Joe Lo
China’s environment ministry floats ‘ban’ on coal power investment abroad
A Chinese government-commissioned report proposes stricter environmental standards for “belt and road” investments, but it needs buy-in from financial institutions
WMO: Siberian heatwave put 2020 among three hottest years on record
Temperatures reached 38C in Siberia, leading to wildfires and increased melting of the sea ice and putting 2020 on course for 1.2C warming globally
Saudis and Europeans reach compromise on climate as G20 projects unity
EU leaders endorsed Riyadh’s contentious “circular carbon economy” vision at the G20 summit, in exchange for a renewed commitment to phasing out fossil fuel subsidies
Hurricanes Iota, Eta devastate parts of Central America in record-breaking season
Experts are calling for relief and resilience funding for Nicaragua and Honduras, as warming seas fuel extraordinarily intense storms
Bolsonaro’s attack on the Amazon breaches Brazil’s constitution, climate lawyers argue
Brazilian campaigners are fighting in the Supreme Court to reinstate anti-deforestation policies and resources slashed by the Bolsonaro administration
Climate campaigners target critical US Senate runoffs in Georgia
Turning out black and Latino voters, who are hardest hit by climate change and pollution, is seen as key to Democrat chances of winning US Senate control in January
First named Cop26 sponsors are big investors in offshore wind – and a gas plant
SSE, Scottish Power and National Grid have been named as sponsors of next year’s UN climate summit in Glasgow, with SSE defending a “transition” investment in gas power
Asian development banks resist coal phase-out pledge at French summit
Despite net zero pledges from the governments of China, Japan and South Korea, the ADB and AIIB are reluctant to commit to reducing finance to fossil fuels
UK looks to Cop26 climate summit to fix awkward relationship with Biden
US president-elect Biden sees Johnson as a “clone” of Trump and disagrees with him on Brexit, but both leaders want to make next year’s Glasgow climate talks a success
Climate watchers celebrate Biden victory over Trump in US election
Climate advocates from around the world welcomed Joe Biden’s victory, heralding a US return to international cooperation on the climate crisis
‘Count every vote’ demand US climate activists, after Trump false victory claim
Climate activists have reacted angrily to Donald Trump’s unfounded claim he won the US presidential election, mobilising to defend the democratic process
Environmentalists urge UN to condemn Brazil’s spying at climate talks
Brazilian campaigners said tolerating the Bolsonaro administration’s spying at climate talks would set “a grisly precedent” and called on the UN to prevent future incidents
EU tries to stop fossil fuel companies suing states over climate action
Brussels’ proposed green reforms to the Energy Charter Treaty face resistance from Japan, yet do not go far enough for environmental campaigners
Who will build the world’s last coal plant?
Banks, companies and governments are axing support for coal, driven by climate concerns and competition from renewables, but hundreds of plants are still in planning
Peru and Switzerland sign ‘world first’ carbon offset deal under Paris Agreement
In an agreement that took two years to negotiate, Peru will get finance for sustainable development projects while Switzerland takes credit for the emissions cuts
Poland’s largest utility announces pivot from coal to renewables
PGE has announced a strategy to go 100% renewable by 2050, but it depends on passing responsibility for coal mines to another Polish state-owned entity
Oxfam: Rich countries are not delivering on $100bn climate finance promise
Nearly 80% of climate finance is in the form of loans that must be repaid, adding to the debt burden of the poorest countries, anti-poverty campaigners found
New Zealanders vote for climate ambition of Jacinda Ardern and Greens
Jacinda Ardern won a second term as New Zealand leader with a landslide majority, in an endorsement of her government’s net zero emissions goal
Brazilian spies intimidated government’s own delegates at climate talks
Bolsonaro sent four secret agents to the Cop25 climate summit in Madrid, where campaigners said Brazilian negotiators were afraid to talk to them
IEA outlines how world can reach net zero emissions by 2050
To reach carbon neutrality in 2050, half of all cars globally should be electric by the end of this decade, according to modelling by the International Energy Agency