VinFast Introduces Battery Subscription Program in the Philippines [ 29-Jan-26 3:31pm ]This story updated on January 28 to add some details on the battery subscription as it applied in the Philippines. As electric vehicle adoption continues to gain momentum in Southeast Asia, VinFast Philippines is once again highlighting battery subscription as a central strategy for lowering the cost barrier to EV ... [continued]
The post VinFast Introduces Battery Subscription Program in the Philippines appeared first on CleanTechnica.
29th January 2026 Today's Round-Up of Climate News [ 29-Jan-26 9:33am ]
"2026 YEAR WITHOUT WINTER. Greenland will remember for years this non-existent winter with temperatures, in the central-west, typical of October.
"The monthly anomaly this January 2026 in Kitsissorsuit is close to +15C [27F] above average which is a HISTORIC WORLD RECORD." [ExtremeTemps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2016522113885323272
"What happens to forests when the planet warms up too fast.
"New sediment records from the Norwegian Sea offer a rare, close-up look at how quickly nature can unravel when the planet warms. During a past episode of extreme global warming, coastal forests along the Arctic margin collapsed within just a few centuries."
https://www.earth.com/news/what-happens-to-forests-when-the-planet-warms-up-too-fast/
"Records fall as Storm Chandra brings flooding to the UK and Ireland.
"Storm Chandra brought heavy rain, flooding and strong winds. A major incident was declared in Somerset with record river levels. Also record rainfall in County Down."
"'Like a sea out there': flooded Somerset residents wonder how water can be managed…
"With another Met Office yellow warning for rain coming into force for parts of the south-west of England on Thursday, the council fears more homes and businesses will go underwater, and has declared a major incident."
"A climate-linked octopus surge is reshaping UK marine ecosystems.
"A new scientific report reveals a climate-driven octopus surge off southwest UK waters, disrupting marine ecosystems and shellfish fisheries, highlighting warming seas, cross-Channel larval transport, and the urgent need for early warning systems and adaptive fisheries management."
"National survey finds microplastic pollution around Britain's coastline could be double than previously recorded.
"Microplastic pollution in the seas around Great Britain has been found at significantly higher concentrations than previously recorded by a joint project between the University of Portsmouth and GB Row Challenge."
"At least five killed after Storm Kristin hits Portugal…
"The storm, which the government described as an "extreme climactic event", left schools shuttered, buildings damaged and travel severely disrupted. In the coastal city of Figueira da Foz, a Ferris wheel overturned and several vehicles were hit when part of a roof was torn from a building."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c205yl3kvzmo
"Live: Evacuation of residents of Los Puentes in Jaén and municipalities [Spain]…
"Storm Kristin has entered the province of Jaén with force and leaves road closures, interrupted rail traffic to Córdoba and an injury, for the moment… In the rest of the province, warnings and risks due to river overflows are accumulating."
"Tornado hits Turkey's Antalya, causes widespread damage.
"The storm hit hardest in Aksu, where a tornado formed over the Aksu Stream, lifting boats onto the shore and smashing others along the banks. Greenhouses collapsed, roofs were ripped away, and trees and power lines came down."
https://www.euronews.com/video/2026/01/27/tornado-hits-turkeys-antalya-causes-widespread-damage
"Water crisis in Cyprus: citizens urged to reduce water consumption.
"On January 26, the Cypriot authorities declared a critical water situation due to a prolonged drought. Despite recent rainfall, the situation has hardly improved: the inflow of water to the reservoirs is only about 2 million cubic meters, and their filling level has dropped to a record low of 10%."
"HISTORIC HEAT WAVE IN AFRICA - hundreds of records have been falling all over Africa every day of the month.
"Incredible "double-double" record again in the CONGO's capitals: 36.2C [97.2F] Kinshasa, 35.9C Brazzaville. Hottest January day in history for both. They did the same thing in December!"
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2016581718443249979
"Nigerian farmers complaint that climate change is affecting staple food crops…
"Climate change remains one of the most critical challenges confronting Nigeria's farming sector. The country's agriculture is mainly rain-fed (not irrigated). This makes it highly vulnerable to changes in climate and extreme weather events…"
"Drought in the east, floods in the south: Africa battered by climate change…
"I spoke to a local chief in Mandera, Adan Molu Kike. He was a quiet, unassuming elderly man who went out of his way to explain to me how devastating the recent drought is. "Our animals started dying in July last year, and they are still dying," he told me."
"More records in South Africa - min 22.3 [72.1F] Paddock Tied its warmest night.
"More north, Kenya exceptional high Min 27.7 at Lodwar 0.1C from January national record of highest minimum and hottest night today in the Northern Hemisphere."
[Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2016080871452008798
"Environment minister pelted with coal at fiery power plant pollution debate [Israel].
"A chunk of coal was hurled toward Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman during a contentious public hearing on Wednesday evening on the continued use of coal at Israel's largest power plant, but she was not injured, police and witnesses said."
https://www.ynetnews.com/environment/article/b1hf0odizg
"'Under a dome of smog': Why are Central Asian cities among the world's most polluted?
"The capital of Kyrgyzstan is not an outlier. Across Central Asia, rapid economic growth, surging car ownership and weak environmental controls have combined with geography and weather to push major cities into the ranks of the world's most polluted."
"Record snowfall paralyses Naran, Kaghan [Pakistan].
"Naran and Kaghan have experienced record-breaking snowfall, paralysing daily life, blocking roads, and cutting electricity supply for the past five days, causing severe difficulties for residents."
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2589403/record-snowfall-paralyses-naran-kaghan
"Farmers dread losses as hail, rain flatten vegetable crops in Haryana [India].
"Farmers said the first spell of rainfall, accompanied with hailstorm, damaged their mustard, potato and other vegetable crops on a large scale. However, barley and wheat crops escaped as much harm due to younger seedlings."
"China sees most high temperature days on record in 2025.
"China's national average annual temperature hit a record for a second year at 10.9 degrees Celsius (51.6 degrees Fahrenheit), with the most high-temperature days ever recorded, the country's Meteorological Administration said on Thursday."
"Built on ice, not land: The city where the ground is melting.
"In eastern Siberia, one of the world's coldest cities is built on a foundation that is slowly changing. Yakutsk stands on permafrost, ground that has remained frozen for thousands of years and long provided a stable base for homes, roads, and public infrastructure."
"Over 2,000 stranded at Japan's Hokkaido airport amid record snowfall.
"Local media reported that more than 90 flights were canceled at the airport on Monday due to severe snow conditions. Airport authorities opened parts of the terminal overnight to accommodate stranded travelers."
"Budget slashed for Indonesia's rescue agency despite disaster surge.
"Indonesia's main rescue agency had its funding cut by a parliamentary panel on Wednesday as part of a plan to divert government expenditure to other programmes, despite concerns over the number of disasters the agency has to deal with."
"Record heat never ends in INDONESIA:
"37.4c [98.9F] Kaimana West Papua destroyed its record of January hottest day, after breaking that of December. Kaimana has been breaking and re-breaking records continuously every month since 2019."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2016132524049891529
"North Queensland farmers rescued from rooftops as floodwaters surge…
"The Feral View property owners, west of Georgetown in the state's northwest, were forced to abandon their home as the Gilbert River's water levels rose with terrifying speed, leaving them stranded without power or mobile service."
"Record-breaking Australia heatwave fuels bushfires, cuts power to thousands…
"David Crock, a forecaster from Australia's Bureau of Meteorology, said the heat was being driven by climate change and called the temperatures "very unusual". "The severity of this heatwave is comparable to the heatwave in January 2009, and also the heatwave in January 1939," Crock said."
"'It takes a toll': Victorian farmers endure record heat and drying winds…
"Key farming areas in Victoria have smashed temperature records this week with the mercury climbing to 48.9C - but farmers say rather than one-offs, it's the succession of hot, windy and dry conditions that takes the real toll."
"After bone-dry January, Adelaide faces low summer rainfall record.
"With little if any rain on the horizon to close out January, or for the first few days of February, it's possible that this could be Adelaide's driest summer on record… This year, just 2.8mm fell in December, so after a rainless January to date, 2.8mm is the city's running tally for the 2025/26 summer."
"Pacific Islands: The hidden mental health costs of climate change…
"Suicide rates soar during instances of extreme heat. The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder remains elevated for years following flooding. Bushfires bring anxiety, depression, and profound psychological distress."
"Marine heatwave in Tongan waters brings record temperatures.
