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Hundreds of scientists in dozens of institutions are embarking on the next phase of the world’s largest coordinated climate-modelling effort.

Climate-modelling groups use supercomputers to run climate models that simulate the physics, chemistry and biology of the Earth’s atmosphere, land and oceans.

These models play a crucial role in helping scientists understand how the climate is responding as greenhouse gases build up in the atmosphere.

For four decades, the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) has guided the work of the climate-modelling community by providing a framework that allows for millions of results to be collected together and compared.  

The resulting projections are used extensively in climate science and policy and underpin the landmark reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Now, the seventh phase of CMIP – CMIP7 – is underway, with more than 30 climate-modelling centres expected to contribute more than five million gigabytes of data  – so much that downloading it using a fast internet connection would take two and a half years.

Here, we look at what is new for CMIP7, including its model experiments, updated emissions scenarios and “assessment fast track” process.

What is CMIP? 

Around the world, climate models are developed by different institutions and groups, known as modelling centres. 

Each model is built differently and, therefore, produces slightly different results. 

To better understand these differences, CMIP coordinates a common set of climate-model experiments.

These are simulations that use the same inputs and conditions, allowing scientists to compare the results and see where models agree or differ. 

The figure below shows the countries that have either produced or published CMIP simulations.

Countries that have contributed modelling or data infrastructure for CMIP. Credit: CMIP

During this time, scientists use new and improved models to run experiments from previous CMIP phases for consistency, as well as new experiments to investigate fresh scientific questions.

These simulations produce a trove of data, in the form of variables – such as temperature, rainfall, winds, sea ice extent and ocean currents. This information helps scientists study past, present and future climate change. 

As scientific understanding and technical capabilities improve, models are refined. As a result, each CMIP phase incorporates higher spatial resolutions, larger ensembles, improved representations of key processes and more efficient model designs.

CMIP7 objectives

Each CMIP phase has an “experimental design” that outlines which climate-model experiments should be run and their technical specifications, including the time period the models should simulate.

The CMIP7 experimental design has several components. 

As in CMIP6, for a modelling centre to contribute, they are asked to produce a suite of experiments that maintain continuity across past and future CMIP phases. 

This suite of experiments is known as the “diagnostic, evaluation and characterisation of klima” (DECK) and is used to understand how their model “behaves” under simple, standard conditions. These experiments are designed and requested directly by CMIP’s scientific governing panel. 

Alongside the DECK, CMIP also incorporates experiments developed by model intercomparison projects (MIPs) run by different research communities. For example, experiments exploring what the climate could look like under different levels of emissions or those that explore how sea ice might have changed between the last two ice-ages.

Currently, CMIP is working with 40 MIPs. These groups investigate specific scientific questions at their own pace, rather than on timelines prescribed by CMIP.

Running a large number of simulations can take modelling centres a long time. To speed up the process, CMIP7 has launched the “assessment fast track”. 

This is a small subset of CMIP7 experiments, drawn from past and present community MIPs, identified through community consultation as being critical for scientific and policy assessments.

Data from the assessment fast track will be used in the reports that will together form the seventh assessment (AR7) of the IPCC. 

It will also be used as an input by other groups that create climate information, including organisations involved in regional downscaling and modelling climate impacts and ice-sheet changes.

The figure below shows the different components of CMIP7. It shows how a subset of CMIP7 experiments will be delivered on an accelerated timeline, while the majority of experiments will be led by MIPs.

The different components of CMIP7. Credit: CMIP CMIP7 experiments

There are three categories of experiments set to take place in CMIP7:

• Historical experiments, which are designed to improve scientific understanding of past climates. Model runs exploring the recent historical period also allow scientists to evaluate the performance of models by checking how well they replicate real-world observations. 
• Prediction and projection experiments, which allow scientists to analyse what different climates could look like under varying levels of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as near-term (10-year) prediction experiments.
• Process understanding experiments, which are designed to better understand specific processes and isolate cause-and-effect relationships. For example, a set of experiments might change the emissions of one greenhouse gas at a time to see how much each pollutant contributes to warming or cooling the climate.

Modelling centres typically produce and publish their data for the historical and projection experiments first. 

CMIP expects the first datasets to be available by this summer, with broader publication recommended by the end of the year, in time to be assessed by IPCC AR7 authors.

Drafting of the reports of AR7 is currently underway. However, countries are yet to agree on the timeline for when they will be published. This presents a challenge for the climate-modelling community, given the difficulties of working with a moving deadline. 

(For more on the ongoing standoff between countries around the timing of publication of the reports, read Carbon Brief’s explainer.)

New emissions scenarios

Scientists use emissions scenarios to simulate the future climate according to how global energy systems and land use might change over the next century.

Crucially, these scenarios – also known as “pathways” – are not forecasts or predictions of the future. 

The group tasked with designing the scenarios for CMIP phases, as well as producing the “input files” for climate models, is the “scenario model intercomparison project”, or ScenarioMIP.

