December 19, 2024
As President Biden’s last days in office approach, his administration has granted California and eleven other states permission to ban the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035. This marks one of the most ambitious climate policies in the US, but President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to lift the ban. This has now been made […]
December 17, 2024
For the first time, on Monday, high-speed trains connected Paris and Berlin. Deutsche Bahn’s ICE high-speed trains, which have 444 seats, make the daily connection, which will take about eight hours. The new line is not the first direct connection between Berlin and Paris. Since the end of 2023, there has also been a night […]
December 17, 2024
From the beginning of next year, BMW will fill all newly built diesel cars leaving the factory in Germany with HVO100, a hydrotreated vegetable oil made from rapeseed oil or waste-based feedstock such as used cooking oil, residues, and other renewable raw materials. HVO100 has a higher cetane number (c80) than standard diesel and has […]
December 13, 2024
BMW has replaced its old wind tunnel at the Group’s Research and Innovation Center (FIZ) in Munich. The new Aeroacoustics and Electric Drive Center (AEC) is said to house a 100-meter wind tunnel, supposedly the largest vertical acoustic wind tunnel in the world and also the quietest. The building consists of two halves: in addition […]
December 13, 2024
The closure of five Brussels car tunnels by 2030, including two on Avenue Louise and two on the central ring road, would save 100 million euros in the long run and have no major impact on mobility. This is according to a cost-benefit analysis of Brussels tunnels commissioned by Brussels Mobility and reported by the […]
December 12, 2024
According to a new study by Nature Communications, tourism turnover almost doubled between 2009 and 2019, representing an annual growth of 5.5 percent. However, this strong growth is accompanied by a carbon footprint of 5.2 gigatons of CO2 equivalent or 8.8 percent of global emissions. The primary drivers of emissions growth are slow technology efficiency […]
December 12, 2024
At ArcelorMittal in Ghent, the first barge has been left with bioethanol derived from captured CO2. It is the first time that the steel plant’s so-called ‘Steelanol’ plant has provided enough sustainable fuel for inland barges to start using. The plant, a first for the European steel industry announced in 2019, could eventually reach an […]
December 11, 2024
IATA, the global airline umbrella organization, expects airlines worldwide to carry 5.2 billion passengers next year, the first time this will exceed the 5 billion mark. More passengers also mean more flights, leading to higher CO2 emissions from the aviation sector. For example, using more sustainable fuels, such as biomass or used oils, could help […]
December 11, 2024
Every year, around 239,000 deaths in the European Union can be attributed to exposure to fine particulate matter, a key air pollutant. Another 70,000 Europeans die from excessive ozone concentrations and 48,000 from nitrogen pollution. In Belgium alone, this concerns 4,100 deaths from particulate matter, 1,400 from ozone, and 1,200 from nitrogen. The figures come […]
December 10, 2024
November 2024 was the second warmest November worldwide after November 2023. According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, it confirms the expectation that 2024 will be the warmest year. The average surface air temperature was 14.10°C, 0.73°C above the November average from 1991-2020. November 2024 was 1.62°C above pre-industrial levels, the 16th month in a […]
December 10, 2024
Belgium’s 218-year-old and most significant ‘car importer,’ D’Ieteren, has officially checked and approved its net-zero greenhouse emission targets for 2030 and 2050. These targets align with the scientific criteria for achieving the climate goals of the Paris Agreement. The targets were ratified by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). That includes a 42% reduction by […]
December 09, 2024
In 2024, North and South America experienced intense wildfires, mainly affecting the Pantanal wetlands, the Amazon, Canada, and the western US. Eastern Eurasia, including within the Arctic Circle, also experienced above-average fire emissions. The regular monitoring of forest fires by the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) in various regions around the world revealed this. Severe […]
December 09, 2024
The Brussels Parliament has adopted an ordinance proposal to postpone the taxi sector’s obligation to purchase zero-emission vehicles by two years until January 2027. Green parties denounced the fact that since June, there has been no majority in the Brussels Parliament except for specific files, such as for the two-year postponement of the tightening of […]
December 03, 2024
According to a new ranking by Transport & Environment (T&E), only 10 out of 77 airlines are making noteworthy efforts to switch to sustainable alternatives to fossil kerosene. The remaining 67 are either buying too few sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), the wrong kind of SAFs, or are not considering SAFs at all in their decarbonization […]
December 02, 2024
Stockholm’s ambition to establish the world’s first urban zero-emission vehicle zone in its upscale shopping district has hit a roadblock. Originally slated to take effect by the end of the year, the initiative is now on hold as Sweden’s County Administrative Board examines appeals filed by five companies opposing the measure. In a surprise move, […]
