The home-wrecking storms and floods that swept Europe last year affected 413,000 people, a report has found, as fossil fuel pollution forced the continent to suffer through its hottest year on…Continue readingDeadly floods and storms affected more than 400,000 people in Europe in 2024
Tag: europe
Last month, Parisians voted in a referendum to turn an additional 500 streets over to pedestrians. A year earlier, Paris had moved to sharply increase parking fees for SUVs, forcing drivers…Continue readingParis said au revoir to cars. Air pollution maps reveal a dramatic change.
Sweden’s recycling centers are overflowing with clothes after an EU-wide ban this year on throwing away textiles, leaving overwhelmed municipalities eager to have fast fashion giants take responsibility. The aim is…Continue readingSweden drowns in discarded fast fashion items
Reykjavik, October 2024: Science increasingly confirms that the Arctic region is a “ground zero” for tipping point risks and climate regulation across the planet. In this region, the Greenland Ice Sheet,…Continue readingOpen Letter by Climate Scientists to the Nordic Council of Ministers
U.N. officials have for several years reminded countries of a crucial looming opportunity to improve the planet’s climate trajectory — by submitting new national-level plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The…Continue readingMost of the world’s big polluters just blew off a major climate deadline
The 2024 Global Water Monitor Report was produced by an international team of researchers from universities in Australia, Saudi Arabia, China, Germany and elsewhere. The team used data from thousands of…Continue readingClimate crisis ‘wreaking havoc’ on Earth’s water cycle
By David Spratt at Climate Code Red If an unexpected leap in the global average temperature in 2023 was described by one scientist as “gobsmackingly bananas”, are there even words to…Continue readingA(nother) year of scientific shock and awe
Charter rates for ships carrying liquefied natural gas have hit record lows, with some owners now facing a loss if they lease their vessels out, as the sector grapples with huge…Continue readingLNG freight rates plummet as sector grapples with glut of ships
Bosnia may be one of Europe’s poorest countries but it has long been rich in one resource: water. The World Bank estimates Bosnia’s resources of renewable fresh water at nearly 10…Continue reading‘Scary’ drought empties one of Bosnia’s largest lakes
As the Danish renewable energy company Ørsted battled to restore its reputation following a bruising year, a rival across the North Sea had the company in its sights. After months of…Continue readingHow the world’s biggest offshore wind company was blown off course
Norway has suspended plans to start giving licenses for deep-sea mining next year. Norway had planned to become one of the world’s first countries to start handing out rights to tens…Continue readingNorway suspends deep-sea mining projects: govt allies
A new study led by researchers from ETH Zurich and Vrije Universiteit Brussel and published in The Cryosphere provides the most comprehensive projections to date, projecting the future of over 200,000…Continue readingGlobal glacier melt: Major mass loss expected by 2100
People involved in the negotiations about the future of the one-time big hope for Europe’s automotive industry said that its future was likely to be decided in the coming days after…Continue readingNorthvolt’s future hangs in balance as bankruptcy looms
Rescuers in Spain are battling to reach areas still cut off due to heavy rains as the death toll from catastrophic floods rose to 205 in Europe’s worst weather disaster in…Continue readingDeath toll from Spain floods passes 200
Europe’s largest oil and gas company reported adjusted earnings of $6 billion for the third quarter The biggest contributor to group profits was once again Shell’s integrated gas division, which reported…Continue readingShell is delivering on promise of ‘consistent’ returns, says chief executive
Share prices of US and European clean hydrogen companies have collapsed while projects have been delayed. Shares of hydrogen companies Plug Power, Ballard Power Systems and Green Hydrogen Systems have fallen…Continue readingUS and European hydrogen stock prices collapse as prospects deflate
The dangers of a collapse of the main Atlantic Ocean circulation, known as AMOC, have been “greatly underestimated” and would have devastating and irreversible impacts, according to an open letter released…Continue reading‘We don’t know where the tipping point is’: climate expert on potential collapse of Atlantic circulation
Azerbaijan, the host of the COP29 global climate summit, will see a large expansion of fossil gas production in the next decade, a new report has revealed. Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil and…Continue readingCOP29 host Azerbaijan set for major fossil gas expansion
