International: Europe
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.
Norway sees electric cars outnumber petrol models
20 Sep 2024
Norway, one of the world's largest exporters of oil, now has more electric cars on its roads than petrol-driven vehicles.
World Bank boosts climate financing by 10 percent
20 Sep 2024
The World Bank announced that it delivered a record $42.6 billion in climate change financing in the last financial year, up 10 percent from a year earlier.
Climate scientists troubled by damage from floods ravaging central Europe
18 Sep 2024
Experts say they are unsurprised at the intensity of extreme weather but say the damage wreaked shows how unprepared the world is.
'Catastrophe' as deadly floods hit Central and Eastern Europe
17 Sep 2024
The Austrian province surrounding Vienna has been declared a disaster area, as torrential rain caused by Storm Boris continues to wreak havoc across Central and Eastern Europe.
Von der Leyen moots nature credits market to avert ecosystem collapse
17 Sep 2024
The European Commission is considering a market-based system to encourage farmers and industry to conserve nature and restore lost biodiversity by putting a price on ecosystems.
The Hague to ban fossil fuel ads from January
17 Sep 2024
Other cities have moved against fossil fuel advertising, but The Hague is the first to enact binding legislation, as a number of jurisdictions worldwide crack down on publicity for fossil fuels and high-emissions sectors.
Germany’s ongoing €4.5 billion carbon offset fraud: “It is possible that we are dealing with a case of serious environmental crime here”
11 Sep 2024
German authorities’ action is “too little, too late” says whistleblower.
Italy’s Southern Islands drought made 50% more likely by climate change, study finds
10 Sep 2024
Sardinia and Sicily have been experiencing “exceptional” drought conditions intensified by climate change, leading to water shortages and severely compromising agriculture.
Former VW chief goes on trial nine years after 'dieselgate'
6 Sep 2024
Former Volkswagen Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn appeared in court on fraud charges over the so-called dieselgate scandal.
EU faces lawsuits over emissions rules, 'green' label for planes
29 Aug 2024
Environmental campaigners have taken the European Commission to court, seeking to force Brussels to upgrade its emissions rules for 2030 and, in a second case, scrap rules that label some planes as climate-friendly investments.
Heat deaths in Europe may triple by end of the century, study finds
26 Aug 2024
Countries in south most at risk, with rise likely to outstrip fall in cold-related deaths if global heating hits 3C or 4C.
Von der Leyen threads the climate needle to keep her job
23 Jul 2024
The German politician has secured a second term as European Commission president with a political program carefully designed to woo both conservatives and environmentalists.
Greece shuts Acropolis, two firefighters killed in Italy as southern Europe swelters in a heat wave
19 Jul 2024
A heat wave across southern Europe forced authorities in Greece to close the Acropolis for several hours and two firefighters died while putting out a fire in the Basilicata region in southern Italy.
The story of a heat death
18 Jul 2024
David went to work in his new job on a French building site. By the end of the day he was dead. What can David Azevedo’s story tell us about the threat increasingly extreme weather poses to human health?
How Denmark plans to tax agriculture emissions to meet climate goals
12 Jul 2024
Denmark is on its way to introducing a world-first tax on greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture in 2030.
Ireland's greenhouse emissions lowest in 30 years
12 Jul 2024
Greenhouse gas emissions in the Republic of Ireland are at their lowest level in 30 years, according to the latest figures.
Using Toyota's hydrogen car as the Paris Olympics official vehicle 'will damage reputation of 2024 Games'
12 Jul 2024
More than 120 scientists, academics and engineers call for switch to battery electric vehicles, arguing that fuel-cell cars are ‘not a viable net zero solution’.
New EU Parliament less supportive of green agenda, documents show
11 Jul 2024
The next European Commission will no longer be able to rely on a broad consensus among lawmakers in support of ambitious climate change policies, draft documents showed.
French election sparks relief for scientists, hope on climate change reform
10 Jul 2024
Following a second round of voting in a snap election, France's left-wing New Popular Front has secured a leading plurality of seats in parliament.
How Europe’s conspiracy influencers went from COVID-19 to the climate
8 Jul 2024
Conspiratorial narratives about climate action have entered the mainstream all over Europe.
Wildfire emergencies declared in Russia’s Far East
4 Jul 2024
Authorities in Russia’s Siberian and Far East republics of Tyva and Sakha (Yakutia) have declared states of emergency due to summer wildfires raging across the regions.
To keep clean drinking water flowing to Paris, farmers are going organic
27 Jun 2024
Rather than relying on expensive water treatment plants, the French capital is protecting its water supply at the source.
Denmark will be the first country to impose a carbon tax on farms
26 Jun 2024
Denmark, a major pork and dairy exporter, will introduce a tax on livestock carbon dioxide emissions from 2030, making it the first country to do so and hoping to inspire others to follow.
Denmark’s radical plan for a plant-based future
25 Jun 2024
The Nordic country is working toward ambitious goals to make its food systems more sustainable — and other nations are following in its path.
Stonehenge covered in powder paint by Just Stop Oil
21 Jun 2024
Part of Stonehenge has been covered in orange powder paint by protesters, the day before celebrations begin for the Summer Solstice at the 5,000-year-old landmark.
How climate change is hitting Europe: three graphics reveal health impacts
19 Jun 2024
A growing body of research reveals the deaths and diseases linked to rising temperatures across the continent.
This city just made it illegal to advertise SUVs. Here’s why.
