Leaked EU policy document designed to cut carbon emissions in shipping shows plans, will ‘lock in the use of fossil fuels for decades to come and make the EU’s target of net emissions neutrality by 2050 unreachable

Daniel Boffey writes on The Guardian website about a leaked EU policy document that has raised the concerns of NGOs that there will be a lock in the use of fossil fuels in the shipping industry for decades to come. Draft EU policy to cut shipping emissions condemned as ‘disaster’ A leaked draft of … Continue reading Leaked EU policy document designed to cut carbon emissions in shipping shows plans, will ‘lock in the use of fossil fuels for decades to come and make the EU’s target of net emissions neutrality by 2050 unreachable →

Wide disparity of national nZEB standards undermines EU climate goals, finds BPIE

A new assessment of national nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEBs) standards, released this week by the Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE), finds a wide degree of disparity in how these are implemented across the EU-27, highlighting a misalignment with EU climate targets. Since the beginning of 2021, all new buildings constructed in the EU must be nZEBs, … Continue reading Wide disparity of national nZEB standards undermines EU climate goals, finds BPIE →

Environment campaigners in Italy are suing the government for failing to sufficiently tackle the climate crisis

Plaintiffs want court to order Mario Draghi’s government to adopt more ambitious climate policies. In 2019, Italy set itself a 33% target for carbon emissions reduction by 2030. Campaigners say the ecological objectives outlined in Italy’s recovery plan, which was submitted to the European commission in late April, are not ambitious enough. Angela Giuffrida discusses … Continue reading Environment campaigners in Italy are suing the government for failing to sufficiently tackle the climate crisis →

Latest EEA data on average car emissions increasing in 2019

Average emissions from new passenger cars in Europe increased for the third consecutive year in 2019, reaching 122.3 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre (g CO2/km), according to the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) final data. Data about newly registered vans show a stable trend. New EEA data set baseline for emission reductions in heavy-duty vehicles. Average … Continue reading Latest EEA data on average car emissions increasing in 2019 →

There is a lot of low-hanging fruit that the EU can pick when it comes to making waste rules more effective

Sam Morgan writes on the Engineering & Technology website about the current situation in the EU concerning e-waste and what can be done to improve effectiveness. View from Brussels: Make e-haste not e-waste EU efforts to collect and recycle electronic waste are among the most effective in the world but there is plenty of … Continue reading There is a lot of low-hanging fruit that the EU can pick when it comes to making waste rules more effective →

CEN and CENELEC held a webinar on Connecting European Sustainable Finance to Standardisation

On Tuesday 20 April, CEN (the European Committee on Standardization) and CENELEC (the European Committee on Electrotechnical Standardization) held an online webinar dedicated to exploring the role standards can play in scaling up the implementation of sustainable finance for the transition to a climate neutral economy and a more sustainable world. The desired outcome of … Continue reading CEN and CENELEC held a webinar on Connecting European Sustainable Finance to Standardisation →

Carbon performance a necessary complement to energy performance: EU buildings’ policy should address the carbon footprint of construction, says BPIE

The EU’s forthcoming revision of legislation for buildings and construction is a critical opportunity to create policy and investment certainty on how energy performance requirements will be supported by carbon performance rules, says BPIE. New research from BPIE shows that while some EU Member States have introduced comprehensive policy action to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings … Continue reading Carbon performance a necessary complement to energy performance: EU buildings’ policy should address the carbon footprint of construction, says BPIE →

Bold new initiative from European Commission to address carbon emissions

Andrew Warren, Chairman of the British Energy Efficiency Federation writes about a bold initiative to meet head on the inherent trade incompatibility caused by unpriced emissions from companies outside Europe. The column was in the May 2021 issue of Energy in Buildings & Industry. The EU’s new tool to create a level playing field … Continue reading Bold new initiative from European Commission to address carbon emissions →

European Commission updates its EU industrial strategy

This week the European Commission updated the EU Industrial Strategy to ensure that its industrial ambition takes full account of the new circumstances following the COVID-19 crisis and helps to drive the transformation to a more sustainable, digital, resilient and globally competitive economy. It shows support for industrial sectors that are strategic to the European … Continue reading European Commission updates its EU industrial strategy →

The EU is addressing climate change through the potentially potent tool of fine print of financial regulations

Jill Ward, Silla Brush and John Ainger from Bloomberg write on the Washington Post website about the EU embedding environmental goals in standards for banks, money managers, insurers and member states’ public spending plans. Why EU Climate Weapon Is in the Financial Fine Print The fight against climate change involves more than wind turbines … Continue reading The EU is addressing climate change through the potentially potent tool of fine print of financial regulations →