International: Europe
Switzerland told it must do more to comply with landmark climate ruling by Council of Europe
11 Mar 2025
Switzerland hasn't shown that it's meeting the requirements of a landmark climate change decision from Europe's highest human rights court, the Council of Europe announced on Friday.
EU proposes more relaxed CO2 target compliance for new cars
5 Mar 2025
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced she will propose a more relaxed three-year timeframe for the automotive industry to comply with the bloc's CO2 standards, instead of annual targets.
Tesla's plummeting sales risk lucrative emissions credit earnings
4 Mar 2025
CEO Elon Musk has angered European customers and governments, undercutting his EV brand.
Big EU countries push expanded carbon border tax to help repay Covid debt
3 Mar 2025
France, Italy and Poland support the move, but others fear it might prompt Donald Trump to retaliate in anger.
The far right just made huge gains in a country once seen as a climate champion. It's a pattern happening across the world
28 Feb 2025
Germany was once seen as a climate champion, setting ambitious targets to slash planet-heating pollution.
Europe's impossible choice: Which industries should survive the green transition?
27 Feb 2025
One German aluminum factory decided to go green and close its smelter. The EU faces a similar choice, with Europe's future at stake.
EU to make most companies exempt from carbon border levy, draft shows
26 Feb 2025
The European Commission will propose exemptions for "the vast majority" of companies covered by the European Union's carbon border levy on the grounds that they produce only 1% of emissions in the scheme, a draft proposal showed.
In Rome, talks to protect Earth's biodiversity resume with money topping the agenda
26 Feb 2025
An annual United Nations conference on biodiversity that ran out of time last year will resume its work Tuesday in Rome with money at the top of the agenda.
Conservative election victory set to narrow climate policy focus in Germany
25 Feb 2025
Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz' conservatives have won Germany's snap election, while the current government parties booked significant losses, indicating a reduced focus on climate policies in a future government.
EU eyes funding foreign LNG projects to lower prices
21 Feb 2025
Brussels is exploring whether to back overseas fossil fuel infrastructure amid trade talks with the U.S.
Tens of thousands of climate activists protest across Germany ahead of upcoming federal election
18 Feb 2025
Thousands of activists demonstrated in Germany on Friday in a bid to raise awareness to climate issues ahead of the upcoming federal elections scheduled for 23 February.
Macron's U-turn against EU green rules triggers internal revolt
18 Feb 2025
The French president's anti-regulation push has thrown his environmental legacy into doubt and angered many in his own party.
Climate change threatens EU's survival, German security report warns
14 Feb 2025
Global warming will exacerbate conflicts, hunger and migration worldwide, with growing risks for Europe.
Hungary tells Brussels to frack off
12 Feb 2025
Budapest prefers to bet on a major gas fracking project near its border with Romania instead of following Brussels' drive to replace fossil fuels with renewables.
Germany likely to miss 2030 climate target, government advisers say
7 Feb 2025
Germany will probably fail to achieve its 2030 climate targets unless significant policy changes are implemented, government climate advisers said in a study released on Wednesday.
Swiss government approves new climate goals after court rebuke
31 Jan 2025
Switzerland's government on Wednesday approved new climate targets, proposing a cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 of at least 65% compared to 1990 levels.
Let's kill the Green Deal together, far-right leader urges EU's conservatives
29 Jan 2025
Jordan Bardella thinks he can convince the European People's Party to suspend EU climate legislation.
Switzerland sets the bar with corporate carbon removal milestone targets
29 Jan 2025
The Climate and Innovation Act has set a groundbreaking precedent by mandating net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This month, the Act gained momentum with new guidance for corporate Net-Zero Roadmaps and a groundbreaking mandate to ramp up carbon removal efforts.
How the Mafia is weaponising wildfires
28 Jan 2025
Thousands of wildfires tear through southern Italy every year, fueled by scorching temperatures and the hot, dry, sirocco winds that sweep in from the Sahara. The climate crisis is pouring gasoline on these blazes, but the Mafia may be lighting the spark, according to new research.
US climate denial group working with European far-right parties
27 Jan 2025
Climate science deniers from a US-based thinktank have been working with rightwing politicians in Europe to campaign against environmental policies.
Russia suffering 'environmental catastrophe' after oil spill in Kerch Strait
27 Jan 2025
Satellite images reviewed by BBC Verify have shown a major oil slick spreading across the Kerch Strait that separates Russia from annexed Crimea, a month after two oil tankers were badly damaged in the Black Sea.
