Energy & Environment
Climate law decisions and the phantom paper rocking the Western Balkans
This week on EURACTIV’s Yellow Room, we are talking about the outcomes of the climate law negotiations that concluded on Wednesday morning – the EU and US goals, the reactions, and what the future has in store. To find...
Poland seeks to nationalise coal plants so firms can finance green investments
The Polish government is planning to nationalise dozens of coal plants and use public money to keep them running to allow state-owned energy companies to invest in greener alternatives. EURACTIV's media partner, Climate Home News, reports.
US vows to cut its emissions at least 50% by 2030 ahead of climate summit
The US has vowed to cut its planet-heating emissions by at least half by the end of the decade, in a ramping up of ambition aimed at rallying other countries to do more to confront the climate crisis. EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian Environment, reports.
NGOs walk out on EU green finance group over forestry, bioenergy rules
The WWF and several other NGOs have decided to suspend their participation in the European Commission’s Sustainable Finance Platform in protest against what they see as weak and “unscientific” criteria for bioenergy and forestry in the EU’s green finance taxonomy.OpinionPromoted content
Testing, Developing, and Operating a Geothermal Energy Solution
Intention is to drill the deepest bore hole in Europe, generate green electricity and test new use cases for the technology. Slovakian company GA Drilling, Finnish company Finest Bay Area Development Oy and the Finnish Pyhäjärvi city owned development company...
Most major companies failing climate targets: study
Fewer than one in four of the world's largest companies are on track to meet basic climate change targets, according to a new study published on Thursday (22 April) ahead of a US-hosted climate summit where world leaders are expected to announce new commitments to cut emissions.OpinionPromoted content
Talking About Sustainable EU Buildings: The Construction Products Regulation
The ancient story of Babel tells how a shared dream brought people together to build a great new world, with a beautiful city and a monumental tower. Only to find that work was stopped by an inability to communicate.
Green MEPs urge Commission to ensure digital transition ‘does not hamper’ green one
EU lawmakers from the Greens/European Free Alliance group have called on the European Commission in an open letter to "ensure that the digital transition promotes and does not hamper the green transition", just before the Commission was due to present part of its green taxonomy proposal.
MEP: EU corporate reporting blueprint should be basis of international rules
The European Commission’s plans for a Sustainability Reporting directive announced on Wednesday (21 April) provides “solid ground for discussion” and should allow EU standards to determine international rules, says Pascal Durand, the European Parliament’s rapporteur on the subject, as he...
Energy-efficient buildings should be ‘new normal’, says EU’s Simson
The European commissioner for energy, Kadri Simson, on Tuesday (20 April) underlined the importance of the 'Renovation Wave' strategy in combating energy poverty in the European Union, saying that sustainable, energy-efficient buildings should be "the new normal".
Energy poverty ‘likely to increase’ once bank moratoriums are lifted
The President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on Tuesday (20 April) called for "coordinated action" across the European Union to tackle energy poverty, warning that poverty is "likely" to increase once bank moratoriums are lifted.
France’s wood sector welcomes plan to bolster industry
The French Strategic Contract for the Wood Sector known as CSF has been updated to be in line with the country's recovery plan and accelerate the wood and forestry sector's contribution to the low-carbon transition, France's agriculture, housing and industry ministers announced on Monday (19 April). EURACTIV France reports.Editor's picks
OpinionPromoted content
How to reconcile the EU climate ambitions and competitiveness – will CBAM square the circle?
The Polish efforts to reach the climate goals are in the spotlight: TOGETAIR 2021 marks the second edition of the Polish Climate Summit and the first edition of the Polish Multimedia Climate Report. Both offer a unique chance for the...
Energy Charter Treaty strikes again as Uniper sues Netherlands over coal phase-out
The energy company, Uniper, intends to file a claim against the Dutch government over its coal phase-out – the second case this year against the plan under the Energy Charter Treaty.OpinionPromoted content
The ‘plastics problem’: there’s value in waste
The EU’s upcoming review of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive is an opportunity to put in place a smart regulatory framework that is ultimately needed to give value to sustainable packaging materials.
EU seeks ‘reliable’ method to measure microplastic pollution from tyres
An EU regulation on tyre labelling due to come into force on 1 May will not cover the rate at which tyres shed particles – a major contributor to microplastics in Europe – as an agreed method for the calculation of abrasion is still not in place.
‘Relentless’ climate crisis intensified in 2020, says UN report
The COVID-19 pandemic had no effect on emissions but made impacts of global heating even worse for millions of people, says a new report by the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation, published on Monday (19 April). EURACTIV’s media partner, The Guardian,...
Pipe dream: alleviating energy poverty with hydrogen
Europe must not allow the push to tackle energy poverty to be derailed by the mirage of heating homes with hydrogen. Instead, the EU should focus on energy efficiency and financial support for poor households to switch to clean energy, write Jan Rosenow and Louise Sunderland.
EU leaders are prioritising climate heroism over ambitious policies
EU leaders are focused on the spectacle of arriving at the US climate summit on Thursday (22 April) with an agreement on the EU climate law and 2030 target, but risk sacrificing the quality of the legislation, argue Adélaïde Charlier and Chloé Mikolajczak.
Stop exporting plastic waste out of Europe, EU lawmakers say
Thirty-one lawmakers in the European Parliament have signed a manifesto calling for the end of plastic waste exports outside Europe and the facilitation of intra-EU shipment procedures to promote a genuine circular economy within the EU.
Putin to address Biden’s climate summit despite crisis in US-Russia ties
Russian President Vladimir Putin will deliver a speech on Thursday (22 April) at an online climate change summit hosted by US President Joe Biden, the Kremlin said, despite a deep crisis in relations between Moscow and Washington.
The EU’s green fuels law uses tools from the combustion engine age. It’s time for a change
Green electricity seems set to be the transport fuel of the future, but an unwillingness to look beyond the internal combustion engine has led to a focus on biofuels. The EU should allow fuel suppliers to meet environmental targets with renewable electricity, writes Geert De Cock.
Is the EU ETS getting it right?
The EU ETS is our main climate policy tool that allows for emission reductions and it has been a solid pillar of EU climate policy. One of the things we are constantly told is that you will be rewarded for...