About: Biodiversity
Biodiversity in Europe: EU aims to protect 30% of land and sea
With a UN biodiversity summit approaching in spring, 2021 has been hailed as a super year for biodiversity. As part of its contribution, the European Commission is preparing legislation to introduce legal protection for 30% of land and sea in Europe.
‘Historic step’ as European Parliament approves green recovery fund
Lawmakers in the European Parliament voted to pass the EU's €672.5 recovery and resilience facility on Tuesday evening (9 February), unlocking unprecedented funding aimed at helping Europe "build back better" after the COVID-19 crisis.
Biodiversity needs its own Paris Agreement, von der Leyen says
The world needs a Paris-style agreement for biodiversity, the President of the European Commission said on Tuesday (26 January).
Competition or cooperation? EU, US enter new era of climate diplomacy
As Joe Biden takes the reins of a tumultuous America, analysts have tempered expectations about the ability of the new US administration to closely align with Europe on climate change.
Biodiversity protection must be included in all EU policy, says Greens
The test for the EU's biodiversity strategy will be whether all EU legislation matches its ambition on nature protection, Green lawmakers argued in an environment committee debate about the strategy on Thursday (14 January).
The EU’s watershed deforestation moment?
This week Ursula von der Leyen signalled the EU’s desire to lead the world in the fight against global deforestation. But if the key drivers of deforestation aren’t addressed, progress will remain limited, writes Julia Christian.
German environment ministry proposes a social contract for green agriculture
German environment minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) is hosting a virtual agricultural congress on Wednesday (13 January) to discuss sustainable agriculture and the agreement between food production, environment and climate. At the centre, however, is a social contract. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Europe renews pledge to fight deforestation at Paris biodiversity summit
The importance of forests for biodiversity and the need to protect them to prevent future pandemics was emphasised by Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel at the One Planet Summit on Monday (11 January).
One Planet Summit: no climate fix without biodiversity
A UN-backed summit Monday of political leaders and CEOs pledging to reverse the accelerating destruction of the natural world was long on promises and short on cash.
EU agrees to set aside 37% of recovery fund for green transition
Negotiations between the European Parliament and EU member states on the bloc's coronavirus recovery fund concluded early on Friday morning (18 December), unlocking €265 billion of the total €672.5 available for the green transition in EU countries.
Fighting for the ocean: the story of tackling IUU
The European Union is leading the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and has a lot to be proud of. Yet, many challenges are still lying ahead, writes Virginijus Sinkevičius.
Parliament pulls trigger on lead ammunition in wetlands
The European Parliament voted on Wednesday (25 November) to ban the use of lead ammunition in wetlands, triggering cries of victory among conservation groups, who said history has been made.
Auditors raise ‘red flag’ over EU efforts to protect seas
Efforts to protect the European Union seas are failing to slow biodiversity loss or prevent overfishing, with the Mediterranean under particular threat, a report by auditors said on Thursday (26 November).
Brazil rejects UN biodiversity Conference budget, putting COP15 at risk
Brazil voted against the 2021 budget of the UN Biodiversity Conference last week and a new text is due to be proposed this Wednesday, but the clock is ticking. EURACTIV France reports.
As EU plans offshore wind boom, Greens worry about fish
The European Commission laid out plans on Thursday (19 November) for a massive scale-up of offshore wind, aiming for a 25-fold increase in wind power at sea as part of EU efforts to phase out fossil fuels and combat global warming.
A one-health approach to prevent COVID-21, COVID-22 and other future pandemics
While still in the grips of a global pandemic, it has become painfully apparent that addressing the complex interactions of human, animal, and environmental health needs multilateral and national adoption of a fully integrated One Health approach, write Cristián Samper and Niels Annen.
Plant biodiversity suffers without livestock grazing, says expert
On the back of a recent European Commission-funded report which called for nuance in the livestock vs environment debate, EURACTIV took a look at the importance of EU grasslands and the role of livestock in maintaining them.
Tackling the hidden cost of Europe’s chocolate habit
Chocolate is a cheap treat in Europe, but beneath the wrapper, it is mired in the bitter issues of deforestation, biodiversity loss and child labour.
Hydropower sector has to keep in line with the European Green Deal
Renewable energy is needed to meet our climate goals, but nature must not be destroyed to produce it, argues Martin Hojsik.
Europe needs a system change to meet Green Deal, says EU chief
Europe needs a “systematic approach” to meet the climate targets in the Green Deal and create a “fair and prosperous society”, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in the foreword of a new report on how to achieve the new goals.
Beekeeping: Way to boost biodiversity and halt rural decline in Spain
More and more city dwellers in Spain are looking for ecological and sustainable alternatives to city life, to reconnect with nature and escape from polluted urban environments and unhealthy crowded spaces, particularly in times of the coronavirus.
CAP will remain part of biodiversity’s myriad of funding, despite past issues
The Common Agricultural Policy, voted on this week in the European Parliament and Council, will remain by far the biggest funding source for biodiversity protection schemes at EU level, despite criticisms it has encouraged intensive and damaging farming.
Agroecology in Poland: A thorny path for farmers
You can read this article in Croatian, Spanish, Polish, Bulgarian, and Romanian. The aim of agroecology, according to the declaration of the International Forum for Agroecology, is to find ways to recover the food system destroyed by industrial agriculture. But...