News & Press
European Commission finds a lack of details, concrete measures in draft national energy and climate plans
BRUSSELS 18 June 2019. Today, the European Commission published its analysis and country-specific recommendations for the EU Member States on their draft National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs). Largely confirming findings by LIFE PlanUp, the Commission urges governments to strengthen their plans in order to bridge the gap between the EU climate targets and what the Member…
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By Gilles Dufrasne | Kaisa Amaral on 17 Jun 2019
UN climate negotiators to discuss future carbon markets as calls to end offsetting grow louder
This week, UN climate negotiators are meeting in Bonn, Germany, to try and find common ground on the Paris Agreement’s market provisions. There is growing political momentum to move beyond offsetting in global climate policy, but only a handful of countries around the negotiating table are willing to walk the talk. “We can no longer…
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By Kaisa Amaral on 31 May 2019
Did the elections mark a turning point for taxing carbon?
Last weekend’s European Parliament elections made it clear that climate change will be high on the agenda of the incoming EU policymakers. Different forms of carbon taxes will be among the key climate topics. Last weekend, Europeans cast their vote in record numbers, with an overall turnout at the EU Parliament elections rising to…
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Europe’s future will need better climate plans – report
BRUSSELS, 8 May 2019. A new analysis of five draft EU energy and climate plans reveals a lack of climate commitment by governments in terms of ambition, concrete sectoral measures and public participation. Tomorrow, EU leaders are meeting in Sibiu, Romania to discuss the Future of Europe, amid youth climate protests across Europe, rising…
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By Agnese Ruggiero on 9 Apr 2019
EU countries need to step up efforts to align three key areas of climate action – report
The EU is on track to meet its 2020 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target but needs to increase efforts in energy efficiency and renewables, according to the European Commission’s latest State of the Energy Union report. All three components are needed if the EU is to meet its 2030 climate targets. Today, the European Commission…
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By Ludovica Serafini on 28 Mar 2019
EU, Tax Me If You Can!
The aviation sector must not escape an effective tax on its emissions “A great, great deal has been said about the weather, but very little has ever been done” – Marc Twain On Friday 15th of March, Carbon Market Watch took to the streets with more than 30,000 people as part of the Fridays for…
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ICAO agrees on offset criteria for aviation carbon market
During a closed door session, the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) –the UN body responsible for global aviation– approved the eligibility criteria for what offsets can be used under the new aviation pollution scheme. While an important step, the decision leaves the door open to billions of older ‘junk’ emission units that…
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By Gilles Dufrasne on 26 Feb 2019
Existing UN carbon credits will do nothing to offset aviation industry pollution, new Nature study finds
A new paper published in Nature Climate Change confirms that relying on outdated Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) carbon credits to compensate aviation emissions will do nothing for climate action. You can read the full paper here (paywall): Warnecke et al. (2019): “Robust eligibility criteria essential for new global scheme to offset aviation emissions”, Nature Climate…
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By Gilles Dufrasne on 18 Feb 2019
Deutschland: Kohleausstieg muss mit Annullierung von Emissionslizenzen einher gehen, um den CO2 Preis zu stützen
Die deutsche Kohlekommission, beauftragt mit der Prüfung der Realisierbarkeit des Kohleausstiegs in Deutschland, veröffentlichte Ende Januar ihren Bericht, mit dem das Land auf Kurs gebracht wird, bis 2038 kohlefrei zu sein. Der progressiven Kohleausstieg, den der Plan vorsieht, ermöglicht Deutschland, seine Emissionsziele in der Energiebranche bis 2030 zu erfüllen, nachdem offiziell bestätigt wurde, dass das…
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By Gilles Dufrasne on 5 Feb 2019
Germany: Coal phase-out must go hand-in-hand with emission permit cancellation to keep CO2 prices up
Deutsch The German coal commission, tasked with assessing the feasibility of a coal-exit in Germany, published its report at the end of January, setting the country on course to become coal-free by 2038. Through a progressive phase-out approach, the plan would allow Germany to meet its 2030 emissions reductions target in the power sector, after…
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