International: Europe
Protesters celebrate German forest's reprieve
8 Oct 2018
Thousands of demonstrators have descended on Germany’s Hambach forest to celebrate an unexpected court victory over a coal mine.
Denmark ban plan includes hybrid cars
5 Oct 2018
Denmark has proposed a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 and hybrid from 2035.
MEPs vote for 40% cut in car emissions by 2030
4 Oct 2018
MEPs have voted for a 40 per cent cut in car emissions by 2030, in a rebuke to more cautious proposals by the European commission that signals tough negotiations with national governments ahead.
Paris builds zero-carbon future with a conscience
4 Oct 2018
Paris is pioneering an “eco-district” aimed at slashing emissions while also providing affordable housing.
German official backs clearing forest for coal mine
4 Oct 2018
Controversial plans to chop down a German forest to build a coal mine should proceed because Germany needs the polluting fuel to keep the lights on, according to a senior official.
Climate proposals terrify Polish unionists
26 Sep 2018
Polish trade unionists see EU and international climate action as terrifying and a threat to their way of life.
Rubbish is powering Sweden’s electricity and buses
26 Sep 2018
At a power plant in Sweden, a municipal government company is burning rubbish to turn waste into energy.
Switzerland's 'eternal' snow is melting faster
24 Sep 2018
Parts of Europe’s alpine mountain chain are undergoing accelerating melting, as the “eternal” Swiss snow thaws ever faster, threatening both the skiing industry and the nation’s water supply.
Business lobby plans to veto EU emissions cuts
21 Sep 2018
A leaked memo shows that BusinessEurope is preparing to resist a stronger EU 2030 emissions target, ahead of the climate summit in Poland later this year.
Dutch recycling plant does the 'impossible'
21 Sep 2018
A Netherlands recycling plant is doing what many in the industry have labelled impossible - recycling household packaging and making a financial success of it.
France plans to go big on bikes
19 Sep 2018
France plans to launch a major endeavour to triple the amount of cyclists on its streets within the next seven years.
Europe must cut meat and dairy by 2050, says expert
17 Sep 2018
Europe’s animal farming sector has exceeded safe bounds for greenhouse gas emissions, nutrient flows and biodiversity loss, and urgently needs to be scaled back, according to a new report.
Court orders Frankfurt to ban diesels
14 Sep 2018
The German city of Frankfurt has received a court-ordered ban on diesel after regularly exceeding pollution limits.
Europe air pollution killing 1000 a day
13 Sep 2018
Governments are failing to tackle an air pollution crisis that causes 1000 early deaths a day, says a damning EU report.
End nuclear power war, says France’s new minister
12 Sep 2018
France’s new environment minister François de Rugy is calling for an end to what he called the “religious war” on nuclear power and pleading for a more pragmatic approach to environmental policy.
Macron under pressure to up his game
6 Sep 2018
French environment campaigners have warned president Emmanuel Macron is doing too little to combat climate change and must radically rethink his environment policy if he is to honour his promise to “make this planet great again”.
French environment minister walks out
30 Aug 2018
France’s high-profile environment minister Nicolas Hulot has unexpectedly announced his resignation live on national radio, lamenting the government’s lack of decisive action on green issues.
Truck makers push back against EU carbon limits
29 Aug 2018
The European Commission’s proposal to mandate a 15 per cent cut in CO2 emission from trucks by 2025 is overly ambitious, according to an industry association.
Tropical disease outbreaks growing in Europe
28 Aug 2018
Europe is facing a growing threat of tropical disease outbreaks, as rising temperatures linked to climate change cause illnesses brought by travellers to spread more easily.
Europe to ban halogen lightbulbs
28 Aug 2018
After nearly 60 years of brightening homes and streets, halogen lightbulbs will be banned across Europe on 1 September 1.
Don't divest, government advisers tell Norway
27 Aug 2018
Government advisers have urged Norway not to ditch oil and gas investments from its $1trillion sovereign wealth fund.
Sweden's reindeer at risk of starvation
24 Aug 2018
Sweden's indigenous Sami reindeer herders have urged the state to help to mitigate the impact of climate change in the Arctic circle.
EU carbon prices could rise quickly, says report
23 Aug 2018
EU carbon prices could average 35-40 euros ($NZ60-70) a tonne over 2019-2023, says a new report.
On the world's first floating farm, robots milk the cows
22 Aug 2018
Rotterdam has become a pilot city for the world’s first floating farm where robots do the hard work.
This new coal mine in Germany will soon gobble up 20 villages
16 Aug 2018
When the Garzweiler open cast coal mine in Germany is finished, 5000 people will have been relocated and 20 villages will have been wiped off the face of the Earth.
Europe facing trillion-euros coastal flooding bill
16 Aug 2018
Costs from coastal flooding in Europe could hit almost one trillion euros by 2100, according to researchers.
Rising sea levels threaten Sinatra's old hangout
16 Aug 2018
A proposed island to protect a resort that once was the haunt of stars like Frank Sinatra and Marlene Dietrich could be its ruin.
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.
Australian Nationals formally abandon commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050
Mon 3 Nov 2025
Nationals leader David Littleproud said the party would shift its focus to climate adaptation instead of being "focused solely" on reducing emissions, noting Australia's small share of the global effort.
Exxon funded thinktanks to spread climate denial in Latin America, documents reveal
Today 12:00pm
Texas-based fossil fuel company financed Atlas Network in attempt to derail UN-led climate treaty process.
Why climate change now threatens China’s future
Today 12:00pm
Extreme weather is hurting its economy and worrying its leaders.
Bank of England must better address climate risk to tackle inflation
Today 12:00pm
The central bank is being urged to take a series of actions to better respond to environmental risks.
Renewables are a global economic engine, not a culture war threat
2 Oct 2025
Energy companies are learning this lesson faster than Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.
For Indian women workers, a just transition means surviving climate impacts with dignity
Today 12:00pm
Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) members call for just transition talks at COP30 to help them become more resilient to climate shocks by building social protection systems that secure their livelihoods.
Mystery heatwave warms Pacific Ocean to new record
21 Oct 2025
The waters of the north Pacific have had their warmest summer on record, according to BBC analysis of a mysterious marine heatwave that has confounded climate scientists.
Scientists discovered something alarming seeping out from beneath the ocean around Antarctica
13 Oct 2025
Planet-heating methane is escaping from cracks in the Antarctic seabed as the region warms, with new seeps being discovered at an “astonishing rate".
Nigerian billionaire plans expansion of Africa’s biggest oil refinery
Fri 31 Oct 2025
The billionaire owner of Africa’s largest refinery plans to expand its capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day to meet growing fuel needs in the continent and beyond.
Police raids in Brazil’s Rio kill 64 ahead of events related to COP30 climate summit
Thu 30 Oct 2025
At least 64 people died on Oct 28 in Rio de Janeiro’s most deadly police operation ever, which targeted a major gang days before the city hosts global events related to the United Nations climate summit known as COP30.
Brazil opens three weeks of COP30-linked climate events
Today 12:00pm
Brazil on Monday opens three weeks of events linked to the COP30 climate summit, hoping to showcase a world still determined to tackle global warming
