About: sustainability
Biofuels: Commission blacklists palm oil, throws soybeans lifeline
In an eagerly-awaited decision, the European Commission last week categorised palm oil as a high-emitting biofuel crop but provided some controversial exemptions for smallholders and spared soybeans from the delegated act's provisions.
Driving EU industry: Standing up to societal challenges
In late January, the EU Commissioner for Climate Action Miguel Arias Cañete delivered a speech as part of a Post-COP24 High Level Debate, in which he drew attention to the bloc’s 2030 climate and energy goals and the EU's role in the global fight against climate change.
European Parliament votes for much greener cohesion policy
The European Parliament’s committee on regional development has voted on Cohesion policy regulation, and there is the clear intention of making Cohesion much greener from 2020. For the first time, there is also to be a ban on providing support for fossil fuels. EURACTIV Germany reports. VideoPromoted content
Support the transition to sustainable palm oil!
At its multi-stakeholder congress, the Belgian Alliance for Sustainable Palm Oil (BASP) called out to decision makers both in Belgium and in Europe to help achieve its ambitious goals regarding sustainable palm oil usage in Belgium and beyond.
From field to city: Are direct deliveries a viable business model for farmers?
Most farmers sell their products to large food companies and therefore lose large proportions of their income to long supply chains. But individual farmers manage to sell directly to customers. Is this a viable model? EURACTIV Germany reports.
Reducing meat consumption to reduce CO2 emissions: a sustainable challenge
Eating habits are responsible for carbon dioxide emissions and many countries could improve their carbon footprint by changing them. European countries are not all equal in terms of CO2 emissions, but an effort could be made.
EU lighting up Africa with solar
Nearly €340 billion of investment will be needed to achieve universal access to electricity across Africa by 2030, the World Energy Network forecasts. That is a tall order. The combined grid capacity of the 48 sub-Saharan African countries is around...
Sustainability: Renewable energy in Europe’s clean energy transition
Climate change is an urgent issue that demands global action. Following the Paris Climate Agreement, Europe has embraced the clean power transition and set itself a goal of becoming the world’s number one in renewables.
Commission must double efforts towards a sustainable financial system
Robust and binding criteria are needed to build sustainable capital markets or we risk that both national legislators and financial investors simply ignore their investment’s impact, or revert to greenwashing, writes Anne van Schaik.
Opinion leaders identify seven pillars for ‘better’ EU action
CIVICO-Europa, an informal group set up by opinion leaders and later supported by politicians, presented today (20 March) a manifesto for the future of Europe, based on “doing much better together”, rather than the traditional way of “doing more”.
Looking at environmental performance across the supply chain
The environmental impact of business activity is often mistakenly limited to the direct operations of companies. In reality, it is the environmental performance of the supply chain as a whole that needs to be looked into, writes Christian Ewert.
Rethinking debt, redefining development
Europe cannot build healthy societies and vibrant economies on a degraded and diminished ‘natural capital’ as this ecological debt would ultimately lead to its demise, writes Demetres Karavellas.
How cities are using the green economy to solve Europe’s employment crisis
Green Week opens today with a focus on greener cities: how can we make our cities more sustainable and liveable, asks Anna Lisa Boni.
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.
Why Sustainable Finance Holds the Key to Europe’s Recovery
There is an urgent need to channel capital into sustainable infrastructure and innovation that will drive job creation. The race is on leading the way in sustainable finance between Europe and the rest of the world, writes Achim Steiner.
Poll: edie readers oppose Brexit
A poll conducted by EURACTIV’s partner edie.net has revealed that the majority of its readers will be voting to keep Britain IN the European Union when the Referendum takes place on 23 June, with more than 80% voting in support of Britain's position as a member state.
Commission: Precision farming will increase EU productivity
The development of precision farming practices will provide the EU with enormous opportunities to increase its productivity, according to a European Commission official. VideoPromoted content
Can the (new) CAP deliver on Sustainability?
It is a momentous phase for Europe’s agriculture. The EU’s foremost common policy, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), has been recently reformed to respond adequately to current challenges. The CAP and sustainability are very broad topics. This workshop focused on three main areas:
Mayor: ‘I told Cameron to give me the money to turn Bristol into a lab!’
The mayor of Bristol convinced British Prime Minister David Cameron to let him turn his city into a “laboratory for change”, telling him, “Give me the money!” before securing millions in funding for the "Green Capital" of the European Union.
Sustainability must become a financial imperative
In Brussels, we focus on top down policy solutions to drive sustainable development. Meanwhile armies of sustainability champions are building change from the bottom up, even within the European Commission itself, writes Joanna Sullivan. VideoPromoted content
CTO: The Real Green Gold
The incorrect classification of Crude Tall Oil as a residue is a serious threat to the European pine chemical industry. By adopting the ILUC Directive with CTO included in Annex IX, EU decision makers are pulling away the carpet under the feet of an innovative biobased chemical sector. Ultimately the incorrect classification of CTO could lead to significant economic and environmental losses for Europe.
EEA boss: Juncker plan and Energy Union should drive circular economy
EU policymakers must ensure that the Juncker investment plan and Energy Union leverages the circular economy, boosts decarbonisation, and enhances the environment, Hans Bruyninckx told EURACTIV in an interview. VideoPromoted content
Exploring Health and Sustainability Aspects of Palm Oil
On 9 December, 2014 the European Palm Oil Alliance (EPOA) hosted a one-day interactive conference on palm oil in Brussels. The conference provided a platform for discussion of the various aspects of palm oil. Through demonstrations, debates and lively plenary sessions it offered new avenues for reflection to policy-makers, food manufacturers and key opinion leaders.