Making the most of waste heat The total excess heat in the EU covers almost all of the EU’s total energy demand for heat and hot water in residential and service sector buildings. This potential needs to be utilised, especially during these times of energy and climate crises. Read more
Editorial: EU could be powered by recycled heat Preventing heat waste has largely been ignored as a solution. A new report by the global engineering company Danfoss highlights the potential of excess heat recovery. Read more
Germany shuts down last three nuclear reactors, ending nuclear power era Germany switched off its last three nuclear reactors on 15 April, marking the end of its nuclear power era. Read more
Global heating threatens northern forests In the last month, fires have ravaged forests in both Canada and Russia. This is just the latest of many similar examples. Read more
Unlocking the potential of ocean energy To ensure affordable energy and limit global temperature rise to below 1.5 °C there is an urgent need to transition rapidly from a centralised energy system that heavily relies on fossil fuels. Ocean energy is one of the technologies that should be scaled up to support the transition of the energy system to reach full decarbonisation. Read more
A quantative take on Russian forests Russia has one fifth of the global forest area. This area has remained relatively constant in recent decades, but clear cutting and wildfires are altering the species composition. Read more
Ocean acidification in the climate negotiations If ocean acidification was redefined as an effect of climate change, the UNFCCC could interpret its existing framework so that parties were required to take action on the issue. Read more
The forefront of cleaner, people-centred cities Cities are dense and struggling with high levels of air pollution, sedentary behaviour and noise problems linked to car-centred urban planning. Traffic also takes up large areas in cities, resulting in lack of green spaces, and it is obvious that our oil dependency has fuelled climate change. Three cities with governments that are up for the challenge of re-thinking cities are Paris, Oslo and Barcelona, which are working to transform their cities from car- centred to people-centred. Read more
The Swedish Greenwashing Prize – more than a decade of ironic awards highlighting misleading claims Each year, for over a decade, Friends of the Earth Sweden has announced a winner of its Swedish Greenwashing Prize – an ironic booby prize that turns the spotlight on misleading and false claims. Read more
The EU needs to do more to reduce methane emissions The EU has signed the Global Methane Pledge but action to slash methane emissions in the energy and agriculture sectors is lagging behind. Urgent measures are needed to reduce methane emissions while at the same time much more action is also needed to reduce all other greenhouse gas emissions. Read more
E-fuels are a detour on our way to decarbonisation It takes four times as much energy to drive a car on e-fuels compared to batteries. In addition, they emit as much air pollution as a car running on fossil fuels. Read more
Green incentives are at the heart as UK rolls out its CAP replacement Public money for public goods is the principle behind the new Environmental Land Management schemes in England – the jury is still out on whether it can sustain farmers’ livelihoods while also protecting the environment. Read more
Nitrogen deposition threat to 60 per cent of European ecosystems Most affected are regions with intensive livestock rearing. Scenarios show that both technical measures and a reduction in animal numbers are needed to tackle the problem. Read more
Dramatic vanishing of polar sea ice and ice sheets Polar sea ice and ice sheets are continuing to melt rapidly according to many new studies. The end-of-winter Arctic sea ice extent in March 2023 was the fifth lowest in the satellite record, while the area of Antarctic sea ice fell to a record low. Read more
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