Europe

Portugal just ran on 100 percent renewables for six days in a row

Tuesday - For nearly a week, the country of 10 million met customer needs with wind, hydro and solar — a test run for operating the grid without fossil fuels.

EU greenhouse gas emissions drop 5% in the second quarter

17 Nov 23 - Greenhouse gas emissions in the EU fell by more than 5% in the second quarter of 2023, with the biggest decline recorded in electricity and gas supply.

Amsterdam marchers demand climate action as Dutch election nears

16 Nov 23 - Tens of thousands of protesters marched through Amsterdam on Sunday demanding immediate action against climate change, 10 days before the country holds a general election.

Italy's extreme drought mirrors climate in Ethiopia as climate change creates 'whiplash' of extremes

15 Nov 23 - Climate change is creating a "whiplash effect", with drought-prone areas flooding and wet areas drying out. Researchers say it is having a devastating effect on millions living in poverty.

France moves into action with new climate plan, green industry makeover

13 Nov 23 - France has unveiled a new strategy for climate action with a view to slashing its carbon emissions by 55 percent compared to 1990 levels by the end of this decade.

Levy on aviation and maritime firms should be considered

3 Nov 23 - Ireland’s environment minister made the case for the World Bank to administer any agreed climate loss and damage funding.

Vivaldi's Four Seasons gets climate change makeover

26 Oct 23 - A Spanish music director has adapted Antonio Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" to the grim reality of global warming.

EU to push for COP28 deal on phasing out fossil fuels

20 Oct 23 - EU countries' climate ministers approved the bloc's negotiating position for this year's U.N. COP28 climate summit, agreeing to push for a world-first deal to phase out CO2-emitting fossil fuels.

Dense micro-forests are thriving in France

12 Oct 23 - Developed by a Japanese botanist, the Miyawaki method of reforestation has taken root in a wide range of landscapes.

Pope Francis calls for rapid decarbonization, ‘abandonment of fossil fuels’

6 Oct 23 - The pontiff's latest decree urges Western countries to do more to avert climate disaster.

Broken zipper? France will pay to get it fixed.

5 Oct 23 - Cheap, disposable clothing is causing an environmental disaster. Now, the home of haute couture is chipping in for its citizens’ garment repairs.

Germany tops €6 bln climate finance target for poorer nations three years early

4 Oct 23 - Public climate financing from Germany for poorer countries reached a new record level last year, already surpassing the 6-billion euro target set for 2025, the government has said.

Europe takes climate fight global as carbon border tax goes live

3 Oct 23 - The EU's effort to become climate neutral is kicking into high gear — as of Sunday the bloc's carbon border tax enters a trial period, which is likely to raise tensions with key trading partners.

Sweden’s ‘off the rails’ climate policy

3 Oct 23 - A government beholden to the radical right is a warning that the green transition can go into reverse.

Swiss glaciers lose 10% of volume in worst two years on record

3 Oct 23 - Switzerland's glaciers suffered their second worst melt rate this year after record 2022 losses, shrinking their overall volume by 10% in the last two years.

Climate change: Six young people take 32 countries to court

29 Sep 23 - "What I felt was fear," says Claudia Duarte Agostinho as she remembers the extreme heatwave and fires that ripped through Portugal in 2017 and killed more than 100 people. "The wildfires made me...

Europe’s banks helped fossil fuel firms raise more than €1tn from global bond markets

28 Sep 23 - Banks including some of Europe’s largest lenders have helped fossil fuel companies to raise more than €1tn from the global bond markets since the Paris climate agreement.

Paris is undergoing a water revolution

15 Sep 23 - From urban swimming to fixing leaks to public fountains, France’s capital is getting smart about its most precious resource.

Netherlands police use water cannon, detain 2,400 climate activists

12 Sep 23 - Police deployed water cannons to disperse thousands of climate activists protesting on a highway in the Netherlands to demand an end to government subsidies for the fossil fuel industry.