EU climate change News

Growing ‘Greenlash’ Fuels Fears for Europe’s Environmental Ambitions

A growing ‘greenlash’ against Europe’s environmental agenda has not so far derailed its decarbonization plans, but looming elections could put future climate and nature measures at risk. The European Union (EU) has burnished its role as a leader on climate …

EU Companies Get New ESG Rules Aimed at Addressing Climate Risks

Tens of thousands of companies operating in Europe face new requirements to report their operations’ ESG impacts as the European Union advances a plan to address climate change and environmental degradation through increased transparency and market pressures. The European Commission …

Executive Bonuses in Crosshairs in New CO2 Proposal: ESG Regulation

Executives will face bonus cuts if the companies they run fail to hit climate transition targets, under a new European Union proposal that greatly expands the range of levers regulators can draw on to meet terms of the Paris Agreement. …

EU Lawmakers Back Human Rights, Environmental Checks for Big Companies

European Union lawmakers on Tuesday backed rules requiring thousands of large companies to identify and mitigate human rights abuses like child labor or slavery, and environmental damage by suppliers. The European Parliament’s legal affairs committee voted to approve the draft …

EU Regulators Set Out Ideas to Help Plug Climate ‘Insurance Gap’

Issuing “catastrophe bonds” and setting up public-private partnerships could help plug the “insurance gap” to better cover damage from climate change, a discussion paper from the European Central Bank and European Union insurance regulators said on Monday. Only a quarter …

Climate Activists Tell Insurance CEOs to Stop Covering Carbon Projects ‘Immediately’

A group of climate activists has called on 30 insurance company bosses to “immediately” stop underwriting new fossil fuel projects in the wake of a stark climate warning from U.N. scientists, a letter seen by Reuters showed. Insure our Future, …

EU Proposes Clampdown on Companies Using Misleading ‘Green’ Labels

The European Commission proposed rules on Wednesday that would require companies in Europe to back up climate-friendly claims about their products with evidence, to stamp out misleading green labels for products from clothing to cosmetics and electronic goods. The proposed …

EU Prepares for Climate Stress Test That Includes Insurers

The European Union is starting to prepare the region’s next stress test to measure the financial sector’s readiness for climate change, with the exercise set to involve the insurance industry for the first time. The European Commission last week asked …

G20-Backed Standards Body Approves First Global Company Sustainability Rules

The G20-backed International Sustainability Standards Board on Thursday approved “global baseline” rules for firms disclosing how climate change affects their business, after calls to curb greenwashing in a “pivotal” year for climate reporting. Subject to ‘balloting’, or standard checks before …

EU Lawmakers Want to Extend Reach of Draft ESG Oversight of Corporations

A panel of European Union lawmakers on Thursday backed an amendment to extend the reach of groundbreaking draft legislation to force companies to check whether their suppliers use slave or child labor, or pollute the environment. The EU’s executive European …