Northvolt has been plagued by problems from incompetent management and poor safety standards to over-reliance on Chinese machinery, according to current and former workers at the cash-strapped Swedish battery maker. Ten…Continue readingHow Europe’s battery champion descended into crisis
All over Europe alarm bells are ringing over the state of winter snow sports and fears for the future. In France, the ski resorts of Alpe du Grand Serre and Grand…Continue readingFears for future of ski tourism as resorts adapt to thawing snow season
A few weeks on from the flooding of 19 September, when the northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna was struck by its third devastating storm in less than 18 months, the…Continue reading‘It’s shameful and I won’t pay it’: flood-hit Italians rage against insurance call
Only about one-third of Europe’s surface water is in good health or better, a report has found, despite an EU target first set for 2015 to bring all bodies of water…Continue readingOnly one-third of Europe’s surface water qualifies as good or better
The boreal forests here in the Sami homeland take so long to grow that even small, stunted trees are often hundreds of years old. It is part of the Taiga –…Continue readingWhat happens to the world if forests stop absorbing carbon? Ask Finland
It begins each day at nightfall. As the light disappears, billions of zooplankton, crustaceans and other marine organisms rise to the ocean surface to feed on microscopic algae, returning to the…Continue readingTrees and land absorbed almost no CO₂ last year. Is nature’s carbon sink failing?
Global wildlife populations have plunged by an average of 73% in 50 years, a new scientific assessment has found, as humans continue to push ecosystems to the brink of collapse. Latin…Continue readingCollapsing wildlife populations near ‘points of no return’, report warns
A large French Alpine ski resort has announced it is to close, citing a lack of funds to become a year-round destination, as low- and medium-altitude mountain areas around Europe struggle…Continue readingLarge French Alpine ski resort to close in face of shrinking snow season
The remnants of Hurricane Kirk swept into western Europe Wednesday, tearing up trees in Portugal and Spain before dumping heavy rains on France that left at least one dead. A storm…Continue readingOne dead as storm Kirk tears through Spain, Portugal, France
Rationing of goods such as meat and fuel can both effectively and fairly reduce consumption with high climate impact. Almost 40% of the public say they could accept such measures. These…Continue readingStudy finds about 40% of public supports rationing measures to fight climate change
In July 2024, global temperatures reached unprecedented levels, breaking historical records with an average of 17.16°C. This extreme heat has led soil water to evaporate, leaving the vegetation and biodiversity more…Continue readingGlobal drought threatens food supplies and energy production
Two people have died in a rugged mountainous area in central Greece while trying to help firefighters tackle a forest fire that has forced several villages to be evacuated, authorities have…Continue readingRaging wildfires in central Greece leave two people dead
Northvolt is to be served with an investigation notice regarding suspicion of gross manslaughter in the coming weeks by Swedish prosecutors over the death of one of the battery manufacturer’s workers in an explosion…Continue readingNorthvolt to be served ‘suspicion of gross manslaughter’ notice over worker death
Norway inaugurated Thursday the gateway to a massive undersea vault for carbon dioxide, a crucial step before opening what its operator calls the first commercial service offering CO2 transport and storage.…Continue readingWorld’s first CO₂ storage service soon ready in Norway
The Czech Republic sat at the centre of a storm that has killed two dozen people across central Europe and prompted the EU to promise €10bn in aid to flood-stricken countries.…Continue reading‘We’re getting rid of everything’: floods destroy homes and lives in Czech Republic
Northvolt’s sub-Arctic battery factory in northern Sweden was meant to symbolise Europe’s green fightback against China and the US. Instead, the start-up is in danger of turning into an emblem of…Continue readingEurope’s great battery hope Northvolt fights for survival
Two people are missing and about 1,000 people have been evacuated from their homes after devastating floods and landslides hit the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, prompting accusations that Giorgia Meloni’s…Continue readingTwo missing and 1,000 evacuated as Storm Boris devastates northern Italy
More than five times the average rainfall for the whole of September has fallen in five days on swathes of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, triggering devastating…Continue readingFloods in Poland and wildfires in Portugal show reality of climate breakdown, says EU
