EU
Budget 2016: Will George Osborne back a low carbon future?
COMMENT: Heavyweight lobby groups agree the country needs a smart, diversified and flexible energy system, and George Osborne has it in his power to deliver
UN welcomes UK pledge to enshrine zero emissions goal
NEWS: Proposed law in line with goals of Paris climate deal, says UN spokesperson, urging governments to attend New York signing ceremony in April
EU heavy industry pockets €24bn in ‘pollution windfall’ – report
NEWS; That’s ten times what Brussels green innovation fund pays out, says NGO in call for reform of EU emissions trading scheme
UK to make zero carbon emissions target law
NEWS: Energy minister Andrea Leadsom responds to call from Ed Miliband, saying Paris climate pledge will be legally binding, reports the Guardian
German CO2 emissions rise 1% in 2015
NEWS: Higher heat demand and use of brown coal for power behind estimated 1.1% increase in climate pollution, says think tank Green Budget Germany
Short term politics is hurting EU climate goals
COMMENT: There won’t be a strong, coherent European response to Paris in the next few months – that’s down to Brussels fears of a deepening split
OECD rejects EU industry’s carbon leakage arguments
NEWS: Tough climate rules have little impact on export competitiveness, find economists, so industry carve-outs are not justified
Clocking off: Can Wales’ steel heartland survive in a greener world?
LONG READ: A world of zero emissions signals huge upheavals for heavy industry. How might Britain’s last steel town fare later this century?
Is Brussels killing the Paris climate dream?
COMMENT: EU plans lock in weak ambition to 2030, undermining the review mechanism it fought for in December’s UN agreement
London: Fronting up to a global pollution battle
ANALYSIS: Candidates for upcoming mayoral election appear to agree the environment will be a vote-winner in May’s election, with potentially global ramifications
25 years later: When the world united against climate change
FEATURE: The Paris climate deal was the latest chapter of a story that started a quarter of a century ago, and owes much to US Republicans and UK Conservatives
Germany, Austria call for higher EU 2030 climate ambition
NEWS: Environment ministers criticise ‘very weak’ European Commission response to Paris climate pact – but other states defend existing target
EU plans no change to climate target before 2030
NEWS: Weak Commission proposal undermines Paris deal and hard-won trust of vulnerable countries, campaigners warn
Reviving Hercules: Can carbon capture give British industry a future?
LONG READ: Megan Darby travels to Teesside, where locals hope a surge in green investment can save the region’s ailing industrial base
#Heathrow13 to continue climate fight following court ruling
NEWS: Campaigners say they have been emboldened by the prosecution of 13 activists, promising more direct action to highlight the dangers posed by global warming
Wikileaks: US spied on Merkel, Ban climate communications
NEWS: Latest batch of released intercepts reveal US penetrated UN, Germany and Japan discussions on plans for the Copenhagen climate summit
Circular economy insures against commodity volatility – EU chief
NEWS: As recycling firms struggle to compete with low raw material prices, Brussels package aims to reduce resource footprint
Major cities threatened by rapid sea level rise, new reports find
NEWS: Faster than ever sea level rise puts densely populated coastal regions increasingly at risk by 2100, as two studies reveal past and future sea level projections
Diesel ‘worse than petrol’ for the climate
NEWS: EU urged to axe support for diesel as campaigners call for an end to tax breaks and weaker pollution standards
EU steel lobby seeks protection from China ‘carbon dumping’
NEWS: Industry cites job losses in clash with green campaigners over EU carbon market reforms