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Angus Energy has applied for permission to store condensate, a flammable liquid produced along with gas, at its field in Lincolnshire.

Proposed plan for condensate storage at the Saltfleetby-B site in Lincolnshire.
Source: Angus Energy application

The company said it would store a maximum of 47.03 tonnes of flammable liquid at the Saltfleetby-B site, at South Cockerington, near Louth.

A public consultation, by Lincolnshire County Council, ends on Friday 8 May 2026

The Angus application said:

“The condensate is delivered from a wellhead into surface pipework and vessels where natural gas, condensate and water are separated.”

It added:

“The location of the pipework is located along the edge of the site boundary.”

The company said the condensate would be stabilised in temporary storage in two tanks, each with a capacity of 31.8m3. It would be loaded into one road tanker a day.

The application is needed because the proposed volume of condensate is above the limit allowed in regulations.

The company is seeking a Hazardous Substances Consent, which aims to ensure that necessary measures are in place to prevent major accidents and limit the potential consequences should an accident happen.

Lincolnshire County Council is the Hazardous Substances Authority for Saltfleetby. Comments can be made to the council at: County Offices, Newland, Lincoln, LN11YLor online through the planning register

Responses

The Health and Safety Executive said its specialist major accidents risk assessment unit was currently assessing the application. It estimated this may take 13 weeks.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue said it would require Angus to install a fire hydrant conforming to BS750-2012 within 90m of the site entrance.

The highways authority did not object to the proposal. It said the plans would “not be expected to have an unacceptable impact upon highway safety or a severe residual cumulative impact upon the local highway network or increase surface water flood risk”.

This morning, the House voted to strip sections 10205, 10206, and 10207 from the Farm Bill, with 71 Republicans voting to strip the pesticide language and only 6 Democrats voting to keep it. This shows immense bipartisan support for upholding accountability for the pesticide industry.

“Major pesticide issues haven’t been debated on the House floor in a very long time” said Jason Davidson, Senior Food and Agriculture Campaigner with Friends of the Earth U.S. “For the people to win over the size, influence and money of the pesticide industry is a remarkable display of grassroots power and a tremendous victory for Americans’ ability to hold these companies accountable.”

African leaders have intensified calls for governments to stop exporting raw minerals and step up efforts to align their policies, share infrastructure and coordinate investment to add value to their resources and bring economic prosperity to the continent.

In a speech to the inaugural Kenya Mining Investment Conference & Expo in Nairobi this week, Kenyan President William Ruto became the latest African leader to confirm the country will end exports of raw mineral ore. The East African nation has deposits of gold, iron ore and copper and recently launched a tender for global investors to develop a deposit of rare earths, which are used in EV motors and wind turbines, valued at $62 billion.

Kenya is among more than a dozen African nations that have either banned or imposed export curbs on their mineral resources as they seek to process minerals domestically to boost revenues, create jobs and capture a slice of the industries that are producing high-value clean tech for the energy transition.

• Mar 11, 2026 Clean Energy Frontier Africa needs more than export bans to cash in on critical minerals, experts say Restricting raw materials exports is well-intentioned but without other policies to foster domestic processing, they can backfire Read more
• Mar 6, 2026 Clean Energy Frontier South African rare earths project aims to rival Chinese with low-cost model The EU-backed Zandkopsdrift project plans to offset the high cost of rare earths production with another mineral in hot demand for use in batteries Read more
• Feb 3, 2026 Clean Energy Frontier West Africa’s first lithium mine awaits go-ahead as Ghana seeks better deal  Ghana wants to benefit from the scramble for lithium but its reliance on mining firms for revenue and expertise weakens its ability to negotiate preferential terms, experts say Read more

“For too long we have extracted and exported raw materials at the bottom of the value chain, while others have processed, refined, manufactured and captured the greater share of economic value,” Ruto told African ministers and stakeholders gathered at the mining investment conference in Nairobi.

As a result, Africa currently captures less than 1% of the value generated from global clean energy technologies, he said. To address this, Kenya, in collaboration with other African nations, “will process our minerals here in the continent, we will refine them here and we will manufacture them here”, he added.

Mineral export restrictions on the rise

Africa is a major supplier of minerals needed for the global energy transition. The continent holds an estimated 30% of the world’s critical mineral reserves, including lithium, cobalt and copper. The Democratic Republic of Congo produces roughly 70% of global cobalt, a key ingredient in lithium-ion batteries, while countries such as Guinea dominate bauxite production, and Mozambique and Tanzania hold significant graphite deposits.

But African governments have struggled to attract the investment needed to turn their vast mineral wealth into a green industrial powerhouse. Recently Burundi, Malawi, Nigeria and Zimbabwe are among those that have resorted to banning the export of unrefined minerals to incentivise foreign companies to invest in value addition locally.

Outdated geological data limits Africa’s push to benefit from its mineral wealth

This week, Zimbabwe exported its first shipments of lithium sulphate, an intermediate form of processed lithium that can be further refined into battery-grade material, from a mine and processing plant operated by Chinese company Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt.

After freezing all exports of lithium concentrate – the first stage of processing – earlier this year, the government introduced export quotas and will ban all exports from January 2027.

Export restrictions on critical raw materials have grown more than five-fold since 2009, found a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published this week. In 2024, a more diverse group of countries, including many resource-rich developing economies in Africa and Asia, introduced restrictions, including Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Angola.

Artisanal miners look for copper in mining waste Artisanal miners look for copper in mining waste

This is “a structural shift in the wrong direction,” Mathias Cormann, the OECD’s secretary-general, told the organisation’s Critical Minerals Forum in Istanbul, Turkey, this week.

“We understand the motivations: building local industries, managing environmental impacts, capturing greater value domestically. But our research is quite clear. Export restrictions distort investment, reduce volumes and undermine supply security often while delivering limited gains in value added,” he said.

In-country barriers to success

Thomas Scurfield, Africa senior economic analyst at the Natural Resource Governance Institute, told Climate Home News that export restrictions “can look like a promising route to local value addition” for cash-strapped African mineral producers but have “rarely worked” unless countries already have reliable energy, infrastructure and competitive costs for processing.

“Without those conditions, bans may simply push companies to scale back mining rather than scale up processing,” he said.

Alaka Lugonzo, partnerships lead for Africa at Global Witness, said plentiful and stable energy supplies are vital, adding that while Kenya has relatively robust road networks, they are insufficient for industrial-scale operations.

“Meaningful value addition and real industrialisation requires heavy machinery… and you will need better infrastructure,” she said, highlighting persistent last-mile challenges in mining regions where “there’s no railway, there’s no electricity, there’s no water”.

Export capacity is another concern, she noted, particularly whether existing port systems could handle increased volumes of processed minerals.

Regional approach recommended

Scurfield said that through regional cooperation – including pooling supplies, specialising across different stages of refining and manufacturing, and building larger regional markets – “African countries could overcome many domestic constraints that make going alone difficult”.

That’s what close to 20 African governments are working to deliver as part of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, which was set up by African ministers and is dedicated to foster cooperation among African nations to build mineral value chains and better benefit from the energy transition.

Africa urged to unite on minerals as US strikes bilateral deals

Nigerian Minister of Solid Minerals Dele Alake, who chairs the group, said “true collaboration” between countries, including aligning mining policies, sharing infrastructure, coordinating investment strategies and promoting trade across the continent, will create the conditions for long-term investments that could turn Africa into “a formidable and competitive force within the global mineral supply chain”.

“The time has come for Africa to redefine its place within the global mineral economy and that transformation must begin with regional integration and regional cooperation,” he told the mining investment conference in Nairobi.

Lugonzo of Global Witness agreed, saying that value-addition would benefit from adopting a continental perspective. “Why should Kenya build another smelter when we can export our gold to Tanzania for smelting, and then we use the pipeline through Uganda to take it to the port and we export it?” she asked.

To facilitate that, there is a need to operationalise the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), she added. “That agreement is the only way Africa is going to move from point A to point B.”

The post Kenya seeks regional coordination to build African mineral value chains appeared first on Climate Home News.

Fear and division have become defining forces in the lives of many immigrant communities — but they are not the whole story. Cristina Jiménez Moreta has spent her life working to transform that reality, drawing on her own experience growing up undocumented and her years of organizing to build collective power.

A co-founder of United We Dream, the largest immigrant youth-led organization in the country, she has helped lead some of the most influential campaigns for immigrant justice in recent history. In this keynote, she reflects on the role of community, courage, and organizing in shaping a more inclusive future.

This is an edited transcript from Bioneers 2026.

Cristina Jiménez Moreta:

I am proud to be here as someone who was formerly undocumented. My parents, Fausto and Ligia, immigrated from Ecuador, fleeing poverty and political turmoil — like so many others in our country’s history — in search of a better life for our family. We settled in Queens, New York, in 1998. 

I’m a community organizer, and right now I lead Shared Future, a new initiative building a movement in support of immigrants and a shared vision of what unites us as Americans.

Before this, and before becoming a mom, I was a young organizer working alongside high school and college students to build the immigrant youth movement. Together, we helped grow United We Dream into a catalyst for one of the most powerful and inspiring movements of the past 20 years.

But even before I could build a movement, lead an organization, or call myself a community organizer, I’ll tell you the truth: I was a young undocumented person growing up in Queens, in a small studio apartment, living with the constant fear that one day my parents, my brother, or I could be taken by deportation agents and disappear.

Today, that same fear, uncertainty, and division are gripping millions of people across this country. What once felt normal has been turned upside down. And all around us, it can feel overwhelming — like it’s too much, and like there’s not much we can do about it.

I don’t need to remind you what’s happening. We’ve seen it on our phones, on TV, in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Chicago, and communities across the country. We’re seeing aggressive immigration enforcement, families living in fear, and people afraid to go to work or send their kids to school. At the same time, everyday Americans are making courageous choices to stand up for their neighbors.

This is a new level of fear spreading around us. But I invite you to be clear-eyed about it, because without facing the truth of what’s happening, we won’t be able to find a way forward together.

And I want to remind you of this: despite all the pain and all the harm we’ve witnessed, history — and my own experience organizing in communities across the country — shows that the way through is by building community and collective power. 

I’ll share why I believe this, because I grew up knowing what home felt like. Home was in Ecuador, with my abuela, making noodle soup in Quito on chilly evenings in the Andes.

But when I was 13, my family had to flee political turmoil. I left behind not just a place, but a sense of belonging. My parents didn’t have much, but they had love and courage. Guided by that, they did something incredibly hard: They left everything behind and came to this country in 1998.

Growing up in New York City, in a place where I didn’t know the language or the culture, I quickly learned to feel ashamed — ashamed of not speaking English, ashamed of being an immigrant, ashamed of my skin, my Indigenous features, ashamed of who I was.

I was undocumented, living in fear, and still trying to fulfill my parents’ dream that I would be the first in our family to go to college. I did everything I was told to do: worked hard in school, did community service, checked all the boxes.

Then 9/11 happened. And in that painful moment for our country, everything changed for families like mine, and for Muslim and immigrant communities across the country. Policies shifted. Immigrants were treated as threats to national security. In many places, including New York, undocumented students lost the ability to access higher education. People like my dad, who worked in construction, lost the right to drive.

One day, my dad was traveling between New York and New Jersey for work, crossing the George Washington Bridge. He was given the wrong change at the toll booth and tried to go back to fix it — an ordinary, honest mistake. But when you’re an immigrant, even something small can make you a target. As he turned back, a police car pulled him over. The officer asked for his license. My dad told him it was expired. That was enough. He was asked to step out of the car and taken to a local police station.

I got a call from him. He said, “I’m allowed one phone call. Mija, ayúdame.” Help me.

I told him to stay calm, to remember his rights — to remain silent, to not sign anything. Then I asked to speak to the officer and told him we knew my dad’s rights and that a lawyer was on the way. Right after that, I texted a network of organizers: “My dad needs help. This is where he is.” Within minutes, people responded. A lawyer was already on the way.

I share this story because I don’t know what happened to that police officer. What I do know is that he released my dad with a $150 ticket for driving without a license. And the only reason that happened is because we had a community behind us — people who had my back, who taught me my rights, and who gave me the courage to speak up in that moment.

That’s the kind of courage I want to share with you today. Because courage is a choice.

Undocumented people like me take real risks when we speak out and share our stories. So imagine what’s possible for those who aren’t in that same vulnerable position. Across the country, young people found courage in each other — fighting deportations, supporting one another through school, and committing to build something bigger than ourselves.

That’s how we built United We Dream. And that’s how I learned that in isolation, we lose. Alone, any one of us can be targeted, silenced, or pushed aside. But in community, we show up for each other. In community, no one has to face it alone.

I want to share this: The way we won DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) was by building community. We reminded each other we weren’t alone. We helped each other find our voices. And we took action together to fight for what was right.

I never imagined we would build a movement. I never imagined that years later we would be sitting across from policymakers and people in the White House, winning protections for more than 600,000 people. But we kept organizing.

I know that right now can feel uncertain. It can feel like we don’t know what comes next, or whether change is even possible. But I’m here to tell you that it is.

We’ve seen what’s possible in places like Minneapolis, where people believed in solidarity and built power together. We’re seeing it in Los Angeles and in communities across the country responding to increased immigration enforcement.

And there is a role for everyone here. This is not just about undocumented people or immigrants. All of us have a role, especially those of us with protections that others don’t have.

What’s inspiring is that people are already showing what that looks like. In some places, people are putting their bodies on the line. In others, they’re supporting neighbors in quieter but just as meaningful ways — buying groceries for families who are afraid to leave their homes, driving children to and from school, stepping in wherever help is needed.

In cities like New York and Chicago, people are building community defense networks through group chats, text chains, and rapid response systems. There are so many ways to show up.

There is a role for all of us.

I want you to see that our organizing isn’t just building hope, it’s also shifting public opinion. It’s making ICE and deportation deeply unpopular. Together, we built a mass movement that says no to ICE.

And I want to be clear: This administration wants us to believe they’re targeting people who pose a threat to our communities. But they are the ones creating fear in our communities. And people know that.

Look at what people are actually worried about: the cost of living, paying their bills, taking care of their families. Not these manufactured fears about immigrants. More and more, people are recognizing that the chaos we’re seeing is part of a strategy.

It’s a strategy to divide us. To use immigration as a scapegoat so we don’t pay attention to the real sources of harm: corporations exploiting workers and the planet, and an administration using immigrants to advance a more authoritarian vision of this country.

But people are waking up. They’re seeing through the lies. We know that lack of healthcare, underfunded schools, and economic struggle are not caused by immigrants. And even some who once supported this administration are starting to question what they’ve been told.

I’ll share one brief story. I’ve spoken with evangelical communities across the country who have told me, “We were raised conservative. We even supported this administration. But now we see what’s happening.” In fact, this week, many of them are launching a fast for immigrants and justice.

Across the country, communities — including U.S. citizens — are recognizing that this is not the future we want. And they’ve shared this message:

We are people connected by family, community, and faith. We refuse to turn away from injustice. We show up for one another. We organize with courage and compassion. And we turn our pain into power to build a future where dignity is the norm.

We won’t be divided. We have an opportunity to build a shared future — a multiracial democracy that includes all of us.

Sí se puede. Yes, we can.

The post From Fear to Power: Building a Movement for Immigrant Justice appeared first on Bioneers.

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of the Farm Bill by a vote of 224-200. The Senate has yet to propose a draft version of the legislation.

