International: Europe
Climate change reshapes Spain's rockfall risk as frost weathering moves uphill
Tue 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
Fri 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.
Europe has 'maybe six weeks of jet fuel left', energy boss warns
20 Apr 2026
Stocks would reach a tipping point in June if Europe was unable to replace at least half of its imports from the Middle East, the organisation said in a report this week.
IMF warns EU not to offset the energy price spike too much
20 Apr 2026
European governments should not excessively shield businesses and consumers from more expensive energy because that distorts the price signal to cut consumption and could be fiscally very expensive, the International Monetary Fund said.
Thousands protest in Germany urging faster shift to renewable energy, amid Iran war
20 Apr 2026
Thousands of people demonstrated across Germany on April 18, urging a faster shift to renewable energy and accusing conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition of putting the brakes on the transition.
EU working on jet fuel plan as Iran crisis threatens air travel
17 Apr 2026
The European Union is drafting plans to tackle a looming jet fuel supply crunch and maximise refinery output, officials said.
War spurs EU plan for electricity tax cuts, faster shift from fossil fuels, draft shows
16 Apr 2026
The European Union plans to reduce electricity taxes and expand clean technologies faster to cut consumers' exposure to soaring oil and gas prices, as part of its plan to offset the Iran war's energy impact, a draft document showed.
ETS divisions sharpen as EU carbon market review nears
15 Apr 2026
The EU’s carbon market is heading towards a pivotal review, with tensions mounting between Member States over how the system shapes energy prices, industrial competitiveness and the pace of decarbonisation.
France unveils electrification plan to cut fossil fuel dependence
14 Apr 2026
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu outlined a national electrification plan on Friday aimed at reducing reliance on fossil fuels and strengthening the country’s energy sovereignty.
France's emissions cuts slow again in 2025, throwing climate targets off track
10 Apr 2026
While France's overall emissions are still in decline, the rate of their decline had slowed for the second year in a row, throwing the country off course to meet its 2030 climate goals.
The European Commission has published the first quarterly price for CBAM certificates
9 Apr 2026
The European Commission has officially set the reference price for the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism certificate for the first quarter of 2026 at €75.36 per ton of CO2.
Europe’s energy illusion: Why a €1 trillion green bet hasn’t broken the import habit
31 Mar 2026
The war with Iran is exposing a hard truth – Europe’s green push has left it no less dependent on imported energy.
France confirms oil crisis, says 30-40 percent of Gulf energy infrastructure destroyed
30 Mar 2026
France's Finance Minister Roland Lescure revealed that between 30 and 40 per cent of Gulf refining capacity has been damaged or destroyed by Iran's retaliatory strikes, leaving a shortage of 11 million barrels a day on global oil markets. Lescure warned it could take up to three years to restore damaged facilities, and several months to restart those that were urgently shut down.
Germany unveils climate plan to cut emissions and fossil fuels
27 Mar 2026
Germany set out plans on Wednesday to help it meet 2030 climate targets and reduce its dependence on volatile fossil fuel imports, making 8 billion euros available to fund measures such as expanding wind power capacity and boosting EV sales.
Spain’s Sánchez attacks other EU leaders for exploiting energy prices to gut climate policies
23 Mar 2026
Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez said his country was on “the right side of history” when it comes to how it has handled the economic and social costs of previous energy crises.
Clean fuel producers reject airline concerns over SAF mandates
23 Mar 2026
The EU requires the gradual replacement of kerosene with 'sustainable aviation fuels' but operators fear scarcity and fines.
Fossil fuels? No thanks. Why Trump’s Iran war is pushing EU toward renewables.
20 Mar 2026
EU countries may argue about the short-term fixes for high energy prices, but agree that clean power is the best long-term bet.
Ten EU members press Brussels to keep giving industry free carbon permits
20 Mar 2026
Ten European Union member states have called on the bloc to keep handing out free carbon permits to industry to help curb costs as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran sends energy prices soaring.
European carbon prices slide as EU considers intervening in market
19 Mar 2026
Europe's carbon price fell by more than 5% on Tuesday after the European Commission President said the bloc would consider making more carbon emissions permits available to help curb high energy prices.
Germany misses climate targets as emissions barely fall in 2025
17 Mar 2026
Greenhouse gas emissions in Germany have again missed targets set by the Climate Protection Act and barely fell at all in 2025.
Eight countries warn EU not to weaken carbon market
16 Mar 2026
Spain, the Netherlands and six other governments have urged the European Union not to dismantle or suspend the bloc's emissions trading system, its main climate change policy, as Brussels hunts for ways to curb energy prices.
EU climate advisers say eat less meat and tax farm emissions
13 Mar 2026
Brussels must take urgent measures to reduce the carbon footprint of food and farming, a scientific advisory board report says.
The German city that defied McDonald’s and dumped ‘to-go’ waste
13 Mar 2026
Since January 2022, the city of Tübingen has been charging 50 cents for nearly every piece of disposable “to-go” packaging.
Climate change has already made Australians in one state much poorer, and more’s to come
Tue 16 Jun 2026
The world’s hottest years over the past decade have coincided with stagnant economic productivity, rising prices and geopolitical instability.
US judge orders halt to Trump administration's 'censorship' of park exhibits
Tue 16 Jun 2026
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Friday to reinstall exhibits and signs on topics like slavery and climate change that it had removed from parks and monuments nationwide because they "do not align with its preferred narrative."
China warns of risk of 'extreme floods' in desert regions
Mon 15 Jun 2026
China warned communities in its northwestern Xinjiang and nearby regions on Friday to prepare for "extreme floods" this summer, driven by abnormally high temperatures, heavy rainfall, and rapid glacier melt.
Millions of UK homes at risk of sinking as climate crisis worsens
Fri 12 Jun 2026
Millions of homes are at risk from climate-related subsidence, according to an analysis by the British Geological Survey.
Canada signs landmark LNG energy deal with Germany
29 May 2026
Canada has announced a landmark energy agreement with Germany that will see the first-ever long-term shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Canada to Europe in the coming years.
Solar overtakes gas power in Asia for first time ever
Mon 15 Jun 2026
Solar has overtaken gas power in Asia to become the continent’s third-largest source of electricity, according to new analysis by Carbon Brief.
The Pacific made history in the courts – now we must do it in the negotiations
Fri 12 Jun 2026
Legal clarity alone will not lead to reduced emissions, more finance or stronger national climate plans – political will is key to meeting states’ obligations.
Antarctica’s west coast missing an area of sea ice the size of France as temperatures peak 20C above average
Tue 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’.
Aid cuts and climate change drive deadly malaria surge in Zimbabwe
29 May 2026
A surge in malaria cases in Zimbabwe is exposing fragile health systems and growing treatment shortages in rural areas.
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?
Finance dominates discussions at Bonn climate talks
Tue 16 Jun 2026
Lack of progress on finance issues – including putting a number on the new goal to triple adaptation funding – is causing blockages across negotiating tracks at UN climate talks.
