Poland warns against low-carbon criteria in EU public procurement
Warsaw has issued a stark warning against low-carbon criteria in the new public procurement regime proposed under the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), saying it risks disadvantaging countries like Poland with high-carbon energy mixes, and dividing the EU between green leaders and laggards.
Read MoreBrussels presses oil and gas majors to move faster on CO2 storage target
The EU is falling behind its 2030 target of reaching 50 million tonnes per year of CO2 injection capacity, with the European Commission warning oil and gas firms to accelerate their plans as 19 of them have launched legal challenges against their storage obligation.
Read MoreMore countries call for freezing or softening EU ETS benchmarks
Slovakia and Estonia have joined a group of four EU member states calling for freezing the benchmarks that determine the number of free allowances under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), while France and Spain voiced disappointment with the European Commission’s draft during an EU ministerial meeting on Thursday.
Read MoreGradual ‘exchange rate’ could smooth path to ETS1 and ETS2 linkage, study says
The European Union could link its two emissions trading systems over time by introducing an explicit “exchange rate” for allowances, helping to avoid sudden price shocks, according to a new academic study on gradual market integration.
Read MoreIrish data centre boom a cautionary tale for Europe, NGOs say
Ireland’s data centres have already added an estimated €715 million to household electricity bills between 2015 and 2023 and are now consuming more than 22% of the country’s electricity — the highest share in the world – according to a report published on Thursday, ahead of an EU policy initiative on AI and energy.
Read MoreEU faces short-term job losses from higher carbon prices, ECB paper finds
The EU’s flagship Emissions Trading System (ETS) puts a short-term drag on jobs when allowance prices rise unexpectedly, with workers in carbon-intensive roles hit hardest and green job gains failing to fully offset the losses, according to new research by the European Central Bank.
Read MoreEU urged to resist watering down green investment labelling rules
Campaigners are urging the EU to reject proposals to dilute its green finance rulebook, denouncing plans that would effectively allow companies to expand fossil fuel activities while still claiming a “transition” label under the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR).
Read MoreFirst transaction under EU’s CRCF scheme to deliver credits in 2029
The first EU-backed transaction registered under the bloc’s Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) scheme will deliver its initial credits in 2029, according to the partners involved in the project.
Read MoreLess than 2% of global cement emissions set to be captured by 2035, report finds
Planned CO2 capture and storage (CCS) projects in the cement sector will capture less than 2% of the industry’s global emissions by 2035, despite the successful launch last year of the world’s first commercial‑scale CCS facility at a Norwegian cement plant, according to a new report.
Read MoreBRIEFING: Financiers single out ‘delivery risk’ as biggest obstacle for European carbon removal projects
The risk that a developer goes bankrupt or fails to deliver is the biggest obstacle to funding carbon removal (CDR) projects, financiers told a European Commission event on the EU’s Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) scheme last week.
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