In a significant victory for public health and environmental advocates, the House voted 280-142 to strip Cancer Gag Act language including Sections 10205-7 from the bill. Over 70 Republicans voted to strip the provision alongside all but six Democrats. The provision would have shielded pesticide manufacturers from health-related lawsuits. The vote comes on the heels of Supreme Court oral arguments in Monsanto Company v. Durnell, where the Trump administration is backing Roundup producer Bayer in related litigation.

Despite staunch opposition, the House Farm Bill still includes the unpopular EATS Act (Save Our Bacon Act), to strip state and local governments of the ability to pass agricultural policies within their borders; fails to reverse HR 1 cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); and cuts more than $1 billion from a key conservation program.

In response, Food & Water Watch Senior Food Policy Analyst Rebecca Wolf issued the following statement:

“Industrial agriculture’s pesticide addiction is poisoning America. From the fields of Iowa to the halls of Congress, advocates have made our voices clear: Bayer’s cruel Cancer Gag campaign has no place in our communities. U.S. farm policy must support farmers and consumers, not the corporate overlords pulling the strings at our expense.

“This Farm Bill has industry fingerprints all over it. By shrinking markets for high-welfare sustainable farmers, and doubling down on devastating cuts to federal food assistance, this pro-factory farm bill will do more harm than good.

“It’s time to end the corporate power grab in Washington. This Farm Bill must be dead on arrival in the Senate.”

Countries attending a first-of-its-kind summit have walked away with plans to develop national roadmaps away from fossil fuels, along with new tools to address harmful subsidies and carbon-intensive trade.

The first conference on “transitioning away” from fossil fuels held in Santa Marta, Colombia, from 24-29 April saw 57 countries – representing one-third of the world’s economy – debate practical ways to move away from coal, oil and gas.

Against a backdrop of war, a global oil crisis and worsening extreme weather events, ministers and envoys from across the world sat side-by-side in small meeting rooms to have open and frank conversations about the barriers they face in transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy.

This new format – devised by co-hosts Colombia and the Netherlands – was described as “refreshing”, “highly successful” and “groundbreaking” by countries attending the talks.

The event also featured a “science pre-conference” attended by 400 global academics, which included the launch of a new science panel that will aim to provide agile and bespoke analysis to nations wanting to accelerate their transition away from fossil fuels.

At the summit’s conclusion, Tuvalu and Ireland were announced as the co-hosts of the second transitioning away from fossil fuels summit, which will take place in the Pacific island nation in 2027.

Below, Carbon Brief outlines all of the key takeaways from the talks.

• Colombia and Netherlands leadership
• High-level segment
  • National statements and pledges
  • Closed-door discussions
  • Final outcomes
• Academic meeting
  • Science panel for global energy transition
  • Action insights report
  • Colombia’s fossil-fuel roadmap
• Indigenous and civil society participation

Colombia and Netherlands leadership

The idea for a specific fossil-fuel transition conference hosted in Colombia first emerged during tense end-game negotiations at the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil.

Amid a push by a group of around 80 nations to refer to a “roadmap” away from fossil fuels in the formal COP30 outcome text, Colombia and the Netherlands jointly announced that they would co-host a summit in Santa Marta in April.

The calls for a fossil-fuel “roadmap” to be mentioned in COP30’s outcome text ultimately failed. However, the Brazilian COP30 presidency promised to bring forward an “informal” fossil-fuel roadmap, drawing on the discussions and debates in Santa Marta.

The Santa Marta conference took place from 24-29 April. It included a “science pre-conference” from 24-25, a day for subnational governments, parliamentarians and other stakeholders and a “high-level segment” with ministers and climate envoys from 28-29.

Colombian environment minister Irene Vélez Torres – herself a former academic – was particularly keen to emphasise the importance of science to the conference, telling journalists: “We need to go back to science and base our decisions on science.” (See: Academic meeting)

From the outset, the hosts stressed that the high-level segment was not a space for negotiations, but rather a forum for countries and other stakeholders to discuss practical steps to move away from fossil fuels.

This format was widely praised by ministers and climate envoys, who described the conversational atmosphere in break-out sessions as “refreshing”, “highly successful” and “groundbreaking”. (See: Closed-door discussions.)

A total of 57 countries participated in the conference, according to the Colombian government. 

These countries were: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, the EU, the Federated States of Micronesia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Luxembourg, Malawi, the Maldives, the Marshall Islands, México, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Nepal, Nigeria, Norway, New Zealand, Palau, Panama, Philippines, Portugal, Saint Lucia, Senegal, Singapore, Slovenia, the Solomon Islands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda, the UK, Uruguay, Vanuatu, the Vatican and Vietnam.

At the summit’s opening press conference on 24 April, Vélez Torres confirmed that Colombia and the Netherlands had decided to only invite a select group of countries to the conference.

Vélez Torres told journalists that countries including China, Russia and the US were not invited. She suggested that they had not shown the necessary spirit to be part of the “coalition of the willing” and that Colombia wanted to avoid a rehashing of the lengthy debates at COP30. (Carbon Brief understands that India was also not invited.)

In a later press huddle, Dutch climate minister Stientje van Veldhoven clarified that the two co-hosts had partially based their invitation criteria on who showed support for the fossil-fuel roadmap at COP30, saying:

“It was a combination of what happened in Belém and all the existing initiatives that have been driving this agenda for a long time already.”

However, it is worth noting that some countries that had opposed a formal reference to a fossil-fuel roadmap in the COP30 outcome were invited to Santa Marta, according to Carbon Brief’s analysis of the “informal list” of those against the idea in Belém. 

For example, Tanzania was invited to take part in the Santa Marta talks, despite appearing on the list of countries opposed to the roadmap in Belém.

On the other hand, neither China nor India were invited, despite having rejected media coverage portraying them as the “blockers” of the fossil-fuel roadmap at COP30.

Country officials and observers expressed a range of views on whether excluding certain countries from the conference was the right approach.

Juan Carlos Monterrey Gómez, Panama’s special representative on climate change, told a small group of journalists that he thought it was the “right decision”, adding:

“This first meeting had to be done with those that wanted something to be done. Otherwise, it would have been a repeat of a UNFCCC meeting.”

UK special representative for climate, Rachel Kyte, told a press huddle that China should feel “welcome to be here”, adding:

“China has to be part of this equation for multiple reasons.”

One veteran observer told Carbon Brief that their impression was that Colombia and the Netherlands had been “overly cautious” about who would have caused disruption if invited to the conference, saying:

“Yes, maybe there is an argument for not inviting countries that have a long history of blocking progress, such as the Gulf states. But, if we look at what countries are really doing on the ground – including JETP [Just Energy Transition Partnerships] initiatives – then more countries should have been here, including Indonesia, for example.”

However, they also urged caution on reading too much into which countries were and were not present, adding that this could also partially be explained by “scheduling and countries’ availability”.

During the summit’s final plenary, van Veldhoven stated that, going forward, it was the Netherlands and Colombia’s wish to create an “open coalition”, including by extending an “invitation for others to join us”.

Dr Maina Talia, the climate minister of Tuvalu, who will co-host the second transitioning away from fossil fuels summit alongside Ireland, told journalists that the island nations would “revisit” and “improve” the criteria used for inviting countries to the conference.

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High-level segment

[anchor]3"> National statements and pledges

The two-day high-level segment began with an opening plenary, which saw more than 20 countries put forward their views on the need to transition away from fossil fuels.

Developed and developing nations alike spoke of the need to transition away from fossil fuels not only to tackle worsening climate change, but also the high prices, insecurity and volatility associated with continued reliance on coal, oil and gas.

Opening the plenary alongside Colombia, Dutch climate minister Stientje van Veldhoven told countries:

“Price volatility and dependence on imports are structurally and unacceptably impacting our economies. We need to move away from fossil fuels not only because it is good for the climate, but because it strengthens our energy security. Investment in clean energy also lays the foundation for a more resilient and sustainable economy, capable of mitigating these shocks.”

First to speak in plenary was Nigerian minister, Abubakar Momoh, who said:

“Nigeria is actively diversifying its economy away from extracting oil, which accounts for around 80% of our exports. Nigeria strongly believes that it is not whether extraction should decline, but how to organise it so it is manageable, fair and politically viable across countries.”

Also speaking during the session, UK special representative for climate Rachel Kyte said it “would be irresponsible to ignore the second fossil-fuel crisis in five years”.

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Several nations also used their interventions to lament a lack of progress in addressing fossil-fuel use during the last 30 years of annual UN climate negotiations.

Dr Maina Talia, climate minister for Tuvalu, said that “for years, international climate negotiations have circled around fossil fuels without directly confronting the core issues”.

Juan Carlos Monterrey Gómez, Panama’s special representative on climate change, told countries:

“For 34 years, we have negotiated the symptoms of the climate crisis and bulletproofed its cause. Thirty-four years of pledges. And where are we now?

“Economies built on fossil fuels are unravelling in real time. Fossil fuels are not just dirty. They are unreliable, they are dangerous and they must end.”

A small number of nations from the Pacific and Africa used their interventions to show their support for the Fossil Fuel Treaty initiative, an idea to negotiate a new legally binding agreement to control fossil-fuel use, currently supported by 18 countries. (The treaty did not feature in the summit’s final outcome.)

France’s special climate envoy, Benoît Faraco, used his intervention to announce that the nation has produced a new roadmap for transitioning away from fossil fuels.

Later on, on the first day, Colombian president Gustavo Petro also gave a speech at the summit, telling countries:

“What I see is resistance and inertia within the power structures and the economy of this archaic energy system. Today, fossil fuels bring death; undoubtedly, that form of capital could commit suicide, taking humanity and life itself. Humanity cannot allow that.”

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Closed-door discussions

Following the opening plenary, ministers and climate envoys spent much of the two-day high-level segment in closed-door “breakout sessions”, discussing issues ranging from “planned phase down and closure of fossil-fuel extraction” to “closing gaps in financial and investment systems”.

Carbon Brief understands that each session featured 12 ministers and envoys representing different countries sitting in an inner circle, with an outer circle made up of civil society members and other stakeholders. Each session was led by a different minister, appointed by the co-hosts.

In a departure from UN climate negotiations, the conversations that took place were free-flowing, with ministers and stakeholders given equal opportunities to contribute, observers told Carbon Brief.

Country representatives, including Panama’s special representative on climate change, Juan Carlos Monterrey Gómez; the climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, Tina Stege; COP30 CEO, Ana Toni; UK special representative on climate, Rachel Kyte; and Tuvalu climate minister, Dr Maina Talia, participating in a closed-door breakout session. Credit: Earth Negotiations Bulletin

Many countries were highly complimentary of this informal format, describing it in the closing plenary as “refreshing”, “highly successful” and a “safe space for discussion”.

UK special representative on climate, Rachel Kyte, told a huddle of journalists that there was “real value” to having informal conversations with other country officials, saying:

“I have to say that it is really nice to sit in a small circle…In a negotiation, it’s very, very fast-moving and transactional. But now we have had two days to think about [fossil-fuel transition issues] and this only.”

Speaking to Carbon Brief, Panama’s special representative on climate change, Juan Carlos Monterrey Gómez, said the format was “groundbreaking”, adding:

“I’m going to be honest. [At] first I was like: ‘What the f*ck am I doing here? I don’t know where this is going’.

“But then, as the workshop started, I realised there were ministers, envoys, civil society leaders and Indigenous people. They put us in a format where we could not open our computers, so we had to speak from our minds and our hearts. That completely flipped my perception. That kind of space I haven’t seen in my 10-year history with the UNFCCC.”

All of the sessions were held under the Chatham House rule, meaning discussions were not attributable to individual speakers to encourage more open debate.

Co-host nations Colombia and the Netherlands gave a broad overview of the topics and themes discussed during the sessions in a takeaways report. (See: Final outcomes.)

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Final outcomes

At the conference’s final plenary session on 29 April, co-host nations Colombia and the Netherlands presented a range of “key outcomes” from the summit.

The first outcome was confirmation of the news that Tuvalu and Ireland will co-host a second transitioning away from fossil fuels conference in the Pacific island nation in 2027.

The co-hosts also announced the establishment of three “workstreams” on issues to bring forward to the second summit. 

The first of these workstreams will focus on developing national and regional roadmaps away from fossil fuels.

Speaking in plenary, Vélez Torres said that the roadmaps should be “connected” to countries’ UN climate plans, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs). She added that it would be important for the roadmaps to be “very clear and honest” about “emissions exported from producing countries”.

The development of the roadmaps will be supported by the newly established science panel for global energy transition and the NDC Partnership, a global initiative helping nations prepare their NDCs, she added.

(At the final press conference, it was clarified that countries are not obligated to produce a new fossil-fuel roadmap and that participation in all of the work streams is voluntary.)

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The second workstream will be focused on changing the financial system to better facilitate the transition away from fossil fuels. 

This will include work to identify fossil-fuel subsidies and find solutions to “debt traps”. It will be supported by the International Institute for Sustainable Development thinktank, the co-hosts said.

Separately, Dutch climate minister van Veldhoven said that all countries would be invited via “email” to begin a process for identifying and reporting their fossil-fuel subsidies. (The Netherlands is the co-chair of COFFIS, a group of 17 nations that have pledged to remove fossil-fuel subsidies.)

The final workstream will address fossil-fuel-intensive trade, with the aim of “advancing progress towards a fossil fuel-free trade system”, Vélez Torres said. This workstream will be supported by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) group of wealthy nations.

A document summing up the co-chair’s takeaways from the summit says that other key outcomes include the establishment of a “coordination group [to] ensure continuity towards the second and subsequent conferences”, adding:

“It will consist of countries leading different alliances and initiatives that are implementing elements of the transition away from fossil fuels, and of the co-hosts of the first and second conferences, Colombia, the Netherlands, Tuvalu and Ireland.”

The document adds that a key task will be delivering the findings of this conference to the COP30 presidency, which is currently preparing a global fossil-fuel roadmap to present at COP31 in November.

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Academic meeting

The summit kicked off with a “science pre-conference” attended by around 400 academics from across the globe from 24-25 April, held at the University of Magdalena in Santa Marta.

At the behest of the Colombian government, these scientists split into 11 different “workstreams” to debate a vast array of topics related to transitioning away from fossil fuels.

These ranged from “fossil-fuel phaseout policies” and the role of methane, to “just transitions and economic diversity” and the role of multilateralism.

Speaking on the summit’s first day, Colombian environment minister Irene Vélez Torres – herself a former academic – stressed the importance of science in political decision-making. She told a press conference:

“There has been a growing gap between science and governments, and governmental decisions, and it happens because there is a lot of denialism. There is a lot of economic and political lobbying as well. That is actually deviating [from] scientific rationale.

“The true belief of the countries that are here is that we need to go back to science and base our decisions on science, and back up our decision-making, processes and pathways with science.” 

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Science panel for global energy transition

The pre-conference saw the announcement of three new scientific initiatives.

The first was a new global science panel, calling itself the “science panel for global energy transition”, which was launched by Dr Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany and Dr Carlos Nobre, an eminent researcher on the Amazon rainforest from the University of São Paulo in Brazil.

They announced at a public event in Santa Marta that the panel will involve “50-100 scientists” from around the world and will be based at the University of São Paulo.

The scientists on the panel will aim to provide rapid analysis on how to transition away from fossil fuels for countries and multilateral talks, including bespoke information for nations that request it, they said.

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Speaking at its launch, Rockström said the panel will be split into four working groups, focusing on “transition pathways”, “technology solutions”, “policy design and evaluation” and “finance instruments and governments”.

It will have three co-chairs: Dr Vera Songwe, an economist and climate finance expert from Cameroon; Prof Ottmar Edenhofer, chief economist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research; and Prof Gilberto M Jannuzzi, professor of energy systems at Universidade Estadual de Campinas in Brazil.

