International: Europe
Denmark raises climate to highest priority
1 Jul 2019
In a deal with other left parties, Denmark's new Social Democrat government has agreed to raise the country’s climate targets and place the green transition at the heart of policy.
'Red alert' France records its hottest temperature in history
1 Jul 2019
A temperature of 45.1deg has been recorded in France, the hottest in the country’s history.
Four countries block EU climate deal
24 Jun 2019
The European Council has failed to agree on a landmark climate strategy for 2050 as the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary and Poland baulked at the mention of a specific date.
More countries back EU neutrality goal
19 Jun 2019
Germany, Greece, Italy and Slovenia have added their names to a growing list of EU countries supporting a carbon neutrality objective for 2050, increasing the chances that a deal will be struck at a summit later this week.
Ireland has bold plan to tackle climate crisis
18 Jun 2019
Ireland has unveiled an ambitious plan to tackle the climate emergency by weaning the state, businesses, farms and households off fossil fuels.
Finns going carbon-free faster than we are
5 Jun 2019
Finland is outbidding New Zealand in the drive to carbon-neutrality, saying its economy will be effectively carbon-free by 2035 - 15 years earlier than New Zealand plans to get there.
Triumphant Greens demand more radical action
29 May 2019
Europe’s Greens, big winners in the weekend's EU elections, will use their newfound leverage in a fractured parliament to push an agenda of urgent climate action, social justice and civil liberties, the movement’s leaders say.
France’s nuclear industry stumbles along
28 May 2019
With its new reactors needing modifications and its older ones awaiting costly updates, France’s nuclear industry is in trouble.
Climate crisis could lead to nine-hour working week
27 May 2019
People across Europe must move to nine-hour week if carbon levels do not change, says a thinktank.
Climate ambition in balance as Europe votes
24 May 2019
The EU’s global climate leadership is at stake as a new political cycle begins amid increasingly polarised public opinion.
Irish schools get a fail on climate change
14 May 2019
Students at Irish schools are being let down by the country’s education system, say lawmakers demanding full climate change literacy.
CARBON BOOTPRINT: Fans set to leave their mark on Europe
13 May 2019
Controversy has erupted over the environmental impact of football fans travelling across Europe in coming weeks – to watch English sides play each other hundreds of miles from home.
CO2 to be buried in empty North Sea gas fields
10 May 2019
Three of the largest ports in Europe will be used to capture and bury 10 million tonnes of CO2 emissions under the North Sea.
Chernobyl has become a refuge for wildlife
10 May 2019
More than 30 years after the nuclear accident that scared the world, the Chernobyl is inhabited by brown bears, bisons, wolves, lynxes, wild horses, and more than 200 bird species.
Germany, Italy, Poland snub EU climate appeal
9 May 2019
The names of Germany, Italy and Poland were notably absent from an appeal to boost EU climate action ahead of a major summit on the future of Europe taking place in Romania tomorrow.
Amsterdam to ban petrol and diesel cars by 2030
6 May 2019
Cars and motorbikes running on petrol or diesel will be banned from driving in Amsterdam from 2030.
Spain’s socialists win with Green New Deal platform
1 May 2019
Spaniards have thrown their weight behind a Green New Deal programme in re-electing the pro-climate Spanish Socialist Party.
Soccer and WWF join forces to boost sustainability
30 Apr 2019
The French professional football governing body and environmental group WWF have signed a partnership to reduce the ecological footprint of football clubs.
Flygskam (that's flight shame) is spreading across Europe
23 Apr 2019
Fears over climate change have led many to rethink the way they travel and, in Sweden, they've even invented a new word for the shame associated with flying.
Europe needs its own Green New Deal
18 Apr 2019
Europe needs its own Green New Deal to stave off the perfect storm of populism, climate change and economic crisis.
Finns vote for party against climate action
17 Apr 2019
A Finnish political party that campaigned against ambitious climate change policies has won the second-highest number of seats in parliamentary elections.
Europe’s food imports devour rainforests
10 Apr 2019
Human appetites drive global rainforest destruction. Now science has measured how Europe’s food imports leave scorched tropical soils and greenhouse gases.