In a new paper, the group has set out the new set of scenarios for CMIP7:

• High (H): Emissions grow to as high as deemed plausibly possible, consistent with a rollback of current climate policies. This scenario will result in strong warming. 
• High-to-low (HL): Emissions rise as in the high scenario at first, but are cut sharply in the second half of the century to reach net-zero by 2100. 
• Medium (M): Emissions consistent with current policies, frozen as of 2025, leading to a moderate level of warming. 
• Medium-to-low (ML): Emissions are slowly reduced, eventually reaching net-zero emissions by the end of the century.
• Low (L): Emissions consistent with likely keeping warming below 2C and not returning to 1.5C before the end of the century.
• Very low (VL): Emissions are cut to keep temperatures “as low as plausible”, according to the paper. This scenario limits warming to close to 1.5C by the end of the century, with limited overshoot beforehand. 
• Low-to-negative (LN): Emissions fall slightly slower than in the VL scenario, with temperatures just rising above 1.5C. Emissions then rapidly drop to negative to bring warming back down.

The figures below show the emissions (left) and the estimated global temperature changes (right) under the seven new scenarios for CMIP7, from the low-to-negative emissions scenario (turquoise) to a high-emissions scenario (brown). 

The greenhouse gas emissions for each of the CMIP7 climate scenarios (left) and the associated estimated average temperature change from 1850-1900 (right) using the FaIR emulator. Source: Adapted from Van Vuuren et al. (2026)

As a set, the ScenarioMIP scenarios “cover plausible outcomes ranging from a high level of climate change (in the case of policy failure) to low levels of climate change resulting from stringent policies”, the paper says.

Compared to the scenarios in CMIP6, the range in future emissions they cover is now narrower, the authors say:

“On the high-end of the range, the CMIP6 high emission levels (quantified by SSP5-8.5) have become implausible, based on trends in the costs of renewables, the emergence of climate policy and recent emission trends…At the low end, many CMIP6 emission trajectories have become inconsistent with observed trends during the 2020-30 period.”

Put simply, progress on climate policies and cheaper renewable technologies means that scenarios of very high emissions have now been ruled out. 

However, this progress has not been sufficient to keep society on track for the Paris Agreement’s 1.5C goal. The paper notes that, “at this point of time, some overshoot of the 1.5C seems unavoidable”.

[The change to the high end of the scenarios has sparked misleading commentary in the media and on social media – even from US president Donald Trump. A Carbon Brief factcheck unpacks the debate.]

Also notable in the new scenarios is the “low-to-negative” pathway, which has the explicit feature of emissions becoming “net-negative”. In other words, through carbon dioxide removal (CDR) techniques, society reaches the point at which more carbon is being taken out of the atmosphere than is being added through greenhouse gas emissions. 

Reaching net-negative emissions is fundamental to “overshoot scenarios”, where global warming passes a target and then is brought back down by large-scale CDR.

Overshoot scenarios allow scientists and policymakers to investigate the impacts of a delay to emissions reductions and better understand how the world might respond to passing a warming target. This includes the question of whether some impacts of climate change, such as ice sheet melt, are reversible. 

CMIP has encouraged modelling centres to run simulations using the “high” and “very low” scenarios first to ensure downstream users of the data – including groups working on regional climate projections (CORDEX), climate impacts modelling (ISIMIP) and ice-sheet modelling (ISMIP) – have enough time to produce their data for IPCC reports.

These two scenarios were selected as they sit at opposite ends of the spectrum of climate outcomes. The high scenario will demonstrate how models behave under high emissions, while the very low scenario will demonstrate how models behave when emissions are rapidly reduced. 

CMIP has recommended that modelling centres then run the “medium” and “high-to-low” scenarios. The remaining scenarios should then follow and no official recommendation has been made yet on their production order.

Other new features 

In addition to the assessment fast track and new scenarios, CMIP7 has a number of other new developments.

Updated data for simulations

Climate models use input datasets to define the set of external drivers – or “forcings” – that have caused the global warming observed so far. These drivers include greenhouse gases, changes to incoming solar radiation and volcanic eruptions.

CMIP recommends modelling groups use the same input datasets, as this makes it easier to compare model results.

In CMIP7, the historical forcing datasets available for modelling groups to use have been improved to better represent real-world changes and extended closer to the present day. The historical simulations will be able to simulate the past climate from 1850 through to the end of 2021, whereas CMIP6 only simulated the past climate through to 2014. 

CMIP is also planning to extend these historical datasets through to 2025 and maybe further throughout the course of CMIP7. 

Emissions-driven simulations 

CMIP7 introduces a new focus on CO2 emissions-driven simulations, providing a more realistic representation of how the climate responds to changes in emissions.

In older generations of climate models, atmospheric levels of CO2 and other greenhouse gas concentrations have been needed as an input to the model. These levels would be produced by running scenarios of CO2 emissions through separate carbon cycle models. The resulting climate-model runs were known as “concentration-driven simulations”. 

However, many of the latest generation of models are now able to run in “emissions-driven mode”. This means that they receive CO2  emissions as an input and the model itself simulates the carbon cycle and the resulting levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. 

