International: Europe
This job will take more than a few more cycle lanes
17 Jun 2020
The coronavirus lockdown gave a glimpse of what cleaner cities can look like, but as people turn to private cars for safety from infection, pollution could soar.
Carbon-neutral coffee arrives by schooner
16 Jun 2020
The French schooner De Gallant has docked in Falmouth harbour three months after leaving Santa Marta in Colombia laden with tonnes of sustainably sourced coffee beans.
LOVE IS BLIND: Germany's affair with the car
12 Jun 2020
A world leader in cutting emissions from electricity production, the German government, in thrall to the auto industry, "overlooked" pollution from cars and trucks.
Germany unveils plans for €40bn climate splurge
8 Jun 2020
The German government has unveiled plans for a massive €130 billion stimulus package that features at least €40 billion climate-related spending.
Siberia dries out as forests burn
8 Jun 2020
A huge swathe of Arctic Russia is changing rapidly as oil leaks, the climate warms and Siberia dries out.
European Green Deal needs strong methane rules
4 Jun 2020
Oil and gas companies throughout the supply chain need to do much more to bring down methane emissions immediately, says Shell's new-energies director Maarten Wetselaar.
EU recovery fund has green strings attached
28 May 2020
It’s now official: the EU’s updated seven-year €1 trillion budget proposal and €750 billion recovery plan will both be geared towards the green and digital transitions.
Denmark proposes two huge ‘energy islands’
21 May 2020
Denmark plans to build two “energy islands” totalling 4GW of offshore wind capacity, under plans to reduce emissions by 70 per cent from 1990s levels by 2030 and become a green energy exporter.
Europe plans for three billion trees in 10 years
20 May 2020
The European Commission this week will launch a sweeping effort to tackle the global biodiversity crisis, including a call for three billion trees to be planted by 2030 and a plan to better protect the continent’s last primeval forests.
Spain sets out to cut gas emissions by 2050
20 May 2020
Spain’s Cabinet is set to approve a bill setting out a path to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050, putting it on course to join a handful of wealthy nations that have written the target into law.
How Dutch were forced into emissions cuts
6 May 2020
Last month, the Dutch government announced a bold set of climate policies designed to reduce annual carbon emissions by nearly 10 megatons.
VW set for Dieselgate legal showdown
30 Apr 2020
Germany’s main court for civil and criminal matters will hear a diesel emissions scandal case for the first time next week.
Germany defends €10 billion airline bailout
30 Apr 2020
Germany’s environment minister has defended a planned bailout of the country’s largest airline to protect jobs in the short term, insisting the next phase of post-coronavirus recovery will be green.
Germany and Britain call for green recovery
29 Apr 2020
Germany and Britain say that efforts to revive the global economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic must ensure a ‘green recovery’ that helps the world to tackle climate change.
Dutch to act on emissions after court ruling
28 Apr 2020
The Dutch government has announced measures including huge cuts to coal use, garden greening and limits on livestock herds as part of its plan to lower emissions to comply with a supreme court ruling.
It’s a galloping goodbye to Europe’s coal
28 Apr 2020
The energy that has powered Europe for several hundred years, driving its industry, fighting its wars and keeping its people warm, is on the way out, fast.
France wants public buildings to be 50% wood
23 Apr 2020
The French Government is set to require that all new public buildings must be made at least 50 per cent from wood or other sustainable materials from 2022 as it pushes for sustainable urban development.
France, Germany join call for green recovery
21 Apr 2020
Paris and Berlin have added their names to a growing list of EU capitals asking for the European Green Deal to be placed at the heart of the EU’s post-pandemic recovery plan.
Norway's a-ha moment made electric cars the answer
21 Apr 2020
Norway, a country fuelled by hydropower, has become the world’s electric vehicle leader.
EU hires BlackRock to advise on green bank rules
15 Apr 2020
BlackRock, one of the world’s largest investors in banks and fossil fuel companies, has been hired by the EU to work on potential new environmental rules for banks.
Spain obeys, but others drag the chain
7 Apr 2020
The Spanish government has submitted its energy and climate plan for 2030 to the European Commission, three months after the deadline, while five EU countries, including France, still need to turn in their strategies.
