September 25, 2025
The French government has designated the French company TotalEnergies and the German RWE to build a large wind farm off the Normandy coast – the largest renewable energy project ever in France. RWE and TotalEnergies had been prequalified and are collaborating on the project’s design, development, and execution. TotalEnergies will act as operator. The project, […]
September 24, 2025
It’s a different way of promoting the green transition, in this case, in pink. The Sindh province in Pakistan, in the southeastern region of the country, has recently launched a bold new initiative aimed at transforming mobility for women. Female students and employees can now utilize a fleet of pink electric scooters at no cost. […]
September 23, 2025
The Belgian port, transport, and logistics sector is in complete transition toward decarbonization, sustainability, and digitalization. According to the new ING Port Study, the sector is embracing change but also faces several challenges. The study examines the factors that accelerate the implementation of greening and digitalization, as well as the barriers that exist. The aim was to gather […]
September 23, 2025
The recent car-free Sunday, on September 21st, once again proved that air quality is improving and noise pollution is decreasing, especially along Brussels’ busiest roads. The sound pressure dropped by 99 percent compared to a regular Sunday. The measuring stations on the E40 in Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe and the E411 in Oudergem recorded sound pressure levels of 50 […]
September 22, 2025
Chinese MG, although a forerunner in Europe when it comes to EVs, is going for the path of least resistance to make a little money on the side, feeding on the current anti-EV attitude of a certain (general) buyer public. It’s called the HS Hybrid+. This one, offered in two trims, Comfort (from €34,285) and […]
September 22, 2025
Droneport in Sint-Truiden, a 30-hectare industry park specifically for aviation, drone, advanced air mobility, and unmanned flight testing, wants to build its own solar park on the nearby site and company buildings. The business park aims to generate its own energy to fly electrically. An agreement in principle has been reached to launch the solar […]
September 22, 2025
If outgoing Brussels Minister of Mobility Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) has her way, the capital will become car-free not once but four times a year. Van den Brandt wants to discuss this with the mayors of the 19 municipalities. A poll also shows that most Brussels residents want several car-free days per year. In addition […]
September 19, 2025
According to a new study by the VUB University in Brussels, it is technologically possible to reduce CO₂ emissions from Belgian industry by 90 percent by 2040-2050, but it won’t be easy. We face major challenges to green our industry and keep it here. Cheaper electricity and large-scale CO₂ capture and storage (CCS) will be essential. […]
September 19, 2025
The city of Hasselt (Limburg) wants to make car sharing more attractive by temporarily, until December 15, 2025, reimbursing the start-up costs. Anyone who registers as a new user with Cambio or Cozywheels will receive a refund of their connection fees for the time being. At Cambio, the registration fee is 35 euros; at Cozywheels, it […]
September 17, 2025
On Tuesday, Port of Antwerp-Bruges organized the first fully autonomous truck journey on public roads in Belgium. This milestone, operated under the Belgian regulatory framework, showcases how Belgium – and Europe — can take the lead in advancing autonomous freight technology. With this initiative, the port authority wants to emphasise its pioneering role in the field of […]
September 17, 2025
According to a recent Swiss study published in early September in the scientific journal Nature, nearly one-quarter of heatwaves would have been ‘virtually impossible’ without global warming, and can be attributed to the emissions of individual energy producers. In other words, some recent heatwaves would never have occurred without the emissions of a few large […]
September 16, 2025
Eurostar, the European high-speed train operator, has just presented its 2024 sustainability report, with a clear focus on circularity. The company opts for sustainable materials and strategies when designing new terminals and lounges. And there’s another noteworthy initiative: surplus sandwiches will be processed and converted into craft beer. “Since May 2024, we have converted unused […]
September 16, 2025
The Walloon public transport company TEC has inaugurated the B2 line in Sart-Tilman, Liège, the first fully electric bus line in Wallonia. The bus line has its own infrastructure and priority at traffic lights. From now on, 14 articulated e-buses will run on this strategic axis between Guillemins station and Sart-Tilman/Botanique, which is used by […]
September 15, 2025
On September 21, Car-Free Sunday will be organized in various cities and municipalities in Belgium. To mark the occasion, NMBS/SNCB is offering a second-class return ticket for 8 euros. It is noteworthy that in Wallonia, only a few municipalities, such as Moranwelz, Le Bizet, and Ans, are participating in the initiative, while the entire Brussels-Capital […]
September 15, 2025
