International: Europe
European wildfires may not be out for months, authorities warn, as flames rage near Bordeaux and Madrid
Tue 28 Jul 2026
President Macron said France's wildfire situation is toughest since WWII as higher temperatures loom again this week.
European fish are adapting to climate change in unexpected ways
Tue 28 Jul 2026
As climate change reshapes marine habitats, scientists have discovered European fish aren’t just moving north to stay cool. Instead, they’re diving deeper into darker waters.
Climate change exacerbating drought across Europe, scientists say
Mon 27 Jul 2026
Climate change is exacerbating drought this year in Europe as extreme heat evaporates water supplies, scientists said in an analysis published on Thursday, after low water levels disrupted shipping, farming and industries in countries including Romania and Greece.
Factcheck: No, Europe’s heatwaves are not being ‘caused’ by declining air pollution
Mon 27 Jul 2026
Amid widespread media coverage of the number of deaths and the influence of climate change, the UK’s Daily Telegraph reported on new research with the incorrect headline: “Heatwaves caused by fall in pollution.”
Norway’s national oil company’s profits double to $11.5bn amid war on Iran
Fri 24 Jul 2026
Profits at Norway’s state oil company nearly doubled to $11.5bn (£8.6bn) in the three months to the end of June as the jump in oil and gas prices caused by the war against Iran boosted earnings.
Climate change keeps adding to the list of uninsurable assets, Allianz executive says
Fri 24 Jul 2026
Extreme weather events — such as the heat wave that just hit Europe — are making more and more assets too risky to insure, according to a director at Europe’s largest primary insurer.
Can Ireland deliver as 'honest broker': Here's what's at stake for climate and nature in EU council presidency
Fri 24 Jul 2026
Environmental campaigners are urging Ireland to protect the public interest and resist industry pressure as the country takes up the presidency of the EU Council.
Europe's erratic weather persists
Thu 23 Jul 2026
Firefighters struggled on Tuesday to contain Spain's largest wildfire of the year, while two firefighters were killed battling a fire in southwestern France, as an extreme heatwave continued to fuel dangerous conditions across Europe, bringing drought and forecasts of severe hailstorms.
Europe’s May and June heatwave deaths – and how they were counted
21 Jul 2026
Recent weeks have seen a flurry of reports from public health authorities and scientists that estimate the deaths caused by Europe’s record-breaking summer heatwaves.
EU bets fossil fuel lobby is crying wolf over supply shock warnings
21 Jul 2026
The European Commission is betting that profit-hungry gas and oil companies will continue exporting into Europe next year, despite industry claims that the new climate rules will force them to seek other markets.
EU sets out first-ever electrification target: 46% by 2040
20 Jul 2026
The EU executive has set out plans for an economy-wide target to drastically shift Europe’s energy consumption away from fossil fuels and towards electricity, kickstarting a major overhaul of the bloc’s climate and energy policy through to 2040.
EU softens carbon market to ease pressure on industry
20 Jul 2026
The European Commission proposed an overhaul of the EU's Emissions Trading System on Friday, allowing industries to emit CO2 longer while offering more financial support to invest in clean technologies in Europe.
1,000 evacuated from Fontainebleau fires near Paris; Spanish authorities identify some fire victims
16 Jul 2026
Bigger fires have been ravaging areas of southern France, but the Fontainebleau fire is exceptionally close to the densely populated region surrounding the French capital.
Europe needs a stronger carbon price, not a weaker one
15 Jul 2026
COMMENT: Europe’s carbon pricing system is under fire. The EU needs to double down on reforms to unlock massive investments in a new low-carbon industrial base.
Europe recorded 10,000 excess deaths during late-June heatwave, data shows
14 Jul 2026
European countries reported more than 10,000 excess deaths during the record-breaking heatwave that engulfed the west of the continent in late June, official data showed.
EU drafts 'electrification' plan to curb oil and gas use, after Iran war disruption
13 Jul 2026
The European Union plans to introduce a raft of policies and funding schemes to shift more of its economy to run on electricity, instead of oil and gas, a draft European Commission proposal seen by Reuters showed.
Don’t gut flagship green rules, Sweden tells EU
13 Jul 2026
Sweden has vowed to block any effort to dilute the EU's proposed decarbonization scheme ahead of a policy showdown next week that is pitting capitals against each other.
Europe may face 'more deadly weeks' as new heatwave builds, WHO warns
9 Jul 2026
The World Health Organization warned Europe could face “more deadly weeks” ahead, with another intense heatwave forming over the Atlantic.
European countries top ‘scorecard’ on climate progress while US slips to 27th
9 Jul 2026
Estonia, Luxembourg and UK are the top three in the biennial Yale University index in tackling pollution and other issues.