"Marine heatwave conditions are intensifying in Tongan waters, after Nuku'alofa experienced its hottest day on record, hitting 34.6 degrees last week. Tonga Meteorological Services warned today that a significant rise in ocean temperatures around Tonga will likely see the marine heatwave conditions persist into February."
https://matangitonga.to/2026/01/27/marine-heatwave-tongan-waters-brings-record-temperatures
"'The land will be left as ashes': why Patagonia's wildfires are almost impossible to stop.
"Wildfires are also hitting Chile, with at least 18 people killed this month. Environmental groups and workers blame extreme weather, which scientists link to the climate crisis and cuts to national fire-prevention budgets."
"Between dust and deluge: The women on Brazil's water frontlines.
"In the drought-stricken backlands of the sertão and the flooded river communities of the Amazon, women lead their households and communities through survival and recovery. They stand at the frontline of these climate extremes—when water comes too quickly, and when it doesn't come at all."
https://www.preventionweb.net/news/between-dust-and-deluge-women-brazils-water-frontlines
"Amazon is getting drier as deforestation shuts down atmospheric rivers.
"Deforestation has reduced rainfall over the Amazon, suggesting the rainforest could reach a catastrophic tipping point sooner than expected. Satellite observations and rain gauge measurements show that the amount of rain falling in the southern Amazon basin declined by 8 to 11 per cent between 1980 and 2019."
"Heavy rains trigger large-scale flooding across Colombia's Medellín.
"Severe flooding has struck the Colombian city of Medellín after heavy rains on January 28 caused the Medellín River to overflow its banks, inundating large parts of the city."
https://caliber.az/en/post/heavy-rains-trigger-large-scale-flooding-across-colombia-s-medellin
"Dutch government discriminated against Bonaire islanders over climate adaptation, court rules…
"Bonaire, a Dutch special municipality since 2010 - though the Netherlands has been present on the island for about 400 years - is particularly vulnerable to sea-level rise, extreme heat and other climate-related impacts…"
"Record warmth in The BAHAMAS where Freeport had a Minimum of 24.6C/76F warmest January night in history.
"Another tropical night in BERMUDA at 32N latitude, absolutely incredible. Records have fallen in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2016171941695258716
"HISTORIC HEAT IN FLORIDA - hottest January day ever recorded in the State tied yesterday with 90F.
"Heat records have been falling from Greenland to Costa Rica but zero cold records. But from today Florida will experience a long wintry cold spell…"
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2016338171714535630
"Will a bomb cyclone hit the East Coast over the weekend? The latest forecast shows potential for monster snowstorm…
"Given the intensity of the storm, there is a threat for strong winds capable of power outages and tree damage along the East Coast, as the storm tracks from the Carolinas up to New York City and New England."
"Record-breaking snow wallops Anchorage, closing schools early and wreaking havoc on the roads.
"Anchorage hit a new mark for the snowiest January on record. By late Tuesday afternoon, the National Weather Service said, more than 7 inches of snow had fallen since Monday night, pushing the city to the new record of almost 40 inches for the month."
"As an Oil Rig Topples in the Alaskan Arctic and Ignites a Fire, Exploration There Continues.
"A rig fell over onto the tundra as it was on its way to drill in ConocoPhillips' winter exploration program. Opponents of the plan warned it was rushed and lacked adequate environmental protections."
"Overlooked threat: Dams trigger temperature-driven disease in iconic salmonid fish…
"The results were compelling: reservoirs releasing surface water substantially raise downstream temperatures (by up to 4-5 °C) during the summer. These warmed sections turn into hotspots for the myxozoan parasite Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae, which causes a deadly disease among salmonids."
https://phys.org/news/2026-01-overlooked-threat-trigger-temperature-driven.html
"The Sea Urchin Apocalypse Is Real, and It Might Be Spreading Globally, Scientists Warn…
"Sea urchins are crucial to their shallow tropical environments since they feed on and keep algae populations in check that might otherwise threaten the survival of coral reefs. So the loss of these invertebrates could have untold destructive effects on other marine life."
"Overshoot: The World Is Hitting Point of No Return on Climate.
"With warming set to pass the critical 1.5-degree limit, scientists are warning that the world is on course to trigger tipping points that would lead to cascading consequences — from the melting of ice sheets to the death of the Amazon rainforest — that could not be reversed."
https://e360.yale.edu/features/1.5-degrees-tipping-points
I rely on donations and tips from my readers to to keep the site running. Every little bit helps. Can you chip in even a dollar? Buy me a coffee or become a Patreon supporter. A huge thank you to those who do subscribe or donate.
You can read the previous "Climate" thread here. I'll be back tomorrow with an "Economic" thread.
The post 29th January 2026 Today's Round-Up of Climate News appeared first on Climate and Economy.
28th January 2026 Today's Round-Up of Economic News [ 28-Jan-26 9:55am ]
"Symbolic Doomsday Clock moves closer to midnight amid 'catastrophic risks'.
"The world is closer than ever to destruction, scientists have said, as the Doomsday Clock was set at 85 seconds to midnight for 2026, the gloomiest assessment of humanity's prospects since the beginning of the tradition in 1947."
"Record Debt in the World's Richest Nations Threatens Global Growth.
"Record or near-record debt in the United States, Britain, France, Italy and Japan threaten to hamstring growth and sow financial instability around the globe… The hunger for more and more loans has also pushed up borrowing costs, gobbling up a bigger share of taxpayer money."
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/business/economy/government-debt-bonds.html
"Financial Repression Has Become the Default Bond Market Policy.
"Global sovereign debt levels are forcing policymakers to prioritise stability over repayment discipline as of January 2026. That shift makes government bond markets a transmission mechanism for debt adjustment rather than a neutral store of value. Financial repression has moved from a crisis tool to a persistent policy regime…"
"Sovereign Debt Crisis: Understanding Global Economic Risks and Vulnerabilities…
"The scale of global indebtedness has reached unprecedented levels, with total worldwide debt approaching $350 trillion… Market sentiment can shift rapidly from confidence to panic, creating self-fulfilling prophecies where rising borrowing costs make debt sustainability increasingly difficult…"
https://discoveryalert.com.au/sovereign-debt-crisis-2026-financial-contagion/
"Gold's blistering rally continues past $5,200 as dollar plunges to 4-year low…
"Gold broke through $5,200 for the first time on Wednesday, after rising more than 3% on Tuesday, as the dollar plunged to a near four-year low amid persisting geopolitical concerns, ahead of a U.S. Federal Reserve monetary policy decision."
"Most people don't realize what Trump just said: "The value of the Dollar is great."
"This immediately sent the US Dollar another -1% lower, to its lowest level since February 2022. Why? It's a clear signal that President Trump is willing to tolerate a weaker Dollar to push rates lower and boost US exports. Own assets or be left behind."
https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/2016259771616444454
"US consumer confidence plunges to 12-year low.
"Increasingly bifurcated economy undermines strong GDP and productivity growth. US consumer confidence has collapsed to its weakest level in more than a decade, outstripping its pandemic lows and fuelling concerns about the health of the world's biggest economy."
https://www.ft.com/content/79ebdce7-6fe3-4221-8d17-b36281f61953
"Bailey warns shadow banking could threaten financial system.
"Lending by firms that aren't banks is a large, fast-growing, disparate and complex market that needs to be made safer, the Bank of England governor says… The comments are the latest in a series of warnings sounded by the Bank about the possible threat to financial stability lurking in what is a largely unregulated corner of the system."
"Private credit firms sell debt to themselves at record rate.
"Private credit firms sold a record amount of debt to themselves last year as the buyout sector's slowdown pushed them to find new ways to generate cash from loans to companies owned by private equity."
https://www.ft.com/content/c071fa65-5517-4224-90c9-d73718165367
"Big Tech's borrowing spree raises fears of AI risks in US bond market…
"Investors have grown increasingly concerned that the gap between runaway capital expenditure on AI and the returns it generates could amount to a bubble that ultimately hits both equities and the credit market."
https://www.ft.com/content/8264122b-cb6b-4af5-85b8-3789c3ae3a78
"AI jobs carnage is 'harming Britain more than global rivals'.
"Britain is losing more jobs to artificial intelligence (AI) than most other countries in an "early warning sign" of how the technology is set to upend the labour market… It is likely to ring alarm bells in Whitehall, after Sir Keir Starmer staked part of his plan for "national renewal" on the technology."
"Record number of people in UK live in 'very deep poverty', analysis shows.
