Europe

Paris Agreement compatible scenarios need the EU to do much more to reduce emissions and increase renewables and energy savings.

In September, the European Parliament voted on several proposals to address the energy crisis. Meanwhile the EU Commission proposed a new law to manage energy prices. 

More than half of Europeans do not feel well informed about their local air quality, according to a 2019 EU Commission survey.

In July, the European Environment Agency (EEA) published its updated European City Air Quality Viewer report, which covers over 340 cities.

A Clean Cities Campaign analysis of the most comprehensive database..

Climate Action Tracker said in a mid-year report for 2022 that climate action has stalled.

For most European countries the biggest share of depositions of sulphur and nitrogen emanate from outside their own territory, and a significant share of the depositions originate from international shipping.

Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest luxury cruise operator, emitted nearly 10 times more harmful sulphur dioxide (SO₂) around European coasts than did all 260 million EU passenger cars in 2017 ...

The more disadvantaged of Europe’s citizens are also the most exposed to the negative consequences of air pollution and other environmental issues ...

The annual benefits of additional measures needed to achieve the 2030 national emissions ceilings are estimated at €13–58 billion, up to 84 times higher than the estimated costs.

Several countries in Europe have recently built or are planning to build new coal power stations. Some examples from Germany were described in the last issue of Acid News (AN2/2018), and further examples of such plants from Eastern Europe are presented here.

EU citizens consider climate change as one of the most important environmental issues, closely followed by air pollution, according to the results of a new Eurobarometer survey.

New policies, health concerns and innovative food businesses can all contribute to reducing the climate footprint of European dinner tables.

The first global, long-term satellite study of airborne ammonia gas has revealed increasing levels of the pollutant over four of the world’s most productive agricultural regions.

International trade has moved more than 750,000 air pollution-related deaths from regions that import goods to those that produce them.

Almost 90 per cent of new power in Europe came from renewable sources in 2016. For the first time windfarms accounted for more than half of the capacity installed.