August 26, 2025
The EU and the US have signed a joint statement to retroactively reduce US tariffs on cars and car parts from 27.5% to 15%. The reductions were technically part of an agreement in July, but were never implemented. That will now change. After weeks of uncertainty following the political agreement between European Commission President Ursula […]
August 21, 2025
The most polluting way to travel is almost always the cheapest. Or: Trains are often slightly cheaper than planes. It’s a matter of interpretation or wording, but these are two headlines about a new Greenpeace study on the fact that flying in Europe is cheaper than talking the train in more than half of all […]
August 21, 2025
This year, 967,026 hectares of nature have already gone up in flames in the European Union – four times the average (244,011) since measurements began in 2006. Spain stands out with a staggering 4.4 times increase, or nearly 392,000 hectares of devastated land (and record fire emissions). Portugal is also severely affected (2.2 times its average), […]
August 20, 2025
As of October 1st, the city of Bruges will designate almost the entire city center as a cycling zone. The current 90 ‘bicycle streets’ will be expanded by an additional 300. Only the access roads to the city and the De Lijn route will be excluded from the expansion of the bicycle zone. This is […]
August 19, 2025
The Brussels Ring Road is only 75 km long, but it can be seen as a symbol of Belgium’s communal complexity. The Works Association (De Werkvennootschap), an entity within the Flemish government established to tackle complex projects, has just reached an agreement with the environmental organization Dryade on the redevelopment of the Brussels Ring Road, […]
August 18, 2025
A recent UCLA study discovered that the air around EV fast chargers in use had twice the amount of harmful fine particles typically found in an urban environment. Plugging an EV into a DC fast charger kicks up fine particles that pollute the air. Electric vehicles may be completely tailpipe emissions-free, but they still pollute […]
August 13, 2025
The European Space Agency (ESA) has successfully launched an Ariane 6 rocket from French Guiana, placing the four-ton MetOp-SG-A1 satellite into orbit around the Earth. The satellite will monitor weather, climate, and air pollution, marking an important step toward greater European independence in space and meteorology. More accurate measurements The MetOp-SG-A1 is equipped with six […]
August 12, 2025
Brussels is getting a new cycle highway: the C223 will connect Bockstael (Laeken) with the former Kuregem station (Anderlecht) along railway line 28, which runs between Schaerbeek station and Brussels-South. The 6.5 km long cycle and walking path, which is being constructed just now by the Brussels public works contractor Beliris, crosses five municipalities: the […]
August 11, 2025
Energy company Engie has successfully fired up its new combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant in Flémalle, near Liège, for the first time, completing extensive tests of all essential systems. The first ignition marks the transition from the construction phase to the operational testing phase. By November, the plant is expected to add approximately 875 […]
August 07, 2025
According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, July 2025 was the third‑hottest July on record globally, trailing only behind July 2023 and July 2024. Regional anomalies included a record high of 50.5°C in Turkey, historic heatwaves in Sweden and Finland, and numerous wildfires across Southeast Europe. The average global surface air temperature for the month […]
August 07, 2025
The Italian government has approved the project to build a 3.3-kilometer suspension bridge across the Strait of Messina. It will be the longest suspension bridge in the world, connecting Sicily to the Italian mainland. The project, scheduled for completion by 2032, has a price tag of € 13.5 billion. The arrival of the bridge, already […]
August 06, 2025
American President Donald Trump is reportedly planning to end two key climate-monitoring satellites, including one that would be destroyed in orbit. This would severely compromise global carbon monitoring at minimal budgetary savings, and provoke both legal challenges and widespread scientific concern. Trump plans to terminate both of NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatories—OCO‑2, a free-flying satellite, and […]
August 04, 2025
Negotiations between 175 countries will begin tomorrow in Geneva, Switzerland, on an international and historic treaty aimed at drastically reducing plastic pollution. A legally binding treaty is expected to be ready within two weeks, marking a breakthrough comparable to the Paris Climate Agreement. Plastic pollution is a massive environmental problem. From plastic bags in the stomachs of sea […]
August 01, 2025
Heathrow Airport in London wants to expand for 49 billion pounds, or more than 56 billion euros. The plan includes the construction of a controversial third runway of 3,5 kilometers, which is expected to cost at least 24 billion euros. A new terminal will also have to be built, current facilities will have to be […]
July 30, 2025
An analysis by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) of CO2 fleet emissions for new cars in H1 of 2025 shows that the car industry currently exceeds the EU limit by nine percent. This breach should actually trigger fines payable to the European Union. Due to the recent flexibilisation, that will not happen. The […]