Speaking to Carbon Brief, Nobre said that he and Rockström were first approached with the idea for a new panel by Ana Toni, Brazilian economist and CEO of the COP30 climate summit, while the negotiations were taking place in Belém. He said:

“Johan and myself, we’re not energy transition scientists, but we were the creators of the planetary science pavilion at COP30, that’s why Ana Toni came to us. And we have already invited three top energy transition experts to join us.”

At the launch, Rockström said the panel would be different in several ways from the world’s existing global climate science panel, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

He said that, in comparison to the “seven-year cycle” for IPCC reports, this panel will “be able to come up with annual updates” and “be able to scale down to the national level”.

Nobre told Carbon Brief that he was among scientists who have grown “frustrated” with some aspects of the IPCC’s process, including the line-by-line approval of summaries for policymakers by all of the world’s governments. He said:

“A long time ago, when I was working as a scientist studying the Amazon, I wanted to include some information about the risks the Amazon faces in one of the summaries. But a representative from my own country [Brazil] said no.

“This panel is totally independent. There is no way for somebody to say ‘you can’t say that’ or ‘you can’t do that’.”

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Action insights report

The second new science initiative to emerge from the academic conference was a new “synthesis report”, offering “12 action insights” for how countries can transition away from fossil fuels.

First covered by Carbon Brief, the report contains some explicit “action recommendations” for countries, such as “halt all new fossil-fuel expansion” and “prohibit fossil fuel advertising…recognising fossil fuels as health-harming products”.

The report was first put together by an “ad-hoc” group of 24 scientists at the request of the Colombian government. It was then further debated and refined by many of the 400 scientists gathered at the academic pre-conference in Santa Marta.

A preliminary version of the report was circulated to governments attending the talks.

In addition, one of the report’s coordinating authors, Prof Andrea Cardoso Diaz, from the University of Magdalena, was given a two-minute slot in the opening plenary of the “high-level segment” to highlight its findings to gathered ministers.

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Colombia’s fossil-fuel roadmap

The final scientific initiative unveiled at the academic segment was a new roadmap for how Colombia can transition away from fossil fuels. This was drafted by a team led by Prof Piers Forster, head of the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures at the University of Leeds.

The roadmap says that Colombia can cut its emissions from energy use to 90% below 2015 levels by 2050, through ambitious policies to move away from fossil fuels and electrify its transport sector.

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This would require “considerable” upfront investment, with the roadmap estimating the cost to be an average annual investment of around $10bn above a business-as-usual scenario. 

However, by the 2040s, Colombia could see net economy-wide savings from transitioning away from fossil fuels, says the analysis, which could reach $23bn annually by 2050.

Speaking to Carbon Brief, Forster said his experience as interim chair of the UK’s Climate Change Committee highlighted to him the importance of presenting national roadmaps in economic terms. He said:

“The biggest issues facing countries are economic and to do with the cost of living. To convince our own government back in the UK to sign up to our recommended carbon budget, we put a lot of work into the economic aspect. So that was also the focus of this work for Colombia.”

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Indigenous and civil society participation

In addition to holding a dedicated meeting for scientists, the Colombian government also organised a “People’s Assembly”. This brought together hundreds of Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendent peoples, peasant farmers, trade representatives, women and children and other civil society members.

The goal was to gather the thoughts from these groups on the summit’s main “pillars” of addressing fossil-fuel production, economic constraints and global governance and multilateralism.

According to Climate Lens News, Óscar Daza, the secretary general of the Organisation of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon, Karebaju people, told the gathering:

“The Indigenous peoples of the world have made historic demands, such as the non-extraction of natural resources from our territories, so that our resources that are there in the territory remain intact, remain still.

“As Indigenous peoples, we want those historic struggles to somehow be reflected and taken up here by the different states.” 

Participants at the People’s Assembly during the first conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels in Santa Marta. Credit: Ministerio de Ambiente de Colombia

Following on from the meetings, the Colombian government summarised the main talking points discussed by each of these groups in a series of “contributions” documents.

Indigenous peoples and civil society groups were also allocated opportunities to speak during the summit’s high-level segment.

In a departure from UN climate summits – where inputs from civil society are usually heard after countries have finished speaking – the Santa Marta summit invited a range of representatives to speak alongside ministers in the opening and closing plenary sessions.

This included an intervention in the opening plenary by Larissa Baldwin-Roberts, a climate leader from the Bundjalung Nations, who told countries:

“This is the last time we will be a token. You want our pictures, not our voices. You want our stories, not our struggles…True solidarity with each other is the prerequisite to a just transition.” 

Indigenous peoples and civil society members were also free to speak in closed-door discussions with ministers, Carbon Brief understands.

Separately from the events organised by the Colombian government, civil society also organised its own “people’s summit”, involving 900 organisations and networks, held in the city of Santa Marta from 24-26 April.

This summit also organised sessions for representatives from different groups to offer their thoughts and insights into the transition away from fossil fuels, ending in a joint “declaration”.

In a statement, Tasneem Essop, the executive director of Climate Action International, said: 

“Movements from across the globe and the region – Afro-descendants, feminists, youth, peasants and fisherfolk, social movements and Indigenous peoples converged in a three-day peoples summit in Santa Marta to build a collective consensus on our demands and solutions for the just transition away from fossil fuels.

“[We saw] the adoption of a powerful declaration that spells out our positions on ensuring that the transition has to be rights-based, funded and results in the dismantling of the systems that have caused harm and destruction driven by fossil fuel dependency.”

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The post Santa Marta: Key outcomes from first summit on ‘transitioning away’ from fossil fuels appeared first on Carbon Brief.

For the past year, “economic diversification” has been the magic phrase, as threats from the U.S., global political and economic instability, and climate volatility increase exponentially. It is perplexing, then, that B.C. appears to be quietly...

EWG applauds House passage of Luna amendment to protect public from toxic pesticides Anthony Lacey April 30, 2026

WASHINGTON — House lawmakers today passed a farm bill amendment, led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), that removes a controversial liability shield for pesticide manufacturers.

The successful 280-142 vote scraps a provision that would have given the companies sweeping immunity from liability for illnesses linked to their products. 

The vote also preserves states’ authority to adopt stronger health warnings for pesticides.

The following is a statement from EWG’s Legislative Director Geoff Horsfield:

EWG strongly supports the House’s adoption of Rep. Luna’s amendment to the farm bill. By striking provisions that would have shielded pesticide manufacturers from accountability and undermined state and local protections, the House has taken an important step to safeguard public health.

At a time when communities nationwide are increasingly concerned about the risks associated with pesticide exposure, lawmakers should be strengthening – not weakening – the ability of states and local governments to act. 

Preserving these protections ensures that communities, especially farmworkers and children, are not left vulnerable from exposure to harmful farm chemicals.

EWG commends the House for rejecting efforts to erode state and local authority and urges Congress to maintain this critical language as the farm bill advances. Protecting people from toxic pesticides must remain a top priority.

###

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action.

Areas of Focus Pesticides Press Contact Alex Formuzis alex@ewg.org (202) 667-6982 April 30, 2026

Türkiye’s COP31 presidency has struck a “strategic” partnership with the International Energy Agency (IEA), aiming to speed up the global clean energy transition amid “the biggest energy crisis in history” triggered by the Iran war.

The Paris-based watchdog will work with the host nation of this year’s UN climate summit on areas including energy supply and security, electrification and green industrialisation, Murat Kurum, Türkiye’s climate minister, said at a high-level summit hosted by the IEA on Thursday.

“We all have to act together and make sure that we transform the crisis into an opportunity,” the COP31 president said, adding that the “most critical step” is to accelerate the transition to clean energy.

The IEA’s executive director, Fatih Birol, said the agency is closely watching how governments are reacting to what he described as “the biggest energy crisis in history” and whether those national responses will push climate-heating emissions up or down.

The Paris gathering came hot on the heels of the first global conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels in Colombia, where many governments pointed to fossil fuel volatility as a risk for energy security and economic growth, and used it as an argument to move away from oil and gas towards renewables.

Clean cooking and waste emissions in focus

Though details of how the partnership will operate in practice remain limited, Kurum said one of its most important pillars will be finding solutions to expand clean cooking in developing countries, which the COP31 president promised to bring “to the centre of the global agenda”.

The IEA has been leading global discussions on helping the 2.3 billion people across the world – mainly in the Global South – using highly-polluting fuels like charcoal, firewood and waste switch to cleaner and more efficient cooking solutions to reduce emissions and damaging health impacts.

• Apr 30, 2026 News Santa Marta summit kick-starts work on key steps for fossil fuel transition The conference offers some 60 nations help to develop roadmaps to shift their economies away from coal, oil and gas, and make international trade green Read more
• Apr 29, 2026 Comment Six nations at Santa Marta could shape fossil fuel futures A small but critical handful of countries attending the conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels remain deeply committed to expanding their output Read more

The agency is organising a summit to improve clean cooking access for Africans this July, alongside the Kenyan, US and Norwegian governments. Clean cooking solutions set to be promoted include fossil gas, alongside electric and solar-powered stoves.

Kurum also added that the IEA will carry out special research on the impact of waste recycling on climate change, which will inform the COP31 presidency’s agenda on cutting emissions from garbage, one of Türkiye’s priorities which is spearheaded by the president’s wife.

COP28 chief missing

The IEA convened representatives from over 50 governments, together with business leaders, on Thursday for the first in a series of dialogues aimed at advancing energy discussions ahead of the UN climate summit in November, where Australia will lead the negotiations.

They were joined by previous COP presidents, including veteran French diplomat Laurent Fabius, one of the key architects of the Paris Agreement, and Britain’s COP26 chief, Alok Sharma.

Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE’s COP28 president, was “very sorry” for not being able to join the meeting, Birol said. As the UAE announced its exit from the OPEC oil cartel this week, Al Jaber, who heads up the Emirati oil company Adnoc, said the firm’s ambition was “to deliver more…across oil, gas, chemicals, and low carbon and renewable energy”.

‘Bleaker’ outlook

Sharma said the current trajectory of global greenhouse gas emissions is “much bleaker” than what it looked like when he presided over negotiations in Glasgow in 2021.

At that time, the IEA calculated that if all new commitments made at the summit were met, global warming could be limited to 1.8C above pre-industrialised levels, offering an optimistic outlook. Today, the UN says the world has already failed to hold warming to 1.5C and is on course for a rise of 2.6-3.1C.

Santa Marta marks a new chapter in climate diplomacy

Sharma said he didn’t “want to be the skunk at the party”, but pointed out that little money is yet flowing to decarbonise hard-to-abate industries and to support clean energy development anywhere outside China, Europe and the US. “If you want to transition away from fossil fuels, you need to provide the finance,” he added.

New finance mechanism promised

Echoing his remarks, COP21 president Fabius said “not easy” subjects like finance will need to be tackled at this year’s climate summit if countries want to make progress on putting into practice what’s been agreed at previous talks.

“Without financial, concrete steps there’s no implementation and it’s all talk,” he added.

COP31’s Kurum promised the presidency would “follow up” on the UN climate finance goal negotiated at COP29, when rich countries agreed to provide at least $300 billion annually by 2035 to developing nations to help them lower emissions and adapt to a warming world.

“We are working on a new mechanism to match the right projects with the right financing and make access to financing as easy as possible,” Kurum said.

The post Türkiye’s COP31 presidency and IEA join forces on clean energy push appeared first on Climate Home News.

Star Energy oil revenues fell more than 20% in 2025, compared with the year before, according to annual accounts. The company also announced a share placing aimed at raising £8.4m.

Star Energy’s Welton oil site, gathering centre and headquarters. Photo: Star Energy Placing

The company announced it proposed to place about 56 million new ordinary shares at a price of 15p, intended to raise about £8.4m gross.

It also proposes to raise £31,000 with the issue of more than 200,000 ordinary shares to directors of the company. An additional subscription aims to raise £0.6m with the issue of further new ordinary shares.

Star Energy said the proceeds would “support its strategy for significantly increase profitable production”.

Accounts Receipts

Star Energy accounts reported it received £33.5m from oil production in 2025, down from £42m in 2024.

It said the fall was mainly because of lower prices and a stronger exchange rate between the US dollar and pound sterling.

The average pre-hedged realised oil price in 2025 was $66.1/bbl (barrel), compared with $76.9/bbl in 2024, the company added.

The accounts also showed that gas revenues fell to zero in 2025, compared with £0.2m in 2024. This was because of the permanent shut-in of gas-to-grid production at the Albury site in Surrey, the company said.

Electricity revenue rose to £0.9m in 2025, up from £0.6m in 2024. This was largely because of higher prices and volumes, the company said.

Production

Star Energy’s oil production fell 5% in 2025 compared with the year before, the accounts reported.

The company said it produced 1,886 boepd (barrels of oil equivalent per day) in 2025, compared with £1,989 boepd in 2024.

It said the fall was largely because of unplanned National Grid power outages during summer infrastructure upgrades, as well as a process pipeline failure.

Problems with water disposal at the Stockbridge oilfield in Hampshire, also constrained production, the company said.

Star Energy predicted production would average 2,000 boepd in 2026. It said no shutdowns were scheduled. The pipeline issue had been resolved and grid works completed. At Stockbridge, a production well would be converted to a water injector.

Spending

Star Energy said capital expenditure in 2025 totalled £5.3m.

Of this, £2.6m was spent on the Singleton gas-to-wire project in West Sussex. The company said it also paid for an oil plant upgrade at Bletchingley, in Surrey, and optimisation work across oil and gas fields.

In 2026, Star Energy said it expected capital expenditure to reach £6.6m. This would include £2.6m to complete the Singleton gas-to-wire project, forecast to come online in the first half of 2026 with production of 74 boepd.

The company added that it also planned to spend £1m on what it called “quick returning incremental projects”. The rest would be spent on regulatory improvements, site resilience and projects to reduce operating costs.

Abandonment activity in 2026 was expected to cost £1.4m.

According to the accounts, there was no significant write-off of exploration and evaluation assets recorded in 2025. The write-off in 2024 was £1.9m, mainly relating to the Godley Bridge PEDL235 in Surrey.

Sales

Star Energy said it received £6.3m from the sale of the Holybourne oil terminal in Hampshire during 2025.

It also received 6.3m in April 2025 from the sale of non-core land

An agreement to dispose of three Croation geothermal licences, released E5.2m of restricted cash, Star Energy said.

2025 key figures

Revenue: £34.7m (2024: £43.7m). Oil revenue: £33.5m (2024: £42m). Gas revenue: £0 (2024: £249,000)

Adjusted EBITDA: £7.7m (2024: £11.1m). Related to oil and gas: £9.9m (2024: £15.1m)

Underlying operating profit: £1.7m (2024: £5.9m)

Net cash from operating activities: £6.3m (2024: £2.3m)

Operating cash flow before working capital movements: £8.7m (2024: £8.8m)

Loss after tax: £7.8m (2024: £12.6m)

Net debt: £4.3m (2024: £7.5m)

Cash and cash equivalents (excluding restricted cash): £7.6m (2024: £4.7m)

Net assets: £34.8m (2024: £42.6m)

Drawings under loan facility: £11.9m

Restricted cash: £4.5m

Savings on general and administrative expenses: £2m+

Decommissioning spending: £0.4m (2024: £1.1m)

Tax on profit: £8.9m (2024: £8.133m)

Net production: 1,886 boepd (2024: 1,989 boepd)

Anticipated net production in 2026: 2,000 boepd

Anticipated operating costs in 2026: $44 per boe

2025 capital expenditure: £5.3m

2026 forecast capital expenditure: £6.6m

Updated to include share placing

Audubon chapters are the heart and soul of avian conservation across the United States. Their members volunteer for trash clean ups, educate visitors and locals alike about vulnerable native species...

