International: Europe
Irish opposition demands scrapping of carbon tax increase to fight cost of living crisis
22 Feb 2022
Opposition party Sinn Féin will this week table a motion to scrap the increase in carbon tax scheduled for this spring in response to Ireland’s cost of living crisis.
German NGOs call on govt to soon start returning CO2 price revenues to citizens
18 Feb 2022
Germany’s government should soon introduce a so-called climate premium (“Klimageld”) to return the revenues from the national carbon price on transport and heating fuels to citizens, said a group of civil society groups including Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND) and Germanwatch.
Lead EU lawmaker proposes carbon market rules to respond to price spikes
17 Feb 2022
The European Parliament's lead lawmaker on reforms to the EU carbon market on Wednesday proposed rules to make it easier for policymakers to intervene in the scheme if prices rise too fast.
Poland calls on EU to remove 'speculators' from its carbon market
16 Feb 2022
Poland has urged the European Union to introduce "control mechanisms" to the bloc's carbon market and curb financial speculators' participation in the scheme, the Polish government said on Tuesday.
German transport ministry opposes raising ambition in EU fleet emission target
15 Feb 2022
The German transport ministry wants to prevent attempts to step up the climate ambitions of the EU's future car fleet emission targets, reports Der Spiegel.
Italy expects EU carbon price to trade around 80 euros per tonne this year
9 Feb 2022
Italy expects the price of permits on the European Union's carbon market to trade at an average of 80 euros ($91) per tonne this year, giving the government more funds to curb soaring energy bills, a Treasury document seen by Reuters showed.
Greenpeace International boss appointed as Germany's climate envoy
9 Feb 2022
Jennifer Morgan, who heads the environmental group Greenpeace International, is to become Germany's new climate envoy.
European carbon price climbs to new high
4 Feb 2022
The cost of polluting in the European Union jumped to a fresh record, with utilities looking to burn more coal just as the supply of permits dries up.
New EU green finance strategy shuns decision on nuclear and gas power
3 Feb 2022
The EU is seeking to underpin its ambition to become the world's leading market for climate-friendly investments with an overhauled sustainable finance strategy and a new green bond standard.
New transport blueprint unveiled for Scotland
1 Feb 2022
A mass transit network in Glasgow and bridges or tunnels to some of Scotland's islands are among the ideas in the Scottish government's new transport strategy.
8 reasons Finland is winning on climate: opinion
31 Jan 2022
The race to act on climate breakdown and ecological crisis is against time - rather than each other. Finland, though, is definitely way ahead of the pack.
China's national carbon market records brisk trading
25 Jan 2022
China's national carbon market has wrapped up its first compliance period with a steady rise in market activity, said the Ministry of Ecology and Environment on Monday.
First battery-powered train to start trial operations in German regional transport
24 Jan 2022
Together with French manufacturer Alstom, German railway company Deutsche Bahn is going to start trial runs with the country’s first battery-powered passenger train.
Bicycle parking to be mandatory in all new European buildings
23 Dec 2021
THE European Commission’s revision proposal for the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive will make bicycle parking mandatory in all new and renovated buildings in the EU, a measure that will make everyday cycling easier for millions of people.
Battery wars: Serbian climate protests were just the beginning
23 Dec 2021
Last week, Serbian environmental protesters were successful in getting plans to allow Rio Tinto to mine one of Europe's largest lithium deposits suspended. The protests, however, have continued.
The e-trike armada propelling a net-zero dream
22 Dec 2021
Oliver Obernier first began delivering mail for Germany’s postal service back in 2006. Through the course of a normal day, the 47-year-old would drop off about three boxes of letters on his winding route through Hamburg’s HafenCity, an historic harborside neighborhood set alongside the River Elbe.
Activists slam tweak to EU carbon allowance scheme
21 Dec 2021
The EU was set to revise its carbon Emissions Trading System (ETS) at Monday's (20 December) environment council meeting.
EU leaders set to ask for deeper monitoring of carbon market
17 Dec 2021
THE European Union’s heads of government are set to invite the bloc’s executive to improve monitoring of the EU carbon market, where a rally has sparked concerns about speculation and the impact on inflation amid an energy crisis.
Will kalamata olives perish due to climate change?
17 Dec 2021
Months before the harvest began in November, Greek olive oil farmer Michalis Antonopoulos knew it would not be a good year. First, his trees did not fully blossom because last winter was not cold and wet enough.
