Europe

Majority of European firms have no reduction targets

Wednesday - Most European companies have no target for reducing their greenhouse gas emissions even though 80% see climate change as a business risk, a survey has found.

Ireland lays ground for stronger climate action

Tuesday - Ireland’s struggle with climate change cuts to the heart of people’s daily lives and reflects the country’s revival after recession: more cars on the road and thriving cattle farms.

In this Siberian town, the snow - and the future - is black

Monday - Residents of a coalmining region in Siberia have been posting videos online showing entire streets and districts covered in toxic black snow that critics say highlight a manmade ecological catastrophe.

Sweden puts deadline on fossil-free ships

13 Feb 19 - Sweden’s shipping sector is preparing to end the use of fossil fuels domestically by 2045, in line with national climate goals.

Islands declare emergency after invasion by hungry polar bears

13 Feb 19 - Russian environmental authorities have deployed a team of specialists to a remote Arctic region to sedate and remove dozens of hungry polar bears that have besieged the people living there.

Ambitious Danish island ends fossil fuel use

13 Feb 19 - A small Danish island ends fossil fuel use by combining ambitious aims with ensuring that local people have a say in cleaner replacements.

France tables 2050 carbon-neutral law

11 Feb 19 - The French government has proposed legislation committing the country to carbon-neutrality by 2050.

Germany agrees to quit coal by 2038

29 Jan 19 - Germany will stop burning coal for electricity by 2038, under plans finalised by a commission at the weekend.

How did grim Poland get such a strong carbon price?

21 Dec 18 - Strange as it might sound, the coal-promoting host of this year’s climate negotiations, Poland, has one of the strongest carbon prices in the world.

EU reaches coal deal (with caveat for Poland)

20 Dec 18 - EU legislators have reached agreement over a proposed reform of electricity market rules that includes a 2025 cut-off date for coal subsidies, and a special clause for Poland.

Watch plastic toys, Christmas shoppers warned

20 Dec 18 - Christmas shoppers in Europe are being warned to avoid plastic toys after they appeared in more than half of EU intergovernmental alerts for products containing banned chemicals this year.

EU agrees deal to cut emissions from cars

19 Dec 18 - The European Union has agreed to a goal of cutting carbon emissions from cars by 37.5 per cent in a decade, finally settling differences between vehicle-producing countries and...

France sets up independent climate council

30 Nov 18 - France has set up independent climate council, a group of 13 experts which will hold the government to account for aligning with the Paris Agreement.

EU plan calls for ‘climate neutrality’ by 2050

29 Nov 18 - The European Commission today will unveil its much-anticipated plan for a “climate-neutral Europe” in an effort to show EU countries how to stick to the goals of the Paris Agreement and endorse a...

End of an era as Ireland closes its peat bogs

28 Nov 18 - When the semi-state company that harvests Ireland’s peatlands recently announced the closure of 17 bogs, the news was greeted as the end of an era.

Europe, too, will feel the heat

26 Nov 18 - Unrestrained global warming and a hotter climate will cost Europe dear in lives lost and economies squeezed. Even if it’s limited, there’ll be a price to pay.

She trolled Trump, but can she lead green wave across Europe?

26 Nov 18 - Swedish minister Isabella Lövin found fame in a jibe aimed at the White House. Now she aims for change beyond Twitter.

Ten EU countries demand net-zero goal

22 Nov 18 - Ministers from 10 EU countries have urged the European Commission to chart a “credible and detailed” path towards net-zero emissions in 2050, ahead of the launch of a landmark climate strategy next...

Hungary wants end to coal power by 2030

21 Nov 18 - Hungary is eyeing an end to coal-fired power generation by 2030, in a move that could shake the EU region most staunchly opposed to tougher climate change measures.