The post Tracking the Growth of Wind and Solar in Rural America appeared first on RMI.

Welcome to Carbon Brief’s China Briefing.

China Briefing handpicks and explains the most important climate and energy stories from China over the past fortnight. Subscribe for free here.

Key developments New documents ramp up pressure on coal

‘STRICTLY CONTROL’ FOSSIL FUELS: On 22 April, China issued a set of “guiding opinions” on energy conservation and carbon reduction that urged local governments to “strictly control fossil-fuel consumption”, according to the text published by state news agency Xinhua. Hu Min, director and co-founder of the the Beijing-based Institute for Global Decarbonization Progress, said in comments to Carbon Brief that the document was a clear signal of China’s political leaders’ desire to reduce the country’s coal usage and a “way to move things forward” until more specific policies are published. Government officials noted that the opinions are of “great significance for building broader and stronger consensus across society”, reported information platform Tanpaifang.

INCREASED OVERSIGHT: The next day, the government announced new evaluation criteria for judging provinces on their efforts to meet China’s climate goals, including on raising “clean-energy consumption” and limiting “use of coal and oil”, reported Bloomberg. The 14 indicators underscore China’s “key priorities” and encourage broader carbon reduction efforts, said energy news outlet China Energy Net. They build on China’s existing inspection system to create a “much stronger accountability and compliance system”, Qin Qi, China analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, told Carbon Brief. For more detail see Carbon Brief’s Q&A on what the two policies mean for China’s energy transition. 

‘RARE’ SIGNAL: Both documents were issued by the highest levels of the nation’s political system, which is “extremely rare” and “reflects the strategic importance” of China’s climate goals, Wu Hongjie, deputy secretary-general of the China Carbon Neutrality 50 Forum, told Jiemian News. In a comment article for finance news outlet Caixin, Chen Lihao – a member of the Jiusan Society, environment minister Huang’s political party – said the two documents “form the institutional foundation” for China’s “full-scale transition” to a “dual control of carbon” system.

Downpours in south China 

‘RECORD-BREAKING’ RAIN: Heavy rainfall is hitting central and southern China, with Hunan, Guizhou and Jiangxi provinces reporting record-breaking levels of precipitation last week, reported the Communist party-affiliated People’s Daily. It added that the government is ramping up “flood control” measures in response. On 26-27 April, one part of Guangxi province received as much as 14cm of rain per hour, reported the state-supporting newspaper Global Times. Meanwhile, Chinese vice-premier Liu Guozhong met with the World Meteorological Organization secretary-general Celeste Saulo to discuss cooperation on global “meteorological governance”, said state news agency Xinhua, with the discussion touching on early warning systems and disaster relief.

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EL NIÑO RISK: Officials at China’s National Climate Center (NCC) have said that an El Niño weather pattern is “likely to set in around May” and “intensify during the summer and autumn”, said China Daily. The state-run newspaper also quoted NCC chief forecaster Chen Lijuan saying it was “premature” to conclude that the El Niño could be at its strongest in 140 years, or that it could lead to record-breaking heat, although he added that the risks of such weather are “clearly increasing”. Wang Yaqi, a senior engineer at NCC, noted that the phenomenon “could hit hydropower-dependent regions hard, pushing them to burn more fossil fuels”, according to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.

Solar capacity growth slows

CLEAN CAPACITY: China’s clean-energy grid capacity now exceeds 2,400 gigawatts (GW), as of March 2026, or 60% of the total power mix, said state broadcaster CGTN in coverage of comments from energy officials at a press conference. It added that, within this, total wind and solar capacity reached 1,900GW. Energy news outlet International Energy Net cited the officials saying that China’s operational capacity for “green hydrogen” stands at 250,000 tonnes, with another 900,000 tonnes under construction. 

SOLAR SLOWS: However, a data release showed that China added 41GW of new solar capacity in the first three months of 2026, reported BJX News, down from 60GW of new capacity in January-March 2025. Bloomberg noted that new solar capacity additions “slowed sharply to hit a four-year low” in March, adding that wind and thermal capacity growth also both slowed. 

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‘MOST AMBITIOUS GOAL’: In a separate press conference, Chinese officials confirmed to Bloomberg that a pledge in the 15th five-year plan to double “non-fossil energy” in 10 years referred to energy capacity – not generation or consumption – and would run from 2025-2035. These details were “unclear” in the five-year plan itself, the outlet added. The economic news outlet Economic Daily said that the doubling goal was “one of the most ambitious goals in China’s energy transition history”, adding that “accelerating” the energy transition would allow the country to both reduce its reliance on the international energy market and “seize the high ground in the global race” to develop low-carbon industries.

More China news

• NEW BLEND: China has begun a project to blend gas supplies with 10% hydrogen in a part of Shandong province, reported the South China Morning Post, which added that the shift could cut China’s annual carbon emissions by “roughly 30m tonnes”.
• SKY-HIGH: China launched a “high-precision” satellite to monitor greenhouse gas emissions, said Xinhua.
• SUNNY SPAIN: Chinese automaker SAIC plans to build an electric vehicle (EV) factory in Spain, reported Bloomberg.
• MING YANG: Bloomberg also said that wind turbine maker Ming Yang is considering Spain after plans for a factory in the UK were blocked. 
• FORMAL COMPLAINT: China has “formally submitted a complaint” to the EU about its Industrial Accelerator Act, said China Daily.
• EU TARIFFS: China’s commerce minister said he reached a “soft landing” with EU officials on EU tariffs on imports of Chinese-made EVs, according to Reuters.

Spotlight  How war, silver and taxes propelled China’s cleantech exports

China’s export of clean-energy technologies surged in March, driven by a doubling in solar shipments, according to analysis by Carbon Brief of Chinese customs data. 

The spike can be explained in part by the impact of the conflict in the Middle East, but analysts argue that a newly enacted solar export policy is also behind the figures.

In this issue, Carbon Brief explores the factors behind the export spike and whether or not it will be sustained. 

China’s exports of the “new three” clean-energy technology surged by 70% year-on-year in March 2026,  reaching $21.6bn, according to Carbon Brief analysis.

Exports of the three technologies – solar cells and panels, electric vehicles (EVs) and lithium-ion batteries – were also up 37% from February, the month before the Iran war.

The conflict in the Middle East is one explanation for the surge, as it has caused several countries to emphasise the need to increase non-fossil energy supplies.

However, there are also other important drivers, revealed by Carbon Brief analysis of customs data showing differences in exports between solar, EVs and batteries.

Solar exports were notably higher in March 2026 than in the previous two months, jumping 99.2% compared to February. 

By contrast, neither batteries’ nor EVs’ March figures came close to the surge in solar cells. 

China’s March exports of batteries rose 37% compared with the previous month, while month-on-month EV shipments increased just 1.4%. 

(Figures from the China Passenger Car Association suggest a larger rise in percentage terms, but this is based on a narrower scope that does not capture all exports.)

This may be because both technologies saw strong export performance throughout the first quarter of 2026. According to the customs data, more than one million EVs were exported from China between January and March, up 73% compared with the same period last year.

These quarterly exports may have helped meet growing interest in EVs due to the conflict, with BloombergNEF estimating that sales of EVs rose to 1.1m – up 2% year-on-year –  in March. (Bloomberg said, within this total, sales “cooled” in China and the US but “surged” in Europe and parts of Asia.)

Solar surge

The chart below shows the export volumes of solar cells, EVs and batteries in March 2025, plus the first three months of 2026. 

March’s solar exports were capable of generating 68 gigawatts (GW), equivalent to Spain’s entire installed solar capacity, according to energy thinktank Ember. 

Exports of solar cells, EVs and batteries in March 2025 and January-March 2026. “Electric vehicles” includes hybrid and battery electric buses with 10 seats or more; plug-in and non-plug-in hybrid electric passenger cars; and battery electric passenger cars. Source: General Administration of Customs China.

The Ember analysis showed that 50 countries set all-time records for Chinese solar imports in March, with another 60 reaching their highest levels in six months. 

Exports to Asia doubled to 39GW, while shipments to Africa surged 176% to 10GW. Combined, these two regions accounted for three-quarters of the overall increase in exports. 

The Middle East conflict has boosted demand, but a domestic policy deadline was a more immediate driver, analysts told Carbon Brief.

The Chinese government removed export tax rebates for solar products on 1 April, prompting manufacturers to rush out shipments before the change took effect. 

Qin Qi, China analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, told Carbon Brief that such policy deadlines “can create a very sharp one-month jump in shipments”.

Batteries and EVs currently continue to receive export rebates. 

Falling silver prices are another potential factor, as silver paste is used to make a key component in solar panels. The reversal of a recent price rally that had raised costs helped manufacturers make more panels ahead of the export switch, Marius Mordal Bakke, head of solar research at consultancy Rystad Energy told Reuters. 

Temporary spike

Analysts predict that China’s April solar exports are unlikely to repeat March’s surge. Moreover, February exports were depressed by the Chinese New Year public holiday, making the March comparison unusually unfavourable. 

“A month-on-month drop in April would not be surprising,” said Qin.

But she remains optimistic that global solar capacity additions outside China will continue to grow in 2026 due to energy supply concerns sparked by the Middle East conflict.

Dave Jones, chief analyst at Ember, said the removal of the export rebate will not “dramatically change demand”, especially as the conflict continues.

He argued that the policy could be positive, telling Carbon Brief: “This is what the global market needs: a more level playing field with China.” 

This spotlight is by freelance China analyst Lekai Liu for Carbon Brief.

Watch, read, listen

TARGET ‘DIFFICULTIES’: Two researchers at the Energy Research Institute, a state thinktank, wrote in Economic Daily that China faces several “difficulties” in meeting its new carbon-intensity targets, including already-high renewable capacity installations and high levels of energy efficiency.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The US-China Podcast interviewed Prof Alex Wang on China’s approach to environmentalism and his view on the country’s energy transition.

GOVERNMENT CALLOUT: State broadcaster CCTV published a segment critiquing the massive investments and special treatment that local governments gave to their EV industries, fuelling intense competition.

‘THIN ARGUMENT’: A comment in Lawfare argued that the US should focus more on the “genuine geopolitical risks of climate change and [geoengineering] development”, rather than “thin” arguments around China weaponising weather modification technologies. 

22.6%

The rate of “environmental health literacy” – or “recognition of the value of the ecological environment and its impact on health” – among China’s citizens, according to a government survey covered by Xinhua.

New science 

• China will need to build more pipelines and push its carbon price above $100/tonne to make “green” ammonia a cost-competitive option for marine fuel | One Earth
• Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from China’s lakes increased from 41m tonnes to 51m tonnes of CO2 per year between 2000 and 2021, coinciding with “rapid lake expansion” across the country | Science Advances

Recently published on WeChat

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China Briefing is written by Anika Patel, with contributions from Lekai Liu, and edited by Simon Evans. Please send tips and feedback to china@carbonbrief.org 

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The post China Briefing 30 April 2026: Fossil fuel ‘strict controls’ | El Niño approaches | Why cleantech exports have surged appeared first on Carbon Brief.

24 June | London

Join ClientEarth, Carbon Tracker and a panel of experts for an energising morning discussion during London Climate Action Week.

From the Strait of Hormuz to the North Sea, oil and gas markets are shaped by chokepoints. Some are physical; others are legal, regulatory and financial.  

Amid shifting market dynamics and significant legal developments, this event will explore the complex and changing path through which oil and gas projects are approved, financed, and retired in the UK.  

As policymakers balance energy security with a commitment not to issue new exploration licences in the declining North Sea basin, and as legal requirements tighten around project consent and asset retirement, the discussion will examine whether current capital raising rules are fit for purpose. 

ClientEarth and Carbon Tracker will also launch a pivotal new report, testing whether fossil reserves valuations are matching changes in the legal landscape, or leaving investors blind to climate-related risk. 

Bringing together leading voices from law, finance, academia and civil society, the expert panel will explore structural pressure points across the oil and gas lifecycle. And lay out the context for further action. 

This is an in-person event at the Inner Temple in London. If you are unable to attend in person and would like to join remotely please email events@clientearth.org to request a Zoom link. Thank you! 

The post Disruption on the horizon: consent, capital and clean-up in the oil and gas sector appeared first on Carbon Tracker Initiative.

Open access notables

Unprecedented 2024 East Antarctic winter heatwave driven by polar vortex weakening and amplified by anthropogenic warming, Tang et al., npj Climate and Atmospheric Science

During July–August 2024, East Antarctica experienced the most intense winter heatwave in the 46-year satellite era, with regional mean surface air temperatures across Dronning Maud Land exceeding the climatological mean by more than 9°C for 17 consecutive days. To explore the physical drivers and quantify the anthropogenic contribution to this unprecedented event, we propose a multi-model, multi-method attribution framework integrating regional climate model-based storyline attribution, circulation analogues, and large-ensemble probabilistic attribution. The results show that a pronounced weakening of the stratospheric polar vortex initiated a quasi-barotropic high-pressure anomaly, which enhanced meridional heat and moisture transport and accounted for approximately 50% of the observed surface warming. Across different models and attribution methods, synthesis of the attribution results indicates that anthropogenic warming intensified the event by approximately 0.7°C and more than doubled the likelihood of such exceptional winter heatwaves in the current climate. Probabilistic attribution further indicates that, compared to a natural climate without human influence, the likelihood of such events increases from 2–3 times today to ~6 times under moderate emissions and up to 26 times under high emissions by 2100. These findings reveal how human-induced warming is transforming even the coldest regions, with implications for ice shelf stability and predictability of future Antarctic extremes.

A recent stabilization in the lengthening of the Arctic sea ice melt season into a highly variable regime, Boisvert et al., Communications Earth & Environment

The melt season length of the Arctic sea ice is an important indicator and driver of large changes occurring in the climate system. Since 1979 the melt season has lengthened by ~40 days, driven mostly by delayed freeze onset (~ 34 days) compared to earlier melt onset (~ 7 days). However, since 2010 the melt season length has stabilized (~ 108 days), showing no consistent change over the years, instead becoming highly variable (+/− 11 days), largely driven by a loss of multi-year ice in 2000–2009 and a small change in the freeze onset (~ 2 days). There is a stark difference between the decades, where the largest changes in the melt season occurred between 2000–2009 (+ 25 days) and the smallest occurred between 2010–2023 (−2 days). This leads us to believe that, while there might be some periodicity in the processes that control the decadal variations in the melt season length, anthropogenic forcing has altered the Arctic background state and led to a new Arctic melt season that is much longer with a much thinner ice pack that is more susceptible to external forcings.

Field Observations of Sea Ice Thickening by Artificial Flooding, Hammer et al., Journal of Geophysical Research Oceans

Arctic sea ice is retreating at a high rate, also due to the positive ice-albedo feedback loop: as ice melts and disappears, it reflects less sunlight, further accelerating ocean warming. One proposed way to slow the retreat is by thickening sea ice in winter, increasing its chances of surviving summer melt. This could be achieved by artificially flooding existing sea ice with seawater pumped from below, allowing it to freeze at the surface through exposure to cold air and thicken the ice layer. However, the effectiveness of this approach remains uncertain, as numerical models show contrasting results and few field experiments have been conducted. This study examines the growth and melt of ice through spring and summer after artificial flooding covering , resulting in thickened (+26 cm) snow-covered first-year sea ice. Observations were carried out in Vallunden Lagoon (Van Mijenfjord), Svalbard, from 20 March to 24 June 2024, with flooding and intensive in situ measurements from 11–15 April. Artificial flooding significantly heated the upper two-thirds of the original 90 cm thick ice, increasing salinity. Surface albedo evolution was influenced by specific events such as slush formation, snow drift, and a major meltwater drainage event in spring. Artificial flooding resulted in thicker ice and delayed rotten ice formation by 6 days, but did not delay the disappearance of ice in summer compared to a non-flooded reference site. Experiments at other scales and locations could help reveal how local conditions and flooded area size influence results and the potential of this method.