"The UK's poorest families are getting poorer, with record numbers of people classed as in "very deep poverty" - meaning their annual household incomes fail to cover the cost of food, energy bills and clothing, according to analysis."
"'Enemy of Europe'? How Trump's push for Greenland spooked far-right allies.
"Donald Trump's attempted Greenland grab has driven a wedge between the US president and some of his ideological allies in Europe, as previously unstinting enthusiasm and admiration collides with one of the far right's key tenets: national sovereignty."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/27/trump-greenland-europe-far-right-analysis
"Facing U.S. turmoil, Europe and India announce blockbuster trade deal.
"The accord, among two of the world's largest economies, would create a free trade zone of 2 billion people, as President Trump upends U.S. alliances and global trade."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/01/27/indian-european-union-free-trade-agreement/
"
Christine Lagarde's World Has Been Upended by Hard Politics…
"[European central bankers] fear a hostile Fed takeover would destabilize markets, forcing the cost of US debt to rise and creating doubts about whether the country would provide dollar liquidity abroad in any future crisis."
"Bulgaria Faces Border Gridlock as Truck Blockades With Serbia and North Macedonia Drag On.
"The blockade, which began on January 26, is driven by protests from transport companies unhappy with the EU Entry/Exit System (EES), which has recently come into force and, according to carriers, is causing serious delays and financial losses."
"'Attacks day after day': Odesa in Russia's crosshairs as war pivots back to Black Sea.
"Ukrainian strikes late last year on oil tankers in Russia's shadow fleet, and farther afield on the Russian naval base at Novorossiysk, coincided with renewed Russian attention on Odesa."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/28/odesa-russia-crosshairs-war-pivots-back-to-black-sea
"Russian Urals Discounts Drive Lukoil to Seek Tax Relief from Moscow.
"Russian oil producer Lukoil has reportedly asked Moscow to revise the oil tax formula as discounts on Russian Urals crude widen beyond $20 per barrel, threatening producers' profitability and potentially turning state support mechanisms into net payments to the budget."
"China helping Russia build arsenal of nuclear-capable hypersonic missiles…
"Russia has said the Oreshnik missile is impossible to shoot down, while Ukrainian officials and analysts have warned it is a threat to the West. Increased production is in part thanks to one specific CNC (computer numerical control) machine - a carousel lathe made in China, which turns and cuts metal."
"North Korea launches 'multiple' ballistic missiles toward East Sea: ROK military…
"The launch came as Pentagon policy official Elbridge Colby wrapped up a three-day visit to South Korea and began a trip to Japan. A U.S. spy plane conducted an apparent mission to surveil the DPRK around Colby's visit."
https://www.nknews.org/2026/01/north-korea-launches-missile-toward-east-sea-rok-military/
"China cancels all flights on 49 routes to Japan.
"All scheduled flights on 49 air routes between China and Japan have been cancelled for February, flight data showed on Jan 26, as Chinese airlines extended special ticket change and refund policies for Japan-related travel."
"A crisis of confidence in the yen looms over Japan PM Takaichi's election gamble.
"The spectre of coordinated yen buying by Tokyo and Washington has propped up Japan's currency, but history suggests the impact of an actual intervention could be limited, especially because Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is basing her snap election campaign on expanded stimulus measures."
"The Fukushima towns frozen in time: nature has thrived since the nuclear disaster but what happens if humans return?
"…The plant, which is now being decommissioned, suffered a triple meltdown after tsunami waves knocked out its backup power supply, sending large quantities of radiation into the atmosphere. Gardens have become jungles and homes places of nocturnal refuge…"
"Thai parties tap nationalist mood as Cambodia clashes roil rural voters.
"Nationalist sentiment has surged across Southeast Asia's second largest economy after a perception that the Pheu Thai-led administration's handling of a border crisis led to the worst fighting with Cambodia in decades, killing 149 people."
"U.S. aircraft carrier arrives as Iran's currency plunges to new low and protest death toll passes 6,000, activists say.
"The arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and guided missile destroyers accompanying it provide the U.S. the ability to strike Iran, particularly as Gulf Arab states have signaled they want to stay out of any attack despite hosting American military personnel."
"US announces multi-day aerial military drills in the Middle East amid Iran tensions.
"The US has announced plans to hold multi-day military exercises in the Middle East as it deploys what Donald Trump has called an "armada" led by the USS Abraham Lincoln to the region as part of a tense standoff with Iran."
"Saudi Arabia-UAE Tensions Put Middle East Businesses on Edge.
"Some companies operating in both countries have begun contingency planning… At stake is about $22 billion in trade between the two largest Gulf economies, as well as business confidence as both seek to cement their positions as global finance hubs."
"Russia pulls troops from airport in northeast Syria.
"Russia pulled its troops and equipment on Tuesday from an airport in northeast Syria, with reports saying the site was stripped of Russian flags and aircraft that had been visible a day earlier."
https://www.dailysabah.com/world/mid-east/russia-pulls-troops-from-airport-in-northeast-syria
"Israeli air strike kills TV presenter in southern Lebanon…
"A television presenter who worked for Lebanon's Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar TV station has been killed in an Israeli attack on the southern Lebanese city of Tyre as Israel escalated its attacks against the country."
"Israel Will Not Allow Gaza Residents to Receive Medical Treatment in West Bank, East Jerusalem Due to 'Security Risks'.
"In response to High Court petitions, the government stated that medical treatment could be exploited to help 'establish ties with terrorist activity, including recruitment, transfer of information and the establishment of terrorist infrastructure'."
"One family's daily struggle reflects alarming food shortages in Yemen.
"Years of war and mass displacement have shattered livelihoods and limited access to basic health and nutrition services. Declining humanitarian funding, unpaid salaries, inflation and international sanctions on Yemen have exacerbated the crisis."
"South Sudan army threat to 'spare no-one' condemned.
"The UN says it is gravely concerned after a senior military leader in South Sudan urged his troops to "spare no-one" including "children, the elderly, and civilians" when they are deployed to opposition-held areas of the country."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c79rjjr481zo
"US Intensifies Strikes in Somalia Following Nigeria Bombardment.
"The US has picked up the pace of its air strikes against Al-Shabaab and Islamic State in Somalia this year, according to US Africa Command data. The US has long been involved in the Horn of Africa country and has been targeting Al-Shabaab and Islamic State militants since the mid-2000s…"
https://thedefensepost.com/2026/01/28/us-intensify-strikes-somalia/amp/
"Nine Nigerian troops killed, several missing in jihadist ambush.
"At least nine Nigerian soldiers were killed and over a dozen are missing after Daesh-aligned militants ambushed a military patrol in northeast Borno state, military and militia sources told AFP Tuesday."
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2630860/world
"Wife of oil tanker captain captured by US in North Sea starts legal action to free him.
"Lawyers acting for the wife of the captain of a Venezuela-linked oil tanker captured by US forces in UK waters are calling for a judicial review of his situation, claiming he is being detained unlawfully."
"Families of two men killed in Trump's military boat strikes sue US government.
"Civil rights attorneys filed a federal lawsuit against the United States government on Tuesday on behalf of the families of two men from a small fishing village in Trinidad who were killed in a US military airstrike on a small boat in the Caribbean Sea on 14 October."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/27/trump-military-boat-strikes-lawsuit
"Mexico has cancelled a shipment of oil to Cuba, the country's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, appeared to confirm on Tuesday, but she insisted the decision was "sovereign" and not a response to pressure from the US.
"Fuel shortages are causing increasingly severe blackouts in Cuba, and Mexico has been the island's biggest oil supplier since the US blocked shipments from Venezuela…"
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/27/mexico-cuba-trump-oil
"Colombia blasts Ecuador's pipeline fee hike as trade war between neighbors escalates…
"Ecuador hiked its pipeline fees days after Colombia suspended electricity sales to its neighbor. The power cutoff was a major blow to Ecuador, which relies largely on hydroelectric power and suffered from serious power outages in 2024 following a spell of dry weather."
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ecuador-colombia-bogota-pacific-ocean-trump-b2908915.html
"Sanctions are the quieter sibling of warfare - with civilians as collateral damage…
"In 2026, the pattern is unmistakable. War is not only waged with bombs and soldiers, but through its quieter sibling: sanctions. These encompass a broad range of coercive measures, including trade and investment restrictions, financial controls, banking blacklists, asset freezes, and visa and travel restrictions."
"'Wake up to the risks of AI, they are almost here,' Anthropic boss warns…
"Describing the arrival of highly powerful AI systems as potentially imminent, he wrote: "I believe we are entering a rite of passage, both turbulent and inevitable, which will test who we are as a species.""
