About: emissions Archives

The European Commission today (27 January) proposed a new regulation to overhaul how national authorities approve car types - four months after the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal rocked EU lawmakers.

Forty-five MEPs were voted into the European Parliament's new inquiry committee tasked with uncovering potential failures of EU institutions to disclose information related to the dieselgate emissions scandal.

The German government has floated the idea of providing incentives for people to buy electric cars. Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Sigmar Gabriel has proposed the initiative so that companies warm to the idea of buying electric car fleets. EURACTIV Germany reports.

The European Parliament voted Thursday (17 December) to launch a committee of inquiry into the Volkswagen emissions scandal, with a mandate to investigate the failures of the European Commission and member states to enforce EU legislation.

Reaching the European emissions reduction targets will require citizens to change their driving habits and embrace alternative modes of transport, according to a new report by the EAA. Our partner Journal de l'Environnement reports. 

The European Parliament's Environment Committee voted yesterday evening (14 December) to reject a controversial proposal from the European Commission, and member states, on new emissions testing standards for diesel cars.

As COP 21 edges towards its conclusion and as national delegations struggle to reach a final agreement, it is time to look back.

SPECIAL REPORT / While the price of carbon remains low, support for pricing schemes is growing. Asia will soon overtake Europe as the home of the world’s biggest carbon markets. EURACTIV France reports. 

The host city of the COP21 has announced a contribution of €1 million to the Green Climate Fund, and is mobilising support from municipalities the world over. EURACTIV France reports. 

Developing countries will commit to protecting their forests in return for financial compensation from the big polluters. But deforestation will not appear in a binding Paris agreement. EURACTIV France reports. 

SPECIAL REPORT / South Africa’s economic capital wants to develop an ambitious climate strategy, following in the footsteps of Paris, the first French city to adopt a similar strategy in 2007. EURACTIV France reports. 

World leaders made a grand display of impotence at the opening of the COP21 in Paris on Monday (30 November). The ambitions of the big emitters remain as low as ever. EURACTIV France reports.

France is promoting an initiative to capture CO2 in agricultural soils, a concept popular among the EU's big agricultural countries, which see it as a chance to make farming part of the solution to climate change. EURACTIV France reports. 

The arrival of 147 heads of state in Paris on Sunday will take place under a draconian security regime. With many NGO demonstrations cancelled, some plan to turn to civil disobedience to make their voices heard. EURACTIV France reports. 

The follow-up to COP21 will be crucial, the president of France's National Assembly’s Environment Committee told Aline Robert, the Editor-in-Chief of EURACTIV France.

Civil society is making increasing use of national courts to enforce international environmental agreements. Even a non-binding agreement in Paris will increase pressure on governments to cut emissions. EURACTIV France reports. 

Years of inaction on climate change have significantly held back the world’s economic growth, according to the secretary general of the OECD. But fossil fuel subsidies are still commonplace, Angel Gurría told EURACTIV partner La Tribune.

SPECIAL REPORT / Local authorities are raising the pressure on national governments to increase their CO2 emissions reduction targets. But they are struggling to make their voice heard at the international climate negotiations. EURACTIV France reports. 

The energy consumption of refugee camps has been neglected by international governments and humanitarian agencies, costing an estimated $2bn annually, according to a consortium of NGOs and think tanks. EURACTIV’s partner Edie.net reports.

The European Union and eight OECD countries have agreed to reduce state aid for coal-fired power stations in developing countries. But many stations will be exempt from the cuts. EURACTIV France reports. 

With 8,000 projects in developing countries, the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is still clinging to life. But the Paris agreement might spell the end for the ineffective system. EURACTIV France reports. 

Despite the international nature of the climate negotiations, decisions taken at local and regional levels can have a big effect on climate change. EURACTIV France reports. 

The climate conference in Paris is only weeks away but the emissions reductions pledges made by countries are far from sufficient. We now know that the meeting in Paris will at best provide a platform for further action, writes Anders Wijkman.

The European Commission has written to all 28 European Union member countries urging them to widen their investigations into breaches of vehicle emissions rules after Volkswagen admitted it had understated carbon dioxide levels.