Central Europe / bneGREEN
Solar overtakes gas to become Hungary’s second largest source of energy - OWID
A decade ago, solar power was almost non-existent in Hungary. It generated just 0.2% of the country’s electricity. Nuclear, coal, and gas dominated the grid, Our World in Data (OWID) reports.
US EPA’s controversial Climate Crisis report is full of lies and mistakes
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a controversial report in July claiming the effects of the Climate Crisis were overblown. A fact check by Carbon Brief found it is full of lies and errors.
Mapping global drought risk - Statista
By 2050, more than 1.6bn people, including almost 20% of the African population, will be exposed to severe and extreme droughts, if a pessimistic scenario plays out, according to a report by INFORM Climate Change.
Forest carbon credits are facing a reckoning over albedo risks
Planting trees should reduce the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere right? Well, its not so easy as that. Trees also provide shade and prevent sunlight from reaching the ground that could reflect it back into space, cooling the plant.
EU faces worst wildfire season on record as over 1mn hectares burn
The European Union is enduring its most severe wildfire season since records began, with more than 1.01mn hectares of land scorched so far this year,
Renewables make up Dutch power supplies for the first time - OWID
For the first time, in 2024, more than half of the electricity produced in the Netherlands came from renewable sources, and almost all of it (45%) from solar and wind.
US DoE muddies the ClimateCrisis waters with report downplaying the emissions problem
As part of the Trump administration’s attempts to take the Climate Crisis off the agenda, the US Department of Energy has released a report downplaying the impact of fossil fuels on global warming.
IPCC releases dire sixth climate update in run-up to COP30
“Any further delay in global action to slow climate change and adapt to its impacts will miss a brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all”.
ICJ declares healthy environment is a human right in landmark climate ruling
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has issued a historic advisory opinion recognising a clean and sustainable environment as a human right, declaring that states which fail to curb emissions may be in violation of international law.
Earth overshoot day is already long past – Statista
July 24 marks this year's Earth Overshoot Day, the day that humanity’s demand for ecological resources exceeds the resources Earth can regenerate within that year, Statista reports. That day has already long passed.
World has less than three years to avert worst climate impacts, scientists warn
A new global climate report warns that the world is on the brink of irreversible damage. The findings come amid sluggish international action ahead of COP30.
Climate change trebled heat deaths in European heatwave
New research showed that 65% of estimated excess deaths resulted from climate change increasing temperatures by 1°C to 4°C.
Hungary faces renewed drought threat, jeopardising already fragile growth outlook
Conditions resemble the summer of 2022, when record drought coupled with heatwaves caused widespread crop damage and took a heavy toll on GDP.
Earth experiences steady stream of heat records - Statista
Heat records have become commonplace in meteorological record-keeping, while new cold records have become few and far between, Statista reports.
Poland rejects EU's 2040 emissions target as "unrealistic"
Poland will not support the European Union’s proposed 90% greenhouse gas emissions reduction target for 2040, calling it “unrealistic” and harmful to the country’s economic and energy security.
Water levels drop in Europe’s main rivers as heatwave hits cargo traffic
Both the Vistula in Poland and the Danube in Hungary, two of Europe’s biggest rivers, have reached record-low water levels as Europe’s unprecedented heatwave intensifies and starts to cause major economic damage.
Czech power grid suffers major power cut
A large-scale outage struck the Czech Republic’s electricity grid on July 4, temporarily cutting power to several regions, in what the country’s transmission system operator described as a rare and significant disruption.
Europe swelters in historic heatwave
Record-breaking temperatures for the time of year are likely to occur across a large part of western Europe in the coming days as a historically unprecedented heatwave intensifies.