Climate change in the European Union

Article - Single European Sky: lowering emissions and reducing delays

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Organizations, Climate change in the European Union, Articles, Continents, Single European Sky, Air traffic control, European Union

Updating Single European Sky rules should help the aviation sector become more efficient, ensuring shorter flights through more direct routes and thus lowering greenhouse gas emissions, say MEPs.

Key Points:

Updating Single European Sky rules should help the aviation sector become more efficient, ensuring shorter flights through more direct routes and thus lowering greenhouse gas emissions, say MEPs.
The Single European Sky initiative was launched in 1999, in a period marked by a large increase in flights and growing delays that highlighted the need for better coordination.
MEPs want the rules to be reformed to make EU airspace less fragmented and improve air traffic management.
Background
Current Single European Sky rules date from 2009.

Press release - Single European Sky: MEPs ready to start negotiations

Retrieved on:

Thursday, June 17, 2021

Organizations, Continents, Articles, Climate change in the European Union, Single European Sky, Member of the European Parliament, European Union

Transport Committee MEPs want to reduce fragmentation in European airspace management and optimise flight routes, i.e.

Key Points:

Transport Committee MEPs want to reduce fragmentation in European airspace management and optimise flight routes, i.e.
With a truly Single European Sky and a unified European air management system, we would create a new airspace architecture based not on borders but on efficiency.
After the COVID-19 crisis, we are ready to boost economic and environmental efficiency in European aviation.
This vote on the Single European Sky rules constitutes the update of Parliaments negotiating position adopted back in 2014 and therefore reconfirms MEPs readiness to start inter-institutional talks with EU Council shortly.

Highlights - ETS workshop - Committee on Transport and Tourism

Retrieved on:

Friday, June 4, 2021

Emissions trading, Climate change policy, Environmental policy, Politics of climate change, Carbon finance, Climate change in the European Union, European Union Emission Trading Scheme, Renewable energy law, Maritime transport, Articles

Members of the TRAN Committee will discuss with top experts about how best to deal with specific transport modes (maritime shipping and aviation) in relation to the EU ETS system and the possible technical and social-economic issues connected to it. The workshop will take place on Thursday morning, 17 June 2021 and will be webstreamed.

Key Points:

Members of the TRAN Committee will discuss with top experts about how best to deal with specific transport modes (maritime shipping and aviation) in relation to the EU ETS system and the possible technical and social-economic issues connected to it. The workshop will take place on Thursday morning, 17 June 2021 and will be webstreamed.

Council agrees on full general approach on European climate law proposal

Retrieved on:

Friday, December 18, 2020

Articles, Climate change policy, Organizations, Environmental policy, Carbon dioxide, Carbon neutrality, Renewable energy, European Green Deal, European Union, German Advisory Council on Global Change, Climate change in the European Union

The Council reached agreement on a general approach on the proposal for a European climate law, including a new EU greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990, following the guidance of the European Council given on 10-11 December 2020.

Key Points:

The Council reached agreement on a general approach on the proposal for a European climate law, including a new EU greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990, following the guidance of the European Council given on 10-11 December 2020.
The main aim of the European climate law is to set into legislation the objective of a climate neutral EU by 2050.
The general approach reached today completes the partial negotiating position agreed by the Council on 23 October 2020 and provides the Council Presidency with a mandate for further discussions with the European Parliament on the Commission proposal.
On 4 March 2020, the European Commission adopted its proposal for a European climate law, as an important part of the European Green Deal.

Bell Canada reverses contracting out of Wireless Home Internet installations

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Climate change policy, Articles, Environmental policy, Politics of climate change, Carbon finance, Climate change in the European Union, European Union Emission Trading Scheme, Renewable energy law, Emissions trading, Bell Canada, ETS

OTTAWA, ON, Dec. 15, 2020 /CNW/ -Following a years-long campaign, Bell workers secure the reversal of Wireless Home Internet (WHI) contracting-out in Ontario and Quebec.

Key Points:

OTTAWA, ON, Dec. 15, 2020 /CNW/ -Following a years-long campaign, Bell workers secure the reversal of Wireless Home Internet (WHI) contracting-out in Ontario and Quebec.
This long-anticipated move will ensure that WHI installations will continue in-house by unionized workers in the two provinces.
Employees of Bell Canada and Bell subsidiaries have long campaigned against contracting out and other forms of job erosion.
In 2018, Bell announced the rollout of its new Wireless Home Internet (WHI) service to bringhigh-speed Internet access to homes and businesses in rural areas, but quickly contracted out all installations.

Climate action in Europe: EU ETS emissions see big drop in 2019, latest EEA assessment shows

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Climate change policy, Environmental policy, Politics of climate change, Carbon finance, Articles, Climate change in the European Union, European Union Emission Trading Scheme, Renewable energy law, Emissions trading, EU Allowance, Kyoto Protocol and government action

However, emissions from aviation, also covered by the ETS, continued to increase (1%), reflecting the increasing demand for air travel in 2019.

Key Points:

However, emissions from aviation, also covered by the ETS, continued to increase (1%), reflecting the increasing demand for air travel in 2019.
The observed reduction in emissions between 2018 and 2019 was due to the increased price of CO2, which made coal less attractive, combined with the rising share of renewables in the total energy supply.
In 2019 the number of EU ETS emission allowances auctioned decreased by 36 % compared to 2018.
Background
This EEA briefing provides an overview of past and projected emission trends under the EU ETS.

