Energy & Environment

French constitutional change on environmental preservation faces long road ahead

The French government will unveil a draft revision of the Constitution on Wednesday (20 January) to include the notion of environmental preservation. While the ultimate aim is to submit this proposal to the French public, holding a referendum seems a distant prospect. EURACTIV France reports.

‘Matching sustainability with style’: EU lifts veil on new European Bauhaus initiative

The European Commission is inviting “creative minds” across Europe to contribute ideas to the "New European Bauhaus", an initiative aimed at designing new ways of living to meet the objectives of the European Green Deal.

Reducing air pollution could save 50,000 deaths a year, says new Lancet report

Reducing air pollution to World Health Organisation recommended levels would prevent more than 50,000 deaths a year across European cities, according to a new study published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal.

Energy majors re-route LNG supplies from Europe to Asia

Global energy majors including Royal Dutch Shell and Total are expected to benefit most from January’s gas price spike, beating rival trading houses and non-integrated producers thanks to their access to multiple sources of the fuel.

Gazprom bond prospectus acknowledges risk over Nord Stream 2

Russian gas producer Gazprom has acknowledged in a Eurobond prospectus seen by Reuters on Tuesday (19 January) that there are risks that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project may be suspended or scrapped amid political pressure.

Carbon capture is vital to meeting climate goals, scientists tell green critics

Engineers and geologists have strongly criticised green groups who last week claimed that carbon capture and storage schemes – for reducing fossil fuel emissions – are costly mistakes. EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian, reports.

EU sees carbon border levy as ‘matter of survival’ for industry

The European Union's proposed carbon border charge is essential to the survival of its own industries and the bloc will impose the levy on non-EU competitors unless they commit to lowering their emissions, the bloc's climate policy chief said on Monday (18 January).

Czech health minister backs coal mining phase-out ‘as soon as possible’

Czech health minister Jan Blatný is aware of the negative impacts of coal mining on the environment and human health. “Personally, I am in favour of a coal mining phase-out as soon as possible,” he told EURACTIV.cz.

Shift to renewables ‘significantly decreased’ emissions, EU agency says

Europe's shift from fossil fuel-based electricity to renewable sources has cut down on greenhouse gas emissions while tackling environmental problems, the European Environment Agency (EEA) said on Monday (18 January).

Malaysia takes WTO legal action against EU over palm biofuel curbs

Malaysia is taking legal action at the global trade watchdog against the European Union and member states France and Lithuania for restricting palm oil-based biofuels, the government said.

EU should set a joint and ambitious standard for climate finance

As COP 26 approaches, the EU needs to adopt a joint and ambitious approach to climate finance to ensure that EU countries stand by their financial commitments under the Paris Agreement, writes Mattias Söderberg and Conor O'Neill.

Zurich Insurance to drop out of Nord Stream 2 project

Zurich Insurance Group will drop out of Russia's Nord Stream 2 project in the face of looming US sanctions against European companies that support construction of the $11 billion gas pipeline, two sources familiar with the situation said.

Denmark leads EU on deployment of zero-emission buses: report

Denmark has the most zero-emission urban buses on the roads in Europe, with electric buses making up 78% of its new vehicles, according to the latest data from Transport and Environment (T&E), a green NGO.

Biodiversity protection must be included in all EU policy, says Greens

The test for the EU's biodiversity strategy will be whether all EU legislation matches its ambition on nature protection, Green lawmakers argued in an environment committee debate about the strategy on Thursday (14 January).

20% of UK chemicals registrations face revocation after Brexit

Around 20% of registrations from UK-based companies to the European Union's REACH chemicals database have not been transferred to EU companies and will be revoked after 31 March 2021, according to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).

Nord Stream 2: Europe stays quiet while US ‘tramples over EU sovereignty’

With the recent adoption of its defence budget for 2021, the US has further tightened the screw on Nord Stream 2, threatening sanctions on EU companies involved in the Russian-backed pipeline and putting the future of the project further into uncertainty. EURACTIV France reports.

Biden presidency sets stage for wider global advances on climate policy

Once US President-elect Joe Biden takes office - and as more countries struggle with climate impacts - policies that tackle global warming are expected to begin emerging in a wider range of world bodies in 2021, climate diplomats said.

Portugal on track to become coal-free by year end

The Sines coal plant in Portugal went offline at midnight yesterday evening (14 January), leaving the country with just one remaining coal power station in operation, which is scheduled for closure in November.

From Europe to Central Asia, converted containers are trendy

Pop-up stores and restaurants using converted shipping containers are a growing trend in Europe and across the world, apparently boosted by behavioural changes caused by the Covid pandemic. EURACTIV Bulgaria reports.

US tells European companies they face sanctions risk on Nord Stream 2 pipeline

The US State Department this month told European companies which it suspects are helping to build Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline that they face a risk of sanctions, a spokesperson confirmed.

The EU’s watershed deforestation moment?

This week Ursula von der Leyen signalled the EU’s desire to lead the world in the fight against global deforestation. But if the key drivers of deforestation aren’t addressed, progress will remain limited, writes Julia Christian.