This development is important, as climate policies are typically defined in terms of emissions, rather than overall atmospheric concentrations. 

This new development in modelling will enable a more realistic representation of the carbon cycle and a better understanding of how it might change under different levels of warming. 

Enhanced model documentation and evaluation

All CMIP7 models will be required to supply standardised model documentation that ensures consistency across model descriptions and makes it easier for end users to understand the data. 

Additionally, CMIP scientists have developed a new open-access tool that dramatically speeds up the evaluation of climate models. 

This “rapid evaluation framework” allows researchers to compare model outputs with real-world observations, providing immediate insight into model performance. 

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Canada’s auto sector supports more than 500,000 workers and anchors manufacturing communities across Ontario. But as the global car market rapidly electrifies, future jobs and investments will increasingly flow to countries that provide policy...

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The post CLOC – LVC South America denounces serious social conflict, repression and human rights violations in Bolivia appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

Even as gas prices continued to rise across the United States, sales of electric vehicles fell in April. That is in contrast to strong growth elsewhere in the world, such as Europe. But American drivers are gravitating toward at least one more efficient powertrain: hybrids. 

Sales of new EVs fell roughly 18 percent from March to April, according to the latest data from Edmunds, an auto research firm. Another company, Cox Automotive, pegged the drop at closer to 6 percent. Either way, experts said it’s clear that high gas prices aren’t leading to a significant shift toward EVs. 

“There was a lot of window shopping,” said Ivan Drury, director of insights at Edmunds, noting that searches for electrified vehicles on the company’s site were strong. “It did not translate to tire-kicking and purchases.” 

Price remains the steepest barrier for most people, said Drury. While electric vehicles can be less expensive to operate over the long-term — especially when gas prices are high — the upfront costs remain significant. The average transaction price for an EV in April was $6,214 higher than for vehicles with internal combustion engines, Cox reported.

“It’s still a cost hurdle,” said Stephanie Brinley, a principal automotive analyst at S&P Global Mobility. “You don’t know how long it’s going to take to get that back.” 

At Thursday’s average gas price of $4.56 per gallon, an EV buyer would have to drive more than 40,000 miles to make up the difference with a car that gets 30 mpg. Savings on maintenance, like oil changes, could accelerate that timeline, but factors such as higher insurance prices and having to install a home charger could make the payback period even longer. If fuel prices fall, the advantage of an EV also shrinks. 

“It’s very difficult for people to wrap their head around, ‘Hey, if I spend this $55,000, I might over time save’,” said Drury. “It requires a bit more math than most people want to go through.” 

The calculus is much simpler for hybrid vehicles, which utilize batteries that can improve fuel economy by 25 to 45 percent without needing to plug in. A Honda CR-V, for example, gets around 29 mpg while the hybrid version gets 37. More and more popular models are only available as hybrids, a strategy that Toyota has perhaps embraced most notably. Last year, it ditched the gas-only version of the Camry sedan. The 2026 RAV4 followed suit.

Overall, Edmunds data shows that sales of hybrids are up 20 percent year-over-year and nearly 50 percent since February, when the U.S.-Iran conflict began. Sales of gas-powered gas are up about 11 percent over those same two months. 

“I think this is going to be a hybrid moment,” said Stephanie Valdez Streaty, director of industry insights at Cox Automotive. “There are a lot of options.”

Used EVs provided another somewhat bright spot, she said. The segment saw a 3 percent increase in sales from March to April and a price premium of only $1,096 over used internal combustion vehicles. Used EVs also sold faster than their used gas-powered counterparts. “They’re really selling efficiently,” said Valdez Streaty, who added that there should be a glut of EVs available throughout the year as leases end. “I don’t think the inventory will be an issue.”

With Iran maintaining its hold over the Strait of Hormuz and summer travel season looming, gas prices appear set to keep climbing — which would only make an EV more appealing. Other parts of the world have seen significant jumps in sales since the conflict began, with Europe experiencing a surge and China setting an export record in April, according to BloombergNEF. 

In the United States, though, it seems that only people already in the market for EVs are making the leap. “Edge-case people,” as Brinley called them. Dramatic pump readings “might nudge them because they were already in that direction,” she said. “But what we’re unlikely to see is a shift in current [internal combustion car] owners just fundamentally making that change simply because of gas prices.”

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Why hybrids — not EVs — are winning over US consumers on May 22, 2026.

About six years ago, law students at the University of the South Pacific convinced the government of the small island nation of Vanuatu to take the harms wrought by climate change all the way to the International Court of Justice, the world’s highest legal authority. Vanuatu, along with the students, waged a campaign to convince the court that climate change was a human rights issue and that countries have a legal duty to protect the planet for future generations. In 2025, the court sided with them unanimously. In a legally nonbinding advisory opinion, it ruled that the failure of countries to tackle climate change is a “wrongful act” and that other nations harmed by a warming planet may seek reparations. 

