News & Press
By Kaisa Amaral on 11 Jan 2021
Targets, not markets!
By Kaisa Amaral Why carbon pricing should strengthen, not replace national climate action As part of the EU Green Deal implementation, the European Commission considers scrapping national climate targets and expanding the EU carbon market to road transport and buildings. Doing so would undermine the new climate goals and put an undue burden on consumers…
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Watch This! - Civil Society Newsletter
By Andrew Coiley on 15 Dec 2020
Low carbon agriculture – the next conundrum
When I began to think about a suitable article to pen as my last contribution to this newsletter, the obvious choice was low carbon agriculture. This is of personal interest to me as I switch my focus to sustainable agriculture at my organic farm just outside Salzburg, Austria. We are in the process of transforming…
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By Kaisa Amaral on 14 May 2020
Lead EU lawmaker’s strong call for climate action
4 key takeaways from MEP Guteland’s draft EU Climate Law report The lawmaker in charge of the EU Climate Law at the European Parliament proposes that the EU adopts a 65% emission target for 2030 and carbon budgets in line with the latest scientific data. She also calls on all EU governments to endorse the…
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COP24 overshadowed by market failure as countries fail to agree on basic accounting principles and the future of the CDM
COP24 closed this evening in Katowice, Poland, more than 24 hours later than initially planned. Despite smooth progress at first, negotiations ended in confusion as it proved impossible to find an agreement within the article 6 negotiations, which work to set up two new carbon markets for the post-2020 period. The text presented to all…
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By Femke de Jong on 16 Apr 2018
EU lawmakers give green light for key climate law – what’s next?
After almost two years of intense negotiations, this week the European Parliament will give its final approval for the Climate Action Regulation, which aims to reduce emissions from transport, agriculture, buildings and waste management. Implementation will determine how effective this key climate law will be in helping Europe achieve its Paris climate goals. Covering over…
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EU governments miss chance to align key climate law with Paris Agreement
BRUSSELS 13 OCTOBER 2017. Today, the EU environment ministers adopted their position on the Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR) which covers emissions from the transport, building, agriculture and waste sectors in the 2021-2030 period. As the EU’s largest climate tool, the ESR is key to implementing the Paris Agreement in Europe. Loopholes adopted today by the…
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By Claire Roumet, Femke de Jong on 10 Oct 2017
Closing the loopholes in the EU’s centerpiece climate law
This piece was first published on Euractiv on 9 October 2017 EU member states can enable the upscaling of good examples of local climate action by closing loopholes in the Effort Sharing Regulation, a centerpiece of the EU’s climate policy, write Claire Roumet and Femke de Jong. This week, the EU environment ministers will adopt…
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By Federica Pozzi on 18 Jul 2017
The importance of LULUCF accounting for the success of the Paris Agreement
18 Jul 2017 Climate negotiations, both at the EU and at the international level, have come at a crucial point regarding the role of the land sector to global emission reductions, which could “make or break” the Paris Agreement objective. An effective accounting system for land use emissions is crucial. Now is the time for…
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European Parliament improves key climate law but fails to close all loopholes
STRASBOURG 14 June 2017. Today, the European Parliament voted on the Effort Sharing Regulation which covers the emissions from the transport, building, agriculture and waste sectors in the 2021-2030 period. While strengthening the EU’s largest climate tool, the Parliament position leaves loopholes in the draft law that risk postponing emission reductions in these sectors. The…
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#EUESR day of Action
Today, June 7, dozens of NGOs based in different EU Member States are participating in a Day of Action on the Effort Sharing Regulation by sending a letter to their governments, calling on them to push for an ambitious #EUESR. The Effort Sharing Regulation is Europe’s largest policy tool to reduce the climate impact of…
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