EU Carbon Market Reform: The European Commission has unveiled a proposal to revise the Emissions Trading System (ETS), aiming to keep climate goals on track while making the scheme more “business-friendly” for hard-to-decarbonise sectors—an approach that weakens the ETS under pressure from industry and right-wing governments, with Italy among the countries pushing for major changes. Heat & Water Stress: Italy is facing renewed extreme heat, with red heat alerts expanded to more cities and forecasts pointing to more storms after the heatwave—raising risks for public health, agriculture, and water management. Renewables Grid Bottlenecks: A new Ember analysis argues Europe’s “outdated” grid is stranding wind and solar, but says an “immediate, zero-intervention” fix could come from hybridising projects so they share grid connections instead of waiting for new grid build-outs. Venice Ecosystem Strain: Venice’s lagoons are dealing with an invasion of comb jellyfish, linked to warming seas and disrupted conditions, threatening fisheries and disrupting swimmers. Italy Energy Infrastructure: CapVest has completed its majority-stake acquisition of TSG Solutions, a multi-energy technical services firm spanning power, solar, battery storage and biofuels—signalling continued investment in Europe’s critical energy buildout. Tourism Pressure in Sardinia: Sardinia is rolling out tighter access to famous beaches via advance booking, as local residents launch Sardinia.blog to keep travel planning grounded in on-the-ground verification.