Entries by Kilian Dilg

‘A home for trees and birds, and also humans’: How high-rise forests can transform city life – and make us happier

It’s been 10 years since the creation of the first vertical forest, Milan’s Bosco Verticale. How has it inspired other buildings – and affected their residents’ happiness and health? In 2007, Italian architect Stefano Boeri witnessed the frantic construction of a city in the Dubai desert dominated by energy-wasting skyscrapers covered in glass, ceramic and […]

Microsoft’s 2030 Plan Revealed as Emissions Rise by 23.4%

Microsoft has released its 2025 Environmental Sustainability Report, marking the halfway point to its 2030 climate commitments. In the 90-page document, the US-based tech giant reflects on the progress it has made against the pledges it made in 2020. The goals it had aimed to accomplish by 2030 were various and ambitious. They included becoming […]

Despite growing electricity consumption: China’s CO2 emissions fall surprisingly

China is the world’s largest energy consumer – driven by rapid economic growth, industrialization and a population of over 1.4 billion people. For decades, the country relied on coal to cover its huge electricity needs. But a change has begun: In the first quarter of 2025, China’s CO2 emissions fell for the first time, although […]

EU Commission does not want to abolish supply chain law

Chancellor Merz faces headwind from Brussels. One of his prominent demands has been rejected – even by his own Vice-Chancellor. The EU Commission is opposing German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s call to abolish the European Supply Chain Act. The Commission’s position on the Supply Chain Directive is public knowledge and it is about simplification, said a […]

Composition of the average annual greenhouse gas balance per person in Germany

One person in Germany (as of 2025) produces an average of 10.4 tons of greenhouse gases per year in CO₂ equivalents. 22% (2.2 tons of CO₂ equivalents) is attributable to housing, 15% (1.6 tons) to food and 28% (2.9 tons) to other consumption (such as clothing and leisure activities). This average greenhouse gas balance is […]

Black-Red pushes the pace on CO2 storage

The “traffic light” coalition failed, but the CDU/CSU and SPD now want to make CCS possible for German industry for the first time – before the summer break. But there is potential for controversy. The new governing coalition of CDU/CSU and SPD is not even in office yet. But the future coalition partners want to […]

The UK is now filtering CO2 from seawater

The “SeaCURE” pilot project in the south of England aims to be more efficient and cheaper than direct air capture processes. There is far too much CO2 in our atmosphere. To curb the climate crisis, it is therefore necessary to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon capture technologies, i.e. the capture of CO2 that has […]

Simplification: Council gives final green light on the ‘Stop-the-clock’ mechanism to boost EU competitiveness and provide legal certainty to businesses

The Council gave its final green light today on one of the Commission’s proposals to simplify EU rules and thus boost EU competitiveness. This proposal (the so-called ‘Stop-the-clock’ directive) postpones the dates of application of certain corporate sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements, as well as the transposition deadline of the due diligence provisions. Read […]

Corporate sustainability: what the EU expects from companies

The EU has established rules aimed at making companies more accountable when it comes to their impact on local communities and the environment. The EU wants to make sure that companies respect human rights, protect the planet and are open about their actions. The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive […]

Zero waste – why textiles are hardly ever recycled

Only one percent of used textiles worldwide are recycled. There is a lack of sorting and recycling facilities to turn old clothes into yarn for new textiles. The technologies do exist – but only on an experimental scale. According to the UN Environment Programme, global textile production doubled between 2000 and 2015. 92 million tons […]