I rely on donations and tips from my readers to to keep the site running. Every little bit helps. Can you chip in even a dollar? Buy me a coffee or become a Patreon supporter. A huge thank you to those who do subscribe or donate.
You can read the previous "Economic" thread here. I'll be back tomorrow with a "Climate" thread.
The post 28th January 2026 Today's Round-Up of Economic News appeared first on Climate and Economy.
27th January 2026 Today's Round-Up of Climate News [ 27-Jan-26 9:34am ]
"In polar regions, microbes are influencing climate change as frozen ecosystems thaw.
"Microbes across Earth's coldest regions are becoming more active as glaciers, permafrost and sea ice thaw, accelerating carbon release and potentially amplifying climate change, according to a new international review from McGill University."
https://phys.org/news/2026-01-polar-regions-microbes-climate-frozen.html
"Monday ice update - "Arctic sea ice extent is currently the *lowest* on record (JAXA data)…
"• about 540,000 km² below the 2010s mean
• about 1,100,000 km² below the 2000s mean
• about 1,650,000 km² below the 1990s mean
• about 2,120,000 km² below the 1980s mean" [Zack Labe]
https://zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-ice-figures/
"Arctic seas are getting louder as ice melts, posing risks: Study shows how to better measure noise.
"The Arctic is experiencing a steady rise in human-generated underwater noise as melting ice and increasing activity open the region to greater vessel traffic, with major implications for wildlife and local communities."
https://phys.org/news/2026-01-arctic-seas-louder-ice-posing.html
"Insane mildness continues in GREENLAND - much warmer than most of USA.
"Another day up to +9C/48F with several stations, including the capital Nuuk, unable to freeze at night as well."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2015763834926194805
"Why Britain's crumbling canals are a ticking timebomb…
"…the number of incidents where the embankment of a canal just collapses seems to be increasing… Climate change is also cited as a cause - drought creates cracks in the soil surrounding and underneath canal beds."
"A red flood warning - meaning danger to life - has been issued for a river in south-west England as Storm Chandra brought heavy rain and strong winds to many areas of the UK…
"Sections of roads in Dorset, Somerset and east Devon were closed due to flooding."
"249 yr of homogenized temperature at Innsbruck (Tirol).
"Climate of the 21st c. is impressively consistent in its rate of warming (esp. last 40 yr) and has nothing to do with 20th c. climate! Spoiler: Solar activity has nothing to do with it!" [Melaine Le Roy]
https://x.com/subfossilguy/status/2015045388147814724
"Pine trees record a surge in Mediterranean climate extremes.
"Pine forests in eastern Spain hold a quiet record of weather history… The results show rising instability in rainfall patterns during modern warming, with sharp increases in heavy rain and deep drought."
https://www.earth.com/news/pine-trees-record-a-surge-in-mediterranean-climate-extremes/
"Batten down the hatches: Red weather alert issued in Spain as Atlantic storms roll in with heavy rainfall and strong winds…
"According to Aemet, the state meteorological agency, the poor weather is set to continue this week as fresh Atlantic storms roll in, bringing heavy rainfall and strong winds to much of the peninsula."
"Balearic sea temperature spiked at 28ºC last summer, nearly 5ºC above average.
"The Mediterranean Sea in the Balearics reached an average surface temperature of 28.4ºC during the month of July 2025, which is almost 5ºC above the 1982-2015 average. These are some of the data collected in the 2025 annual report…"
"Italy declares state of emergency in southern regions following storm that caused major landslide in Niscemi..
"Italy declared a state of emergency Monday over the devastation caused last week in Calabria, Sicily and Sardinia by Cyclone Harry, which also triggered a major landslide in the Sicilian town of Niscemi that has displaced at least 1,500 residents and disrupted daily life, said officials."
"Hundreds feared dead in attempt to cross Mediterranean during cyclone.
"Up to 380 people may have drowned attempting to cross the Mediterranean last week as Cyclone Harry battered southern Italy and Malta, the Italian coastguard has said, as a shipwreck with the loss of 50 lives was confirmed by Maltese authorities."
"Collapse at Lake Chad: How Climate Stress Transforms Resources Into Flashpoints.
"Water scarcity in the Sahel, a transitional region separating the Sahara Desert and the savannas of Sub-Saharan Africa, represents an existential crisis in an area historically plagued by weak governance and economic struggles."
https://www.iar-gwu.org/blog/oipd1fl7zuww9yf5yl9a08y0x6wb3o-kgcjl-ph26f
"EXTRAORDINARY HEAT IN CENTRAL AFRICA. Records pulverized everywhere:
"37.5 [99.5F] Impfondo CONGO HOTTEST JANUARY DAY EVER. Records all over the country: Ouesso, M'Pouya etc… 38.6 Bangui CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC January hottest day ever."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2015494929913696385
"RECORD HEAT IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. After a 46C [114.8F] day, a record hot night from South Africa all the way to Tanzania:
"RECORD HOTTEST JANUARY NIGHTS Minimums: SOUTH AFRICA: 23.8 Uitenhage, 23.6 max. 33.7 Coffee Bay both records, 23.2 Grahamstown. 22.7 Somerset. TANZANIA Min 22.0 Dodoma."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2015792421871980987
"Climate change is hurting Kenyan women working in coastal tourism - they explain how…
"When climate change affects women's sense of identity and culture, it affects their livelihoods and well-being too. These impacts ripple through the tourism industry, affecting the experiences and services that millions of visitors rely on in Africa's tourism."
"Iran's biggest centres of protest are also experiencing extreme pollution and water shortages…
"Iran is experiencing not one environmental crisis but the convergence of several: water shortages, land subsidence, air pollution and energy failure. All added together, life is a struggle for survival."
"Ghazni residents warn of worsening water crisis as groundwater levels plunge.
"Residents of Ghazni province in central Afghanistan say groundwater levels have dropped sharply over the past year, leaving many communities struggling to secure enough water for daily use and raising fears of a deepening water crisis."
"China places blankets on ice: the experimental strategy that could slow glacier melting.
"In some mountains of China, the glaciers present an unusual appearance, covered by extensive white surfaces that contrast with the dark rock. However, global warming has led the country to take measures to curb the melting and preserve these gigantic blocks of ice."
"Since January, temperatures in most parts of China have been significantly warmer than usual.
"It is expected that China will experience an even stronger warming trend in early February, with temperature potentially breaking the record for warmest February temperatures ever!" [Jim Yang]
https://x.com/yangyubin1998/status/2015815709398598104
"Cold waves bring record snowfalls across Japan…
"In the 24 hours through Sunday night, Sapporo received 54 centimeters of snow — setting a record for January. As of 4 p.m. on Sunday, 112 centimeters of snow had fallen, marking the first time since 2022 that accumulation exceeded one meter. On Monday morning, the city was hit again by heavy snow."
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20260125_14/
"Coast-to-coast coral assessment reveals Thailand's reefs losing complexity…
"The surveys indicate that, as in other parts of the world, Thailand's reefs are losing structural complexity, becoming dominated by simpler boulder-forming corals, while staghorn and branching species die out."
"Twenty-three soldiers died in Indonesia's West Java landslides, official says.
"The 23 Marines were caught in the landslide during training exercises for Indonesia-Papua New Guinea border patrols on Saturday, First Admiral Tunggul, the Navy spokesperson said. "The incident occurred due to extreme weather conditions with heavy rainfall, which caused a landslide at the training site," said Tunggul…"
"Flash flooding on Copperfield River forces emergency evacuation of Einasleigh.
"Residents near the Copperfield River in Far North Queensland's Gulf Country are being urged to evacuate now after the Etheridge Shire Council issued an emergency alert… Residents around the Copperfield River and Einasleigh township must leave immediately."
"Emergency feed arrives for remote Western Australia pastoralists amid worst drought in decades,.
"Pastoralists across WA's Midwest, Gascoyne and Murchison regions have struggled through several years of low rainfall… There are growing calls for the state government to subsidise the transport costs of donated hay or fund additional drought relief."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-27/feed-relief-for-wa-pastoralists-in-drought/106263028
"Victoria has recorded a new statewide maximum temperature, with 48.9C [120F] recorded in the north-west towns of Walpeup and Hopetoun.
"The previous record of 48.8C was recorded at Hopetoun Airport, two hours south of Mildura, during the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-27/heatwave-record-temperatures-victoria/106273034
"More than 1,000 families told to evacuate as bushfires rage and temperatures near 50C in Australia.
