Swedes urge major rethink of EU green claims law to spur carbon removals
Stockholm Exergi, a Swedish firm that received €180 million from the EU to build the bloc’s first bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) plant, says the EU’s green claims directive got off to the wrong foot, and suggests a way forward.
Read More‘A different ball game’: ETS2 opens new risky chapter in EU climate policy, Polish minister says
With the current ETS focused on big industrial polluters, the EU has only played the “amateur league” of carbon pricing, and is now entering dangerous waters where climate policies start encroaching on private property and individual freedoms, warned Poland’s climate minister.
Read MoreEU’s sweeping corporate due diligence law clears final hurdle
The Council of EU member states voted Friday to adopt the bloc’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), requiring companies with a turnover of more than €450 million to observe human rights and environmental obligations along their entire supply chain or face fines of up to 5% of their global turnover.
Read MoreSeven EU countries plead for greater use of recycled carbon in chemicals, plastics
A group of seven EU countries are presenting plans on Friday for greater use of recycled materials, biomass, and captured CO2 to replace fossil carbon in the chemical sector, arguing this will help restore the industry’s lost competitiveness.
Read More‘We may not call it green’: Next EU political cycle to focus on investment, says top official
The next European Commission that will be appointed after the June EU election is unlikely to radically change course on climate policy, but rather shift its focus to industrial policy and investment to achieve the bloc’s climate goals, a top EU official has said.
Read MoreGreen policies take back seat in EU leadership debate
A debate on Tuesday among lead contenders for the post of European Commission President made little room for green considerations, with discussions focusing mostly on defence spending and the need to protect Europe’s interests in the face of China’s aggressive economic policies.
Read MoreLooming social acceptance issues ‘might kill EU ETS’, academic warns
A stocktake of international carbon markets presented on Tuesday highlighted the success of the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme, but researchers pointed to looming social acceptability issues that could derail carbon pricing policies going forward.
Read MoreCarbon removal credits ‘obvious candidate’ for EU ETS integration, says former top official
The European Union should step up its efforts to promote international carbon trading, with removal credits “an obvious candidate” to join a potential “positive list” of carbon projects that could be allowed in the EU ETS, a former top official has argued.
Read MoreCritical minerals ‘not a deal-breaker’ for climate goals – at least for now, IEA says
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has issued a cautious warning about the supply of critical raw materials needed for clean technologies, pointing to “potential strains” in supply that could slow down the green transition, but aren’t enough to derail it for now.
Read MoreLEAK: EIB’s draft ‘strategic roadmap’ opens door to nuclear energy financing
The European Investment Bank (EIB), one of the world’s largest multilateral lenders, is considering opening its capital to investments in nuclear power, marking a departure from the EU bank’s traditional lending policy on clean energy, which has so far focused mostly on renewables.
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