December 29, 2025
While millions of people try to reduce their ecological footprint – by saving energy, buying fewer clothes, and sorting waste – the world’s wealthiest continue to emit the same amount of carbon as the average person does in a year by going on holiday just once. In other words, while ordinary citizens are encouraged or […]
December 23, 2025
The automotive sector will introduce a new environmental contribution to battery recycling from electric and hybrid vehicles starting in 2026. This was reported by Febelauto, the automotive sector’s management body for end-of-life vehicles and their batteries. This new contribution is in addition to the environmental contribution from the vehicle’s sustainable recycling. For a fully electric passenger […]
December 17, 2025
In Ghent (Belgium), more than 250 residents will be measuring air quality in and around their homes for three months. This pilot project, called ‘Luchtmeters’ (Air meters), aims to map particulate matter pollution (PM 2.5), an essential source of pollution from wood stoves, traffic, and industry. The pilot is also intended to share experiences and raise […]
December 16, 2025
Flemish arable land, intensively cultivated and driven over by heavy machinery, has the lowest soil carbon stock per hectare, particularly in the topsoil. Even the average Flemish garden performs better. Frequent tillage, heavy machinery, and limited long-term organic inputs accelerate the decomposition of organic matter, thereby increasing CO₂ emissions. This is evident from the latest […]
December 12, 2025
Europe will no longer hold on to its long-promised ban on new registrations of gasoline and diesel cars as of 2035. The Commission has settled for a rewrite, now demanding that the average vehicle sold will be obliged to emit 90% less CO2 after that deadline. Pitched as a measure to safeguard jobs in the […]
December 11, 2025
TotalEnergies’ lawyers have, in turn, presented their arguments in the so-called ‘Farmer case’, the lawsuit brought by Hugues Falys, an organic farmer from Hainaut, against the French oil giant. Falys holds the energy company responsible for climate change and, consequently, for the storms and droughts that have significantly impacted his business. According to them, a […]
December 11, 2025
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has quietly rewritten its climate-change pages, removing or downplaying the scientific consensus that human emissions of greenhouse gases are the dominant cause of current global warming. Under pressure from US President Donald Trump, climate science is being rewritten step by step, and some essential aspects on the EPA’s website have […]
December 11, 2025
Last week, President Donald Trump’s administration proposed loosening federal fuel-economy standards, giving automakers a reprieve from stringent emissions rules and prompting some analysts and environmental organizations to say the change could mean the return of the gas-guzzler. Trump and Department of Transportation officials said automakers might now be required to meet an average of 34.5 […]
December 10, 2025
Sustainability saves lives and the global economy. Investing in a sustainable planet could extend millions of lives, end hunger, and ultimately generate trillions of dollars a year for the worldwide economy. That is the conclusion of 287 scientists from 82 countries in the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) ‘s Global Environmental Outlook, the most comprehensive report […]
December 09, 2025
Six EU member states have urged the European Commission in a letter to weaken the planned 2035 ban on new registrations of internal combustion engine cars. The signatories are primarily from Central and Eastern European countries. A group of six EU member states is urging the European Commission to permit the sale of hybrid vehicles […]
December 08, 2025
In the future, Brussels’ Maximilian Park will also serve as a source of heating and cooling for the surrounding buildings. Test drilling will begin today as part of the park’s energy transition in the North District. Be.SHARE, a project for a low-temperature network, aims to drastically reduce CO2 emissions in the district by replacing fossil […]
December 05, 2025
There is an EU agreement for a system like the Belgian Car-Pass, at least if it is up to the European transport ministers. With this initiative, Europe aims to tackle odometer fraud in second-hand vehicles across the European Union. The mandatory registration system is primarily based on the operating principles of the Belgian Car-Pass, a […]
December 03, 2025
On Tuesday, the German premium car manufacturer BMW set a new 2035 milestone to cut CO2-equivalent emissions on the road to net zero. By 2035, the Munich-based company wants to emit at least 60 million tons of CO2 equivalents less than in 2019 – CO2 equivalents (CO2e) account for not only carbon dioxide but also […]
November 27, 2025
According to Ryanair, Belgium is pricing itself out of the market now that the De Wever government has decided that the flight tax will be €10 for all flights from 2027, while other countries are reducing or completely scrapping their taxes. However, the Irish low-cost airline’s comment should be taken with a grain of salt. […]
November 26, 2025
The US government is trying to roll back the particulate matter limits set by former President Joe Biden. The 2024 rule had cut the allowable ambient concentration of PM2.5 from 12 µg/m³ to 9 µg/m³ — a move aimed at significantly reducing air pollution and protecting public health. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), now headed by a director appointed by […]
