International: Europe
'Hotter and hotter and hotter': Europe's new climate in seven charts
Tue 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
Tue 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
Mon 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.
Fri 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
Thu 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
Thu 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
Thu 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 summits are falling short of what the planet needs, EU climate chief says
3 Jun 2026
The outcomes of most of the United Nations' recent COP climate summits have fallen short of the more ambitious action scientists say is needed to address climate change, said EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra on Monday.
Europe heatwave 'brutal reminder' of climate change: UN
28 May 2026
The UN climate chief said Wednesday that a record-breaking early heatwave scorching a swathe of western Europe was "a brutal reminder of the spiraling impacts of the climate crisis".
Recycling could meet half of Europe’s critical mineral needs by 2050
28 May 2026
A new report by an EU-funded research project says the bloc could harness its “urban mines” to reduce its dependence on China for energy transition minerals.
Why temperature records are being not only broken but smashed
27 May 2026
Scientists have little doubt that human-caused climate change – largely the result of the burning of coal, oil and gas – has supercharged the heat.
EU keeps carbon border tax unchanged despite fertiliser price crisis
21 May 2026
Fertiliser producers argue that the EU's carbon pricing rules at the border protect the European industry from cheaper imports produced under weaker environmental rules. But farmers fear they are indirectly paying the bill through higher fertiliser costs.
Germany set to miss 2030 climate goals, independent body warns
20 May 2026
Germany is expected to miss its 2030 climate goals and likely emit more carbon dioxide than previously thought, an independent advisory body said on Monday, contradicting the findings of the government's main climate authority.
Iran war pushes Portugal to halve fossil fuel use over next 10 years
20 May 2026
Lisbon fast-tracks plans after the Iran war caused oil and gas costs to soar, Energy Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho tells POLITICO.
Inequality causing 100,000 extra deaths a year from heat and cold in Europe
12 May 2026
Economic inequality adds more than 100,000 deaths to the vast toll from heat and cold in Europe each year, research has found.
EU floats making it easy for oil companies to break methane rules
8 May 2026
Countries would be able to exempt companies from the rules on energy security grounds, even before major disruption occurs, under draft guidelines seen by POLITICO.
Germany allocates 5 billion euros to push heavy industry to cut CO2
7 May 2026
Germany will provide up to 5 billion euros ($5.85 billion) this year to help major factories reduce carbon emissions by switching to cleaner technology, the economy ministry said on Tuesday.
EU to give industries more free CO2 permits, document shows
6 May 2026
The European Commission has drafted plans to give more free emissions permits to industries over the next few years, a move that could save companies 4 billion euros in CO2 costs.
Amsterdam bans public adverts for meat and fossil fuels
5 May 2026
Amsterdam has become the world's first capital city to ban public advertisements for both meat and fossil fuel products.
Analysts cut EU carbon price forecasts on policy reforms
4 May 2026
Analysts have significantly cut their forecasts for prices in the European Union's carbon market for the next couple of years, due to uncertainty over proposed policy changes and future supply levels.
EU faces ‘China shock’ as EV imports drive Beijing’s record surplus with bloc
1 May 2026
The EU is experiencing a prolonged “China shock” as a flood of Chinese EVs into Europe helped push Beijing to a record surplus with the bloc.
Solar power soars to new heights but fears over 'dangerously high' temperatures
30 Apr 2026
Last year heatwaves hit from the Mediterranean to the Arctic, and Greenland lost 139 billion tonnes of ice, according to a new report from Copernicus, while solar power soared to new heights.
France unveils plan to ditch all fossil fuels by 2050
30 Apr 2026
Dozens of nations gathered in Colombia to hold the first-ever talks on how to transition away from fossil fuels. France published a 'roadmap' that explicitly aims to phase out coal by 2030, oil by 2045 and gas for energy purposes by 2050.
