Climate change Archives

The third session of negotiations on the preservation of marine biodiversity in the high seas held under a UN Intergovernmental Conference came to an end in New York on 30 August. However, negotiations only resulted in a framework for a future treaty. EURACTIV's partner le Journal de l'environnement reports.

Luxembourg will push for a deep reform of the Energy Charter Treaty at EU level in order to align it with global climate objectives, said the country’s energy minister Claude Turmes, who did not rule out scrapping the treaty altogether if reform talks don’t progress fast enough.

According to the EU Environment Agency, climate change could turn the entire EU agribusiness upside down, as crop productivity in the Mediterranean countries is expected to drop while northern and western regions may experience more suitable conditions for agriculture intensification.

Climate change is causing problems for Germany's forests, as large woodland areas are dying. The ministry of agriculture is now planning to unlock millions of euros in aid to help prevent new forests from dying out. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Fires that consume the Amazon rainforest are often started by farmers who are attempting to meet the growing demand for soybeans. Now, France wants to convince its European partners of the EU's potential role as a leader on the plant protein market. EURACTIV France reports.

A Scottish gin distillery aims to be the first in the world to produce its alcohol using hydrogen power, after securing a slice of overall funding for clean energy projects worth more than €400 million.

The Swiss government announced on Wednesday (28 August) that it will cut its greenhouse gas emissions to a net-zero level by 2050, taking heed of a landmark UN report on climate change.

Germany's federal cabinet has presented a bill to allocate €40 billion to some federal states so they can prepare for structural changes related to transitioning away from coal. However, it remains unclear when the power plants will be shut down. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Environment, biodiversity and the climate were all on the agenda during the three days of the G7 summit held on 24-26 August in Biarritz, France. However, few concrete decisions were taken. EURACTIV's partner Le Journal de l'environnement reports.

Responding to the unprecedented challenge posed by climate change will require all actors – including the defence and security community – to step outside their comfort zone, writes Luca Bergamaschi.

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro is willing to accept foreign aid for fighting fires devastating the Amazon rainforest, but only if the country controls the funds, his spokesman said Tuesday (27 August).

The world's largest forests, which include those in the Amazon, Equatorial and Siberian regions, have suffered from severe forest fires this summer. These forests play a key role in protecting the climate, as they are crucial for terrestrial carbon sequestration. EURACTIV's partner le Journal de l'environnement reports.

With oil use in cars expected to peak in the mid-2020s, oil companies are seeking shelter in petrochemicals – and plastics – where demand is still going strong. However, even that notion is now being challenged because of a global plastics backlash led by Europe.

On Monday (26 August), the second day of the G7 meeting in Biarritz, France, climate protection was on the agenda. Even though states agreed on a plan to tackle forest fires in the Amazon rainforest, Brazil rejected foreign aid. EURACTIV Germany reports

Africa is still heavily reliant on coal. To protect the climate, leading industrialised countries should help Africa to invest in clean growth and leapfrog to renewables, says former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte have announced they would collaborate to strengthen climate protection at EU level, following a meeting in the Hague on Thursday (22 July). Could this be Merkel’s comeback as the ‘climate Chancellor’? EURACTIV’s partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.

The incoming President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is preparing a ‘Green Deal’ team that may be led by Vice-President Frans Timmermans. Whether the climate and energy briefs will be split or kept together remains to be seen, however. 

Surfrider Europe, a French organisation fighting for clean oceans,  is organising an event ahead of the G7 summit in France. The aim is to call for incorporating ocean protection into international negotiations, particularly those concerning climate change. EURACTIV's partner la Tribune reports.

An all-electric ferry, purported to be the world’s largest, completed its first voyage between two Danish islands last week, as the shipping sector gears up for strict new emission laws due to take effect in 2020.

On Monday (29 July), which is three days earlier than last year, humanity had consumed more resources than the planet is capable of offering within a year. This is according to a report by the environmental NGO Global Footprint Network. EURACTIV's partner le Journal de l'Environnement reports.

P2X, P2Y, PtG, PtL, power-to-gas... These somewhat cryptic terms stand for energy conversion processes that can be used to store surplus power from renewable sources and help meet climate targets. But whether they will actually reduce emissions depends on many  different factors, EURACTIV Germany reports.

July 2019 temperatures were the hottest ever recorded globally, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said Thursday (15 August), confirming earlier observations by the European Union.

The climate crisis is damaging the ability of the land to sustain humanity, with cascading risks becoming increasingly severe as global temperatures rise, according to a landmark UN report compiled by some of the world's top scientists. EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian, reports.

World leaders must prove that they have listened to young climate activists after a year of protests has not led to any progress in the reduction of greenhouse emissions, leading activist Greta Thunberg said on Monday (5 August).