Southeast Europe / bneGREEN
Serbia's historic monasteries go green with solar energy adoption
Ten monasteries in Serbia have adopted solar power in recent years in a bid to increase self-sustainability and curb electricity expenses.
IEA: Methane emissions at an all-time high need to be reduced by 75% by 2030 at a cost of $170bn
Methane emissions are 80 times more damaging than carbon dioxide. Rather than falling, they are currently at an all-time high and rising. The IEA says they need to fall by 75% by 2030 if the Paris Accord targets are going to be met.
Levels of the three most dangerous human-caused GHGs at record highs
Concentrations of CO2, methane and nitrous oxide climbed to record levels in the global atmosphere in 2023, contributing ever more to the climate crisis. This is according to scientists from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
INTERVIEW: Sunny climates and government incentives drive Balkan solar markets
Elen managing partner Lulzim Syla outlines the potential of the solar markets in Kosovo, Albania, and North Macedonia in an interview with bne IntelliNews.
Where is green tech made in Europe?
Europe is home to more than 400 clean tech manufacturing plants, but the distribution is uneven and a few large countries dominate the business of making equipment needed to produce green energy sources.
World Meteorological Organisation issues ‘red alert’ on climate crisis
The UN’s World Meteorological Organisation has issued a “red alert” on the climate crisis, citing unprecedented increases in 2023 in greenhouse gases, land and water temperatures and melting of glaciers and sea ice.
North Macedonia aims to attract almost $600mn for green transition
Skopje secures $85mn from Climate Investment Funds in first step towards coal phase-out.
Cheap coal from Putin fires Turkey up the dirty power generation league
Country dislodges Poland from second spot in Europe for electricity made with coal. Ankara took advantage of lower Russian shipment prices caused by EU embargo.
NGO warns Bulgaria over plans to swap coal for fossil gas
CEE Bankwatch says Sofia's intention to replace coal-fired with gas-fired power plants is unfeasible given it has no strategy or financial plan.
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Energy-related CO2 emissions increased last year, but slower than in 2022, says IEA
In 2023, global CO2 emissions from energy rose at a slower pace compared with the previous year.
EU wants fossil fuel companies to help pay to fight climate change
The European Union plans to urge the fossil fuel industry to aid in combating climate change in less affluent countries under a United Nations objective, a preliminary document reveals.
Jellyfish invasion threat to Turkey’s tourism ambitions
Already battling “sea snot”, country’s scientists warn enormous swarms of the unsightly stingers threaten resort hotspots.
Fusion another step closer?
Fusion, the holy grail of the energy transition, is closer than ever before. But it’s still unclear whether it can be commercialised in time to ward off the climate crisis.
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World must invest $8 trillion in renewables by 2030 to meet COP28 goal
Investment of as much as $8 trillion in renewable energy and half of that in grids and storage is required to meet the goal of tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030, as agreed at COP28 in Dubai in December.
Warning of new ice age in Europe as currents in the Atlantic approach a catastrophic tipping point
The currents that circulate in the Atlantic are approaching a “tipping point” that will change the way water flows around the oceans of the world, which will have a catastrophic climate impact on countries around the world.
Hydrogen production and demand to grow in 2024, but only slowly
Hydrogen production and use are expected to grow in 2024, but it remains very expensive to produce and transport, making progress slow.
Oil and gas companies to invest over $1 trillion in the next decade expanding production
A report from climate campaign group Global Witness reveals that the fossil fuel sector is anticipated to allocate more than $1 trillion worldwide over the next decade for the expansion of natural gas production.
Massive hydrogen reservoir discovered under chromium mine in Albania
The reservoir beneath the Bulqizë mine is estimated to hold as much as 55,000 tonnes of hydrogen.
Earth has already passed 1.5 degrees warming, says study
The Earth may have passed 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming and in fact could soon reach 2 degrees, say international researchers who studied 300-year-old sea sponges in the Caribbean.
NEO: EU green ambitions under siege amid Red Sea crisis, Russian aluminium ban fears
The EU has long positioned itself as a global champion of green energy and the world’s battle against climate change but the Red Sea Crisis and a mooted ban on Russian aluminium imports are undermining those goals.