About: 2030 climate and energy targets
EU ministers attack plans to extend carbon pricing to heating, transport
EU environment ministers expressed "quite a lot of reservations" about European Commission plans to set up a second emissions trading scheme for road transport and buildings at their first meeting since Brussels tabled the proposal last week.
Climate-focused investors give warm welcome to EU masterplan
A European Union climate masterplan to raise the cost of pollution and eliminate emissions is a step towards a single carbon price that many investors striving to make companies more sustainable say can help to engineer deeper change.
Finnish MEP: Sustainable forest management must be supported by EU climate legislation
Sustainable forest management is key to keeping Europe's forests healthy and must be supported by EU legislation in order to help meet the bloc's 2030 climate goals, according to Finnish MEP, Petri Sarvamaa.
EU plan puts spotlight on carbon sinks to tackle climate change
Europe will need to increase the amount of carbon stored by its forests and wetlands to meet a new, more ambitious target for carbon removals in Europe, according to a leaked policy draft seen by EURACTIV.
Make the Fit for 55 package fit for cities
Europe's new and revised climate legislation needs to enable cities to reach climate neutrality by mid-century, including by encouraging more building renovation and driving the transition to clean energy, European mayors write.
Europe’s ‘Fit for 55’ climate package: What to expect
On Wednesday (14 July), the European Commission is due to table a package of energy and climate laws aimed at reaching the EU's new, more ambitious climate goals. EURACTIV gives you the lowdown on the plan.
Why the renovation wave matters more than the EU knows
The unprecedented push for renovation across Europe needs to be in line with its climate ambition and work in synergy with the rest of the EU's climate legislation in order to fulfil its potential, writes Adeline Rochet and Pedro Guertler.
Spain joins campaign to phase out coal by 2030
Spain on Wednesday (30 June) joined an international campaign to set a date for closing all coal plants by 2030, signing up to a target it looks well-placed to beat by a wide margin.
The Green Brief: EU divisions loom over climate policy
With the EU’s new climate law passing in the European Parliament last week, there is now no doubt about whether EU lawmakers see the need to tackle climate change. Now they just need to answer the question of how to do this.
Why carbon capture on waste-to-energy facilities undermines climate action
Despite the initial impression that carbon capture and storage would be a good idea to reduce emissions from waste incineration plants, the climate will not benefit from this, argue Mick Wallace and Janek Vähk.
The EU needs to make its upcoming climate and energy legislative package ‘Fit for 1.5°C’
A post-covid Europe must make far more effort when it comes to tackling climate change. Even with its recently enhanced target of at least 55% emissions reduction by 2030, the EU still fails to keep us safe from a climate catastrophe, argues Wendel Trio.OpinionPromoted content
How an ambitious and rapid reform of the EU-ETS is essential to achieve the new climate objectives
2021 is a decisive year for climate action. Following the binding objective of carbon neutrality in the Climate Law, it is now urgent to align the various legislative texts with this ambition. Alexandre Perra is the EDF’s Group Senior Executive...
Greens join far-right in bid to stop EU climate law
The European Parliament on Thursday (24 June) gave its thumbs up to the EU's landmark climate law, despite opposition from the Greens who said the legislation didn't go far enough to protect people and the environment against dangerous climate change.
Why a carbon tax is the most effective price signal for the building sector
A carbon tax on the fuel used to heat Europe's buildings is the most effective price signal to decarbonise Europe's building stock, which is in desperate need of renovation to meet the EU's climate ambition, writes Oliver Rapf.
IEA: Renewables set to attract 70% of global energy investment in 2021
Global energy investment is likely to rebound to pre-pandemic levels this year, with most finance going towards renewables - but, ultimately, the new generation capacity financed will not be compatible with long-term climate goals.
Sustainable renovation is key to green recovery, industry says
Building renovation is a good way to spend the EU’s recovery fund and help Europe build a sustainable economy after the COVID-19 pandemic, but it must be done sustainably, industry representatives say.
Spain positions itself to be Europe’s green hydrogen hub
Spain has the “best conditions” to become Europe’s green hydrogen hub, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday, EURACTIV’s partner EFE reported.
LEAK: EU set to maintain national CO2 targets for non-ETS sectors
EU countries are likely to reaffirm national emissions goals for sectors like buildings, transport, and agriculture, when EU leaders meet for a summit scheduled on 24-25 May.
Eleven EU countries call to ban fossil fuels from trans-European energy infrastructure
Eleven EU countries have signed a declaration calling on the European Union to stop funding fossil fuels under its trans-European energy infrastructure regulation (TEN-E), which is currently under revision.
It’s time to put climate targets first
Legally binding reduction targets for member states should be the unequivocal starting point of making EU laws fit for new EU climate targets. Based on a new distribution formula, national targets should continue until climate neutrality is achieved in 2050, argue Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf, Michał Kaminski, and András Huszár.
US vows to cut its emissions at least 50% by 2030 ahead of climate summit
The US has vowed to cut its planet-heating emissions by at least half by the end of the decade, in a ramping up of ambition aimed at rallying other countries to do more to confront the climate crisis. EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian Environment, reports.
Breakthrough as EU negotiators clinch deal on European climate law
European Union negotiators reached a deal on the European Climate Law after fourteen hours of talks on Wednesday (21 April), allowing the EU to arrive at the US-hosted climate summit tomorrow with an agreement on the bloc’s 2030 target.
EU leaders are prioritising climate heroism over ambitious policies
EU leaders are focused on the spectacle of arriving at the US climate summit on Thursday (22 April) with an agreement on the EU climate law and 2030 target, but risk sacrificing the quality of the legislation, argue Adélaïde Charlier and Chloé Mikolajczak.