Earth, Energy & Environment

Battling the heat: Europe takes action to protect health in a warming world

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EU-funded researchers are developing strategies to protect people from rising temperatures, focusing on vulnerable groups and clearer climate-health communication. By Vittoria D’Alessio The environmental impact of climate change – shifting weather patterns or vanishing biodiversity – is widely recognised. But do we truly understand the toll rising temperatures are taking on human health? Members of … Read more

New methanol-powered vessels signal a sea change for green shipping

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Belgian tugboat Methatug is equipped with the world’s first ship engine powered mainly by methanol. © Port of Antwerp-Bruges

As shipping strives to decarbonise, a new wave of EU-funded innovation is proving that methanol-fuelled vessels could offer a scalable, low-emission alternative to diesel on the high seas. By Tom Cassauwers In the busy Port of Oxelösund, south of Stockholm, a small orange pilot boat braves the waves and the weather to help incoming vessels … Read more

Turning local know-how into European solutions for smarter bio-based farming

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Sharing good practices will help farms and forests become more sustainable and open up new eco-friendly income streams. © Theastock, Shutterstock.com

Farmers and foresters across Europe are sharing sustainable bio-based practices and technologies, showing how local knowledge and European collaboration can help drive the transition to a greener future. By Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro Michalis Genitsariotis, a former salesman turned olive grower from the northern Greek region of Halkidiki, is constantly learning in his “second life” as … Read more

Fighting fire with innovation: a pan-European push to tackle extreme wildfires

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Researchers pioneer new ways to fight wildfires, combining smart technology and local knowledge. © Steve Photography, Shutterstock.com

EU-funded researchers, firefighters and communities are pioneering innovative, collaborative approaches to build landscapes able to withstand increasingly extreme wildfires. By Maria Vlastara Asier Larrañaga Ochoa de Eguileor, a wildfire analyst at the Catalan Fire and Rescue Service, experienced the Solsonès wildfire in Spain in 1998 and still remembers it as a revelation. “I had basic … Read more

Breaking free from coal: Europe’s regions forge a sustainable future with EU support

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The shift from coal to renewable sources of energy must be paired with the creation of new jobs to ensure a fair transition to a greener future. © ANGHI, Shutterstock.com

An EU-funded research initiative is guiding Europe’s coal regions through the transition to renewable energy, while focusing on job creation and clean energy. By Kaja Šeruga The Maritsa Iztok Complex in southeastern Bulgaria stands as a relic of the past. Since the 1950s, its four thermal power stations have powered the region, relying on coal … Read more