EU
France’s Macron to pitch global environmental rights charter to UN
Draft treaty aims to give teeth to “soft law”, but critics warn it risks creating confusion and diverting attention from practical initiatives to boost environmental protection
Scotland sets 2032 ban on new diesel and petrol cars, funds carbon capture
First minister Nicola Sturgeon announced conventional car phase-out eight years ahead of the rest of the UK, plus finance for a carbon capture project in Aberdeenshire
Lobbying data reveals carmakers’ influence in Berlin
As a dieselgate-charged election approaches, data reveals German officials met with auto lobbyists more than once every two days to discuss the scandal
Climate Weekly: EU heading for electric car quota
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Sweltering European summer has human fingerprints
The chance of extremely hot days, such as have been seen across southern Europe this summer has been “greatly increased” by climate change
EU ‘increasingly likely’ to implement electric car quota, despite denials
Quota on the production of electric cars by 2030 would be mandatory, according to sources
Giant Tunisian desert solar project aims to power EU
Developer TuNur this week applied for authorisation to build a massive solar plant on the edge of the Tunisian Sahara, with undersea grid connections to Europe
Coal lobby threatens to sue over EU clean air rules
Euracoal accuses the European Commission of using air pollution legislation to implement climate policy, in breach of procedural rules
Finland’s plan to increase logging is a danger to the climate
Finland’s government has attempted to discredit scientists who criticised its increased logging programme, writes Hanna Aho from NGO Fern
May meets Trump on climate, but her Brexit will damage the Paris accord
Despite May’s G20 overture to Trump, her government is preparing a divorce from the EU that will have profound negative consequences for the climate
Germany ‘massively weakened’ draft G20 climate plan to appease Trump
Latest draft of German plan for next week’s Hamburg meeting contains major concessions to US and opens door for coal projects to be defined as “clean”
Sweden passes climate law to become carbon neutral by 2045
Legislation makes Sweden the first country to significantly upgrade its ambition since the world agreed a climate deal in Paris, in contrast with US backsliding
EU-China: New ‘climate leaders’ are also enamoured of fossil fuels
Gas imports to Europe from the US and massive future coal burning in China undermine the rhetoric of the world’s new self-proclaimed climate spearheads
Club of Rome president: climate sanctions on US ‘a lovely idea’
“I suspect he is a loser president,” says Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker. But conceded trade barrier from the EU were unlikely
EU-China climate statement is a manifesto for a new global order
The ten-page document affirms, in extraordinarily strong language, that the EU and China intend to make the US irrelevant
Leaked EU-China climate statement – in full
As Trump reportedly prepares to walk out of the Paris climate deal, the EU and China have prepared a statement that sets them up to replace the US as climate leaders
UN climate conference 2018 heads to heartland of Polish coal
Katowice, home to the largest coal company in the EU, will host the pivotal 2018 climate talks
EU climate laws undermined by Polish and Czech revolt, documents reveal
As the world looks to the EU for leadership on climate, eastern states are diluting laws supposed to guide Europe toward its carbon reduction targets
G7 leaders walk fine line between Trump and Paris deal
As G7 leaders meet in Italy, can they reaffirm their commitment to action on climate change without driving the US out of the Paris accord?
France lobbied EU to cut forests without counting climate impact
Campaigners are calling on newly appointed environment minister Nicolas Hulot to reverse course and close carbon accounting loophole