About: energy and environment Archives

Annalena Baerbock is the first Green lead candidate in German history. But who is Baerbock, and what are her plans for Germany and Europe?

French MPs and Senators reached an agreement on the final version of the country's Climate and Resilience Law - an emblematic text of the presidential term that aims to support the country’s ecological transition by helping it reach its 40% emission reduction target by 2030. A final vote is expected this summer. EURACTIV France reports.

To produce low-carbon hydrogen on a global scale, 400 1GW nuclear reactors would be needed, according to a note published Tuesday (18 May) by the French parliamentary office for the evaluation of scientific and technological choices (OPECST). EURACTIV France reports.

Investors have been scrambling to purchase Germany's new 30-year green bond despite the ongoing sell-off in the bond market that usually depresses demand. Previously, green bonds had only been issued with five or 10-year maturities. EURACTIV Germany reports.

The €2 billion of financial aid to boost energy renovation in France's COVID recovery plan may not be enough to compensate for the abolition of financial assistance provided to households under the so-called “energy saving incentives” – or what the French ministry has branded "coups de pouce isolation". EURACTIV France reports.

The European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans has admitted that mistakes were made in Brussels when COVID-19 vaccines were being ordered and suggested taking stock "at the end of the pandemic" of what went wrong and what was done right. EURACTIV's partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.

The largest stadium in the French city of Toulouse that hosts mostly football and rugby matches announced its partnership last month with Time for the planet, an initiative that allows citizens, investment funds, banks, and companies to invest as little as €1 in the fight against climate change. EURACTIV France reports.

Faced with the boom of single-use masks in France, the country's National Assembly set up a "flash mission" on the topic and concluded that the wearing of washable facemasks should be recommended to the public. EURACTIV France reports.

In an exclusive interview with EURACTIV France, Paul Watkinson, president of the UN Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice at COP24 and COP25, discussed why the 'rulebook' on implementing the Paris Climate Agreement still has not been ratified.

With a delay of six months, Germany submitted its national energy and climate plan to the European Commission this week. The plan contains a lot of new, daring and sometimes questionable promises on renewable energies, EURACTIV Germany reports.

In an interview with EURACTIV's partner Le Journal de l'environnement, French socialist MEP Éric Andrieu (S&D) said that climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic make it necessary to put agriculture back at the heart of the debate and to change the agricultural model with targeted tools and resources.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has insisted that the European Green Deal must be the driving force behind Europe's economic recovery plan. However, Germany has, so far, bailed out its fossil fuel industry like no other EU member state - and it's still a long way away from presenting its national climate plan. EURACTIV Germany reports.

In Germany, the coronavirus health crisis is keeping politics on tenterhooks as many legislative proposals are being postponed. Will the country's coal phase-out carry on as planned? EURACTIV Germany reports.

The Green Deal presented by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday (11 December) avoided two controversial agricultural issues: genetic engineering and pesticide limits. EURACTIV Germany reports.

The former CEO of PSA Peugeot Citroën published a report on the third-generation pressurised water reactor design known as EPR, detailing the weaknesses of France's nuclear sector, while giving the government and EDF reason to justify building nuclear power plants. EURACTIV's partner La Tribune reports.

So-called Power-to-X (PtX) technologies are seen as a good way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions because their potential for storing energy could stabilise the electricity grid. However, German environmental groups BUND and the Öko-Institut have criticised the technology. EURACTIV Germany reports.

French energy and climate bill’s new draft sets carbon neutrality as the main objective for domestic energy policies and sets ambitious goals for the future. NGOs of the Climate Action Network (CAN) are less impressed by the new draft as concrete short-term measures appear to be lacking. EURACTIV’s partner le Journal de l’Environnement reports.

A Japanese village aims to be the first zero waste municipality in the world by 2020 and has already reached an 81% recycling rate. A member of the Japanese Zero Waste Academy told EURACTIV that the feat is replicable elsewhere.

Three years and three days after the Paris Agreement was adopted, the 197 signatory countries gathered in Katowice, Poland, agreed Saturday (15 December) on a rulebook for its implementation but failed to raise their ambition to keep global warming "well below 2°C".

A new government report detailing Germany’s failure to cut emissions increases pressure on the country’s coal commission to agree on a speedy phase-out plan. Its members enter a critical stage this week as they focus on tangible proposals. EURACTIV’s media partner Clean Energy Wire reports.

The European Parliament voted on Tuesday (13 November) a set of three clean energy laws for 2030, including binding targets for renewable energies, an indicative objective on energy savings and a separate text on the governance of the Energy Union.

Soils play a key role in regulating the earth's climate, sustaining agriculture and preserving biodiversity. Yet they have fallen down the EU policy agenda even though tools exist to reverse that trend, according to a new report published today (26 September).

EU negotiators hope to wrap up talks on the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) this week, which will significantly affect the building sector. A new report released on 28 May says buildings have a crucial but often overlooked impact on health and renovation can be beneficial to our quality of life.