Policy Sections
Mini Sections
160-nation talks on climate change wrapped up in Ghana on Wednesday (27 August) with the United Nations proclaiming that the slow pace of negotiations is "picking up". Delegates want forest protection to be part of a greenhouse gas reduction deal but said sectoral industry agreements should remain voluntary.
German energy giants RWE, E.ON and Vattenfall are trying to persuade politicians in Berlin to scrap a planned 15-year phase-out of the country's existing nuclear power stations, according to press reports.
In a bid to reduce its dependency on imported oil and tackle global warming, EU leaders have committed to raising the share of biofuels in transport to 10% by 2020, but concerns are growing that increased biofuel production could in fact lead to mass deforestation and food shortages. (read more)
Speeding up research in low-carbon technologies is considered key to facing the twin challenges of climate change and energy-supply security but the EU is still lagging behind when it comes to big R&D budgets. (read more)
At a landmark summit in March 2007, European heads of state agreed to move forward with ambitious objectives to slash greenhouse-gas emissions and boost renewable energies by 2020 in a bid to reduce the EU's dependency on imported fuels and set the pace for "a new global industrial revolution". (read more)