Climate change
Behind-the-curtain of the EU’s 2050 climate plan, part II
In October 2018, EURACTIV revealed how the European Commission was planning to propose an ambitious new climate plan for 2050. Now the EU is on the cusp of agreeing to implement it. Here is how the pieces line up ahead of crunch talks later in December.
UN climate talks failing to address urgency of crisis, says top scientist
Urgent UN talks on tackling the climate emergency are still not addressing the true scale of the crisis, one of the world’s leading climate scientists has warned, as high-ranking ministers from governments around the world began to arrive in Madrid for the final days of negotiations. EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian, reports.
Time is ripe to align EU policies with Paris Climate Agreement
It’s the new Commission’s first weeks in office and climate is in the spotlight, with a European Green Deal expected to be tabled on 11 December. To succeed, the deal needs to enshrine increased climate ambition for the next decade, align the EU budget accordingly and boost EU support to developing countries, writes Wendel Trio.
New SPD leadership on its way to challenge Germany’s Grand Coalition
Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) officially elected Saskia Esken and Norbert Walter-Borjans as the new chairmen at a national conference on Friday (6 December). There was no vote about remaining in the Grand Coalition with the CDU/CSU conservatives, but the new leadership appears to have 'declared war' on them. EURACTIV Germany reports.
SMEs are key to climate protection, says Austrian businesswoman
After having represented the interests of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for four years, Ulrike Rabmer-Koller takes stock, in an interview with EURACTIV Germany, of her successes and discusses her ambitions looking forward in the fight against climate change.
COP25: From agreement to action to combat climate emergency
Although the Paris Agreement itself is an unquestionable success, the real struggle still lies ahead of us. It is time to turn political commitment into policy, write Jytte Guteland, Nicolás González Casares, and Mohammed Chahim.
Revolt brewing against EU’s ‘unrealistic’ climate goals
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has threatened to veto Europe’s goal of becoming the first climate neutral continent in the world by 2050, adding his voice to a growing chorus of discontent as EU leaders prepare for heated climate discussions at a summit in Brussels next week.
CO2-tracking satellites crucial for climate efforts, say space experts
Current Earth observation technologies are not accurate enough when it comes to monitoring carbon dioxide emissions, according to delegates at the EU’s space week in Helsinki. A new system set to launch in 2025 should change all that.
US economist Rifkin: ‘Budgetary rules should not apply to green investments’
While visiting Paris, American economist Jeremy Rifkin talked to EURACTIV France about his hopes for the new European Commission's Green Deal, while calling for a climate narrative that inspires real change across society.
Buildings must be at the heart of the European Green Deal. Here’s why
Making our buildings climate-proof is not only about reducing the 36% of CO2 emissions they are responsible for, but about doing so while caring for the people that live in them, writes Oliver Rapf.
Maturing businesses look to SDGs, Paris Agreement for green guidance
Greener business models are starting to gain in popularity, as environmental legislation starts to bite and company heads decide their balance sheets will look healthier in the long-run if they embrace change.
EU leaders to push for climate neutrality at next week’s summit, draft shows
European Union leaders meeting in Brussels next week will push to agree to put the bloc on net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, their draft joint statement showed on Monday (2 December), heralding a bitter fight looming at their gathering.
EEA chief: ‘We need systemic-type environmental policies’
You can never reach a decarbonised economy by making the combustion engine perform better and become more efficient, says Hans Bruyninck. Breakthrough technologies, not incremental efficiency gains, will bring Europe to its 2050 objectives, he argues.
Europe’s environment ‘at a tipping point’, EU agency says
Europe faces environmental challenges “of unprecedented scale and urgency,” according to a comprehensive overview of air, land and water ecosystems published on Wednesday (4 December) by the European Environment Agency.
Devastating marks for Europe’s environment policies
The verdict of the EEA’s “State of the Environment Report 2020” is scathing. But if we get it right, the European Green Deal can provide us with a unique opportunity to turn the tide, writes Ester Asin.
COP25: Is transport decarbonisation pragmatic enough?
Stakeholders will be meeting in Madrid for the COP25 Climate Change Conference over the next two weeks (2-13 December), and transport decarbonisation is expected to take centre stage in the discussions.
German government seeks to boost dialogue with disgruntled farmers
Following the ongoing protests by farmers in recent months, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner (CDU) were invited to attend an agricultural summit yesterday (2 December). They intend to reinforce dialogue with the agricultural sector, once again. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Ex-finance minister: Gentiloni’s SDG-oversight will be ‘key’
Italy's former finance minister Domenico Siniscalco insists that sustainable finance is going from strength to strength and that it will hold the key to effectively combating climate change. He also believes that compatriot Paolo Gentiloni will play a crucial role.
ECB to review its mandate with ‘open mind’, Lagarde says
The European Central Bank (ECB) will embark on a strategic review of its mandate and instruments to achieve its inflation target of 2% with an “open mind”, its president Christine Lagarde said on Monday (2 December).
Cash for clean air: Between unbankable projects and unpopular measures
EU cohesion funding for environmental measures has not been spent as planned and EU member states are reluctant to apply the “no environmental harm” principle. EURACTIV Slovakia reports. “If you think the economy is more important than environment, try holding...
Green finance sector expected to discuss issue of climate justice at COP25
Just before the COP25, which will take place in Madrid from 2-13 December, France's leading financial institutions discussed the issue of climate justice and corporate social responsibility at the Climate Finance Day, which took place in Paris on 29 November. EURACTIV France reports.
Von der Leyen to start with climate summit, Africa trip
The new head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will attend a climate summit in Madrid and travel to Africa in her first week in the job, highlighting two of the key priorities for the EU executive over the next five years.
Zero-hour on climate, but UN talks in another time zone
Global talks tasked with neutralising the threat of global warming get underway in Madrid Monday (2 December), but their narrow focus on rules and procedures remains out of sync with the world's climate-addled future.
LEAKED: Brussels’ draft proposal for a European Green Deal
The incoming European Commission of Ursula von der Leyen is preparing a raft of new climate and environmental laws as part of a European Green Deal due to be unveiled on 11 December. EURACTIV got hold of a first draft, which is still subject to change.