Rich states fall short of $100 billion climate finance goal

Wealthy countries fell short of the promised $100 billion of climate finance provided to developing countries in 2019 and are expected to miss the target again for 2020, according to the head of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

How Italy can charm China into global climate action

Mario Draghi can use his role at the helm of the G20 to persuade China to sign up to global climate targets, argue Luca Bergamaschi and Bernice Lee.

EU methane rules must cover the entire gas supply chain, including imports

A group of environmental organisations and global energy companies, including Shell, have called for mandatory EU rules on methane encompassing the entire gas value chain, including imports from abroad, writes Maarten Wetselaar.

EU plans certification scheme for carbon dioxide removals

The European Commission will publish a policy paper by the end of the year on "the sustainable management of the carbon cycle” – the first step towards an EU-wide certification scheme for negative emissions coming from agriculture, forestry and other sources, that will be tabled in 2022.

Just one country on course to meet 1.5°C target, new research warns

Only Gambia is currently on course to deliver climate action that is in alignment with the 1.5°C pathway of the Paris Agreement, according to new research from Climate Action Tracker (CAT), which warns that momentum on updating climate targets has stalled. EURACTIV's media partner, edie.net, reports.

Europe needs to speed up on climate action

Europe's recent push to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions is desperately needed, but it is happening too slowly, with many key measures laid out in the Fit for 55 climate package not coming into force until the 2030s, writes Michael Bloss.

Leak: US, EU pursuing global deal to slash planet-warming methane

The US and the EU have agreed to aim to cut emissions of the planet-warming gas methane by around a third by the end of this decade and are pushing other major economies to join them, according to leaked documents.

Carbon removals must not become an expensive greenwashing tool

Supporters of carbon removal technologies often confuse carbon capture and storage (CCS) with negative emissions. They also risk greenwashing industry claims of climate neutrality, and encourage massive investments in false climate 'solutions' that risk becoming stranded assets, writes Wijnand Stoefs.

European cities must adapt to climate change, EU environment chief says

European cities need to adapt as global warming worsens, leading to more floods and fires on the continent, according to the European environment commissioner, speaking on Thursday (9 September).

As German election nears, EU plays for time on nuclear’s green recognition

The inclusion of nuclear power in the EU’s green finance taxonomy is “the most likely” outcome in view of the scientific reports submitted to the European Commission in the past months, EU experts believe. But Brussels is not entirely decided yet and is seen playing for time before the German election this month.

World’s largest plant capturing carbon from air starts in Iceland

The world's largest plant that sucks carbon dioxide directly from the air and deposits it underground is due to start operating on Wednesday (8 September), the company behind the nascent green technology said.

Climate tops list of global threats in EU ‘strategic foresight’ report

“Climate change and other environmental challenges” are identified as the first biggest challenge that will affect Europe in the coming decades, raising risks ranging from migration pressure to food price shocks, the European Commission said in a report adopted on Wednesday (8 September).

Forest restoration and tree-planting – What impact for climate change mitigation?

The EU has adopted ambitious new targets to curb climate change, with a pledge to make them legally binding.

To stop deforestation, banks too must be reined in

A tough EU law on forest commodities must include both trade and the financial sector, write Irene Wabiwa and Christoph Thies.

Shipping industry proposes levy to speed up zero carbon future

Leading shipping associations have proposed creating a global levy on carbon emissions from ships to help speed up the industry's efforts to go greener.

EU considers debt relief for countries hit by floods, wildfires

The emergency costs related to this summer’s floods and wildfires could be classified as “a one-off” expenditure and therefore excluded from the calculation of EU countries’ public deficits this year, the European Commission has said.

EU urges markets to ‘keep calm’ as carbon price hits €60 record

A senior European Commission official insisted on delivering “a message of calm” during a EURACTIV event on Thursday (2 September), as CO2 prices rose for the first time above the €60 threshold on the EU carbon market.

Extinction Rebellion activists occupy WWF, alleging human rights violations

Climate protestors occupied WWF’s Living Planet Centre in London on Tuesday (31 August), calling for a decolonisation of conservation, as part of a two-week wave of protests that have brought parts of the UK capital to a standstill.

Critics say French state aid scheme will crush citizen energy projects

The European Commission has given the green light to a new French state aid scheme worth €5.7 billion aimed at supporting the production of electricity from small solar installations on buildings. But because the scheme cannot be coupled with other local and regional funding schemes, citizen solar panel projects will probably grind to a halt. EURACTIV France reports.

Maritime transport emissions must be cut sharply, EU agency says

Maritime transport emissions must be drastically cut further if the European Union hopes to become carbon neutral by 2050, the European Maritime Safety Agency warned Wednesday (1 September).

Turkey’s 2021 wildfires are part of a wider environmental failure

Wildfires have occurred in Turkey for thousands of years, but the amount of land destroyed increased significantly in 2021, an embarrassing situation for the government which decided to impose penalties on media outlets that did not appear sympathetic to its position, writes Alexandra de Cramer.

Why Norway’s efforts to curb deforestation abroad is a PR stunt

Norway’s investment of billions in fighting overseas deforestation follows the West’s hypocritical relationship with climate change, once again shifting the blame on developing nations whilst diverting attention away from the West’s culpability in environmental destruction, writes Muhammed Magassy.

Permit for Germany’s newest coal-fired power plant was invalid, court rules

Germany’s youngest coal-fired power plant, Datteln 4, was constructed based on an invalid development plan, a German court ruled on Thursday (26 August), following a case brought against the plant in the north-west of the country.

Greek fires: Blaming climate change is only the start, phasing out fossil fuels is the rest

If Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is to help save Greece – and the planet – from the climate emergency, the changes his government must make are dramatic, writes Jonathan Gant.