US and Saudi Arabia block geoengineering governance push
Countries failed to agree on a Swiss resolution to consider regulating technologies that aim to cool the planet, at the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi
Energy and oil majors turn to rural Africa in grab for world’s next billion customers
Once basic energy is established in disconnected regions, the companies that supply it hope to cash in on demand for a slew of new products and services
School climate strikes go global, with actions planned in 92 countries
Young people are preparing for a mass walkout of classes on Friday, to demand swift action from governments to safeguard their futures
Environment community mourns victims of Ethiopian Airlines crash
UN staff and delegates to the UN Environment Assembly, which opened in Nairobi on Monday, were among 157 to die on the way from Addis Ababa
Belfast’s bid to join UK environment law raises post-Brexit border issues
Adding Northern Ireland to the environment law adds pressure on London to keep its regulations in step with the EU’s
Norway calls for $1 trillion fund to sell some oil and gas stocks
The government proposes to divest a reported $7.5 billion worth of shares in oil production, without banning mixed oil majors like Shell and Exxon Mobil
Next UN climate summit scheduled for December in Chile
Cop25 will take place 2-13 December 2019 in Santiago, the Chilean capital, UN officials announced
UN aviation body agrees to close carbon emissions loophole
Rules to avoid double-counting of emissions cuts are a step forward, say campaigners, but more assurances are needed to meet the sector’s climate promises
Macron puts European climate bank on EU election agenda
French proponent ‘pleased’ Macron has backed a new institution, although the president’s support was left deliberately vague, said a government official
New UK green watchdog to be based on EU system, says Gove
‘Whatever else are the defects of the EU – that is a good working model,’ the environment secretary told MPs
Turkish supreme court blocks coal plant, as wave of new projects stalls
Local opposition won a legal ruling against a major project on the Black Sea coast – the latest challenge to Turkey’s plans to expand coal use
Weeds flourish and fish decline in Lake Victoria’s ‘deadest’ corner
As invasive water hyacinth chokes fishing communities, the World Bank launches a third phase of investment to try and restore the degraded lake
Burning wood for power breaches EU treaty, new lawsuit claims
Plaintiffs from six European countries and the US argue biomass does more harm than good and should be not be counted as a renewable energy source
UK bill would weaken environmental law after Brexit, legal experts tell MPs
The bill creates ‘get-out-of-jail-free cards’ for ministers and exposes the environment watchdog to government influence, they said
Developing world split on climate finance at UN flagship fund
Vulnerable countries are backing governance reform at the Green Climate Fund, while emerging economies resist efforts to impose conditions on finance
Saudi Aramco dismisses peak oil demand ‘hype’, touts carbon efficiency
Amin H Nasser, head of the world’s largest oil company, expressed fears key stakeholders saw no future for the industry, at a major conference in London
Switzerland puts geoengineering governance on UN environment agenda
No longer the preserve of science fiction, climate-hacking technologies may need international oversight, say backers of draft resolution
French experts propose trillion-euro EU climate finance pact
Economist Pierre Larrouturou and climate scientist Jean Jouzel are leading a call to mobilise funds on a large scale, backed by more than 600 political figures
Costa Rica targets electric cars and forest growth in 2050 climate strategy
President Carlos Alvarado Quesada has launched an economy-wide plan to slash his country’s greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century
French UN official named as next chief of flagship climate fund
Yannick Glemarec was picked from an all-male shortlist to lead the Green Climate Fund, in a key fundraising year