BRIEFING: Belgium’s new climate and energy plans show push for nuclear
The new Belgian government intends to repeal a nuclear phaseout initiated over 20 years ago and build new reactors instead, with plans to also promote heat pumps and solar PV, while slowing the transition to electric vehicles in company car fleets.
Read MoreEU official lifts the veil on future ‘Circular Economy Act’ due in 2026
The European Commission is unlikely to include new resource efficiency targets in its new Circular Economy Act, due in the fourth quarter of 2026, as it contemplates shifting to product regulation rather than setting objectives for EU member states.
Read MoreGermany greenlights overdue EU ETS reform law
Europe’s largest economy has finally moved to transpose the latest version of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) regulation into national law.
Read MoreGermany set to transpose EU ETS reform this week
There will not be a fixed price in Germany’s national emissions trading system (ETS) next year and it will not unilaterally opt in waste incinerators to the EU ETS, according to a last-minute cross-party compromise seen by Carbon Pulse that is set to be approved by the Bundestag on Friday.
Read MoreFEATURE: What do the German elections have in store for climate policy?
Climate experts see a new Conservative-led government in Germany staying the course on climate action, albeit with a greater focus on carbon pricing and removals that some warn risks backfiring politically.
Read MoreGermany records biggest ever emissions drop, as forests become net source
Total greenhouse gas emissions in Germany dropped by a record 10.3% in 2023, even as new data showed forests have flipped from net sink to emitter, reported the German environment agency (UBA) on Wednesday.
Read MoreGermany urged to adopt EU ETS reform before February elections
The German government must transpose the latest reform of the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) now, maintain a fixed price on CO2 for an extra year on its national carbon market, and defer a decision on the inclusion of waste incinerators to the EU, a public hearing at Germany’s lower house of Parliament heard on Wednesday.
Read MoreGermany can meet its climate goals, without higher carbon prices -study
Germany can be CO2-neutral by 2045 while cutting energy costs, and raising household, company and government income – without assuming a higher carbon price or more national debt, suggested a think tank this week.
Read MoreINTERVIEW: CCS is back, but EU policies may be setting it up to fail
The Net Zero Industry Act risks setting the CCUS industry up for failure if the European Commission does not step up to integrate the value chain and regulate CO2 transport, said Rachael Moore, founder of consultancy CarbStrat, in an interview with Carbon Pulse.
Read MoreEuropean oil and gas producers call for a ‘CCS Bank’
The EU should introduce a carbon contracts for difference (CCfD) auctioning mechanism, fed by the EU ETS Innovation Fund, to incentivise CO2 capture and storage, a Brussels-based advocacy group for oil and gas producers said on Monday.
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