Buildings key to achieving Europe’s climate goals
16 Dec 2021
The revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), expected from the European Commission today, as part of the Fit for 55 package, is a legislative milestone which cannot go under the radar.
Germany's Annalena Baerbock criticises Russia over SC climate veto
15 Dec 2021
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock criticised Russia on Tuesday for blocking UN efforts to tackle climate change.
Denmark bets on North Sea carbon capture to hit climate goals
15 Dec 2021
Denmark will allocate 16 billion Danish crowns (US$2.43 billion) towards carbon capture and storage subsidies over the coming decade in a move to reach one of the world's most ambitious climate targets, its government has announced.
Germany approves billions for climate, modernisation fund
14 Dec 2021
The German government on Monday approved 60 billion euros (NZ$114 billion) in funding to be used for combating climate change and modernizing the country, a move that the new finance minister described as a “booster” for Europe's biggest economy.
Europe's big meat and dairy firms accused of climate 'greenwash'
14 Dec 2021
Greenhouse gas emissions from Europe's biggest meat and dairy firms continue to increase, according to a new report Monday (Dec 13), which found many firms are polluting "with impunity".
Mapped: Europe’s fossil fuel-backed hydrogen lobby
13 Dec 2021
Behind the push for hydrogen lies a sprawling network of lobby groups, PR firms and consultancies, many of them funded by oil and gas companies.
Germany’s new climate minister aims for green economic miracle
9 Dec 2021
Once again, a German minister is planning to revolutionize his country’s economy in the face of crisis.
Benchmark EU carbon price hits record high at 85 euros a tonne
8 Dec 2021
The Benchmark European carbon price hit a record high yesterday, climbing to 85 euros a tonne for the first time since the European Union's carbon market launched in 2005.
Scientists join Swiss hunger strike to raise climate alarm
8 Dec 2021
In early November, as politicians promised more climate action in their opening speeches at the United Nations climate talks in Glasgow, Guillermo Fernandez started a hunger strike in Switzerland’s Federal Square, saying he wouldn’t eat again until the Swiss Federal Assembly agreed to a climate science briefing.
Climate migration will worsen the brutality in the Mediterranean: opinion
7 Dec 2021
In July 2018, an Italian-flagged oil supply ship called the Asso Ventotto that was crossing the Mediterranean Sea encountered a stalled rubber raft carrying 101 desperate migrants.
These Portuguese kids are suing 33 European countries to force them to cut emissions
3 Dec 2021
Sofia and André Oliveira, siblings and teen climate activists, did not expect much from the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow.
Top Commission official says EU ‘can’t exclude’ stronger 2030 climate targets
2 Dec 2021
A senior European Commission official today suggested Brussels could set a more ambitious goal for reducing emissions next year.
Is Norway a climate hypocrite?
26 Nov 2021
In many ways, Norway is exceptionally green. About 95% of its electricity comes from hydropower, and nearly all the rest from other renewables such as thermal and wind.
Europe’s social climate fund too small to make a difference: critics
25 Nov 2021
The European Commission proposed a “social climate fund” to protect vulnerable people from changes brought by the energy transition. Still, it is not fit for purpose, according to researchers and policymakers in the European Parliament.
ECB warns most EU banks have no 'Paris' climate plan
24 Nov 2021
The European Central Bank (ECB) has warned that most commercial banks it supervises do not have concrete plans to start preparing for climate change.
Farmers drive tractors through Dublin as they protest government plans
23 Nov 2021
A convoy of around 100 tractors and farm vehicles rolled through Dublin city centre on Sunday, as Irish farmers protested against government climate change plans.
EU carbon prices hit record high
16 Nov 2021
EU CO2 prices hit a record Eur66/mt on Nov. 15, the first trading day after the UN Climate Change Conference and amid rising fuel prices driven by a cold weather forecast and gas supply fears resurfacing.
Greenpeace Germany sues Volkswagen for ‘fuelling climate crisis’
10 Nov 2021
A young German climate activist and the heads of Greenpeace Germany have sued Volkswagen (VW) in a German court for “fuelling the climate crisis”, accusing the carmaker of failing to do its part to combat global warming.
History shows Irish farmers can meet the carbon challenge: opinion
8 Nov 2021
Irish farmers have been set a methane reduction target at least twice as ambitious as that being faced by their New Zealand counterparts, but Pat O'Toole, of the Irish Farmer, is optimistic they can achieve those cuts.