EU’s solar and wind growth pushes fossil-fuel power to lowest level in 40 years
24 Jan 2025
Over the past decade, coal power use in the European Union (EU) has fallen by 61%, according to new figures from energy analysts Ember.
Dutch court orders government to meet pollution reduction targets or face millions in fines
24 Jan 2025
A Dutch court on Wednesday ordered the country’s government to meet its own goals for reducing overall nitrogen emissions by 2030, a decision that could have major economic and political consequences.
European leaders at Davos vow to stick to Paris climate agreement despite Trump’s withdrawal
23 Jan 2025
Day two of the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland saw strong responses to US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, with European leaders stating in no uncertain terms that they will remain a part of the global climate pact.
Top advisers say EU should ban solar geoengineering … for now
16 Dec 2024
The bloc’s scientific advisers say the EU should push for an international treaty regulating the controversial technologies.
Greece faced 9,500 forest fires this year, says minister
13 Dec 2024
About 9,500 forest fires, including one on the outskirts of Athens, consumed nearly 44,500 hectares of land this year, Greece's hottest and driest on record, official said on Tuesday.
EU’s new energy chief vows to end Russian fuel ties for good
13 Dec 2024
Momentum for quitting Moscow’s revenue driver has stalled. “Something new needs to happen,” Dan Jørgensen told POLITICO.
Sails make a comeback to cut shipping’s huge carbon footprint
9 Dec 2024
The international merchant fleet of more than 100,000 ships transports more than 80% of global trade. But it’s also responsible for about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Europe’s cruise ships produce toxic sulphur emissions equivalent to 1 billion cars, study finds
5 Dec 2024
Cruise ships are producing higher levels of toxic air pollutants than they did before the pandemic, according to a new study by the European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E).
Spain’s new ‘climate leave’ gives workers four days off during extreme weather
2 Dec 2024
The law on paid leave protects the rights of workers not to go to work in the event of catastrophes or climate-related weather alerts that could put them in danger.
France, Germany, Sweden urge EU battery sector push to avoid China reliance
2 Dec 2024
France, Germany, and Sweden have jointly urged the forthcoming European Commission (EU) to prioritise the autonomy of the EU's battery sector to avoid over-reliance on China amid the green transition.
Europe’s Azerbaijan gas gambit is good news for Russia
22 Nov 2024
Europe keeps striking deals with Azerbaijan, even at COP29. And while it might not be Russian gas, Moscow is still likely to benefit.
Billionaires, frequent flyers, oil and gas: Who could fund COP29’s $1tn finance target?
21 Nov 2024
“It makes common sense to tax mega polluters and the mega-rich to ensure that we have the money needed for climate action at home and globally” according to one campaigner.
EU all but guaranteed to miss global deadline for climate targets
14 Nov 2024
Europeans want other countries to promise ambitious action but are behind on their own plans.
Shell wins landmark climate case against green groups in Dutch appeal
14 Nov 2024
Oil giant Shell has won a landmark case in the Dutch courts, overturning an earlier ruling requiring it to cut its carbon emissions by 45%.
Want food security? Eat less meat, major report says
12 Nov 2024
Europe’s top farming university is calling for smaller livestock herds and a shift toward plant-based diets.
Prince William begins a visit to South Africa that focuses on climate and the environment
5 Nov 2024
Prince William will speak with young environmentalists and local fishermen during a visit to South Africa starting Monday that will see his annual Earthshot Prize award $1.2 million in grants to five organisations for innovative environmental ideas.
Austria's alpine refuges and trails crumble as climate warms
5 Nov 2024
Experts say warmer temperatures across the Alps are accelerating glacier melt and thawing permafrost, the year-round ice that binds together giant slabs of rock.
Spain’s apocalyptic floods show two undeniable truths: the climate crisis is getting worse and Big Oil is killing us
4 Nov 2024
COMMENT: If past experience is any guide, the world’s reaction to the floods in Spain last week will be similar to that of motorway drivers at a crash scene: slow down, take in the horror, outwardly express sympathy, inwardly give thanks that fate picked someone else – and foot on the accelerator.
Spain battles deadliest flood disaster in decades as death toll rises
31 Oct 2024
Spain is enduring its worst flooding disaster in decades, with at least 95 people dead and dozens more missing, after huge rains swept the eastern province of Valencia and beyond.
Mercedes-Benz opens Europe’s first battery recycling plant
31 Oct 2024
Mercedes-Benz has opened Europe’s first battery recycling plant with an integrated mechanical-hydrometallurgical process, making it the first car manufacturer to close the battery recycling loop with an in-house facility.
