Energy
After the COP: Where next for climate action?
December's COP24 climate summit in Katowice was billed as a last chance to actually implement the Paris Agreement. Now that the dust has settled, did negotiators achieve their objectives? And where does the international effort go from here?
Decoupling economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions
In a world already impacted by climate change, the global community still falls short of meeting the Paris Agreement’s goal on curbing climate change under the well-below 2°C target. Countries gathered at the COP24 will have to roadmap how to shift trillions of euros to turn the economy from brown to green.
The global race for raw materials
The European Union first adopted a raw materials strategy in 2008, at a time when commodity prices were at an all-time high and fears were running high of a global scramble for natural resources. The financial crash that followed conveniently swept the issue under the carpet. But this may have only been temporary.
Electricity prices
Many European countries have placed limits on electricity prices, often justified by consumer concerns about rising energy bills, or to protect households from energy poverty. But regulated energy prices also thwart competition and hinder the deployment of clean energy solutions....
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
Healthy buildings, healthy people
The renovation of the EU’s building stock is seen as critical in achieving the bloc’s climate change targets, while reducing dependence on imported fuel. However, less is known about the positive impact renovation can have on people's health.
Rural Renaissance
Developing rural areas across Europe has emerged as a necessity in order for the EU to meet a wide range of economic, environmental and social challenges.
Financing energy efficiency
The European Union has made energy savings in buildings one of the cornerstones of the bloc's efforts to cut dependence on imported fuel. But private investors are still wary of unlocking the trillions of euros of capital needed to renovate Europe's ageing building stock.