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Attracta Mooney, The Financial Times
A “high ambition coalition” of the EU and ministers from “more than 30 countries” has “joined forces in a co-ordinated effort to thwart a push…to delay key scientific reports on the warming of the planet”, reports the Financial Times. It says the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is meeting this week to “resolve a three-year-long deadlock over the next set of reports”. It says: “Countries including Saudi Arabia, India and China have pushed for the postponement of some of the reports until 2029, meaning key information on climate change would not be available for the UN COP summit in 2028, when a critical assessment of each nation’s efforts to deal with climate change is due.” Modern Diplomacy says this week’s meeting in Ethiopia is seen as the “last opportunity” to agree a pre-2028 timeline. Reuters says the dispute “reflects deep rifts between wealthy industrialised nations, major emerging economies and poorer nations”. [See Carbon Brief’s article from April on the previous meeting’s “deadlock”, plus a separate Q&A on “why the standoff between nations over the next IPCC reports matters”.]
Emiliya Mychasuk and Steven Bernard, The Financial Times
At least two people have died, more than 800,000 are without power and oil and gas production has been disrupted after Hurricane Isaias made landfall in Florida, reports the Financial Times. It adds: “Workers were evacuated from more than 100 oil and gas platforms and over half of all offshore production in the Gulf was paused ahead of the storm’s arrival…Experts expect there to be little immediate effect on already high oil prices, unless the hurricane power outages affect oil refineries.” The Associated Press reports on two further deaths and the “threat of flash floods and tornadoes across the south-east”. PBS News says the gulf coast’s “warming waters” were “charged by climate change”. Scientific American looks at how the hurricane “got so dangerously strong so fast”.
MORE ON EXTREME WEATHER
Agence France-Presse: “Brazil prosecutors sue Shell for $108m over deadly 2024 floods.” The Associated Press: “Villages evacuated as flash flood from Budhi Gandaki River hits northern Nepal.” BBC News: “Nepal is prone to disasters…[But] experts say climate change, which is making glaciers melt faster, is likely raising the risk.” The Associated Press: “Vietnam mobilises troops after heavy rains trigger flash floods and raise risks of landslides.” Reuters: “Malaysia closes schools in several states [and] territories due to haze [from forest fires in Indonesia.”
Joe Cash and Inti Landauro, Reuters
EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said on Friday that the bloc had reached a deal with China to “halve Chinese exports of hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles to the EU, improve EU access to China's market and ease Chinese licencing of rare earth exports”, reports Reuters. The Financial Times reports: “Šefčovič said China had agreed to restrain its hybrid car exports to the EU to a level half or less than that currently projected by the EU over the next four years, a commitment he said would prevent ‘several million’ being shipped. However, that would still allow actual volumes to increase over the period.” The Financial Times has further coverage on how the EU would implement the deal, if approved by member states, adding that the agreement “averted a full-scale trade conflict”.
The EU will cap Chinese hybrid imports at “350,000 cars per year”, rising by 6% annually, reports Bloomberg. Another Bloomberg article says: “China’s Ministry of Commerce said on Friday the understanding includes a ‘green channel’ mechanism to facilitate EU export licenses for rare earths and permanent magnets.” The Guardian and Politico also have the story. The Financial Times says: “Volkswagen’s chief executive has called for greater co-operation between France and Germany to strengthen European competitiveness, saying it was not too late to respond to the threat posed by Chinese competitors.”
MORE ON EU
Reuters: “EU eyes COP31 climate deal to accelerate CO2 cuts, document shows.” Euronews: “Tens of thousands urge EU for climate action at Brussels demonstration.” The Financial Times: “EU to explore windfall tax on energy companies.” The EU has selected 46 strategic raw material projects for faster access to funding as the bloc seeks to “reduce reliance on China”, reports Reuters. Politico: “EU’s new list of critical-mineral projects focuses on clean-energy metals.” Politico says a “split” in the European Parliament over reforms to the EU emissions trading system “opens way for conservative deal with far right”.
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