Greek PM deplores worst climate conditions in four decades
24 Oct 2024
Wildfire-plagued Greece has suffered its worst year in terms of climate conditions in four decades in 2024, its prime minister told parliament on Wednesday.
Germany earmarks $3 billion for decarbonisation subsidies
23 Oct 2024
The German government has earmarked up to 2.8 billion euros to support 15 industrial companies in their bid to decarbonise under its first round of "climate protection contracts".
The EU’s (vague) climate aid stance: Want more money? Get more donors
14 Oct 2024
The bloc won’t say how much money it’s willing to put up before other details are firmed up.
EU Court rules plant-based burger labeling lawful
11 Oct 2024
The European Court of Justice ruled that plant-based foods such as burgers and sausages can continue to be labelled with names mimicking their meaty counterpart in a dispute that has lasted over three years.
Barcelona is turning subway trains into power stations
4 Oct 2024
Barcelona is using its subways’ regenerative braking to power trains, stations and neighbourhood EV chargers. Could other cities do this?
Major gaps between EU farming incentives and Green Deal goals: report
2 Oct 2024
The European Court of Auditors reviewed the EU's reform of agriculture subsidies and found a "noticeable gap" between farming incentives and the EU's overall green targets, the ECA said in a report on Monday.
Germany to struggle reaching international climate finance target – govt officials
1 Oct 2024
It will be very difficult for Germany to reach its target of providing developing countries with at least six billion euros in climate finance from its federal budget by 2025, said government officials in Berlin.
Inside Ireland’s powerful farming lobby
27 Sep 2024
The dense network illustrates a “well oiled machine” of intersecting influence that is preventing Ireland from addressing its poor air and water quality and meeting its climate targets, campaigners say.
How Italy’s largest fossil fuel company uses ‘green’ bonds as a loophole to keep financing hydrocarbons
23 Sep 2024
Both private and institutional investors have poured billions into Eni’s “green-labelled” bonds, under terms and conditions that enable it to continue to fund carbon-emitting activities.
Datacentres should be forced to invest in wind and solar energy, all states agree – except Queensland
Wed 13 May 2026
Power hungry datacentres that are growing to meet the demands of artificial intelligence could be forced to invest in enough new solar and wind generation to completely cover their electricity needs.
US EPA moves to speed clean air permits for power plants, industry
Wed 13 May 2026
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it would speed up the process for large polluters to obtain clean air permits, the latest move by the Trump administration to ease regulatory burdens on American power plants and industry.
China’s leadership calls for ‘strict control’ of fossil fuels
28 Apr 2026
Chinese government leaders published a policy document on 22 April – Earth Day – calling for stricter controls on fossil-fuel consumption and greater oversight of heavy emitters.
Nature recovery zones inspired by Attenborough
Tue 12 May 2026
A wildlife trust has been inspired by Sir David Attenborough's climate change mantra to designate 11 nature recovery zones in honour of the broadcaster's 100th birthday.
Carbon capture ‘doesn’t work’: Former British Columbia premier
Fri 8 May 2026
Former British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell warned the costly, troubled technology has failed to deliver, undercutting a central justification for billions in public subsidies and new oil infrastructure.
Climate change, socioeconomic shifts threaten Nepal’s yak herding traditions
7 May 2026
According to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), warming temperatures are fundamentally altering Himalayan high-altitude ecosystems.
How climate change threatens the economic backbone of the Pacific
4 May 2026
The vast Pacific Ocean and the islands dotted within it produce more than half of the world's tuna.
‘Triple whammy of climate chaos’: Why Antarctica's sea ice collapse is no longer a mystery
Mon 11 May 2026
Scientists have finally identified the ‘triple whammy’ behind Antarctica’s dramatic collapse, shedding new light on the chain reaction that has pushed its sea ice to record lows.
With its first marine reserve, Ghana protects its ocean to secure its future
5 May 2026
Comment: Last month, Ghana made news when it declared its first marine reserve and sited it in one of the nation’s most ecologically and biologically significant marine environments.
The country where lethal hantavirus cases are on the rise. Experts blame climate change
Wed 13 May 2026
Experts believe environmental degradation caused by climate change and human activity is contributing to its spread by allowing the rodents that transmit the virus to thrive in new areas.
UN methane alert system expanded to coal and waste sectors after Indian landfill named among world’s top emitters
6 May 2026
The United Nations is expanding its methane monitoring system to cover coal mines and waste facilities, after satellite analysis identified a landfill in India among the world’s three largest methane-emitting sites.
