Science & Policymaking
Students’ climate strikes: Right goals but wrong words
The students striking are heroes, but their moral arguments need to be further developed if they want to reach new audiences, writes Darrick Evensen.
Human society under urgent threat from loss of Earth’s natural life
A landmark UN report published yesterday (6 May) reveals 1 million species are at risk of extinction, with agriculture and fishing the primary causes of the deterioration, which also threatens humankind. EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian, reports.
Jan Zahradil, champion of ‘common sense’ EU environmentalism
The lead candidate for the European Conservatives at next month’s EU elections has made climate policy and other environmental issues one of his key election themes. But can he square up his green agenda with his passion for national sovereignty? EURACTIV tried to find out.
What EU innovation policy can learn from professional cycling
Mission-oriented innovation is potentially significant in tackling big societal challenges such as climate change. When establishing those missions, the EU could take a few lessons from Britain’s most successful cycling team, writes Simon Skillings.
ExxonMobil misled the public. Now they’re trying to mislead the European Parliament
Last month, US oil giant ExxonMobil was invited by the European Parliament to testify publicly about the history of climate change denial. But instead of responding transparently, they tried behind the scenes to discredit the peer-reviewed research conducted by Harvard University researchers, writes Geoffrey Supran.
Watch: Greta Thunberg’s full address to EU politicians in Brussels
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was in Brussels on Thursday (21 February) to take part in one of the climate school strikes that have taken place every week in Belgium since December. EURACTIV.com does not usually publish speeches. But we...
Greta Thunberg: ‘We just want politicians to listen to the scientists’
School kids are on climate strike “because we have done our homework” and listened to science, 16-year-old green activist Greta Thunberg told EU policymakers in Brussels today (21 February). “Just unite behind the science, that is our demand,” she said.
New treaty bans commercial fishing in the Arctic for 16 years
The European Union and nine other countries, including the US and Russia, approved an international agreement on Thursday (14 February) that will prohibit commercial vessels from fishing in the Arctic in order to preserve the region's fragile ecosystem. VideoPromoted content
Explaining risk versus hazard
The terms “risk” and “hazard” are regularly used by scientists, industry and regulators. But what do they mean? And what is the difference between them?
Scientists tell Belgian school kids on climate strike: ‘You’re right!’
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.
Scientists call for radical change of diet to transform global food system
The global food system needs urgent reform, less meat consumption and more legumes, as three billion people worldwide are malnourished and food production is exceeding planetary boundaries, scientists have warned in a new report. InfographicPromoted content
Nickel energizing batteries
While nickel is not always in the name, its presence in many battery technologies is helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions - enabling clean energy solutions to be a central part of our effort to tackle global warming.
With climate change, life in the Gulf could become impossible
In the second half of the century, most of the territory bordering the Gulf, Red Sea and Arabian Sea could experience “wet bulb temperatures” making outdoor activities practically impossible, writes Jonathan Gornall, warning this could create social upheaval on the grandest of scales.
Climate change is a problem of politics, not science
The scientific, economic and social arguments for aggressive action on climate change are powerful. Our political leaders are now at a fork in the road and our children and grandchildren are watching, write Valérie Masson-Delmotte and Jiang Kejun.
Europe’s ‘Kafka-esque’ recycling dilemma for precious metals
Precious metals are big business in the EU but possible conflicts between recycling policies and chemical management mean that the industry risks missing out on a golden opportunity.
Ex-chemicals agency chief: ‘Courage’ needed to rethink EU laws
Europe's chemical management rules, REACH, are over a decade old and the man seen as the architect of the legislation still thinks it is the most modern of its kind in the world. But the former boss of the European Chemicals Agency says the EU could do with going back to the drawing board.
The Sustainable Blue Economy: EU’s actions must match its words
As global leaders met at the world’s first Sustainable Blue Economy conference this week, the EU must face the sobering reality of the state of our ocean and stand by its commitments to sustainably protect and effectively manage Europe’s seas before it’s too late, writes Dr Samantha Burgess.
‘The other COP’: EU must be a champion for nature at UN biodiversity convention
With biodiversity in drastic decline, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh is a crucial moment. As the international community negotiates a new global biodiversity framework, the EU must become a leader for nature conservation, both globally and at home, argues Ester Asin.
Trumpian cuts on the cards for EU climate research?
Following the European Parliament’s call for a ‘net zero emissions’ goal for 2050, one might have expected MEPs to support a bigger budget for research on low-carbon technologies in the new Horizon Europe programme. Instead, they are considering cuts by 1.35%, writes Theo Mitchell.
Healthy rivers and lakes are not ‘nice-to-haves’, they are essential to our existence
Healthy rivers, lakes and wetlands are our life support system, but EU member states are trying to destroy the law that protects them and the window to save them is closing, warns Andreas Baumüller.
‘Risk data hub’ to enhance EU resilience to climate hazards
The European Commission is preparing to launch a “risk data hub” in the coming months that will help map out loss and damage from natural disasters such as floods, droughts, storms and other extreme weather events that are becoming more frequent with climate change.
In breach of REACH: Europe’s chemical dieselgate
The European Union cannot keep turning a blind eye to the flood of illegal chemicals, write MEPs Bart Staes and Sven Giegold.
The good, the bad and the ugly: The IPCC special report on global warming of 1.5°C
The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows keeping global warming below 1.5°C is necessary, feasible and beneficial. Rich countries must now commit to ensure their economies reach net zero emissions before 2050, writes Nick Mabey.