The achievability of low-emission IPCC sea-level rise scenarios, Millman et al., Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) AR6 report (2021) provides a range of projections on greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, and the consequential impact on global sea level through thermal expansion of sea water and by glacier and ice-sheet mass loss. This paper assesses the likelihood of lower IPCC sea-level rise scenarios (SSP1–1.9 and SSP1–2.6) in light of current ice-sheet observations and model limitations, alongside today’s emissions trends and current shortfall of climate commitments. We conclude that ‘low-end’ projections may underestimate the true pace and magnitude of future sea-level rise and, if we continue on today’s mid-higher emissions pathway (SSP3–7.0), sea-level outcomes of more than 1 m by 2100 should be planned for. The worst can still be avoided through rapid deep emissions reductions, but it is essential that the IPCC continues to reflect these true risks for decision-makers, with rises of more than 2 m this century and several metres thereafter a real possibility.

Audience engagement with climate change content on YouTube: an analysis of video attributes and user interactions, Aharonson et al., Frontiers in Climate

Results indicate that videos presented by scientists are significantly more likely to elicit positive audience attitudes than those presented by politicians or other public figures. Solution-focused framing is strongly associated with positive engagement, while blame-oriented framing is associated with negative responses. Additionally, threaded comment discussions show a higher proportion of positive attitudes than independent comments, suggesting that conversational interaction enhances constructive engagement. These findings highlight the importance of expertise-based communication, solution-oriented narratives, and interactive discourse in digital sustainability communication. The study contributes both methodological tools and practical insights for designing climate change communication strategies that foster informed and constructive public engagement.

From this week's government/NGO section:

Trust, Media Habits, and Misperceptions Shape Public Understanding of Climate Change, Marryam Ishaq and M. Speiser, ecoAmerica

A hidden climate majority exists. Most Americans are concerned about climate change, but they do not realize how widely that concern is shared. This perception gap (pluralistic ignorance) masks a strong hidden consensus on climate concern. Trust in information and personal concern about climate change reinforce each other. Americans who trust the information they see or hear are far more likely to be concerned about climate change (79%) — and those who are climate-concerned report higher trust. This creates a reinforcing loop between trust and concern. Media ecosystems shape climate beliefs. Where Americans get their news influences what they believe about climate and energy. While mainstream national media, local news, and social media remain the most widely used sources overall, partisan and age differences shape which sources are most relied on, which in turn shapes climate beliefs. Americans trust the information they encounter but doubt others’ ability to recognize climate misinformation. While many Americans trust the information they personally consume, they are far less confident in others’ ability to distinguish climate fact from fiction — especially when they perceive others as less concerned about climate change. Mistrust of others and misperceptions are core barriers to climate action. Rather than a lack of concern, some of the biggest barriers include eroded trust and misperceptions. Misperceptions about energy sources and others’ climate beliefs, combined with low confidence in the public’s ability to navigate climate misinformation, suppress visible engagement and slow individual and collective action.

People and Climate Change, Ipsos

As temperatures rise, the individual responsibility to act has fallen. The past 11 years have been the warmest in the modern era, but people increasingly place less responsibility in needing to act. In the last five years, all countries surveyed in the report in both 2021 and 2026 have seen falls in the proportion who agree that individuals would be failing future generations by not acting against climate change. Short-term fear is countering long-term preparation. While climate concern remains present – 59% on average across 31 countries say they country should be doing more in the fight against climate change - more immediate risks are seen as greater priorities. Our What Worries the World survey finds concern about climate change in 11th place, behind more tangible, immediate worries issues like crime, unemployment, and inflation. The energy transition is at a crossroads. Public support for transitioning to clean energy is increasingly conditional, contingent on affordability, reliability, and security trade-offs. The Ipsos Energy Transition Barometer finds one in two (50% across 31 countries) support governments prioritizing low energy prices even if emissions increase.

Climate Change and Migration from Central America: Insights from Migrants in Mexico, Kerwin et al., UC Berkeley School of Law

The authors examine how climate-related harms intersect with and exacerbate violence, exclusion, discrimination, and weak state protection to drive migration from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Drawing on interviews, desk research, and surveys with people on the move in Mexico, the authors show that climate change rarely operates as a single cause of displacement. Instead, migrants consistently describe how environmental shocks—such as droughts that destroy crops, storms that damage homes and livelihoods, and deforestation and extreme heat that undermine health and economic stability—exacerbate existing insecurity and hardship. The authors focus on Mexico as both a transit and destination country for Central American migrants impacted by these dynamics. The findings demonstrate that better understanding how climate change intensifies vulnerabilities to violence, insecurity, and loss of livelihood—and integrating that analysis into refugee and immigration representation and adjudication— can improve access to protection and to regular migration status under Mexico’s existing legal framework. The authors also offer specific recommendations to strengthen institutional responses to climate migration by the Mexican government and civil society actors to climate migration. 114 articles in 55 journals by 1150 contributing authors

Physical science of climate change, effects

Climate feedback of forest fires amplified by atmospheric chemistry, Chen et al., Nature Geoscience Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41561-026-01926-1

Differences in actual evapotranspiration and responses of pure and mixed forests to climate change on the Chinese Loess Plateau, Wu et al., Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 10.1016/j.agrformet.2026.111210

Imbalance Trajectories of GPP–TER Coupling Under Global Warming, Yang et al., Global Change Biology 10.1111/gcb.70857

Influence of Sea Surface Temperature Patterns and Mean Warming on Past and Future Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Activity, Levin et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-25-0635.1

Mechanisms for Decadal Variability of Ocean Heat Uptake Inferred From Adjoint Sensitivities, Köhl & Fernández, Geophysical Research Letters Open Access 10.1029/2025gl119283

Meteorological drivers of the low-cloud radiative feedback pattern effect and its uncertainty, Tam et al., Atmospheric chemistry and physics Open Access 10.5194/acp-26-4289-2026

Ocean Meridional Heat Transport Estimated from Energy Budget Constraint, Pan et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-25-0522.1

Poleward migration of warm Circumpolar Deep Water towards Antarctica, Lanham et al., Apollo (University of Cambridge) Open Access pmh:oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/400387

Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago:
Asymmetric impacts of forest gain and loss on tropical land surface temperature, Nature Geoscience, 10.1038/s41561-024-01423-3 53 cites.

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Observations of climate change, effects

Climatology and Trends in Spatial Scales of Extreme Precipitation Over Land in the Contiguous US, Chatterjee et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access 10.1029/2025gl120662

Indicators of Global Climate Change 2022: Annual update of large-scale indicators of the state of the climate system and the human influence, Forster et al., Earth system science data Open Access pdf 10.5194/essd-15-2295-2023

Persistent 2023–2025 Wildfire Extremes in Canada Produced Unprecedented Emissions and Air-Quality Impacts, Chen et al., Global Change Biology 10.1111/gcb.70891

Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide ignites metal mobilization in acid mine drainage, Wang et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access pdf 10.1038/s43247-026-03551-7

Spatiotemporal Trends and Urban-Climate Interactions of Land Surface Temperature Dynamics Across Bangladesh, Haque et al., Anthropocene 10.1016/j.ancene.2026.100547

Unprecedented 2024 East Antarctic winter heatwave driven by polar vortex weakening and amplified by anthropogenic warming, Tang et al., npj Climate and Atmospheric Science Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41612-026-01392-x

Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago:
Increasing Risk of a “Hot Eastern?Pluvial Western” Asia, Earth s Future, 10.1029/2023ef004333 14 cites.

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Instrumentation & observational methods of climate change, effects

An observational record of global gridded near surface air temperature change over land and ocean from 1781, Morice et al., Earth system science data Open Access pdf 10.5194/essd-17-7079-2025

ENSO contribution to the assessment of long-term cloud feedback on global warming, Liu et al., Atmospheric chemistry and physics Open Access 10.5194/acp-26-5589-2026

Global open-ocean daily turbulent heat flux dataset (1992–2020) from SSM/I via deep learning, Wang et al., Earth system science data Open Access 10.5194/essd-18-2929-2026

Mapping sea ice concentration using Nimbus-5 ESMR and local dynamical tie points, Tellefsen et al., Earth system science data Open Access 10.5194/essd-18-2891-2026

Reanalyses in the Age of Machine Learning: Why Dataset Curation Matters Now More than Ever, Abel et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 10.1175/bams-d-25-0149.1

Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago:
Russian collaboration loss risks permafrost carbon emissions network, Nature Climate Change, 10.1038/s41558-024-02001-6 15 cites.

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Modeling, simulation & projection of climate change, effects

Identifying atmospheric rivers and their poleward latent heat transport with generalizable neural networks: ARCNNv1, Mahesh et al., Geoscientific model development Open Access 10.5194/gmd-17-3533-2024

Large and projected increases in compound heatwaves-extreme precipitation events driven by anthropogenic emissions, Liu et al., Weather and Climate Extremes Open Access 10.1016/j.wace.2026.100908

Projected Future Changes of Atmospheric Rivers by a High- and Low-Resolution CESM, Wang et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-25-0377.1

Rising Temperatures Will Amplify the Risk of Future Compound Dry–Hot Events over the Mongolian Plateau, Kang et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-25-0592.1

Seasonality and scenario dependence of rapid Arctic sea ice loss events in CMIP6 simulations, Sticker et al., cryosphere Open Access 10.5194/tc-19-3259-2025

The burden of El Niño–Southern Oscillation-related dengue attributable to anthropogenic climate change: a multicountry modelling study, Li et al., The Lancet Planetary Health Open Access 10.1016/j.lanplh.2026.101454

Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago:
Emergent Constraints on Future Projections of Tibetan Plateau Warming in Winter, Geophysical Research Letters, 10.1029/2024gl108728 16 cites.

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Advancement of climate & climate effects modeling, simulation & projection

A Signal-to-Noise Problem in Model Simulation of Decadal Climate Modes, Clement et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-25-0190.1

CMIP7 Data Request: atmosphere priorities and opportunities, Dingley et al., Geoscientific model development Open Access pdf 10.5194/gmd-19-2945-2026

Comments on “Mediterranean Drying by a Positive North Atlantic Oscillation Trend over the Last 65 Years Is an Extreme Outlier in the CMIP6 Multimodel Ensemble”, Vicente-Serrano et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-26-0055.1

Development of the global chemistry-climate coupled model BCC-GEOS-Chem v2.0: improved atmospheric chemistry performance and new capability of chemistry-climate interactions, Sun et al., Geoscientific model development Open Access pdf 10.5194/gmd-19-2111-2026

Enhancing Urban Near-Surface Temperature Simulations through Anthropogenic Heat Parameters Adapted to Local Climate Zones, LV et al., Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology 10.1175/jamc-d-25-0224.1

Physics-based models outperform AI weather forecasts of record-breaking extremes, Zhang et al., Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) Open Access 10.5281/zenodo.18929001

Reply to “Comments on ‘Mediterranean Drying by a Positive North Atlantic Oscillation Trend over the Last 65 Years Is an Extreme Outlier in the CMIP6 Multimodel Ensemble’”, Seager et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-26-0138.1

Successes and Failures of Current AI Climate Models, Scaife, Geophysical Research Letters Open Access 10.1029/2026gl122615

Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago:
Global 1 km land surface parameters for kilometer-scale Earth system modeling, Earth system science data, 10.5194/essd-16-2007-2024 27 cites.

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Cryosphere & climate change

A recent stabilization in the lengthening of the Arctic sea ice melt season into a highly variable regime, Boisvert et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access pdf 10.1038/s43247-026-03534-8

Antarctic grounding zone and bedrock: the interplay shaping Antarctic sea-level contribution, Nowicki & Seroussi, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences Open Access 10.1098/rsta.2024.0544

Assessment of snow model uncertainty in relation to the effect of a 1 °C warming using the snow modelling framework openAMUNDSEN, Rottler et al., SHILAP Revista de lepidopterología Open Access pmh:oai:doaj.org/article:6ac18b8f1acb47c891ce634ea62de79e

Far-reaching effects of Tibetan warming amplification on polar sea?ice retreat, M et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access 10.1038/s43247-026-03542-8

Field Observations of Sea Ice Thickening by Artificial Flooding, Hammer et al., Journal of Geophysical Research Oceans Open Access 10.1029/2025jc022738

Glacier-level and gridded mass change in the rivers' sources in the eastern Tibetan Plateau (ETPR) from 1970s to 2000, Zhu et al., Earth system science data Open Access pdf 10.5194/essd-17-1851-2025

Hard rocks and deep wetlands beneath Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica, Zeising et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access 10.1038/s43247-026-03502-2

Results of the second Ice Shelf–Ocean Model Intercomparison Project (ISOMIP+), Jordan, Cronfa (Swansea University) pmh:oai:cronfa.swan.ac.uk:cronfa71766

The impact of ice structures and ocean warming in Milne Fiord, Bonneau et al., cryosphere Open Access pdf 10.5194/tc-19-2615-2025

Uncertain ground: impact of bed topography on Antarctic Ice Sheet projections, Caillet et al., Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences Open Access 10.1098/rsta.2024.0543

Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago:
Climate projections of the Adriatic Sea: role of river release, Frontiers in Climate, 10.3389/fclim.2024.1368413 31 cites.

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Sea level & climate change

The achievability of low-emission IPCC sea-level rise scenarios, Millman et al., Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences Open Access 10.1098/rsta.2024.0565

Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago:
Assessing coastal flood risk under extreme events and sea level rise in the Casablanca-Mohammedia coastline (Morocco), Natural Hazards, 10.1007/s11069-024-06624-y 6 cites.

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Paleoclimate & paleogeochemistry

East Antarctic Ice Sheet Variability In The Central Transantarctic Mountains Since The Mid Miocene, Bromley et al., Climate of the past Open Access pdf 10.5194/cp-21-145-2025

Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago:
Stable isotope evidence for long-term stability of large-scale hydroclimate in the Neogene North American Great Plains, Climate of the past, 10.5194/cp-20-1039-2024 7 cites.

