International: Europe
EU chief flags concerns about Biden’s ‘buy American’ climate plans
6 Dec 2022
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed the need to adjust EU state aid rules, argued for European funding for a European industrial policy, and insisted on upholding cordial relations with the US ahead of biannual consultations.
EU climate chief defends plans for 'carbon farming'
2 Dec 2022
The European Union's top climate official on Wednesday dismissed criticism from environmental groups over its proposal to incorporate carbon removal methods into its climate plans, insisting the plan won't undermine the bloc's efforts to tackle global warming.
Young Swedes take their country to court over climate inaction
1 Dec 2022
The Swedish capital is the birthplace of the international movement Fridays for Future, which has galvanized thousands of youngsters to skip school and march in the streets in protest against a lack of political action to stop global warming and recognize the climate crisis.
Europe's alpine villages producing their own power
1 Dec 2022
Small hydropower plants have long sustained remote communities in the Alps – but there is a growing debate over their environmental impact.
EU climate plan sacrifices carbon storage and biodiversity for bioenergy
30 Nov 2022
Incoming policies will cause the European Union to harvest more wood, shift one-fifth of cropland to bioenergy and outsource deforestation, analysis shows.
Europe to rely on carbon sinks to boost climate ambition
29 Nov 2022
The EU will increase its 2030 greenhouse gas reduction target thanks to a new law aimed at boosting the amount of carbon held in Europe’s nature, according to the EU’s climate chief Frans Timmermans.
Energy crunch dims Christmas holiday glimmer in Europe
29 Nov 2022
From Paris to London, officials in cities across Europe are limiting hours of holiday illumination, and many have switched to more energy-efficient LED lights or renewable energy sources as high energy prices bite consumers in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Climate change: Could centuries-old wheat help feed the planet?
28 Nov 2022
Could the key to feeding the world with a changing climate be hiding in a 300-year-old museum collection? That's one of the hopes of scientists combing through 12,000 specimens of wheat and its relatives held in the Natural History Museum's archives.
Civil disobedience only way to protest climate change: French activists
28 Nov 2022
While some climate activists have been throwing food at famous paintings, a French group has been shutting down roads. Their acts of civil disobedience have drawn anger and criticism, but they say it is the only way to get people to pay attention to what they see as an existential threat.
7 in 10 young people are worried about the climate crisis - but they also want to make a difference
25 Nov 2022
More than two thirds of children between the ages of seven and twelve are worried about climate change, a new survey reveals.
Switzerland passes law to require mandatory climate reporting
25 Nov 2022
Large Swiss companies and financial institutions will be required to disclose information on their climate-related risks, impacts and plans following new legislation passed.
EU’s carbon removal certification could be global trend setter after COP delay: expert
24 Nov 2022
If done well, the EU’s new certification for carbon removals, due on 30 November, could provide vital clarity for international discussions following a failure to agree on a key text for removals at the COP27 climate conference, according to Kathy Fallon, director of land and climate at the Clean Air Task Force.
The West will not act on climate change until it feels its pain: opinion
21 Nov 2022
If there is anything that has been true in the history of the world, it is that states, and especially Western states, rarely if ever act out of a sense of moral compulsion, when such acts could impose hardships back home. Look at the rhetoric around support for Ukraine following the Russian invasion as an example.
Turkey’s climate plan points to 32% rise in emissions by 2030
17 Nov 2022
Turkey pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 41% in 2030, compared with its business-as-usual scenario, according to a new climate plan submitted to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Environmental ruling hits Europe’s largest carbon sequestration scheme
4 Nov 2022
The Netherlands’ highest administrative court yesterday ruled that construction projects will in future have to take into account the amount of nitrogen they emit.
Temperatures in Europe have increased at more than twice the global average
3 Nov 2022
Temperatures in Europe have increased at more than twice the global average over the past 30 years – the highest of any continent in the world.
European parliament moves to mandate EVs by 2035
2 Nov 2022
The EU Parliament has agreed to a set of rules that will see an increase in the number of recharging and alternative refueling stations for cars, trucks, trains, and planes. This is part of the “Fit for 55 in 2030 package” which plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% come 2030.
Hungary closing public facilities due to soaring cost of energy
1 Nov 2022
Dozens of cities are closing venues across Hungary due to soaring energy costs. The most common public facilities affected are theatres, spas, pools, libraries, museums and sports venues.
Germany can and should lead the way on EU energy solidarity
31 Oct 2022
Winter is coming to Europe and with it, high energy prices, which could see many Europeans struggle to keep their homes warm. Yet, it seems Germany has its citizens covered. On September 29, Chancellor Olaf Scholz put forward a plan for a 200 billion euros ($197bn) energy package, which caused a stir across the European Union.
Carbon emissions from energy to peak in 2025 in ‘historic turning point’: IEA
28 Oct 2022
Global carbon emissions from energy will peak in 2025 thanks to massively increased government spending on clean fuels in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to analysis by the world’s leading energy organisation.
