Sustainable Development
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.
Recycling’s powerful waste-fighting arsenal
Two of recycling’s main tools are used to varying degrees across Europe and now the industry and member states are considering how best to leverage them and help create what has been touted as the "internal market for recycling".
Sefcovic: We want to be carbon neutral
With its Clean Energy package, the European Commission wants to combat climate change, further develop the internal market for electricity and promote a carbon neutral future with a concept. EURACTIV Germany spoke to Maroš Šefčovič.
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.
Europe’s packaging headache
European Union members will have to recycle at least 70% of packaging by 2030, under new rules brokered earlier this year. But there are complex mechanisms behind the recycling curtain and not all countries are ready yet to keep up with the pace.
‘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.
Europe’s first marine turbine helps reduce Ouessant Island’s carbon footprint
A marine turbine submerged 55 metres deep in the Fromveur passage, a strait off Western French coast known for its strong current, has produced 15% of the electricity needed by Ouessant Island since mid-October. EURACTIV France reports.
Forests and Frankfurters: Why Germans’ love of meat is causing destruction in Latin America
Farming is the world’s biggest driver of deforestation, and beef and soya production are the prime culprits, writes Nicole Polster.
Seychelles issues the world’s first ‘Blue Bond’
For the first time, a state – Seychelles – has issued a 'Blue Bond', which will finance the protection of marine ecosystems and the development of sustainable fishing. EURACTIV France’s media partner, the Journal de l’environnement reports.
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.
Steel industry moulds EU carbon market to its advantage
By authorising the steel industry to burn blast furnace gases until 2026, the European Commission has backtracked on its earlier position. EURACTIV France reports.
Swiss researchers chart path to zero-emission cement
The construction sector can cut polluting emissions up to 80% by applying efficiency measures along the whole value chain, according to new research. If combined with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, emissions could even be brought down to zero by 2050, they argue.
60% of living species declined due to human activity, warns WWF
The ways in which humans feed, fuel and finance modern societies is pushing the planet’s natural systems to the brink, threatening the very foundation on which the world economy is based, according to the WWF’s Living Planet Report 2018, published on Tuesday (30 October).
Big brands pledge to turn tide on global plastic waste
Big brands - from Coca Cola to Kellogg - pledged on Monday (29 October) to cut all plastic waste from their operations in what the United Nations called the most ambitious effort yet to fight plastic pollution.