"Emergency services said a fast-moving fire in the Otways, a heavily forested region nearly 200km southwest of Melbourne, had breached containment lines and could spread further amid record heat and gusty winds."
"Hailstorms 'wiped out entire crops' in Canterbury [NZ].
"Canterbury arable farmers are facing millions of dollars of losses after a third big hailstorm hit parts of the region on Friday. Crops have been destroyed, while others have gone to seed due to ongoing wet weather making them unusable."
https://www.odt.co.nz/rural-life/rural-life-other/hailstorms-wiped-out-entire-crops-canterbury-rnz
"Vanuatu communities move to protect taro, an ancestral climate-resilient crop…
"A key reason that communities are now fighting to reinvigorate taro cultivation is because it's more resilient to climate shocks: In recent years, severe storms have led to the tiny nation's islands being cut off from food shipments…"
"OCEANIA RECORD HEAT.
"It's the most extreme heat wave Oceania has ever seen outside Australia with hundreds of records smashed no-stop in the whole Continent. And these days aren't the exception… Min 27.3 [81.1F] Fuamotu TONGA Hottest night in history."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2015057159604846754
"Wildfires in Patagonia reignite, destroying over 35,000 hectares…
"Three fires reignited on Sunday due to high temperatures and gusty winds. On Monday, fires surrounded the town of Cholila, in western Chubut. More than 35,000 hectares have already been destroyed in the province."
https://buenosairesherald.com/society/wildfires-in-patagonia-reignite-destroying-over-35000-hectares
"Lightning strike at Brasilia rally injures 89 Bolsonaro supporters…
"Video footage captured the moment a sudden flash and thunder sent crowds scrambling for cover beneath umbrellas and plastic ponchos in Brasilia. Fire department officials said 47 people required hospital treatment, with 11 needing intensive medical care."
"Old diseases return as settlement pushes into the Amazon rainforest.
"Human activity continues to expand ever further into wild areas, throwing ecology out of balance. But what begins as an environmental issue often evolves into a human problem."
https://phys.org/news/2026-01-diseases-settlement-amazon-rainforest.html
"While USA and Canada are freezing, record heat is everywhere else in CENTRAL AMERICA.
"38C/100F in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica at the same time. Never happened in January. 33C in Mexico at 1500m asl. Insane."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2015710617500631276
"HISTORIC HEAT WAVE IN FLORIDA:
"While no monthly cold records is broken in North America, hundreds of heat records keep falling all over Greenland, Mexico, Central America and Caribbean and also Florida. MONTHLY RECORDS: 90 [32.2C] Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, 89 Homestead, 88 Miami."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2015952845896614345
"Rain, not snow: Extraordinary warmth leaves mountains less snowy across the West.
"California is still drought-free, but the Colorado River remains in a severe drought. This year's meager snowpack in the Rocky Mountains could complicate the Southwest's chronic water shortages."
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-01-24/western-snowpack-warmth
"Water conservation may not protect cities from severe droughts.
"Water shortages already affect many cities in the western United States. Rising temperatures increase evaporation, reduce snowpack, and lower river flow. Growing populations place additional pressure on limited water supplies."
https://www.earth.com/news/water-conservation-may-not-protect-cities-from-severe-droughts/
"Dire Colorado River outcomes may be unavoidable, US report shows.
"No matter which alternative the federal government picks to manage the depleted Colorado River, there's a very good chance of severely bad consequences — such as "dead pool" at reservoirs and a cutoff of electricity from big dams."
"At least 30 dead as severe winter storm coats US in snow and ice.
"Many in the United States faced another frigid night of freezing temperatures, power outages, and transportation issues as a colossal winter storm was blamed for the deaths of some 30 people across several states in the country."
"Deep cold could last days, worsening storm's impacts: 'I'm just really, really tired'…
"The impact of the cold will be amplified by how long it will last. In many areas — including the nation's capital — temperatures may not rise above freezing until early February, part of a streak that started in D.C. on Friday evening."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2026/01/26/frigid-cold-outages-storm-impacts/
"Toronto is beginning to dig itself out from the largest snowfall in the city's history, a process which officials say is likely to take "several days"…
"More than 88.2cm of snow have fallen at Pearson international airport this month, marking the snowiest January and snowiest month since records began in 1937."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/26/toronto-snowstorm-record-snowfall-total
"Very interesting to see that the ongoing cold across parts of North America and Eurasia are reflected in a temporary dip in global average temperature.
"Of course, this has no significance in terms of the long-term climate change (warming) trend." [Zack Labe]
https://bsky.app/profile/zacklabe.com/post/3md6ycaru2s2b
"The global mean annual [Sea Surface Temperature] values [during the Eemian] were ∼0.5°C warmer than they were 150 years ago and indistinguishable from the 1995-2014 mean"
"We are now well above that. Even more so regionally." [Leon Simons]
https://x.com/LeonSimons8/status/2015089083798720586
"Did Humans Nearly Go Extinct 900,000 Years Ago? A Biologist Explains…
"…it likely isn't a coincidence that the timing matches up with a period of profound environmental upheaval: the Early-Middle Pleistocene Transition… For early human ancestors (most likely members of the genus Homo predating Homo heidelbergensis), these changes would have been devastating."
"Solar geoengineering could be even more costly than unabated global warming if it is cut off suddenly, leading to a "termination shock" of rapidly rebounding temperatures…
"…solar geoengineering would need to continue uninterrupted for centuries, or the warming that was "masked" would come roaring back at a faster rate."
I rely on donations and tips from my readers to to keep the site running. Every little bit helps. Can you chip in even a dollar? Buy me a coffee or become a Patreon supporter. A huge thank you to those who do subscribe or donate.
You can read the previous "Climate" thread here. I'll be back tomorrow with an "Economic" thread.
The post 27th January 2026 Today's Round-Up of Climate News appeared first on Climate and Economy.
26th January 2026 Today's Round-Up of Economic News [ 26-Jan-26 9:33am ]
"The world economy is hooked on government debt. This year, global growth is being brought to you by the government.
"Rocked by an avalanche of growth-sapping shocks, countries around the world are tearing up savings plans and rolling out large fiscal stimulus packages financed by bumper budget deficits."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/the-world-economy-is-hooked-on-government-debt/ar-AA1UXpWC
"Japan Bond Crash Unleashes a $7 Trillion Risk for Global Markets…
""It's a new era," said Masayuki Koguchi, executive chief fund manager at Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management, one of the nation's biggest. "I don't think Japan's yields have gone far enough yet. This is just the beginning — there's a chance that bigger shocks will happen.""
"US Government Struggles to Keep a Lid on 10-Year Treasury Yield and Mortgage Rates…
"On Wednesday, Bessent had blamed the surging long-term US Treasury yields on the bond-market meltdown in Japan, during which the 30-year Japanese Government Bond yield spiked by 42 basis points in two days and drove it to 3.91%, the highest since the 30-year bond was introduced in 1999."
"'Battle for the Fed' heats up to challenge rate horizon.
"The battle for Federal Reserve independence has already gone up several gears this year, yet the central bank is showing little sign of capitulation - and now it has support from the Supreme Court and senior politicians."
https://www.reuters.com/markets/battle-fed-heats-up-challenge-rate-horizon-2026-01-26/
"Gold price tops $5,000 an ounce for first time as investors seek safe haven from Trump turmoil…
"With global financial markets already jittery, there are also rising fears of another US shutdown after Democrats threatened funding for the Department of Homeland Security in the wake of the weekend shooting of a man in Minneapolis by federal immigration agents."
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jan/26/gold-prices-record-5000-ounce-trump-turmoil
"Germany is facing calls to withdraw its billions of euros' worth of gold from US vaults, spurred on by the shift in transatlantic relations and the unpredictability of Donald Trump.
"Germany holds the world's second biggest national gold reserves after the US, of which approximately €164bn (£142bn) worth - 1,236 tonnes - is stored in New York."
"Donald Trump on Saturday said he would impose a 100% tariff on all Canadian imports if the North American country makes a trade deal with China.
"Beside that tariff threat, another Trump foreign policy maneuver to make news on Saturday involved the president announcing the US had taken the oil that was on recently seized Venezuelan tankers."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/24/trump-canada-tariff-threat-venezuela-oil
"European leaders gather at North Sea energy summit as Greenland tensions loom.
"European leaders meet in Germany on Monday to discuss North Sea energy and security cooperation, but fears over US designs on the Arctic island of Greenland may overshadow the talks."