July 30, 2025
Belgian postal services, Bpost, has ordered 500 new electric vehicles, which are expected to arrive in the fall. As a result, the postal company’s fleet of EVs will soon exceed 3,000 units. According to the company, this makes Bpost’s fleet not only the most significant operational fleet in Belgium, but also the greenest. As a […]
July 29, 2025
It was already known that the Flemish government provides compensation support to major CO2 emitters. But according to the newspaper De Standaard, that support has increased from 36 million euros in 2019 to almost 270 million euros today. The top 10 beneficiaries include large companies, such as ArcelorMittal, BASF, ExxonMobil, and TotalEnergies. The support concerns the […]
July 28, 2025
The German parcel and postal group DHL has doubled its fleet of electric Ford vans with the addition of 2,400 units, bringing the total to 4,900 vehicles. In total, DHL has a fleet of 35,000 e-vans in Germany. Both the larger Ford E-Transit and the more compact E-Transit Custom are part of this new expansion. […]
July 28, 2025
Qatar is threatening to stop gas supplies to the European Union. The threat comes in response to the European duty of care law on forced labor and environmental damage. This is evident from a letter from Qatar to the Belgian government, which was seen by Reuters news agency. Qatar is the world’s third-largest exporter of […]
July 28, 2025
Mary Kay Cosmetics Incorporated, the famous American cosmetics company known for rewarding its best salespeople with a pink Cadillac, now offers them an electric version. Mary Kay Ash (born Mary Kathlyn Wagner, May 12, 1918 – November 22, 2001) was an American businesswoman and founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics Inc. The company was founded in […]
July 25, 2025
Car manufacturer Stellantis, with brands such as Peugeot, Citroën, Opel, Jeep, and Fiat, will cease production of combustion engines at its Douvrin facility in the northern French department of Pas-de-Calais. The approximately 350 employees at the site will be transferred to the nearby ACC gigafactory, a joint venture for battery production, or to other sites […]
July 25, 2025
BMW has announced a new update for the My BMW App and MINI App, introducing a feature that allows drivers to view their carbon footprint. It’s designed for use with traditional ICE vehicles as well as BEVs and plug-in hybrids. “Our usage research shows: The information in My Trips is one of the most popular […]
July 24, 2025
Electra, operator of charging stations for electric vehicles, is taking out a green loan of up to €433 million to finance its future growth. The funding will be used to accelerate the rollout of high-quality infrastructure further. This transaction brings the total financing raised by Electra since its inception to over €1 billion. Electra’s network currently includes […]
July 23, 2025
Energy and petrochemical company Shell has left the Science-Based Targets Initiative. This non-profit organization assists companies worldwide in developing strategies to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 and combat the dangers of global warming. “Science-based targets show businesses how much and how quickly they need to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to prevent the worst effects […]
July 23, 2025
Charleroi Airport has received a new environmental permit from the Walloon government. The permit for Brussels South Charleroi Airport is valid for 20 years. The cargo-specialized Liège Airport has also received a new environmental permit. The new permit comes with several conditions related to noise pollution and the environment. Adjusted noise rules and quota to […]
July 22, 2025
According to a new study by the Copenhagen-based analytics company Sea-Intelligence, carbon emissions from container ships operating in the European Union rose significantly in 2024. Last year, the ships listed in the EU emissions database emitted 52.8 million tons of CO2, representing a 46% increase from the previous year.” The ongoing crisis in the Red […]
July 22, 2025
The Belgian government is proposing a 61 million euro rescue package for Lineas, Europe’s largest private rail freight operator. Without that convertible loan, a loan that can be converted into shares of the company, bankruptcy is looming for the Belgian company. The loan will be made through SFPIM, the Sovereign Wealth Fund of Belgium. That […]
July 22, 2025
As part of the summer agreement, the Belgian government, under the leadership of Bart De Wever (N-VA), has approved the renewal of the boarding tax on flights. This is what the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws reports. The agreement also confirms that the tax applies retroactively: even those who have already purchased their ticket may be […]
July 18, 2025
The new environmental permit for Brussels Airport has been annulled by the Council for Permit Disputes, an independent Flemish administrative court. The Council thereby agrees with Brussels Airlines. The airline found that the stricter environmental conditions, including an annual ceiling on the number of flight movements and the tightening of night flights, restricted its operations […]
July 17, 2025
France is heading towards a fourth lawsuit in the Dieselgate saga. After Volkswagen, Peugeot-Citroën, and Renault, it’s Fiat-Chrysler’s turn to be investigated for fraudulent software in some of their diesel cars. The manufacturer contests “the entire jurisdictional argumentation”. Fiat-Chrysler is suspected of having commercialised between 2014 and 2017 diesel vehicles of the brands Fiat, Alfa […]