Renewables in vogue as Iran war drives up Europe power prices
29 Apr 2026
As the Iran war disrupts global flows of oil and gas and energy prices skyrocket, the Drin River, which descends through the mountains of northern Albania, is acting as a kind of shield.
EU aims to ease energy blow from Iran war with tax cuts, gas coordination
23 Apr 2026
The European Commission set out plans on Wednesday to cut electricity taxes and coordinate the summer refill of countries' gas storage, as it seeks to cushion the energy fallout from the Iran war.
It’s time for an EU climate diplomacy reset
23 Apr 2026
The geopolitical context for climate diplomacy keeps evolving, with the war in the Middle East the latest example of a more fragmented and uncertain global environment.
Electric car sales soar 51% in mainland Europe as Iran war drives up fuel prices
22 Apr 2026
Buyers’ interest in electric cars has risen across Europe since the start of the war in Iran in late February, as the rising cost of petrol highlights the cheaper power available from a plug.
What Magyar’s defeat of Orbán in Hungary means for climate and energy
21 Apr 2026
Hungary has played a disproportionate role in EU climate and energy policy in recent years, by repeatedly vetoing climate action and by delaying the phaseout of Russian fossil-fuel imports.
Australia's battery subsidies spark rooftop solar resurgence
Tue 7 Jul 2026
The rooftop solar boom shows how countries stifled by transmission line logjams can continue reducing emissions, analysts say.
California's first carbon capture project is up and running. Environmentalists are still trying to stop it.
Tue 7 Jul 2026
As the state drafts pipeline rules for projects injecting CO2 underground, environmental groups are pressing for a more thorough assessment of the newly launched operation.
China warming faster than global average as extreme weather intensifies, report says
Mon 6 Jul 2026
China is warming faster than the global average, while extreme heat, heavy rainfall and other severe weather events are becoming more frequent and intense as climate change accelerates worldwide.
‘But we’re just 1% of emissions’: do smaller countries’ climate efforts matter?
Mon 6 Jul 2026
Past and present leaders of wealthy nations such as UK and Germany have argued their actions are insignificant.
Canada advances Alberta pipeline to Pacific Coast to expand oil exports beyond the US
Mon 6 Jul 2026
Canada took a step toward opening a new route for its vast oil reserves to Asian markets as Prime Minister Mark Carney advanced a Pacific Coast pipeline from Alberta, seeking to reduce the country’s dependence on the U.S. while easing separatist tensions and preserving environmental protections.
New Delhi offers residents $1,000 to scrap old cars for EVs to curb air pollution
Thu 2 Jul 2026
India's capital New Delhi will offer a cash incentive of over$1,000 to car owners willing to scrap their old vehicle for an EV, according to a new policy finalised by the government on Monday in a move aimed at reducing high levels of air pollution.
‘Those blocking climate science are not our friends': Pacific leaders warn at Bonn talks
23 Jun 2026
Pacific nations and civil society groups have united at UN climate talks, pushing back against efforts to weaken agreed language on global temperature limits as negotiations continue behind closed doors.
Antarctica’s west coast missing an area of sea ice the size of France as temperatures peak 20C above average
16 Jun 2026
A vast area of the Bellingshausen Sea should be covered by sea ice by now, with one expert calling the loss of ice ‘depressing’.
Our Ocean Conference in Kenya ends with $6.4 billion in pledges, review of past promises
30 Jun 2026
Africa was front and center at the Our Ocean Conference in Kenya, the first time the annual gathering was held on the continent. The conference is built around voluntary commitments from a range of actors including governments, nonprofits, institutions and the private sector.
Colombia’s climate crossroads: Trumpism casts shadow over presidential battle
26 May 2026
Colombia is a global leader in climate activism. Could US influence drag country to a future of mining and fracking?
Strong El Nino will develop rapidly over coming months, says UN weather agency
Tue 7 Jul 2026
The United Nations weather agency on Friday raised its forecast for the rapid emergence of a strong El Nino in the coming months, warning that the phenomenon is likely to drive global temperatures higher.
