A new technique based on machine learning can help scientists to more efficiently analyse ice cores. This could unlock new clues about our climatic past. Ice cores – long cylinders of ice drilled and extracted from polar ice sheets or alpine glaciers – provide pristine records of past climates. Layers of deposit create a succession […]
Read MoreHow to protect vulnerable groups from climate change?
Climate change affects all Europeans but vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, children, low-income groups and people with health problems or disabilities, are the most affected. One in ten European schools and hospitals may also be at flood risk and about half of those facilities in cities are within intense urban heat islands. A European […]
Read MoreStart of electricity trade between Ukraine and the EU
The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity announced that electricity trade between Ukraine and the EU will start this week, on 30 June. I welcome this development that follows the successful emergency synchronisation of the Ukrainian and Moldovan grids with the European Continental Grid in March. This is the next step in integrating […]
Read MoreExposure to pollution causes 10% of all cancer cases in Europe
Pollutants in the environment and at the workplace, as well as some natural risks, have a huge impact on our health, and in some cases lead to cancer, according to the EEA web report’. With nearly 3 million new patients and 1.3 million deaths each year across the European Union, cancer takes a huge toll on our society. The economic costs […]
Read MoreCouncil agrees on higher targets for renewables and energy efficiency
The Council has adopted its negotiating positions (general approaches) on two legislative proposals that tackle the energy aspects of the EU’s climate transition under the ‘Fit for 55’ package: the renewable energies directive and the energy efficiency directive. The agreements pave the way for the Council to start negotiations with the European Parliament. Energy production […]
Read MoreCouncil adopts regulation on gas storage
The Council has definitively adopted a regulation aiming to ensure that gas storage capacities in the EU are filled before the winter season and can be shared between member states in a spirit of solidarity, despite the disruptions in the gas market. This is an important step in strengthening the security of the EU’s energy […]
Read MoreGreen Deal: pioneering proposals to restore Europe’s nature by 2050 and halve pesticide use by 2030
Today, the Commission adopted pioneering proposals to restore damaged ecosystems and bring nature back across Europe, from agricultural land and seas, to forests and urban environments. The Commission also proposes to reduce the use and risk of chemical pesticides by 50% by 2030. These are the flagship legislative proposals to follow the Biodiversity and Farm to Fork […]
Read MoreDigital Assembly 2022: A closer look into the digital future
Joint press release by the European Commission and the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union At the Digital Assembly, held on 21 and 22 June in Toulouse, the European Commission and the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union have organised a session on continued support for Ukraine’s digital sector. This […]
Read MoreCouncil and Parliament agree to reduce limit values for the presence of persistent organic pollutants in waste
The Council and the Parliament reached a provisional deal concerning the revision of annexes to the persistent organic pollutant regulation in order to set further restrictions to the presence of these substances in waste. Persistent organic pollutants are particularly harmful chemicals. Although they are generally no longer used in new products, they can still be […]
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