Bellona Europa

Will the new von der Leyen Commission deliver on climate policy❓    Yesterday the newly elected European Parliament confirmed Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission, with 401 votes in her favour. In her speech von der Leyen positioned climate as part of the priorities for competitiveness and prosperity, while addressing:     🌍 Commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 and achieving #climateneutrality by 2050.   🏭 Announcement of the Clean Industrial Deal, ensuring the implementation of climate objectives while boosting European industrial production, to be pushed forward within the first 100 days of her mandate. 🔋 Renewable energy sources and CO2 infrastructures, which have been included in the Political Guidelines for the Next European Commission 2024-2029, are crucial to reach EU climate goals.    Bellona welcomes these commitments, but remains cautious of any potential watering down of climate ambition:     🌱 Greater competitiveness can be achieved with European industries becoming global leaders of low-carbon production.     📈 Both private and public investments should support clean technologies, but it is fundamental that they are directed towards renewable energy systems and low-carbon projects.    Read our full reaction here:🔗 https://lnkd.in/dH75pZvj    Dive into our recommendations for the EU mandate 2024-2029 in our Roadmap 🔎 https://lnkd.in/dKqe6ejV    #elections #EU #industrialdecarbonisation #CO2infrastructure #netzero #climatechange #industry #climate #climateaction #climateactionnow #climateemergency

❗ A significant milestone for green steel, but...️    🌱Today the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (#ESPR) enters into force.     Although it constitutes a step forward, the devil is in the details: the EU must ensure that the secondary legislation sets the right level of ambition in the Ecodesign requirements.    📈 Stronger requirements would also signal industries to boost their decarbonisation efforts, which is something that has also been prioritised in the published guidelines of the next European Commission of 2024-2029.    🤝 Bellona Europa looks forward to collaborating with stakeholders in the Ecodesign Forum to make this happen!     🔎 In case you missed it, read our previous article: https://lnkd.in/dKYX2A3h #sustainable #ecodesign #greentransition #climateaction #decarbonisation #EUPolicy #EU2024 #climatepolicy #climateactionnow

🏭🌱 Bellona Europa responded to a consultation on permanent emissions storage through carbon capture and utilisation (CCU).     The #EUETS Directive has been revised with the EU target set out in the European Climate Law, to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. This sets the conditions under which GHG emissions can be considered as permanently chemically bound in a product.     Key points:  🔹 Bellona welcomes the Commission’s initiative to identify the products which can be considered to permanently chemically bind GHGs, specifically captured CO2.     🔹 Bellona supports the establishment of robust & scientifically sound criteria, preventing unaccounted release of CO2 from ETS installations.     🔹 Identifying products that permanently store CO2 is crucial for maintaining climate integrity in Industrial Carbon Management solutions like CCS and CCU, and for accurately tracking CO2 flows.    Read our full consultation response here: https://lnkd.in/dDmbE_z6    #CO2infrastructure #industry #netzero #climate #EU #emissions #climateaction #ETS #CCS

Over a month after the #EUelections, the new (and re-elected) MEPs are meeting in Strasbourg today for the first plenary session of the new European Parliament.        This plenary will kick off the work of the new European Parliament and elect the main roles of this 10th legislative term.   Bellona calls on the new term of European policymaking to focus on the following 3 🔑 areas, which will need to underpin the much-needed industrial transformation and #greentransition ⏬    🏭 Deployment of Climate Infrastructure   🔬 Robust Science-Based Policy Making   🌏 Well-functioning Markets for a Net-Zero World    Explore our key recommendations on how the next EU cycle can further strive towards climate neutrality in Bellona's Roadmap 🔍 https://lnkd.in/dX4-W9NV    #elections #eu #industrialdecarbonisation #climateinfrastructure #CO2infrastructure #netzero #climatechange #industry #climate #climateaction #climateactionnow #climateemergency #EU   

🔎🔬 Bellona, alongside WWF European Policy Office, ECOS, ChemSec and other civil society organisations, contributed to the Independent Science-Based Taxonomy to accelerate the transition to a greener future. The new ISBT scores the #EUTaxonomy criteria, by supplementing them with scientific recommendations.     The EU Taxonomy started out as a promising initiative aiming to establish clear standards for sustainable economic activities. However, it needs to be revised to ensure:   🔻 Proper financing for activities that significantly contribute to net-zero targets. 🔻 Elimination of greenwashing practices. 🔻 Exclusion of fossil gas and unabated fossil gas activities. 🔻 Scientifically-based definitions to credibly label sustainable activities.    In case you missed our Sustainable Economy recommendations from our Roadmap 2024-2029, check them out here 📃https://lnkd.in/d7Wmdtqn   Read more ⏩ science-based-taxo.org    #sustainablefinance #greentransition #justtransition #greenwashing #sustainability #GreenEconomy #climateaction #climateactionnow  

