About: land use
Soil ‘completely underestimated’ in EU climate strategy
While climate change takes a toll on agriculture and land use contributes to warming the planet, soils still find little attention from policymakers in their climate strategies.
EU strikes deal on zero emission target for forest sector by 2030
EU member states reached a preliminary agreement with the European Parliament on the land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) regulation on Thursday (14 December), closing the trilogues ahead of a plenary vote in January.
Figueres calls for EU action plan on ‘imported deforestation’
Former UN climate Chief Christiana Figueres, one of the architects of the Paris Agreement, has called on the European Union to step up regulatory action against deforestation in the global south by tackling emissions of imported agricultural goods, like beef, soy and palm oil.
MEPs back Commission’s opinion-dividing land use proposal
The European Parliament’s environment committee on Tuesday (11 July) adopted a proposal on Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF). But the draft report has provoked criticism across sectors, as it now moves towards a full plenary vote and trialogue.
Short-term views on forest climate benefits is a mistake
The Commission’s land-use proposal risks being a step backwards in transitioning to a fossil fuel-free economy. Mårten Larsson explains the alternatives.
LULUCF: Will the EU turn the tide on forest growth and torpedo its bioeconomy agenda?
The European Commission’s proposal for Land-Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) may well defeat its own purpose, writes Sylvain Lhôte.
Science-based forest policies urgently needed for effective climate action
There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to take effective climate action, and EU forest policies need to be more science-based to succeed, write Michael Norton and Jaana Bäck.
FAO: Deforestation ‘not necessary’ to guarantee food security
Expanding agricultural land, a major cause of deforestation, is not the best way to ensure food security, according to a new report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). EURACTIV's partner Journal de l'Environnement reports.
The EU needs bioenergy – and it must be sustainable
Over the past few months, tense debates on the sustainability of biomass used for energy production have arisen. Most stakeholders seem to agree on one point: we need an EU policy to ensure the sustainability of biomass, writes Harri Laurikka.
Organic farming in the EU
Today, organic farming plays an increasingly bigger role on the world’s agricultural stage. In the European Union, the use of organic agricultural land has almost doubled in recent years.
Better management could increase the climate benefits of European forests
Europe's forest coverage has increased by 10% since 1750, but forest management methods have changed dramatically. According to a study published in the journal Science, this has led to a slight increase in global temperatures. EURACTIV's partner Journal de l'Environnement reports.
Biofuels must be part of the transport sector’s decarbonisation plan
Biofuels present an opportunity to decarbonise the transport sector in the medium term. This should not be squandered because of misplaced fears over land use change, writes Elmar Baumann.
To build a bio-economy, Europe needs to cut bioenergy
Europe urgently needs to rethink its bioenergy policies to account for their true impact on the climate, biodiversity and food scarcity, writes Bas Eickhout.
Europe quietly shelves forestry debate ahead of Paris climate talks
A delicate negotiation about how to account for forestry and land use emissions looms large over this year’s UN climate conference in Paris. The issue is potentially divisive within the EU, and threatens to unravel the bloc’s proclaimed leadership on climate change.Walking away from biofuels will not solve concerns about them
By effectively decreasing the ambition of its biofuels policy, as currently debated in the European Parliament and the Council, the EU walks away from concerns without solving them, writes Carlo Hamelinck.California’s forest protocol outpaces EU’s LULUCF plans
Where the EU has otherwise been a trendsetter in international negotiations, it is most unfortunate that even California seems to have outpaced the EU on the balanced and equal integration of developing world forests into the carbon trading framework, argue David Ellison, Hans Petersson and Mattias Lundblad.
Doubts cloud launch of EU biofuels sustainability schemes
The EU's approval of a first batch of seven sustainability schemes for biofuels marked a "big step" towards climate-friendly transport, Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger said on 19 July. But reactions have been mixed.