A Just Transition[1] necessitates that access to “sustainability service”, namely clean energy, sustainable transportation, and effective waste management, is universal and equitable. This means all populations, regardless of income, region, or cultural background, can reliably afford to consume these services at a similar level of quality. Indeed, the European Pillar of Social Rights explicitly lists...
Although NBS’s direct climate impact—generally measured at a few hundred Mt CO₂e sequestration annually—lags behind the drastic cuts achieved by renewable energy expansion and industrial decarbonization, they are indispensable for offsetting residual emissions and ensuring long-term climate resilience.Spanning multiple climatic and ecological zones, the EU is home to various ecosystems—from alpine and boreal forests to...
In the EU, transport is responsible for roughly 25% of the climate emissions. Achieving zero emission mobility is therefore a critical and necessary objective of EU climate policy. In addition to the material climate impact, the ever-increasing number of vehicles on our roads has led to a drastic increase in congestion and air pollution. Resolving...
Road transport in the European Union (EU) currently accounts for around 25% of all emissions. To reduce its environmental impact, the EU has set an ambitious goal of putting at least 30 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2030—equivalent to roughly 12% of today’s total vehicle fleet. Although reaching this figure will require concerted...
In 2023, the EU achieved an 8% net reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to the previous year[1]. This represents the most significant annual drop in decades, excluding 2020 when emissions fell sharply due to Covid-19 restrictions. Overall, the bloc’s emissions are now 37% below 1990 levels, while its GDP has grown by 68%...
Context Five years ago, the Green Party achieved its best-ever performance in the European elections. This marked a turning point in EU politics, amplifying environmental and climate issues on the policy agenda. The European Green Deal was approved in 2019 and designed as the EU’s compass to achieve those objectives. In the years following, considerable...
One of the less widely focused climate topics in the EU is the importance of forests. Forests act as natural carbon sinks and help manage air and soil temperatures, enhancing vegetation and wildlife. As such, forest cover has been, and will continue to be, a crucial asset in the EU’s achieving its climate goals.Eurostat data...
The NDC Partnership is a network of over 120 countries, facilitated by UNFCCC, that is dedicated to helping each other strengthen their Paris Agreement Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Pledges. The Partnership has just released Version 3.0 of the NDC Navigator, an interactive tool that supports the development of updated country NDCs to be submitted in...
For the first time in 2022, the amount of energy generated by wind and solar overtook the amount generated by gas and nuclear power. Image Courtesy of: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/01/renewable-energy-electricity-record-europe/According to the European Environmental Agency (EEA), 22.8% of energy consumed in the EU in 2022 was generated from wind and solar power, and renewables overtook the amount...
As climate change continues to spur record-high summer temperatures, it is clear that the EU is underprepared to face the increased disaster and mortality risks that these temperatures bring. The EU’s Copernicus climate monitoring service and the World Meteorological Organization noted that the EU’s July 2023 heatwave caused 41% of Europe to be classified as...