November 26, 2025
The trial in the case brought by Hugues Falys, a farmer from Hainaut, against oil giant TotalEnergies has only just begun, but has already taken a surprising turn. The judges who were to preside over the case will be replaced. The reason for this reshuffle? One of the three judges on the court has withdrawn […]
November 25, 2025
From 2027, the air passenger tax in Belgium will increase for flights over 500 kilometers from €5 to €10 per departing passenger. This is the second time in this legislative period that the federal government will increase the tax on airline tickets. Brussels Airlines points out that it cannot pay the additional tax out of its […]
November 24, 2025
What was supposed to be the climate summit of truth ended this weekend in Belém, Brazil, with a highly vague closing statement that offered no concrete commitments. In other words, COP30 in Belém ended with a weak but not-zero deal. It modestly advances climate finance and “just transition” issues, but ducks the central question of a phase-out […]
November 21, 2025
Ghent ranks third in the Copenhagenize Index of the world’s most bicycle-friendly cities, after Utrecht and Copenhagen. The index is compiled every two years by the Danish consultancy Copenhagenize Desing Co., an agency specializing in bicycle strategy, urban planning, and mobility, and is considered an international benchmark. Antwerp ranks eighth. Brussels, the only other Belgian […]
November 20, 2025
The trial of Hugues Falys, a farmer from Hainaut, against TotalEnergies has begun before the Commercial Court of Tournai. At the beginning of 2024, with the support of Greenpeace and others, the farmer sued the French multinational for his role in climate change. The first climate case brought by a citizen against a multinational in […]
November 19, 2025
Belgium ranks 37th on the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), the annual ranking of climate performance by environmental NGOs. This means the country has dropped two places compared to last year. The CCPI evaluates the climate‐mitigation performance of 63 countries plus the European Union (EU) — together covering more than 90 % of global greenhouse […]
November 18, 2025
The city of Antwerp has drawn up its first specific ‘pedestrian program’. The program aims to increase the number of journeys made on foot. The program is an important part of the desired ‘modal shift’, in which journeys by private car are replaced as much as possible by more sustainable alternatives. Because “if we make […]
November 14, 2025
French multinational Air Liquide, a company with a strong focus on innovation and the energy transition, has started up an ammonia cracker in the Antwerp-Bruges port area. This is a pilot plant that cracks ammonia and converts it into hydrogen. According to Air Liquide, this is a world first, and the project will save more than […]
November 14, 2025
The Flemish and Walloon governments reached an agreement at the beginning of this month with some of the largest CO2 emitters in Belgian industry on the capture, storage, and transport of carbon dioxide, also known as CCUS. The agreement was signed yesterday at building materials manufacturer Holcim in Obourg, near Mons, by Flemish Minister-President Matthias […]
November 13, 2025
Electricity will become an increasingly important energy source over the next ten years, according to the International Energy Agency. The agency expects electricity demand to grow by at least 40 percent between now and 2035. We will use more and more electricity for air conditioning, industry, electric mobility, data centers, and electric heating. The switch […]
November 12, 2025
If current trends continue, the demand for air conditioning could triple by 2050. This is the warning from the Global Cooling Watch 2050 study, published by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) on the sidelines of COP30, the UN climate summit that started on Monday in Belem, Brazil. The increase is thought to be due to population […]
November 11, 2025
Twenty-one European airlines have committed to stop making claims in relation to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions deemed misleading, the European Commission said on Friday. The airlines include some of the largest in Europe, such as Lufthansa (parent company of Brussels Airlines), Ryanair, KLM, and Air France. In May, the Belgian Federal Public Service Economy’s economic inspectorate, […]
November 07, 2025
The European Commission wants to accelerate the rollout of the high-speed rail network by 2040. By significantly reducing travel times between European capitals, rail is set to become a more attractive alternative to short-haul flights. The ambitious plan also includes a new high-speed connection between Lisbon and Paris via Madrid. This would allow train passengers […]
November 06, 2025
On the eve of the UN climate summit in Brazil, the EU climate ministers reached an agreement on a 2040 climate target on Wednesday morning. The EU member states have agreed to the European Commission’s proposal to reduce CO2 emissions by 90 percent by 2040 compared to 1990. However, the agreement has been weakened in several areas. […]
November 05, 2025
In March, the Mobility Committee of the Brussels Parliament already reached a consensus: Villo!, the public bike-sharing system, is underperforming and urgently needs to be replaced. A new report by the Brussels Institute for Statistics and Analysis (IBSA) now confirms this negative trend. Between 2018 and 2024, Villo! rented out no less than 40,2% fewer […]
