Commentary Czechia and Italy are leading the charge against EU carbon pricing, derailing last week’s EU leaders’ summit. But their resistance runs deeper than politics: Czech lignite dependence and Italian gas interests shape each position. Yet both countries also host thriving clean-tech industries, such as heat pumps, that remain underrepresented in national debates. Ahead of the European Commission’s post-2030 climate proposal, amplifying these voices could offer a path to compromise. A commentary by Emil Sondaj Hansen and Emmanuel Molding Nielsen (Think Tank Europa), Davide Panzeri (ECCO Climate) and Tomáš Jungwirth Brezovsky (Association for International Affairs).
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Indonesia should ask Europe to help build its Green Super Grid
Indonesia’s clean energy future will not be determined by how many renewable power plants it can build. It will be determined by whether electricity generated in one part of the archipelago can reach consumers in another. That is why Jakarta should make an ambitious proposal to the European Union: help finance Indonesia’s Green Super Grid. Bhima Yudhistira Adhinegara and Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat report. Read More
In Ukraine, distributed renewables foil Russia’s assaults
When Russian air strikes knocked out Ukrainian power plants across the country earlier this year, most of the Black Sea port city of Mykolaiv in southeastern Ukraine was unable to pump fresh water to the city’s housing blocs. But in an easterly suburb of Mykolaiv, drinking water flowed from kitchen taps, as it has since last year thanks to a small off-grid solar field tucked inconspicuously into its midst. Paul Hockenos reports. Read More
Crisis as catalyst? Europe is failing the test
The EU’s response to the energy shocks of 2022 and 2026 looks good only compared to Trump-era America. Even though EU chief Ursula von der Leyen urges Europe to move off fossil fuels faster, not nearly enough is happening. Paul Hockenos reports. Read More
How renewables can cut Europe’s energy bills and inflation
Fossil fuel volatility is driving inflation across the EU, but the solution is already available. This piece by Veronica Calienno (Positive Money Europe) on the financial case for the energy transition shows how solar and wind lowered wholesale electricity prices by 24.2% between 2023 and 2025, and why the price effect grows stronger as renewable capacity increases. It also examines the investment gap still holding the transition back, and why the cost of capital will decide how fast Europe can build its way to cheaper, more stable energy. Read More
In Zimbabwe, delaying renewable diversification has spurred power deficit and coal takeover
For over six decades since the construction of the Kariba South Bank hydroelectric power station, Zimbabwe’s (known as Southern Rhodesia until independence in 1980) grid supply had been dominated by clean energy. However, in the face of back-to-back El Niño–induced droughts, the country’s large hydropower infrastructure is faltering, making way for a coal thermal power takeover. Kennedy Nyavaya analyses how the country can effectively leverage its diverse renewable energy potential to avoid fossil fuel dependence while also sticking to its sustainable growth agenda. Read More
Agrofuels: a dangerous gamble that trades food for fuel in northern South America
Across northern South America, the promise of agrofuels has been heralded as a key contribution to national energy transitions. Governments in Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela have promoted biodiesel and ethanol production as steps toward decarbonization and energy independence. Yet a closer look reveals a troubling paradox: crops like oil palm and sugarcane, intended to fuel a “green” transition, have instead displaced food production and intensified social inequality. Different reports show that vast tracts of fertile land, once used for local food, are now dominated by monocultures for export and biofuel processing. Marco Pernavarre reports. Read More
Fossil gas is locking Mexico and Central America into US energy dependence
In recent years, natural gas, often rebranded as fossil gas, has gained prominence in Mexico and Central America as a supposed ‘transition fuel’. This narrative suggests that natural gas can serve as a temporary replacement for more polluting fossil fuels such as coal and oil, facilitating a gradual shift toward renewable energy. Yet this framing is increasingly challenged by environmental organisations and affected communities, who argue that the expansion of gas infrastructure establishes a new geopolitical and environmental dependency, particularly on the United States of America. As the US becomes the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), its influence over regional energy systems deepens, reshaping both national strategies and regional vulnerabilities. Marco Pernavarre reports. Read More
Hungary’s Paks II nuclear power plant project – Can it be completed, and at what cost?
More than a decade after its launch, the Paks II investment is still in an early, uncertain stage, despite the fact that construction has formally begun. The project was initiated as a political decision in 2014, with questionable economic justification. Compared to the original deadlines, the investment has now accumulated an approximately 10-year delay. The 2026 “first concrete” milestone represents more of a formal change in status than real progress. Costs have increased significantly, and the total investment cost remains unknown. Perger András reports.
Can Santa Marta’s fossil fuel phaseout momentum survive the road to COP31?
After COP28 finally acknowledged the need to transition away from fossil fuels, Santa Marta tried to turn that promise into something more concrete. Journalist Seden Anlar explores whether its phaseout momentum can survive the road to COP31 and the forums where fossil-fuelled power still shapes the rules.