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In an interview with Audrey Garric on the Le Monde website, the president of the High Council on Climate, Corinne Le Quéré , observes that while the French response to global warming isn't bad, there is no guarantee that the country will be able to meet its climate targets. Corinne Le Quéré is the president of the…
Boosting the EU’s ambition on renewable energy could halve gas imports and save billions of euros.
A “small step up” in ambition for renewables would make a massive difference, according to energy think tank Ember.
Adopting a target for renewables to make up 45 per cent - instead of 40 per cent - of Europe’s energy mix by the end of the decade would save €43 billion in 2030, it calculated.
In total, €200 billion of gas costs could be avoided between 2025 and 2030. Between these dates, Germany alone would save €49.7 billion, Italy €29.9 billion and the Netherlands €20.2 billion.
Ceasing fossil fuel consumption is a huge lift, but it isn’t enough to save the planet. We need to think much, much bigger: toward global solutions that can capture excess carbon in the atmosphere and begin repairing the deep damage we’ve done to the planet.
The European Commission is revising the economic assumptions behind its energy and climate laws package presented last year, saying sky-high gas prices fuelled by the war in Ukraine have strengthened the case for more ambitious energy efficiency goals.
Transport is responsible for 24% of energy-related carbon emissions worldwide. Half of those emissions are from carrying goods and services, and the other half are from carrying people from A to B – also known as “passenger transport”.
Passenger transport has a huge impact on our surroundings, and it’s one of the biggest factors in determining where we live and work.
Ljubomir Jankovic, Professor of Advanced Building Design at the University of Hertfordshire, in an article on The Conversation website, discusses the importance of accounting for embodied carbon in buildings if we are to fully come to grips with net zero emissions. Embodied carbon: why truly net zero buildings could still be decades away Carbon dioxide…
Until 2011, gender did not have a formal place on the United Nations’ climate agenda. Now the UN boasts of roadmaps, action plans, and work programmes hoping to spur the inclusion of women in national and international climate action. Yet the gender balance in COP delegations remains at 75 per cent male to 25 per cent female. The United Kingdom, the host of COP26, is led by a male-dominated team, while many voices from the Global South are locked out of the conference. Professor Karen Morrow explains what climate governance’s gender divide looks like, what the key battles for COP26 are, and why gender justice is crucial to combatting climate change.
Five Polish citizens are taking their government to court over its ‘regressive’ climate stance and failure to act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The claimants include a farmer, a plant wholesaler, an ecotourism business owner, parents and a youth climate campaigner, all impacted directly by the intensifying weather events the country is seeing as climate change worsens. Three of the legal cases have launched today – with two further cases launching later this month. Poland’s climate failings To comply with its commitments under the Polish Civil Code and human rights law, the Polish Government must reduce the country’s emissions by 61% by 2030 (on 1990 levels) and reach net-zero by 2043. Yet the Polish Government is one of a minority of EU governments which has failed to announce any long-term strategy to meet its obligations under the UNFCCC Paris Agreement and it is currently ranked near the bottom of international rankings on climate effort.
La coalition d’Angela Merkel a annoncé mercredi 5 mai un renforcement de ses objectifs climatiques. Un effort notable pour la première économie d’Europe et la sixième émettrice de gaz à effet de serre mondiale, motivée par une décision de justice sans précédent et la popularité des Grünen.
Angela Merkel restera-t-elle dans les annales comme la « chancelière du climat » ? À cinq mois de sa retraite politique, la cheffe d’État allemande doit défendre dans l’après-midi du (...)
The United Kingdom is set to host what many see as the most important global climate summit (COP26) since the deal over the landmark Paris Agreement was struck in 2015. This year’s UN climate change conference on 1-12 November in Glasgow – possibly held as an online or hybrid event due to the coronavirus pandemic – is the first major milestone for efforts by the global community to limit global temperature rise to well below 2°C, preferably 1.5°C – the central goal of the Paris accord. As host of COP26, the UK plays a special part in uniting the world to ring in a key decade for global climate action. New U.S. president Joe Biden, meanwhile, is coming back to the global climate table at full force, convening a Leaders’ Climate Summit on Earth Day, 22 April.
