The European Union’s executive branch, the European Commission, last week unveiled its ‘Fit for 55’ climate plan: an ambitious set of policy and regulatory proposals aimed at lowering the bloc’s net emissions by “at least” 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. In this piece, we’ve put together an overview of the plan’s principal components.

Last week, Canada’s largest city endorsed the call for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, and approved a new green building standard and net zero existing buildings strategy, both of which will put the city “on a solid path to a net zero future.”

The rules of China’s national cap and trade program went into effect in February, but the 2,200+ energy sector companies subject to the program are slated to (finally) get to start trading emissions this Friday.

Against the backdrop of an extreme heatwave in Western Canada unlike any seen before and clearly exacerbated by anthropogenic climate change, the Liberal government of Canada on Tuesday announced a 2035 phase out target for light-duty gas cars and passenger trucks, and saw its Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act (Bill C-12) pass the Canadian Senate.

A Belgian court ruled last week that in failing to meet its emission-reduction targets, the nation’s federal government, and three regional governments, violated Belgian civil law and the European Convention on Human Rights.

The fact that Texas, a state famous for its oil industry, felt it necessary to pass a law of this sort signals the industry’s growing consternation with an increasingly climate-conscious and oil un-friendly investing environment.

Last week, the Hague district court ordered oil giant Royal Dutch Shell to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 45% from 2019 levels by 2030. The ruling appears to mark the first instance of a court requiring a major corporation to lower emissions on account of their climate impact.

The program will cover three-quarters of the state’s emissions, meaning that once in place, Washington will become the second US state (after California) to price most in-state emissions. Collected program revenues will be allocated to a “climate investment account” to support Washington’s green transition.

2019’s Federal Climate Change Act violates the fundamental rights of Germany’s youth population by “irreversibly offload[ing] major emission reduction burdens onto periods after 2030,” thereby saddling the young with responsibility for older generations’ emissions and environmental inaction.

In a 6-3 split ruling, the court declared the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act a valid exercise of the federal government’s jurisdictional authority under the Canadian constitution. Here’s why.