About: 2050 carbon neutrality
Deforestation continues unabated ahead of COP26
An average of 2,400 trees is cut down every minute, leading to an area the size of Belgium being deforested each year, according to the Latin America regional director for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), who was speaking ahead of the COP26 climate summit.
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.
Europe risks €87 billion in stranded fossil gas assets, report reveals
Europe is already building or planning to build €87 billion worth of fossil gas infrastructure in a continued expansion of pipelines and LNG terminals, despite the need to halve its emissions by 2030, according to a new report published on Thursday (8 April).
Fossil gas ‘has no viable future’, EU’s Timmermans says
Europe has set a clear goal for full decarbonisation by 2050, with renewables-based electricity set to become the dominant energy carrier, and that means fossil gas will have “only a marginal role” in the long run, EU climate chief Frans Timmermans said on Thursday (25 March).
‘Mistakes were made’ when vaccines were ordered, EU’s Timmermans admits
The European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans has admitted that mistakes were made in Brussels when COVID-19 vaccines were being ordered and suggested taking stock "at the end of the pandemic" of what went wrong and what was done right. EURACTIV's partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.
Lawmakers call for ‘nuclear renaissance’ to support EU’s energy transition
Renewables will not be enough for Europe to meet its 2050 climate neutrality goal, says a coalition of centrist and conservative MEPs. Instead, the EU will need a nuclear renaissance to achieve it, they argue, referring to a fresh study on the EU’s climate policy.
2021: Another decisive year for Europe’s climate ambitions
Climate policy will again take centre stage in 2021, with the European Commission expected to table a mammoth package of green laws in June, before the COP26 UN climate summit in Glasgow caps off a year packed with milestones for European climate policy in December.
Energy utilities prepare to deliver new 2030 climate target
Now that the EU has raised its 2030 emissions reduction target from 40% to 55%, questions are being asked about how utility operators can make the changes necessary to transform the energy system.
UN climate summit registers new carbon-cutting pledges
More than 70 heads of state showed stronger climate action at a virtual summit, but heavy lifting remains in 2021 to meet the ambition of Paris. EURACTIV's media partner, Climate Home News, reports.
Setting the EU on track for climate neutrality: The role of gas infrastructure
To successfully achieve climate neutrality by 2050, the EU needs to establish an integrated energy infrastructure.
‘Net zero’ climate targets? Read the fine print
The worldwide effort to prevent Earth from becoming an unlivable hothouse is in the grips of "net zero" fever.OpinionPromoted content
To Ensure a Green Future, We Need Big Data and Smart Mobility
The European Green Deal has set the EU on a course to become the first climate-neutral region on the planet which will position it as a global leader in sustainability and the green economy. The EU’s quest to become climate-neutral will require innovative new technologies, and sustainable manufacturing processes that support them. Investment in environmentally friendly technologies will be critical as today’s technology companies search for solutions to our society’s problems. A focus on smart mobility, technology, big data and big society will lay the foundations for a climate-neutral future.
Which technologies should be in the EU’s climate action toolbox?
Experts disagree about which technologies should be used to meet the EU’s climate change targets.
Europe can hit climate neutrality goal at net-zero cost: report
Although cutting emissions to net-zero by 2050 will destroy jobs and push up the costs of doing business in some sectors, it will bring gains elsewhere that will make up for the difference, according to a new study by McKinsey & company.
John Kerry, who signed Paris accord for US, is Biden’s climate envoy
Former secretary of state John Kerry helped broker the landmark Paris Agreement and signed it on behalf of the United States, a decision subsequently reversed by President Donald Trump.
UN chief presses EU to agree tougher climate change target
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday (19 November) urged the European Union to lead global efforts to slash planet-warming emissions by setting a new climate change target next month.
French graduates launch alumni network to fight climate change
It is in the interest of everyone, including the business world, to be committed to the environment, according to "Alumni for the Planet", a unique collective launched in France on Thursday (12 November) that aims to gather French graduates in the fight against climate change. EURACTIV France reports.
Brussels ‘won’t stand in the way’ of new nuclear plants, says EU climate chief
The European Commission “will not stand in the way” of countries that choose to build new nuclear power stations, said EU climate chief Frans Timmermans, who warned however about the life-cycle costs of the technology, “which means that you will be stuck with it for a long, long, long time”.
Japan matches EU climate pledge with net-zero carbon goal for 2050
Japan will join the EU in aiming for net zero emissions by 2050, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced on Monday (26 October).
Delivering a net-zero economy
Mid-century climate targets are feasible but decisive action needs to be taken in the 2020s to put the world onto the right trajectory, writes Sandrine Dixson-Declève.
EU environment ministers strike deal on climate law, leave out 2030 target
European Union environment ministers struck a deal on Friday (23 October) to make the bloc's 2050 net-zero emissions target legally binding, but left a decision on a 2030 emissions-cutting target for leaders to discuss in December.
Official: EU taking first steps to bring forestry into carbon market
The first step to bring forestry under the EU’s emissions trading scheme is to ensure that every tonne of carbon dioxide in the forest is counted so that a certification system for carbon removals can be put in place, Artur Runge-Metzger told EURACTIV.
Greta Thunberg urges EU to do ‘as much as possible’ on climate
Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg on Wednesday urged EU leaders to "do as much as possible" to step up the bloc's ambitions to reduce carbon output at this week's summit.