November 27, 2024
Belgians suffer from so-called ‘car obesity’: they want bigger and bigger cars. Recent Transport & Environment (T&E) research has shown that vehicles grow one centimeter wider every two years. Something that Belgian drivers adore. According to global research from T&E, the average width of new cars has increased from 177.8 cm to 180.3 cm since […]
November 27, 2024
High-voltage grid operator Elia is postponing the decision on the energy island in the North Sea. On Tuesday, NMN announced that after earlier postponements, Belgium had finally issued a tender for the first of three new giga wind farms in the Princess Elisabeth zone in the North Sea. However, the decision has been postponed now […]
November 26, 2024
After earlier postponements, Belgium has issued a tender for the first of three new giga wind farms in the Princess Elisabeth zone in the North Sea. The first new wind farm would be put into operation by the end of 2028 and produce at least 2.6 terawatt hours of electricity annually. A tender for two […]
November 26, 2024
German carmaker Mercedes is ‘reinventing’ braking on electric cars by ditching the classic wheel brake disks and moving the braking system into the electric drive unit at the front or rear axle. This system is more efficient, quiet, and virtually maintenance-free for the car’s lifespan, and brake dust is kept inside without the need for […]
November 25, 2024
The 29th international UN climate summit in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, ended with a disappointing outcome on Sunday night. The summit disappointed developing countries, which are also the most vulnerable to climate change. There is a prevailing feeling that the wealthiest industrialized countries have left them in the dust. Oxfam Novib, in its response, said […]
November 22, 2024
German parcel company DHL Express and energy company Shell have signed a one-year agreement for the use of 25,000 tons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at Brussels Airport. This will allow it to replace a third of the traditional kerosene in the planes departing from Brussels Airport with the more environmentally friendly fuel derived from, […]
November 22, 2024
Flanders has the potential to realize 1,096 ‘smart charging hubs’ or ‘charging plazas’ by 2030–around 6,600 individual charging points. These central locations offer multiple charging stations via one grid connection. This was evident from a study launched on Thursday by grid operator Fluvius, environmental organization Bond Beter Leefmilieu (BBL), and consultancy firm The New Drive. […]
November 21, 2024
Bicycle shops and manufacturers cannot get rid of the enormous stock they have built up after Corona. Research by mobility federation Traxio shows that six in ten bicycle shops currently offer discounts of 20 percent and more. For the first time in five years, the Belgian bicycle retail market sees a decline in turnover this […]
November 20, 2024
The Brussels ombudsman office wants MIVB/STIB to curb noise pollution caused by defective wheels on M7 subway trains. The appeal comes after an investigation following a complaint from a resident of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert/Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe about noise pollution from the metro. According to Ombuds Brussels, the MIVB/STIB, the future Brussels government, and the public institution Brussels Environment must […]
November 19, 2024
The Danish government will introduce an emissions tax on livestock farming by 2030, making Denmark the first country in the world to do so. Although New Zealand announced a similar law in 2022, it was withdrawn after widespread farmer protests. The aim is to make agriculture more sustainable. Denmark is a big dairy and pork […]
November 19, 2024
The Dutch province of Zeeland wants to replace the Westerschelde Ferries, which currently sail across the Western Scheldt, with zero-emission ferries. Hybrid ships (diesel/electric) are also being considered. The States of Zeeland unanimously agreed to that proposal on Friday. The two ships currently transporting cyclists and pedestrians between Vlissingen and Breskens are approaching the end […]
November 15, 2024
Cars in Brussels’ streets are becoming heavier and larger, making traffic more unsafe and contradicting the city’s quality-of-life goals. This is shown by a new study conducted by Brussels Environment and Brussels Mobility, newspapers De Standaard and L’Echo write. SUVs, Sports Utility Vehicles, accounted for more than half of all new registrations in 2023. The […]
November 14, 2024
Global CO2 emissions continue to rise, and there is still “no sign” that the world has reached a peak in fossil fuel emissions. A new report from Global Carbon Budget, which also includes the Flanders Marine Institute (Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee, VLIZ), says that global emissions will amount to 41.6 billion tons of CO2 […]
November 14, 2024
Engie and lime producer Carmeuse are terminating the Columbus project, an industrial carbon capture and use (CCU) plant at Amercoeur near Charleroi, for “economic and regulatory reasons.” The project had a total investment cost of more than 300 million euros. 187,000 tons of CO2 With the Columbus project, French energy company Engie and Carmeuse, in […]
November 13, 2024
The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) has approved three energy cables linking Britain to Germany’s, Ireland’s, and Northern Ireland’s power grids and lines connecting Britain’s grid with Dutch and Belgian offshore wind farms. The projects are due to be completed by 2032. The power lines, called ‘interconnectors,’ enable Britain to be more flexible […]
