Natural disasters prompted by climate change are putting pressure on EU forest resilience, but the bloc’s Forest Monitoring Law could help forest owners, researchers, policymakers and civil society address these risks.
In response to a growing number of emergencies - particularly climate-related disasters - the European Commission is looking for better coordination and new tools to strengthen the bloc's crisis-response abilities.
EU countries approved a law on Monday (27 May) to impose methane emissions limits on Europe's oil and gas imports from 2030, pressuring international suppliers to cut leaks of the potent greenhouse gas.
Ahead of the 2019 European Parliament elections, Europe was rocked by massive climate marches. But as the 2024 elections approach, the streets remain silent.
Bulgarian farmers were busy harvesting rose petals for their renowned oil this week, about a month earlier than the historical norm due to climate change that has ushered in warmer and more humid springs.
Politicians have been quick to celebrate France's 5.8% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 from a year earlier, but environmental NGOs questioned whether the progress can be sustained without additional policy measures.
While Green co-lead candidate Bas Eickhout laments the politicisation of climate change by the far right, the main electoral threat may come from centrist-parties in north-west Europe.
Thousands of protesters marched through the streets of the Polish capital Warsaw on Friday (10 May) to show their opposition to European Union environmental regulations that farmers say are driving them out of business.
Rescuers rushed to evacuate people stranded by devastating floods across the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul on Tuesday (7 May), with 90 reported dead and desperate survivors seeking food and basic supplies.
The world just experienced its hottest April on record, extending an 11-month streak in which every month set a temperature record, the European Union's climate change monitoring service said on Wednesday (8 May).
Air France, its Dutch arm KLM, Norwegian and several Lufthansa Group airlines are among 20 carriers being investigated by the European Union for potential greenwashing, the companies said on Thursday (2 May).
Wimbledon, the only Grand Slam still played on grass, is intent on becoming genuinely green. Organisers of the event have set ambitious, clear goals on how to achieve that. Their game plan is all about taking a high level view.
A new report by the European Environment Agency finds that almost all European cities are turning to nature-based solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Despite the presentation of a new compromise text to national governments on Thursday (April 25), no serious progress is expected on the revision of the energy taxation directive before the next term of the EU Parliament and Commission.
French President Emmanuel Macron set out his vision for the future of Europe, placing energy, including nuclear, at the core of his approach, in a speech at Sorbonne University on Thursday (April 25).
Only 40 of the world's 100 largest private firms have set net-zero carbon emissions targets to fight climate change, according to a report released Monday, lagging far behind public companies.
French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to plant one billion trees in France over 10 years, but environmentalists and researchers question whether this programme will achieve its stated biodiversity and climate objectives.
By Julia Payne
BRUSSELS, April 22 (Reuters) - The EU needs to rethink its policies to make a 2035 ban on new petrol car sales feasible as electric vehicles (EVs) remain unaffordable and alternative fuel options are not credible, the EU's external auditor said, jeopardising its 2050 climate goals.
The 27-member bloc wants to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, meaning it will emit no more than it can balance out with measures to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere such as reforestation programmes.
It hopes to meet its targets with the widespread use of electric vehicles as road transport accounts for nearly a quarter of its emissions.
The EU wants to have at least 30 million zero-emission cars on European roads by 2030, or about 12% of the current car fleet. However, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) cautioned the bloc may create new economic dependencies and hurt its own industry.
As it stands, high EV production costs in Europe means the bloc will have to rely on cheap imports, mainly from China, if it sticks to the 2035 goal. China accounts for 76% of EV battery output compared with the EU that represents less than 10% of production globally.
"The EU faces a conundrum, how to meet goals without harming industrial policy and hurting consumers," Annemie Turtelboom, an ECA member, told reporters. She added that 2026 will be a key year for a policy review.
Tesla is the leading EV maker in the United States and Europe but has come under pressure to slash prices due to competition from Chinese cars. Similarly, European carmakers like Stellantis that owns Peugeot and Fiat, and Renault are now racing to develop their own affordable EV models.
While EV purchases have been on the rise in the EU, the increase was largely due to subsidies. Further, charging infrastructure is lacking with 70% of charging points concentrated in just Germany, France and the Netherlands. The EU is falling short of its aim to set up 1 million charging stations across the bloc.
"(EV) prices would need to halve and subsidies do not seem to be a viable tool ... Batteries alone already costs 15,000 euros when produced in Europe," Turtleboom added when speaking to reporters.
Alternative fuels like biofuels, e-fuels or hydrogen remain uneconomic at commercial scale.
Adding to the difficulties in hitting its 2050 goal, the ECA said the EU has not cut real CO2 emissions from cars despite new testing standards and measures such as Euro 6.
In a January report, the ECA attributes this to the gap between laboratory tests and real world emission tests. The Commission was relying on lab tests, which created a skewed version. In reality, average emissions from diesel cars are the unchanged from 2010 at 170 grams of CO2 per kilometre while petrol cars are just down 4.6% at over 160 g CO2/km.
"Despite lofty ambitions and strict requirements, most conventional cars still emit as much CO2 as 12 years ago." Nikolaos Milionis, ECA member, said in a statement, attributing part of the failure to a rise in the average weight of cars. (Reporting by Julia Payne; editing by David Evans)
The main headlists for the EU elections debated the Green Deal on Tuesday (April 16) in Angers, offering a return to the old left/right division.
A debate on abandoning sector-specific climate targets is heating up in Germany after Transport Minister Volker Wissing from the liberal FDP party warned that he might have to impose car bans on weekends unless the country’s climate law is reformed.
The European Parliament voted yesterday (Wednesday, 10 April) in Brussels to approve a deal with national governments on a new carbon removal certification scheme.
Europe's top rights court on Tuesday (9 April) said Switzerland was not doing enough to tackle climate change in a historic decision that could force governments to adopt more ambitious climate policies.
Russia and Kazakhstan ordered more than 100,000 people to evacuate after swiftly melting snow swelled mighty rivers beyond bursting point in the worst flooding in the area for at least 70 years.
The world just experienced its warmest March on record, capping a 10-month streak in which every month set a new temperature record, the European Union's climate change monitoring service said on Tuesday (9 April).
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