Climate change Archives

Germany's conservative CDU/CSU Union has admitted to its own shortcomings when it comes to climate policy and is now searching for a new chairman and candidate for the chancellor's spot, which will shape the union's course on environmental policy. EURACTIV Germany reports.

A proposed ban on polluting ship fuel in Arctic waters would only eliminate 5% of the most harmful climate-busting emissions due to a raft of waivers and exemptions, a new study warned on Thursday (3 September).

Business consultancy EY has identified 1,000 green projects it says will help Europe recover stronger and more resilient from the economic slump caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.

If the European Green Deal made economic sense before the COVID-19 crisis, “it makes even more sense now” because it will help reboot the economy, said Frans Timmermans, the EU Commission vice-president in charge of climate action.

Protests against the planned EU-Mercosur trade agreement were held on Friday (28 August), with the participating groups citing the incompatibilities of the EU's climate ambitions with actions taken by the Brazilian government.

The Proterina-3Evolution project has gathered fourteen Italian and French partners from the coastal region to fight against flood risks together, as they share the same risks and benefit from the same support fund, EURACTIV France reports.

Russia on Wednesday (26 August) voiced fears over EU plans for carbon taxes on imports from countries outside the bloc, a move that would hit hard a country heavily dependent on hydrocarbons trade.

While chemical recycling opens new possibilities for the circular economy, only a full lifecycle approach will be able to determine the real environmental benefits in terms of saved energy and global warming emissions, a senior EU official has said.

Germany on Monday (24 August) announced details of its first "green" bond placing, tapping financial markets to fund environmental projects for the first time.

The European Union's strategy to adapt to the risks of climate change needs to be much more proactive and ambitious in order to reduce the risk of natural disasters such as flooding, insurers said in response to a consultation on the issue.

The European Union’s long-awaited plan to curb emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane will not impose binding standards on natural gas sold in the bloc, according to a draft seen by Reuters.

An emission control area for sulphur oxides in the Mediterranean is not a panacea, but it would open new possibilities for the region’s future while contributing to its health, writes Gaetano Leone.

Finance Minister Olaf Scholz will lead the German Social Democrats (SPD) into the campaign for federal elections in 2021. Not an easy task for a party that faces strong competition from the Greens for number two position, behind the CDU/CSU conservatives. EURACTIV Germany reports.

A European Union plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions up to 55% below 1990 levels by 2030 is technically and economically possible, researchers said on Monday (24 August).

This Saturday (22 August) will be "Earth Overshoot Day", the day on which Earth's ecosystems will be exhausted, and humanity's demand for the planet's resources for the rest of the year can no longer be regenerated, EURACTIV Germany reports.

Key members of the "Fridays for Future" (FFF) movement in Berlin called on German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) on Thursday (20 August) to become more involved in the fight against global warming after what was described as a "friendly" meeting. EURACTIV France reports.

Germany could meet its climate target for 2020 but would have missed the goal if the economic havoc wrought by the coronavirus pandemic had not caused a large drop in greenhouse gas emissions, the country’s environment ministry said.

The European Commission will table proposals next month to raise the EU's climate target for 2030, amid warnings from Eastern countries to safeguard jobs and growth from the coronavirus fallout.

Creating a carbon border adjustment mechanism would not work as well as extending the EU Emissions Trading Scheme to reduce global emissions and further integrate energy exporting countries into the European power market, argue András Mezősi, Zsuzsanna Pató and László Szabó.

The European Commission has proposed to strengthen its 40% greenhouse gas emission reduction target to 50% or 55% on 1990 levels in the next ten years. But this step does not meet the minimum level of ambition that climate science, …

Russia’s economic development minister warned last week that the EU’s plans to deploy a carbon tax at the bloc’s borders will not be in line with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, just as Brussels doubled down on the idea of green tariffs.

Over the past 30 years, the harvest of France's Languedoc wines has progressed by three weeks and the alcohol content of the wine has risen by four points. Faced with the already sensitive impact of climate change, the region's winegrowers are adapting their practices and grape varieties. EURACTIV France reports.

The Swedish government announced on Thursday (23 July) night train routes that will link the cities of Stockholm and Malmö with Hamburg and Brussels, in the latest indication that sleeper services are on the cusp of a renaissance in Europe.

Renewable sources have overtaken coal, oil and gas in EU electricity generation for the first time, new analysis shows. EURACTIV's media partner, Climate Home News, reports.