The European Commission has outlined possible “transition pathways” to address the environmental impact of the construction sector

Europe’s construction ecosystem employs approximately 24.9 million people but it is also extremely fragmented with 99.9% of the companies being SMEs. Nikolaus J. Kurmayer discusses on the EURACTIV website the plans of the European Commission to transform the sector and that digitalisation could be the silver bullet to address all the problems – lack of … Continue reading The European Commission has outlined possible “transition pathways” to address the environmental impact of the construction sector →

New EEA briefing on impact of plastic packaging

Plastics are used across Europe in everything from construction materials to consumer products. Recent policy actions on plastic packaging at EU and national level have established collection schemes and introduced waste prevention measures. However, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published this week, a significant fraction of Europe’s total plastic consumption is outside … Continue reading New EEA briefing on impact of plastic packaging →

“…humanity needs to make peace with nature, because we are out of harmony with nature”

With those words, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres opened the UN Convention on Biological Diversity conference in Montreal this month. Alexandra Zimmermann, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford writes on the Conversation website asking what living in harmony with nature looks like. UN biodiversity conference: what does living in harmony with nature … Continue reading “…humanity needs to make peace with nature, because we are out of harmony with nature” →

New report on saving energy for Europe – contrasting EU states’ measures

Research from the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) indicates that the measures to reduce gas and electricity consumption taken so far by EU states are insufficient to meet EU targets. EU targets may be reached if high prices lead to large consumers reducing their consumption. Measures to reduce energy usage also reduce the pressure on rising … Continue reading New report on saving energy for Europe – contrasting EU states’ measures →

New EEA report assesses the state of national adaptation actions in 2021

EU Member States recognise the importance of adapting to impacts of heatwaves, droughts, floods, heavy precipitation and changing temperatures and of mainstreaming climate change adaptation to a wide range of affected areas like agriculture, or water and disaster risk management. These are key findings of a European Environment Agency (EEA) report published this week which … Continue reading New EEA report assesses the state of national adaptation actions in 2021 →

Maritime industry’s energy transition must be “just” and “equitable”

The International Maritime Organisation uses the terms “just” and “equitable” in discussions around shipping’s energy transition. But there is currently no consensus over how to define these terms. Christiaan De Beukelaer, Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Study, Durham University and Senior Lecturer in Culture & Climate at The University of Melbourne discusses latest … Continue reading Maritime industry’s energy transition must be “just” and “equitable” →

IEA report finds unprecedented momentum In renewable energy sector

Huge bills due to oil and gas dependency trigger unprecedented momentum behind clean energy. Harry Cockburn discusses the report in an article on The Independent website. The report is available here. Renewable energy rollout ‘turbocharged’ by global energy crisis, says IEA The energy crisis has "turbocharged" renewable projects around the world, with countries on … Continue reading IEA report finds unprecedented momentum In renewable energy sector →

How “loss and damage” was handled at COP27

Saleemul Huq, director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development at the Independent University in Bangladesh and a friend of EiD has argued for many years that developing countries need serious support to address their own concerns because of climate change. One of the few positive outcomes of COP27 was the agreement to … Continue reading How “loss and damage” was handled at COP27 →

Preparing for COP28: The Emirates are seeking international clout as the Gulf’s most proactive nation on climate action

The Gulf oil and gas exporter is going big on renewable energy investment and food security, while expanding hydrocarbon production. Chloé Farand reviews the plans of the UAE host of COP28 in an article on the Climate Change News website. UAE plans to have it both ways as Cop28 climate summit host If there … Continue reading Preparing for COP28: The Emirates are seeking international clout as the Gulf’s most proactive nation on climate action →

New EEA and EC reports on zero pollution monitoring

This week, the European Commission published its first Zero Pollution Monitoring and Outlook report setting pathways to cleaner air, water and soil. The Commission report, together with the European Environment Agency's monitoring assessment, shows that EU policies have contributed to reducing air pollution as well as pollution from pesticides. However, in other areas such as … Continue reading New EEA and EC reports on zero pollution monitoring →