German Greens want to become the people’s party
4 Apr 2019
Germany’s Greens want to stabilise their steep rise in popularity and formulate new basic principles. What do they want to do differently?
EU on track for 50% emission cuts by 2030
3 Apr 2019
While Germany and Eastern European countries continue to oppose raising the EU’s 40 per cent emission reduction target for 2030, a new analysis insists the bloc will actually manage at least 50 per cent cuts under a business-as-usual scenario.
Ryanair joins what used to be the EU's all-coal polluters' club
3 Apr 2019
Low-cost carrier Ryanair has made it to the list of Europe’s top 10 carbon emitters, meaning it now ranks as high as the continent’s coal power plants in terms of pollution.
Slovakia's new leader will fight Big Coal
2 Apr 2019
Slovakia’s first female president, Zuzana Èaputová, will challenge long-standing industrial interests and the financing of coal mining after being elected at the weekend.
EU votes for 55% emissions cuts by 2030
18 Mar 2019
The European Parliament have voted in favour of increasing the EU’s 2030 emission cuts target to 55 per cent and a net-zero mid-century target, bringing an end to weeks of infighting.
Norway to ditch some oil and gas stocks
11 Mar 2019
Norway is planning to ditch some oil and gas stocks from the country’s $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund, but has exempted majors like Shell and Exxon Mobil.
Greenland’s winter rain washing away the icecap
11 Mar 2019
The largest body of ice in the northern hemisphere faces a problem scientists had not identified before: Greenland’s winter rain is accelerating the loss of its vast store of ice.
Italy sees 57% drop in olive harvest
6 Mar 2019
Extreme weather events have been the “main driver” of an olive harvest collapse that could leave Italy dependent on imports.
Climate-neutral EU can jumpstart economy
6 Mar 2019
Top business leaders believe that the transition to a climate neutral economy will create new opportunities for Europe.
Finland approves ban on coal from 2029
4 Mar 2019
The Finnish parliament has approved a government proposal to ban the use of coal to produce energy from May 1, 2029.
EU invests €10b in low-carbon tech
4 Mar 2019
The European Commission has invested more than €10 billion in clean technology to boost its global competitiveness.
Plastic trash will get youngsters a free book in southern Italy
1 Mar 2019
An Italian who run a bookshop cafe is giving free books to children in exchange for plastic bottles and aluminum cans.
EU experts eye trillion-euro climate pact
27 Feb 2019
A group of experts has published a draft treaty for a sweeping European climate finance pact, to inject more than a trillion euros into the fight against global warming.
Germany eyes net-zero emissions by 2050
26 Feb 2019
The German environment ministry is calling for an ambitious goal to cut emissions by “at least 95 per cent” by 2050 and remove the remainder from the atmosphere.
Back the science, Greta tells EU politicians
25 Feb 2019
Schoolkids are on climate strike “because we have done our homework” and listened to science, 16-year-old green activist Greta Thunberg has told EU policymakers in Brussels. “Just unite behind the science, that is our demand,” she said.
Majority of European firms have no reduction targets
20 Feb 2019
Most European companies have no target for reducing their greenhouse gas emissions even though 80% see climate change as a business risk, a survey has found.
Ireland lays ground for stronger climate action
19 Feb 2019
Ireland’s struggle with climate change cuts to the heart of people’s daily lives and reflects the country’s revival after recession: more cars on the road and thriving cattle farms.
In this Siberian town, the snow - and the future - is black
18 Feb 2019
Residents of a coalmining region in Siberia have been posting videos online showing entire streets and districts covered in toxic black snow that critics say highlight a manmade ecological catastrophe.
Sweden puts deadline on fossil-free ships
13 Feb 2019
Sweden’s shipping sector is preparing to end the use of fossil fuels domestically by 2045, in line with national climate goals.
Islands declare emergency after invasion by hungry polar bears
13 Feb 2019
Russian environmental authorities have deployed a team of specialists to a remote Arctic region to sedate and remove dozens of hungry polar bears that have besieged the people living there.