November 13, 2024
The Court of Appeal in The Hague has rejected the 2021 ruling in the case brought by the Netherlands arm of Friends of the Earth (Milieudefensie) and other campaigners against Shell. According to the court, Shell cannot be forced to specify specific percentages by which it must reduce CO2 emissions. Therefore, the court’s ruling at […]
November 11, 2024
The private jet sector is emitting more and more greenhouse gases. Between 2019 and 2023, greenhouse gas emissions from private aviation nearly doubled. That’s according to a study published in Communications Earth & Environment. Last year alone, private aviation accounted for 15,6 million tons of CO2 emissions. In 2019, it was 10,7 million tons, or […]
November 07, 2024
Mobility platform Bolt has launched a ‘premium’ ride-hailing fleet in the Brussels Capital Region, totaling some 30 bright green Tesla cars. With this initiative, part of a large-scale European initiative, Bolt hopes to support fleet owners in shifting to EVs. “We are excited to introduce more electric vehicles on our platform in Brussels,” says Paddy […]
November 07, 2024
The new Flemish Mobility Minister Annick De Ridder warned that the number of EV premium requests has already surpassed 11,700, doubling the budget initially foreseen by predecessor Lydia Peeters (Open Vld). De Ridder (N-VA) wanted to take a decretional decision to abolish the premium as soon as possible. This decision was voted positively on Wednesday […]
November 06, 2024
On Sunday, the new French Economy Minister Antoine Armand pleaded to postpone the fines for car manufacturers exceeding the EU CO2 targets. A spokesman for the European Commission responded on Monday that such initiatives are premature. “Talking already about a change in the Commission’s position on these matters is really premature,” he said in Brussels. […]
November 05, 2024
Energy provider Engie will start the construction of a new battery park in Kallo, in the port of Antwerp, at the beginning of next year. The large-scale project, representing a €100 million investment, should be completed by the summer of 2027. The park in Kallo will be located on the site of the energy company’s […]
November 04, 2024
Greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union dropped by eight percent last year – the biggest drop in decades, marking significant progress toward climate neutrality. According to the latest European Environment Agency (EEA) ‘Trends and Projections’ report, the huge drop was led by a significant decline in coal use and the growth of renewable energy […]
November 04, 2024
Starting today, car traffic in the city center of Paris will be restricted even further with the introduction of a car-free zone, a so-called “zone à traffic limité” (ZTL). The measure is intended to reduce noise and harmful emissions, improve road safety, and create more space for cyclists and pedestrians. In addition, the new zone […]
November 01, 2024
A team of 122 researchers from United Nations agencies and academic institutions worldwide has published an article in The Lancet warning that climate-related health risks are worsening. More people face dangerous heat, food insecurity, and exposure to pathogens and other threats. The report was published on Wednesday in advance of the climate negotiations scheduled for […]
October 30, 2024
The new Walloon Minister of Mobility, François Desquesnes (Les Engagés), wants to rebalance the prices of the public transport company TEC between different age groups. Currently, 18- to 24-year-olds pay only 12 euros a year for a season ticket, or one euro a month, while 12-17-year-olds pay much more. It is expected that free or […]
October 29, 2024
According to a report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), greenhouse gas levels surged to a new record in 2023, committing the planet to rising temperatures for many years to come. Carbon dioxide (CO2) accumulates in the atmosphere faster than ever experienced during human existence, increasing by more than 10% in just two decades. “This […]
October 29, 2024
The cost of the Oosterweel works, the mobility and livability project around Antwerp that will, among other things, close the car traffic connection along the north side of the ring road, has risen to 10.1 billion euros. The new bill is more than 3 billion euros higher than estimated two years ago, of which 1.8 […]
October 28, 2024
According to a new Oxfam report titled ‘Carbon Inequality Kills’, super-rich Europeans, with their investments and intensive use of superyachts and private planes, emit as much greenhouse gases in one week as the world’s poorest one percent do in their entire lives. In other words, fifty of the wealthiest billionaires in the world emit more […]
October 24, 2024
Is lithium the new gold mine for Arkansas after oil? Researchers have discovered that an underground brine reservoir in the southern US state may contain as much as 5 to 19 million tons of lithium. Lithium is a crucial raw material for electric vehicle batteries. The amount of lithium in the Arkansas beds would be […]
October 24, 2024
The cost of the Princess Elisabeth energy island, an artificial island off the Belgian coast that will be used by the power grid operator Elia, will probably amount to 7 billion euros, a multiple of the 2,2 billion that was initially estimated. Princess Elisabeth Island will become an energy hub for cables to neighboring countries […]
October 23, 2024