17 Jun 2024
Edinburgh became the latest European capital city to ban ads for aviation, SUVs and more.
EU hits Chinese EVs with tariffs, drawing rebuke from Beijing
14 Jun 2024
The European Commission said it will impose extra duties of up to 38.1% on imported Chinese electric cars from July, risking retaliation from Beijing.
Swiss parliament spurns European climate ruling
13 Jun 2024
The Swiss parliament voted to snub a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) that accused the country of being ineffective in fighting climate change.
What do the European elections mean for EU climate action?
13 Jun 2024
This week’s European parliamentary election results saw parties on the populist right making big gains in France and Germany, while the historic “green wave” of 2019 receded.
EU climate policies could be slowed in future after rightward shift in election
12 Jun 2024
A more rightward-leaning European Parliament will make it harder to pass ambitious EU climate policies, but the majority of current world-leading green policies are likely to stay put, analysts said.
EU regulator calls for SMEs to be required to report on positive sustainability impacts
7 Jun 2024
EU markets regulator the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has issued recommendations to adjust proposed sustainability reporting requirements.
Inside the European Commission president's secret climate crusade
6 Jun 2024
The European Commission president fought hard in her first term to get her Green Deal reforms past skeptical colleagues — but then backtracked ahead of the election.
Right-wing pushback on EU’s green laws misjudges rural views
6 Jun 2024
Populist and far-right parties are wooing rural voters in the EU elections by exploiting a backlash against green policies – but new research suggests it may not work.
The warring conmen at the heart of a €5bn carbon trading scam
5 Jun 2024
Emissions trading was supposed to save the planet. But fraudsters quickly learned how to rip the system off, making themselves spectacularly rich.
Germany likely to miss 2030 climate goal, advisors calls for new policy
5 Jun 2024
Germany is likely to miss its 2030 greenhouse gas targets, government climate advisors said, contradicting the climate minister's prediction in March.
‘Unchartered territory’: What Europe’s wetter climate means for hydropower
31 May 2024
Despite increased potential in some countries, hydroelectric plants are having to contend with more extreme conditions.
Herd of bison could help store CO2 equivalent of 43,000 cars, researchers say
17 May 2024
Free-roaming animals reintroduced in Romania’s Țarcu mountains are stimulating plant growth and securing carbon stored in the soil while grazing.
EU countries approve law to slash CO2 emissions from trucks
16 May 2024
EU countries gave their final approval to a law to cut carbon dioxide emissions from trucks, which will require most new heavy-duty vehicles sold from 2040 to be emissions-free.
‘Climate change is here and it kills’: Heat-related deaths rise by 30% in Europe
16 May 2024
Researchers tracking the link between climate change and health say the adverse impacts are far-reaching.
EU proposes first sanctions on Russia’s LNG sector
8 May 2024
Until now, the EU hasn’t targeted Moscow’s lucrative gas sector, newly proposed sanctions would hit about a quarter of Russia’s LNG revenues.
Australia-US minerals deal underpinned decision to allow mining company to clear threatened indigenous forest
Mon 23 Feb 2026
The Australian government’s decision to allow the US mining giant Alcoa to continue clearing swathes of Western Australian jarrah forest despite past illegal clearing practices was made in part due to a critical minerals deal reached between Australia and the Trump administration last year, a new document shows.
Trump’s plan for rising energy costs: Pump oil, make data centers pay
Thu 26 Feb 2026
Energy affordability was in the spotlight during President Trump’s lengthy and at times rambling State of the Union address Tuesday evening as the president promised to bring down electricity prices in an effort to assuage voter concerns about rising costs.
3,600 times faster: China is shaking up the steel industry
Wed 25 Feb 2026
For over a century, making steel meant coal, heat, and hours of waiting. A Chinese research team now reports collapsing that process into just three to six seconds; no coal, near zero emissions, and a vortex lance already moving toward commercial production. The technology is called flash ironmaking, and in February 2026, its implications are still unfolding.
‘Tinderbox’ UK may be one shock away from food riots, experts say
Wed 25 Feb 2026
A series of issues are making access to food vulnerable in the UK, including the climate crisis, low incomes, poor farming policy and fragile just-in-time supply chains.
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.
South Korean farmers sue utility giant KEPCO over climate damage to crops
Wed 25 Feb 2026
As harvest season approached last November, farmer Ma Yong-un walked through his apple orchard in southern South Korea with a growing sense of dread.
What Vanuatu’s UN resolution on the ICJ climate opinion means for the planet
Mon 23 Feb 2026
Six months after a landmark climate ruling, the UN is being asked to act.
Limiting warming to 2C is ‘crucial’ to protect pristine Antarctic Peninsula
Tue 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.
Kenya launches a carbon registry to boost climate finance and credibility
Mon 23 Feb 2026
Kenya has launched a national carbon registry, aiming to position itself as a global hub for high-integrity carbon credits at a time when scrutiny of climate offset markets is intensifying worldwide.
Floods and landslides in Brazil kill at least 30 after record rainfall
Thu 26 Feb 2026
Three firefighters pulled a man’s body from the mud amid the rubble of houses swept away in a landslide in south-eastern Brazil, where 30 people died and 39 were still missing on Tuesday after torrential rains.
UN approves first carbon credits under Paris Agreement market mechanism
Fri 27 Feb 2026
The United Nations has approved the first credits to be issued under a carbon market established by the Paris climate accord, aimed at reducing emissions – a mechanism that has faced scrutiny over greenwashing concerns.