Now, the effort has notched another win. On Wednesday, an overwhelming majority of countries in the United Nations voted to adopt a resolution backing the court’s ruling. The historic decision signals the political support behind the court’s finding that countries have a legal responsibility to address climate change, reduce its impact, and offer reparations to those it has harmed. More than 140 countries voted in favor of the resolution. Just eight  — including the United States, Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Russia — voted against (28 countries abstained from the vote).

“This must be a turning point in accountability for damaging the climate,” said Vishal Prasad, director of the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change and one of the law students who campaigned to take the case to the International Court of Justice, or ICJ. “The journey of this idea from classrooms in the Pacific to The Hague and the United Nations gives us continued hope that when people organize, the world can be moved to act.”

The near-unanimous decision is a strong signal that multilateral cooperation on climate change has not completely unraveled. Over the past year, global unity on reducing greenhouse gas emissions has proven shaky. After Donald Trump’s administration announced it would withdraw from the Paris Agreement, the United States has actively opposed climate action. Last year, it derailed countries that were close to setting a carbon tax on the shipping industry, which is responsible for about 3 percent of the world’s carbon emissions. A deal to regulate the industry’s emissions now seems uncertain. The U.S. has also helped kill a cap on plastics production and berated the International Energy Agency into projecting future energy demand under a scenario that climate action will stall out. 

“The unity and clarity expressed by the vote was striking,” said Nikki Reisch, director of the Center for International Environmental Law’s climate and energy program. Reisch said the resolution puts “political weight behind legal norms” and will help translate the international court’s conclusions into practical action. “It will become another pillar and proof of political backing for action and accountability.”

The Trump administration also mounted a campaign to block the United Nations from adopting the landmark international court ruling. In February, the State Department sent a missive to all consulates and embassies noting that it “strongly opposed” the U.N. resolution and that its adoption “could pose a major threat to U.S. industry.” In remarks ahead of the vote, Tammy Bruce, a former conservative radio host and now deputy representative to the U.N. in New York, said that the resolution is “problematic” and that “the United States continues to have serious legal and policy concerns” about it. 

“The resolution singles out certain groups for preferential treatment and makes alarmist political statements, such as the idea that climate change is an unprecedented challenge of civilizational proportions,” Bruce said. “Such hyperbolic statements are not appropriate in a resolution on an ICJ advisory opinion.” 

Tammy Bruce, deputy representative of the United States to the U.N. in New York, said the resolution is “problematic” and “makes alarmist political statements.” John Lamparski / Getty Images

The resolution reiterates the International Court of Justice’s core findings and calls on countries to implement measures to keep global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) while transitioning away from fossil fuels. It also affirms that nations must fulfill their climate obligations and that those countries harmed by others’ inaction are entitled to seek redress. Finally, the resolution calls on the United Nations’ secretary-general to submit a report next year on ways to comply with the international court’s findings. The resolution, like most U.N. resolutions, is not legally binding; rather, it’s intended to signal political priorities or views.

The U.N. vote comes as countries are cracking down on climate activism and litigation. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the government moved to amend climate laws to limit civil court proceedings against major greenhouse gas emitters for climate-related harm. 

Māori climate advocate Mike Smith is among those whose cases could be affected. Recent reports have found that land theft and colonization have exacerbated the effects of climate change on the Indigenous Māori people, who are more likely to be affected by extreme weather events. Smith is currently pursuing high court proceedings against six of Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest greenhouse gas emitters, and he describes the U.N. vote as a “major shift,” arguing it reflects a changing understanding of climate change not just as environmental damage, but as something with legal consequences. 

“We know as Māori that the islands are part of our journey across the Pacific that’s led us here to Aotearoa,” he said. “New Zealand has a responsibility to stand with Pacific countries like Vanuatu, Kiribati, Tonga, and Tokelau. Not just symbolically, but in supporting stronger legal and international action on climate harm.” 

Although the U.N. vote is a victory for Indigenous activists from the Pacific and beyond, they believe that many countries still must be pushed to uphold their climate obligations. 

“The law is clear that climate action cannot sit on the shelf, it must be turned into action,” Prasad said.

The Indigenous News Alliance contributed reporting to this story.

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline In a rare show of global unity, countries adopt landmark climate ruling on May 22, 2026.

Good Food For All!, a European Citizens’ Initiative supported by a coalition of more than 300 civil society organisations across Europe, including ARC2020, is making important strides in amplifying the messages of the food sovereignty and agroecology movements. But the battle for hearts, minds and policies is still far from won.

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Solutions Enhance Grid Flexibility, Accommodate Energy Demand, and Lower Costs for Consumers

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) today announced over $6 million has been awarded to seven projects to advance technologies that can help integrate electric vehicles efficiently into New York’s electric grid. Through the State’s Vehicle Grid Integration Program, the awarded projects will advance solutions to enhance grid flexibility, shift charging to accommodate energy demand, and lower charging costs for consumers.

NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “NYSERDA is proud to partner with forward-thinking companies that are pushing the boundaries of vehicle-to-grid innovation and demonstrating new ways to manage and deliver energy more intelligently. Advancing these technologies will help unlock greater value from electric vehicles, support a more flexible energy system, and create new opportunities to modernize how power is shared and utilized across the state.”

