โ€œBACK TO PLASTIC!โ€: Trump says heโ€™ll reverse Biden initiative to phase out plastic straws

The executive order expected to come next week is an extension of a yearslong cultural war over paper and plastic straws.

Norwegian firm lobbying to open Rosebank oilfield halves green investments

State-owned Equinor becomes latest fossil fuel firm to backtrack on clean energy pledges with move to halve budget to $5bnThe Norwegian oil company fighting to open a giant new oilfield off Shetland has cut billions of pounds from its green spending pl…

Carbon farming could reduce agricultureโ€™s greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030, time to scale up? [Advocacy Lab Content]

Carbon farming has emerged as a crucial strategy in the European Union’s efforts to combat climate change and achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

Rightwing MEPs threaten huge funding freeze for environmental NGOs

Freeze to EUโ€™s LIFE programme funding would deprive 30 NGOs of up to 70% of annual incomesSeveral environmental NGOs could be effectively shut down in Europe, if a defunding push by rightwing MEPs is successful, campaigners say.At the same time that ce…

More carrot, less stick: how meat-loving Danes were sold a plant-led world first

Scheme backed by โ‚ฌ170m fund crucial to getting agreement from farmers, politicians and environmental groupsโ€œPlant-based foods are the future.โ€ That is not a statement you would expect from a right-wing farming minister in a major meat-producing nation….

Von der Leyen builds bonfire of EUโ€™s environmental red tape

Brussels hopes simplifying green compliance rules will boost Europe’s flagging economy. Green groups fear something more sinister.

Bloomberg offers climate cash to UN amid Trump cutbacks

The move by billionaire Mike Bloomberg comes in response to President Donald Trump’s move to pull funding for U.N. climate programs.

Sites without sound: Oslo leads in quiet, low-emission electric construction

Norwegian capitalโ€™s sites were 98% free of fossil fuels last year, and it aims to increase use of electric machineryTafseer Ali felt no need to raise his voice as the pair of diggers lumbered past him, their treads weighing heavy on the rock and asphal…

5 green targets EU countries will (mostly) miss in 2025

EU countries are behind on most, if not all, their sustainability commitments.

Toxic slime and gassy trees: 3 ways Christmas is busting the planet

Curious about how this fiesta of consumerism is impacting the environment? We have the festive details. Humbug!

EU climate chief Wopke Hoekstra goes to war with airlines

EU plans to hike airlines’ green taxes are “complete bullshit,” says lobby chief Willie Walsh.

โ€˜Weโ€™re an evolving laboratoryโ€™: the island on a quest to be self-sufficient in energy

Harnessing wind, hydro and maybe geothermal power, the tiny Canary Island of El Hierro is blazing a trail for sustainable energy โ€“ and the secret is all in the mixWords and photographs by Ofelia de Pablo and Javier ZuritaA vertiginous outcrop with more…

Hereโ€™s whatโ€™s new in the EU-Mercosur trade deal

POLITICO brings you the new elements of Europeโ€™s trade deal with South America struck last week.

Regenerative agriculture, unleashing soil superpowers, reducing GHGs, boosting farm revenue [Advocacy Lab Content]

The WEF estimates that if a fifth of EU farmers adopted regenerative farming techniques, greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture could be 6% lower a year by 2030. Improving soil health can also boost farming income.
The post Regenerative agriculture,…

Top advisers say EU should ban solar geoengineering โ€ฆ for now

The bloc’s scientific advisers say the EU should push for an international treaty regulating the controversial technologies.

Letโ€™s work with farmers, not against them, says new EU agri chief

Christophe Hansen says his new vision for agriculture and food will be โ€œdifferentโ€ and exclude โ€œeat it or dieโ€ targets.

Collaboration is key to fulfilling regenerative agriculture goals

By lowering emissions, reinvigorating depleted soils and advancing biodiversity, regenerative agriculture can pave the way to more resilient, climate-friendly farms

EU going too fast on climate, Cyprus president says

โ€œI do not consider it possible to achieve those goals within the timeframe we have set,โ€ Nikos Christodoulides said, according to Ekathimerini.

Israel to Trump: It would be โ€˜betterโ€™ to stay in the Paris Agreement

Middle East conflict has been inescapable at the COP29 climate talks.

Trumpโ€™s power plays overshadow global climate summit

Donald Trump isn’t at COP29, but his rapid-fire personnel moves to dismantle Joe Biden’s climate legacy are being felt there.