Ambitious Danish island ends fossil fuel use
13 Feb 2019
A small Danish island ends fossil fuel use by combining ambitious aims with ensuring that local people have a say in cleaner replacements.
France tables 2050 carbon-neutral law
11 Feb 2019
The French government has proposed legislation committing the country to carbon-neutrality by 2050.
Germany agrees to quit coal by 2038
29 Jan 2019
Germany will stop burning coal for electricity by 2038, under plans finalised by a commission at the weekend.
How did grim Poland get such a strong carbon price?
21 Dec 2018
Strange as it might sound, the coal-promoting host of this year’s climate negotiations, Poland, has one of the strongest carbon prices in the world.
EU reaches coal deal (with caveat for Poland)
20 Dec 2018
EU legislators have reached agreement over a proposed reform of electricity market rules that includes a 2025 cut-off date for coal subsidies, and a special clause for Poland.
Watch plastic toys, Christmas shoppers warned
20 Dec 2018
Christmas shoppers in Europe are being warned to avoid plastic toys after they appeared in more than half of EU intergovernmental alerts for products containing banned chemicals this year.
EU agrees deal to cut emissions from cars
19 Dec 2018
The European Union has agreed to a goal of cutting carbon emissions from cars by 37.5 per cent in a decade, finally settling differences between vehicle-producing countries and environmentally-conscious lawmakers.
France sets up independent climate council
30 Nov 2018
France has set up independent climate council, a group of 13 experts which will hold the government to account for aligning with the Paris Agreement.
Australian farmers face 'new world' of extreme weather as scientists urge action on climate change
Fri 6 Jun 2025
Scientists and politicians are warning big policy shifts are needed to mitigate extreme weather impacts, following what farmers describe as unprecedented flooding in the New South Wales Hunter and Mid North Coast regions last month.
How the little-known ‘dark roof’ lobby may be making US cities hotter
Fri 6 Jun 2025
As cities heat up, reflective roofs could lower energy bills and help the climate. But dark-roofing manufacturers are waging a quiet campaign to block new rules.
China's ecology ministry to set up 100 new key labs in eight research fields by 2035
Thu 5 Jun 2025
The Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China plans to establish around 100 new key laboratories covering eight major research areas over the next ten years to enhance the country's environmental science and technology level.
British farmers 'making a change' to cut carbon emissions
Fri 6 Jun 2025
It follows the UK experiencing the warmest spring on record and predictions of a hotter-than-normal summer, with an increased chance for heatwaves.
'This is classic climate change': Canada's Saskatchewan faces worst wildfire season in decades
Wed 4 Jun 2025
There have been 207 wildfires this year as of Friday – 40 more than in the same period last year.
India calls for more climate contributions ahead of key meeting
Thu 5 Jun 2025
India has put forth its expectations on the ideal “Baku To Belem Roadmap to 1.3T” ahead of the Bonn Climate Meeting which begins on June 16, stating that without sufficient climate finance, even proposed nationally determined contributions will not materialise, leave alone any ambitious future NDCs.
Vanuatu criticises Australia for extending gas project while making COP31 bid
Wed 4 Jun 2025
Vanuatu’s climate minister has expressed disappointment over Australia’s decision to extend one of the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas projects and said it raises questions over its bid to co-host the COP31 summit with Pacific nations.
I just returned from Antarctica: climate change isn’t some far-off problem – it’s here and hitting hard
13 May 2025
Antarctica is often viewed as the last truly remote place on Earth – frozen, wild and untouched. But is it really as untouched as it seems?
Death toll from Nigeria flash floods rises to 151
Tue 3 Jun 2025
At least 151 people in central Nigeria are now known to have died following flash floods that destroyed homes and displaced thousands of residents earlier this week.
South America sets historic benchmark: Zero new coal plants planned
28 May 2025
South America just achieved a remarkable energy milestone, quietly setting a global benchmark: for the first time in history, the entire continent now has zero new coal-fired power plants planned.
From sovereignty to sustainability: United Nations Ocean Conference
Thu 5 Jun 2025
While ocean governance was once designed to protect the marine interests of states, nowadays it must also address the numerous climate and environmental challenges facing the oceans.
