About: COP21
The Brief: What the eck is Talanoa all about?
Climate negotiators gathered in Bonn, Germany, to negotiate the rules that will govern the Paris Agreement will go back home on Thursday with little to show after almost two weeks of negotiation. The final seal on the rules should be...
New round of climate negotiations in Bonn
The Bonn Climate Change Conference is meeting from 30 April to 10 May in preparation for COP24 in Katowice (Poland). During the Bonn Conference, the two key subjects will be: increasing countries’ climate ambitions and actions and drafting the operating manual for the Paris Agreement. EURACTIV's partner le Journal de l'Environnement reports.
Former COP president becomes UN environment rep
Former president of COP21 Laurent Fabius has been named UN high representative for environmental governance, two years after chairing the Paris Agreement negotiations. EURACTIV France reports.
Bloomberg pledges $50m to help Europe bin coal
US billionaire media mogul Michael Bloomberg has promised $50m to the international effort to scrap coal power, following a similar domestic campaign that has seen 50% of American coal plants close since 2011.
Climate change and local government: Leading the charge in Europe
The mantra of the green movement used to be ‘think globally, act locally’. As the latest round of the UN climate talks begins in Bonn this week, those leading the European Union’s delegation would do well to remember these words, writes Stefano Bonaccini.
Celebrating France’s solar energy leadership
As the world gathers in Bonn for the COP23 climate conference, it is imperative to acknowledge and celebrate success in order to maintain the momentum required for us to collectively reach our climate goals, writes Stefan Degener.
Climate experts insist fossil fuels have no place in post-2035 EU energy plans
The EU will exhaust its share of the global carbon budget within nine years and jeopardise the Paris Agreement’s two degrees target if emissions from fossil fuels continue at their current rate, a new study warns.
Why the COP23 climate change summit in Bonn matters
As the UN's climate conference kicks off in Bonn on Monday (6 November), EURACTIV's partner The Guardian looks at what issues will be discussed in Germany and what we can expect from the high-level conference.
Without carbon tax, we are heading for climate doom
A high tax on carbon emissions is strictly necessary to halt climate change, according to Gaël Giraud, chief economist in the French development agency (AFD). EURACTIV’s partner Journal de l’Environnement reports.
Paris Agreement under threat as member states water down building performance measures
While President Trump is grabbing world headlines by publicly trashing the Paris climate agreement, EU member states are also trying to sabotage this deal by watering down measures in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and Energy Efficiency Directive (EED), writes Adrian Joyce.
Vulnerable countries sound alarm on climate finance
The countries most exposed to the effects of climate change are still waiting for the finances they were promised in Paris in 2015. EURACTIV France reports.
EU opens door to Canada’s dirty oil
Oil extracted from tar sands is far more polluting than conventional hydrocarbons. But the EU’s decision to change the way it classifies the fuel is good news for Canadian exports and bad news for the environment. EURACTIV’s partner Ouest-France reports. VideoPromoted content
Taking Action: One year on from COP21 and the launch of the SDGs
Cooperation to achieve key sustainability goals were at the heart of debates at a Brussels conference on 6 December 2016 hosted by CSR Europe in cooperation with Huawei.
Study: EU must abandon coal power by 2030 to meet climate pledge
The European Union must close all 315 of its coal-fired power plants by 2030 in order to meet its commitments under the Paris climate agreement, a research institute said Thursday.
The future of clean coal and Europe’s new geopolitics of energy
Climate change denialism may have swept the Trump Administration, but the fight against global warming and greenhouse gases remains at the top of the agenda for most other international organisations and governments, writes Nicolas Tenzer.
France’s energy transition could create a million jobs
A group of French NGOs and trade unions has proposed an alternative route to translate Paris Agreement goals into social progress and jobs. The project would be financed using new resources and green monetary policy. EURACTIV France reports.
From green bonds to solar roads: France’s low-carbon revolution is taking shape
History was made in France a little over a year ago when national delegates from across the world agreed on a landmark climate deal. With the Paris Agreement now ratified, the host nation is introducing a plethora of fresh green legislation. EURACTIV's media partner edie.net reports.
French mining code reform ignores climate objectives
The long-awaited reform of France's mining code is about to get under way. But the new text pays very little heed to the country's environmental objectives. EURACTIV France reports.
Dieselgate-style fraudsters should face prison, says UN boss
Dieselgate-style fraudsters should face tough punishments, including prison sentences, for cheating air pollution rules, the executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme said today (20 December).
Brundtland: Climate change fight must continue, despite ‘US going in another direction’
Former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland told EURACTIV’s partner El País – Planeta Futuro that public awareness and civil society action is equally important as political commitment in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and Agenda 2030.
Tackling climate change crucial to EU citizen health
Climate change has a notable impact on health and if steps are not taken, more frequent heatwaves and better conditions for diseases will cause more deaths and cost billions of euros, warns EU Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis.
The Brief: Commission shows off massive Winter Package
The European Commission revealed its “very impressive package” of energy rules today. While it is undeniably huge, size doesn’t matter, it's what member states and MEPs do with it that counts.
The Brief: Clean energy subsidies for all?
EU member states have a long, distinguished history of ignoring the European Commission when it comes to national energy subsidies.