Energy & Environment
Renovation of buildings: The fight is over, time to implement
The vision for decarbonising the European building stock is clear enough: now comes the time for the member states to enforce these commitments.
Road to COP24: A just energy transition ahead?
The Polish city of Katowice will host the United Nations climate summit in December for a make-or-break attempt to make the Paris Agreement a reality. EURACTIV looks at where the global climate action effort stands at the moment, and what may lie in wait in southern Poland.
Healthy buildings: Good for our wallets?
‘Healthy mind, healthy body’, so the saying goes - but both are affected by the buildings in which we live and work. This year’s edition of the Healthy Homes Barometer reveals what the challenges and solutions might be.
Putting agriculture at the heart of Africa’s rising
Farming accounts for around 60% of all jobs in sub-Saharan Africa. Governments, the African Union and the EU are keen to promote the industrialization of the African farming sector. But rapid population growth, the effects of climate change and lack of access to finance are among the threats to the future growth of African agriculture and its capacity to feed its people.
Taming heavy road transport emissions
Transport is responsible for a quarter of the EU's total emissions, and 25% of that comes from heavy-duty vehicles like trucks and buses. But countries are struggling to bring the levels down and it remains unclear what is the best way to go about taming such a problematic sector.
Capacity markets for electricity
As the EU’s power market reform enters the home straight, EURACTIV.com takes a look at so-called “capacity mechanisms” for back-up electricity and whether they help or hinder the EU’s twin objectives of supply security and decarbonisation.
Electricity market reform: A European tour
The European Commission wants to reform “capacity mechanisms” put in place across EU member states to remunerate power plants that remain on standby in case of a demand peak, arguing they distort the market. But views differ on their value amid wide-ranging national disparities.
Europe’s e-mobility gamechangers
The European Union is starting to think in earnest about how to reduce the impact of transportation on the environment. But are plans to tackle a sector whose emissions continue to grow too strict or not ambitious enough?
European gas markets
At the turn of the century, the European Union launched a vigorous liberalisation agenda in a bid to open up its national gas markets – aiming for lower prices, a greater range of suppliers and energy security. EURACTIV takes stock of progress made and the challenges lying ahead.
Energy transition: Ambitious enough?
Europe needs to decarbonise its economy in order to meet its Paris Agreement obligations, but how ambitious are its plans for an energy transition?
Economic viability in the next CAP
EU farmers are calling for a simplified Common Agricultural Policy that will provide security for them to invest in their business and make a profit. Can the next CAP ensure a healthy and profitable business environment in the farming sector?
Closing loops for a circular economy
After marathon talks, negotiators from the European Parliament and EU member states reached agreement last December on a package of waste legislation, which sets new targets for recycling. But although the ink has not yet dried on the deal, the European Commission is already preparing a revision of the laws.
Europe’s mayors: Speeding up the energy transition
While the EU hammers out its continent-wide energy and climate policy for the next decade, steps are being taken at local level to fight climate change and make a low-carbon European economy a reality.
Packaging and the environment
European countries are preparing to implement a brand new set of waste and recycling laws, following the conclusion of negotiations on the circular economy package in December. But there is more ahead, with the Plastics Strategy unveiled by the European Commission only one month later.
European forests and climate change
Forests are Europe’s biggest carbon sinks and forestry the sector with the greatest potential to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in the quantities needed to meet the bloc’s objectives under the Paris Agreement.
Fact-checking science
Trust in science may face a tough time ahead as doubts about transparency and the way scientific evidence is used by policymakers persist. But the EU institutions at least seem aware of these concerns, as this latest Special Report shows.
Electricity networks: Connecting the dots
The growing electrification of the economy, driven by renewables, requires additional power networks to cope with the expected surge in demand for electric vehicles and consumer-centred services. EURACTIV explores the implications in this Special Report.
Seal of approval: Greenland fights stereotypes on Inuit hunt
Greenland has launched an initiative to support Inuit and indigenous communities in Canada and the EU to improve the perception of sealskin products. It focuses on sewing in a QR code which allows consumers to check their legality by scanning the label...
Renewable gas
Gas is not often mentioned in the same bracket as renewable energy but that could all change, as energy providers look to address the issue of surplus renewable power and storage problems.
Lighting
The European Union took a bold step when it imposed a ban on incandescent light bulbs in 2008. Almost ten years on, EURACTIV.com takes stock of progress made and sets sights on the next frontier – Human Centric Lighting.
Energy performance of buildings
Lawmakers in the European Parliament's industry committee are voting this week on the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). EURACTIV.com takes a closer look at the latest changes made to the bill before it clears this major political hurdle.
Expo 2017 Astana
EURACTIV.com reports from the International Exposition in Astana, Kazakhstan. Highlighting the theme "Future Energy," the expo aims to foster a global debate on "how to ensure safe and sustainable access to energy for all while reducing CO2 emissions".
Heating and cooling
The heating and cooling of buildings and industry is responsible for half of the EU’s energy consumption, and “much of it is wasted” according to the European Commission.