US โ€˜likelyโ€™ to pledge new climate target, says White House

Donald Trump’s return raised doubts over whether the Biden administration would still produce the plan ahead of a February deadline.

Starmer warns against climate โ€˜inactionโ€™ as Trump looms over COP29

UK leader says “lesson from historyโ€ is that countries that seize on energy transitions reap the benefits.

Keir Starmer to unveil ambitious new UK climate goal at Cop29

Exclusive: Target is 81% emissions cut compared with 1990, but activists say it must be backed by plan of actionKeir Starmer will announce a stringent new climate goal for the UK on Tuesday, the Guardian can reveal, with a target in line with the advic…

Why Trumpโ€™s 2nd withdrawal from the Paris Agreement will be different

The president-elect could act faster this time.

Want food security? Eat less meat, major report says.

Europe’s top farming university is calling for smaller livestock herds and a shift toward plant-based diets.

Why Trumpโ€™s 2nd withdrawal from the Paris Agreement will be different

The president-elect could act faster this time.

Whoโ€™s who at Cop29? The world leaders and others who will attend

Crucial question for summit will be how to help developing countries cope with extreme weather caused by high temperaturesCop29 officially opens on Monday 11 November in Baku, Azerbaijan, and the conference is scheduled to end on 22 November, although …

Britons need greener travel options to meet net zero target

Government must take urgent steps to change UK travel behaviour if carbon dioxide reduction goals are to be metEurope-wide research has shown Britons are more willing than most Europeans to reduce their use of cars and aeroplanes โ€“ an essential require…

5 things to know about defense chief Andrius Kubiliusโ€™s European Parliament hearing

New defense commissioner warned of Russian threat, underlined America’s distraction with China, and pushed the EU to spend big on protecting itself.

Climate world absorbs a reality theyโ€™d hoped to avoid: Trump is back

Green stocks wobble as officials rush to respond and activists brace for the unknown. ‘It’s going to suck,’ one said.

Who might make up Trumpโ€™s Cabinet

Donald Trump didnโ€™t engage in formal conversations about a potential Cabinet in the run-up to his election. But that didnโ€™t stop him from spitballing potential contenders during his frequent plane rides to campaign events, or when he is impressed by one of his allies on television. โ€œHe would be great at this,โ€ or โ€œShe would [โ€ฆ]

EU greenhouse gas emissions down 8 percent in 2023

Accelerating rollout of renewable energy sources drives stunning drop.

Pollutants from gas stoves kill 40,000 Europeans each year, report finds

Study says harmful gases linked to heart and lung disease shave nearly two years off a personโ€™s lifeGas stoves kill 40,000 Europeans each year by pumping pollutants into their lungs, a report has found, a death toll twice as high as that from car crash…

World on track for catastrophic 3 degrees Celsius warming, UN warns

Current plans and policies will lead to global temperatures rising between 2.6C and 3.1C this century, a new report finds.

Who could be in Kamala Harrisโ€™ Cabinet? Here are the leading contenders.

If Kamala Harris wins the election, she will likely approach the task of filling out her Cabinet and West Wing much like she did when she took over Joe Bidenโ€™s campaign operation this summer. While sheโ€™ll ensure her closest advisers and key Cabinet members are people she personally trusts, there will be some continuity with [โ€ฆ]

Peugeot owner and VW call for faster switch to electric vehicles

Stellantis chief warns that longer transition to EVs is a โ€˜big trapโ€™ at Paris motor showBusiness live โ€“ latest updatesBosses at two of Europeโ€™s biggest car manufacturers have called an acceleration of Europeโ€™s transition to electric vehicles as tension…

Monster pickup trucks accelerate into Europe as sales rise despite safety fears

A Dodge Ram 1500 is bigger than a Panzer I tank and campaigners say heavy trucks are โ€˜lethalโ€™ in collisionsThe engines rev, the guitars thrum and a gruff narrator lays out why the vehicle occupying the driveway is more than just a machine. โ€œA truck is …

Waste scandal haunts Cyprusโ€™ EU pick as he heads to Brussels

A decade-old environmental dispute in Limassol, Cyprus, is raising questions over Costas Kadis’ run for EU commissioner.

Negotiators inch closer on global price for shipping emissions

Those countries supporting a global price on the shipping industryโ€™s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) have increased following the start of final negotiations in London last week with negotiators to push for greater consensus as talks continue this week….