November 03, 2025
Thanks to the Paris Climate Agreement, our planet is no longer heading toward a catastrophic 4 degrees of warming, but is still facing an additional 2.6 degrees Celsius. That is what climate specialists from the World Weather Attribution and Climate Central have calculated. Ten years ago, the Paris Climate Agreement was signed. World leaders pledged […]
October 31, 2025
“The United Nations’ Green Climate Fund (GCF) has had a record year in terms of approving projects in countries vulnerable to climate change, thanks in part to reforms that have reduced bureaucratic hurdles,” said its Executive Director, Mafalda Duarte, in an interview with AFP. GCF, founded in 2015 and based in Songdo (South Korea), is the […]
October 30, 2025
The Flemish public transport company De Lijn continues to rack up fines for violations of the low-emission zone (LEZ). In the first six months of this year, it has already paid almost 150,000 euros in fines, more than double the total spent in 2024. De Lijn will also have to pay LEZ fines next year. After […]
October 30, 2025
According to the American billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates, global warming “is not going to lead to the disappearance of humanity”. While climate change will have “serious consequences, particularly for people in the poorest countries, […] people will be able to live and prosper on most of the planet in the near future,” writes Bill […]
October 29, 2025
The lack of action on climate change claims millions of lives every year and puts health care systems under strain. “The climate crisis has become a health crisis,” states the latest Lancet Countdown report, published today in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). The Lancet researchers have found that 12 of 20 key indicators tracking […]
October 28, 2025
The German car lobby is pushing an unusual idea to boost sales of plug-in hybrids as the EU seeks to measure their real-life emissions more accurately. The proposal? A legal obligation for plug-in hybrid drivers to charge their cars regularly. The punishment for not abiding by that obligation is reduced power. A creative solution, but […]
October 23, 2025
Despite the high cost, Belgian urban families are increasingly opting for cargo bikes. According to figures from the mobility federation Traxio, sales in Belgium have skyrocketed over the past two years, rising by more than 66%, from 9,585 units in 2022 to 15,246 in 2024. The success of the cargo or longtail bike for the […]
October 23, 2025
Michael Jost, former head of VW Group’s product strategy, recently addressed the car industry, policymakers, and the general public at the E4Testival in Germany. His message was clear: “There is no alternative for electromobility and the so-called technology openness is an illusion.” His discourse was titled “Electrify the world – think bigger.” He asked his […]
October 22, 2025
The European Commission will propose measures to mitigate the impact of its new carbon tax on citizens and businesses. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wants to alleviate fears of price increases and provide Member States with resources to support families by adjusting the implementation of the CO2 tax. The aim is to save the […]
October 22, 2025
Criticized by some and cherished by others, the low-emission zone (LEZ) in Brussels is having the desired effect, according to the annual evaluation by Brussels Environment. The LEZ is leading to faster fleet renewal and better air quality in the Brussels-Capital Region. An average of 360,000 unique vehicles drive in the LEZ every day. Just […]
October 21, 2025
Belgian victims of the Dieselgate scandal who still want to file a claim for €1,000 in compensation need to hurry, because the deadline of Sunday, October 26th, is fast approaching. However, the victims themselves do not seem to be losing any sleep over it. According to the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, only 2,400 Belgians have […]
October 20, 2025
The vote on a carbon tax for international shipping, known as the Net-Zero Framework (NZF), has been postponed for a year. This was decided on Friday in London by the member states of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the maritime branch of the United Nations. The postponement comes under pressure from US President Donald Trump. […]
October 16, 2025
The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere increased by a record amount in 2024, potentially further warming the planet and leading to more extreme climate events. The concentration of greenhouse gases in the air increased by 3.5 ppm (parts per million) between 2023 and 2024 – the highest increase since modern measurements began in 1957. […]
October 15, 2025
The Court of Audit, responsible for external control of the budgetary, accounting, and financial transactions of Belgian governments, has reviewed the Flemish plans for renewable energy. The institution also examined the financial support for renewable energy. Between 2014 and 2023, almost 13 billion euros in support for renewable energy were granted in Flanders. And 11.2 […]
October 13, 2025
The United States is threatening sanctions if the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations’ maritime branch, votes this week in London to adopt the Net-Zero Framework definitively. This framework aims to make shipping greener through a carbon tax. Sixty-three countries have already expressed their support for the plan, including Belgium. Sixteen countries, including Russia […]
October 13, 2025