"Europe's Aluminum Production Collapse Sparks Crisis for Key Industries…
"The European Union (EU) currently consumes 13.5 million tons of aluminum annually to feed its automotive, aerospace, and construction sectors. However, domestic primary production has collapsed to just 950,000 tons-a 93% structural deficit."
"Clashes erupt at anti-government protest in Albanian capital Tirana.
"Clashes have erupted between police and opposition protesters in Albania's capital over alleged corruption in the Socialist Party government, with the demonstrators demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation."
"Britain is planning to seize more Russian oil tankers and use profits running into hundreds of millions of pounds to fund Ukraine's fight against President Putin, the Mail on Sunday can reveal.
"Senior Government sources told the MoS they expect each seized tanker in Russia's sanctions-busting 'shadow fleet' would raise tens of millions…"
"The first three-way peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US have ended in Abu Dhabi with no apparent breakthrough, as fighting rages.
"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky raised the possibility of a second meeting as early as next week, while an American official said a new round would begin on 1 February."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyr6p30054o
"Russia looks to India to fill labor shortage…
"An Indian diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of bilateral relations, told DW that the labor agreement was also beneficial for India. "Russia needs workers, India needs to export unemployment," the diplomat explained."
https://www.dw.com/en/russia-looks-to-india-to-fill-labor-shortage/a-75598015
"China goes on hiring spree for tax officials as fiscal pressures mount…
"In a politically sensitive move, Beijing is considering taking a greater share of tax collection from local authorities, which have been hard hit by a multiyear property market slump that has deprived them of crucial revenues from land sales."
https://www.ft.com/content/fb5940d8-3878-4d0e-abd8-1f732371806a
"Top China General Accused of Leaking Nuclear Secrets to US, WSJ Says…
"The general is alleged to have leaked core technical data on China's nuclear weapons to the US and is being probed for allegedly forming political cliques and abusing his authority on military decisions, according to the report…"
"Cold War-level nuclear tensions return to Northeast Asia.
"New START end, China build-up and US trust issues all fueling nuclear desires in Japan, S Korea and possibly Taiwan… One result may be a new round of proliferation in the region, which has been rare to date, with only two countries — China in 1964 and North Korea in 2006 — joining the nuclear club over the past 77 years."
https://asiatimes.com/2026/01/cold-war-level-nuclear-tensions-return-to-northeast-asia/
"Tearful goodbyes as Japan returns pandas to China amid worsening ties…
"Emotions ran high at the Ueno zoo in Tokyo as people stood in line - some for as long as three-and-a-half hours - to see twin cubs Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei one last time. This comes at a very tense moment in relations between Tokyo and Beijing."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8d0l778dero
"Tensions rise at Trat border as Cambodian troops seen digging trenches on Thai soil.
"Thai soldiers guarding a border area in Trat's Mueang district said Cambodian troops have been digging trenches inside Thai territory over the past few days and did not stop despite Thai attempts to persuade them to halt, heightening tensions in the area."
https://www.nationthailand.com/news/asean/40061710
"Myanmar: Jet fuel used in deadly air strikes flowing in on 'ghost ships' with suspected links to Iran…
"Amnesty's analysis of trade, shipping, satellite and port authority data indicates that the Myanmar military is adopting the reported sanction-evasion tactics of countries such as Russia, Iran and North Korea by importing jet fuel on "ghost ships" which turn off their location-tracking Automatic Identification System (AIS) radar to avoid detection."
"Bangladesh slams India over fugitive ex-PM Hasina's first public address…
""Allowing the event to take place in the Indian capital and letting mass murderer Hasina openly deliver her hate speech … constitute a clear affront to the people and the Government of Bangladesh," the ministry said…"
"Activists slam Indian 'reign of terror' in held Kashmir…
"Posters and banners depicting various forms of repression in occupied Jammu and Kashmir were displayed at the venue of the sit-in where participants raised slogans against India's sham democracy and the continued subjugation of Kashmiris."
https://www.dawn.com/news/1969072
"'You will reap the whirlwind': Tehran mural warns of retaliation if US strikes Iran.
"Iranian authorities unveiled a new mural on a giant billboard in a central Tehran square on Sunday with a direct warning to the United States to not attempt a military strike on the country, as US warships head to the region."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/26/iran-tehran-mural-warns-us-against-military-strike
"Iraq to select new leader as US piles pressure to curb Iranian influence.
"Iraq's dominant Shia political alliance has nominated strongman former leader Nouri al-Maliki as prime minister in a step towards forming a government as the US puts intense pressure on the country to curb Iranian influence."
https://www.ft.com/content/a28d0a25-0a50-4860-94c3-5e007bfc9b0c
"Saudi Arabia's UAE 'mudslinging' threatens new Gulf crisis.
"Fiery accusations of rights abuses and betrayal have circulated for weeks in state-run and social media after a brief conflict in Yemen, where Saudi air strikes quelled an offensive by UAE-backed separatists."
"Wave of Israeli attacks kills two in Lebanon in latest ceasefire violation…
"The attacks come amid fears of a major Israeli assault to disarm Hezbollah amid simmering regional tensions and possible strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran, the Lebanese group's top ally."
"Israel agrees to 'limited reopening' of Gaza's Rafah crossing once operation to locate hostage completed.
"Israel said on Sunday its military was conducting a "large-scale operation" to locate the body of the last hostage in Gaza, adding that it would only reopen the Rafah crossing with Egypt after the mission was completed."
"Sudan's women face 'world's worst' sexual violence amid brutal conflict, minister says.
"A social affairs minister for Sudan's army-backed government said that that women are the main victims of the brutal conflict ongoing since April 2023. Sulaima Ishaq al-Khalifa said Sudanese women are facing "the world's worst" sexual violence, with reports of rape often perpetrated as "the family witnessed" the crime."
https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20260124-women-facing-world-worst-sexual-violence-sudan-conflict
"'Many killed' as fresh conflict in South Sudan displaces 180,000.
"The world's youngest country has been beset by war, poverty and massive corruption since it was formed in 2011, but violence is once again on the rise between rival factions, currently focused on Jonglei state north of the capital Juba."
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/many-killed-as-fresh-conflict-in-s-sudan-displaces-180-000-218206
"Mali plans fuel rationing.
"Mali's government has moved to impose fuel rationing to counter widespread shortages caused by Al-Qaeda-linked groups operating in the border regions that have, in recent months, cut off fuel supplies to the landlocked African country."
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2630520/world
"U.S. Ramps Up Anti-ISIS Offensive in Africa: More Strikes, Intel Sharing with Nigeria Amid Sahel Juntas Ties.
"The US military is expanding equipment supplies and intelligence sharing with Nigeria, Africom's deputy commander said, as part of a broader American push to work with African militaries and hunt Islamic State-linked militants."
"Venezuela's acting president says she has had 'enough' of US orders.
"Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodríguez said Sunday she has had "enough" of Washington's orders, as she works to unite the country after the US capture of its former leader Nicolás Maduro."
"Cuban official accuses US of 'piracy' against sanctioned Caribbean island.
"A Cuban diplomat has accused the United States of "international piracy", as Washington continues to block Venezuelan oil from reaching the Caribbean island in the wake of the US military attack on the nation and abduction of President Nicolas Maduro."
"The global clean energy transition is being jeopardized by critical transformer shortages and aging grid infrastructure in the United States and Europe.
"Skyrocketing demand for transformers, driven by global economic development and AI, has led to a significant supply deficit with domestic manufacturing unable to keep pace, escalating costs and delaying new generating plants."
"Sometime this year, 'Q-Day' will come - and all hell will break loose. Cryptocurrencies will crash, the price of gold more than double, and the global financial system will be rocked to its foundations…
"This nightmare scenario has been highlighted by Denmark's Saxo Bank as its top entry for 2026 in its annual 'outrageous predictions'. But, as technology experts subsequently admitted, perhaps it's not so far-fetched after all."
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15496919/Q-DAY-upend-world-know-online-banking-nuclear-missile-codes-quantum-computing-crack-planets-digital-encryption-terrifying-consequences.html
I rely on donations and tips from my readers to to keep the site running. Every little bit helps. Can you chip in even a dollar? Buy me a coffee or become a Patreon supporter. A huge thank you to those who do subscribe or donate.
You can read the previous "Economic" thread here. I'll be back tomorrow with a "Climate" thread.
The post 26th January 2026 Today's Round-Up of Economic News appeared first on Climate and Economy.
