Climate and Energy

International environmental policies focus on safeguarding renewable natural resources. Little attention, however, is paid, to the much more difficult problem of non-renewable natural resources, such as metallic ores and phosphate. A survey of the dilemmas.

The response of the EU to the arrival ‘en masse’ of refugees in need of a safe haven has left much to be desired, and some leaders have used the issue of security threats as an excuse to avoid taking up their responsibilities to provide humanitarian assistance. But until European leaders and citizens join the dots between the complex but interlinked issues of migration and climate change, a secure environment will remain out of reach for all of us. An interview with Bodil Valero, Green MEP for Sweden.

The EU cannot be a credible leader on climate change when its decision makers are aware of the risks and the alternatives available, yet still refuse to take the actions needed. How much longer can we wait for politicians to catch up to the mood among civil society? An interview with Dutch Green MEP Bas Eickhout.

Climate action has come to a political standstill, and in spite of mass mobilisation efforts, the general public still have not grasped the urgency of the situation. Will it really take something drastic to bring about real change? As more people begin to ask this question, some stop waiting for the answer and take control: by bringing climate change to the courtroom.

Climate Express has set out to make sure a mass mobilisation is present in Paris, to keep the pressure on the negotiators and leaders during the climate conference. But can this form of collective movement really affect the outcome of the COP21? An interview with Laurien Spruyt from the campaign.

An interview with French Green MEP Yannick Jadot.

Air pollution is the greatest cause of over 400,000 premature deaths in the EU every year. In Britain, politicians lag behind this evidence and public opinion, and a lack of political action against climate change and continued environmental degradation means that civil society groups are now ensuring measures within a legal framework are being taken to meet this end…

An interview with Danielle Paffard and Melanie Mattauch from the UK and EU branches of 350.org.

The much anticipated Paris Climate Summit is only weeks away. Although there are many obstacles to securing a binding agreement in Paris, Green MEP Claude Turmes feels there are reasons for optimism, such as the changes taking place at the local and regional levels towards an energy transition. Now Europe has to be brave and show real leadership on technology and renewables.

The aftermath of the Ukrainian crisis, the Russian military intervention and the undeclared war in eastern Ukraine.