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Biology & climate change, related geochemistry

A Modern Ghost Story: Increased Selective Mortality of Salmon Under Climate Extremes, Sturrock et al., Global Change Biology Open Access 10.1111/gcb.70854

Adapting Species Risk Assessments to a Changing Climate: The Underestimated Vulnerability of Foundational Trees, McLaughlin et al., Global Change Biology Open Access 10.1111/gcb.70866

Amazonian understory forests change phosphorus acquisition strategies under elevated CO2, Martins et al., Nature Communications Open Access 10.1038/s41467-026-72098-0

Estimating the total mortality of seabirds following a marine heat wave, Lavers et al., Conservation Biology Open Access 10.1111/cobi.70273

Evolutionary conservation hotspots: key areas for threatened Neotropical glassfrogs under climate change scenarios, Vega-Yánez et al., PeerJ Open Access 10.7717/peerj.21165

Global Conservation Status of Key Areas for Climate Diversity, Junjun, Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) Open Access 10.5281/zenodo.17744471

Imbalance Trajectories of GPP–TER Coupling Under Global Warming, Yang et al., Global Change Biology 10.1111/gcb.70857

Interacting Effects of Sea-Level Rise and Ocean Warming Reshape Thermal Environments on a Coral Reef, Rogers et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access 10.1029/2025gl120406

Phragmites australis and Argyrogramma albostriata Suppress the Invasion of Solidago canadensis in China Under Future Climate Change, Zhang et al., Ecology and Evolution Open Access 10.1002/ece3.73573

Predators Can Reverse the Effects of Warming on a Marine Ecosystem Engineer, Malakooti et al., Global Change Biology 10.1111/gcb.70846

Relationships Between Water-Use Efficiency and Climatic Factors in Conifers From Different Genera in China, Qin et al., Journal of Geophysical Research Biogeosciences 10.1029/2026jg009734

Shifting snake ranges in a warming world, Wan et al., Conservation Biology 10.1111/cobi.70293

Warming advanced leaf senescence in alpine plants through advancing leaf emergence and increasing soil drought, Chen et al., Journal of Ecology 10.1111/1365-2745.70325

Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago:
Interactions between climate change and urbanization will shape the future of biodiversity, Nature Climate Change, 10.1038/s41558-024-01996-2 69 cites.

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GHG sources & sinks, flux, related geochemistry

A top-down evaluation of bottom-up estimates to reduce uncertainty in methane emissions from Arctic wetlands, Basso et al., Biogeosciences Open Access pdf 10.5194/bg-23-2815-2026

Canadian net forest CO2 uptake enhanced by heat drought via reduced respiration, Dong et al., MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) pmh:oai:pure.mpg.de:item_3686498

Carbon dioxide release driven by organic carbon in minerogenic salt marshes, Kainz et al., Biogeosciences Open Access pdf 10.5194/bg-23-2865-2026

Climate benefits of lake nutrient management in China, Zhao et al., Nature Geoscience 10.1038/s41561-026-01971-w

Designing National Forest Inventories for Accurate Estimation of Soil Carbon Change, Buchkowski et al., Global Change Biology Open Access 10.1111/gcb.70868

Disproportionate Belowground Carbon Loss and Ecotone Sensitivity in Boreal Peatland Wildland Fires: Insights From LiDAR and Field Data, Nelson et al., Global Biogeochemical Cycles Open Access 10.1029/2025gb008982

Diurnal versus spatial variability of greenhouse gas emissions from an anthropogenic modified German lowland river, Koschorreck et al., Biogeosciences Open Access pdf 10.5194/bg-21-1613-2024

First global carbon dynamics from an observational and process-informed hybrid perspective: Oversimplified respiration representation likely drives divergence in terrestrial carbon sequestration across models, Zhu et al., Agricultural and Forest Meteorology Open Access 10.1016/j.agrformet.2026.111197

Global blue carbon losses from salt marshes exceed restoration gains, Zheng et al., Nature Communications Open Access 10.1038/s41467-026-70158-z

Global CO emissions and drivers of atmospheric CO trends constrained by MOPITT satellite measurements, Tang et al., Atmospheric chemistry and physics Open Access 10.5194/acp-26-5531-2026

Greenhouse gas accounting in urban digital twins, Lylykangas et al., Environmental Research Infrastructure and Sustainability Open Access 10.1088/2634-4505/ae5a57

Methane leakage thresholds for net climate benefits of wastewater biogas recovery, Li et al., Nature Sustainability Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41893-026-01818-7

Microbial Responses to Warming Reduce Deep Blue Carbon Storage, Xiao et al., Global Change Biology 10.1111/gcb.70883

Phosphate scarcity governs methane production in the global open ocean, Wang et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Open Access 10.1073/pnas.2521235123

Priority research questions in global peatland science, Milner et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access 10.1038/s43247-026-03321-5

Seasonal Drought Reduces Carbon Sequestration in Coastal Wetlands, Jia et al., Global Change Biology 10.1111/gcb.70865

Tracing carbon dynamics during vegetation succession in a subtropical forest, Chen et al., Journal of Ecology 10.1111/1365-2745.70319

Why both trees and technology are important in the race to mitigate carbon emissions, Walker, Nature 10.1038/d41586-026-01300-6

Wintertime production and storage of methane in thermokarst ponds of subarctic Norway, Pismeniuk et al., Biogeosciences Open Access pdf 10.5194/bg-23-1497-2026

Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago:
High-resolution US methane emissions inferred from an inversion of 2019 TROPOMI satellite data: contributions from individual states, urban areas, and landfills, Atmospheric chemistry and physics, 10.5194/acp-24-5069-2024 56 cites.

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CO2 capture, sequestration science & engineering

Hemispheric contrast in summer season duration responses to CO2 removal, Park et al., Figshare Open Access 10.6084/m9.figshare.31898308

Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago:
The performance of solvent-based direct air capture across geospatial and temporal climate regimes, Frontiers in Climate, 10.3389/fclim.2024.1394728 18 cites.

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Decarbonization

A straightforward trajectory strengthens support for the transition away from natural gas: a population-based survey experiment in the Netherlands, Noordzij et al., Energy Research & Social Science Open Access 10.1016/j.erss.2026.104699

End of life electric vehicle batteries in China to 2060 and related resource management implications, Li et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access pdf 10.1038/s43247-026-03555-3

Life cycle assessment across three generations of photovoltaic systems: Insights from net-zero perspective, Tan et al., Energy Sustainable Development/Energy for sustainable development 10.1016/j.esd.2026.102012

Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago:
Impact of electric vehicle charging demand on power distribution grid congestion, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 10.1073/pnas.2317599121 84 cites.

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Aerosols

Desert dust exerts twice the longwave radiative heating estimated by climate models, Kok et al., Nature Communications Open Access 10.1038/s41467-026-70952-9

Size-resolved condensation sink as an approach to understand pathways how gaseous emissions affect health and climate, Lepistö et al., Atmospheric chemistry and physics Open Access pdf 10.5194/acp-26-4215-2026

Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago:
Aerosol forcing regulating recent decadal change of summer water vapor budget over the Tibetan Plateau, Nature Communications, 10.1038/s41467-024-46635-8 25 cites.

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Climate change communications & cognition

Audience engagement with climate change content on YouTube: an analysis of video attributes and user interactions, Aharonson et al., Frontiers in Climate Open Access pdf 10.3389/fclim.2026.1803829

Beyond broken homes: Why climate resilience must start with the human psyche, Sahu & Basu, PLOS Climate Open Access 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000908

Beyond Memory and Experimenter Demand: Scientific Consensus Messages Correct Misperceptions, Geiger et al., Open Science Framework Open Access 10.17605/osf.io/s8zgh

Narratives of youth climate activism: exploring the diversity of meaning-making on climate change and citizenship, Fonseca & Castro, Journal of Environmental Psychology 10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.103044

Obstructing change: political inertia and the maintenance of climate inaction in Australia, Bowden et al., Environmental Politics Open Access 10.1080/09644016.2026.2664291

Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago:
Generative AI tools can enhance climate literacy but must be checked for biases and inaccuracies, Communications Earth & Environment, 10.1038/s43247-024-01392-w 48 cites.

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Agronomy, animal husbundry, food production & climate change

Agrivoltaic System Potential to Mitigate Effects of Climate Change in Viticulture, Meier et al., JuSER (Forschungszentrum Jülich) pmh:oai:juser.fz-juelich.de:1050469

Deep learning model anticipates climate change induced reduction in major commodity crop yields for Canada in 2050, Bhullar et al., Frontiers in Climate Open Access pdf 10.3389/fclim.2026.1748516

Escalating Compound Drought-Heatwaves and Demographic Shifts Threaten Simultaneous Global Breadbasket Failures, Sabut & Mishra, Geophysical Research Letters Open Access 10.1029/2025gl118650

Fast Net Carbon Balance Recovery After Clear-Cutting but Uncertain Long-Term Carbon Accumulation in Eucalyptus Plantations, Guillemot et al., Global Change Biology 10.1111/gcb.70881

Harmonized European Union subnational crop statistics reveal climate impacts and crop cultivation shifts, Ronchetti et al., Earth system science data Open Access 10.5194/essd-16-1623-2024

Integration of SEBAL-Derived Evapotranspiration With Climate Change Projections to Assess Basin-Scale Water Resources and Crops Yield, Mikaeili & Shourian, International Journal of Climatology 10.1002/joc.70398

Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago:
Climate-smart agriculture: adoption, impacts, and implications for sustainable development, Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 10.1007/s11027-024-10139-z 114 cites.

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Hydrology, hydrometeorology & climate change

A tale of two coasts: Unveiling US Gulf and Atlantic coastal cities at high flood risk, Dey & Shao, Science Advances Open Access 10.1126/sciadv.aec2079

Climatology and Trends in Spatial Scales of Extreme Precipitation Over Land in the Contiguous US, Chatterjee et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access 10.1029/2025gl120662

Future Changes in the Atmospheric Water Cycle Over the Tibetan Plateau, Zou et al., Climate Dynamics 10.1007/s00382-026-08094-3

Impact of climate change on future flood susceptibility using different climatic parameters and deep learning algorithms in eastern Himalayan region, Paramanik et al., Frontiers in Environmental Science Open Access pdf 10.3389/fenvs.2026.1729457

Impacts of climate change on groundwater resources: a comprehensive review, Kunwar et al., Frontiers in Environmental Science Open Access pdf 10.3389/fenvs.2026.1606354

Projected Future Changes of Atmospheric Rivers by a High- and Low-Resolution CESM, Wang et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-25-0377.1

Rising Temperatures Will Amplify the Risk of Future Compound Dry–Hot Events over the Mongolian Plateau, Kang et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-25-0592.1

Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago:
Impact of Soil Moisture Dynamics and Precipitation Pattern on UK Urban Pluvial Flood Hazards Under Climate Change, Earth s Future, 10.1029/2023ef004073 10 cites.

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Climate change economics
Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago:
Higher education’s impact on CO2 mitigation: MENA insights with consideration for unemployment, economic growth, and globalization, Frontiers in Environmental Science, 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1325598 11 cites.

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Climate change mitigation public policy research

Promising climate progress from net-zero ambitions to the Paris Agreement goal, Tagomori et al., Nature Climate Change Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41558-026-02615-y

Strategic retrenchment in the energy transition: Shell Pernis and the emergence of second-order carbon lock-in, Unruh et al., Energy Research & Social Science Open Access 10.1016/j.erss.2026.104718

Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago:
Catalysts for sustainable energy transitions: the interplay between financial development, green technological innovations, and environmental taxes in European nations, Environment Development and Sustainability, 10.1007/s10668-023-04081-4 34 cites.

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Climate change adaptation & adaptation public policy research

Disentangling urban vulnerability to rising temperatures, Achebak et al., The Lancet Planetary Health Open Access 10.1016/j.lanplh.2026.101451

Weave framework: harnessing local knowledge in donor-funded climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction projects, Yukich et al., Climate and Development 10.1080/17565529.2026.2661681

Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago:
Governance, institutions, and climate change resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa: assessing the threshold effects, Frontiers in Environmental Science, 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1352344 23 cites.

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Climate change impacts on human health

Heatwaves Constrain the Future Persistence of Mosquito Vectors in Europe, Kramer et al., Global Change Biology Open Access 10.1111/gcb.70876

Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago:
Analysing health system capacity and preparedness for climate change, Nature Climate Change, 10.1038/s41558-024-01994-4 31 cites.

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Climate change & geopolitics
Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago:
The challenges of the increasing institutionalization of climate security, PLOS Climate, 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000402 7 cites.

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Other

Artificial intelligence to support cross-disciplinary climate change research, Ou et al., Nature Climate Change 10.1038/s41558-026-02624-x

Iron and Manganese Cycling in the Atlantifying Barents Sea: Concentrated Inputs and Emerging Limitations, Hawley et al., Global Biogeochemical Cycles Open Access 10.1029/2025gb009031

Research on the impact of climate risk attention on enterprise energy efficiency, Song, Energy Policy 10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115325

Strengthening Climate Action through Career Aspirations: A Life-Course Perspective on Circular Citizenship Behaviours, Pribadi, Journal of Environmental Psychology 10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.103055

Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago:
Extreme hydrometeorological events induce abrupt and widespread freshwater temperature changes across the Pacific Northwest of North America, Communications Earth & Environment, 10.1038/s43247-024-01407-6 14 cites.

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Informed opinion, nudges & major initiatives

Avoid Sacrificing Nature to Truly Achieve Net Zero, Rigolot et al., Conservation Letters Open Access 10.1111/con4.70046

Potential futures for the IPCC’s approach to artificial intelligence, Buck et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access pdf 10.1038/s43247-026-03514-y

Scientific coherence in climate change research: a meta-research perspective to accelerate scientific progress and climate justice, Acosta-Monterrosa et al., Frontiers in Environmental Science Open Access pdf 10.3389/fenvs.2026.1766738

Most cited from this section, published 2 years ago:
Earth Virtualization Engines (EVE), Earth system science data, 10.5194/essd-16-2113-2024 36 cites.

Articles/Reports from Agencies and Non-Governmental Organizations Addressing Aspects of Climate Change

Managing Natural Hazards and Climate Risks in Elections, Asplund et al., International IDEA

Elections are the cornerstone of democracy, but like all public functions they are vulnerable to disruption by events in the natural world, including earthquakes, floods, wildfires and heatwaves. As the climate changes, many natural hazards are increasing in frequency and severity, prompting electoral practitioners to seek ways to protect the vote from such phenomena. The authors survey the risk that meteorological and geological events pose to elections and offers an analysis of the strategies that electoral management bodies (EMBs) around the world have put in place to safeguard electoral processes. The authors draw on a rich database of more than 100 cases of disaster-disrupted elections between 2006 and 2025 to document the various effects that events in the natural world can have on all aspects of the electoral cycle and to delineate the range of strategies that are available to electoral administrators to minimize their adverse consequences.

Solar Permitting Scorecard. Grading all 50 states on removing obstacles to rooftop solar and home batteries, Elizabeth Ridlington and Johanna Neumann, Frontier Group and Environment America Research & Policy Center

The authors reviewed policies relating to the permitting and inspection of residential solar energy systems and battery storage in all 50 states. They found that a majority of states have done little to adopt common-sense practices that reduce the costs and delays that permitting and inspection requirements impose on families wishing to install solar panels and batteries. Only two states – California and Texas – received a “B” in the scorecard, two received a “C,” 24 received a “D” and the remaining 22 received an “F.”

People and Climate Change, Ipsos

As temperatures rise, the individual responsibility to act has fallen. The past 11 years have been the warmest in the modern era, but people increasingly place less responsibility in needing to act. In the last five years, all countries surveyed in the report in both 2021 and 2026 have seen falls in the proportion who agree that individuals would be failing future generations by not acting against climate change. Short-term fear is countering long-term preparation. While climate concern remains present – 59% on average across 31 countries say they country should be doing more in the fight against climate change - more immediate risks are seen as greater priorities. Our What Worries the World survey finds concern about climate change in 11th place, behind more tangible, immediate worries issues like crime, unemployment, and inflation. The energy transition is at a crossroads. Public support for transitioning to clean energy is increasingly conditional, contingent on affordability, reliability, and security trade-offs. The Ipsos Energy Transition Barometer finds one in two (50% across 31 countries) support governments prioritizing low energy prices even if emissions increase.

