Wind and solar overtook fossil fuels for EU power generation in 2025

Wind and solar power surpassed fossil fuels in the EU’s electricity mix for the first time in 2025, marking what analyst Beatrice Petrovich of the Ember thinktank called a “major tipping point.” Renewables generated 30% of the bloc’s electricity, with solar alone hitting a record 13% and wind contributing 17%, while fossil fuels including coal, oil, and gas, accounted for 29%. The shift underscores the EU’s push to reduce dependence on volatile energy imports, a concern amplified by geopolitical tensions, such as the US-EU dispute over Greenland and criticism from US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who argued Europe’s reliance on Chinese battery tech risks “subservience.”

Despite progress, challenges remain: fossil gas use rose 8% due to a drop in hydropower, though coal hit a historic low below 10%, concentrated in Germany and Poland. Analysts like Petras Katinas from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air highlighted solar’s 20% annual growth as proof of renewables’ rapid scalability, but warned that grid modernization, battery storage, and flexibility are now the critical bottlenecks. Early signs of progress include Italy’s battery capacity, one-fifth of the EU’s total, beginning to offset evening demand peaks, mirroring California’s success where batteries cover 20% of peak usage.

The report suggests gas plants may soon become obsolete, with Petrovich urging policymakers to reconsider new investments to avoid stranded assets and higher costs for taxpayers. While renewables are cementing their role as Europe’s power backbone, the transition hinges on accelerating infrastructure upgrades to handle variable energy flows. Climate scientists emphasize that wind and solar will dominate a carbon-free economy, but the pace of grid and storage deployment will determine how smoothly, and affordably, the shift unfolds.

Sources: The Guardian, Reuters, Ember

Stingless bees from the Amazon granted legal rights in world first

Stingless bees in the Peruvian Amazon are the first insects granted legal rights, a move advocates hope will set a global precedent. The ordinances, passed in two regions, recognize their right to exist and thrive, addressing threats like deforestation, pesticides, and competition from invasive European and Africanized honeybees. Indigenous groups, including the Asháninka, rely on these bees for pollination and medicine, but researchers like Rosa Vásquez Espinoza found their populations dwindling. Once easy to find, they now take hours to locate.

Espinoza’s 2020 research revealed the bees’ honey contains medicinal compounds with antiviral and anti-cancer properties, but also pesticide traces, despite remote habitats. Her advocacy helped pass a 2024 law declaring them native species, requiring protection. The new legal rights mandate habitat restoration, pesticide controls, and climate adaptation, with the bees gaining legal representation in cases of harm.

The breakthrough has sparked global interest, with a petition urging Peru to expand protections nationwide and groups in Bolivia, the Netherlands, and the U.S. exploring similar measures. For Indigenous communities, the law validates their traditions, while scientists warn that without action, these critical pollinators that are responsible for over 80% of Amazonian plant reproduction could vanish.

Source: The Guardian

World-first ice archive to guard secrets of melting glaciers

Scientists have inaugurated the world’s first ice archive in Antarctica, storing two ice cores from Europe’s Alps in a purpose-built snow cave at Concordia Station, 3,200 meters above sea level. The sanctuary, maintained at a natural -52°C without refrigeration, aims to preserve glacial samples that could otherwise vanish due to climate change. Thomas Stocker, chair of the Ice Memory Foundation, called the effort "an endeavour for humanity," noting the project took nearly a decade to overcome logistical and diplomatic hurdles. The 35-meters-long cave, dug 10 meters below the surface, now holds cores from Mont Blanc and Grand Combine, with plans to add ice from the Andes, Himalayas, and Tajikistan in the future.

Ice cores act as time capsules, trapping dust, volcanic particles, and water isotopes that reveal ancient climate patterns. Carlo Barbante, vice-chair of the foundation, emphasized their future value, predicting scientists will one day unlock "invisible secrets" using technologies not yet invented. Yet these records are at risk as 2025 was confirmed as the third-hottest year on record, accelerating glacier melt. Barbante warned of a "race against time" to save this data before glaciers disappear entirely, with thousands expected to vanish annually in coming decades due to fossil fuel-driven warming.

The sanctuary’s location in Antarctica, governed by an international treaty, ensures the cores remain politically neutral and accessible to global researchers based on scientific merit. Anne-Catherine Ohlmann, the foundation’s director, acknowledged the lack of a legal framework for such an initiative but stressed the need to govern the archive so it serves humanity for centuries. The project reflects both urgency and hope: preserving Earth’s climatic memory while navigating uncharted ethical and logistical terrain.