Sweden cuts tax on flying despite admitting it would increase emissions

Campaigners criticise decision to scrap tax introduced in 2018 amid rise of โ€˜flight shameโ€™ movementCampaigners have accused the Swedish government of doing โ€œeverything in its power to stop climate actionโ€ after it cut a tax on flying, despite admitting…

Car industry calls for shift in EU emissions targets amid slowing EV sales

Automotive lobby group warns โ€˜multibillion-euro finesโ€™ will punish manufacturers without relaxation of rulesEuropeโ€™s car industry has called for the relaxation of EU emissions targets after sales of electric cars stalled further in August, adding to gr…

Former Poland PM: โ€˜Weโ€™re living under the illusion of environmentalismโ€™

We arenโ€™t reducing global emissions, just depriving ourselves of jobs, profits, raw material sovereignty and, therefore, security.

Norway: electric cars outnumber petrol for first time in โ€˜historic milestoneโ€™

Nordic country, paradoxically a major oil producer, has set target for all new cars sold to be zero emissionElectric cars now outnumber petrol cars in Norway for the first time, an industry organisation has said, a world first that puts the country on …

Denmarkโ€™s Jรธrgensen tapped for top EU energy and housing job

He has been a prominent negotiator at the annual United Nations COP climate summits.

The Hague becomes worldโ€™s first city to ban fossil fuel-related ads

Legislation makes it illegal to advertise fossil fuel products and services with a high carbon footprintThe Hague has become the first city in the world to ban advertisements promoting fossil fuel products and climate-busting services.A law passed on T…

Only 65% of UK firms have plan to cut emissions to net zero, study shows

Post-Brexit uncertainty partly blamed for low rate with just half of companies surveyed measuring their carbon footprintJust 65% of UK businesses have a plan to reduce their emissions to net zero by the 2050 deadline, the largest ever industry survey h…

Draghi says EU must spend twice as much as it did after WWII

AI is an opportunity for Europe while common borrowing is needed to fund defense, former ECB chief says in landmark report. Read the full paper here.

France vs Germany: Which country is better at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from its factories?

Although the manufacturing sector in Germany is less carbon-intensive than its French counterpart, France benefits from its lower-carbon electricity production, according to a study by the think tank La Fabrique de lโ€™Industrie.

VW slams production into reverse as industry faces battles on all sides

Plan to cut German factories is politically fraught but makes sense economicallyVW considers German plant closures to save billions in costsWhen Bernd Pischetsrieder attempted to cut jobs at Volkswagen in the early 2000s, he was forced out. When Herber…

โ€˜We donโ€™t want to sabotage herโ€™: Why green groups are going easy on Kamala Harris

Environmental groups that put Joe Bidenโ€™s climate initiatives under a microscope arenโ€™t giving the Democratic nomineeโ€™s positions the same scrutiny.

Florida banned โ€˜fake meat.โ€™ This company is suing to serve it at an arts festival.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the ban on lab-grown meat into law earlier this year.

Trump embraces Musk and his electric vehicles โ€” but not Bidenโ€™s rules

Trumpโ€™s recent change in tone reflects a softening in rhetoric about EVs on the campaign trail.

Heat aggravated by carbon pollution killed 50,000 in Europe last year โ€“ study

Continent is reportedly warming at much faster rate than other parts of world, Nature study saysHot weather inflamed by carbon pollution killed nearly 50,000 people in Europe last year, with the continent warming at a much faster rate than other parts …

EU imposes restrictions on former climate official over his new gas role

The European Commission approved Diederik Samsom’s job with a gas network operator, albeit under “clear conditions.”

How โ€˜worldโ€™s first oil townโ€™ is wrestling with fossil fuel legacy

Cop29 host Baku has cleaned up since its Black City days โ€“ but this summit needs to do more than whitewash the facade of a petrostateJust a few miles from the site of the next UN climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, is a district that for more than …

Climate hero or villain? Fossil fuel frenzy challenges Norwayโ€™s green image

As it rapidly adopts clean technologies while drilling furiously for oil and gas, the Nordic nation is a paradoxThe average Norwegian, better known for loving nature than destroying the planet, is more likely than anyone else to drive to work in an ele…

Russia โ€˜killingโ€™ climate, say activists awaiting top rights court ruling

Activists are asking Europe’s top rights court to fault Russia for creating a “climate catastrophe”, saying Moscow’s war on Ukraine is contributing to a spike in its greenhouse gas emissions.

To do: 6 thorny issues lurking in MEPsโ€™ inboxes

From creating an EU-wide money market to protecting kids online, POLITICO looks at what lies ahead for lawmakers.

