5 d. ago Once a global leader on climate action, the EU has given in to the right’s green

From deforestation to emissions trading, vital policies are being watered down in the name of ‘competitiveness’. But Europe is shooting itself in the footClimate action has long been a flagship European policy. As negotiators gather in Brazil for Cop30, however, Europe’s leadership risks faltering. Things were very different a decade ago in Paris, when a landmark deal to limit global heating to 1.5C was achieved at Cop21. That agreement relied on an understanding between the US and China – one that would be difficult to replicate today. Its ambition was elevated by Europe acting in concert with a broad coalition of global south countries.The Paris climate agreement paved the way for the European Green Deal in 2019, which enshrined into law the ambition of climate neutrality in the EU by 2050 and introduced the world’s first comprehensive plan to achieve it, featuring a robust set of pricing, regulatory and funding measures.Nathalie Tocci is a Guardian Europe columnist Continue readi...

Politics

1 week ago Another slip Keir? Starmer narrowly escapes a tumble as he arrives at COP30... before telling summit that Labour is 'all in' on Net Zero despite admitting climate consensus 'is gone'

In a speech to the global gathering in Belem, Brazil , the Prime Minister vowed the UK under his Government would be 'doubling down' on its climate commitments.

Politics

3 w. ago Government doubles down on green ambition as it unveils new UK climate plan

The ‘carbon budget and growth delivery plan’ outlines policies and measures aimed at reducing the UK’s planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

Politics

3 w. ago Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu manhunt live: Met Police takes over search for sex offender after London sighting

Cmdr James Conway says finding Kebatu, whose arrest sparked riots over the summer, is a ‘top priority’The number of prisoners released in error more than doubled in the year to March 2025, Government data shows.A report by His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) said 262 prisoners were released in error from April 2024 to March 2025, up from 115 in the year to March 2024.We’ve confirmed that Kebatu got off the London-bound train at Stratford station.We are examining CCTV from that area and further afield, including on the transport network, to establish information about his subsequent movements. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Poland’s birth rate is in freefall. The cause? A loneliness epidemic that state cash can’t solve | Anna Gromada

Bonuses for families have done nothing to fix a baby bust caused by post-communist Europe’s relationships crisisIn 2015, I found myself advising Poland’s president on the nation’s demographic woes: the country’s fertility rate had stalled at 1.3 children per woman, among the lowest in Europe. I thought I understood the problem. Most Polish couples wanted to have two kids but settled for one. The culprits, I believed, were predictable: precarious jobs, not enough childcare, apartment prices out of reach. At 27, flush with the confidence that comes from being both right and young, I sparred with politicians and policymakers twice my age, usually men, who insisted that women like me would reproduce if only the state threw enough cash into the cradle.We were all, it turned out, fighting the wrong battle. In the decade since then, unemployment in Poland has sunk to one of the lowest in the EU. Incomes have more than doubled. Nursery and childcare places are multiplying. The government no...

Politics

last month Brazil greenlights oil drilling in Amazon as environmentalists raise alarm

Conservationists argue president’s oil expansion plans clash with his image as a global leader on climate changeBrazil’s Petrobras has been given permission to drill for oil near the mouth of the Amazon River, casting a shadow over the country’s green ambitions as it prepares to host UN climate talks.Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the president, has come under fire from conservationists who argue his oil expansion plans clash with his image as a global leader on climate change. Continue reading...

Events