Energy Archives

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Circular Economy Package and Plastics Strategy have set a high-level framework to improve the resource efficiency of the European economy. But to be effective, this framework must remain a policy priority for the next European Commission and Parliament, writes Nick Molho.

New wind, solar and biomass power generation displaced hard coal last year – especially in Germany, France and the UK – according to a 2018 review of European electricity statistics by two leading energy policy think tanks.

Despite new projects such as Nord Stream 2 and Turkish Stream, the transit of gas via Ukraine will continue, and the modalities need to be agreed, writes Danila Bochkarev.

European lawmakers are locked in a dispute over a landmark climate plan that is meant to drag the EU into compliance with the Paris Agreement, as parliamentary committees tussle over who should take the lead.

Green activists have criticised the German coal commission's goal of phasing out coal by 2038, saying it is too late. But environmentalists and industry representatives at least agree it could lead the way for other countries. EURACTIV Germany reports.

The volume of solar panels and electric cars connected to the grid is still manageable for now. But massive new load expected from electric vehicles in the coming years will require stepping up network digitalisation, warns Serge Colle.

Electric cars and rooftop solar panels are expected to hit mass markets in the coming years, all requiring smart meters installed in people’s homes. But EU countries are slow at deploying them, and industry voices are now calling on EU regulators to step in.

With negotiations having lasted eight months and the outcome already postponed once, the German Commission on Growth, Structural Change and Employment (the so-called “coal commission”), has presented its final report. What's in it? EURACTIV Germany reports.

The sharing economy can kill two birds with one stone by lowering the cost of green technologies and reducing polluting emissions, cleantech expert Radoslav Mizera told EURACTIV Slovakia.

Russia has no interest in finding a compromise in the EU-mediated Ukraine gas transit talks and is using energy as a lever to weaken Kyiv in a bid to further the country's annexation, a top official of Ukraine's biggest utility, Naftogaz, told EURACTIV.com.

The idea of reducing – or altogether avoiding – energy consumption is starting to catch on among French local authorities. But the concept struggles at European level because it directly challenges our economic growth model. EURACTIV France reports.

In December, international negotiators managed to agree the set of rules needed to “bring the Paris Agreement to life”. But unfinished business and a tight schedule mean that the job of honouring the landmark deal is far from done.

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?

Emissions and noise pollution are both increasing because more and more aircraft are taking to the skies, a new report by Europe’s premier aviation and environmental agencies revealed on Thursday (24 January).  Forecasts show that the trend is only set to continue.

The 'yellow vest' movement showed that French people will reject the carbon tax if the proceeds are not allocated to the energy transition. But the government seems reluctant to acknowledge this. EURACTIV France reports.

Making finance and investments sustainable is essential to achieving a net-zero emissions world by 2050. And energy efficiency has the single biggest role to play, writes Peter Sweatman.