The EU is already struggling to meet its 2030 climate and energy targets, so it needs to put farmers as well as the social and environmental benefits first in order to project itself forward to 2040, write Zsolt Lengyel and Erica Johnson.
Building renovations, like those encouraged under the draft Energy Performance of Buildings directive, are key to improving people's well-being and reducing emissions, but they must be flexible and rolled out with social safeguards, writes Ciarán Cuffe.
Swiftly banning fluorinated gases (F-gases) will not only significantly curb the EU's climate impact, but also reduce its dependence on critical raw materials, and result in substantial savings for EU households, especially in the transition to decarbonised heating, writes Davide Sabbadin.
EU lawmakers' push to phase down fluorinated gases may score the most significant climate victory of the decade and rid Europe's heat pump market of China’s imports, argues Davide Sabbaddin.
The majority of buildings in Europe are not energy efficient, and a revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) is needed to give businesses and investors a clearer policy direction, write Ursula Woodburn, Stephanie Pfeifer and Mike Peirce. Ursula …
The EU is inching closer to implementing a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), but the proposal is complex and too ambitious. The war in Ukraine warrants a more cooperative method to raise climate ambition in third countries, write Karsten Neuhoff and Andreas Goldthau.
The European Parliament's proposed reform of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) fails to guarantee emission reductions in the housing and transport sector in line with the bloc's 2030 climate objectives, writes a group of academics and civil society groups.
REPowerEU must be a win for energy security, the climate and European competitiveness. With the right focus, the May package can propel a wave of sustainable heat pumps “made in Europe”.
Climate innovation is crucial in de-risking the effort to decarbonise the economy, and European policymakers need to make this part of ETS reform, argue Andris Piebalgs and Alessia Virone.
The impact of climate change is already felt, COP26 must take decisive action to deliver on the 1.5-degree scenario.
Europe's recent push to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions is desperately needed, but it is happening too slowly, with many key measures laid out in the Fit for 55 climate package not coming into force until the 2030s, writes Michael Bloss.
Including buildings in an emissions trading scheme will have a limited impact on emissions. The EU must also focus on an ambitious revision of the energy performance of buildings directive to ensure that emissions are sufficiently decreased, writes Monica Frassoni.
Europe must go beyond EU-level targets and ambition to implement climate action across member states, if it wants to reach its own ambition and limit the world to 1.5°C warming, write Sharon Turner and Thomas Muinzer.
Europe's new climate legislation must focus on renovating its inefficient buildings and lifting millions of people out of energy poverty, but that is only possible if the EU works together with local governments, writes Emil Boc.
The European Commission's 'Fit for 55' legislative package will penalise poor Europeans. This is not the just energy transition the EU promised, writes Martha Myers.
The announcement of the package to become fit for 55% CO2 reduction by 2030 was unusual. It took Commission President Ursula von der Leyen longer to come to the press room than ever before. Clearly, a sign that the decision …
The European Commission's approach to using forest wood for energy could prove a faux pas ahead of the COP26 UN climate summit in November, a dangerous move which contradicts the findings of the EU executive's own research department, writes Peg Putt.
On the eve of the publication of the highly anticipated Fit-for-55 Package, many questions remain unanswered about how the EU plans to approach hydrogen. Johannes Trüby is Director/ Economic Advisory at Deloitte. From costs and investments, to infrastructure, imports and the wider …
Europe's new and revised climate legislation needs to enable cities to reach climate neutrality by mid-century, including by encouraging more building renovation and driving the transition to clean energy, European mayors write.
A recent survey suggests that Europeans believe airlines should be required to pay tax on aviation fuel. The European Commission should heed the public and not the aviation lobby, writes Ciarán Cuffe.
Next week, the European Commission is to unveil its long-awaited ‘Fit for 55 Package’ aiming to align several policies with the increased emission reduction target of at least 55%. The revision of the EU ETS Directive, a cornerstone of the EU’s …
The unprecedented push for renovation across Europe needs to be in line with its climate ambition and work in synergy with the rest of the EU's climate legislation in order to fulfil its potential, writes Adeline Rochet and Pedro Guertler.
Despite the initial impression that carbon capture and storage would be a good idea to reduce emissions from waste incineration plants, the climate will not benefit from this, argue Mick Wallace and Janek Vähk.
A post-covid Europe must make far more effort when it comes to tackling climate change. Even with its recently enhanced target of at least 55% emissions reduction by 2030, the EU still fails to keep us safe from a climate catastrophe, argues Wendel Trio.