The world creates 57 million tons of plastic pollution every year and spreads it from the deepest oceans to the highest mountaintop to the inside of people’s bodies, according to a…Continue readingHumans are pumping out 57 million tons of plastic pollution a year
The 2024 northern summer saw the highest global temperatures on record, beating 2023’s high and making this year likely Earth’s hottest ever recorded. The data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service…Continue readingJune-August 2024 were hottest ever recorded: EU monitor
Passenger traffic at European airports reached pre-Covid levels in the first half of this year, according to industry data, driven by a rise in leisure and family travel. “Flight shame is…Continue reading‘Flight shame is dead’: concern grows over climate impact of tourism boom
Costa Brava resorts in Spain’s north-east are struggling to cope with an influx of jellyfish as rising sea temperatures facilitate reproduction and drive species farther north. Between May and August almost…Continue readingResorts on Spain’s Costa Brava struggle with invasion of jellyfish as seas warm
Eni has started gas production from the Argo Cassiopea field, the most important gas development project in Italy. The gas, coming from one of the four subsea wells drilled in recent…Continue readingEni starts gas production from Argo Cassiopea field in Strait of Sicily
Protesters from Letzte Generation – Germany’s equivalent to Just Stop Oil – gained access on Thursday to airfields in areas near the takeoff and landing strips of Cologne-Bonn, Nuremberg, Berlin Brandenburg…Continue readingGerman climate activists stop air traffic after breaking into four airport sites
Climate activists acting under the banner “oil kills” have glued themselves to the tarmac and grounded flights across Europe as holidaymakers attempt to make summer getaways. In a wave of protests…Continue reading‘Oil Kills’ protesters disrupt flights at airports across Europe in wave of action
A massive wildfire blazed its way into Athens’ northeastern suburbs on Monday as hundreds of firefighters battled to contain it, forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes and sparking a…Continue readingAthens suburbs on fire as Greece calls on EU for help
Greece on Sunday was battling a spate of wildfires which have forced the evacuation of hundreds of people, as experts warn of more extreme weather conditions to come next week. Firefighters…Continue readingGreece wildfires force hundreds to evacuate
Hot 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 of the world. Heatwaves have…Continue readingHeat aggravated by carbon pollution killed 50,000 in Europe last year
The punishing heat experienced around the Mediterranean in July would have been “virtually impossible” in a world without global warming, a group of climate scientists said Wednesday. A deadly heat wave…Continue readingMediterranean heat wave ‘virtually impossible’ without climate change: Scientists
A crushing drought in Sicily has withered fields of grain, deprived livestock of pasture land and fanned a spate of wildfires, causing damage already estimated at 2.7 billion euros this year.…Continue readingDrought in Sicily threatens grain fields, animal herds
Azerbaijan has accused the EU of treating the country as a “firefighter” by only committing to short-term gas deals despite asking the country to boost exports of the fuel to the…Continue readingAzerbaijan hits out at EU for failing to agree long-term gas deals
A proposal to create Germany’s biggest motorway has sparked a backlash, with critics fearful the “monstrosity” will increase climate-damaging emissions, worsen noise pollution and harm biodiverse habitats. The recommendation suggests widening…Continue readingHighway to hell? Plan for Germany’s biggest motorway sparks anger
Flash flooding and landslides swept away cars and houses, with at least one person known to have died, alongside widespread damage to transport infrastructure. Unsettled conditions persisted around the Alpine region…Continue readingHeavy rain in Switzerland and Italy causes flooding
Wild boar in a European national park have been found to contain levels of toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” nearly five-times higher than is allowed to be sold in meat for human…Continue readingNational park wild boar contain five-times more toxic PFAS than humans allowed to eat, study finds
A combined team of Earth scientists and climate specialists at the University of California San Diego and the National Center for Atmospheric Research has found via modeling that geoengineering projects such…Continue readingMarine cloud brightening models show unexpected consequences of geoengineering
At the Paris headquarters of the International Energy Agency (IEA), researchers tracking the progress of hydrogen as a clean alternative to fossil fuels have a list of more 100 pipelines for…Continue readingWhy hydrogen infrastructure ambition is a long way from reality
