In brief | 19 September ‘25
Reuters: Germany approves 2025 budget, ushering in new era of spending
Germany's parliament approved on Thursday (18 September) the nation's first annual budget since sweeping reforms to loosen fiscal rules were passed earlier this year, securing record investments to revive the economy while committing to an increase in defence spending.
Reuters: Salzgitter delays later stages of green steel project due to economic and regulatory conditions
Salzgitter, Germany's second-largest steelmaker, has decided to delay expansion stages of a vital green steel project by three years, its CEO said on Thursday (18 September), adding the conditions in the sector had worsened considerably in recent years.
Climate home news: EU ministers fail to agree climate targets, raising risk leaders will weaken them
Environment ministers representing the European Union’s 27 member states failed to agree emissions reduction targets for 2035 and 2040 in Brussels on Thursday, instead asking their countries’ leaders to weigh in when they meet next month.
Copernicus: Highest wildfire emissions in at least 23 years for Europe after a hectic summer
As summer advanced, southeast Europe saw one of the most active wildfire seasons in recent years, according to CAMS data, with a series of fires in the Balkans during July, in addition to the intense early summer fires in Greece, Cyprus and Turkey.
University of Freiburg: Mixing tree species does not always make forests more drought-resilient
Increasing tree species diversity is widely suggested as a way to help forests withstand climate change – especially prolonged droughts. But a new international study shows that simply mixing more tree species does not always boost forests’ resilience to drought.
Technical University of Munich: The economic cost of climate change for Europe’s forests
While Northern Europe may even benefit, Central and Southern Europe will need to adapt quickly.
WMO: State of Global Water Resources 2024
Only one third of river basins had normal conditions in 2024, while all glacier regions worldwide report losses due to melt for the third straight year.