UK’s critical infrastructure deemed vulnerable to ‘cascading risks’ from climate change
28 Oct 2022
Urgent action is needed to mitigate the "cascading risks" facing the UK's critical national infrastructure (CNI), according to a new report.
EU countries agree to hike climate change target next year
26 Oct 2022
European Union countries agreed on Monday to raise their target to curb greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris climate agreement next year, as the bloc attempts to rally ambition among major emitters ahead of this year's U.N. climate talks.
Ukraine reconstruction must steer clear of energies that allowed Putin to thrive: opinion
26 Oct 2022
Fossil gas and nuclear energy projects should be excluded from talks about Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction opening tomorrow in Berlin, writes Svitlana Romanko.
Weekend of protests in Europe, from energy to Iran
25 Oct 2022
Thousands of protesters gathered across Europe over the weekend to protest over energy prices and climate — and also to show solidarity with antigovernment protesters in Iran.
Energy crisis sets Poland on rocky transition out of fossil fuels
25 Oct 2022
High coal prices, scarce fossil gas supplies and barriers to renewable energy projects are complicating Poland’s transition from fossil fuels amid the ongoing energy crisis.
In the Netherlands, balancing energy security against climate concern
20 Oct 2022
A central location and web of gas pipelines are helping boost gas imports in the country even as it tries to stick to its clean energy goals.
Young Germans take climate case against govt to European Court
19 Oct 2022
Climate activists who won a landmark case against the German government last year are now taking their case to the European Court of Human Rights, an organisation representing them said on Tuesday.
Pernod Ricard unveils €250m plan for carbon-neutral distillery in Ireland
19 Oct 2022
Whiskey company Irish Distillers, owned by Pernod Ricard, has announced a €250m investment to create a new distillery in East Cork that is carbon-neutral in its operations.
These 11 EU countries want climate to be at the heart of the bloc's foreign policy
18 Oct 2022
Eleven European Union countries on Monday launched a new group to bolster the bloc's climate diplomacy and place it at the heart of the EU's foreign and security policy.
The 'green' glen embracing hydro powered farming that could solve energy crisis
17 Oct 2022
While it may seem to be one of many traditional uphill farms in the area, Glensaugh in Aberdeenshire is set to become Scotland’s first truly ‘green glen’ with a hydro hamlet powered entirely by self-generated renewable power.
Climate change is testing resilience of UK wheat yields
14 Oct 2022
Wheat yields in the UK have largely been resilient to varying weather over the past 30 years. However, the future security of our most widely grown food crop is uncertain due to increasingly frequent extreme wet and dry conditions as a result of climate change, say scientists.
Farm soil carbon: Is the focus on sequestration right?
13 Oct 2022
Arable farmers must be realistic about the amount of carbon that can be locked up in soils and should be wary of exaggerated claims about sequestration, warns a leading soil scientist.
Expert commission proposes gas price relief of 90 billion euros by 2024 for German consumers
12 Oct 2022
A group of experts charged by the German government to come up with a plan on how to ease the impact of rising gas prices has proposed to support citizens and businesses with a total of about 90 billion euros by 2024.
London stock exchange launches its voluntary carbon market rules
12 Oct 2022
After nearly a year since first announcing that it would be developing a new market solution to accelerate the availability of financing for projects that will support a just transition to a low-carbon economy, the London Stock Exchange has launched its public market framework.
Europeans are hoarding wood, cleaning chimneys, and mulling horse dung as winter looms in an energy crisis
10 Oct 2022
As much as 70% of European heating comes from natural gas and electricity, and with Russian deliveries drastically reduced, wood — already used by some 40 million people for heating — has become a sought-after commodity.
French Nobel Winner urges inflation, climate protest against Macron
10 Oct 2022
French author Annie Ernaux, who was awarded the Nobel Literature Prize this week, signed an open letter on Sunday supporting a mass protest against President Emmanuel Macron called by the country's left-wing opposition.
Countries back rewritten EU plan to raise carbon market cash
7 Oct 2022
European Union countries on Tuesday agreed an alternative to an EU plan to use a carbon market reserve to help finance their exit from Russian gas, after fears the original proposal would undermine the bloc’s main climate change policy.
E-fuels will undermine Europe’s clean car race, if we let them
7 Oct 2022
To decarbonise Europe’s car fleet, internal combustion engines (ICEs) running on synthetic fuels are not a viable alternative to electric cars.
Wind, solar investors threaten to leave Europe because of revenue cap
5 Oct 2022
European wind and solar power industries associations warned that investments could go elsewhere after EU energy ministers voted to introduce revenue caps for wind, solar, nuclear and coal power generation.
Nord Stream pipeline leaks are ‘catastrophic for the climate’
30 Sep 2022
Methane leaking from yet-to-be explained damage on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines is likely to be the biggest burst of the potent greenhouse gas on record, raising new fears of the effect on the climate emergency.
