In its original meaning of the Greek word κρίσις, a crisis is not just about a dramatic state of affairs, but also about judgment and choice. Gloom and decision are the two faces of the same coin. The current crisis is indeed leaving a heavy footprint on both nature and society. But it should also be viewed as a call for decisive action. This past month has revealed serious challenges to the EU’s corpus of green policies and reluctance f...

A recent Flash Eurobarometer survey on the “Attitudes towards biodiversity” may offer a clear message that the majority of EU citizens do not favour measures that undermine the conservation of Europe’s natural treasury. According to the Flash Eurobarometer 379, which was published earlier in November, “[r]oughly  three  quarters  of  Europeans  totally  agree  that  the  EU  should  better  inform citizens about the importanc...

Despite a slight increase, Europe is headed for another weak quarter for clean energy investments, Bloomberg reports, as spending totaled a $10BN, 40% lower than the 2012 Q3 figures. The second quarter of 2013 had seen investments drop to the lowest in more than six years, mainly as a result of cuts in subsidies and retroactive measures, in countries like Germany, Spain and Greece....

Spain’s major environmental NGOs, including WWF Spain, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Ecologists in Action and SEO/Birdlife, have united under a joint campaign to halt the oil extraction plans offshore Lanzarote and Fuerteventura islands by energy giants Repsol, RWE and Woodside. The $10 billion project is currently undergoing review by the MAGRAMA, Spain’s Agriculture, Food and Environment Ministry, following a period of public comments...

The commission established by the Romanian Parliament with the mandate to review the investment of Gabriel Resources Ltd in the region of Rosia Montana, rejected the giant gold mining plan with 17 votes against and two abstentions. Although it is anticipated that a new law will be submitted to the Parliament, given the Government’s firm decision to proceed with the approval of the investment, this is indeed a landmark decision, following mass p...

According to the Greek Public Power Corporation (PPC), more than 350,000 consumers every year have their electricity cut off over unpaid bills. 60% of the power cuts concern households. 140,000 of these remain disconnected as they cannot afford to pay the bills, while illegal reconnections amount to 35,000 p.a. Comparing to pre-crisis figures (i.e. 2008), this signals a more than 100% increase in power cuts....

The final approval of the EU’s Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF) marks a social and environmental austerity for the period 2014-2020. According to WWF, through the new septennial Budget “most EU expenditure will continue current programmes with a negative environmental impact while environmental-friendly programmes such as LIFE or the Agri Environmental measures are seriously under resourced given their contributions to improving enviro...

According to Environment Secretary Owen Paterson, the UK’s famed policy of green belts that control urban sprawl will be questioned and revised, in response to the need for development. Secretary Paterson stated to the BBC’s Radio Four, in November, that: “[o]ur planning reforms are clear – that we want to see sustainable growth, but we are clear that we cannot freeze the country in aspic”....

1.European Environment Agency: Competing demands on Europe's environment undermining human well-being (20 November 2013). “Europeans depend on the environment to provide for many aspects of their material well-being, according to the report. Environmental pressures associated with our lifestyles seem to be decreasing, at least within Europe's borders. However, seen through the lens of resource use and well-being, European consumption is still...

Transylvania revolts: Farmers against fracking |(27 November 2013) “But Ponta's government is facing an unexpectedly uphill battle in meeting their resource ambitions. In recent weeks the controversial Canadian-owned gold mine in Rosia Montana has been put on hold, forced into submission by waves of protests in city streets numbering tens of thousands. And in the latest public showdown, a fracking rig operated by Chevron further south, ha...