Climate Change and Environment

A new report has mapped the development of renewable technology innovation in terms of costs, patents and standards, offering valuable insight to policymakers.

Our warming planet will lead to more frequent extremes in hot or dry weather. But what happens to make both droughts and heat waves occur together, and how does precipitation affect this? A recent study explains.

A game-changing toolbox is helping hydropower managers, planners and decision-makers achieve efficient sediment management.

An EU-funded report outlines how current regulations and policies affect the operation of local energy communities (LECs) in Europe, highlighting the need for a holistic approach.

EU backing has helped to scale up production of a new microalgae strain with a higher protein content and better organoleptic properties than the wild type.

A demo site in northern Sweden showcases fossil-free district heating and cooling with a fuel cell-powered data centre set up for the recovery of waste heat.

A potentially invaluable resource for forest biodiversity and bioeconomy policymakers, a new data set shows current distributions of 67 European tree species and predicts their future distribution under two emissions scenarios.

An NGO is using school presentations and beach clean-ups to reduce plastic pollution on Dutch Caribbean island territory Sint Maarten.

A new financing scheme launched in Poland supports energy renovations in buildings for better living conditions and lower emissions for 20 years or more.

Researchers have provided the first-ever projections of coastal erosion across the entire Arctic until the end of the century. According to their findings, more and more land mass is being lost with each degree of warming.

An EU-backed project is developing a tool that connects biomass heating supply chain stakeholders. Called e-Market Environment, it is just one of the project’s tools aimed at promoting the spread of bioenergy heating technologies in Europe.

Paving the way for more environmentally friendly materials in future electromechanical devices, EU-backed researchers have found a new way to induce the piezoelectric effect in materials ordinarily not considered to be piezoelectric.

Europe and Africa join hands in an EU-backed initiative to fund 13 new renewable energy research and innovation projects on the African continent.

Could there be a cost-efficient, eco-friendly alternative to today’s solar power technology? Quite possibly, thanks to a much more efficient solar cell developed by EU-backed researchers.

Decision-makers preparing for the take-off of drone technologies in their cities can now visualise their urban airspaces in three dimensions, all thanks to a new geo-information tool.

With its new Voyage Energy Planner, an EU-backed project helps inland waterway vessel owners plan zero-emission voyages using its innovative swappable battery containers.

The EU-funded OPERANDUM project is demonstrating nature-based solutions (NBSs) for mitigating climate-related hazards and inspiring people to take action.

Taking a major step towards a more sustainable tyre industry, an EU-funded project has produced the world’s first sustainable carbon black (sCB) material in a truly circular process.

Water covers two thirds of the planet, more than enough to supply every human alive – if only it wasn’t so salty. With climate change and population growth putting traditional water sources under pressure, our expert reveals why desalination is still a pipe dream.

According to a new study, hundreds of deaths were likely avoided thanks to lower air pollution levels resulting from Europe’s first COVID-19 lockdown phase.