About: Paris Agreement
The EU can and must cut emissions by more than 55% by 2030
The European Commission has proposed to strengthen its 40% greenhouse gas emission reduction target to 50% or 55% on 1990 levels in the next ten years. But this step does not meet the minimum level of ambition that climate science,...
Despite health crisis, EU presses on with 2030 climate agenda
As the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, the European Commission stays the course on green policies, launching a public consultation on Tuesday (30 March) to raise the bloc’s climate target for 2030.
The EU Climate Law explained
The European Commission tabled its much-awaited Climate Law in March this year, in a bid to carve into stone Europe’s objective of becoming the first climate-neutral continent in the world by 2050. EURACTIV explains what the Climate Law does, how it works and what its criticisms are.
Heathrow airport expansion is unlawful, says UK court
A British appeals court said on Thursday (27 February) that a proposed expansion of Heathrow airport is illegal, because it is not in keeping with the government’s own climate policies fixed under the Paris Agreement.
49% of world’s GDP now covered by net-zero targets, study says
Just under half of the world's annual GDP is now covered by nations, regions and cities that are legislating for a net-zero emissions target, a new study has revealed. EURACTIV's media partner edie.net reports.
EU bank rides out Brexit impact ‘surprisingly well’, says EIB chief
Economic uncertainty caused by the UK’s imminent EU departure did not stop the European Investment Bank (EIB) having a record-breaking year in 2019, according to the bank’s president. Werner Hoyer said that the lender dealt with it “surprisingly well”.
Climate Diplomacy: We must act and we must act collectively
Becoming the world's first climate-neutral continent is Europe's biggest challenge of the next decade. That success depends of the success of our global partners. Partnerships based on mutual ownership and shared responsibility, a new generation of trade agreements consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals, a Carbon Border Tax and a carbon price are key elements of a stronger European climate diplomacy, writes Margarida Marques.
Von der Leyen to start with climate summit, Africa trip
The new head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will attend a climate summit in Madrid and travel to Africa in her first week in the job, highlighting two of the key priorities for the EU executive over the next five years.
EU leaders mark a decade of Lisbon Treaty amid calls for reform
European Union leaders on Sunday (1 December) celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Lisbon Treaty, the union's legal cornerstone, amid calls to reform a bloc weakened over the past decade by economic and migration crises, rising euroscepticism and Brexit.
US formally starts withdrawal from Paris climate accord
The United States on Monday (4 November) formally notified the United Nations that it was withdrawing from the Paris climate accord, making the world's largest economy the sole outlier from the agreement.
Chile pulls plug on crucial climate summit, Madrid steps in
Chile will not host the UN’s annual climate summit planned in December, President Sebastian Piñera announced on Wednesday (30 October) as civil unrest continues to wrack the South American nation. Madrid later offered to take on hosting duties.
Electric vehicles: How close are we to closing the global emissions gap?
Electric vehicles are a massive talking point on the agenda for tackling climate change but what are the challenges facing large-scale deployment and how far can they take us to close the global emissions gap? Lucy Craig explains the situation.
UK government urged to factor international aviation and shipping into climate plans
Aviation and shipping should be included in the UK government's climate planning, according to an expert panel, which was already decisive in pushing lawmakers towards adopting a net-zero target for 2050. EURACTIV's partner edie.net reports.
Russia formally joins Paris climate pact
The world’s fourth largest emitter, Russia, has formally adopted the Paris Agreement, drawing an end to months of national tensions on the subject. EURACTIV's media partner Climate Home News reports.
UN climate summit diary, day #1: ‘Big announcement’ expected
Over this special series on the UN climate action summit (23-25 September), EURACTIV gives you a glimpse into the goings on in New York and what is driving the conversation there. In this edition: What’s at stake, who’s coming, who's not, and what corporations have planned.
Investing in zero-carbon cities will return $24 trillion by 2050, report finds
By investing US$1.83 trillion - about 2% of global GDP - per year in cutting urban emissions, national governments would generate annual returns worth US$2.80 trillion in 2030 and US$6.98 trillion in 2050, a report released Thursday (19 September) finds.
Paris promises: where the world’s biggest polluters stand
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has convened a major new climate summit on September 23 because the world's main polluters remain well behind their goals as laid out in the 2015 Paris Agreement.
France and Ireland threaten to vote against EU-Mercosur deal
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has threatened to vote against a trade deal between the EU and South American trade bloc Mercosur unless Brazil, where wildfires continue to devastate the Amazon rainforest, takes its environmental obligations more seriously.
How Trump’s climate U-turn exposed the limits of European power
America's decision to pull out from the Paris Agreement has put European diplomats in an awkward position, EURACTIV's media partner Climate Home News reports.
Russia readies to ratify Paris Agreement, warns about renewables ‘absolutism’
The Russian government will submit legislation to ratify the Paris climate agreement by September, but president Vladimir Putin warned against the perils of “absolutist” renewable energy. EURACTIV's media partner Climate Home News reports.
Brussels ministerial shows US still isolated on climate change
Ministers from China, Canada and the EU met for a third annual climate summit in Brussels on Friday (28 June), in a format meant to demonstrate that the world continues the climate fight even if America is retreating.
EU leftists demand ‘climate emergency’ Parliament committee
The European Parliament’s leftist group (GUE/NGL) has proposed setting up a special climate emergency parliamentary committee to shift the spotlight on to green issues even more over the next five years.
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.