With the Hungarian Presidency’s priorities focusing on security and economic growth, what role will climate action play?  From July 1st, 2024, to December 31st, 2024, Hungary has taken over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union under the slogan “Make Europe Great Again”, following Belgium’s tenure.    🌎 ❌ The Presidency claims in its published priorities to attach great importance to the fight against climate change, yet concrete action points and implementation strategies for climate policy are noticeably lacking.   Read more in our latest article 🆕⤵️  https://lnkd.in/daHSSJUg   #HU2024EU #EU2024BE #greentransition #climateaction #Decarbonisation #EUPolicy #EU2024 #Climatepolicy #climateactionnow #netzero #justtransition

💡 Fixing a major loophole in CBAM    🌍The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) has the potential to be a game-changer in climate policy, by pricing carbon effectively in Europe while preventing carbon leakage.    However, it currently fails to assign equal carbon costs to imported aluminum products compared to those produced in Europe, as it exempts emissions from re-melted industrial scrap.    ⚠This allows re-melted aluminum to enter the EU without CBAM costs, opening the door to resource shuffling and undermining CBAM credibility and the competitiveness of the European aluminum industry.    Decision makers can close this loophole, by: 🔸 Assigning equal emissions for re-melted scraps   🔸 Including aluminum scrap in CBAM   🔸 Implementing verification and certification    📃 Together with Norsk Hydro, Alcoa and Sandbag, Bellona Europa addresses this issue in an op-ed article, published on Carbon Pulse.    🌍Bellona Europa is also part of Dg Taxud CBAM Informal Expert Group and will contribute to ensuring the design of a CBAM that works for the climate first.    Read the full article 🔎 https://lnkd.in/drPV9UwR    #CBAM #decarbonisation #climateaction #sustainableeconomy #climateactionnow #climatepolicy #EUPolicy 

👏 Congratulations to our Senior Manager Projects & EU Policy Lina Strandvåg Nagell, who has been elected as Vice-Chair of the Governing Board for CCS Europe!    As Lina is on maternity leave, our Senior Technology and Policy Manager Michał Wendołowski is currently substituting for her.    🌍 CCS has been recognised by the European Commission as essential to fulfil 2040 and 2050 climate targets, as well as to achieve full industrial decarbonisation. For harder-to-abate industries, where CO₂ is necessarily generated as part of the process, achieving full decarbonisation depends on the targeted deployment of CCS technologies to capture and permanently store CO2, which cannot be significantly reduced through alternative means.    To discover more about our work on industrial decarbonisation, check out our recommendations for the next EU cycle 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dtF_zdgj    #CCS #carboncapture #decarbonisation #industrialdecarbonisation #climateaction 

🆕 New Brief on the Role of First Movers in CCS Deployment! 🏭 🌱   In our latest brief, we explore under which circumstances first-mover projects in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) can contribute to advancing the green industrial transition.    Some key takeaways:  🔹 First-mover CCS projects pave the way by demonstrating practical applications of the technology and identifying challenges. They foster the development of foundational infrastructure and reduce risks for future projects.  🔹First movers face significant economic and regulatory obstacles, often lacking consistent governance support mechanisms. Addressing these issues early on is crucial for  rapid large-scale deployment.  Initial public funding is necessary to jumpstart the CCS market. As the market establishes itself and the financial burden can progressively be shifted to emitters.  🔹The first-mover project Longship in Norway exemplifies how effective government and industry collaboration can set regulatory precedents. In an interview with Bellona, representatives of Longship talk about their journey. Watch the video through the link below! 📖 Read the full brief: https://lnkd.in/gxr_tKnt Our #CCS4NetZeroIndustry Campaign, which advocates for a modern, clean, and secure deployment of CCS infrastructure, will take a break until after the summer. We'll be back in September! #CCS #carboncapture #decarbonisation #climateaction #netzero #sustainability #CO2infrastructure #climateaction

📩 Our June newsletter is out!     Discover what Bellona Europa has been up to this month, including:    🗞 Our press release on the results of the European elections.    🎤An interview presenting the achievements of the first eight months of the FedEx-backed initiative Ports2Decarb.    📅 Updates on the agenda of our Bellona Climate Action Conference 2024, taking place on October 1st.    Check it out here & stay tuned for our Summer Newsletter coming at the end of August 📩 https://lnkd.in/dBptmT55   #newsletter #climatenews #climateaction #climateupdateofs #netzero #climateactionnow #BellonaClimateActionConference