US comes out against plastic production limits in UN treaty at deadlocked talks
US officials outlined their new position at a meeting in Nairobi, where key divisions persisted ahead of August talks to agree a global plastics pact
Coalition set sights on taxing luxury air travel to fund climate action
A group of eight countries is pledging to tax premium flying in a bid to find new money for resilience-building
Brazil’s environment minister suggests roadmap to end fossil fuels at COP30
Brazil’s environment minister Marina Silva suggests this year’s COP30 climate summit could result in a roadmap to guide a “planned and just transition”
Bonn bulletin: Waiting for a plan to rescue COP28 breakthrough
While in Bonn countries remain deeply divided over how to implement the responses to the global stocktake, Brazil seeks inspiration in London
How ‘sophisticated’ climate misinformation gets to the heart of power
The fossil fuel industry and right-wing populists are increasingly targeting key policy-makers through backdoor channels, according to a new report
Is the world’s big idea for greener air travel a flight of fancy?
Suspicions of fraud, ‘ridiculous’ data and a dearth of supplies – our investigation exposes the flaws in the airline industry’s big green hope: sustainable aviation fuel
Bonn Bulletin: Slow start to climate talks fails to reflect urgency
A bitter row over the agenda ended with a compromise on adding finance and trade measures, while COP30 host Brazil sold off oil blocks to fossil fuel giants
Over half of countries push for plastic production cuts in new UN pact
Ahead of hard-fought negotiations due to resume in August, 95 countries have issued a “wake up” call for an “ambitious” plastics treaty
Global forest loss hits “frightening” record high with climate-fuelled fires
Brazil and Bolivia led forest destruction in 2024 as drought worsened fires and land was cleared for large-scale agriculture and cattle-farming
Brazil calls on local groups to “inspire” governments in boosting climate action
With 90% of countries yet to produce updated climate plans, the COP30 presidency is encouraging grassroots organisations to lead the way
First carbon credit scheme for early coal plant closures unveiled
Proponents hope carbon markets can offer new funding for costly transition from coal to renewables. But concerns have been raised over the risk of low-integrity credits
Trump throws lifeline to Canadian deep-sea miner, setting scene for international clash
US president’s executive order looks like a victory for Vancouver-based The Metals Company (TMC) and other industry advocates, but fierce environmental and international opposition still stands in the way of ocean floor mining
Xi commits China to full climate plan but emissions-cutting ambition still unclear
The Chinese president told fellow global leaders that the country’s updated climate plan would cover all economic sectors and greenhouse gases
Loss and damage fund to hand out $250 million in initial phase
The fund’s board has agreed a plan for the start-up phase of the UN mechanism to help developing nations tackle the consequences of climate disasters
Power-hungry AI data centres seen driving demand for fossil fuels
Big Tech’s data centres are expected to use twice as much electricity by the end of the decade – mainly due to the global AI boom, the International Energy Agency says
African banks back oil export pipeline despite climate commitments
Lenders including Afreximbank are backing Uganda’s EACOP project, while publicly talking up their support for a just energy transition.
Carbon credit auditors suspended for failures in sham rice-farming offsets
Verra has taken unprecedented action against four certification bodies that overlooked integrity problems with the projects. But the worthless credits still need to be compensated
Electricity demand surges, expanding renewables and fossil fuels in 2024
Cooling demand as a result of record temperatures was a significant driver of power generation last year, according to the International Energy Agency
US approves multi-billion-dollar loan for troubled Mozambique gas plant
The US export credit agency has unlocked key funding for TotalEnergies’ massive LNG project which was halted after militant attacks
Brazil’s COP30 president: Climate summits must move from words to real action
In a letter outlining his vision for Brazil’s climate summit, Corrêa Do Lago calls for a “new era” with collective work on implementation
Most cookstove carbon credits ruled out of quality scheme in integrity push
The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market has rejected widely used rulebooks for cleaner cooking, which will require projects to switch to more rigorous methods
Countries fail again to decide timing of key IPCC climate science reports
China, Saudi Arabia and India pushed back against a proposal to align the IPCC flagship reports with the timeline of the global stocktake of climate action
In Trump’s shadow, IPCC set to make key decision on timing of climate science review
With the US not expected to show up at the IPCC meeting, countries have a final chance to agree whether assessment reports could inform the next UN scorecard of climate action
After US retreat, countries clash over who should make up Green Climate Fund shortfall
At this week’s board meeting, Germany and Sweden encouraged wealthier developing nations to step up – an idea rejected by Saudi Arabia