The head of TotalEnergies has told shareholders that new oilfields have to be developed to meet global demand, as the annual meetings of the French energy giant and one of its…Continue readingNearly 175 arrested as climate protesters target France’s TotalEnergies and key investor
Five members of Letzte Generation, Germany’s equivalent to Just Stop Oil, have been charged with “forming a criminal organisation”. Mirjam Herrmann, 27, Henning Jeschke, 22, Edmund Schulz, 60, Lukas Popp, 25,…Continue readingAlarm as German climate activists charged with ‘forming a criminal organisation’
Migratory fish populations have crashed by more than 80% since 1970, new findings show. Populations are declining in all regions of the world, but it is happening fastest in South America…Continue readingMigratory freshwater fish populations ‘down by more than 80% since 1970’
Researchers for the banking on climate chaos report, now in its 15th edition, analysed the world’s top 60 banks’ underwriting and lending to more than 4,200 fossil fuel firms and companies…Continue readingBanks have given almost $7tn to fossil fuel firms since Paris deal
The licensees of the Eldfisk Field, operated by ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS, announce successful first oil production on the Eldfisk North Project, located in the Greater Ekofisk Area in the North Sea.…Continue readingConocoPhillips’ Eldfisk field achieves first oil production
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Microsoft is doubling down on a controversial plan to capture carbon dioxide emissions from wood-burning power plants. It announced a contract with energy company Stockholm Exergi to capture 3.33 million metric…Continue readingMicrosoft ramps up plans to capture carbon from burning wood
Europeans are suffering with unprecedented heat during the day and are stressed by uncomfortable warmth at night. The death rate from hot weather has risen 30% in Europe in two decades,…Continue readingEurope baked in ‘extreme heat stress’ pushing temperatures to record highs
The UK faces food shortages and price rises as extreme weather linked to climate breakdown causes low yields on farms locally and abroad. Record rainfall has meant farmers in many parts…Continue readingUK facing food shortages and price rises after extreme weather
Climate activists in four countries are blocking access to North Sea oil infrastructure as part of a coordinated pan-European civil disobedience protest. Blockades have been taking place at oil and gas…Continue readingClimate activists across Europe block access to North Sea oil infrastructure
Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions dropped by one-tenth last year as renewable energy grew in importance, the use of coal and gas diminished and economic pressures weighed on businesses and consumers. Germany…Continue readingGerman greenhouse gas emissions dropped sharply last year
The Norwegian energy firm Equinor might be better known for its oil and gas holdings but, as of August, it now operates the world’s largest floating offshore wind farm, which will…Continue readingMoving away from fossil fuels is easier said than done
Wind project costs in Europe have risen by 30-35% since before the pandemic, according to one senior banker who works in renewables. The profitability of new projects in Spain, measured by…Continue readingThe problem with Europe’s ageing wind farms
A blanket of smog covers Milan, empty reservoirs bake in Sicily and wine production is down in Piedmont as a lack of rain across Italy exacerbates pollution and sparks droughts. Gas-guzzling…Continue readingLack of rain leaves Italy gasping
Ocean currents are driven by winds, tides and water density differences. In the Atlantic Ocean circulation, the relatively warm and salty surface water near the equator flows toward Greenland. During its…Continue readingOnce melting glaciers shut down the Gulf Stream, we will see extreme climate change within decades
The European Drought Observatory’s map of current droughts in Europe shows the entire Spanish Mediterranean coast in bad shape, with red areas indicating an alert similar to those in north Africa…Continue readingWhat will Spain look like when it runs out of water? Barcelona is giving us a glimpse
AMOC, which encompasses part of the Gulf Stream and other powerful currents, is a marine conveyer belt that carries heat, carbon and nutrients from the tropics towards the Arctic Circle, where…Continue readingAtlantic Ocean circulation nearing ‘devastating’ tipping point
The World Meteorological Organisation confirmed on Tuesday that continental Europe recorded in 2021 its highest ever temperature of 48.8 degrees Celsius (119.8 Fahrenheit), and warned that new extremes were expected. The…Continue readingUN confirms Europe hit record high temperature in 2021