European recycling markets reel from coronavirus
24 Mar 2020
By MARK VICTORY | Concerns over the long-term impact of the coronavirus outbreak on key European recycling markets sharply escalated this week, following the adoption of further containment measures across the continent.
Europe’s farm sector struggles to cut emissions
13 Mar 2020
Europe’s agricultural sector has barely managed to reduce its emissions since 2018, according to a report by the European Environment Agency.
Greenpeace sues Poland's largest carbon emitter
13 Mar 2020
Greenpeace Poland has filed a lawsuit today against the largest carbon emitter in the country, demanding that the company stop any further fossil fuel investments and achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions from its existing coal plants by 2030.
Public backs ban on short-haul flights
12 Mar 2020
A majority of European citizens would support a ban on short-distance flights to fight climate change, according to a new survey.
EU announces ‘clean hydrogen alliance’
11 Mar 2020
Plans for an EU-wide hydrogen alliance were confirmed yesterday when the European Commission unveiled its new industrial strategy.
Inside Europe's shadow climate fight
10 Mar 2020
The EU’s new industrial strategy, due out today, is an opportunity to shake up more than a decade of lethargic progress in cutting greenhouse gas emissions from Europe’s heavy industries.
Green Deal could cost 11m jobs, say unions
10 Mar 2020
Trade unions have stepped up warnings that the Green Deal put forward by the European Commission in December last year could put 11 million jobs at risk.
Build a North Sea wall and save Europe
6 Mar 2020
Two European scientists have proposed the ultimate flood barrier: they want to dam the North Sea and the English Channel with more than 600 kilometres of sea wall.
EU unveils law for climate neutrality by 2050
5 Mar 2020
Net-zero emissions by 2050 is set to be a legally binding objective for all 27 EU member states, according to the bloc's first climate law.
Countries line up for EU climate fight cash
4 Mar 2020
The European Commission has revealed which countries are eligible to split a €7.5 billion-strong climate fund, earmarked for spending on cleaning up heavy industry and supporting workers in the fossil fuel industry.
EIB vows new backing for environment projects
3 Mar 2020
The European Investment Bank is promising to help to boost climate and environment funding.
Netherlands faces pressure as global test case
28 Feb 2020
The Netherlands is under pressure to slash emissions in sectors such as power generation and agriculture after a ruling by a top court made the government a reluctant test case for tougher global climate policies.
EU plans to halve municipal waste by 2030
18 Feb 2020
The European Commission will aim to “absolutely decouple” economic growth from natural resource use in a draft circular economy action plan due to be unveiled in March.
Europe’s airports face watery grave
18 Feb 2020
More than 20 of Europe’s airports could be under water by the end of the century if current climate trends continue.
Maps of Europe predict scale of climate catastrophe
12 Feb 2020
A series of detailed maps have laid bare the scale of possible forest fires, floods, droughts and deluges that Europe could face by the end of the century without urgent action to adapt to and confront global heating.
Europe falls off the pace with solar power
10 Feb 2020
Europe is falling well behind in the race to install enough solar power to keep the rise in global temperatures below dangerous levels, and to reach its own renewable energy targets.
Timber buildings can slow climate change
5 Feb 2020
European and US scientists have a root-and-branch answer to the challenge of tomorrow’s cities: switch to wood construct timber buildings and reduce the risk of even more devastating global temperature rise.
Oslo court backs Arctic oil exploration
30 Jan 2020
An Oslo appeals court has endorsed Norway’s plan for new oil and gas exploration in the Arctic.
Europe Green Deal will change whole economy
12 Dec 2019
Nearly every major aspect of the European economy is to be re-evaluated in light of the imperatives of the climate and ecological emergency, according to sweeping new plans set out by the European Commission.
This small German town took back the power
11 Dec 2019
The case for ambitious and transformative environmental policy is being made with increasing fervour and a series of “Green New Deals” have been proposed.
Denmark adopts climate law to cut emissions
10 Dec 2019
Denmark’s parliament has adopted a new climate law, committing to reach 70 per cent below its 1990 emissions in the next 11 years.
