International: Europe
The most northerly town in the world is at risk of disappearing
11 Dec 2017
It’s freezing, snowing and so far north that the sun won’t rise again until March, but the 2000 residents of the world’s most northerly town wish it were much colder.
Farm grows food under streets of Paris
11 Dec 2017
La Caverne is an urban farm that grows mushrooms, herbs and greens beneath the streets of Paris.
Citizens fight EU weedkiller decision
8 Dec 2017
The public is fighting back against an EU decision to renew the licence of controversial pesticide Glyphosate.
Iceland's new PM vows carbon neutrality by 2040
7 Dec 2017
Iceland's new Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir, 41, says she wants her nation to be carbon neutral by 2040.
In Poland’s coal heartland, miners imagine a greener future
7 Dec 2017
While the Polish government champions coal, the area around Katowice, host of next year’s UN climate summit, is starting to diversify its economy.
Sacre bleu! It seems the French are world's smartest farmers
7 Dec 2017
France has topped the 2017 edition of the Food Sustainability Index exhibiting the best performance across food loss and waste, sustainable agriculture and nutritional challenges.
Can a massive barrier save Venice from drowning?
6 Dec 2017
The engineering limitations and cost overruns of a huge barrier designed to protect Venice from sea level rise are raising questions about the mega-projects that many coastal cities are hoping can save them.
How Airbus was allowed to write its own climate rules
4 Dec 2017
E-mails between the European Commission and Airbus show how the European aircraft manufacturer was offered privileged access to the EU decision-making process, allowing it to write its own environmental rules.
Southern Spain is getting that sinking feeling
1 Dec 2017
When the heat is on, ground shrinkage means subsiding soils. Sustained drought could cause structural problems in parts of Spain.
Swedish power plant burns clothes instead of fossil fuels
28 Nov 2017
A Swedish power plant is turning to recycled wood and trash for alternatives, including discarded clothing from a retail chain.
You're spies, Russia tells green campaigners
23 Nov 2017
The Russian government is using anti-spying legislation to silence environmental campaigners, a leading watchdog has warned.
Poland faces $170,000-a-day fines over illegal logging
23 Nov 2017
Poland has been given two weeks to stop illegal deforestation in a Unesco-protected forest or face fines of at least $NZ170,000 a day.
Meet the green gurus who use 1400 disposable cups a day
23 Nov 2017
More than 2.5 million disposable cups have been purchased by the UK’s environment department for use in its restaurants and cafes over the past five years – equivalent to nearly 1400 a day.
Electric highway will link Norway and Italy
21 Nov 2017
A German utility is planning a string of electric vehicle fast chargers every 120 to 180 kilometers along highways in seven European countries, from Italy to Norway.
Norway’s wealth fund eyes divesting from fossil fuels
20 Nov 2017
Norway’s $1 trillion fund is to consider divesting from oil and gas stocks to protect the country's economy from oil price risk.
Activists sue Norway over Arctic exploration plan
16 Nov 2017
The Norwegian government is being sued by climate activists over a decision to open up areas of the Arctic Ocean for oil exploration.
EU strikes deal on carbon market reform
13 Nov 2017
European Union negotiators have agreed to a compromise on carbon market reforms, with the bloc keen for a deal this week to show leadership at UN climate talks in Bonn.
Germany's dirty coalmines focus for direct action
10 Nov 2017
A giant black mark on Germany’s environmental record is scarred on the land an hour’s drive from the venue of this year’s UN climate talks in Bonn.
EU acts to clean up transport and boost e-vehicles
9 Nov 2017
The European Commission has a legislative package aimed at reducing CO2 emissions in road transport and encouraging the uptake of electric cars.
Europe still drilling for oil, despite Paris Agreement
3 Nov 2017
Just days before international climate talks start in Bonn, firms are lining up to drill for oil - at great expense - in northern European waters.
Climate change looms like a tragedy for Greeks
31 Oct 2017
Greece is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change in Europe, according to experts, and faces a gloomy future.
Super-rich's supersonic private jets will be super-polluting
30 Oct 2017
Hundreds of supersonic jets could be flying businesspeople over Europe within 10 years, but documents show the EU preparing to cede oversight of their huge CO2 emissions.
Italy eyes a coal-free future with new energy strategy
30 Oct 2017
Italy plans to phase out coal power plants by 2025, the country’s industry minister said during a presentation of a new energy strategy.
EU eyes green clause in trade deals (including ours)
26 Oct 2017
As Europe embarks on a new round of trade talks with New Zealand, Japan, Australia, and various South American countries, calls are growing for the EU to enforce environmental and social clauses in commercial agreements.
Development banks join forces to fight climate change
24 Oct 2017
Credit institutions worth $3000 billion have joined forces to throw their weight behind sustainable development.
EU rules out tax on plastic products to reduce waste
17 Oct 2017
The European Union has opted for a public awareness campaign on the impact of plastics on the environment, saying a tax would not be sustainable.