Extreme Heat and Agriculture, Simpson et al., Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Meteorological Organization

Extreme heat refers to situations where daytime and nighttime temperatures rise above their usual ranges for a protracted period, leading to physiological stress and direct physical damages to food crops, livestock, fish, trees and human beings. The authors examine how extreme heat ripples through agricultural systems and how heatwaves can interact with other climatological variables, including rain, solar radiation, humidity, wind and drought – to trigger compound effects that wreak havoc on individuals and entire ecosystems.

The 2026 Europe report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: narrowing window for decisive health action, Kriit et al., The Lancet Public Health

This third iteration of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change in Europe report systematically tracks the health effects of climate change adaptation and mitigation action, economics and finance, and the engagement of various societal actors with the climate change and health nexus, drawing on data up to 2025. The report features seven new indicators, methodological updates, extended time series for existing indicators, and highlights inequalities in health risks and impacts where possible.

Global Electricity Review 2026, Fulghum et al., Ember

75%=Share of global electricity demand growth met by solar power in 2025. 33.8%=Share of renewables in global power generation in 2025 – above a third for the first time, overtaking coal. -0.2%=Year-on-year change in fossil generation.

Climate Change and Migration from Central America: Insights from Migrants in Mexico, Kerwin et al., UC Berkeley School of Law

The authors examine how climate-related harms intersect with and exacerbate violence, exclusion, discrimination, and weak state protection to drive migration from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Drawing on interviews, desk research, and surveys with people on the move in Mexico, the authors show that climate change rarely operates as a single cause of displacement. Instead, migrants consistently describe how environmental shocks—such as droughts that destroy crops, storms that damage homes and livelihoods, and deforestation and extreme heat that undermine health and economic stability—exacerbate existing insecurity and hardship. The authors focus on Mexico as both a transit and destination country for Central American migrants impacted by these dynamics. The findings demonstrate that better understanding how climate change intensifies vulnerabilities to violence, insecurity, and loss of livelihood—and integrating that analysis into refugee and immigration representation and adjudication— can improve access to protection and to regular migration status under Mexico’s existing legal framework. The authors also offer specific recommendations to strengthen institutional responses to climate migration by the Mexican government and civil society actors to climate migration.

High Voltage. The global potential for industrial electrification, Cassandra Etter-Wenzel and Jan Rosenow, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford

Industrial electrification is becoming a matter of economic security as well as decarbonization. The authors argue that continued reliance on fossil fuels leaves 75% of global industry exposed to recurring price shocks, while electrification offers a pathway to stable and resilient energy costs.

Trust, Media Habits, and Misperceptions Shape Public Understanding of Climate Change, Marryam Ishaq and M. Speiser, ecoAmerica

A hidden climate majority exists. Most Americans are concerned about climate change, but they do not realize how widely that concern is shared. This perception gap (pluralistic ignorance) masks a strong hidden consensus on climate concern. Trust in information and personal concern about climate change reinforce each other. Americans who trust the information they see or hear are far more likely to be concerned about climate change (79%) — and those who are climate-concerned report higher trust. This creates a reinforcing loop between trust and concern. Media ecosystems shape climate beliefs. Where Americans get their news influences what they believe about climate and energy. While mainstream national media, local news, and social media remain the most widely used sources overall, partisan and age differences shape which sources are most relied on, which in turn shapes climate beliefs. Americans trust the information they encounter but doubt others’ ability to recognize climate misinformation. While many Americans trust the information they personally consume, they are far less confident in others’ ability to distinguish climate fact from fiction — especially when they perceive others as less concerned about climate change. Mistrust of others and misperceptions are core barriers to climate action. Rather than a lack of concern, some of the biggest barriers include eroded trust and misperceptions. Misperceptions about energy sources and others’ climate beliefs, combined with low confidence in the public’s ability to navigate climate misinformation, suppress visible engagement and slow individual and collective action.

Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Analysis for the United States 1990-2024, Desai et al., Center for Global Sustainability, University of Maryland

The authors present a comprehensive picture of greenhouse gas (GHG) sources and sinks covering the geographical region of the United States. The data are presented for each year from 1990 through 2024, the latter being the most recent year when comprehensive data are available for the entire economy. Along with detailed results for single years and analyses of trends over time, the authors present methodological descriptions, data inputs, a characterization of uncertainties, recalculations, and improvements. The report was developed to supports comparability and continuity with past official U.S. inventories prepared by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

From energy crisis to energy security: Actions for policy makers, Walker et al., The International Renewable Energy Agency

The current energy crisis stemming from the conflict in the Middle East re-iterates the inherent structural weakness and vulnerability of national energy systems that remain reliant upon fossil fuels, and markets where the costs of oil and gas are highly influential on electricity prices. There is an immediate opportunity, however, to urgently reassess these fundamentals and prioritize reactions that enhance long-term energy stability. The authors provide key short- medium- and long-term actions for policy makers responding to the present crisis. Policy makers must urgently consider intervening to direct investment and emergency responses to accelerate the deployment of renewable power generation capacity, and the electrification of energy-consuming processes and sectors.

State of Energy Policy 2026, Cozzi et al., International Energy Agency

The authors provide a unique review of policy progress made in 2025 across all energy sectors and instruments, with a special focus on government spending, energy efficiency regulations, and the contribution of the energy sector to nationally determined contributions and long-term net zero pledges. This year’s report brings an extensive examination of energy security policies to the period 1973-2025, from oil and natural gas to clean energy technology supply chains and critical minerals. It also spotlights the policy momentum around energy access, most particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, taking stock of the policy progress since the IEA Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa in 2024.

2025 State of the Heat Pump Water Heater Market Report, New Buildings Institute and the Advanced Water Heating Initiative

The authors discuss how residential and commercial manufacturers released more new and updated products in 2025 than any other year in the heat pump water heater's (HPWH) history. Five new residential manufacturers brought HPWHs to market, and many other established manufacturers brought updated and increasingly innovative products to market. New configurations and form factors also emerged, from flexible voltage (120-volt and 240-volt in the same unit) products, to split systems (where the compressor and tank are separated), to high temperature commercial and industrial HPWHs, to HPWHs with thermal storage.

Climate Change & Adaptation. Rethinking climate risk integration across business, finance and policy, Holloway et al., FTI Consulting

Financial institutions, corporate executives and investors are operating with climate risk models that systematically underestimate exposure by a factor of two to four times. This is not a compliance issue, instead it represents one of the most significant mispricing phenomena in modern capital markets, materializing today across credit spreads, equity valuations and capital allocation decisions. The authors analyzed 148 global companies representing $31.4 trillion in market capitalization to test whether current climate risk models provide decision-useful intelligence. The findings are stark: conventional platforms project approximately 2.0% portfolio losses, while the author's integrated analysis reveals 7.7% average exposure – a four-fold gap that stems from systematically underweighting transition risks relative to physical climate impacts. About New Research

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Livingston Manor, NY — A new, independent review of the New York State Department of Transportation’s (NYSDOT) Project Scoping Report for the NYS Route 17 Mobility and Access Improvements Project concludes that the options that propose widening are based on outdated data, flawed methodology and traffic analysis. Transportation planning expert, Norm Marshall of Smart Mobility, Inc., also concludes that corridor-wide expansion of NY 17 would not be cost effective.

Click 'Read More' for the full release. To read the full NYS Route 17 Mobility and Access Improvements Project Review, please click here. For Catskill Mountainkeeper's one-pager detailing the analysis' highlights, please use this link.

As oil prices spike due to the Iran war, a new diplomatic process launched in Colombia will support a group of around 60 countries – among them large fossil-fuel producers – interested in designing national roadmaps and a new financial architecture to wean their economies off coal, oil and gas, as well as building a trade system that favours clean energy.

The first global conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels wrapped up on Wednesday in the coal-port city of Santa Marta after several days of discussions bringing together ministers, academics, Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples, green groups, trade unions and business representatives.

It offered a space for governments frustrated by last year’s failed attempt at COP30 to develop a global roadmap away from fossil fuels to make progress on how to reduce their reliance on hydrocarbons in a fair and carefully planned way, in line with a commitment made at COP28 in Dubai. Large fossil fuel-producing countries have since blocked concrete advances at the UN talks on putting that into practice.

The Santa Marta outcomes will feed into a voluntary roadmap being crafted by COP30 hosts Brazil based on inputs from countries and civil society.

Santa Marta: Ministers grapple with practicalities of fossil fuel phase-out

At Wednesday’s closing plenary, Colombian environment minister Irene Vélez Torres announced that a second conference will be held early next year in the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu, co-chaired by Ireland, marking the start of a new policy-making process to run alongside the slower-paced climate COPs.

“For the first time, it demonstrates that it is possible to make a different type of environmental democracy,” Vélez Torres said, adding that improvements can be made to the methodology.

Colombia and the Netherlands, which jointly hosted the Santa Marta conference, said three workstreams had been set up to identify concrete ways to reduce fossil fuel dependence and strengthen co-operation between the 59 countries that attended, along with the European Union.

These workstreams are focused on designing national and regional roadmaps away from fossil fuels including coordinating support for implementation; reforming economic and financial architecture by reducing fossil fuel subsidies, unlocking investment and managing debt constraints; and connecting fossil fuel-producing and consuming nations to reshape the international trade system towards decarbonisation and green commerce.

A summary report of the conference said governments would receive policy support from a new panel of top scientists specialised in the energy transition, which will help countries develop roadmaps and align them with their national climate action plans (NDCs).

During two days of ministerial meetings, France was the first country to announce its own roadmap, which includes targets to end the consumption of coal by 2030, oil by 2045 and fossil gas by 2050 for energy purposes.

Dutch climate minister Stientje van Veldhoven said that, while “nobody is gonna force” governments to implement the anticipated roadmaps, “these countries came together because they want to transition to a different economy”, adding that the conference provides “safe space for dialogue”.

“The fact that we don’t have negotiations here gave us such different dynamics, so the psychology of the Santa Marta conference is something that we will definitely make sure to carry forward,” she told the plenary. Later she said at a press conference that the key was not to negotiate but to “collaborate”.

Call for a fossil fuel treaty

Countries gave mostly positive reactions to the conference proceedings and said the general mood had been uplifting. One government delegate from the Dominican Republic even had to fight back tears in the plenary as she thanked the hosts for inspiring the group of assembled countries.

While supportive of the Santa Marta discussions, oil-rich Nigeria advocated strongly for a “managed, just, orderly and equitable” transition away from fossil fuels, warning against any “sudden closures”. This stance was reflected in the summary report which notes that fossil fuels should “decline in a managed, fair, and politically viable way”.

• Apr 25, 2026 Energy Climate scientists call for fossil fuel transition roadmaps A set of scientific policy recommendations and a new expert panel launched in Santa Marta will help governments plot a path away from oil, gas and coal Read more
• Apr 24, 2026 Comment Why the transition beyond fossil fuels depends on cities and collective action Cities will help identify concrete pathways for an equitable shift to clean energy at the Santa Marta conference, with C40 members aiming to halve their fossil fuel use by 2030 Read more

Ghana, another fossil fuel-producing country, said oil and gas remain deeply tied to government revenues which fund public services. Nonetheless, the West African country urged others to join an initiative to negotiate a global “Fossil Fuel Treaty”, which a group of 18 nations called on the conference to endorse. The effort was not included in the Santa Marta workstreams.

Felix Wertli, Switzerland’s ambassador for the environment, said countries had found potential areas for collaboration around improving electricity grids, energy storage and green investments ahead of this year’s COP31 UN climate summit in Türkiye. “We are confident that this COP could support such a call,” he added.

“Groundbreaking” talks

Delegates said Santa Marta had offered a “more relaxed” and inclusive process than UN negotiations. Government officials met face-to-face in hours-long conversations and interacted with representatives of different social sectors, including Indigenous peoples, cities and academics in closed-door breakout sessions.

Panama’s climate envoy, Juan Carlos Monterrey, told Climate Home News that, while he had been sceptical of the process at first, it allowed for discussions to “flow” in a way that COPs do not. “That is groundbreaking – it is a massive change in how we deal with environmental diplomacy,” he said.

EU climate chief Wopke Hoekstra told journalists that the fact that the conference had happened at all just a few months after a tense COP30 was an achievement in itself. UK climate envoy Rachel Kyte also noted that the Santa Marta dialogue “is a proof of point that we can talk maturely about a really difficult issue”.

Comment: Santa Marta marks a new chapter in climate diplomacy

Observers also largely praised the conference. Catherine Abreu, director of the International Climate Politics Hub, called it a “productive space” for discussing the “stickiest issues” in the energy transition. WWF’s Manuel Pulgar Vidal, also a former COP president for Peru, said Santa Marta made “hope swell into momentum”, adding that its urgency must be sustained beyond this one summit.

Patricia Suárez, from the Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon (OPIAC), said Indigenous peoples were optimistic that the conference had placed “the urgency of moving away from fossil fuels on the table”. But more concrete measures must follow, she noted, including declaring key rainforest ecosystems as “fossil fuel exclusion zones”.

One area the conference was criticised for overlooking was the health harms caused by fossil fuels through air pollution, extreme heat and other impacts. Jeni Miller, executive director of the Global Climate and Health Alliance, which unites 250 health organisations, said leaders in Santa Marta “did not address the importance of protecting people’s health”, which should be put at the centre of the conversation.

Influencing UN negotiations

Most government officials at the conference recognised the need to grow the “coalition of the willing” cemented in Santa Marta into a larger network that can influence other spaces such as UN climate negotiations – and its organisers reiterated that the door is open for others countries to join.

Dutch minister van Veldhoven told the final plenary that while “we are here with an immense group in Santa Marta, it is still too small” to fully disentangle the world from fossil fuels. Colombia and the Netherlands did not invite some powerful fossil fuel-producing countries like Russia and the US to the gathering because of their “openly extractivist” views, and major players in the clean energy sector like China were also left off the list.

Comment: Six nations at Santa Marta could shape fossil fuel futures

Tuvalu’s climate minister, Maina Vakafua Talia, told Climate Home News that big actors like China should be at the table, saying the criteria for invitations could change for the second fossil fuel phase-out conference his country will organise in April 2027.

“If we are missing out the main players in the discussion, then we are moving in a loop,” he said. “We need to find somehow how we can engage with [them] because there is no point in talking to ourselves.”

Claudio Angelo, head of international politics at Brazilian NGO Observatório do Clima, said countries could decide to keep the ball rolling within the UN climate negotiations by presenting formal agenda items on roadmaps away from fossil fuels at the annual Bonn talks in June which set the scene for COPs.

Tina Stege, climate envoy from the Marshall Islands, argued “there is a strong recognition that what we’re doing here can complement the COP process and needs to inform that process” – a view backed by other Pacific islands.

This story was updated after publication to clarify the final number of countries that attended the Santa Marta conference.

The post Santa Marta summit kick-starts work on key steps for fossil fuel transition appeared first on Climate Home News.

Senior executives, directors, and major investors from the world’s largest fertiliser and grain companies have sold shares worth more than $66 million (£49 million) during price hikes linked to the Iran war, DeSmog can reveal.

Since the outbreak of the conflict in February, provoked by a U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign in Iran, fertiliser prices have increased by almost 45 percent – leading wheat producers in Australia to pare back planting, and some UK farmers to warn they may not sow for the summer season, risking soaring global grain prices.

The increased costs come after Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route. Around one-third of the world’s fertiliser, 20 percent of liquefied natural gas, and 25 percent of seaborne oil usually passes through the strait. The vast majority of chemical fertilisers are made from fossil fuels. 