Cars are vanishing from Paris
29 Sep 2022
Bright parasols, wooden sun loungers and expanses of golden sand suddenly appear every summer on what was once a traffic-clogged, 3.3 kilometer road along the banks of the River Seine in the heart of Paris
Countries try to dodge EU's carbon market fundraising plan
27 Sep 2022
European Union countries are hunting for alternatives to an EU plan to use a carbon market reserve to help finance their exit from Russian gas, as some fear the proposal would undermine the bloc’s main climate change policy.
What if carbon border taxes applied to all carbon – fossil fuels, too?
23 Sep 2022
The European Union is embarking on an experiment that will expand its climate policies to imports for the first time.
EU governments carving out €20 bn in carbon market exemptions for shipping
22 Sep 2022
Government ministers are in the process of carving out €20 billion worth of exemptions for the shipping industry in the new maritime carbon market (ETS), according to a new analysis.
As UN climate summit looms, Denmark becomes first country to pay for ‘loss and damage
22 Sep 2022
Denmark is directing more than $13 million to aid countries hard hit by climate change, becoming the first wealthy nation to pay for “loss and damage” from increasingly extreme weather.
Squaring off between carbon taxes and renewable energy incentives
21 Sep 2022
Some European renewable energy producers are concerned that the EU may lose green energy investments to the United States in the wake of recently enacted U.S. legislation.
Europe records hottest summer ever in 2022, says climate monitor
9 Sep 2022
The summer of 2022 was the hottest in Europe's recorded history, the European Commission's climate monitor said on Thursday. It is the second summer in a row of record-breaking temperatures in Europe.
'Climate neutral' products are counterproductive greenwashing bluff - NGO
9 Sep 2022
Products labelled as “climate neutral” deceive consumers and undermine progress in reducing emissions, argues Environmental Action Germany, an NGO specialising in fighting environmental cases in court.
Netherlands warns against EU carbon market fundraising plan
8 Sep 2022
The Netherlands has warned other European Union countries that an EU plan to use a carbon market reserve to finance their exit from Russian gas would undermine the bloc's climate change policy, and put forward alternative plans.
Berlin freezes carbon price in the name of crisis relief
6 Sep 2022
The German government will suspend the price increase of its domestic carbon price for one year as part of a €65 billion relief package meant to alleviate the strain of record-breaking energy prices.
Rio Tinto urges Albanese govt to reimpose carbon tax, boost green energy subsidies
Thu 17 Jul 2025
The mining giant has used it’s submission to the Productivity Commission ahead of the Albanese government’s economic roundtable to lobby for the re-imposition of a carbon pricing scheme and bolstered green energy subsidies.
Why flash floods like those in Texas and New York are becoming more common
Fri 18 Jul 2025
Storms sweeping through the U.S. this summer have dumped intense rain on cities across the country, left towns flood-ravaged and forced water rescues.
EU wants to see China take more ambitious climate action
Tue 15 Jul 2025
The world needs China to show more leadership on climate action, highlighting the importance of cutting planet-heating emissions and reducing the Chinese economy's reliance on coal.
Climate groups want UK wealth tax to make super-rich fund sustainable economy
Thu 17 Jul 2025
Growing number of campaigners urge government to ensure green investment is not done ‘on backs of the poor’.
Is Mark Carney turning his back on climate action?
23 Jun 2025
The G7 summit in Alberta, hosted by Prime Minister Mark Carney, has ended with only passing mention of fighting climate change, including a statement on wildfires that is silent on the pressing need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Amid stifling summers Japan warns of future restrictions on children’s sport
Fri 18 Jul 2025
As soon as 2060, global heating may send temperatures high enough to stop children in most parts of country from taking part in outdoor summer sports, study shows.
Nearly a third of Tuvaluans have applied for climate migration visa
27 Jun 2025
With their country threatened by sea level rise, the people of Tuvalu have been offered an escape route through an agreement with Australia, and many are contemplating leaving their home.
The struggle for control of the Arctic is accelerating - and it's riskier than ever
11 Jul 2025
As the battle for one of the world’s coldest places heats up, an increasingly fragile security balance may be breaking down, leading to an escalating arms race.
How Ireland’s ‘mediocre’ milk powder made it big in West Africa
Wed 16 Jul 2025
Polluting dairy industry accused of using “highly unethical” marketing to pass off ultra-processed “poor quality by-products” as milk.
Illegal loggers profit from Brazil’s carbon credit projects
Thu 17 Jul 2025
How a system designed to protect the world’s biggest rainforest is funding businesses with a track record of illegal deforestation.
UN Human Rights Council fails to call out fossil fuels after decision cuts mention
11 Jul 2025
A proposal by the Marshall Islands and Colombia calling for a transition away from fossil fuels at the UN Human Rights Council failed to make it into the council’s declaration on climate change and human rights issued on Tuesday.