Tourist spots across Europe hit by wildfires as Greece warns of toxic smoke
8 Jul 2026
Wildfires are raging across holiday spots across Europe, with hundreds of firefighters battling blazes in Portugal, Greece, and Spain. International reinforcements have been sent to Portugal, where a massive fire has been burning for over three days.
‘We have nothing to cool off with’: French heatwave exposes inequalities
8 Jul 2026
As people living in low-income areas are unable to escape the heat, analysts say the government’s response is insufficient.
'Hotter and hotter and hotter': Europe's new climate in seven charts
7 Jul 2026
We might only be a few days into July, but two record-breaking summer heatwaves have already provided the UK and Europe with a snapshot of their new climate.
Berlin raids €5.4 billion cash pot ahead of EU carbon pricing reform
7 Jul 2026
The German government plans to divert €2.7 billion in revenues from CO2 permits for factories and power plants away from the green transition towards pensioners as part of budget negotiations on Monday, just days before a major overhaul of the original EU Emissions Trading System.
Wildfires scorch southern France as heat and drought fuel blazes
6 Jul 2026
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said nearly 7,000 fires have broken out since the start of the summer season, with some 8,700 hectares already burned. “The situation is fairly tense.”
Amsterdam banned ads for burgers, flights, and SUVs. Here's why it matters.
3 Jul 2026
Amsterdam has banned ads for meat and fossil-fuel intensive products – like flights, cruises, burgers, and SUVs – from public spaces and city-owned properties.
Red alerts issued over heatwave in Italy and Balkans
2 Jul 2026
In Italy, 25 out of 27 cities from Bolzano in the north to Palermo on the island of Sicily are under a red heat warning.
UN plastics pact talks restart amid fears production curbs will be left out
2 Jul 2026
Diplomats reconvene a year after negotiations collapsed, but campaigners fear the agenda risks burying tricky discussions on key elements.
‘They want to destroy Corsia’: Brussels takes aim again at airline emissions
2 Jul 2026
The European Commission is planning to shoot down the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) largely voluntary decarbonisation scheme, CORSIA, when it presents plans to overhaul the EU’s carbon pricing system, sources suggest.
EU to extend deforestation law to palm-derived chemicals
1 Jul 2026
The European Commission is preparing to expand the scope of the EU’s deforestation law to cover a wider range of palm-derived chemicals, according to a draft delegated act and an accompanying annex obtained by Euractiv.
Europe's heatwave linked to 1,300 deaths, WHO says, as Germany hits record 41.7C
30 Jun 2026
Europe's unprecedented early summer heatwave may be responsible for hundreds of excess deaths, according to the head of the World Health Organization.
Big Oil’s campaign to stop EU methane restrictions is working
30 Jun 2026
The fossil fuel industry and the U.S. government are gaining ground in their fight to postpone EU rules designed to cut emissions of one of the most potent greenhouse gases, with at least 12 member countries already backing calls to delay the law.
'Spectacular' electric car sales weaken pressure to shelve combustion engine ban, EU climate chief says
30 Jun 2026
A "spectacular" rise in electric car sales is weakening political momentum to roll back the European Union's planned ban on combustion engine cars, the bloc's climate commissioner said on Thursday, as governments laid bare divisions over the policy.
From mobile jungles to shadow art: how Dutch people try to beat the heat
30 Jun 2026
Households in Amsterdam are being urged to hang their curtains outside their windows as health experts recommend simple hacks to moderate the heatwave rolling across the Netherlands, where homes were built for old-fashioned damp and coldish northern European weather.
TotalEnergies must address climate risks linked to its products, French court rules
29 Jun 2026
French oil major TotalEnergies must disclose the climate risks linked to emissions from its oil and gas products and set out plans to mitigate them, a Paris court ruled on Thursday.
European heatwave is worst ever and impossible without climate crisis, scientists say
29 Jun 2026
The heatwave scorching western Europe is the most severe and widespread ever and is only possible due to the climate crisis driven by fossil fuel burning, scientists have said.
It’s too hot in Europe – again
26 Jun 2026
Europeans are experiencing their second heat wave this summer. One climate scientist called the weather event a “sad inevitability.”
French farmers suffer arid crops, heat-stricken animals
26 Jun 2026
France's current heatwave is taking a toll on farmers, who are seeing livestock die and are racing against time to harvest cereals without sparking fires in the tinder-dry crops.
France records hottest day ever as 40 people drown across country
25 Jun 2026
France has registered its hottest day on record as 40 people across the country were confirmed to have drowned while swimming in unsupervised areas over the last few days.
Half of France under red heat alert as alcohol banned at street music festival
23 Jun 2026
France has issued red heatwave alerts for around half the country including Paris for Monday as a heatwave pushes temperatures towards record levels.
EU greenhouse gas emissions rose in 2025, data shows
19 Jun 2026
The European Union did not manage to reduce its planet-warming emissions last year, with preliminary data showing a slight increase in pollution levels compared to 2024.