Natoโ€™s 2023 military spending produced about 233m metric tonnes of CO2 โ€“ report

Report says member states poured $1.34tn into their militaries last year โ€“ an increase of $126bn from 2022As leaders from member countries gather to mark the 75th anniversary of Nato in Washington DC, researchers are warning that their military budgets…

The future of packaging in Europe

We need to change how the EU packages food and beverages to transition to a low-carbon circular economy.

Flatulent livestock to incur green levy in Denmark from 2030

Worldโ€™s first emissions tax on agriculture will require farmers to pay for greenhouse gas pollution from livestockFarmers in Denmark will have to pay for planet-heating pollutants that their cattle expel as gas, after the government agreed to set the w…

EU backs 650-billion-euro plan to help cities reach net zero by 2030

A group of 112 cities aiming to eliminate their net greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 will need a combined 650 billion euros in investments to deliver the pledge, a European Union initiative said on Wednesday (26 June).

Nobody even noticed the Toriesโ€™ biggest legacy

Five years ago this week, in the teeth of the Brexit wars, an outgoing Tory prime minister was looking for a legacy. Theresa May settled on net zero โ€”and now itโ€™s on Labour to keep that target alive.

The warring conmen at the heart of a โ‚ฌ5bn carbon credit scam

Emissions trading was supposed to save the planet. But fraudsters quickly learned how to rip the system off, making themselves spectacularly rich. Then some of the major players started turning on each otherโ€ข A longer version of this piece first appear…

Testing times for carbon capture and storage

Seventeen years ago the European Council made a commitment to construct up to twelve carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration plants by 2015. Heads of government agreed that greenhouse gas emissions could not be reduced to the extent needed witho…

US assures Europe: Weโ€™ll keep sending you gas, we promise

Joe Biden’s decision to pause new LNG projects rattled Europe, which is increasingly reliant on the US product.

France cuts emissions by 5.8% in 2023: Politicians celebrate, NGOs sceptical

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.

LIVE NOW! Building a sustainable future โ€“ The revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive

The European Commission identifies buildings in the EU as the primary energy consumer, accounting for 40% of our energy consumption and 36% of greenhouse gas emissions.

Cop29 at a crossroads in Azerbaijan with focus on climate finance

Fossil-fuel dependent country hopes to provide bridge between wealthy global north and poor south at November gatheringOil is inescapable in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The smell of it greets the visitor on arrival and from the shores of the Caspi…

New Dutch coalition aims to reintroduce 80mph limit in cull of climate goals

Government, including far-right leader Geert Wilders, announces it will abandon key green policies in strategyThe Netherlandsโ€™ new right-wing coalition government aims to reintroduce daytime speeds of 80mph on motorways as part of a number of proposed …

Are heat pumps more expensive to run than gas boilers?

The first in a series exploring the myths and realities surrounding heat pumpsEvery year about 130 million households across Europe burn almost 40% of the continentโ€™s total gas consumption to heat their homes. Those boilers contribute more than a fifth…

โ€˜No alternativeโ€™: EU climate chief urges MEPs not to use crisis as political tool

Exclusive: Wopke Hoekstra says EU must press ahead with cutting greenhouse gases and use policy to bring about economic benefitsEuropeโ€™s climate chief has warned against politicians trying to use the climate crisis as a wedge issue in the forthcoming E…

Denmark pushes ahead with agri-carbon tax plans despite nearing the 2030 climate target

The Danish government is pressing ahead with plans to introduce a carbon tax on agriculture despite the Danish Climate Ministry’s annual report showing that the country is on track to meet its 2030 target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 70% com…

Why Elon Musk is right โ€“ once-booming electric car sales are starting to stall

EV sales have plateaued economic headwinds and weaker state subsidies but the glut might just be a temporary rutElon Musk became the worldโ€™s richest man by evangelising about electric cars โ€“ and delivering them by the million. Yet in recent months his …

How a climate U-turn broke the Scottish government

Scotland’s governing coalition has fallen apart โ€” and a stalled drive to cut carbon emissions played a major role.

Why business is calling for global rules in plastics treaty

As the world prepares for the fourth round of negotiations to create the first treaty to end plastic pollution, a dedicated global business coalition shares its insights with negotiators.

