Tailing ponds are among the largest and most dangerous structures engineered by humanity, but their operation is virtually unknown to those who don’t live in their vicinity. Europe is no less at risk from incidents than the rest of the world. 

The EU Emission Trading System, the EU’s main mechanism to disincentivise CO2 emissions, seems not to have had the desired results. Major industrial groups, often with the support of their own governments, profit from systemic weaknesses while continuing to produce energy using fossil fuels.

The Covid-19 pandemic is a cruel reminder that ecosystem vitality and human health are closely linked. For Eloi Laurent, "the best economic policy is a good health policy and the best health policy is a good environmental policy. We see that there is no trade-off between economy and environment."

Ornaldo Gjergji, data analyst at OBC Transeuropa, presents the investigation on rising temperatures in Europe that he carried out in the framework of the European Data Journalism Network (climatechange.europeandatajournalism.eu). Making use of data from Copernicus and ECMWF, Ornaldo built a dataset that shows the variation in average temperature between the 1960s and the 2010s for about 100,000 municipalities across Europe. In the video, he explains how he approached the subject and why it is important to connect the global with the local perspective when looking at climate change.

To meet its climate targets, the EU must double the speed it is renovating its residential and office buildings. Sweden has already almost completely decarbonised its sector. But it is on its own.

As public institutions struggle to implement their plans effectively, private banks are still not pulling their weight. With the slowness and mounting obstacles facing public finances, combined with the unreliability of the private system, how secure is the future of energy transition?

The natural resources used to produce energy directly impact CO2 emission levels and the long-term environmental sustainability of the energy sector. National differences within the EU are large, and suggest the very different approaches being taken.

In terms of CO2, energy production is the human activity with the worst impact on the environment in Europe. Emissions in the EU may be falling, but there are still major obstacles to achieving climate neutrality. Meanwhile, to the east, dozens of new coal plants will be built in the near future.

Matteo Moretti, designer and founder of Sheldon.studio, explains his approach to journalism, with a special attention to visual journalism, interactive and responsive products, and informative experiences. He reflects upon the potential and challenges of data journalism in covering issues such as COVID-19 and the climate crisis.