IMF highlights energy security gains from EU climate action, issues warning on Eastern Europe

Published 12:41 on May 29, 2024  /  Last updated at 12:41 on May 29, 2024  / /  EMEA

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued a new paper on Tuesday arguing that climate action delivers “sizable energy security benefits” for Europe while highlighting risks related to carbon pricing policies in coal-reliant Eastern EU countries.

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Swedes urge major rethink of EU green claims law to spur carbon removals

Published 12:58 on May 28, 2024  /  Last updated at 12:58 on May 28, 2024  / /  EMEA, International, Voluntary

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.

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‘A different ball game’: ETS2 opens new risky chapter in EU climate policy, Polish minister says

Published 10:54 on May 27, 2024  /  Last updated at 10:54 on May 27, 2024  / /  EMEA, EU ETS

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.

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EU’s sweeping corporate due diligence law clears final hurdle

Published 12:02 on May 24, 2024  /  Last updated at 12:02 on May 24, 2024  / /  EMEA

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.

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Seven EU countries plead for greater use of recycled carbon in chemicals, plastics

Published 10:49 on May 24, 2024  /  Last updated at 10:49 on May 24, 2024  / /  EMEA

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.

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‘We may not call it green’: Next EU political cycle to focus on investment, says top official

Published 11:19 on May 23, 2024  /  Last updated at 11:19 on May 23, 2024  / /  Climate Talks, EMEA, International

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.

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Green policies take back seat in EU leadership debate

Published 09:25 on May 22, 2024  /  Last updated at 09:25 on May 22, 2024  / /  EMEA, International

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.

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Looming social acceptance issues ‘might kill EU ETS’, academic warns

Published 22:27 on May 21, 2024  /  Last updated at 22:27 on May 21, 2024  / /  EMEA, EU ETS, International

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.

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Carbon removal credits ‘obvious candidate’ for EU ETS integration, says former top official

Published 11:20 on May 20, 2024  /  Last updated at 11:20 on May 20, 2024  / /  EMEA, EU ETS, International, Paris Article 6, Voluntary

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.

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Critical minerals ‘not a deal-breaker’ for climate goals – at least for now, IEA says

Published 14:30 on May 17, 2024  /  Last updated at 14:30 on May 17, 2024  / /  Africa, Americas, Asia Pacific, EMEA, International

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.

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