Healthier ready-to-eat meals would have โ€˜hugeโ€™ EU climate benefits โ€“ report

Co-authors say โ€˜no-regrets policyโ€™ would save consumers โ‚ฌ2.8bn a year while cutting emissions by 48m tonnes Healthier ready-to-eat meals could cut EU emissions by 48m tonnes annually and save customers โ‚ฌ2.8bn (ยฃ2.4bn) each year, as well as reducing dis…

Stop EU companies from bankrolling nature destruction

Europe is complicit in the destruction of ecosystems and should regulate its funding of companies associated with deforestation.

EUโ€™s power sector emissions plummet as renewables surge

Brussels called the 15.5 percent reduction in 2023 a “record.”

EU transport ministers discuss โ€˜problem childโ€™ of green transition

As EU transport ministers gather for an informal meeting in Brussels on Wednesday (3 April), the sector remains the “problem child” of the bloc’s climate efforts and could account for 44% of all greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, according to latest pro…

Germany isnโ€™t planning to slam brakes on the autobahn, minister says

The highway speed limit is a controversial debate in Germany.

Europeโ€™s new energy risk: Trading Russia for America

The EU replaced Russian energy with U.S. supplies after Moscow launched a war. Now people are wondering: Is Europe too dependent on America?

Why we must de-risk and embrace regenerative farming

Healthier, more sustainable food systems are integral to climate-neutral ambition โ€” and flagship EU law is essential to support farmers in transition to low-carbon, high biodiversity and fairer farming practices.

Romania expects โ‚ฌ5.5bn price tag and 2025 final investment decision for small modular reactor

Romania is seeking to deploy โ€˜Small Modular Reactorโ€™ (SMR) technology as part of its drive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and its energy minister Sebastian Burduja said this week that a final investment decision will be taken in 2025 for a new nucl…

Dutch airline KLM misled customers with vague green claims, court rules

Operator also found by Amsterdam court to have painted โ€˜overly rosy pictureโ€™ of sustainable aviation fuelThe Dutch airline KLM has misled customers with vague environmental claims and painted โ€œan overly rosy pictureโ€ of its sustainable aviation fuel, a…

Campaigners warn over failure to curb Europeโ€™s โ€˜runawayโ€™ transport emissions

Greenhouse gases from sector could make up 44% of continentโ€™s total output by 2030, says transport groupThe failure to tackle Europeโ€™s โ€œrunawayโ€ transport emissions could lead to the sector pumping out nearly half of the continentโ€™s planet-heating poll…

European Parliament approves relaxed Euro 7 emissions requirements while stakeholders remain divided

The European Parliament formally approved a deal on revised emissions rules for cars, trucks and buses on Wednesday (13 March), tightening microplastic emissions from brakes and tyres but leaving other emissions from cars unchanged from the current exh…

How did Norway become the electric car superpower? Oil money, civil disobedience โ€“ and Morten from a-ha

More than 90% of new cars sold in Norway are electric. And it all started with some pop stars driving around in a jerry-rigged Fiat PandaIโ€™m kneeling on the snow outside the kingโ€™s house, impersonating a 1980s heart-throb, with a man named Harald and a…

Newly elected leaders to be held to same climate obligations, says Cop29 chief

Exclusive: Incoming UN summit president calls on governments to stay on track, as majority of global population go to the pollsAt Cop29 bridges must be built between the diverging north and south to keep 1.5C in reachThe governments that assume power a…

UK spends least among major European economies on low-carbon energy policy, study shows

Britain spent about ยฃ26bn in three years on low-carbon measures, less than Italy, Germany, France and Spain, Greenpeace findsThe UK spends less on low-carbon energy policy than any other major European economy, analysis has shown, despite evidence that…

Risotto crisis: the fight to save Italyโ€™s beloved dish from extinction

After drought devastated prized arborio and carnaroli harvests in the Po valley, new rice varieties offer a glimmer of hope. But none are yet suitable for use in the traditional recipePhotographs by Marco Massa and Haakon SandFor most of winter and spr…

EU conservatives bend to von der Leyen, ditching car ban fight in draft manifesto

The shift is a win for European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who championed the landmark green policy even as her own political family opposed it.

Only connecting with voters can stop Europeโ€™s populist tide

There’s a growing backlash rooted in overall desperation, compounded by many votersโ€™ perception that their grievances are being shrugged off.

Europe โ€˜getting more dependent on Chinaโ€™ for clean tech, EU climate chief warns

The EU is getting more dependent on China in its quest to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and switch to green technologies, the EUโ€™s climate chief Wopke Hoekstra has warned, saying this is becoming โ€œproblematicโ€ going forward.