Germany to miss climate targets ‘disastrously’
16 Oct 2017
Germany’s environment ministry fears high emissions from coal-fired power plants and transport will make the country miss its 2020 climate targets by a wider margin than previously anticipated.
Italy's ominous supervolcano shows signs of waking
16 Oct 2017
A super volcano in Italy is waking up. Scientists are trying to predict what it will do next, and what its unrest means for volcanoes worldwide.
BALTIC BURPS: Clams giving off as much gas as 20,000 cows
16 Oct 2017
Scientists have found clams and worms in the Baltic Sea are giving off as much gas as 20,000 dairy cows.
German Greens put climate progress top of agenda
11 Oct 2017
Leading Green politicians in Germany have said a coalition agreement with Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats and the free-market Free Democratic party will be contingent on climate policy progress.
Mackerel on the move stir up European politics
10 Oct 2017
The impacts of climate change can lead to conflict, but conflict not necessarily leads to violence. This is exemplified with the so-called ‘’mackerel case’’.
Powerco changes name and abandons fossil fuels
4 Oct 2017
Denmark's DONG Energy has fully abandoned power generation from oil and gas, and is changing its name to Ørsted to pledge its commitment to clean energy technologies.
Europe playing a two-faced climate change game
3 Oct 2017
EU member states risk undermining the diminishing confidence Europeans have in the union by playing a two-faced game on climate change.
EU climate chief’s Paris suggestion sparks anger
28 Sep 2017
A suggestion by the EU’s climate chief that the US might water down its carbon-cutting pledge to the Paris Agreement has sparked outrage among veteran negotiators and developing countries.
Weakened Merkel means boost for coal phaseout
26 Sep 2017
A three-way coalition in Germany is the most likely outcome of a surprising election, putting the Greens in a position to pursue their goal of ending coal power.
Innovation fuels Europe’s leadership on shared mobility
25 Sep 2017
European cities are stepping up their efforts on shared mobility, aiming to reduce traffic jams and pollution while generating the most profitable business in this field on the planet.
EU aims for 100% emission cuts in new mid-century roadmap
22 Sep 2017
The European Commission is preparing an update of its low-carbon economy roadmap for 2050, acknowledging that the bloc’s current target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions at least 80 per cent by mid-century are insufficient.
Angela Merkel the world's leading eco-vandal
21 Sep 2017
Ignore Angela Merkel's reputation for supporting green initiatives. The German chancellor’s record on environmental policy has been a disaster.
Figueres wants EU action on ‘imported deforestation’
20 Sep 2017
Former UN climate chief Christiana Figures has called on the EU to step up regulatory action against deforestation in the global south by tackling emissions of imported agricultural goods like beef, soy and palm oil.
EU extends respite from airline carbon fees
15 Sep 2017
The European Parliament has approved a plan to keep commercial flights in and out of Europe exempt from the EU’s carbon emission controls until 2021.
EU moves closer to ‘genuine energy union’
14 Sep 2017
European lawmakers this week approved a new security of gas regulation, which includes a solidarity principle in case of supply disruptions and will make it more difficult for other countries to “blackmail” the EU’s members.
Macron to pitch global environmental rights charter
13 Sep 2017
French president Emmanuel Macron is set to call for a global pact affirming universal principles for environmental protection at the UN general assembly next week.
Norway vote could be turning point for Arctic oil
8 Sep 2017
Norway has a general election on Monday. The future of its oil industry has become – to the surprise of the three largest parties – one of the most debated and divisive campaign themes.
France to ban oil, gas output on home soil
8 Sep 2017
France has unveiled a law to ban all production and exploration of oil and natural gas by 2040 on the country’s mainland and overseas territories.
Merkel under pressure to tackle toxic smog
7 Sep 2017
With less than three weeks until the German elections, pressure is mounting on Angela Merkel to tackle the deadly smog in a large number of cities or face a court-enforced diesel ban and backlash from millions of motorists faced with plummeting resale values.
Glyphosate ban will kill ‘conservation agriculture’
5 Sep 2017
Farmers in France have reacted strongly to the government's intention to block the reauthorisation of glyphosate, pointing out the negative effects the ban would have on conservation farming.
Finland doubles down on nuclear power
4 Sep 2017
Finland is set to embrace a decarbonised future by increasing carbon taxes and introducing laws in 2018 that will begin to phase out the use of coal, with more nuclear capacity waiting to offer an alternative fuel source.
Oslo puts ecological riches at the heart of the city
30 Aug 2017
Norway wants urban gardeners to cultivate wildflowers and keep hives to reverse a decline in biodiversity.
Swiss trees swelter as climate warms
22 Aug 2017
Foresters are being urged to plant tree species resilient to climate change to save the timber industry as Swiss trees swelter.
It's a good bet Norway will be first fully electrified society
21 Aug 2017
Norway has the renewable resources and political will to become the first country to use entirely clean electricity for its power demands.
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.
