Energy & Environment Archives

The heads of some of Europe’s largest airlines hit back on Wednesday (10 July) against efforts to discourage Europeans from flying, arguing the industry was making huge strides in cutting its carbon footprint and that there was no shame in air travel.

More than 200 people were killed in forest fires across Europe in 2017 while more than 100 perished in flames last summer. This year, a new EU-backed fleet of fire-fighting planes is getting ready to prevent further disasters.

Ursula von der Leyen said Europe should become the world’s first climate neutral continent, as she sought lawmakers’ backing for the top job on Wednesday (10 July). EURACTIV's media partner Climate Home News reports.

The European Commission unveiled its 2050 climate strategy on November 28th, saying the transition to “a climate neutral economy” with net-zero emissions by mid-century will be positive for the economy, despite the significant additional investments it will require.

The Russian government will submit legislation to ratify the Paris climate agreement by September, but president Vladimir Putin warned against the perils of “absolutist” renewable energy. EURACTIV's media partner Climate Home News reports.

France announced Tuesday (9 July) it would impose new taxes on plane tickets of up to €18 per flight, joining other EU states seeking to limit the environmental impact of air travel.

The European Commission has clarified how it intends to support carbon capture and storage (CCS), a key technology in the fight against global warming, which supporters say will enable deep emission cuts in heavy industries such as cement, steel and petrochemicals.

Should Germany put a price on carbon emissions from transport, buildings or agriculture, which are currently not covered by the EU emissions trading scheme? The question is dividing members of the ruling coalition. EURACTIV Germany reports.

In the European Union, the solar thermal market grew by almost 10% compared to 2017.  Despite this being a large increase, it remains insufficient to achieve short-term objectives. EURACTIV's partner le Journal de l'Environnement reports.

"A sustainable Europe - a sustainable future". This is Finland's motto to kickstart its presidency in the European Council for the next six months. The Finnish programme seeks to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest, expand the digital internal market and strengthen military cooperation. EURACTIV Germany reports. 

The GCF, the world’s biggest climate fund, tries to channel more money into climate projects – EU leaders had reaffirmed their commitment to the replenishment of the fund in their June summit’s conclusions. But its decision-making takes too long, critics say.  

Central Asia is facing increasingly severe environmental challenges. The EU is offering help to the region to turn those challenges into opportunities. Enhancing environmental, climate and water resilience is a substantial element of the new EU strategy for Central Asia.

The board of the UN Green Climate Fund is meeting from 6 to 8 July in Songdo, South Korea. The board is set on heralding a "paradigm shift" in climate financing and intends to accelerate the decision-making process to boost the fund's replenishment. EURACTIV Germany reports.

In a wide-ranging interview, Russia's Ambassador to the EU Vladimir Chizhov, speaks about nuclear arms control, the EU elections and top jobs, the situation in Ukraine, including the MH17, and America's bid to challenge Russian gas.

The European Commission unveiled five flagship research and innovation “missions” yesterday (4 July), two of which are directly aimed at addressing the climate crisis.

Football inspires, it brings people together and is like a religion to some – as we may well see at the Women's World Cup final in France on Sunday. But football also has its downsides: heaps of rubbish, squandering of water and a big CO2 footprint. The Life Tackle initiative now wants to change that.

The federal economic ministry has followed the German coal commission's recommendation by preparing a draft bill to phase-out coal power generation. However, things are going too slowly, according to the Greens. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Deutsche Umwelthilfe, an environmental association, was cleared yesterday (4 July) from accusations that it misused funds raised through the numerous legal cases it won before German courts. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Iran on Thursday (4 July) condemned the "illegal interception" of one of its oil tankers in Gibraltar where authorities said they suspected it was carrying crude to Syria in violation of EU sanctions.

The world’s shipping heavyweights are not investing in key technologies to reduce their carbon footprint, putting the sector at risk of missing targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2050, according to the Carbon Disclosure Project.