Only one in eight Belgian companies meets the regional targets for sustainable commuting by its staff. This is according to the first mobility index published by Securex, an HR service provider, and Vias, the knowledge institute for mobility and road safety. In general, Brussels companies score the best, Flemish companies average, and Walloon companies lag. Securex […]
September 15, 2025
At last Friday’s highly anticipated meeting of European carmakers with the EU Commission, President Ursula von der Leyen didn’t give in to the pressure to question the 2035 phase-out date of CO2-emitting cars and vans. Still, it was agreed to forward the formal review of the 2035 rules from 2026 to the end of 2025. […]
September 12, 2025
What was feared has come true: the Constitutional Court has suspended the ordinance postponing the tightening of the Brussels low-emission zone (LEZ). Among other things, the Court ruled that the ordinance could cause irreparable harm to one of the petitioners, a child with chronic asthma and allergies. The Court also referred to the ‘standstill’ principle […]
September 10, 2025
From January 1, there is a threat of stricter rules for low-emission zones (LEZ) in Antwerp and Ghent, even though the new coalition agreement stipulated that there would be no such tightening of the rules. Both the governing parties, N-VA and Vooruit, are urging Flemish Minister for the Environment Jo Brouns (CD&V) to provide clarity […]
September 10, 2025
Transport & Environment’s analysis of the 2023 European Environment Agency (EEA) data – covering 806,000 PHEVs – reveals that real-world CO₂ emissions are nearly five times higher than official test figures. This gap is driven by overly optimistic Utility Factors (UFs)—the assumed share of electric driving for plug-in hybrids—in official computations. The gap is widening Since […]
September 09, 2025
Some 150 leading companies from the e-mobility sector sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, asking the EU not to postpone the 2035 ban on combustion engines. The call to stick to the zero-emission target for cars and vans was prompted by a vote in the European Parliament, in which the […]
September 04, 2025
The capacity to store CO2 underground is much lower than initially thought. This is evident from a study published by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis and the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London, which appeared in the journal Nature. Underground carbon capture has long been marketed as a climate solution, as a way out […]
September 03, 2025
Air quality in the Brussels-Capital Region has improved over the past ten years. According to the latest Annual Report on Air Quality from Brussels Environment, the low-emission zone, the accelerated transition from diesel to other engines, the modal shift, and technological developments explain this positive trend. However, not all mandatory standards are being met, and […]
September 02, 2025
According to a recent report from energy thin tank Ember, China has installed 256 gigawatts of additional solar capacity in the first half of this year – more than two-thirds of the global total and more than double the amount installed in the first half of 2024. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), Chinese […]
August 29, 2025
On Thursday, the Innoptus Solar Team finished third in Adelaide at the World Solar Car Racing Championship. Due to the bad weather, the Belgians decided to start half an hour later to store more energy in their battery, but this dropped them from second to third place. They ultimately finished third in Adelaide, after a 3,021 km […]
August 27, 2025
In a letter addressed to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, European automotive manufacturers (ACEA) and suppliers (CLEPA) outlined their expectations for the upcoming Strategic Dialogue on the future of the European automotive industry, scheduled for 12 September. The associations ask for a new ‘transformation plan’ to save the European automotive […]
August 27, 2025
On Tuesday, work began to install a shore power installation at the cruise terminal on the Swedish Quay in Zeebrugge (Belgium). In the near future, cruise ships will be able to switch off their polluting diesel generators and fully utilize shore power. Shore power is an environmentally friendly and quiet way for ships to moor. It allows […]
August 27, 2025
A first-of-its-kind cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study by the University of Michigan and Ford, spanning vehicle types, classes, regions, and usage patterns, shows once again that battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) are always the greener choice when comparing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. No matter where you live in the US. Across regions and methods worldwide, recent […]
August 26, 2025
Northern Lights, a Norwegian project for storing CO2 under the seabed, has stored its first quantities of carbon dioxide. The international consortium, involving energy companies Equinor, Shell, and TotalEnergies, is the world’s first commercial carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and storage service (CCS). “We have reached an exciting milestone: We now injected and stored the very first […]
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 […]
