Energy & Environment Archives

Energy consumption in Europe rose for the third consecutive year in 2017, pulling the EU further away from its 2020 energy efficiency objective, according to official figures published on Thursday (7 February).

France plans to back an EU proposal to regulate Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline, its foreign ministry said on Thursday (7 February), potentially threatening its completion and dealing a blow to Germany which has been trying to garner support for the project.

In late January, the EU Commissioner for Climate Action Miguel Arias Cañete delivered a speech as part of a Post-COP24 High Level Debate, in which he drew attention to the bloc’s 2030 climate and energy goals and the EU's role in the global fight against climate change.

EU lawmakers are divided over how much the bloc’s climate planning should rely on carbon removal technologies, after a draft appraisal of the European Commission’s 2050 strategy questioned their “feasibility”.

The European Commission has backed carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a one of the seven key technologies to enable deep decarbonisation of Europe’s economy by mid-century. But it’s still tangled in bureaucracy when it comes to funding.

Following a complaint by the NGO BLOOM in October 2017, the European Commission is expected to initiate an infringement procedure against the Netherlands for illegally issuing licenses to trawlers engaging in electric fishing. EURACTIV France’s partner Journal de l’environnement reports.

Natural gas alone will not help shipping cut greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new study, which means that alternative fuels and even barnacle-resistant paint will be needed to meet ambitious climate targets.

Europe’s poorest, least educated and most jobless regions are bearing the brunt of the air pollution crisis, according to the first official stocktake of its kind. EURACTIV's partner The Guardian reports.

Germany needs to phase out coal-fired power by 2030 in order to maximise the economic and social benefits of the zero-carbon transition, and deliver its commitment as part of the Paris Agreement, writes Nigel Topping.

Croatia’s plan to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the island of Krk has taken another turn, after Russia’s ambassador in Zagreb, Anvar Azimov, said Moscow has nothing against its construction, marking a reversal of Russia’s position.

The Greek ministry of energy has finally submitted a new national energy and climate plan to the European Commission. It aims to reduce dependence on lignite power and increase the use of renewable energy. EURACTIV Greece reports.

A Japanese village aims to be the first zero waste municipality in the world by 2020 and has already reached an 81% recycling rate. A member of the Japanese Zero Waste Academy told EURACTIV that the feat is replicable elsewhere.

The European Union needs to revise its 2030 CO2 reduction target from 40% to 55% if it wants to meet the 1.5°C global warming objective of the Paris Agreement, says Joyce Msuya.

The future of the giraffe is in jeopardy, but a proposal by African range states to regulate the international trade in giraffe specimens via a CITES Appendix II listing would make a vital contribution to securing this species’ survival. Joanna Swabe and Manon Dené argue that the European Union must stick out its neck to protect the giraffe.

A no deal departure from the EU in March would leave Britain without oversight of key energy and environment problems until at least 2021, a think-tank warned on Thursday (31 January). EURACTIV's media partner, Climate Home News, reports.

A group of more than 3,000 scientists have given their backing to thousands of Belgian school children who took to the streets for the fourth week in a row on Thursday (30 January) to ask for more ambitious climate policies.

The new vice-president of the Belgian capital’s transport operator (STIB) has suggested rolling out free public transport for residents during the evening or on weekends. His socialist party has upped the ante and suggested it should be free every day.

While other EU countries, such as Germany, announce plans for coal phase-out within the next 20 years in compliance with their Paris Agreement commitments, Greece’s future appears locked in carbon for decades to come, write Demetres Karavellas and Nikos Charalambides.

The European Parliament’s committee on regional development has voted on Cohesion policy regulation, and there is the clear intention of making Cohesion much greener from 2020. For the first time, there is also to be a ban on providing support for fossil fuels. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Everybody enjoys clean air. It invigorates you, draws the pollution out of your lungs and makes you feel alive. We even spend fortunes to escape the city in search of it. But some people in Germany do not seem to be interested in that and even think that air quality standards are protecting our health too much.

EU climate Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete is in no doubt that the EU has to achieve ‘climate neutrality’ by 2050 and wants to use his final months in the job to push the bloc towards Paris Agreement-compliance.

Advanced thermostats have seen a steady uptake and are reaching a higher level of market maturity. They have potential for setting a precedent for smart tech in the future, writes Paige Leuschner.

Romania is continuing to prop up its ailing coal sector, blatantly ignoring EU state aid rules, even as the country claims to be defending EU values while holding the rotating presidency of the bloc, writes Alexandru Mustață.

The European Union revised its 2030 energy consumption objectives on Wednesday (30 January) in order to take account of the United Kingdom’s anticipated departure from the bloc.