Energy
UK is in no position to lecture Saudis on oil dependence
PM Theresa May has offered to help wean Saudi Arabia off oil, but her government’s subsidies to North Sea producers are a poor model for the Middle East petrostate
Adani coal would not cut emissions – IEA expert
Australian ministers claim Carmichael mine would send cleaner coal to India than imports from elsewhere. This is false, says analyst from major global agency
German coal plants burn on as EU carbon price stagnates
EU emissions trading data show €5 a tonne of carbon dioxide is not enough to drive dirty brown coal off the system
Have Chinese CO2 emissions really peaked?
We are really bad at predicting Chinese emissions. Why do we think we know what happens next?
Executive disorder: Trump’s climate policies bid goodbye to reality
Despite the rhetoric, US president Donald Trump’s irrational climate order will fail to benefit the miners he has championed
Indian oil majors prepare for electric vehicle boom
As India aims to go to 100% EVs by 2030, oil producers are considering investment in lithium-ion battery production
Brazilian Amazon to ditch diesel for clean energy
Bids have been invited for a renewable power auction in May, to wean the Amazonas region off reliance on fuel imports
Unfinished business: Coal miners across South Africa walk away from clean up
Documents obtained by Climate Home reveal a growing crisis as big miners and government shift liability to small companies who cannot afford coal mine clean up
Coal power pipeline shrinks dramatically in boon for climate
A freeze on projects in China and India gives fresh hope of meeting tough global warming limits, according to a report by Coal Swarm, Greenpeace and Sierra Club
G20 report shows competing visions of a clean energy future
The IEA and IRENA issued separate press releases for their joint report, reflecting a gulf in expectations on the relative roles of renewables, nuclear and carbon capture
Carbon tangle: Norway must put oil ventures to a ‘climate test’
Norway has some of the most ambitious emissions policies in the world, but is opening oil fields that cannot pay back in a safe climate future, says SEI’s Peter Erickson
China kickstarting new coal boom in Pakistan
In a region of Pakistan besieged by drought, and blessed with solar potential, China is funding the expansion of huge new coal projects
Trump budget: US to stop funding UN climate process
“America First” budget would axe 20% of the UN’s climate body’s funding and $2bn to help developing countries deal with global warming
Watchdog suspends Azerbaijan, EU gas pipeline loans threatened
Billions in development loans at risk after international human rights watchdog strips Azeri membership for failure to increase transparency
Ancient tombs discovery stalls Polish coal mine development
Burial mounds from the 5,000-year-old Funnelbeaker culture stand in the way of the proposed Ościsłowo opencast lignite mine
Maldives president defends Saudi atoll deal, but reveals no detail
Maldives “should be afforded the ability to expand our economy” says president in response to criticism of a US$10bn development deal with Saudi Arabia
Saudis make Maldives land grab to secure oil routes to China
Proposed multi-billion dollar deal sparks protests in the tiny atoll nation, which has found itself at the centre of a great game over oil, power and religion
Weekly wrap: Will China turn its back on coal?
This week’s top climate politics and policy stories. Sign up to have our newsletter sent to your inbox
Lessons from London’s 1952 fog could save millions today
Air pollution is one of the world’s biggest killers. Peter Thorsheim looks back at the resistance, disinformation and solutions that emerged from the London fog
China coal use fell again in 2016, solar capacity rose 82%
Massive investments in clean energy and economic shifts continue to dampen demand for coal in the world’s largest carbon emitter