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Jamie Smyth, Attracta Mooney and Eva Xiao, Financial Times
Donald Trump’s dismantling of climate policy and promotion of fossil fuels could more than halve the pace of US decarbonisation over the next 15 years, according to an analysis covered by the Financial Times. Researchers at the Rhodium Group found that the pace of average emissions reduction per year could fall by just 0.4% through to the end of 2040, compared with 1.1% from 2005 till the end of 2024, the newspaper says. It continues: “[The analysis] forecasts that annual US emissions would decline by 26-35% by 2035 under these conditions, a significant shift since last year’s forecast of 38-56%.” The Guardian’s coverage of the analysis notes that a jump in US emissions under Trump pushed global levels of CO2 higher in the first half of this year.
MORE ON US
The Trump administration has “dissolved” the group of “climate contrarians” behind a recent misleading climate report, CNN reports, after environmental groups filed a lawsuit alleging the group “violated the Federal Advisory Committee Act in several ways”. A top Trump administration official said yesterday that five US offshore wind developments are under review, according to Bloomberg. Interior secretary Doug Burgum has proposed cancelling a Biden-era rule that made conservation an official “use” of public land, reports the Associated Press. The Financial Times says that Trump’s “deep-sea mineral stockpile” has got a “boost” from Bahrain. The Guardian reports on how a county in South Dakota “drove away millions in solar energy”. The first onshore wave energy project in the US has opened in Los Angeles, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Fasika Tadesse and Antony Sguazzin, Bloomberg
On the final day of the Africa Climate Summit in Ethiopia, leaders “chastised developed nations for failing to honor pledges to ramp up green financing and said they will tap the private sector to help protect their economies from climate change”, Bloomberg reports. In a statement, African leaders said yesterday that providing climate finance is “a legal obligation and not charity, as anchored in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Paris Agreement”, according to the outlet. Climate Home News reports that finance experts have “called on banks and other financial institutions to take on more risk when considering investments in clean energy projects in Africa to help meet goals to deploy more renewables”. Time covers a panel at the summit focused on upscaling local climate solutions.
MORE ON AFRICA
Andrew Freedman, CNN
Several publications cover a new study that claims for the first time to have identified causal links between worsening heatwaves and emissions from individual fossil-fuel and cement companies. CNN reports: “Instead of looking at one or two localised extreme heat events, the new study encompasses 213 heatwaves around the world from 2000 to 2023. It finds, not surprisingly, that heatwaves became much more likely and severe during that period, largely due to the burning of fossil fuels.” The Guardian says the findings could represent a “leap forward in the legal battle to hold big oil accountable for the damages being caused” by climate change. Carbon Brief explains the findings in more detail.
MORE ON CLIMATE SCIENCE
A new report finds that heat stress and extreme weather could “threaten” the 2026 World Cup, which is being held in the US, Canada and Mexico, the Guardian says. Canada’s Globe and Mail covers research finding that smoke from the nation’s 2023 wildfires had a “global impact on premature deaths”.
Oliver Wright and Adam Vaughan, The Times
The Times continues reporting on polling it has commissioned, which the newspaper claims shows that voters are “almost as likely to trust Nigel Farage on climate change as they are Keir Starmer and Ed Miliband”. It continues: “About one in five voters (22%) say they trust the Reform leader to have the right policies on global warming – only one point below the 23% who trust Miliband and two points below Starmer, on 24%. 17% of voters say Farage’s views on climate change are similar to their own – compared with 22% who say the same of Starmer.” The newspaper adds that Miliband has responded by saying there will be no backtracking on the government’s pledge to decarbonise electricity supplies by 2030 and that Farage was propagating “climate disinformation”. The Times adds that Miliband said he knew he was “in a fight” with political opponents and that the cross-party consensus on climate change had become, what the newspaper describes, “fragmented”, adding he had known this “moment was always going to come”. The Daily Mail covers the Times polling, focusing on the results for banning petrol cars.
MORE ON UK
The UK has started the parliamentary process to ratify the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction agreement, the Press Association reports. The climate-sceptic Daily Telegraph claims that green businessman Dale Vince has said the government should create a contracts for difference scheme equivalent for North Sea oil and gas. A Scottish council will vote on revoking permission for a 40MW battery storage project following a petition from the public gaining more than 3,000 signatures, the Scotsman reports. A University of Leeds farm is to test ways to achieve “climate-smart agriculture”, notes BBC News.
