About: carbon emissions

New cars still way behind in reaching EU emission standards by 2021

While the European Union has set a limit of 95g/km for new vehicles, with one year to go before the deadline, manufacturers are stagnating at 122g/km according to AAA Data. EURACTIV's partner le Journal de l'environnement reports.

‘Do no harm’: Nuclear squeezed out of EU green finance scheme

European Greens claimed victory on Thursday (5 December) after EU negotiators reached agreement on a green finance taxonomy aimed at channelling billions of private investor’s money into clean technologies. Coal, and – in principle – nuclear power, are out.

German ministers urge EU to lead the way at COP25 in Madrid

At a Berlin conference to prepare for the UN's annual climate summit (COP25), Environment Minister Svenja Schulze and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas stressed the EU's responsibility in closing the Paris Climate Agreement's remaining gaps, particularly by raising the targets at EU level. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Germany’s steel industry in transition

Germany's energy-intensive steel industry needs to reinvent itself so that it can meet European climate targets and remain competitive. However, there is still a long road to go before the sector goes green. EURACTIV Germany reports.

EU eyes end of energy tax waivers for air and sea transport sectors

The European Union is studying a reform of energy taxes to align them with climate targets, an EU document showed, listing as possible measures higher minimum tax rates, fossil fuel levies and the end of waivers for the air and sea transport sectors.

German environment chief seeks dialogue with Poland over climate neutrality

German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze announced that she will be holding talks with representatives of all states that have so far refused to join the EU's carbon neutrality objective for 2050. EURACTIV Germany reports.

German conservatives from the CDU/CSU will face difficult times, says former MP

In an interview with EURACTIV Germany, former Green member of the Bundestag Hans-Josef Fell spoke about Angela Merkel's climate heritage, record CO2 emissions and why Germany should become carbon neutral by 2030.

Europe’s path to carbon neutrality: A move to ‘sobriété énergétique’?

What is 'sobriété énergétique' and what is its role in pushing Europe towards its carbon reduction goals? Kamila Waciega explains.  

Germany faces trillion euro bill to meet climate targets, businesses warn

Germany will have to spend more than €1 trillion to meet even the lower end of the European Union's 2050 target to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, according to a draft of a study commissioned by the BDI German industry group.

Europe’s two-faced climate change game

EU member states risk undermining the diminishing confidence Europeans have in the Union by playing a two-faced game on climate change, warns Wendel Trio.

Palm oil for fighter jets: Under EU attack, producers seek alternatives

Facing a backlash in Europe over palm oil's environmental toll, the world's top producers are scrambling to find new markets and even striking unusual barter deals, such as exchanging Sukhoi fighter-bombers for the edible oil.

German minister: Berlin needs to halve coal capacity by 2030 to meet Paris goals

Germany would have to shut 25 gigawatts (GW), half its current total coal-fired power station capacity, by 2030 to meet carbon-cutting targets it has committed to under the Paris Agreement, deputy economy minister Rainer Baake said on Tuesday (5 September).

Air pollution almost as bad for babies as smoking during pregnancy

Dirty air can lead to women giving birth to smaller babies, according to new research which also warns that exposure to air pollution during pregnancy rivals the damage done by smoking.

How to offset Trump’s climate science ignorance – plant 10bn trees

A campaign to plant enough trees to offset Donald Trump’s climate policies is under way. Organisers hope to plant ten billion trees by 24 December 2017, with the last one being a Christmas tree planted in front of the White House.

Axios: Trump pulling US out of Paris climate deal

US President Donald Trump has decided to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, Axios news outlet reported on Wednesday (31 May), citing two unidentified sources with direct knowledge of the decision.

France climate ambition ends where the forest begins

France likes to be seen as a leader on climate action, but when it comes to the role of forests, the country’s priorities lie elsewhere. EURACTIV France reports.

Magic tricks in the forest: When member states make their emissions vanish

Countries are free to manage their forests as they choose, but reducing them to a tool of light-fingered carbon accounting can leave world deprived of vital carbon sinks, writes Hannah Mowat.  

Westinghouse: Only Ukraine applies EU’s nuclear diversification policy

EXCLUSIVE / Unlike the five EU member states with Russian-built nuclear power plants, Ukraine is the only country implementing EU requirements for diversified portfolios of fuel supply, Michael Kirst, an official at Westinghouse, told EURACTIV.com.

Does Brexit offer a ‘golden opportunity’ to pursue EU ETS alternatives?

As the British MPs this week waved through the bill to withdraw from the European Union, the debate surrounding the country’s future involvement in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) intensified with a lively debate in parliament. EURACTIV’s media partner Edie.net reports.

Commission and member states clash over capacity mechanisms

The European Commission fears that capacity mechanisms would just translate into subsidies for coal power plants. Therefore, installations exceeding emission limits should not take part in support schemes, according to a proposal under the Energy Union's Winter Package. EURACTIV Czech Republic reports.

Trump can kill UN climate deal, warns EU carbon market chief

EXCLUSIVE/ The election of Donald Trump as President of the United States is a “real and imminent threat” to the fight against climate change, and “completely upends every single element” of the Paris Agreement, making it almost impossible to deliver, the MEP leading EU carbon market reform has warned.

Study: Recycling scrap steel offers environmental and competitive benefits

The market for scrap steel is weakening, but the circular economy may offer a ray of hope. A new study claims that old steel products will become increasingly important to the industry. EURACTIV Germany reports.

COP21 goals: An alternative path to success

Managing carbon emissions by imposing a refundable excise duty on the extraction of fossil fuels rather than on their emissions is an alternative and much more advantageous solution to reaching the objectives of the COP21 Agreement, argue Jacques de Gerlache and Romain Ferrari.