Sustainable Development
Burning trees as climate mitigation: A resort to the Court
There is no debate that burning wood for energy emits more greenhouse gases per unit of energy than burning fossil fuels. Yet the EU's renewable energy directive continues to uphold that burning forest wood is "carbon neutral," write Jean-Pascal van Ypersele and Mary S. Booth.
European carbon tax idea returns to election debate in France
The French green think-tank La Fabrique Ecologique has published eight environmental proposals to contribute to the European election debate. EURACTIV France’s media partner the Journal de l’environnement reports.
German social democrats’ manifesto: What role for the environment?
The German SPD published its European election manifesto on Monday (18 February), clearly setting out social justice and fair taxation as the main priorities. But what about environmental policy? EURACTIV Germany reports.
Environmental organisations ‘very disappointed’ with new ERDF Regulation
The European regional development fund currently amounts to €200 billion. German environmental organisations have criticised the fact that its new version sets the wrong priorities. EURACTIV Germany reports.
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.
Dutch electric fishing in Brussels’ sights
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.
The EU must stick its neck out for the giraffe
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.
No-deal Brexit to leave UK without green watchdog for two years: report
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.
European Parliament votes for much greener cohesion policy
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.
Citizens are fed up with industrial agriculture
Europe's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was a big issue at this year's Green Week in Berlin. With all the billions of euros available, the agro-ecological transition is more than possible, especially if subsidies to agribusiness and factory farms were stopped, write Harriet Bradley and Trees Robijns.
In Brussels, students skip school for mass global warming protest
Thousands of Belgian school children skipped classes on Thursday (24 January) to flood Brussels in an unprecedented protest against global warming and pollution, vowing to miss school once a week until the government takes action.
Paper, the forgotten forest destroyer
As the world awakes to the threat posed by palm oil and soy to our forests, it’s in danger of overlooking how paper and packaging drives industrial logging, mis-shapes millions of hectares of forest landscapes and creates monoculture plantations, writes Sini Eräjää.
Arctic nations bet on ‘blue economy’ to reconcile climate, development goals
From global warming to over- and illegal fishing, the ocean on which Arctic communities are so heavily dependent is under threat like never before, delegates heard at the Arctic conference in Tromsø, Norway.
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.
First European agreement on recycled fertilisers
The regulation on the use of organic and waste-based fertilisers was the subject of a tripartite agreement on 13 December. Its aim is to reduce the use of chemical fertilisers in Europe. EURACTIV France’s media partner the Journal de l’environnement reports.
The EU and mako sharks: From sinner to saviour?
The EU should match its rhetoric on sustainable fisheries by leading global efforts to preserve mako sharks, argues Staci McLennan.
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.
All that glitters is not just gold
The circular economy is taking on more and more significance but a potential clash is looming between maximising the potential of our waste and safeguarding human health.
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.
Europe needs a new governance mechanism for sustainability
The European Union unveiled a strategy last week to become the world's first climate neutral economy by 2050, generating a positive momentum ahead of the COP24 in Katowice, writes Luca Jahier.
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.
Environmental organisations: German-French climate partnership
Environmental organisations are calling on Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron to coordinate their countries’ climate and energy transitions. EURACTIV Germany’s media partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.
What’s the point of recycling?
It is easy to rank EU member states by how proficient they are at recycling but the details behind the statistics are more complex. Scratch beneath the surface and there is a quasi-philosophical issue lying in wait.