International: Europe
IT'S THE LAW: Sweden aims to be carbon neutral by 2045
16 Jun 2017
Sweden has committed to becoming a net-zero carbon emitter by 2045, under a law just passed in parliament.
Germany and California strengthen climate ties
15 Jun 2017
Europe’s largest economy and the largest state economy in the US have issued a joint statement of intent to boost climate cooperation.
UK leads way in Europe emissions reductions
8 Jun 2017
The UK recorded the largest decrease in greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union in 2015, although new research has found the emissions from the bloc increased for the first time in five years.
Europe's last big primeval forest on brink of collapse
25 May 2017
The Polish government has been accused of pushing a primeval forest system to the point of no return with state-sanctioned logging in a Unesco world heritage site.
Swiss referendum votes in favour of renewables
24 May 2017
Swiss voters have said yes to the government’s plan to provide billions of dollars in subsidies for renewables, in addition to banning nuclear power.
UK companies better to stay with European ETS
23 May 2017
An international carbon trading organisation says British companies should stay in the European Emissions Trading Scheme until at least 2020, despite Brexit.
Shell shareholders to vote for new climate goals
23 May 2017
Shell shareholders including the Church of England, European pension funds and Dutch activists will send a signal to the board of the Anglo-Dutch company this week by voting for it to set new climate-change goals.
'Climate heroes' fight EU land and forest rules
19 May 2017
Former climate heroes France, Finland, Sweden and Austria are fighting tooth and nail to weaken EU land accounting rules, also known as the LULUCF Regulation.
Shell paid university for say on curriculum
18 May 2017
Funding from Shell and other oil majors has turned a prestigious Dutch University into a conduit for fossil fuel policy gambits, according to an explosive new report.
EU countries paying coal companies to stick around
11 May 2017
EU countries are using the low carbon transition to justify new subsidies to the coal industry, instead of investing in clean alternatives.
“It’s by stealth, isn’t it?” The multi-million dollar effort by Australian fossil fuel companies to get into schools
Thu 16 Jul 2026
Australian oil, gas and coal companies want to get into school to shape what kids learn about their industry and climate change. One group has been trying to map the scale of the problem.
Peter Thiel just gave the public its closest look yet at his ‘Antichrist’ theory—and it’s a tech and climate regulator
Today 11:30am
Peter Thiel has spent 30 years arguing, on political and economic grounds, the regulatory state is the primary obstacle to technological progress.
China warming faster than global average as extreme weather intensifies, report says
6 Jul 2026
China is warming faster than the global average, while extreme heat, heavy rainfall and other severe weather events are becoming more frequent and intense as climate change accelerates worldwide.
UK withdraws millions in funding from world’s second-largest rainforest in Congo
Fri 17 Jul 2026
The UK has abandoned projects worth tens of millions of pounds that were meant to help protect Congo rainforests and support local people.
Ontario seeks federal support for evacuations as wildfires devastate remote Canadian towns
Today 11:30am
Ontario requested federal assistance to evacuate people from remote northern Canadian communities ravaged by wildfires on Thursday, as smoke brought poor air quality to Toronto and much of the Northeastern U.S.
India is adding biofuels to petrol – but many drivers are unhappy
Thu 16 Jul 2026
India's decision to increase the share of biofuels blended with petrol is facing ire from motorists who question its viability in a market where a majority of vehicles are not yet designed for it.
‘Those blocking climate science are not our friends': Pacific leaders warn at Bonn talks
23 Jun 2026
Pacific nations and civil society groups have united at UN climate talks, pushing back against efforts to weaken agreed language on global temperature limits as negotiations continue behind closed doors.
Antarctica’s west coast missing an area of sea ice the size of France as temperatures peak 20C above average
16 Jun 2026
A vast area of the Bellingshausen Sea should be covered by sea ice by now, with one expert calling the loss of ice ‘depressing’.
Africa secures $900 million in new clean cooking commitments
13 Jul 2026
African countries have secured $900 million in new financial commitments to expand access to clean cooking technologies, which replace polluting fuels with cleaner alternatives, said the International Energy Agency.
Under Lula, Amazon deforestation falls to lowest level in a decade
Tue 14 Jul 2026
Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest has fallen to its lowest level in a decade during the first half of 2026, according to official government figures.
COP31 president says electrification is ‘surest way to protect citizens’
Tue 14 Jul 2026
Last month, COP31 president-designate Murat Kurum launched a target for 35% of the world’s final energy to come from electricity by 2035. In an interview with Carbon Brief, Kurum says that the target was not a political choice, but instead reflects the latest evidence on “what is needed to keep 1.5C within reach”.
