International: Europe
France to set penalties on non-recycled plastic
15 Aug 2018
France plans to introduce a penalty system next year that would increase the costs of consumer goods with packaging made of non-recycled plastic.
EU carbon emissions price hits 10-year high
14 Aug 2018
The amount polluters pay for emitting carbon in the EU has hit a 10-year high, in a blow for coal power station owners and a boost for renewable energy.
LITTER TWITTER: In this park, clever crows do the dirty work
13 Aug 2018
Six crows trained to pick up cigarette ends and rubbish will be put to work this week at a French historical theme park.
Unions want Poland to push coal at UN climate talks
9 Aug 2018
Poland's trade unions are mounting a defence of coal workers against the impacts of climate policies in an effort to influence the agenda of the UN climate summit to be held in Katowice this December.
Battery makers fight for foothold in Europe
8 Aug 2018
Battery manufacturers are jostling for a leadership position in Europe as electric vehicle sales gather momentum.
Ireland sees need to increase carbon tax
7 Aug 2018
The Irish Government is planning to increase the country’s carbon tax in a bid to meet its climate-change goals.
German farmers want $1b in drought aid
2 Aug 2018
Farmers in the north and east of Germany are seeking more than $1 billion in aid for unprecedented losses as a result of continued high temperatures and lack of rain.
HOT NEWS: How the media has reported the northern heatwave
31 Jul 2018
This year’s northern-hemisphere summer has seen a succession of heatwaves. How has the media reported the extreme weather and how has the coverage referenced climate change?
Anchovies, the fish that gave too much
27 Jul 2018
The Italian fish sauce colatura is made from anchovies and literally adds the Med into the famously healthy Mediterranean diet. So many good things, however, have a downside.
Germany finds reaching climate targets hard work
26 Jul 2018
The German government will introduce a climate protection law to ensure the country reaches its 2030 climate targets.
Europe keeps on setting clean-energy records
18 Jul 2018
Two of the biggest economies in Europe last week set new records for clean energy.
Can Norway solve the plastic crisis, one bottle at a time?
17 Jul 2018
A bottle deposit hub on the outskirts of Oslo has had a stream of high-level international visitors. Can its success be replicated worldwide?
Huge iceberg threatens Greenland village
16 Jul 2018
A 100-metre high iceberg has drifted close to a village on Greenland’s west coast, prompting fears of a tsunami if it breaks up.
Ireland first country to divest from fossil fuels
13 Jul 2018
Ireland will become the first country to sell off its investments in fossil fuel companies, after a bill was passed with all-party support in the lower house of parliament.
Germany powers to renewables record
13 Jul 2018
Germany has set a record for renewable power production during the first six months of 2018.
Plastic waste makes floating pleasure park
13 Jul 2018
More than 1000 square feet of plastic ultimately destined to pollute the ocean is getting a second lease on life in Rotterdam.
Spain to lead energy transition in Europe?
10 Jul 2018
The creation of the new ministry for ecological transition in Spain brings fresh air not only at the national level but also at the EU level as Spain can give a push in the fight against climate change.
TV coverage of bike races holds climate change clues
10 Jul 2018
The impact of climate change on trees has been detected by analysing almost four decades of archive video footage from the Tour of Flanders cycling race.
POPE'S PLEA: Don't turn Earth into a rubbish pile
9 Jul 2018
POPE FRANCIS has urged governments to make good on their commitments to curb global warming, warning that climate change threatens to turn the Earth into a vast pile of “rubble, deserts and refuse”.
Baltic Sea oxygen levels at 1500-year low
9 Jul 2018
The coastal waters of the Baltic have been starved of oxygen to a level unseen in at least 1500 years largely as a result of modern human activity, scientists say.
Italy wants to put a million e-cars on the road
28 Jun 2018
The populist government in Italy, Europe’s most sluggish market for electric cars, has a big-bang plan to put a million of the vehicles on the nation’s roads.
France approves six offshore wind farms
26 Jun 2018
France has given the go ahead to six new wind farms off the country's west coast.
European banks launch green mortgage scheme
21 Jun 2018
A group of 37 major European banks are joining forces to launch a new energy efficiency scheme.
EU efforts not living up to Paris promises
20 Jun 2018
Many EU countries are veering off the course of action they committed to under the Paris Agreement, according to a new report.
EU sets 32% renewable energy target by 2030
19 Jun 2018
European Union lawmakers and member states have agreed on a renewable energy law, including support for electric vehicles and rooftop solar panels.