NYSERDA’s Vehicle Grid Integration Program competitively awards projects that are scalable and advance electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure through product development, technology demonstrations, or new business models. Technologies include bi-directional charging, energy storage, on-site energy generation, and EV managed charging.

The awarded projects include:

• Bringing V2G Technology to New York Refuse Trucks: More than $1.6 million was awarded to Roundtrip EV Solutions to demonstrate bi-directional, fast charging in four refuse trucks for two municipal fleets in Ulster County.
• Gravity VGI Platform: Nearly $1 million was awarded to Gravity to develop a bidirectional Vehicle Grid Integration (VGI) platform to reduce EV charging station installation costs and balance energy by allowing EVs to feed power back to buildings in Manhattan.
• Integrating Refrigerated Trailers and Thermal Storage into NY Power Grid: Nearly $1 million was awarded to Energy One to develop and demonstrate a platform that integrates electric refrigerated trailers (eTRUs) with building-based thermal energy storage at the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center in Brooklyn.
• Joint Planning of Charging Networks and Power Grids for Diverse EV Integration: More than $700,000 was awarded to New York University to develop a comprehensive EV planning software tool for utility stakeholders to address gaps in EV charging infrastructure deployment and power grid upgrade planning in New York City.
• Optiwatt Long Island EV – VGI Transformer Protection Demonstration: More than $600,000 was awarded to Optiwatt for demonstration projects on Long Island where customers can use an active EV managed charging platform that balances energy loads.
• Pvilion’s Solar Powered Integrated Structures (SPIS): $500,000 was awarded to Pvilion to demonstrate a portable, solar-powered off-road EV charging solution using its Solar Power Integrated Structure (SPIS) with electric construction equipment at Westchester Tool Rentals in Peekskill and with electric farm equipment at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Manufacturing Innovation Learning Laboratory in Troy.
• Wireless Static and Dynamic EV Charging Project: $1 million was awarded to Electreon Wireless to demonstrate wireless charging for electric shuttle vans that reduce grid interconnection costs, lower peak energy demand, and improve fleet operating efficiency in Buffalo. 

New York State Senator Kevin Parker said, “New York is proving that the transition to clean transportation is not just about putting more electric vehicles on the road it’s about building a smarter, stronger, and more affordable energy system for the future. Through the sustained leadership of the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee, which I am proud to chair, we have helped advance the policy framework and innovation agenda that made investments like these possible. By prioritizing vehicle-grid integration, supporting emerging technologies, and ensuring New York remains at the forefront of clean energy deployment, we are delivering real solutions that lower costs for consumers, strengthen grid reliability, and accelerate our progress toward a more resilient and equitable energy future. From Brooklyn to Buffalo, these projects reflect what is possible when government, industry, and research institutions work together to turn bold climate goals into practical action for working families across the state.”

New York State Assemblymember William Magnarelli said, “I am pleased to see these funds being allocated to build our electric vehicle infrastructure. These projects are important to making the electric vehicle transition affordable and practical.”

Alliance for Transportation Electrification Executive Director Philip B. Jones said, “Across the country, we are achieving much greater scale in EV adoption and infrastructure as consumers prefer to purchase EVs as a superior technology. Vehicle grid integration solutions can unlock more savings for all at this greater scale. I am delighted that these innovative programs have been recognized by NYSERDA and that they can move forward now.”

Vehicle Grid Integration Council (VGIC) Executive Director Zach Woogen said, “New York continues to demonstrate national leadership in vehicle-grid integration by supporting innovative projects that move these technologies from concept to real-world deployment. Investments in managed charging platforms, bidirectional charging solutions, and charger-paired distributed energy resources help unlock EVs as a critical grid resource. These solutions enhance system reliability, community resilience, grid utilization, and energy affordability for all users of the electric grid, not just EV drivers.”

New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology (NY-BEST) Consortium Executive Director Dr. William Acker said, “The efficient integration of electrified transportation with the electric grid creates an opportunity to improve reliability and affordability.  NY-BEST applauds NYSERDA’s vehicle grid integration program which is advancing key technologies like bi-directional charging and the use of energy storage to improve grid utilization and flexibility, directly impacting ratepayer cost.”

Today’s announcement builds on New York State’s investments in technologies, new products, and solutions to address energy costs and demand and support a reliable electric grid. NYSERDA invests over $96 million per year through its innovation and research programs to attract world class energy innovators, reduce risk for private investors, and remove barriers to clean energy adoption in New York State, leveraging $15 in additional investment for every $1 spent. NYSERDA has partnered with over 900 companies that have helped make more than 300 products commercially available for consumers, businesses, and utilities.

Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York State is investing nearly $3 billion in zero-emission vehicles and expanding access to clean transportation to benefit all New Yorkers, including those in low-income or disadvantaged communities. In addition to the Drive Clean Rebate Program other state initiatives include the EV Make Ready, Charge Ready 2.0, EVolve NY, the New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program (NYTVIP), the New York School Bus Incentive Program and the Direct Current Fast Charger Program.

