Energy & Environment Archives

European Investment Bank (EIB) directors will begin discussing on Tuesday (10 September) an updated lending policy which could see the EU bank stop funding fossil fuel projects. But some member states and even the European Commission might push for a more reserved approach.

Not a single EU member state has so far spelled out a comprehensive plan to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, despite a commitment taken at the G20 ten years ago to eliminate them, according to a fresh analysis of the bloc’s 28 National Energy and Climate Plans.

The United States will continue to impose sanctions on whoever purchases Iran's oil or conducts business with Iran's Revolutionary Guards and no oil waivers will be re-issued, a US official said on Sunday (8 September).

The intense drought in France has already led to the elimination of fallow fields. It has also created tensions that are not so favourable to the negotiations over the EU's new Common Agricultural Policy. EURACTIV France reports.

A Norwegian project aimed at storing millions of tonnes of carbon emissions underneath the North Sea received a shot in the arm on Thursday (5 September), when some of Europe’s biggest industrial players signed up to preliminary agreements.

Sucking CO2 from the air to mitigate global warming may sound silly at first, but it’s likely to be necessary nonetheless, says Nils Røkke. And the more we delay it, the higher will be the demand for carbon removal technologies in the future, he warns.

Since 2018, oil and gas companies have spent $50bn (€45.3bn) on investment projects that undermine the Paris Agreement, with a new report from think tank Carbon Tracker warning that major companies risk wasting $2.2trn (€1.9trn) on stranded assets by 2030. EURACTIV's media partner edie.net report.

Long-time adversaries Transport & Environment and ACEA have signed a partnership to roll out electric vehicle charging points, as the auto industry seeks to rebrand with a focus on digital and electric.

The European Central Bank should phase out climate-warming investments by preferring green bonds, Christine Lagarde said as she pitched to become the bank’s first female president. EURACTIV's media partner Climate Home News reports.

Despite its clear potential for clean transportation, electro-mobility still does not seem to be the motor driving Europe’s economic, climate, and industrial policy, writes Folker Franz.

The third session of negotiations on the preservation of marine biodiversity in the high seas held under a UN Intergovernmental Conference came to an end in New York on 30 August. However, negotiations only resulted in a framework for a future treaty. EURACTIV's partner le Journal de l'environnement reports.

Luxembourg will push for a deep reform of the Energy Charter Treaty at EU level in order to align it with global climate objectives, said the country’s energy minister Claude Turmes, who did not rule out scrapping the treaty altogether if reform talks don’t progress fast enough.

According to the EU Environment Agency, climate change could turn the entire EU agribusiness upside down, as crop productivity in the Mediterranean countries is expected to drop while northern and western regions may experience more suitable conditions for agriculture intensification.

Plastic pollutant nanoparticles in both tap and bottled water do not pose an apparent health hazard, according to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report. However, the UN body acknowledges more research and evidence is needed.

Iran and Russia are opposing the implementation of the Trans-Caspian project, which is supported by Azerbaijan and is in the EU’s interest, writes Shahnar Hajiev.

Iceland, a nation with a long heritage of sustainable fishing, places great value on working with our European neighbours and friends to ensure the careful management of the shared North East Atlantic fisheries stocks.

Ukraine's president on Saturday (31 August) slammed the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline set to send Russian gas to Germany as a "threat" to Europe and welcomed moves by Kyiv to tap into US gas supplies.

Climate change is causing problems for Germany's forests, as large woodland areas are dying. The ministry of agriculture is now planning to unlock millions of euros in aid to help prevent new forests from dying out. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Fires that consume the Amazon rainforest are often started by farmers who are attempting to meet the growing demand for soybeans. Now, France wants to convince its European partners of the EU's potential role as a leader on the plant protein market. EURACTIV France reports.

State elections in Brandenburg and Saxony – two coal mining regions in former East Germany – are likely to reverberate across the country, and even Europe, EURACTIV Germany reports.

A Scottish gin distillery aims to be the first in the world to produce its alcohol using hydrogen power, after securing a slice of overall funding for clean energy projects worth more than €400 million.

The European Commission and German agricultural and environmental ministers met in Brussels on Wednesday (28 August) to discuss the country's fertiliser regulation. It was concluded that although Germany is on the right track, it should seriously speed up its efforts and work on the text's precision. EURACTIV Germany reports.

The Swiss government announced on Wednesday (28 August) that it will cut its greenhouse gas emissions to a net-zero level by 2050, taking heed of a landmark UN report on climate change.

Germany's federal cabinet has presented a bill to allocate €40 billion to some federal states so they can prepare for structural changes related to transitioning away from coal. However, it remains unclear when the power plants will be shut down. EURACTIV Germany reports.