Dear Reader,
War, high prices… and the return of bad ideas. We have been here before.
I don’t know if you feel the same way, but the shock of 2022 – after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – never really ended.
Firstly, because of the war itself. Once again, we are witnessing a brutal conflict: civilian casualties, environmental damage, open violations of international law. A world where power acts with impunity, and where violence replaces diplomacy.
Secondly, because of the cost of living. Rising energy prices, quiet anxiety about bills, the price of olive oil (read in Southern European tears🥘), and our own future plans. For many people in Europe, this never really went away, and now it’s back at the top of the agenda. Unsurprisingly, it’s also being exploited by opportunistic far-right agendas.
Thirdly, because of environmental scapegoating. As in 2022, some are quick to use high prices to attack the EU green agenda: blaming the carbon price, calling for a “pause” on green legislation, and trying to reframe priorities.
But equally, we are not where we were in 2022. Today, Europe is better equipped: with more renewables, more experience, a sharper understanding of what works, and more tools to face challenges.
As EU leaders meet in Brussels to respond, this week we look at:
☀️ High prices and old distractions are making a comeback
🚧 War on environmental protections
🥕 How agribusiness disinformation is derailing the food and climate debate
🚩 Red card from the U.N.: EU toxic exports aren’t OK
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Let’s get into it.
☀️ ENERGY: HOW TO COMBAT HIGH PRICES
Some lessons learned – Listening to EU leaders this week, one message is (almost) unanimous: the more renewables in the system, the lower (and more consistent) our bills.
Less gas, more us – Countries relying less on fossil gas are simply more protected. In Spain, gas set the electricity price in just 15% of hours in 2026 so far, compared to 89% in Italy. The difference? Years of investment in solar and wind. Read more here.
Renewables are EU glue – It’s not just Spain or the Nordics making the case. Dutch and German ministers are calling for faster renewable roll-out, and even in traditionally fossil-heavy countries like Poland or Bulgaria, leaders are now talking about energy sovereignty through renewables. Ironically, Trump’s chaos may be doing more to unite Europe around clean energy than any European summit.
Blame ETS if you want, it’s still right – At this week’s EU Council meeting, the carbon market once again became a political battleground, with some leaders calling to weaken or suspend it (hello Italy). But others (from Sweden and the Netherlands) are pushing back, defending it as the backbone of Europe’s energy transition. And they have a point: price spikes are driven by fossil fuels, not EU climate policy. Weakening the CO₂ price won’t lower bills; it will just delay investment in electrification and renewables. You know, the energy sources that don’t get stuck in the Strait of Hormuz.
Beware the quick fixes – Gas price caps (essentially an indirect subsidy to fossil fuels) are once again on the table. Tempting, yes. Effective? Not really. It’s like putting a Band-Aid on a broken leg. Caps might soften the blow in the short term, but they don’t fix the core problem: our dependence on a volatile fossil fuel supply. Worse, they can distort markets and even increase gas consumption, as we saw with the Iberian exception in 2022.
A smarter approach? Reduce demand (remember energy-saving measures?), accelerate electrification, support people directly, and tax fossil fuel windfall profits. That way, households get relief, and we stay on track to phase out fossil fuels for good. We said it in 2022. It still holds.
🚧STREAMLINING… OR STREAMROLLING
Alongside national leaders, environment ministers also met in Brussels this week, where a battle is brewing over who gets to decide how projects (think a new power plant) get faster approvals.
Red tape cutters – On one side, some EU leaders, from France to Czechia, are pushing hard for “one big streamlined system” to rule them all. Their pitch: fold multiple laws into a single fast-track framework.
Red line drawers – On the other side, environment ministers (and a few governments) are hitting the brakes. Some want to keep national control over permitting, others warn against reopening recently agreed laws, especially nature protection rules. On this, even the Commission seems cautious, preferring stability over a full rewrite.
Not so fast – Bundling everything into one mega-rulebook might sound efficient, but it risks doing the opposite. Permitting rules exist for a reason: they’re tailored to different sectors, risks, and local realities. Flattening them all could mean more confusion, not less. Building a solar farm is not the same as building a water-hungry data centre.
Cut rules, get delays – Weakening environmental safeguards to “go faster” is a trap. Rushed assessments lead to court cases, project redesigns and – you guessed it – even longer delays. And that’s before you factor in the environmental damage.
The truth? Slow permitting isn’t usually about impact assessments. It’s about overstretched administrations, missing expertise and messy planning systems. Cutting corners doesn’t solve those problems – it just creates new, more costly ones – and lots of them.
🧑🌾 THE AGRI CORNER
EEB calls on the Ombudswoman – This week, we got in touch with the European Ombudswoman – the EU’s legal watchdog – as the Commission is cutting corners on key farming and regional funding plans for 2028–2034. At the heart of it: no impact assessment, no climate consistency check, and no dedicated public consultation. Instead, plenty of time is spent catering to the interests of the Big Agri corporations, ignoring most farmers, nature, and people’s health. Even worse, this is not a one-off, but part of a wider trend. Here’s why it matters.
Big Agri tells pork pies – A new bombshell report shows once again how Big Agribusiness keeps misleading Europeans on diets. The goal? To derail action to restore nature, ensure access to healthy and sustainable diets, and secure a liveable climate. Check out Dangerous Distractions, published by our member Changing Markets Foundation. Meanwhile, don’t believe everything you read (especially on social media) about meat.
🗞 IN OTHER NEWS🚩
U.N. slams EU over toxic exports – Special Rapporteur Marcos Orellana called out the Commission for dragging its feet on banning EU-banned pesticide exports, calling it a “blatant violation” of people’s right to health. U.N. Environment chief Inger Andersen added that now is not the time to weaken rules, but to make them smarter and more navigable. That’s two U.N. red flags in one day.
🎬 Brussels folks, looking for a Sunday plan? Earth’s Greatest Enemy by Abby Martin is screening this Sunday 22 March at 18:00 at Cinema Galeries. The film digs into a side of the climate crisis we don’t talk about enough: the role of the U.S. military as a major polluter, and the links between war, power and environmental destruction. Civil society friends will be there. Grab your tickets here.
🧠✨ DOPAMINE HIT
As ever, here are a few happy updates to get your weekend off to a perky start:
- EU makes progress on tackling toxic water pollution. Read more here.
- 19 cities, including London, San Francisco, and Hong Kong, achieve ‘Remarkable Reductions’ in Air Pollution. Read more here.
- 660-Square Miles of Critical Biodiverse Forest Now Protected in Bolivia. Read more here.
- The German village running on its own juice. Read more here.
- Offering vegan food as default cuts hospital emissions by 22%. Read more here.
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