July 16, 2025
PostNL has announced that starting Tuesday, it will deliver emission-free throughout Amsterdam’s city center by using electric vehicles. More specifically, it concerns the entire area within the A10 beltway, an area that is 3.5 times larger than the official zero-emission zone of the municipality of Amsterdam. Since the beginning of this year, PostNL has been delivering […]
July 15, 2025
A new study carried out by DNV, on behalf of Transport &Environment, has shown that Europe’s ports are failing to tackle toxic air pollution. The study reveals that only 20% of the EU’s required electric shore power infrastructure has been installed in major ports, meaning most container ships, cruise ships, and ferries continue to run […]
July 15, 2025
Good news, EV Belgium, the sector federation for electromobility, heralds: Europe will officially have more than one million public charging points this summer. This also means that traveling with an electric car has never been easier. According to the European Alternative Fuels Observatory, every EV driver can enjoy a carefree holiday this summer with their […]
July 14, 2025
Self-driving shuttle buses will be operating in Leuven before the end of this year. The vehicles will be able to seat eight passengers and will drive around the city center. With this pilot project, Leuven is following the example of other European cities, such as Zurich, Barcelona, and Paris. The project is part of the […]
July 14, 2025
The Paris prosecutor’s office has asked for a third lawsuit in the so-called dieselgate scandal. After Volkswagen and Peugeot-Citroën (part of Stellantis now), it’s Renault’s turn. The French manufacturer denies any infringement. Renault has supposedly “specially calibrated” Euro 5 and Euro 6 vehicles sold between 2009 and 2017 to pass the legal tests, but they […]
July 11, 2025
There’s a scientific consensus that electric vehicles are the cleanest form of propulsion. A new study by the International Council on Clean Transportation now shows that their climate advantage is growing faster than previously assumed. Today’s EVs sold in Europe emit 73% fewer greenhouse gases over their lifetime compared to petrol cars. The reason is […]
July 11, 2025
More and more EU countries are concerned about the new European tax on CO2 emissions, but there is no support for postponing it. ETS2 is the European Union’s carbon tax, planned for introduction in 2027, which will make the use of fossil fuels more expensive for consumers. The new tax is an extension of the existing […]
July 10, 2025
Two satellites developed in the Netherlands will soon map global greenhouse gas emissions. By collecting and sharing information about greenhouse gases, everyone will know who is and isn’t complying with the Paris Climate Agreement. The launch was initially planned for 2027, but has been postponed to 2028. The two agile satellites are known as the ‘Twin […]
July 10, 2025
Ombuds Brussels, the institution responsible for overseeing good governance in the Brussels Region, has launched several concrete proposals aimed at increasing consideration of vulnerable groups about the low-emission zone (LEZ). For example, Ombuds advocates that it should be possible to buy a day pass through non-digital channels. Additionally, all violators should receive a warning before […]
July 08, 2025
Rainer Zietlow, a 55-year-old man from Mannheim (Germany), wants to prove that you can get anywhere with an electric car and that you can even travel around the world with it. His goal is to break the world record for the number of countries he visits in a single trip with an electric vehicle. He intends to […]
July 08, 2025
Energy provider Energy Vision is permitted to install 2,500 charging stations for electric cars at the railway company NMBS/SNCB’s station car parks. This was reported by the newspaper De Tijd. The charging stations, with a total of 5,000 charging points (with the possibility of expansion), are expected to be operational by 2032. The project involves a concession […]
July 08, 2025
According to a new study by the clean transport and energy lobbying group Transport & Environment (T&E), the European car industry, which is responsible for €330 billion of the EU’s GDP and employs three million people directly or indirectly, faces an agonizing choice. It can boost and ramp up EV production with proper EU support, […]
July 02, 2025
The French-speaking liberal party MR wants to relaunch mining in Belgium. They advocate rebuilding a full value chain, from mine to recycling. After all, the energy transition is driving up demand for metals, and Europe needs to reduce its dependence on China in particular, according to the party’s study center. “If we have an idea […]
July 02, 2025
The European Commission has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040 and to incorporate this target into the European Climate Law. However, with the possibility of achieving part of that reduction in third countries outside the EU through so-called ‘carbon credits’. The European Commission, which will present this strategy on Wednesday, is […]
July 01, 2025
Flemish public transport operator De Lijn is becoming greener without having to do anything about it. As of today, the private bus operators that provide rides on behalf of De Lijn are deploying 588 new electric buses on De Lijn’s network. According to the Federation of Belgian Bus and Coach Operators (FBAA), this is “the […]
