Environment & Climate
The European Green Deal, energy transition, oceans and the climate policy behind the headlines.
EU renewable share dips despite solar surge, exposing grid gaps
Renewables supplied 54.1% of EU electricity in Q2 2026, down from 54.3% a year earlier. Solar grew to 41.6% of renewable generation, but gas
Norway targets 2028 plan for Europe's largest rare earth mine
Norway's government aims to have a development plan for the Fen Complex rare earth deposit by 2028. The site holds 15.9 million tonnes of ox
El Niño rains turn Atacama Desert into a rare floral spectacle
Unusually heavy El Niño rains have awakened dormant seeds in Chile's Atacama Desert, carpeting vast areas with flowers. The 'flowering deser
Türkiye's COP31 electrification push draws expert skepticism
Türkiye will champion electrification and climate-responsible AI at COP31 in November. But experts warn the 35-by-35 target could let countr
Greek climate diplomat warns of a 'meta-crisis' spanning food, water and energy
Emmanuella Doussis, UNESCO Chair on Climate Diplomacy at the University of Athens, argues climate change is no longer a purely environmental
From Tashkent to Sharjah: The Long Road to a Circular Economy
Uzbekistan generates 15 million tonnes of household waste a year, recycling only 5-6%. A new landfill near Tashkent and a waste-to-energy pl
New Zealand's black robin wins Bird of the Year after brush with extinction
New Zealand's black robin, once reduced to just five birds, has been voted Bird of the Year. A record 105,000 people took part in the poll,
Austrian town fights Google data centre over water and transparency
Around 400 people protested in Linz against Google's planned 50-hectare data centre in Kronstorf, Upper Austria. Residents say the project l
Waste heat: Europe's overlooked answer to cutting gas reliance
Europe discards vast amounts of heat from industry, data centres, and supermarkets. Capturing it could save €140 billion a year and cut gas
Seven of Nine Planetary Boundaries Breached as Scientists Warn Margin for Error Is Shrinking
Seven of Earth's nine planetary boundaries are now breached at their highest recorded levels, according to a report by the Potsdam Institute
Fake Naxos potatoes and youth exodus threaten a protected Greek crop
Naxos potatoes hold EU protected designation of origin, but counterfeiters and a youth exodus from farming threaten their future. Local prod
Europe's newborns face decades more fire weather unless emissions fall
Children born in Europe in 2025 will live through over three extra years of extreme fire weather compared to those born in 1950, under curre