“We have the expertise, the supply chains and the teams ready to build Hinkley Point C safely, on time and on budget,” Vincent de Rivaz, then chief executive of EDF, said…Continue readingHinkley Point C delay deals blow to UK energy strategy
Despite strict EU regulations on plastic recycling, there is little oversight on plastic waste shipped from the EU to Vietnam. About half of Europe’s plastic waste is exported to a number…Continue readingA large percentage of European plastic sent to Vietnam ends up in nature
Norway’s annual exploration round, which is known as APA, focuses on the most mature regions of the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). The Norwegian Ministry of Energy has awarded ownership interests to…Continue readingNorway awards 62 production licenses in APA 2023 licensing round
A team of researchers at the University of Sassari, in Sardinia, used GPS collars equipped with motion sensors to track the activity of the Alpine ibex, a species of mountain goat,…Continue readingGlobal heating pushes mountain goats into more nocturnal lifestyle
Norway has secured a parliamentary majority for its plans to open up for deep-sea mining despite opposition from environmentalists and the fishing industry, who warn the move risks further damage to…Continue readingNorway’s parliament backs deep-sea mining plans
Simultaneous episodes of extreme heat and drought could occur earlier and repeatedly in Europe, reports a study published in Communications Earth & Environment. Laura Suarez-Gutierrez and colleagues investigated how soon end-of-century…Continue reading‘End of century’ extreme heat and drought conditions in Europe could occur much earlier than previously thought
Spain, the world’s biggest producer of olive oil, suffered a very difficult year in 2022 and drought this year has compounded the problem. In Italy, this year’s olive harvest is down…Continue readingWinter isn’t coming: climate change hits Greek olive crop
Fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, is a term for fine particulates that are typically the by-product of car exhausts or coal-fired power plants. Their tiny size enables them to travel deep…Continue readingAir pollution behind over 250,000 deaths in Europe in 2021: agency
Germany’s top court has ruled the government broke the law with a €60bn off-budget fund, throwing Berlin’s plans for financing its energy transition and climate policy into disarray. The judges said…Continue readingGerman top court strikes down €60bn climate funding
Extreme drought in northern Italy has doubled over the past two decades, creating a climate that increasingly mirrors that of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. The southern Shabelle region of…Continue readingExtreme drought in northern Italy mirrors climate in Ethiopia
EnBW has awarded two orders to GE Vernova for the supply of H-class natural gas-fired combined cycle power generation equipment for two combined heat and power (CHP) power stations in Germany.…Continue readingEnBW awards orders to GE Vernova for two CHP power stations in Germany
Unprecedented in Greece in its intensity, the Dadia fire has been classed by the European Commission as the largest ever recorded in the EU. Burning for three weeks, the fire consumed…Continue readingDesolation in Greece’s Dadia park after Europe’s biggest fire
Heat waves have always been part of summer, but the familiar short periods of oppressive conditions have grown into weeks to months of sweltering heat. Research has shown that heat waves…Continue readingHere are the places that could become too hot for humans due to climate change
Siemens Energy is in talks with the German government to secure billions of euros of guarantees for long-term projects after warning that losses at its troubled wind turbine business would be…Continue readingSiemens Energy seeks government guarantees as wind crisis deepens
Affiliates of QatarEnergy and Eni signed a long-term LNG sale and purchase agreement (SPA) for the supply of up to one million tons per annum (MTPA) of LNG from Qatar to…Continue readingQatarEnergy, ENI sign 27-year LNG supply agreement for up to 1MTPA to Italy
The EU has abandoned a promise to ban all but the most vital of toxic chemicals used in everyday consumer products, leaked documents show. Other legislation to be dropped includes a…Continue readingEU abandons promise to ban toxic chemicals in consumer products
Commenting on this occasion, His Excellency Minister Al-Kaabi said: “We are delighted to sign these two long-term LNG sale and purchase agreements with Shell that will further enhance our decades-long relationship…Continue readingQatarEnergy, Shell sign 27-year LNG supply agreements for up to 3.5mtpa to the Netherlands
The Netherlands halted extraction from Europe’s biggest gas field on Sunday, which was resulting in earthquakes that have shaken local residents for decades and threaten to persist. Authorities are keeping 11…Continue readingNetherlands halts extraction from Europe’s biggest gas field