About: Biodiversity
Europe needs more, not less, nature to overcome the looming food crisis
As the world scrambles to fend off the impact of yet another food crisis, opportunistic efforts by lobby groups to delay nature restoration laws are likely to make things worse, writes former Commissioner Janez Potočnik.OpinionPromoted content
Don’t leave biodiversity by the wayside
Current crises should not derail global and European nature restoration ambitions, argues Nick Canney, European Managing Director of innocent drinks.
Germany split over ramping up food production
The debate over scrapping environmental measures to produce more food and mitigate problems caused by the Ukraine war has split German policymakers and so far, federal and regional governments have not been able to find a middle ground.
Germany strikes compromise between wind power expansion and nature protection
The German government has announced a compromise paper which will ensure that the government’s aim of a rapid expansion of onshore wind energy will not be stymied by too stringent environmental protection rules.
Sixty-eight countries commit to carbon capture, soil protection
A total of 68 countries agreed to contribute to climate protection and biodiversity conservation by protecting agricultural soils at last week's World Conference of agriculture ministers in Berlin. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Time to turn the tide on inaction and bring life back to the ocean
2022 is an important year as the EU is set to introduce a new nature restoration law. This is a threshold moment for meaningful climate and biodiversity action, writes Odran Corcoran.
French CAP plan prioritises legumes, hedges and carbon farming
France's national strategic plan for the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP), which was submitted to the European Commission at the end of 2021, prioritises legume production, the planting of hedges and carbon farming. EURACTIV France reports.
Nature restoration is a matter of intergenerational justice
Ahead of the Commission’s proposal for binding nature restoration targets, young Europeans call for targets with urgent and youth-inclusive action as a matter of intergenerational justice, writes Giulia Testa.
Estonia’s wood pellet industry stokes controversy
Estonia's thriving wood pellet industry is pitting environmentalists who warn it increases logging and harms biodiversity against supporters who say it makes good use of wood that would otherwise go to waste.
Policy Dialogue: Can Glyphosate play a role in achieving greater biodiversity?
The question of how to achieve sustainable agriculture and a balanced relationship between the environment, farmers and consumers is more and more pressing.
Hard or soft law: what’s the status of EU sustainable agriculture goals?
With the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the European Commission wants to make the policy more performance oriented. However, non-binding targets and national leeway might hinder the Commission’s quest to keep track of results.
Key UN biodiversity summit to open in China
A key UN summit tasked with protecting biodiversity officially opens in China and online Monday (11 October), as countries meet to tackle pollution and prevent mass extinction weeks before the COP26 climate conference.
Viruses don’t stop at our borders
The COVID-19 pandemic is a wake-up call for all of us. Human, animal, and plant health are all intrinsically interconnected. As the pandemic showed, we failed to integrate these three dimensions, writes Hilde Vautmans.
Ball now in court of German states to protect species in agriculture
Germany must do more to promote the protection of biodiversity when implementing the EU agricultural reform, the European Commission has said. EURACTIV Germany reports.
How will Germany implement the CAP’s green targets?
EU farm ministers agreed to a new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in July that favours "greener" farming practices, with terms like "eco-schemes" and environmental "conditionality" taking centre stage during the negotiations. But what does this concretely mean for German agriculture? EURACTIV Germany reports.
Germany’s roadmap for greener CAP subsidies
EU countries have been given more freedom than ever to implement national agricultural policies that are more climate and environmentally friendly. But where does Germany stand when it comes to implementing the EU's plans for a greener agriculture?
German farmers, environmentalists slam current state of eco-schemes
Farmers and environmentalists are calling on Germany to improve the implementation of the green architecture in the Common Agricultural Policy. But between German elections and looming deadlines, it is unclear whether this can be done on time. EURACTIV Germany reports.
US needs to step up on climate finance ahead of COP26, says EU chief
The United States and other rich nations need to close the climate financing gap in order to increase the chances of success at the COP26 UN climate summit in November, the President of the European Commission has said.
Green MEP: Voluntary schemes have failed biodiversity in forests
Voluntary schemes have not been enough to protect biodiversity in Europe's forests and more coordinated measures are needed to protect nature in the EU, according to Green lawmaker Ville Niinistö.
Data-driven actions as the key to deliver sustainability in the EU dairy sector?
The current EU agri-food model is going through radical change. The need to feed a growing population sustainably and protect biodiversity is putting demands on the industry like never before.
Slovenia faces mountain of climate legislation as it takes on EU presidency role
As Slovenia takes over the EU Council presidency from Portugal on Thursday (1 July), it faces an avalanche of climate legislation, both inherited from its predecessor and from the European Commission which is due to table a massive legislative package on 14 July.
EU warned about environmental impact of deep seabed mining
Deep seabed mining for minerals used in car batteries and other green technologies should not be permitted in Europe until there is sufficient knowledge on the environmental impact it may cause, said the Portuguese minister of maritime affairs.
Climate and nature crises: solve both or solve neither, say experts
Humanity must solve the climate and nature crises together or solve neither, according to a report from 50 of the world’s leading scientists. EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian, reports.