The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) says the new EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change is a crucial step towards achieving climate neutrality and resilience by 2050. European civil society strongly supports the Commission’s commitment to strengthening efforts on climate proofing, resilience building, prevention and preparedness. The floods occurring in Western Europe, just weeks after a…
Nuclear energy is an issue like few others, dividing opinion in the extreme over its safety and role in the energy mix. But construction work on new nuclear plants continues apace, with the latest being in Belarus with the Astravets nuclear power plant (NPP). Building work on the twin-reactor plant is coming to an end…
Has indoor air quality worsened during the pandemic and what factors such as potential health risks from mineral wool insulation can be addressed? The recent Clean Air Day had the aim of increasing awareness and understanding of air pollution, its effects on both climate change and public health and what needs to be done to…
On July 17, 1991, Ariane 4 launched not just a satellite but a whole new perspective on how we can understand and protect our planet. At the time of its launch on Ariane Flight 44, ERS-1, the first European Remote Sensing satellite, was the most sophisticated Earth observation spacecraft developed and deployed in Europe. It…
The Commission has put forward a new proposal for a regulation on a EU green bond standard together with a communication on the Renewed Sustainable Finance Strategy. The Renewed Strategy builds on the Action Plan 2018 on Sustainable Finance and covers several areas, from continuing the work on Taxonomy, to climate and sustainability risks in…
The Kingdom of Morocco and the EU have launched a joint political declaration of their intention to establish a “Green Partnership” initiative. The declaration was announced at a high level event bringing together Mr. Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans residing abroad, Mr. Mohamed Benchaâboun, Minister of the Economy, Finance and…
CO2 emissions from private jets in Europe increased by nearly a third (31%) between 2005 and 2019, rising faster than commercial aviation emissions, finds a new report from campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E). The report, Private jets: can the super-rich supercharge zero emission aviation?, reveals the climate impact of private jets across Europe. It finds that private jetsare 10 times more carbon intensive than…
Months of pandemic restrictions have triggered a major shift in public expectations for urban space and commuting. Europeans are crying out for a fairer share of public space for public transport, cyclists, and pedestrians, according to an online survey of 10,050 residents in 15 European cities polled by YouGov The survey was commissioned by the Clean Cities…
The Aisne local authority in France has given the green light for the establishment of a Rockwool mineral wool production plant near Soissons, despite the negative opinion of a public inquiry. According to French building publication, Batirama, the Prefect issued Rockwool, a manufacturer of mineral wool insulation, with a permit to operate in a Concerted…
Today, the European Commission has presented its criteria for sustainable investments, following the Taxonomy Regulation that was negotiated by Greens/EFA MEP Bas Eickhout in late 2019 and approved by the Parliament in June 2020. The criteria released today provides more insight into how sustainable financial products can be labelled and allows the EU to set…