Ukraine hopes renewables can Russia-proof power grid
19 Jun 2026
Quick to build and able to power a small city, the Oriv wind farm in western Ukraine is exactly the kind of project Kyiv hopes will backstop its power grid against routine Russian strikes.
Steel and chemicals giants demand freeze to EU’s flagship climate policy
17 Jun 2026
The attack on the Emissions Trading System is among industry's most direct calls yet for the EU to change course on climate.
Climate change reshapes Spain's rockfall risk as frost weathering moves uphill
16 Jun 2026
Climate change is altering where and when rocks are most likely to fracture across Spain, according to new research that suggests warming temperatures are redistributing a key process responsible for breaking down mountain landscapes.
EU agrees stronger price controls for new carbon market
12 Jun 2026
The European Union agreed stronger measures to control prices in its new carbon market early on Thursday, responding to governments' concerns that the emissions-cutting initiative could increase fuel bills.
Airline CEOs warn EU plan to expand carbon costs will raise fares
10 Jun 2026
Europe's biggest airlines have urged the European Union not to extend its Emissions Trading System to cover international flights, warning the move would raise ticket prices, a letter seen by Reuters showed.
EU sues Ireland over failure to protect carbon-rich bogs
8 Jun 2026
The European Commission is taking Ireland to court over its failure to protect environmentally crucial boglands from commercial turf-cutters.
How campaigners beat industrial farming in Denmark’s ‘pig election’
8 Jun 2026
Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s new government promises overhaul for people – and animals – in home of ultra-intensive farming.
EU wants households to cut peak time energy use as demand from industry and AI soars
5 Jun 2026
A new law will aim to use artificial intelligence to boost efficient use of power as electricity demand threatens to overwhelm Europe’s grids.
Europe's green jet fuels see upside in Iran war
3 Jun 2026
Interest in synthetic propellants is growing as the Iran war pushes Europe to reassess its dependencies, raising hopes of a turnaround for the struggling sector, according to industry experts.
Germany's €500 billion climate and infrastructure fund spending lagging behind
3 Jun 2026
Spending from Germany’s 500-billion-euro special fund for infrastructure and climate neutrality has remained behind government targets, according to a finance ministry report.
Climate and rock art advocates take on ‘carbon bomb’ gas project in Aus federal court
22 Jul 2026
The Albanese government’s decision to approve one of the world’s largest gas projects in Western Australia is being challenged in the federal court, setting up a significant test of how Australia’s environment law deals with the climate crisis.
Trump blames Canada for wildfire smoke affecting US
21 Jul 2026
A series of Republican “leaders” have started producing angry denunciations of Canada for polluting America’s air with their "thoughtless" fires.
China solar exports to South, Southeast Asia and Africa rise despite post-rebate slump
22 Jul 2026
China's solar exports to Southeast and South Asia as well as Africa rose year-over-year in June, customs data showed on Monday, though overall solar exports slipped for a second month after China removed an export tax rebate.
Every new UK home should have air conditioning, say Liberal Democrats
Tue 28 Jul 2026
All new UK homes should be built with air conditioning to cope with the effects of the climate crisis, according to the Liberal Democrats.
Ontario seeks federal support for evacuations as wildfires devastate remote Canadian towns
20 Jul 2026
Ontario requested federal assistance to evacuate people from remote northern Canadian communities ravaged by wildfires on Thursday, as smoke brought poor air quality to Toronto and much of the Northeastern U.S.
Extreme heat costing India’s poorest workers 2% of GDP, survey finds
Thu 23 Jul 2026
India’s informal workers are estimated to be losing $78 billion in wages per year because of productivity declines and illness caused by intensifying heat.
French Polynesia objects to an American seabed mining plan made without its input
Fri 24 Jul 2026
The government of French Polynesia plans to challenge an American startup’s proposal to explore the waters just beyond its maritime borders for seabed mining.
‘I can’t work in the farce of climate change cruise tourism anymore’: why Antarctic guides quit their dream jobs
22 Jul 2026
“You’d see massive glacier calvings, and you’d just want to cry. But all the guests would be cheering. And you’d be like … ‘can you not put two and two together?’”
Access to finance ‘strengthens climate resilience’ among sub-Saharan women
Tue 28 Jul 2026
Empowering women through greater access to finance could “strengthen” households’ resilience to “climate shocks”, according to a new study.
Panama Canal braces for El Niño, announcing first transit restrictions
Fri 24 Jul 2026
The probability of a severe El Nino has risen from 25% to 81% and the Panama Canal is preparing to restrict transits.
COP31 president says electrification is ‘surest way to protect citizens’
14 Jul 2026
Last month, COP31 president-designate Murat Kurum launched a target for 35% of the world’s final energy to come from electricity by 2035. In an interview with Carbon Brief, Kurum says that the target was not a political choice, but instead reflects the latest evidence on “what is needed to keep 1.5C within reach”.
