From green goals to ground realities
As the EU remains deadlocked over its 2040 emissions goal, the IEA has tempered its climate rhetoric, forecasting that oil and gas will continue growing over the coming decades
The European Commission proposed an amendment to the EU Climate Law on 2 July introducing a binding target of a 90% net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 compared with 1990 levels. Since then, progress has stalled. EU environment ministers failed to reach consensus on the proposal during a meeting on 12 September, deferring the decision to the EU leaders’ summit scheduled for 23–24 October. On 18 September, the Environment Council adopted a “statement of intent” outlining a post-2030 Nationally Determined Contribution with a 2035 emissions-reduction range of 66.25–72.5% versus 1990 levels. The range aligns with existing legislation and the proposed 2040 goal but remains non-bindi
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Hydrogen has not stalled in the UK because the technology does not work. The problem is that the system around it does not yet move at the speed required
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Low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia development is advancing much more slowly and unevenly than once expected, with high costs and policy uncertainty thinning investment. Meanwhile, surging energy demand is reinforcing the role of natural gas and LNG as the backbone of the global energy system, panellists at LNG2026 said
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Norwegian energy company has dropped a major hydrogen project and paused its CCS expansion plans as demand fails to materialise