How best to organize climate policy in a given country depends always to some extent on national context - and as such, no two existing framework laws are the same. However, comparative analysis of existing national climate framework laws in Europe has revealed that many employ a core set of common governance tools to achieve specific long-term mitigation (and in some cases also adaptation) aims. This climate law "toolbox" is composed of concrete targets; processes for policy-making, planning and progress monitoring; assigning responsibilities; scientific oversight and advice; and public engagement. Most of the laws analyzed incorporate unique and innovative approaches for one or more elements.
In this interview, María Belarmina Díaz Aguado, Director General of Energy, Mining & Repurposing, Government of Asturias (Spain), talked to us about Asturia's challenges in their path towards decarbonisation. We discussed their industrial legacy, their action plans and how the START programme helped them open up to technical assistance and seek out improved ways of undertaking stakeholder engagement.
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The European Commission defended its proposal to source 45% of the EU’s energy from renewable sources by 2030 as EU countries look to lower ambition, EU climate chief Frans Timmermans told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.
Soaring energy prices and gas supply disruptions are mounting pressure on Europe to renovate its ageing, inefficient buildings as governments scramble to protect citizens from big bills.
As the effects of climate change become more apparent, the importance of action at the local level has never been clearer. So how can mayors who want to make their cities healthier, cleaner places overcome barriers to change? At a meeting of 16 global mayors convened in London by the climate-focused leadership group C40 Cities this week, Dr. Maria Neira, the World Health Organization’s director for public and environmental health, outlined six “prescriptions” for mayors aiming to deliver meaningful climate action to their citizens.
The revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) is due to be proposed on 14 or 15 December as part of a decarbonisation package aiming to bring Europe’s gas sector in line with its climate goals. But while many praised a draft version of the text which circulated last month, EURACTIV has learnt that a new draft has lowered the ambition, including on minimum energy performance standards and renovation plans EU countries would need to create.
After COP26, the hard work begins on making climate promises real: 5 things to watch in 2022
How much the world achieved at the Glasgow climate talks – and what happens now – depends in large part on where you live.
The Swedish city is one of the exemplary models in terms of climate action
At the start of this week, Malmö’s authorities informed the public about the city’s achievements and future plans in terms of achieving climate neutrality. Although it is one of the best performing European cities in that regard, its administration (which uses 98% of fossil-free energy) seeks new ways to continue the acceleration at local, national and international levels.
The EEA report ‘Trends and Projections in Europe 2021’ estimates that the EU achieved its three 2020 climate and energy targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% compared to 1990 levels, increasing the share of renewable energy use to 20%, and improving energy efficiency by 20 %.
The Green Recovery Tracker assesses the contribution of EU member states’ national recovery plans to the green transition. The assessment is based on a quantitative and qualitative analysis conducted in partnership with local experts.
European Union member states have agreed to reach climate neutrality by 2050 and increase their level of ambition for 2030. This means Europe needs to amend all its climate policies, including its Emissions Trading Scheme, the EU's climate chief, Frans Timmermans, told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.
An early draft of the EU’s upcoming renewable energy directive confirms the bloc’s objective of sourcing 38-40% of its energy from renewables by 2030, roughly doubling the share of solar, wind and other renewables in Europe’s energy mix by the end of the decade. The new law also sets an objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, although that goal will also take into account carbon removals from forestry and land use, making the gross target look more like a 52 or 53% reduction.
Environment ministers from the 27 EU member states confirmed they would continue to push for a 55% net greenhouse gas reduction target by 2030 during a meeting of the environment council on Thursday (18 March), despite calls from Parliament to increase the EU's ambition.
There are still many outstanding issues, particularly on climate ambition, after the fourth round of negotiations on Europe’s climate law closed on Friday (12 March), according to Jytte Guteland, the lead negotiator from the European Parliament.
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