The Lower House in the Netherlands wants to postpone introducing emission-free zones for company cars and trucks until 2029. However, on January 1, 14 municipalities, including Amsterdam and Rotterdam, wanted to introduce these zones despite resistance from the political Hague and most business owners. Still, there is little chance that the introduction can be stopped. […]
October 23, 2024
Germany will build a nationwide 9,040 km hydrogen network connecting various industrial areas. In the long term, a future Dutch hydrogen network will also be linked to it. German regulators have approved the construction of the network, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck announced on Tuesday. Hydrogen should be used in sectors where renewable energy, such as […]
October 23, 2024
European environmental lobby group Transport & Environment has published a study with the Clean Cities Campaign that the supply of electric vans will be enough by 2030 to introduce zero-emission zones for freight in every European capital. But a few asterisks remain. The EU’s more stringent ambient air quality directive (AAQD), which comes into effect […]
October 23, 2024
Ten years ago, the Dutch Swapfiets was founded, the world’s pioneer of ‘bike as a service’. Three student friends from Delft wanted to offer people a reliable and rock-solid bicycle without any fuss. This is how the first bicycle subscription was born. The formula is quite simple: Swapfiets members always have a working bicycle for […]
October 22, 2024
According to a new study by the green group Transport & Environment (T&E), subsidies for gasoline and diesel company cars cost taxpayers €42 billion every year in the five biggest EU countries alone. The study by ERM, commissioned by T&E, calculates the effects of the four tax benefits traditionally given to company cars: benefit-in-kind, depreciation […]
October 21, 2024
Stay Grounded, a network of organizations wanting to phase out aviation, calls for a European tax on frequent flyers. This would apply from the third flight per year. According to Stay Grounded, such a tax could reduce aviation’s CO2 emissions by a fifth and generate billions to invest in the climate transition. Globally, 1% of […]
October 20, 2024
Brussels Airport is among the 67 most efficient airports in the world in terms of CO2 emissions. It has achieved Lever 4+, the penultimate level of Airport Council International’s Airport Carbon Accreditation program (ACA). A total of 592 airports worldwide participate in the ACA program that compares and certifies airports in terms of CO2 emissions. […]
October 17, 2024
The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects a global fuel and gas surplus in the next five years. Although the energy crisis has led to scarcity and sky-high prices in recent years, the IEA expects just the opposite in the second half of the decade. That could be good news for Europe, where the energy crisis […]
October 17, 2024
According to figures from Transport for London (TfL), more than 1,400 vehicles have already been seized by bailiffs in London for non-payment of Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) fines. Since August last year, virtually all of London has been an environmental zone, the world’s largest pollution charging zone. That means users of polluting cars must pay […]
October 16, 2024
The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has published a study on the CO2 reduction requirements of the ten largest car manufacturers to comply with the EU’s fleet limits for 2025. On average, manufacturers must increase their BEV share by a maximum of twelve percentage points, from 16% in 2023 to around 28% by 2025. […]
October 15, 2024
Amnesty International reports in a new report that car manufacturers BYD, Mitsubishi, and Hyundai score the worst on human rights in the production of their electric cars. According to the Human Rights Organization, mining potentially exposes communities to exploitation, health risks, and environmental damage caused by the rapid expansion of mines to extract metals such […]
October 15, 2024
A new study by the Belgian energy regulator CREG warns of an abundance of solar power and that more flexibility will be needed to accommodate the growing surpluses. The high-voltage grid operator Elia had already sounded the alarm before the summer. Since 2021, Belgium’s solar panel capacity has more than doubled to 10.3 gigawatts. In […]
October 14, 2024
A new study by an international team of scientists published in Nature Geoscience provides new insights into the natural mechanisms behind century-scale increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂), known as CO₂ jumps. The study led by Etienne Legrain, a paleoclimatologist at the Department of Water and Climate at the VUB (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), reveals the […]
October 11, 2024
The Flemish public transport company De Lijn will introduce six new emission-free minibusses to the Mechelen city network after the autumn vacations. These busses are more compact and run entirely electrically. The new buses, costing 350,000 euros each, have been ordered from Chinese manufacturer Yes-EU. After the seven Yes-EU midi e-buses already in service in […]
October 10, 2024
The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects a massive increase in renewable energy production by 2030. According to a new report published on Wednesday, tripling the capacity – as agreed at the latest climate conference in Dubai – is within reach. The IEA expects renewable energy sources like wind and solar to meet almost half the […]