The death of coral reefs marks the first catastrophic climate tipping point linked to greenhouse gas emissions. “Unless global heating is reduced to 1.2 degrees Celsius ‘as fast as possible’, warm water coral reefs will not remain ‘at any meaningful scale’,” the Global Tipping Points Report by 160 scientists across 87 institutions from 23 countries […]
October 10, 2025
The head of Lufthansa does not believe the aviation sector will achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050. CEO Carsten Spohr attributes this to the slow development of technology and the increased availability of more sustainable aircraft fuels. The Lufthansa Group has set itself ambitious climate protection goals. The company aims to achieve a neutral CO2 […]
October 10, 2025
The listed energy company EnergyVision wants to invest more in wind turbines to complement its solar panels. EnergyVision is a Belgian energy company that supplies 100% green, locally produced electricity, primarily from solar installations installed for households and businesses in Belgium. In addition to solar panels and EV charging solutions, EnergyVision is now testing small rooftop wind […]
October 09, 2025
Global biofuels emit 16% more CO2 than the fossil fuels they replace, due to the indirect impacts of farming and deforestation, a new Cerulogy report on behalf of T&E shows. By 2030, biofuels are projected to emit 70 Mt CO₂e more than the fossil fuels they replace, equivalent to the annual emissions of almost 30 […]
October 08, 2025
There will be no evaluation of the low-emission zone (LEZ) in Ghent for the time being. This is according to Filip Watteeuw (Groen), alderman for Climate and Environment, among others. According to Watteeuw, there is currently too much legal uncertainty, which means that the city cannot and will not decide to evaluate the LEZ and make […]
October 08, 2025
According to the latest report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), growth in renewable energy is slowing due to policy changes in the United States and China. In its Renewables 2025 report, the IEA has lowered its projection for global renewable capacity additions in 2025–2030 by approximately 248 GW, or roughly 5%, compared to its 2024 outlook. In the […]
October 08, 2025
The European Commission wants to erect a tariff wall to protect the strategically important steel industry from global overcapacity. Welcomed by the European steel industry, which is in a state of survival, but met with skepticism by European carmakers who fear higher production costs. Specifically, the Commission wants to limit tariff-free imports of steel from […]
October 07, 2025
After more than a year of delays, the Belgian federal government and the regions of Flanders, Wallonia, and the Brussels-Capital Region have finalized the approval of the National Energy and Climate Plan (NEKP). At the same time, an agreement has also been reached on the distribution of funds from the European Social Climate Fund. Maron: […]
October 01, 2025
Starting today, Belgian postal company Bpost will deliver its parcels and mail in the 19 municipalities of Brussels completely emission-free. According to Bpost, this makes the capital the first European metropolis where postal workers make their daily rounds completely emission-free. 565 electric delivery vans and 57 electric bicycles with trailers make 728 rounds every day, […]
September 30, 2025
France is launching a new round of its social leasing plan for the purchase of electric cars, aimed at lower-income households. The system was also launched last year, but was suspended after about six weeks because the budget was quickly exhausted as the number of validated orders was much higher than expected. For this year, […]
September 29, 2025
Two Brussels mothers have launched WeCar.mobi, a free carpooling platform designed to make life a lot easier for parents. The platform enables you to coordinate carpooling for private groups, such as after-school activities, birthday parties, or sports matches, while also reducing your individual carbon footprint by sharing rides. Arranging transportation for your children to school and […]
September 26, 2025
China announced on Wednesday at the United Nations climate summit that it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7 to 10 percent by 2035, a figure the European Union considers insufficient. It was Chinese President Xi Jinping who presented the climate goals during a video address. It is the first time that China, currently the world’s […]
September 25, 2025
The Dieselgate ‘nightmare’ continues to haunt Volkswagen. Disadvantaged Volkswagen customers in France can still claim compensation five years after being informed that cheating software had been installed in their cars. This was ruled by the Court of Cassation, France’s highest Court. Previously, the limitation period for civil lawsuits related to the Dieselgate scandal was five […]
September 25, 2025
According to a 2025 report from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research (PIK), ocean acidification has now exceeded a safe boundary for ecosystems. It is the first time it is placed in the ‘danger zone’. This also means that seven out of the nine ‘planetary boundaries’ have now been crossed. This concept of ‘planetary boundaries’ […]
September 23, 2025
The Flemish government wants to collect an additional 50 million euros annually from speed trap fines. This is one of the mobility consequences of the September Declaration, the moment when the Flemish government proposes the 2026 budget. In addition, the Diependaele government is increasing the CO2 tax for trucks. The kilometer charge is expected to […]
