International: Europe
Europe is bracing for a brutal, cold winter
6 Sep 2022
European governments are scrambling to avert a full-scale energy crisis after Russia’s last-minute decision to halt gas deliveries through the key Nord Stream pipeline indefinitely.
Municipalities can overcome Europe’s fossil-fuel addiction
5 Sep 2022
Europe’s fossil-fuel addiction is painfully clear amid the global energy crisis and the unfolding horrors in Ukraine.
Nearly 150 Spanish cities rolling out low-emission zones in 2023
5 Sep 2022
Spain is getting serious about cleaning up its air, and that’s the case in cities across the country. Due to the Climate Change and Energy Transition Law, most Spanish cities will be implementing low-emission zones within their borders in 2023.
French fossil fuel ad ban: what it means and the opportunity for agencies
2 Sep 2022
France is the first European country to ban fossil fuel advertising. The ban, which comes into effect next year, could see companies fined up to €100,000 for breaching the rules.
Inside the ‘energy villages’ powering Germany’s green transition
1 Sep 2022
Neighbours in the Black Forest region of Germany have come together to create a community power plant, in a quest to achieve energy sovereignty.
Drought threatening Dutch dikes
31 Aug 2022
Authorities in the Netherlands are on high alert as drought conditions could threaten the stability of the country's network of 19th century peat dikes.
The six reckonings of Europe’s energy crisis: gas, nuclear, war and inflation
30 Aug 2022
With European wholesale natural gas, coal, and electricity as well as CO2 prices near to all-time highs, Europeans are facing a winter of discontent, one which may in fact last for many years.
Macron warns of ‘end of abundance’
30 Aug 2022
France is headed toward the “end of abundance” and “sacrifices” have to be made during what is a time of great upheaval, President Emmanuel Macron told his cabinet on Wednesday upon returning from summer break.
France offers €4,000 e-bike subsidy but there’s a catch
29 Aug 2022
The cities of France are building safe cycling infrastructure as fast as any in the world, including a massive move by Paris. And now the federal government is ensuring those new bike lanes will fill up with clean, green e-bikes after announcing a €4,000 subsidy. But there is a catch.
Can Denmark save every smørrebrød?
25 Aug 2022
As the country that wastes the most food in Europe, Denmark is turning to apps that help shoppers grab groceries just before they end up in the trash.
Europe hit by worst drought in at least 500 years as climate change fears grow
24 Aug 2022
Europe is in the grip of its worst drought in at least 500 years, experts warned on Tuesday as fears grew over climate change.
Spain PM warns of climate emergency as country records hottest summer ever
23 Aug 2022
Spain is facing a climate emergency as it experiences the hottest summer ever recorded, prime minister Pedro Sanchez warned yesterday.
EU carbon price hits record
22 Aug 2022
The price of carbon in the EU’s emissions trading system hit a new all-time high on Friday, August 19, as traders warned coal was becoming “re-embedded” in Europe’s electricity generation because of tight supplies of gas.
How this Dutch design convinces residents to swap car parking for bike racks
22 Aug 2022
A parking spot for a single car can hold as many as 10 bikes—but it’s often a challenge for a city to convince drivers that it’s okay to relinquish car parking space for other uses (witness battles that often ensue when cities add bike lanes next to curbs).
Ireland, Malta and Bulgaria see big increases in GHG emissions
18 Aug 2022
Ireland’s greenhouse gas - GHG - emissions increased by 20% in Q1 2022 compared with a year earlier, according to estimates from Eurostat.
European forest fires further increasing the world’s climate footprint
17 Aug 2022
The multiple forest fires that have been raging in France since the beginning of summer have released record amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, according to satellite data, and fires in Spain in mid-July also helped break records for carbon emissions. Fuelled by global warming, the blazes are reducing the number of trees available to absorb carbon, further threatening ecosystems.
EU-New Zealand agreement raises the bar on climate action in trade deals: analysis
16 Aug 2022
The EU-New Zealand free trade agreement (FTA) – announced in early July – is the first of its kind to include legally enforceable commitments on climate measures, as well as gender equality and environment and labour standards
Norway's climate choice: old oil, gas fields switch to green power or close early
16 Aug 2022
Norway will have to phase out some of its old oil and gas fields prematurely to achieve its 2030 climate goals, unless it can use carbon-free power on more offshore platforms to cut their emissions, the country's Climate Minister Espen Barth Eide said.
