Turkey and Greece’s disputes over maritime boundaries, territorial waters, and the rights to exploit natural gas and oil reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean are more important than ever. The European Union has an energy deficit due to the Russo-Ukrainian war, which requires reliable suppliers. Improving relations between Turkey and Greece is in the European Union’s interest, as the resources in …

The Europen Union’s supply chain vulnerability is a wake-up call we cannot ignore. The historical overreliance on one nation for critical raw materials has shown the defenselessness of the EU’s global supply chains. For example, China provides 97% of the magnesium, Chile provides 97% of the lithium, South Africa provides 93% of the iridium, and Brazil provides 92% of the …

As the global community grapples with the urgent need for sustainable practices, the European Union (EU), supposedly a leader in environmental initiatives, is under scrutiny for its sluggish progress in ensuring a green transition. Despite lofty promises and rhetoric, the EU’s actions thus far seem inadequate in addressing the pressing challenges of climate change. The first issue is delayed implementation. …

Background The environment and inflicting damage on the environment as a means or method of warfare is not new. Manipulating environmental conditions, such as instigating floods or using chemicals to harm the environment has existed throughout the decades. Indeed, deliberately inflicting harm on the environment can have considerable consequences in wartime especially on the civilian population and has been the …

Background  Following the 2011 nuclear disaster caused by a major earthquake and tsunami, Japan shut down all of its nuclear power plants. Following inspections and safety regulation reviews, the country is now opening up its nuclear facilities, including considering restarting operations at the world’s biggest nuclear power plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa. The decision opens up questions about the safety of nuclear power …

Background  Holding states responsible for failures to take adequate or sufficient action in order to limit the effects of climate change is an increasing litigation trend perceivable in multiple jurisdictions including the Netherlands, the United States, Germany and France. The most successful manifestation of this trend is arguably the Urgenda case, in which a Dutch Court ordered the Dutch government to cut …

With the just published draft agreement for the COP28 meeting in Dubai on climate change fails to ask countries to eliminate coal, oil, and other fossil fuels on a gradual basis despite this. The critics say that some of the wording in the document has been manipulated by the so-called oil rich countries with an intention of deemphasizing the need to …

The global push towards a sustainable future has led to an increased emphasis on phasing out fossil fuels in favour of renewable energy sources. Whilst from an environmental perspective such a step seems necessary, thus inevitable, the complex geopolitical consequences of phasing out fossil fuels present a great obstacle. Unsurprisingly, one of the most significant geopolitical consequences of phasing out …

In the light of increasing dangers of climate change and quest for energy sovereignty among nations, Germany gives a leading example in the field of fair energy transformation via its Energiewende initiatives. This term “Energiewende,” was coined by the Öko-Institut in 1980 in the publication that constitutes of Germany’s bold energy turnaround. Accordingly, this movement shifts strategy from nuclear and coal-based …

As the largest emitter of greenhouse gas, it is crucial that China and the EU work together to speed up green growth initiatives globally to help address the ongoing climate change crisis. Underneath it all lies historical geopolitical rivalries and competitive economies. Still, the existential threat of the impending environmental disaster that we are facing should prompt urgent climate cooperation. Fortunately, …