Omnibus I, EU backtracks on sustainability
On Tuesday, 16 December, the European Parliament definitively approved the Omnibus I package with 428 votes in favour, 218 against and 17 abstentions, thus confirming the agreement reached on 9 Dece...
Gender equality: Italy is lagging behind. Vision and strategy necessary, not least for a fairer transition
Gender equality will take 134 years to achieve. Five generations. This is not a catastrophic prediction, but rather the estimate of the Global Gender Gap Report 2024, which photographs a slowdown in...
The Paris Climate Agreement marks its first ten years
Ten years ago, the Paris Agreement united the world in the fight against climate change at the 21st United Nations Climate Change Conference. With this historic agreement, 195 countries pledged to t...
EU’s 2035 Engine Phase-Out Under Review as Member States Push Back
Following months of delays and persistent political uncertainty, the European Commission is expected to present its proposal to revise the EU CO₂ standards for cars and vans on 16 December. The re...
Affordable batteries for solar energy when needed
The issue with solar energy has never been generating electricity, but rather utilising it when needed. For years, photovoltaics have concentrated supply during daylight hours, leaving evening peaks...
Earth may be in crisis, but we can still choose our future: UNEP GEO-7
In one of Africa's major cities, Nairobi, Kenya, the seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) is being held in early December. In this context, UNEP has published the new&...
RESourceEU, 3 billions for Made in Europe critical minerals
Three billion euros towards diversifying the supply of critical materials such as rare earths, cobalt and lithium: this is what the European Commission will be putting on the table over the next 12 ...
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and the Fading Relevance of International Water Law
In September, Ethiopia unveiled the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), hailing it as a “generational victory”. Standing before the dam's cascading waters, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ...
The law and the rights of indigenous peoples that Brazil pretends not to see
From Belém - In Brazil, there exists a very clear legal right, ratified over thirty years ago in an international treaty: the Consulta Previa Livre e Informada (CLPI). It stipulates that...
Myro Bot Is Changing Internal Wall Painting on Construction Sites
Myro is one of the world's first internal wall painting robots, the result of research by Myro International, a subsidiary of Mojay Global Holding. To combat labour scarcity, help meet deadlines, an...
Building an African Early Warning System “from the ground up”
In 2018, only 40 percent of Africa’s population had access to Early Warning Systems (EWS), resulting in poor advance notice to hazards from natural phenomena, and thus to greater losses. Howev...
A valuable COP for undervalued wetlands
COP30 in Brazil is done and dusted. As always, the outcome was mixed with many crying “too little, too slow”, while others pointed to potentially significant progress woven into the fina...
NextChem launches sustainability-linked finance plan to boost decarbonisation
MAIRE announced that NEXTCHEM has launched its first Sustainability-Linked Financing Framework, a strategic move designed to anchor financial activities to measurable sustainability targets. The &ld...
Soil: over 70% of all countries underestimate its importance in mitigation strategies
Much is often said – and even more so these days, with COP30 underway in Belém, Brazil – about reducing emissions, mitigating and absorbing CO₂. Much less often, however, is it ...
The climate crisis exacerbates inequalities, especially for women and girls
Walking for hours in the sun to fetch water. Giving birth without medical assistance because the clinic is unreachable after a flood. Giving up contraception as it is too expensive, while the family...
COP30’s local legacy: Cities will make or break the climate fight
As ICLEI’s Regional Director for Europe, I am often asked why we invest so much effort in global climate negotiations. Why does an organisation of cities and regions engage so deeply in p...
Italy’s first biogas-powered heating and cooling plant opens in Peschiera Borromeo
Italy has inaugurated its first integrated district heating and cooling system powered entirely by biogas generated from sewage sludge, marking a significant step toward large-scale circular energy ...
From offshore to onshore: Europe expands carbon storage with nature-inspired tech
For the first time, Europe will bury its carbon not beneath the sea, but under its own soil, heralding a new chapter in the continent’s fight against climate change. On 30 April 2025, the EU i...
EBC25 Highlights Europe’s Shift Toward a Circular, Biobased Economy
The European Bioplastics Conference (EBC25) will return to Berlin on 2 and 3 December 2025, marking two decades of international dialogue on material innovation and the growing relevance of biopolym...
EUSEW 2026 to Drive Europe’s Path toward a Resilient Energy Union
The European Sustainable Energy Week 2026 will take place from 9 to 11 June, marking the 20th edition of the largest EU event dedicated to renewable energy and efficient energy use. Under the theme ...