‘Ventilation corridors’ funnel cool mountain air into steamy Stuttgart
15 Aug 2022
To travel through Stuttgart is to visit past sins and glimpse a promising future. This German manufacturing hub is where the gas-powered automobile was invented in 1886. Porsche and Mercedes still manufacture their luxury cars here, and these companies’ local museums celebrate a time when the chrome curves of sports cars symbolized speed instead of a climate crisis.
French climate activists fill golf course holes with cement, protesting against water ban exemption amid drought
15 Aug 2022
Climate activists in the south of France have damaged lawns and filled golf course holes with cement, protesting against golf courses' exemption from water bans as the country faces its most severe drought in history.
Climate risks dwarf Europe's energy crisis, space chief warns
12 Aug 2022
The head of the European Space Agency (ESA) has warned economic damage from heatwaves and drought could dwarf Europe's energy crisis as he called for urgent action to tackle climate change.
Over 200 major glaciers disappear in Italy due to climate change: Research
12 Aug 2022
More than 200 major Alpine glaciers have disappeared in Italy since record-keeping began in 1895, the country's environmental lobby group Legambiente said in a report.
Europe’s new trams are reviving a golden age of transit
11 Aug 2022
At the heart of Strasbourg, France stands a 466-foot tall, 588-year-old Rayonnant Gothic cathedral that draws tourists from over the world to gaze at its intricate carvings, ornate stained glass and massive astrological clock.
‘Heatflation’ warning as 2022 EU crop harvests affected by climate change
10 Aug 2022
As much of Europe bakes in the latest heatwave, fears are growing about what’s being dubbed ‘heatflation’ – climate change-driven staple crop losses that could see already inflated food prices reach new highs this autumn, deepening the cost-of-living crisis.
Greece is scorching in a heat wave and wildfires, yet it's returning to planet-baking coal
1 Aug 2022
Dimitris Mitsaris opens his garage door and the smell of fermenting grapes emerges, as the first morning light bounces off dozens of steel tanks. Mitsaris and his family live here, in Agios Panteleimonas, a mountainous village of just 800 residents in northern Greece, and have made their home into a small winery. "I don't even have electricity here yet," Mitsaris says with a laugh.
Germany’s €177bn climate budget to focus on renovations
29 Jul 2022
The German government plans to spend €177.5 billion of the federal budget on climate action and the transformation of the country’s economy between 2023 and 2026, with a focus on increasing the energy efficiency of buildings.
Time to fix Europe’s dumbest climate policy
27 Jul 2022
Deforestation, billions of euros wasted, and soaring food and fuel prices; the charge sheet against biofuels is damning. Introduced to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, the burning of food crops for fuel has been an unmitigated disaster.
Experimental car captures more carbon out of the air than it emits
26 Jul 2022
When it comes to carbon emissions, cars are king. In fact, the EPA found that transportation is the biggest driver of greenhouse gas emissions due to burning fossil fuels. And while electric cars offer a promising alternative, it still doesn’t address the carbon that’s already in the air.
FactFind: Are Irish farmers the 'most carbon-efficient food producers in the world'?
25 Jul 2022
It is often argued by politicians and agriculture industry members that Irish beef and dairy producers are more climate-friendly compared to other countries.
Corporate carbon offset company accidentally starts devastating wildfire
25 Jul 2022
Last Monday, Dutch reforestation company Land Life started what has become a 35,000 acre forest fire in Spain.
The amount of Greenland ice that melted last weekend could cover West Virginia in a foot of water
22 Jul 2022
The water off the coast of northwest Greenland is a glass-like calm, but the puddles accumulating on the region's icebergs are a sign that a transformation is underway higher on the ice sheet.
The legacy of Europe’s heat waves will be more air conditioning. That’s a problem.
21 Jul 2022
Europe is sweltering in record-breaking temperatures this week, and across the continent, people are largely trying to cope without air conditioning.