24th January 2026 Today's Round-Up of Climate News [ 24-Jan-26 11:00am ]
"Record surge in daily temperature swings across globe: Study…
""Climate change alters cloud patterns and atmospheric moisture, which directly affects daily temperature cycles," Demirhan said. In some cases, increased cloud cover limits daytime heating and nighttime cooling, narrowing temperature ranges, while in others, warming sharpens contrasts between day and night."
"Temperatures averaged over global land areas were the 2nd hottest on record in 2025. This has major consequences for communities and ecosystems all around the world.
"Data from NOAA."
[Zack Labe]
https://bsky.app/profile/zacklabe.com/post/3mczb62kpjk25
"Friday ice update - Arctic sea ice extent is currently the *lowest* on record (JAXA data)…
"• about 500,000 km² below the 2010s mean
• about 1,090,000 km² below the 2000s mean
• about 1,640,000 km² below the 1990s mean
• about 2,110,000 km² below the 1980s mean" [Zack Labe]
https://zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-ice-extentconcentration/
"SUMMER IN WINTER IN GREENLAND.
"Crazy Temperatures tonight up to +9C / 48.2F (above summer average), persisting during the day. 24 stations at low elevations out of 31 above freezing today. Kitsissorsuit is chasing the WORLD RECORD of the highest monthly temperature anomaly. >+14C!"
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2014700725503459518
"Along the Russian side of the Arctic Ocean, they are now getting 1-2 months of open water every year, allowing ships without ice-breaking support to easily cross from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
"Twenty years ago, open water passages were rare." [Dr Robert Rohde]
https://x.com/RARohde/status/2014738307695919260
"'Completely Cut Off': Kamchatka Calls for Moscow's Help as Record Snowfall Paralyzes Region…
"Locals in the regional capital of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky described entire neighborhoods buried in snow and unplowed roads that have impeded everything from ambulances and firetrucks to basic food shipments as snowdrifts as high as 1.7 to 2.5 meters (5.5 to 8.2 feet) piled up."
"Russia's Unified Energy System (UES) has recorded a historic surge in electricity demand, setting a new all-time high in power consumption due to the country's prolonged cold snap.
"On January 22, the UES recorded a peak of 171,943 MW, surpassing the previous record of 171,389 MW set just over a month earlier on December 11, 2023."
"Forest Fires Take No Break. Belarusian foresters train for an unrelenting fire season…
"…The climatic realities of recent years are blurring the usual boundaries between seasons. Where the fire season once began in March or May, reports of fires now arrive alarmingly early. This year, the first blaze was recorded in early January."
https://www.undp.org/belarus/news/forest-fires-take-no-break
"The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has unveiled emergency plans to protect its gardens from future water shortages after severe drought conditions last year [UK].
"The charity said water capture and management will be its biggest area of investment in 2026, as scientists warn climate change is making weather patterns increasingly erratic."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp3z25l2385o
"Flooding has struck Cornwall as the tide has burst over a quay during Storm Ingrid, putting homes and businesses at risk.
"Cornwall has barely recovered from Storm Goretti, but already there's another weather warning in place. And Looe is already feeling the strain as flooding has been reported."
https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/live-looe-floods-storm-ingrid-10774233
"Sea Surface Temperatures around Europe were record high again in 2025.
"No one can (falsely) blame El Niño for this. Global average temperatures don't show the regional extreme rates of warming." [Leon Simons]
https://x.com/LeonSimons8/status/2014833028426522917
"Cyclone Harry has caused extensive damage across Italy's Sicily, Sardinia, and Calabria regions, with initial estimates putting the total cost at around $2 billion, ANSA news agency reported on Friday.
"Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci said the Cabinet will hold a meeting next week to assess the full extent of the destruction and approve emergency measures."
"Record 16-metre [52 foot] wave measured between Sicily and Malta during Storm Harry.
"An oceanographic buoy positioned south of Sicily, in waters between Malta and Portopalo di Capo Passero, has recorded a wave measuring 16 metres in height during the most violent phase of Storm Harry - the highest wave ever documented in the Mediterranean Sea."
"The Climate Crisis Is Already Here with Dramatic Consequences [Greece].
"Populations of local fish species are declining dramatically, while some species have completely disappeared from Greek waters. The dense forests of Mainalo, home to the beautiful Cephalonian fir—a species found only in Greece—are being destroyed irreversibly due to extensive drying. Hundreds of thousands of acres of land are consumed by fire during the summer…"
https://www.tovima.com/climate/the-climate-crisis-is-already-here-with-dramatic-consequences/
"Kuşadası is at the mercy of the flood! The streets have turned into a lake, and vehicles were swept away [Turkey].
"The heavy rainfall in Aydın's Kuşadası district quickly turned into a flood. Due to the intense rain that lasted approximately 30 minutes, streams overflowed, streets and avenues were submerged, and some vehicles were swept away by the floodwaters."
https://en.haberler.com/kusadasi-is-at-the-mercy-of-the-flood-the-streets-19491432/
"Algeria: towards the extension of agricultural insurance to major climate risks.
"Algeria is moving towards a significant expansion of its agricultural insurance system to include natural disasters related to climate change. The Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Fisheries announced that work is underway to adapt and modernize existing insurance products…"
"Record heat continues relentless In Central African Republic. Hot days and nights.
"The minimum temperature of 22.3C [73.8F] at Berberati is the highest ever recorded in January. Records are falling in every single tropical country. Never happened anything like this."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2014238622573379939
"Record heat keeps sweeping all the tropics.
"January highest temperature in history tied in SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE [ a two-island nation in the Gulf of Guinea] with 33C [91.4F]."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2014894490000228850
"Historic floods in Kruger Park reveal the environmental cost of extreme weather in southern Africa.
"The severe floods that affected Kruger National Park in South Africa have caused damage that will require years of recovery. Additionally, authorities estimate multimillion-dollar costs to restore key infrastructure within the protected area."
"Residents in Mozambique are on high alert, as crocodiles have started to appear across towns amid heavy floods…
"Paola Emerson, head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Mozambique, said, "The river levels are rising and are reaching urban areas or heavily populated areas…so the crocodiles that are in the Limpopo river in this case are able to get into populated areas that are now submerged under water and that is the concern.""
https://www.africanews.com/2026/01/23/mozambique-crocodiles-appear-in-towns-amid-floods/
"Record heat in MADAGASCAR:
"35.0C [95F] in Sainte Marie Island (also known with the Malgasy name Nosy Boraha) is a new record of highest Temperature in January after a very high minimum of 27.6C."
[Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2014752453758259572
"RED SEA HEAT WAVE:
"Second Unseasonal heat wave of 2026 in the Red Sea after the record heat of Jan 1st: Temperatures up to 35C [95F] in Saudi Arabia and 31C in Egypt with some tropical nights locally >25C. Tomorrow the heat will peak and records for January might fall."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2014409205244215788
"Heavy snowfall paralyses northern Pakistan, army launches rescues.
"The extreme weather has led to the closure of major and connecting roads, disruption of power supply and hundreds of people being stranded. Landslides and avalanches have been reported at multiple locations…"
"Kabul residents warn of worsening water shortages as wells run dry.
"Residents of Kabul say shortages of safe drinking water are worsening as groundwater levels fall and household wells dry up, forcing many families to buy water at high prices or travel long distances to secure supplies."
"Forest fires across Kashmir as high-speed winds fan flames…
"According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the winds up to 100 km per hour in Pir Panjalís Poonch district and 60 km per hour to 84 km per hour in several areas… Authorities said a prolonged dry spell in December and January led to a rise in forest fire incidents."
"No Snow, Forest Fire Rages For Two Days Near China Border In Sikkim.
"A forest fire continues to rage in East Sikkim's Kupup village on the Indo-China border two days after it started. Even more concerning is the presence of landmines in close vicinity to the Doklam region, which is adjacent to the village… a blaze at this altitude [13,000 feet] is rare."
"The mother of all mega-dams is China's hidden weapon in the Himalayas.
"New disclosures reveal that …what Beijing is constructing on the so-called "Everest of Rivers," near Tibet's border with India, is not just the largest dam ever attempted. It is an extensive subterranean network designed to give China effective command over the river before it reaches any downstream country."
"Philippines builds insurance buffer as climate shocks intensify across Asia.
"The Philippines is increasing its insurance buffer against climate-related shocks, with higher penetration, rising property premiums, and a broader mix of catastrophe risk solutions emerging as severe weather events affect Asia."