CoR and German environment minister discuss how to achieve a green, resilient and just recovery

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Climate change policy, Articles, Organizations, International organizations, European Green Deal, European Union, Climate change in the European Union

This message

Key Points:

This message
emerged from the debate of the Members of the
European Committee of the Regions with Svenja
Schulze, German Federal Minister for the
Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear
Safety.
At this week's European Council meeting, leaders of the
27 EU Member States will seek agree on a new EU
emissions reduction target for 2030.
The European
Commission's proposes to cut greenhouse gas emissions
by at least 55% by 2030 in relation to 1990 levels, a
position supported by the European Committee of the
Regions.
The
successful implementation of the European Green Deal
the EU's new growth strategy must be turned into
concrete projects locally
and be based on a decentralised approach.
EU member states
must agree to cutting carbon emissions by at least 55%
by 2030 and approve the EU's long-term budget and
recovery plans without delay.
The Green Deal
is the strategy for the economic relaunch of Europe,
making it more resilient, competitive and liveable.
No
adaptation policy will work unless it takes into
account the needs, views and expertise of regions and
cities."
This would allow the EU to submit its updated
nationally determined contribution to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change before
the end of 2020.

NEC named to the CDP "A List" for advanced Climate Change and Water Security initiatives two years in a row

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Articles, Climate change policy, Physical sciences, Earth sciences, Greenhouse gas emissions, Biogeography, Chemical oceanography, Climate change mitigation, Soil, Carbon neutrality, Politics of climate change, Climate change in the European Union

In 2017, NEC announced its climate change policy guidelines for 2050(2), aiming to reduce CO2 emissions from its direct business operations to become carbon neutral by 2050.

Key Points:

In 2017, NEC announced its climate change policy guidelines for 2050(2), aiming to reduce CO2 emissions from its direct business operations to become carbon neutral by 2050.
In 2018, NEC received Science Based Targets (SBT) certification(3), and is working to expand the use of renewable energy and reduce CO2 throughout its supply chain.
NEC also utilizes its ICT technologies to promote climate change mitigation and adaptation in collaboration with a wide range of customers.
(1) CDP is an international non-profit organization in which investors, companies, cities, nations, and regions operate a global information disclosure system to manage environmental impacts.

EU on track to meet greenhouse gas emissions and renewable energy 2020 targets, progress in 2019 shows more ambitious long-term objectives are reachable

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Articles, Climate change policy, Energy, Resource economics, Energy economics, Carbon finance, Emissions trading, Low-carbon economy, European Union Emission Trading Scheme, Kyoto Protocol and government action, Climate change in the European Union

News

Key Points:

News

EU on track to meet greenhouse gas emissions and renewable energy 2020 targets, progress in 2019 shows more ambitious long-term objectives are reachable

The EU on track to its 2020 emission target, but national situations differ

This one-year drop was unprecedented over the last decade and occurred before the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since 1990, greenhouse gas emissions in the EU have been steadily declining, with emissions in the EU-27 falling to 24 % below 1990 levels in 2019.
The fast decarbonisation of the EUs power sector has been driving major and sustained emission reductions in the sectors covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS).
In 2019, preliminary estimates point towards 12 countries with emission levels greater than their annual targets: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta and Poland.

Renewable energy 2020 target on track

The EU is therefore on track to the 2020 target of a minimum 20 % share.
While the shares of electricity, heating and cooling provided by renewables helped meet the overall EU target, reaching the target of 10 % energy needs for transport to be supplied by renewable sources by 2020 remains tenuous.
The EEAs estimate for 2019 indicates that 14 Member States need to make further efforts to reach their 2020 target levels.

Energy efficiency: risk of not meeting 2020 targets

According to EEA estimates for 2019, final energy consumption in the EU-27 stabilised in 2019, but only nine Member States (Finland, Greece, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Spain) were on track toward their respective 2020 final energy efficiency targets.
All other Member States need to make further efforts to curb their national energy demand and achieve their 2020 targets.

Impact of COVID-19?

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 is likely to make the 2020 targets easier to achieve.
The impact of COVID-19 related potential reductions might be short-lived and emissions might rebound as economic activities return to pre-COVID levels.

Reducing GHG emissions: much more work needed towards 2030, 2050

Climate finance: EU and member states' contributions continued to increase in 2019

Retrieved on:

Friday, October 30, 2020

Climate variability and change, Climate forcing, Greenhouse gas, Climate change policy, Carbon finance, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Environmental policy, Politics of climate change, Climate change in Finland, Climate change in the European Union

Contributions from the EU and its member states tosupport developing countriesin reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and coping with the impacts of climate change continued to rise in 2019, confirming a steady upward trend since 2013.

Key Points:

Contributions from the EU and its member states tosupport developing countriesin reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and coping with the impacts of climate change continued to rise in 2019, confirming a steady upward trend since 2013.
The climate finance support provided by the EU and its member states (the UK included) amounted to23.2 billion[1] in 2019,a 6.9% increase compared to 2018.
The total without the UK stood at 21.9 billion, a 7.4% increase compared to the total for the EU 27 in 2018.
The EU and its member states are the largest provider of public climate finance in the world.