Ireland would need to cull up to 1.3 million cattle to reach climate targets
4 Nov 2021
Up to 1.3 million cattle would have to be culled in Ireland to reach anticipated government targets for reducing greenhouse gases in the agriculture sector, a new report has concluded.
Permafrost: a ticking carbon time bomb
26 Oct 2021
Sheltered by snow-spattered mountains, the Stordalen mire is a flat, marshy plateau, pockmarked with muddy puddles. A whiff of rotten eggs wafts through the fresh air.
European MPs push for binding methane target
22 Oct 2021
The European Parliament yesterday passed a resolution calling for a binding international agreement limiting methane emissions to be agreed on at next month's COP26 in Glasgow.
French oil giant accused of downplaying climate risk
22 Oct 2021
French oil company TotalEnergies knew at least 50 years ago about a link between burning fossil fuels and global warming, researchers have said.
Europeans want climate action but show little appetite for radical lifestyle change
21 Oct 2021
EUROPEANS want urgent action on climate change but remain committed meat-eaters and question policy proposals such as banning the sale of new petrol vehicles after 2030, according to a new poll from the YouGov-Cambridge Centre for Public Opinion Research that surveyed environmental attitudes in seven European countries, including the UK.
French court orders state to honour its climate commitments
15 Oct 2021
A French court has ordered the state to honour its commitments on climate change, environmental organisations bringing the case said on Thursday.
Switzerland forms two more Article 6 agreements
14 Oct 2021
Switzerland's federal government today gave the green light to two agreements on the basis of Article 6 of the Paris climate agreement with Georgia and Dominica.
Helsinki's climate moonshot
14 Oct 2021
Helsinki deserves credit for modeling not only how to set an innovative climate goal, but also how to craft a novel process to achieve it, writes MIT's Carlo Ratti.
Norway to hit 100% electric vehicle sales early next year
13 Oct 2021
Norway is on track to bid farewell to the sale of new petrol and diesel-powered cars by April 2022, according to new analysis released by the Norwegian Automobile Federation (NAF).
Norway to hit 100% electric vehicle sales early next year
11 Oct 2021
Norway is on track to bid farewell to the sale of new petrol and diesel-powered cars by April 2022, according to new analysis released by the Norwegian Automobile Federation (NAF).
Energy prices hike should boost transition: EU climate chief
8 Oct 2021
The European Union’s climate czar said Tuesday the 27-nation bloc should ensure that the most vulnerable people won’t pay the heaviest price of the green transition, and pledged measures guaranteeing equal burden-sharing across society, amid a global surge of energy prices.
Could low-carbon trains cure Europe’s flying addiction?
7 Oct 2021
A new generation of sleeper cars and short-haul routes are helping railways compete against discount airlines.
Australia opens first carbon refinery, making new products from captured CO2
Wed 24 Jun 2026
Australia’s first carbon refinery opened in New South Wales, capturing carbon dioxide from explosives giant Orica's ammonia-making operations on Kooragang Island and turning it into products such as concrete, paper and glass.
I cold-called President Trump. Here's what he told me about an oil tycoon and major donor.
Mon 29 Jun 2026
I was hoping the president would give me some color about his relationship with billionaire Jeffery Hildebrand. I walked away with a clearer picture of what matters in Washington right now.
China's coal power on the rise again in 2026, reversing first-in-a-decade decline
Thu 25 Jun 2026
China's coal-fired power generation is set to rebound this year from its first fall in a decade, analysts said, due to the impact of El Nino and the Iran war and as renewable sources of energy have failed to keep pace with demand.
Wales' emissions fall significantly after steelworks changes
Mon 29 Jun 2026
There has been a "significant" cut to Wales' greenhouse gas emissions, mainly due to the closure of the blast furnaces at Port Talbot steelworks, according to a new report.
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.
Asia warming nearly twice as fast as before
19 Jun 2026
A new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) highlights record ocean heat, accelerating glacier loss and a series of extreme weather events causing significant human and economic losses across Asia.
‘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’.
Verra reinstates Kenya carbon project despite ongoing court case
Thu 25 Jun 2026
The Northern Kenya Grassland Carbon project is “the world’s largest soil carbon removal project” according the organisation running the project. It is also one of the most controversial carbon projects anywhere in the world.
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?
UN chief says fossil fuel industry must cut methane for warming “relief”
Thu 25 Jun 2026
UN chief António Guterres called for stronger action to cut emissions of planet-heating methane, taking aim at the fossil fuel industry’s practices and profits, and pointing to coal, oil and gas as the root of today’s climate and energy crises.
