Some news:

• The Young Friends of the Earth Europe discuss why it is a myth that the EU is leading the way in terms of climate policy. They suggest this is because
  a) The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is based on the principles of equity, common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. The EU is not living up to this.
  b) contributions to the Green Climate Fund by European nations have been notoriously low, very far from what was agreed in Copenhagen in 2009
  c) EU nations try to split developing country group at climate talks
  d) The EIB still lends three quarters of its research funds (around 10 billion euros annually) to the automobile industry in spite of its Climate Action Programme
  and much more you can find HERE

• A list with additional points on why 2015 seems to be a lost year for EU environmental protection can be found HERE.

• A discussion on the leaked draft ‘State of the EU #EnergyUnion’. Main takeaway point would be that even though the EU claims it wants to move away from fossil fuels, in reality nothing is mentioned in this draft of how this should be done. Thus, while there seems to be a willingness to move towards renewables, there is no clear strategy of how to do so.

• via Reuters: There are missing EU wide guidelines for the nuclear industry on provisions for decommissioning and long-term spent fuel management. E.g. gross provisions are 4.7 billion euros per reactor in Germany, compared to just 1.2 billion in France and 3.38 billion euros in Britain. Transparency is needed, a unified regulatory framework, so that companies and countries do not suddenly wake up with an overhelming bill for nuclear energy.

• Despite the Volkswagen scandal, EU governments voted to allow new cars to emit more than twice the nitrogen oxides permitted under EU law.

• Via Energytransition.de: Greenpace wants to buy German coal fields in order to make sure that at least a certain amount is left in the ground.

conference announcements:

• Migration as Adaptation to Environmental and Climate Change, Friday 13th November 2015, 2-4pm, IOM, Taubenstr. 20-22, Berlin, Germany. For more information go here: http://environmentalmigration.iom.int/seminar-migration-adaptation-environmental-and-climate-change