The European Parliament rejected on Thursday (23 July) the hard-won decisions of the EU Council. MEPs criticised, among other things, cuts to climate programmes and voiced fear that billions of euros could fall into the wrong hands.  The Parliament rejected the Council’s decision on the multiannual budget (MFF) and recovery plan by a clear majority. MEPs called […]

After four days of bitter wrangling, EU leaders have struck a deal on a coronavirus recovery package after they agreed to cut climate funding by more than half. According to Reuters, the Just Transition Fund (which intends to wean member states of using fossil fuels) will only receive 17.5 billion euros from the EU recovery […]

In May, the European Commission published its proposal for a €750 billion Green Deal which promised to boost economic growth, create millions of new jobs and save the planet. Yet at their current meeting, EU leader are struggling to save their green recovery plan. When she presented the Green Deal, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen claimed that […]

Brussels has been dragged into a bogus accounting scandal after it was claimed climate change spending had been overblown by at least €24 billion. The European Court of Auditors has questioned the European Commission’s claims about its climate-change programmes. It was found the European Union’s powerful executive had substantially overestimated the amount it spent on […]

The European Union remains deeply divided over plans to increase its CO2 emissions targets, with East European ministers refusing to commit to bigger cuts. The EU has agreed to unilaterally cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030. This target has been criticised by climate activists who claim that more radical cuts are needed to […]

India has received 14% higher than average rain since the monsoon season began on June 1 Indian farmers have planted 12 million hectares with summer-sown rice, preliminary farm ministry data for this year showed, up 25% from last year as robust monsoon rains encouraged the expansion of acreage. Buoyed by the plentiful rains, rice farmers […]

Germany’s EU presidency faces staunch opposition to climate protection measures. Expectations for climate protection were heaped onto 2020. The Paris Climate Convention means that Germany and its fellow signatories must sign up for higher climate targets before the year end. The EU’s Green Deal, a package of pro-climate measures, is on the drawing board. Against this […]

With production surging by 4.4%, corn will drive world cereal grain production to record levels in 2020/2021, said the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization in its first forecast of the new crops. It was the second forecast in a week of record global output as the planting season ends in the northern hemisphere. The FAO […]