Funding for this initiative is through the Clean Energy Fund (CEF).

New York State’s Climate Agenda
New York State’s climate agenda calls for an affordable and just transition to a clean energy economy that creates family-sustaining jobs, promotes economic growth through green investments, and directs a minimum of 35 percent of the benefits to disadvantaged communities. New York is advancing a suite of efforts to achieve an emissions-free economy by 2050, including in the energy, buildings, transportation and waste sectors.

NYSERDA
Since 1975, NYSERDA has been working to advance New York’s energy system and economy. As a public benefit corporation, NYSERDA has served as an objective source for information and technical expertise to drive innovation and investment. NYSERDA professionals have worked to protect the environment and help New Yorkers increase energy efficiency, save money, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. To learn more about NYSERDA’s programs and funding opportunities, visit nyserda.ny.gov or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram. 

Rebecca Jane Morgan’s account of the fight for legal recognition for trans people in the UK offers a valuable resource to contemporary activists, writes Kit Heyam

The post Deviants and trailblazers – review appeared first on Red Pepper.

Like many Yemeni farmers, Salem Abdallah first bought solar panels to power a well pump to irrigate his fruit and vegetable crops. Now, he has a new use for the surplus electricity they generate – a Chinese-made electric pickup truck.

“The roads between villages are rough and my farms aren’t all in one place, so the power and height give me a real advantage,” the 60-year-old told Climate Home News as he charged his plug-in hybrid Geely Riddara in Yemen’s capital of Sanaa, where nearly a dozen charging stations have sprung up in the last two years.

Prices for Abdallah’s Riddara model run from $25,000 to $40,000 – out of reach for all but a few in the impoverished country, where more than a decade of civil war has shattered the economy and made fuel supplies unaffordable for many.

The conflict has also taken a heavy toll on the national grid, which only 12% of Yemenis rely on for electricity, according to the World Bank. 

Many homes and businesses have instead installed off-grid solar systems to confront frequent blackouts and patchy coverage in rural areas, and this improbable solar boom has caught the attention of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) brands.

Solar boom stirs Chinese interest

China’s BYD, Geely and Jetour have opened dealerships in Yemen in recent years, betting that enthusiastic solar uptake, coupled with high fuel prices and shortages, will lead to rapid growth in the nation’s small and incipient EV market, at least among those able to afford the initial outlay.

At the other end of the scale, electric two-wheelers are also starting to make inroads in Yemen among delivery services and salaried employees.

Mohammed Ali, 25, an accountant at an exchange office in Sanaa, said the $1,050 he spent on a Chinese-made electric motorcycle was “the best decision I ever made”.

“I charge my electric motorcycle at work and it saves me transportation expenses and time,” he said.

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But even as the global energy shock caused by the Iran war spurs the shift to electric transport in some lower-income countries, buying an EV still remains an impossible dream for most of Yemen’s 40 million people, said Mustafa Nasr, head of the Yemen-based Centre for Economic Studies and Media.

“Most Yemenis can barely secure their basic needs,” Nasr said.

Shrinking incomes, rising prices

Yemen has been gripped by civil war since 2014, plunging it into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. 

Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is projected to fall to about $384 this year, according to estimates from the International Monetary Fund – less than a quarter of what it was when the war began.

At the same time, petrol and diesel for transport and to power generators have become increasingly out of reach. A litre of petrol in Sanaa costs the equivalent of $0.94 – close to what many Yemenis earn in a day.

A billboard advertising electric car and truck models over a large avenue in Sanaa, Yemen (Photo: Hashed Mozqer) Charging stations spring up

But for those able to buy them, EVs are proving a revolutionary solution to Yemen’s road transport woes. Sustained fuel price rises and solar adoption could push a gradual widening of the market, particularly if EV and battery prices continue to fall, Nasr said. 

For large-scale farmers like Abdallah who already own solar installations generating between 60 and 80 kilowatts, built to run irrigation systems, charging an EV at night is a no-brainer.

EVs started appearing on the streets of Sanaa and the southern port city of Aden in late 2024, when the first charging point was installed by Al-Raebi Company, which holds the concession to build charging infrastructure in Sanaa and several other provinces and also sells electric Farizon trucks and Riddara pickups.

Al-Raebi’s sales manager, engineer Mundhar al-Farran, said the company has sold hundreds of electric vehicles this year to farmers, traders and institutions. Like Abdallah, many of them say EVs’ simpler construction reduces breakdowns, while the immediate torque of electric motors suits Yemen’s mountainous terrain, he said.

Riddara plug-in hybrid vehicles for sale at the Al Raebi car agency in the Jadr neighbourhood in Sanaa, Yemen (Photo: Hashed Mozqer)

There are now 11 charging stations in Sanaa, and one each in Aden, Dhamar, Ibb and Hodeidah. On long inter-provincial routes there is one station per corridor, al-Farran said.