DeSmog’s new analysis found that insiders at three firms – fertiliser giants CF Industries and Nutrien, and grain company Archer Daniels Midland – have sold shares worth tens of millions since the outbreak of the conflict.

As commodity prices have increased, so have the share prices of the world’s largest fertiliser and grain companies. In March, Nutrien saw its share value grow by over 50 percent, and CF Industries by nearly 40 percent. Although grain company shares have increased less markedly, they have also shown an upward trend.

DeSmog found that Kenneth Alvin Seitz, the CEO of the world’s largest fertiliser company, Nutrien, sold shares worth almost $5 million (£3.7 million) in March 2026 after the outbreak of the Iran war, making a $1.8 million (£1.3 million) profit on the transaction.

Three senior vice presidents at Archer Daniels Midland also banked nearly $8.5 million (£6.3 million) selling shares.

The Financial Times reported last month that insiders at CF Industries sold more than $30 million (£22 million) in shares after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz on 2 March. DeSmog’s analysis found that, in total, insiders at the firm have sold almost $50 million (£37 million) of shares since the war began.

In the U.S., Canada and, some European countries, publicly traded corporations must declare the sale of shares by insiders, including senior executives, board members, significant shareholders, and their close family members.

The findings come weeks after the United Nations’ World Food Programme warned that the conflict in the Middle East could push roughly 45 million more people into acute hunger. In the UK, food prices will rise by “at least” nine percent this year, according to warnings from the country’s Food and Drink Federation in late March.

“These findings are outrageous, but we shouldn’t be surprised,” said Mónica Vargas Collazos, head of the global programme at Grain, a sustainable food campaign group.

“When there are conflicts or other supply shocks, these companies use their monopoly power to jack up prices, extract mega profits, and enrich shareholders. Farmers and consumers pay the price.”

All the companies and individuals named were approached for comment, and there is no suggestion that they breached any rules or laws.

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Bosses also cashed in during the Ukraine war. DeSmog’s findings reveal that insiders at five of the world’s largest fertiliser and grain companies – also including Bunge and Mosaic – sold shares worth nearly $515 million (£380 million) during price hikes liked to both the Iran and Ukraine wars.

W. Anthony Will, CEO of the world’s third largest fertiliser company CF Industries until January, sold shares worth over $150 million (£111 million) during price spikes linked to the conflicts. Will acted as an advisor to CF Industries until mid-March, and remains on its board.

Insiders at Archer Daniels Midland sold more than $90 million (£67 million) during the two wars, while insiders at Bunge unloaded shares for over $175 million (£129 million) during price spikes tied to the Ukraine war.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 caused fertiliser prices to quickly peak, followed by further increases between August and December as Russia’s squeeze on Europe’s gas supply caused fertiliser manufacturers to pause some operations.

Insiders at CF Industries banked just under $180 million (£134 million) in share sales in the year following the invasion.

Jennifer Clapp, food security expert with IPES-Food, and a professor at the University of Waterloo, Canada, told DeSmog that the findings underlined the need to move away from fossil fuels in food production.

“This crisis has revealed, in all too vivid terms, just how dependent our food system is on fossil fuels,” she said. “It is long past time to break free from this insecure oil-addicted model, and shift to more ecological forms of farming and more local, territorial food systems.”

Pie – share sales
Infogram Big Beneficiaries

In total, DeSmog identified 11 months where the Ukraine and Iran wars contributed to soaring fertiliser and grain prices. Insiders sold 45 percent more shares in these 11 months than in the three intervening years combined.

Company executives often pre-plan sales and acquisitions ahead of time to demonstrate that they are not trading based on insider knowledge or gaming the market. Of the 136 sales analysed, only 28 were linked to these plans – suggesting that the vast majority were deliberate, in-the-moment decisions based on high share prices.

Beneficiaries included CF Industries’ Christopher Bohn, the company’s current CEO, who sold more than 150,000 shares for over $13 million (£9.6 million) in February and August 2022. He was the company’s chief financial officer at the time.

Other beneficiaries included an executive vice president CF Industries who sold shares worth nearly $30 million (£22 million) during key moments of the Ukraine war.

Executives and board members are often awarded shares by firms as part of compensation plans. CF Industries awarded W. Anthony Will, its then CEO, more than 150,000 shares on 28 February 2022 at the end of a three year compensation plan. 

As part of compensation packages, companies can also give executives and directors the right to buy shares for several years at a fixed price, incentivising the individuals to increase their value. In multiple transactions, insiders were able to use this arrangement to purchase shares below market price, and then sell them for a significant profit.

Alongside his freely awarded shares, Will also purchased more than 1 million shares at below market price on 28 February. He then sold over 1.2 million shares worth $100 million (£74 million) the same day – four days after the Ukraine war broke out.

In one transaction, on 25 February 2022, the day after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, CF Industries’ Christopher Bohn purchased more than 100,000 shares under price guarantees dating back as far as 2014. He sold these shares at up to double the price – making $4 million (£3 million) in profit.

Grain Prices

Global wheat prices could rise by 4.2 percent if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed for a sustained period, according to the Kiel Institute.

Rising grain prices have been caused in part by disruptions to oil and gas supply – increasing the cost of fertilisers and therefore of intensive food production.

Archer Daniels Midland and Bunge are part of the “ABCD” firms that collectively control more than 70 percent of the global grain market.

In 2022, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the value of shares in the two companies increased by almost a third.

Share sales
Infogram

Beneficiaries included Juan R. Luciano, CEO of Archer Daniels Midland, who purchased 300,000 shares at below-market price before selling them for almost three times the value in October 2022. He made a $18 million (£13 million) profit from the transaction.

The transaction was pre-planned, but will have been scheduled to take place on a particular date or once share prices reached a certain high.  

Archer Daniels Midland’s share price soared in October 2022 – the month when Russian leader Vladimir Putin upped threats to leave the Black Sea Grain Deal, which allowed for the safe export of grain, food, and fertiliser from Ukrainian ports.

The single biggest wins were made by Paul J. Fribourg and Continental Grain, a private investment firm and agribusiness conglomerate led by Fribourg and established by his family. Fribourg was a board member at Bunge until the end of 2022. He and Continental Grain sold shares worth nearly $170 million in March 2022, although they also appear to have begun selling off part of their stake in the months prior to Russia’s invasion.

Bunge told DeSmog that “Continental Grain has no current ownership position and exited its stake in Bunge in 2023.”

A spokesperson added that “Bunge’s role is to help keep essential food, feed and fuel supply chains moving safely and reliably, in compliance with all applicable laws.”

Fact checked by Brigitte Wear

The post Fertiliser and Grain Bosses Bank $66 Million Selling Shares During Iran War appeared first on DeSmog.

A new device captures greenhouse gases and pollutants from the atmosphere and produces electricity. The battery-like device produces enough power for small sensors and Bluetooth Internet-of-Things gizmos.

“This work introduces a simple, scalable, self-powered platform that integrates gas capture with electricity generation,” write researchers from Korea in the journal Energy & Environmental Science. They call the device a Gas Capture and Electricity Generator.

The idea of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is starting to slowly gain traction around the world, with dozens of commercial facilities already operating and many more being planned. However existing CCUS technologies face intrinsic challenges, the researchers say.

Conventional CCUS systems typically capture and then later release CO2 for storage or reuse under high temperatures and high pressures for reuse or long-term storage. The captured CO2 can be converted into carbon-based organic materials or synthetic fuels. But those conversion processes are also highly energy-intensive or require expensive noble-metal catalysts.

Plus, CCUS does not address any other greenhouse gases or toxic gases. So the team in Korea created a device that can capture both CO2 and nitrous oxide, the third-most potent greenhouse gas. Based on a fundamentally new mechanism, the device converts the energy generated when gas gets trapped on electrode surfaces into electrical energy.

 

.IRPP_ruby , .IRPP_ruby .postImageUrl , .IRPP_ruby .centered-text-area {height: auto;position: relative;}.IRPP_ruby , .IRPP_ruby:hover , .IRPP_ruby:visited , .IRPP_ruby:active {border:0!important;}.IRPP_ruby .clearfix:after {content: "";display: table;clear: both;}.IRPP_ruby {display: block;transition: background-color 250ms;webkit-transition: background-color 250ms;width: 100%;opacity: 1;transition: opacity 250ms;webkit-transition: opacity 250ms;background-color: #eaeaea;}.IRPP_ruby:active , .IRPP_ruby:hover {opacity: 1;transition: opacity 250ms;webkit-transition: opacity 250ms;background-color: inherit;}.IRPP_ruby .postImageUrl {background-position: center;background-size: cover;float: left;margin: 0;padding: 0;width: 31.59%;position: absolute;top: 0;bottom: 0;}.IRPP_ruby .centered-text-area {float: right;width: 65.65%;padding:0;margin:0;}.IRPP_ruby .centered-text {display: table;height: 130px;left: 0;top: 0;padding:0;margin:0;padding-top: 20px;padding-bottom: 20px;}.IRPP_ruby .IRPP_ruby-content {display: table-cell;margin: 0;padding: 0 74px 0 0px;position: relative;vertical-align: middle;width: 100%;}.IRPP_ruby .ctaText {border-bottom: 0 solid #fff;color: #0099cc;font-size: 14px;font-weight: bold;letter-spacing: normal;margin: 0;padding: 0;font-family:'Arial';}.IRPP_ruby .postTitle {color: #000000;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;letter-spacing: normal;margin: 0;padding: 0;font-family:'Arial';}.IRPP_ruby .ctaButton {background: url(https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts-pro/assets/images/next-arrow.png)no-repeat;background-color: #afb4b6;background-position: center;display: inline-block;height: 100%;width: 54px;margin-left: 10px;position: absolute;bottom:0;right: 0;top: 0;}.IRPP_ruby:after {content: "";display: block;clear: both;}Recommended Reading:Chemists have made the best carbon capture material yet

 

To make the generator, the researchers started with mulberry paper, a soft, strong and sustainable handmade paper made from the bark of the mulberry tree. They coated the paper with soot-like carbon black powder. Then they dip this carbon-coated paper to coat it with a hydrogel on one half, and with an amine solution on the other.

The hydrogel, which is made of a polymer called polyacrylamide, selectively adsorbs nitrous oxide while the amine grabs and CO2. Hydrogen bonds form between the nitrous oxide and the hydrogel triggers a redistribution and movement of electrons. Meanwhile, the CO2 and amine react to create bicarbonate ions. The creation and movement of these charges generates a potential difference across the paper electrode, resulting in an electric current.

While the amount of electricity the gas battery produces is small, this is a promising proof-of-concept demonstration, and it should be fairly straightforward to connect several devices and allow the generation of higher power outputs, the researchers say.

“By integrating gas capture and electricity generation within a single self-powered platform, this approach provides a scalable, low-energy pathway for mitigating multiple GHGs and offers a promising strategy toward carbon neutrality,” they write.

Source: Tae Gwang Yun et al. Electrical power generation from asymmetric greenhouse gas capture, Energy & Environmental Science, 2026.

Image credit: Energy & Environmental Science, 2026, 19, 2149–2160, Eureka.

Contact: kayla@unbendablemedia.com

WASHINGTON – Nearly 120 community, labor, climate and environmental justice organizations representing millions of people across the country today urged Congress to reject efforts to fast-track artificial intelligence or data centers through permitting reform or other must-pass legislation.

Despite growing nationwide opposition, data center expansion is moving ahead without basic safeguards or meaningful community consent. The data center boom is driving up electricity bills, straining water supplies, and worsening pollution from diesel generators and fossil-fuel-powered grids, while deepening environmental injustice by concentrating facilities in low-income communities and communities of color already overburdened by pollution and limited resources.

The letter sent to congressional leaders today is backed by environmental justice leaders on the frontlines, including Memphis-based Young, Gifted & Green and Memphis Community Against Pollution. Those groups are fighting an xAI data center and working to ensure their efforts inform communities facing similar developments, serving as both a warning and a model for action.

“Our democratic process was sidelined when our most powerful leaders both elected and unelected championed a data center while community voices were shut out,” said LaTricea D. Adams, CEO and president, Young, Gifted & Green. “What happens in Memphis can happen in cities and states across the country. We need the U.S. Congress to do its job now to preserve and protect our rights as constituents and fight for our democracy.”

“Perpetuating the long-standing practice of environmental injustice costs our families their human right to clean air while burdening our bodies with illness that impact everything from breathing to birthings,” said KeShaun Pearson, executive director of Memphis Community Against Coalition. “Congress must put an end to the continual sacrificing of majority Black families and futures like ours. We deserve a healthy environment that doesn’t harm our communities and our planet for corporate gain.”

The letter warns that data center developers are replicating the fossil fuel industry’s long-standing pattern of targeting low-income communities, Tribal communities and communities of color. Nearly half of U.S. data centers are already located in these areas, deepening cumulative pollution burdens, raising utility costs and straining infrastructure in communities with the least resources to respond.

“Congress must not let Big Tech block oversight and hide data centers’ real harms from the public, including their immense energy and water use, dangerous pollution and rising local costs,” said Camden Weber, senior climate and energy policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Data center giants spend consumers’ money to gut regulations, buy up utilities and avoid accountability, enriching billionaires while shifting risks to everyone else. Members of Congress are supposed to represent their communities, not strip the people who elected them of the power to protect themselves from these massive operations moving into their neighborhoods.”

“We’ve seen this playbook before: strip away safeguards, sideline public input, and call it progress. But there is nothing ‘clean’ or responsible about an industry that drives up our energy bills, drains our water, and concentrates pollution in our communities,” said Mar Zepeda Salazar, legislative director at Climate Justice Alliance. “If lawmakers move forward with a deregulatory approach, what guarantees are there that anyone will be held accountable—to the law, to public health, or to the people most impacted? Our communities should not be forced to subsidize corporate growth with their health, their land, and their futures. Real progress means durable and enforceable protections, community consent, and investment that doesn’t come at the cost of environmental justice.”

“All communities deserve to have a say in what is being built in their backyards, especially for environmental justice communities facing a legacy of dangerous facilities polluting their neighborhoods,” said Yosef Robele, federal policy manager at WE ACT for Environmental Justice. “This is even more important now as harmful, undemocratic practices are being employed in the build-out of data center projects, such as using non-disclosure agreements that keep communities in the dark. These facilities often bypass necessary guardrails of both public input and impact analysis, threatening the health and safety of communities by polluting the air and water, while also guzzling critical water resources. This highlights the need for Congress to reject legislation that fast-tracks data center development, and to protect and strengthen bedrock laws like NEPA that protect communities’ rights, resources, and health.”

“It is time for Congress to stand up to Big Tech and reject these dangerous permitting rollbacks,” said Jim Walsh, policy director of Food & Water Watch. “Communities should not have to sacrifice their water so multibillion dollar companies can build data centers faster with less accountability, especially at a time when we are facing a water supply crisis across the United States. Rather than fast tracking these projects, Congress should listen to communities around the country that are rejecting the massive expansion of data centers and put the brakes on these projects so we can better understand the impacts on scarce water supplies and communities that depend on this essential resource.”

“Using permitting reform and other legislation to fast track the data center boom is a slap in the face to local communities who will be the ones to pay the price. No amount of giveaways to data center projects will stave off irreversible harm, including rising electricity costs and polluted environments,” said Raena Garcia, senior energy campaigner from Friends of the Earth U.S. “If Congress is truly committed to protecting our people and the planet, they will halt altogether the attempts from both the Big Oil and Big Tech industries to scale up data centers without meaningful protections.”

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The post 120 Organizations Urge Congress to Reject Fast-Tracking of Harmful Data Centers appeared first on Climate Justice Alliance.