Energy & Environment
EU farm chief: Post-coronavirus recovery should be green and sustainable
The Green Deal remains a flagship policy of von der Leyen Commission and the EU should aim for a post-COVID-19 recovery that is green and sustainable, Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski told EURACTIV.com in an exclusive interview.
EU sticks to carbon reporting deadlines, rejects industry calls for coronavirus delay
An EU-wide April 30 deadline for firms to surrender emissions trading system (ETS) carbon allowances will stand, the European Commission said, despite calls from the cement and steel industry to extend it due to the coronavirus pandemic.
EXPLAINER: How the ECB can print ‘green money’
As the European Commission starts preparing a recovery plan to counter the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, pressure is growing on the European Central Bank to play its role and use the opportunity to accelerate the green transition. On...
Coronavirus slows US push to produce electric vehicle minerals
The coronavirus pandemic is hobbling US efforts to produce lithium, rare earths and other materials used in electric vehicles and high-tech equipment, dealing a blow to President Donald Trump’s plan to curb Chinese control of the strategic minerals sector.
How a green recovery can help modernise Europe
EU institutions and member states must act quickly and coherently in response to the COVID-19 crisis, writes Mats Engström. He suggests six points to consider when EU institutions work out post-crisis recovery plans.
Air pollution plummets by up to 50% as virus curbs traffic, new data reveals
Pollution levels have dropped by more than 50% in parts of Europe, according to new figures published by the European Environmental Agency (EEA) on Wednesday (25 March), as coronavirus lockdown measures empty city streets of traffic.OpinionPromoted content
A competitive European industry: the contribution of gas technologies
The EU industry is the foundation of the European economy, providing 80% of the block’s exports and 35 million of its jobs. It is now called on by the European Commission to be at the forefront of the fight against climate change. The secret weapon? Industrial innovation.
Beyond the corona darkness: Bringing light, air and sustainability into people’s homes
The European Green Deal must be central to the recovery programme needed to transition out of the crisis caused by COVID-19, writes Oliver Rapf. And the European Commission's upcoming building renovation wave should be at the centre of it, he argues.
Thyssenkrupp to scrap 3,000 steel jobs as part of coronavirus ‘crisis package’
German industrial conglomerate Thyssenkrupp on Wednesday (25 March) announced it was scrapping 3,000 jobs in its troubled steel unit as part of a coronavirus "crisis package".
‘Worst crisis ever’: Carmakers line up for recovery cash amid calls to go green
While European carmakers cry for help, environmentalists say public money aimed at helping the automotive industry recover from the COVID-19 crisis must be future-proof and geared towards green technologies.
Governments urged to attach green strings to long-term coronavirus recovery plans
Governments and financial institutions are under growing pressure to make economic bailouts designed to counter the coronavirus pandemic dependent on climate action in the longer term. EURACTIV's media partner Climate Home News reports.
Coronavirus redraws battle lines on airline emissions
European airlines crippled by the coronavirus have demanded lasting relief from environmental taxes - in a move that pits their immediate survival against longer-term emissions goals.
Environmental law expert: Detecting environmental crime is quite a problem
Water pollution, illegally dumped waste – crimes against the environment are difficult to trace back and prosecute properly. A recent report shows the magnitude and costs of this problem. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Emergence from emergency: The case for a holistic economic recovery plan
If you think the coronavirus is scary – it’s only the training day for what will happen if we don’t stop the climate crisis: Global warming is far more dangerous, write members of The Club of Rome.
COVID-19 stimulus should address health, economy and climate together
Governments around the globe are quickly designing some of the biggest economic stimulus plan ever seen in peacetime in response to the COVD-19 pandemic. But while the health crisis has forced all concerned to take swift action, we are still moving too slowly when it comes to the climate crisis, writes María Mendiluce.
EU cost-benefit study seen backing 55% emissions cut by 2030
In the middle of the COVID-19 outbreak, the European Commission published last week what would have otherwise been a high-profile initiative: the launch of a cost-benefit analysis of increasing the EU’s climate ambition for 2030 in view of reaching net-zero emissions by mid-century.
German CO2 emissions dive amid coronavirus slump
The COVID-19 pandemic is having a dramatic impact on Germany's demand for electricity. According to initial projections, Germany could emit between 50 and 120 million tons less CO2 this year, meaning it could even exceed its climate target. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Enel says digital drive has given it hedge on coronavirus threat
Italy’s biggest utility, Enel, does not expect the coronavirus epidemic to have any major impact on its results and says its drive to digitalise operations has given it an advantage. Enel has been ramping up spending on digital networks to...
Heavy-emitting firms ‘off-track’ from 2C climate target
More than 80% of the highest-emitting listed companies are failing to deliver emissions reductions aligned to the Paris Agreement's 2C global warming limit, with many of them also failing to account for climate mitigation and risk strategies. EURACTIV's media partner, edie.net, reports.
Green Deal deserves a better Energy Taxation Directive in 2020, not years from now
Europe has a choice between getting a good taxation directive this year or waiting years for something not yet defined that may never win agreement. For the sake of climate progress, it should take its chances with what it has now, writes Jim Power.
Transitional CAP puts back bloc’s ‘green’ ambition in farming, warn auditors
Bridging measures are necessary to prevent farmers from being financially exposed until the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is agreed, but they may hold up the Commission’s ambition to make the farming sector more environmentally sustainable, the EU auditors warned in their latest opinion.
Green Deal facing delays due to coronavirus, EU admits
The European Commission is having to re-order its priorities in the face of the coronavirus crisis, with “non-essential” initiatives like the biodiversity strategy and the farm-to-fork strategy likely to be delayed by several weeks, EURACTIV understands.
Big tech could do better at protecting the environment
Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft, known as 'GAFAM' in France, say they are protecting the environment, but that's not the point. Partly responsible for the carbon impact of digital technology, these multinationals are mainly trying to minimise damage. EURACTIV's partner La Tribune reports.