The price per kilowatt at a public charging station is 120 Yemeni rials ($0.22). According to economic expert Ali al-Tuwaiti, this translates to a per-kilometre cost of about 18 rials for an EV – two and a half times less than for a fuel-efficient petrol car.

“The absence of charging infrastructure was the biggest obstacle at the start,” al-Tuwaiti said. “Al-Raebi’s initiative was the first turning point in this sector.”

Al-Raebi is also working to bring fuel station operators into the transition, offering to cover half the cost of installing solar-powered charging equipment and financing the rest, al-Farran said.

Solar power backbone

Such efforts seek to leverage the country’s investments in solar generation. Over recent years, the country has imported solar systems totalling more than 1,000 megawatts of capacity, representing an estimated investment of about $250 million, al-Tuwaiti said.

That accounts for almost a quarter of Yemen’s current electricity needs of 4,500 megawatts, he added.

It has also given an unexpected boost to the climate-vulnerable country’s efforts to further shrink its tiny carbon emissions. Al-Tuwaiti estimates that solar generation now displaces the equivalent of 7,800 barrels of oil and more than 1.2 million litres of diesel per day.

Recent estimates show Yemen contributes only around 0.03%-0.06% of global emissions, with most energy-related emissions coming from transport and power generation.

Chinese electric trucks in the Farizon showroom at the Al Raebi car agency in Sanaa, Yemen (Photo: Hashed Mozqer) China’s BYD starts with hybrids

Yemen’s nascent EV market comes amid faster-than-expected transport electrification in some emerging countries, where Chinese manufacturers are seeking to attract buyers with lower prices in markets seen as having unlocked potential.

China’s EV giant BYD mostly sales hybrid models at its dealership in Aden for now, but it also offers repayment plans for its popular battery electric Seagull car model, which retails for about $13,000. 

The dealer also sells several other models that are available as plug-in hybrids, which tend to be popular in places with limited charging infrastructure and erratic power supplies.

One recent buyer, food trader Amin, 50, paid $50,000 for his new BYD model.

“It’s powerful, has four-wheel drive, and a better launch than modern conventional cars,” he told Climate Home News outside his home, adding that the air conditioning runs efficiently even when stationary – a serious consideration in Aden’s sometimes sweltering heat.

“It’s wonderful … it has all that I want in a car,” he said.

This story was published in collaboration with Egab. 

The post Chinese EV brands woo Yemen’s wealthy elite as war prompts solar boom appeared first on Climate Home News.

Climate defeatism and moral abdication Channel Comment brendan 22nd May 2026 Teaser Media

• In the short term, U.S. fossil fuel companies are the biggest winners from President Trump’s war on Iran, thanks to higher and higher fuel prices. In the long run, though, more countries will pursue energy independence with help from China, spelling the end for American hegemony, much like the coal-driven British empire a century ago. (The Guardian)
• Mother Jones shows once again why suspending the federal gas tax wouldn’t help drivers much, but would blow a huge hole in transportation funding.
• The president of Amtrak, Roger Harris, is stepping down at the end of July. (Trains)
• How did 15-minute cities become the latest right-wing conspiracy theory? (Car Free America)
• As far as raw totals, California has the most pedestrian deaths in the country, mostly because of L.A. (Los Angeles Magazine)
• Drivers hit an astonishing 21 pedestrians on Knoxville’s North Broadway last year, but the city is planning changes. (News Sentinel)
• Transit ridership in Pittsburgh rose 50 percent for the NFL Draft, totaling more than 400,000 riders over three days. (Axios)
• Orlando is raising parking rates, which of course is freaking out business owners who don’t consider that if parking is too cheap, their customers won’t be able to find a space. (Click Orlando)
• A lot of disinformation is also going around about the Colfax Avenue bus rapid transit line in Denver and its supposedly “devastating” impact on businesses. (Westword)
• Dallas is considering expanding streetcar lines, but some council members have concerns about the cost. (KERA)
• Legal and political challenges continue to slow down Austin’s Project Connect transit plan, and meanwhile costs continue to rise. (Texas Tribune)
• The Texas DOT will not let Austin keep a Black Lives Matter mural or a rainbow crosswalk, not even a crosswalk honoring the University of Texas. (KUT)
• Portland’s $1 billion climate change fund — which has funded converting parking lots into community gardens, among other things — could serve as an example to the rest of the country. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• The Central City District in Philadelphia installed modular curbs to protect bike lanes on 13th Street. (Voice)
• Construction on Salt Lake City’s S-line streetcar extension will start this summer. (ABC 4)
• The Kansas City streetcar’s Riverfront extension will make it easier for soccer fans to get to Current games. (Star)
• The District of Columbia is a great place to go running. (Greater Greater Washington)

The shutdown of Spirit Airlines didn’t just ground flights. It exposed a deeper weakness in America’s transportation system: tens of millions of people rely on affordable travel, and we still don’t provide enough of it.

For students, workers, and families, low-cost travel isn’t a luxury. It is what keeps them connected to education, jobs, loved ones, and opportunity. When a carrier built around affordability disappears, the impact lands hardest on those with the fewest alternatives.