Iceland does an Ardern on green priority
6 Dec 2019
Iceland Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir has urged governments to adopt green and family-friendly priorities, instead of just focusing on economic growth figures.
EU parliament declares climate emergency
29 Nov 2019
The European parliament has declared a global “climate and environmental emergency” as it urged all EU countries to commit to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
New EU chief flags climate policy as top issue
28 Nov 2019
European Commission Presiden Ursula von der Leyen has cited climate policy as the most pressing issue facing her new executive team.
EU split on declaring climate emergency
27 Nov 2019
The European parliament is split over whether to declare a global climate emergency before next week’s crucial UN summit.
EU cities confront building emissions
22 Nov 2019
The European Union last year embarked on a mission to decarbonise the building sector, currently responsible for 40% of the bloc’s energy use.
Germany approves climate protection law
19 Nov 2019
The German lower house has approved a major climate protection package which aims to ensure the country will meet its 2030 target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
No more money for fossil-fuel projects, says EIB
18 Nov 2019
The European Investment Bank will stop funding fossil-fuel projects at the end of 2021, a landmark decision that potentially deals a blow to billions of dollars of gas projects in the pipeline.
Green-wise Norway is drilling more wells
14 Nov 2019
Never mind how many electric cars are sold there, Norway has to change tack and end prospecting for new oil reserves.
Australian governments subsidising fossil fuel use by more than $30,000 a minute, analysis finds
Fri 13 Mar 2026
Australian federal and state government subsidies that encourage fossil fuel use and help drive the climate crisis will reach $16.3bn this year after leaping by nearly 10%, according to a new analysis.
US National Academies of Sciences says no to demands it remove climate info
Wed 18 Mar 2026
State attorneys general won't get climate chapter removed from a legal manual.
What does China’s 15th ‘five-year plan’ mean for climate change?
10 Mar 2026
China’s leadership has published a draft of its 15th five-year plan setting the strategic direction for the nation out to 2030, including support for clean energy and energy security.
UK emissions fall 2.4% in 2025 as coal hits 400-year low
9 Mar 2026
The UK’s greenhouse gas emissions fell by 2.4% in 2025 to their lowest level in more than 150 years, according to new analysis.
Mark Carney just picked his lane on climate change
17 Feb 2026
COMMENT: Mark Carney's time as prime minister has been defined in part by his decision to roll back Trudeau-era climate policies.
Asia pivots to coal as Middle East conflict chokes LNG supply
Today 10:30am
Asian utilities are boosting coal-fired power generation to cut costs and safeguard energy supply, industry officials say, as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran chokes liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments and soaring prices threaten to suppress LNG demand.
Vanuatu moves forward with UN climate resolution despite Trump opposition
9 Mar 2026
The Trump administration’s attempt to sink a UN resolution demanding countries act on the climate crisis has caused cuts to the proposal but hasn’t entirely killed it, according to the tiny Pacific island country spearheading the effort.
Limiting warming to 2C is ‘crucial’ to protect pristine Antarctic Peninsula
24 Feb 2026
Keeping global warming to less than 2C above pre-industrial temperatures is “crucial” for limiting damage to the Antarctic Peninsula’s unique ecosystems, according to a new study.
'Blackwater' lakes and rivers in the Congo Basin are now emitting ancient carbon into the atmosphere
Mon 16 Mar 2026
Carbon that has been buried in the Congo Basin's peatlands for millennia is seeping into lakes and rivers. Why this is happening remains unclear, but researchers warn that tropical peatlands could be nearing a tipping point.
Surfing’s big break: how climate crisis insurance may save El Salvador’s waves
Today 10:30am
Fearing that extreme weather threatened its epic breaks, Oriente Salvaje is piloting the first surf insurance policy to protect livelihoods and ecosystems.
Iran war should trigger faster exit from fossil fuel dependence, UN climate chief says
Wed 18 Mar 2026
The disruption to energy markets caused by the Iran war is a lesson on the risks of relying on fossil fuels which should drive governments to wean their economies off oil and gas faster, the U.N. climate secretary told Reuters on Monday.