EU closes in on clean energy package
13 Jun 2018
The EU is near agreement on measures to put its 2030 climate target into action, with a meeting of energy ministers swinging towards more ambition.
Dutch government appeals emissions ruling
30 May 2018
The Dutch government has launched a bid to overturn a landmark climate ruling, arguing that judges in The Hague “sidelined democracy” when they ordered a 25 per cent cut in carbon emissions by 2020.
'We can't see a future' group takes EU to court
29 May 2018
Litigants from eight countries are claiming EU institutions are not protecting their fundamental rights.
New rules make investors report on e-risks
28 May 2018
The European Commission has released fresh proposals to ensure the financial sector contributes to combating climate change.
Shareholders put pressure on Shell
22 May 2018
Royal Dutch Shell faces a shareholder challenge over climate change this week, as investors insist oil and gas firms should offer more transparency and action on carbon emissions.
Europe renewables up - so are emissions
17 May 2018
A bumper year for renewable energy didn’t stop Europe from increasing its emissions.
Lack of models holding back e-car market
10 May 2018
The rise of electric cars in Europe is being hampered by a lack of models for consumers to choose from rather than a lack of public recharging points, say energy companies and carmakers.
The hills are alive with the signs of plastic
1 May 2018
A major study has found microplastics in soil across Switzerland and scientists warn urgent research is needed into impacts on food safety.
EU votes to ban bee-killing pesticide
30 Apr 2018
The EU has overwhelmingly voted for a ban on the use of a pesticide known to be harmful to bees.
EU backs new circular economy measures
26 Apr 2018
The EU has taken a significant step towards principles which make an asset out of waste.
Dutch group threatens take Shell to court
5 Apr 2018
Campaigners are threatening to take Royal Dutch Shell to court in the Netherlands unless it takes major climate action.
Europe's electric cars herald march of the gigafactories
4 Apr 2018
Across Europe a wave of gigafactories are coming online, ready to meet the battery demands of a continent-wide switch to electric cars.
Europe's carbon market finally doing its job
28 Mar 2018
Europe’s $38 billion a year carbon market is finally starting to work the way it was intended, reining in pollution with a minimum of squealing from industry.
Macron pushes for EU minimum carbon price
26 Mar 2018
Europe must set a minimum price for carbon, says French President Emmanuel Macron, something that would require a new tax on imports from non-EU countries that are not doing enough to tackle climate change.
BIRDS EMBATTLED; Europe faces biodiversity oblivion
23 Mar 2018
Intensive farming and pesticides could turn Europe’s farmland into a desert that ultimately imperils all humans, say the authors of report on the decline of bird numbers.
Europe goes for two-speed approach to sustainable finance
19 Mar 2018
Europe is quickly adopting an imbalanced, two-speed approach to sustainable finance, in which the “green” is moving much faster than the “social”.
Nervous about nukes? Don't worry, just swallow this pill
16 Mar 2018
Belgian pharmacies will provide radiation-busting iodine tablets free of charge to anyone as part of the country’s new nuclear strategy,
Germany’s new government deal fails Paris test
14 Mar 2018
With the coalition agreement for a new German government under Angela Merkel, a major opportunity to realign German climate policy to the challenges of the Paris climate change agreement has passed.
Europe, too, likes the look of circular economy
13 Mar 2018
As the EU doubles down on its waste management efforts and sets its sights on tackling plastic waste, the idea of a circular economy and internal market for recycling is gathering momentum.
EC unveils new action plan on sustainable finance
13 Mar 2018
The European Commission has produced its strategy to make sustainability a key component of the financial sector within Europe for years to come.
Luxembourg home to half world’s green bonds
9 Mar 2018
Luxembourg and its very international stock exchange are well positioned to become the standard bearer that leads the green and sustainable finance industry of the future.
Spanish bank announces €100 billion climate plan
8 Mar 2018
The second-largest bank in Spain has launched a 100 billion euros initiative to support sustainable development and combat climate change.
Ban on bee-killer pesticide likely after new study
6 Mar 2018
A new study from the EU has found that the widespread use of a controversial pesticide on crops is harmful to the bee population.
Brussels eyes free transport on bad air days
1 Mar 2018
Brussels has moved to make the city’s public transport and bike share system free on the smoggiest days in a bid to drive down pollution levels.
German court rules cities can ban vehicles to tackle pollution
28 Feb 2018
Germany’s highest administrative court has ruled that diesel and other vehicles can be banned from some city streets as part of efforts to improve air quality,
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.