The lesson from the Spirit demise isn’t that affordable travel is fragile. It’s that we have not built a system designed to reliably support it.

Affordable travel is still too often treated as a compromise, rather than a core part of broader mobility.

Recommended Sustainable Transportation Can Ease the Affordability Crisis — And Help Climate Champions Win Streetsblog May 19, 2026

Maintaining affordability requires intentional design. Transportation modes must work together to increase competition and expand access. That means treating air travel, intercity buses, trains, and local transit as parts of a single mobility network rather than separate systems operating in parallel. When these intermodal connections are seamless for travelers, they expand options and protect freedom of choice. When they do not, the system effectively shrinks.

The gaps are most visible in how uneven and fragmented those connections are across the country. Outside major hubs, travelers often rely on whichever mode exists — not necessarily the one that best fits their needs. Some regions have limited air service. Others lack rail. And in too many places, moving between modes adds friction, cost, or uncertainty that discourages travel altogether.

This comes at a time when transportation costs are rising across the board, making low-cost options more essential, not less.

Recommended This Holiday Travel Season, It’s Time to End the Stigma Around Intercity Buses Kai Boysan December 23, 2025

Ground transportation is one of the most scalable ways to close that gap. Intercity buses already connect communities airlines have left behind, linking small towns to major cities year-round at prices that remain accessible even as airfares rise. But their impact is limited when they operate in isolation.

Improving affordability is not just about the availability of service. It’s about whether people are able to easily access it.

We need multimodal hubs where buses, trains, airports, and local transit connect in simple, intuitive ways. We need collaboration to create more stations that are safe, modern, and conveniently located. And we need transportation planning that treats intercity buses and other ground options as essential infrastructure and part of the transportation ecosystem, not an afterthought.

Recommended Trump Is Holding Affordable Transportation Projects Hostage, and Congress Could Call His Bluff Kea Wilson May 7, 2026

The economic stakes are real. Transportation costs have risen sharply, and many households no longer have room to absorb higher prices.

For millions of Americans, the choice is not between a cheaper seat and a more comfortable one; it is between traveling and not traveling at all. When lower-cost options disappear, participation in work, education, and family life becomes harder to sustain.

A resilient mobility system does not depend on any single mode. It depends on multiple affordable options that reinforce one another. That is how access to opportunity becomes less dependent on income or geography.

The shutdown of Spirit Airlines is a reminder that affordability is not a niche concern. It is central to how Americans move through their lives, and it underscores the need for a transportation system built as a connected intermodal network rather than a set of isolated parts. Affordable travel is not a fallback. It is what makes broad mobility possible.

Diversity Makes America Great.

Thousands of potentially unsafe, addictive, and cancer-linked chemicals have been introduced into the nation’s food supply through “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) pathway loopholes including voluntary notification. This allows food and chemical companies to self-determine the safety of food chemicals without premarket review by the Food and Drug Administration. Of the 756 voluntary GRAS notifications submitted to the FDA since 2000, just 10 chemicals underwent federal review. Yet, experts estimate that hundreds of other additives entered the food supply without federal notice.

As federal inaction continues, nurses and communities across the country are pushing for regulation and oversight. These grassroots movements have led to twenty-eight states introducing or passing bills banning cancer-linked food chemicals including Red 3, potassium bromate, and propylparaben.

Pressure is mounting on federal legislators to act. Recently, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing to review legislative proposals for food chemical regulation and oversight. Witnesses and lawmakers raised concern that FDA lacks sufficient staffing, funding, and authority to evaluate chemical harms and emerging risk factors. However, proposed legislation like the FDA Review and Evaluation for Safe, Healthy, and Affordable Foods (FRESH) Act of 2026 aims to correct the issue by limiting states’ ability to act and further undermining FDA’s premarket review authority. 

This continued and rampant addition of unvetted chemicals to the food supply directly harms our community’s health. The burden falls on those already facing higher health risks and deepens inequities that nurses confront every day. That is why nurses are urging Congress to strengthen FDA’s oversight of food chemicals and support clear, science-based safeguards that translate into healthier outcomes in the communities they serve.

Author

Short-form

Hailey Kufner, RN, is a critical care nurse and student at the University of Maryland. She currently resides in the Washington, D.C. metro area, with her partner, three cats, a school of fish, and an extensive plant collection.

Long-form

Hailey Kufner is a registered nurse and student at the University of Maryland. Her diverse professional background spans public health, marketing and communications, and critical care nursing.

She currently resides in the Washington, D.C. metro area, with her partner, three cats, a school of fish, and an extensive plant collection. In her free time, Hailey enjoys exploring the many natural hiking and biking trails the region has to offer.

The post House Committee on Energy and Commerce Health Hearing: Healthier America: Legislative Proposals on the Regulation and Oversight of Food appeared first on ANHE.

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Nestled between the welcome warmth of early spring and the lurking heat of summer, the second week of April is by far my favorite time of the year. Along with the ramp-up of spring migration, this...