Source: France24

Indian police raid home of environmental activists over anti-fossil fuel campaign

Indian police from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the home of environmental activist Harjeet Singh and his wife Jyoti Awasthi, co-founders of Satat Sampada, accusing them of receiving nearly £500,000 to promote a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty (FFNPT), a campaign the ED claims undermines India’s energy security. The agency alleged the funds, disguised as consultancy fees, came from groups like Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and were meant to push the FFNPT agenda in India, which could expose the country to legal challenges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Singh, a veteran of climate negotiations with groups like ActionAid and the Climate Action Network, denied the allegations, calling them “baseless, biased and misleading.” He and Awasthi stated their organization, Satat Sampada, began with personal savings and grew after Singh left full-time work in 2021, with revenues from consultancy and agro-product sales.

Singh’s decades-long climate work, documented across media, contrasts with the ED’s portrayal of his organization as a conduit for foreign interference. The case underscores tensions between global climate advocacy and national energy priorities in India.

Sources: The Guardian, Bloomberg

Nestle issues global recall of some baby formula products over toxin fears

-          Company: Nestlé SA

-          Sector: Food & beverages

-          Clover rating: 3/5

Nestlé has launched a global recall of certain batches of its SMA, Guigoz, Nidal, Beba, and Alfamino baby formulas after detecting potential contamination with cereulide, a toxin produced by bacillus cereus bacteria that can cause vomiting and stomach cramps. The company stressed there have been no confirmed illness reports but acted "out of an abundance of caution", calling infant safety its "absolute priority". Affected products—sold in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and other markets—were flagged due to a supplier ingredient issue, though Nestlé assured all other batches and products remain safe.

Regulators like the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) warned that cereulide resists heat, meaning standard preparation (boiling water, cooking) won’t eliminate the risk. FSA incident head Jane Rawling urged caregivers to stop using recalled formulas immediately, emphasizing "urgent action" to pull products from shelves. Nestlé directed customers to check batch codes on tins or packaging and promised refunds.

Nestlé reiterated the move was preventive and voluntary. While apologizing for "concern or inconvenience", the company framed the step as a precaution, with no illnesses linked yet to the contaminated batches. Authorities and Nestlé alike stressed vigilance, prioritizing infant health over potential disruption.

Sources: BBC, Le Monde, The Guardian

Heidelberg Materials delivers world's first near-zero carbon captured cement

-          Company: Heidelberg Materials

-          Sector: Materials

-          Clover rating: 4/5

German cement producer Heidelberg Materials declared it has started delivering what it calls the world's first near-zero carbon captured cement to customers across Europe.

The deliveries are sourced from the company's Brevik carbon capture and storage facility in Norway, inaugurated in June 2025. The site is designed to capture around 400,000 tons per year of CO2, equivalent to 50% of the plant's total emissions, for permanent offshore storage beneath the North Sea, Heidelberg Materials said.

"I am proud and excited to announce that the entire process chain is now established," CEO Dominik von Achten said. Early shipments are supporting the construction of Oslo's new Skøyen Station, while another early customer, the DREIHAUS 3D-printing housing project in Heidelberg, Germany, is using evoZero in the development of three printed homes.

Source: S&P

Eni spins out refineries under decarbonized energy strategy

-          Company: Eni

-          Sector: Energy

-          Clover rating: 3/5

Italian energy company Eni announced the transfer of the business branch of its Refining Evolution & Transformation unit, which includes refineries and logistics businesses in Europe and the Middle East into a newly formed company, Eni Industrial Evolution S.p.A. According to the company, the transaction forms part of its “strategy to ensure a fully decarbonized energy offering both in production processes and to consumers, seizing the opportunities and growth prospects offered by the energy transition.”

Eni has set goals to reduce all emissions scopes by 2050, with a strategy focused on optimizing and enhancing its oil and gas portfolio, and expanding into renewable energy, circular economy, and new energy solutions and services offerings. While Eni is spinning out its key Italian traditional refineries, it will retain assets that it has converted into biorefineries, including its Gela and Venice biorefineries.

Source: ESG Today

Small-scale tropical deforestation has a disproportionate impact on the climate

A study published in Nature reveals that small deforested areas, often under 2 hectares, in humid tropical forests have accounted for over half of tropical forest carbon losses over the past 30 years. Africa and Southeast Asia are particularly vulnerable. The research highlights the outsized impact of small-scale human activities on forest carbon loss, underscoring the need for protection and anti-deforestation policies at all levels to safeguard these vital ecosystems.

Using high-resolution satellite data, the study shows that small disturbances (under 2 hectares, equivalent to two football fields) make up just 5% of deforested areas but are responsible for 56% of net tropical forest carbon losses. These losses stem primarily from the permanent conversion of carbon-rich humid forests into croplands, pastures, roads, or urban areas.

The researchers employed a biomass carbon accounting method with 30-meter resolution, combining satellite data and biomass recovery curves. This approach improves the understanding of how different disturbances (fires, degradation, regeneration) affect tropical forests’ carbon balance, thanks to new high-resolution biomass maps provided by the European Space Agency.

Sources: Le Monde, LSCE, Nature