EU heads of states are expected to reiterate earlier commitments on climate action when they meet in Brussels later this week, despite growing calls from youths across Europe to step up the fight against global warming, according to a draft EU summit statement seen by EURACTIV.
There is no debate that burning wood for energy emits more greenhouse gases per unit of energy than burning fossil fuels. Yet the EU's renewable energy directive continues to uphold that burning forest wood is "carbon neutral," write Jean-Pascal van Ypersele and Mary S. Booth.
The production of so-called green hydrogen from wind and solar electricity is seen as a potential game-changer for the transition to a 100% renewable energy system. But getting there will take some time and some intermediary solutions will be needed, says Daan Peters.
At a time when the EU strives to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, coal still represents more than half of electricity across much of the Western Balkans and other EU neighbouring countries, writes Janez Kopač. Making things worse, coal plants are intensively supported by Chinese and US capital, without active opposition of the EU, he says.
Cutting energy use in buildings, ramping up renewable electricity and developing large-scale storage with hydrogen are clear options in bringing energy emissions down to zero by 2050, according to a new study published on Thursday (14 March).
Members of the European Parliament voted in favour of increasing the EU’s 2030 emission cuts target to 55% and a net-zero mid-century target on Thursday (14 March), bringing an end to weeks of infighting.
A Saami reindeer herder in Sweden's Arctic Circle and a livestock farmer in the Romanian Carpathians are both living proof that climate change is impacting Europe's water resources and endangering our fundamental rights, write a cross-party group of MEPs.
EU energy ministers had their first public debate on the European Commission’s 2050 climate plan on Monday (4 March) but five member states derided the lack of a 100% renewable energy scenario among the EU executive’s proposed options.
A group of plaintiffs from Estonia, France, Ireland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, and the US are filing a lawsuit against the European Union on Monday (4 March) to challenge the inclusion of forest biomass in the bloc’s renewable energy directive.
No longer the preserve of science fiction, climate-hacking technologies may need international oversight, say backers of draft resolution. EURACTIV's media partner Climate Home News reports.
Top business leaders believe that the transition to a climate neutral economy will create new opportunities for Europe. As EU energy and environment ministers meet in the coming days, they must realise this and adopt policies for the long-term, writes Eliot Whittington.
As EU leaders prepare to debate the European Commission’s proposal to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, most eyes will again be on Poland, writes Brook Riley.
Huge amounts of synthetic fuels generated from renewable energies will be required to fully decarbonise the German economy, according to industry association BDI, which eyes yearly imports of 340 terawatt hours (TW/h) by 2050 – the equivalent of Germany’s entire power fleet.
Reaching net-zero emissions means not only decarbonising the electricity system but the whole energy system. And Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) will be necessary to achieve that, writes Guloren Turan.
Germany is at odds over the first draft of its national ‘climate protection law.’ Lessons learned from a similar French law show that one thing is important above all: agreeing on measures as quickly as possible. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Setting a target for low-carbon gases such as hydrogen or biomethane is going to be tricky even though the idea is supported by industry, a senior EU official has said, warning against a one-size-fits-all approach.
The European gas industry is on the cusp of a green revolution similar to the one that took place in the electricity sector, with a greater variety of low-carbon gases feeding into the grid at the local level, says Jean-Marc...
Many in Germany want to have their cake and eat it by scrapping nuclear power and avoiding coal at the same time. Pieter Cleppe looks at some of the questions raised by Germany’s decision.
In the last five years, the European Investment Bank (EIB) provided over €50 billion in clean energy investments in Europe and around the world. As a new cycle opens, Andrew McDowell explains the key principles that will underpin the EIB’s future lending policy.
As the European Investment Bank (EIB) holds a meeting in Brussels today (25 February) to consult the public on its new energy policy, Wendel Trio reflects on the role the EU’s bank should have in tackling the climate crisis.
A dispute between two European Parliament committees threatens to tarnish a debate about the EU’s climate plans for 2050, after MEPs backed two separate resolutions on the European Commission’s strategy.
As the European Union turns the page on a series of clean energy laws focused on electricity, attention is now turning to decarbonisation in the gas sector, with an upcoming gas package expected in 2020. And the power sector intends to play a central role there too.
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was in Brussels on Thursday (21 February) to take part in one of the climate school strikes that have taken place every week in Belgium since December. EURACTIV.com does not usually publish speeches. But we...
School kids are on climate strike “because we have done our homework” and listened to science, 16-year-old green activist Greta Thunberg told EU policymakers in Brussels today (21 February). “Just unite behind the science, that is our demand,” she said.