Germany rejects delaying climate action
20 Jul 2022
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has rejected the notion of cutting back on climate change targets despite the energy and food security crisis, speaking at the end of the Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin on Tuesday.
Wildfires in Spain, Morocco produce record-breaking carbon emissions
20 Jul 2022
Wildfires in Spain and Morocco have produced more carbon emissions in June and July this year than in the same period of any year since 2003, the European Union's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service said.
Irish agriculture 'cannot opt out' of emissions targets: environment minister
20 Jul 2022
The final Irish Cabinet meeting before the summer break is expected to agree sectoral targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate change costing Germany billions of euros a year
19 Jul 2022
A new study shows weather catastrophes triggered by climate change have cost Germany at least €145 billion over the last two decades. Leaders at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue are looking at ways to tackle the impact.
Finnish "sand battery" offers solution for renewable energy storage
18 Jul 2022
Finnish companies Polar Night Energy and Vatajankoski have built the world's first operational "sand battery", which provides a low-cost and low-emissions way to store renewable energy.
EU green chief calls for day of memorial for climate victims
15 Jul 2022
Europe should create a day of memorial for the victims of climate change, the EU's Green Deal chief Frans Timmermans said Thursday, marking the anniversary of floods that killed more than 220 people mostly in Germany and Belgium.
Austria's climate minister is taking the EU to court
14 Jul 2022
TO most climate scientists and environmentalists, conversations about trying to address climate change with natural gas are a nonstarter.
Tour de France stage 10 halted by climate action protestors
13 Jul 2022
The Tour de France stage to Megève came to a stop with 35km to go as the route was blocked by a group of protestors demanding action against climate change.
Denmark to roll out new state-run climate label for food
11 Jul 2022
Denmark will establish a state-controlled climate label in order to help residents purchase more environmentally-friendly foods.
Greenwashing lawsuit against Dutch airline is the first of its kind
11 Jul 2022
As concerns over climate change rise, so too does greenwashing as a marketing tactic. And it’s often the most environmentally-destructive companies that trumpet the most outrageous claims—just take a look at some of the advertisements fossil fuel companies have put out in recent years.
Anger simmers for Dutch farmers who oppose pollution cuts
11 Jul 2022
Bales of hay lie burning along Dutch highways. Supermarket shelves stand empty because distribution centers are blocked by farmers. Then, at dusk, a police officer pulls his pistol and shoots at a tractor.
Dutch government issues world-first cap on flights from European hub
8 Jul 2022
Schiphol airport in the Netherlands is set to permanently cut the number of flights in a bid to reduce noise and air pollution. Campaigners described the decision as a “historic breakthrough” that could help curb emissions from the aviation industry.
EU decision on natural gas could threaten climate progress
8 Jul 2022
The European Union's plan to include natural gas in a list of activities considered sustainable could derail its progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions at a time when climate scientists are calling for dramatic reductions to planet-warming releases.
Europe's landmark test of banks' resilience to climate risk is softer than expected
7 Jul 2022
Europe’s landmark test of banks’ resilience to global warming was far softer than many lenders had expected, according to people familiar with the matter.
Gang illegally trafficking greenhouse gases across Spain is busted by the police
6 Jul 2022
Spanish authorities say they have broken up an organised crime group involved in millions of carbon tax fraud.
DMK’s climate targets: ‘This is about the credibility of an entire industry’
6 Jul 2022
DMK Group has committed to new climate targets under the Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi). The dairy cooperative’s CEO explains that action is needed to drive down dairy emissions in order to safeguard the reputation of the ‘entire’ dairy industry.
Youth climate case moves to top tribunal in European Court
5 Jul 2022
The European Court of Human Rights said Thursday that a complaint against 33 countries filed by six young Portuguese climate activists will be examined by the tribunal’s top panel of judges, a move reflecting the case’s legal significance.
Deadly glacier collapse in Italy "linked directly to climate change"
5 Jul 2022
Italian prime minister Mario Draghi joined scientists in pointing to the climate emergency as the cause of a deadly glacier collapse in the Italian Alps on Sunday afternoon, saying policymakers must act to ensure avalanches don't become a more regular occurrence.
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.