Kate Abnett and Julia Payne, Reuters
The EU is considering a faster phase-out of Russian fossil fuels as part of new sanctions against Moscow, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said yesterday, following mounting US pressure, says Reuters. The newswire continues: “A ban on seaborne Russian crude oil has cut the EU's Russian oil imports by 90%, but Hungary and Slovakia still import via a pipeline and Europe is expected to purchase about 13% of its gas from Russia this year…EU officials are in Washington to discuss coordination on further Russia sanctions to cut off funding for its war in Ukraine. However, internal divisions and the need for global support raise questions over how effective such steps will be.”
MORE ON EUROPE
A top European court has ruled that the EU can keep classifying nuclear power as “environmentally sustainable", Politico reports. A second Politico story says that a separate legal case has concluded that the EU can keep classifying burning trees for energy as sustainable. The Financial Times reports that the top US markets regulator has threatened to ban overseas companies from using European accounting rules, “if its rulemakers continue to pursue sustainability and climate issues”.
Lisandra Paraguassu and Kate Abnett, Reuters
Brazil plans to propose a new forum for governments to discuss how climate policy affects trade, three officials tell Reuters. The newswire continues: “Emerging economies, including Brazil, South Africa and India, have accused the European Union of restricting trade through its environmental policies, such as a ban on imports linked to deforestation that is due to go into effect in December. Developing countries have made several attempts to put the issue on the agenda at past UN climate summits, but the EU has said trade should be discussed at the World Trade Organization.” It adds that COP30 host Brazil “is looking to break that stalemate” by making a new proposal “during the WTO's annual public forum next week”.
MORE ON BRAZIL
Ethan Wang and Ryan Woo, Reuters
“Natural” disasters in China caused “direct economic loss” of more than 19bn yuan ($2.75bn) in August, Reuters reports, citing the Ministry of Emergency Management. The news agency adds that extreme weather events, including floods and droughts, affected more than 10 million people and killed 122 people last month. Meanwhile, China has recorded the highest average temperature from June to August this year since record began in 1961, Xinhua Daily reports. Jiang Wei, deputy director of the Jiangsu provincial climate centre, says he “believes that heatwaves will continue to intensify amid global warming”, adds the outlet. [Xinhua Daily is a news outlet run by the Jiangsu provincial committee of the Communist party of China. It is not the state-run Xinhua news agency.] At a press conference yesterday, Xu Dachun, vice minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources, said that China will “strengthen” the research on extreme weather events and “improve” the effectiveness of early warnings, reports business news outlet Jiemian. (See Carbon Brief’s Q&A: How China is adapting to ‘more frequent and intense’ heat extremes.”) State-owned newspaper China Daily reports that “China has made significant breakthroughs in oil, natural gas and uranium exploration, vice-minister of natural resources [Xu] said”. It adds that the identity of large uranium – which can be used for nuclear power – would “significantly enhance China's uranium supply security, Xu said”.
MORE ON CHINA
Bloomberg: “China’s green tech firms pour billions into overseas factories.” A state-backed “green and low-carbon technology application committee” has been established to help with “global green transformation”, reports China Daily. Talks between Chinese president Xi Jinping and Portuguese prime minister Luis Montenegro this week raised “green development”, China Daily reports. Han Zheng, China’s vice president, “pointed out that…China has always been a firm advocate and important contributor to global green development”, notes Xinhua. “Zhao Leji, China's top legislator, has called on his fellow legislators to contribute more suggestions on the compilation of the country's first-ever environmental code,” reports Xinhua. Bloomberg publishes a comment piece by columnist David Fickling, under the headline: “China’s Marshall Plan is running on batteries.”
The Guardian
Flash floods in Bali, Indonesia have killed at least six people this week and forced more than 80 to evacuate, the Guardian reports. It continues: “The annual monsoon season, typically between November and April, often brings landslides, flash floods and water-borne diseases. Climate change has affected storm patterns, including the length and severity of the season, leading to heavier rain, flash flooding and stronger wind gusts.”
MORE ON EXTREME WEATHER
BBC News reports that Devon and Cornwall, beach destinations in southwest England, have faced flash flooding this week. Scientific American examines why this year’s Atlantic hurricane season has been “quiet”.
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