June 30, 2025
The pedestrian zone in the center of Brussels, between Place Fontainas and Boulevard Adolphe Max, has been in place for ten years since Sunday. The zone has since become one of the busiest in the capital, but it has also been criticized for being too focused on tourists and events, rather than on residents. Additionally, […]
June 27, 2025
The increase in the flight tax that the De Wever government wants to introduce will cost Brussels Airlines 1 million euros. So, write the business newspapers L’Echo and De Tijd. Indeed, it turns out that the increase also applies to tickets that were already purchased before the introduction of the new law, usually on July […]
June 26, 2025
The Berlin Constitutional Court has ruled that an initiative to make the city largely car-free is legal, paving the way for organizers to collect signatures for a referendum. The draft law is thus compatible with the Berlin Constitution, the Basic Law, and federal law. Now, the initiators can further pursue their legislative proposal for a […]
June 25, 2025
A new study commissioned by the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) reveals that making particle filters mandatory in Europe’s dirtiest home heating method – wood burning – would deliver significant public health benefits at a fraction of household incomes. High fossil fuel prices have pushed many low-income and rural households back to wood as their primary […]
June 25, 2025
Although the average CO2 emissions per passenger per km are on average up to 10 times higher for a private jet flight compared to a regular scheduled flight, the demand for private flights in Belgium is five times higher than in the rest of Europe. According to the business newspaper L’Echo, which bases its figures […]
June 24, 2025
A survey of HR service provider Acerta shows that the CO2 emissions of company cars have diminished by one-third in two years. The reason is apparent: since mid-2023, only zero-emission vehicles are 100% tax deductible. This has also resulted in a spectacularly increased presence of EVs in Belgium’s professional car market. The Acerta study is […]
June 24, 2025
According to a new European Environmental Agency (EEA) report released on Tuesday, more than 20% of Europeans – more than one in five – are exposed to unhealthy levels of transport noise. When measured against stricter World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations, this figure rises to over 30%, or nearly one in three citizens. “Extremely high […]
June 24, 2025
The US Supreme Court has revived a challenge by fuel producers against California’s strict vehicle emissions rules, casting doubt on the state’s planned 2035 ban on new gasoline cars. The ruling could significantly impact EV policy leadership in the largest US car market. The conservative-dominated Supreme Court has granted fuel producers the right to challenge […]
June 19, 2025
Steel giant Arcelor Mittal is considering closing its innovative Steelanol plant in Ghent, a prestigious showpiece for the company’s decarbonization strategy. The plant, which converts CO2 from blast furnace gases into ethanol, is struggling with strict and unfavorable European regulations, threatening to make the project financially unsustainable. The Steelanol plant captures residual gases from the […]
June 18, 2025
Two years after the European consumer organization BEUC filed a complaint, airlines are still engaging in greenwashing, or using misleading environmental claims, according to Testaankoop/Test Achats and its European umbrella organization, BEUC. While the situation has “slightly improved,” greenwashing remains the norm in the airline industry, according to the consumer organizations. Still a widespread practice […]
June 17, 2025
According to CEO Brieuc de Meeûs, the Brussels public transport company MIVB/STIB will launch a tender next week to order 300 new all-electric buses. This is stated in several media outlets, including Le Soir and Bruzz. The plan is to deploy the new buses in 2028 and 2029. Some 450 fully electric MIVB/STIB buses are […]
June 17, 2025
In its annual Global Automaker Rating, the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) assessed how the 21 largest original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are progressing in their transition to electric vehicles. It shows the force with which China’s OEMs are shaking up the market. Since 2023, the ICCT has presented an annual manufacturer assessment of the […]
June 16, 2025
Flanders will become the new largest shareholder of Brussels Airport. Through its investment company PMV, it will invest 2,77 billion euros in the airport located in Flemish Zaventem, acquiring a 39% stake in the airport operator. “We want to be in the cockpit when it comes to the future of our airport. If we don’t […]
June 13, 2025
Supermarket chain Colruyt is going to switch its current fleet of diesel trucks to HVO100 biodiesel – 100% Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil, which is made entirely from biomass. The HVO100 diesel reduces CO₂ emissions by up to 90% compared to conventional diesel and fits into existing diesel engines without technical modifications. It is yet another transitional measure […]
June 13, 2025
After a year of dragging its feet on greening its fleet, the Flemish public transport company now seems to be reaching full cruising speed in terms of curbing its CO2. On top of the 230 new buses currently being delivered, De Lijn is ordering another 290 electric buses. This investment of 185 million euros aligns […]
