In brief | 30 March '26

Euractiv: Europe’s energy illusion: Why a €1 trillion green bet hasn’t broken its import habit - Analysis

The war with Iran is exposing a hard truth – Europe’s green push has left it no less dependent on imported energy. 

Euronews: European stocks slip as Lagarde warns Iran war shock is 'beyond what we can imagine'

ECB president Christine Lagarde has warned that markets are "overly optimistic" about the Iran war's economic impact, as stocks fell across Europe, Asia and Wall Street. 

The Guardian: ‘Tempolimit? Nein, danke!’: why German petrolheads won’t slow down – despite the energy crisis

Driving fast is in ‘the German DNA’, say lovers of the speed-limit free Autobahn, but support in the country for a restriction is growing. 

Euronews: ‘Easter eggflation’: How climate change and budget cuts have sent the price of chocolate soaring

Human-caused climate change has fuelled extreme weather events in West Africa, triggering cocoa production to plummet. 

AP: AI’s arrival complicates Big Tech climate goals, and some worry it’s locking in more fossil fuels

Race to deploy AI is complicating tech companies’ commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, most of which come from burning of gas, oil and coal. 

Carbon Brief: ‘Very alarming’ winter sees Arctic sea ice hit record-low for second year running

Arctic sea ice has reached its peak extent for this winter, clocking in as the joint-smallest in a satellite record going back almost half a century. 

Reuters: Can a new generation of hydropower dams save the energy transition?

There is nearly 200 GW of pumped storage hydro (PSH) capacity, accounting for 90 percent of long-duration energy storage globally. 

The Guardian: UK finance minister Rachel Reeves to tell G7 accelerating shift to clean energy is best defence against energy price shocks

“That transition is strongest when countries act together," she said. "By working across the G7 we can accelerate investment and build momentum."