly EURACTIV’s partner El Diario reports.

EU Commission lays out plan to become climate neutral by 2030

The European Commission unveiled plans on Tuesday (5 April) to cut its own greenhouse gas emissions by 60% before the end of the decade, saying the remainder will be compensated with carbon removals.

The false promise that burning forest wood can replace Russian fossil fuels

Using forest wood to replace Russian fossil fuel imports would not only be disastrous for the environment, it would also not be a credible energy alternative, writes Karl Wagner.

Five takeaways from the IPCC’s report on limiting dangerous global heating

The world is on track to overshoot 1.5C warming. Leaving fossil fuels in the ground, changing lifestyles and removing CO2 from the air are needed to fix the climate, reports Climate Home News.

Putin backtracks on demand that gas is paid for with roubles

During a call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Russian President Vladimir Putin has pulled back on demanding that gas deliveries be paid in roubles, sparking criticism from Ukraine.

Italians face fines for wasting water as supplies rationed amid drought

Mayors in northern regions turn off taps as country suffers one of its driest winters in 65 years. EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian, reports.

Macron, up for re-election, promises €50 billion for green transition 

French President Emmanuel Macron has promised an ecological transition plan to the tune of €50 billion if he is re-elected to lead the country in an election in April

Heatwaves at both of Earth’s poles alarm climate scientists

Antarctic areas reach 40C above normal at same time as north pole regions hit 30C above usual levels, reports EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian.

War economics means Europe must ban all energy imports from Russia

Europe must fully displace Russian coal, oil and gas as fast as possible. The only option is to initiate a three-step embargo on Russian energy commodities imports to the EU – coal immediately, oil in the coming weeks, and gas by the end of the year, writes Thierry Bros.

EU urged to ban all imports linked to deforestation

Brazilian environmental groups urged the European Union on Monday to pass aggressive legislation banning all imports linked to deforestation, criticizing "gaps" in a draft bill.

The Russian war in Ukraine and the Green Deal

In the light of the change of paradigm brought by the Russian war in Ukraine, there is no reason to halt or denounce the Green Deal, but it makes a lot of sense to significantly amend it, writes Radan Kanev.

Europe needs to strengthen adaptative measures – new UN climate report

It is no longer enough for countries, including those in Europe, to lower emissions in the face of global warming, according to the UN's International Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which also recommended strengthening adaptive measures. EURACTIV France reports.

Researcher: Carbon removal technologies ‘need to be upscaled quickly’

As the European Commission looks at creating a certification scheme for carbon removals at the end of this year, it will need to choose which methods to prioritise with a view to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, according to Dr Oliver Geden.

EU wants to reward farmers and foresters for nature-based carbon removals

By 2030, the European Commission wants a complete overhaul of Europe’s natural landscapes – switching from unhealthy ecosystems at risk of emitting carbon to restored homes for biodiversity that capture and store carbon.

Finnish MEP: 2020s need to be ‘decade of change’ for Europe’s depleting carbon sinks

The next decade needs to see a huge turnaround in the state of Europe's depleting carbon sinks and more incentives for farmers and foresters to capture carbon, if Europe wants to meet its climate goals, according to Ville Niinistö.

Europe aims to scale up infrastructure for permanent carbon removals

The European Commission is looking at ways of building up infrastructure for transporting and permanently storing CO2 underground as well as recycling carbon into new products.