"Seven dead, dozens missing after landslide in Indonesia's West Bandung [Indonesia]…
"Latest disaster comes just weeks after deadly floods and landslides left more than 1,000 people dead in Indonesia's west… Local Police Chief AY Yogaswara said the landslide was accompanied by flash flooding, according to Jakarta-based Antara news agency."
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/24/seven-dead-82-missing-after-landslide-in-indonesias-bandung
"Floodwaters up to 2 meters deep inundate residential areas in Tangerang City, forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate [near Jakarta].
"Residents have been displaced for 2 nights, the Mayor inspected and distributed logistical assistance. The Tangerang City Government is on full alert and is urging the community to remain united in facing the impact of the flood disaster."
"This is getting ridiculous… records of historic hottest nights smashed in pieces again in INDONESIA.
"After its hottest day in history, Manokwari, West Papua, smashed by 2C the record of its hottest night with a MINIMUM of 27.8C [82F]. Records are being broken and re-broken continuously."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2014594070652617008
"Human-caused global heating made the intense heatwave that affected much of Australia in early January five times more likely, new analysis suggests.
"The heatwave earlier this month was the most severe since the 2019-20 black summer, with temperatures over 40C in Melbourne and Sydney… the effect of greenhouse gas emissions outweighed the effects of a weak La Niña…"
"Intense heat could smash temperature records in south-east Australia with catastrophic fire danger forecast.
"All-time temperature records could tumble in Victoria and New South Wales over coming days, as a dome of intense heat pushes into south-east Australia, bringing extreme to catastrophic fire conditions."
"A bushfire in Victoria's Otways, near Gellibrand, has broken containment lines and is threatening communities south and east of the fire.
"Emergency warnings are in place for more than a dozen towns as firefighters battle the blaze amid a wind change."
"Why does it feel like dangerous ocean creatures are ruining Australia's summer?
"In the same week that New South Wales experienced four shark attacks, Victorian beachgoers were warned about stinging jellyfish… Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of storms and alter rainfall patterns… increasing the likelihood of jellyfish being driven into coastal swimming areas."
https://phys.org/news/2026-01-dangerous-ocean-creatures-australia-summer.html
"A bid to clean up shipping industry intensified a coral bleaching event on Great Barrier Reef, study says.
"Steps to clean up the shipping industry by removing sulphur from fuels intensified a major coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef by allowing more of the sun's energy to hit the oceanic wonder, according to a new study."
"More insane heat from OCEANIA:
"Tanna, VANUATU broke its record of January highest temperature and all time Highest Minimum 4 times in a row."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2014319367476170817
"New Zealand landslide: rescue efforts called off for six people buried in disaster.
"Police Supt Tim Anderson said human remains had been uncovered on Friday night beneath the mountains of dirt and debris that crashed into a campsite in Mount Maunganui on Thursday, adding that it could take several days to locate all of the victims due to the unstable ground."
"Argentina's Patagonia wildfires: flare-ups in Chubut spur evacuations as crews face "highly complex" blazes.
"Wildfires in Argentina's Patagonia continued to pressure communities in Chubut province, with active fronts and repeated flare-ups reported around Epuyén, El Hoyo and Puerto Patriada, as heat, strong winds and very low humidity complicated containment efforts."
"Firefighters face attacks, drones and arsonists while battling deadly blazes in Chile.
"The total area burned in the current fires has already far surpassed the area consumed by the Valparaíso and Viña del Mar inferno of 2024, which destroyed more than 8,500 hectares (33 square miles) and claimed 131 lives… The number of victims and the extent of the damage are likely to rise."
"40 years of tracking trees reveals how global change is impacting Amazon and Andean Forest diversity…
"Plant species have limited options to survive climate change: they can alter their distributions as environmental conditions change, or they can acclimate to these new conditions. If species cannot move or acclimate, their populations will decline, potentially leading to extinction."
"Snow starts falling in Texas, Oklahoma as eastern US braces for winter storm.
"Heavy snow was falling over Northwest Texas and Oklahoma City on Friday morning as a major winter storm began moving east across the U.S., bringing deadly cold and the threat of power outages and treacherously icy roads…"
"I've been forecasting for two decades and I can't recall a time when so many areas were simultaneously covered by a winter storm warning.
"In the United States, 53 percent of the total population is under an alert for this storm." [Ben Noll]
https://x.com/BenNollWeather/status/2014841601676476681
"Climate change can alter flower nectar quality and supply, threatening monarch butterfly migration.
"They observed that a tiny bump in temperature, just 0.6 degrees Celsius, was enough to lower the quality of the nectar these plants produced. Monarchs fed on these "warmed" blooms built up about a quarter less body fat than their counterparts."
https://phys.org/news/2026-01-climate-nectar-quality-threatening-monarch.html
"Whales are now 'sharing' food amid shortages due to climate change.
"Fin, humpback, and minke whales in the Gulf of St Lawrence in the North Atlantic are eating more fish and less krill than they did in the past… The study found that all three whale species have shifted towards fish-based diets over time…"
"The ocean floor is turning into the world's biggest plastic dump site killing hundreds of underwater species.
"While floating plastic gets most of the attention, the seabed is where a large share of marine debris ends up. Once waste reaches deep water, it becomes extremely difficult to locate and even harder to remove."
https://archive.vn/0vHkc#selection-623.0-623.209
"Air cargo warning as extreme weather raises risks for pharma cold chains…
"For air cargo supply chains, this volatility poses growing risks. Pharmaceutical shipments are particularly vulnerable during airport handling, such as loading and unloading on the tarmac or cross-docking between flights."
https://caasint.com/air-cargo-warning-as-extreme-weather-raises-risks-for-pharma-cold-chains/
"Dramatic rise in water-related violence recorded since 2022.
"Water-related violence has almost doubled since 2022 and little is being done to understand and address the trend and prevent new and escalating risks, experts have said… Recent examples include tensions over an Indus River water-sharing treaty between India and Pakistan…"
"Suppressed climate report warned of mass migration and nuclear war… When the [UK] government was forced to release the report after a freedom of information request, it published an abridged version…
"But a full, internal version of the report, seen by The Times said… many ecosystems around the world were so stressed that they could soon pass a tipping point, after which they would inexorably degrade no matter what humans did to protect them.
"Forests in Canada and Russia might pass a tipping point by 2030, as might glaciers in the Himalayas that fed rivers on which two billion people depended, the report suggested. Intelligence chiefs warned that the decline of Himalayan rivers would "almost certainly escalate tensions" between China, India and Pakistan, potentially leading to nuclear war."
https://www.thetimes.com/article/4a1c136c-f01d-4ecd-abfd-14621b47ea45
I rely on donations and tips from my readers to to keep the site running. Every little bit helps. Can you chip in even a dollar? Buy me a coffee or become a Patreon supporter. A huge thank you to those who do subscribe or donate.
You can read the previous "Climate" thread here. I'll be back on Monday with an "Economic" thread.
The post 24th January 2026 Today's Round-Up of Climate News appeared first on Climate and Economy.
23rd January 2026 Today's Round-Up of Economic News [ 23-Jan-26 8:56am ]
"The twin 'factories' spurring global growth are both at risk…
"…the AI investment boom and China's export-led growth model — are encountering risks that could slow global economic expansion. For the AI investment side, there are concerns about sustainability once the initial wave of spending slows; for China, export demand and manufacturing activity have been softening…"
https://www.ft.com/content/310640c0-836d-4b6f-8be6-6ff48e9f796d
"Ray Dalio warns that the monetary order is breaking down, leaving us with a terrible choice: 'Do you print money or let a debt crisis happen?'
"…"What always scares me is the lack of realism [among leaders]," he said as he reeled off the historic economic, environmental, and political threats the world is grappling with. "Will law prevail? Everyone is having to deal with that question.""
https://fortune.com/2026/01/21/ray-dalio-breakdown-monetary-order-debt-crisis/
"Gold, silver and platinum extend record‑setting rally.
"Gold notched another record high on Friday, while silver and platinum also extended gains to hit all-time peaks, powered by diminishing confidence in U.S. assets on account of geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty."
https://www.reuters.com/world/india/gold-silver-platinum-extend-recordsetting-rally-2026-01-23/
"'Some form of crisis is almost inevitable': The $38 trillion national debt will soon be growing faster than the U.S. economy itself, watchdog warns.
"The United States national debt has reached a precarious milestone, hitting 100% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and placing the nation on a trajectory that could trigger six distinct types of fiscal crises, according to an ominous new warning issued Thursday by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget."
https://fortune.com/2026/01/22/how-big-national-debt-when-recession-financial-crisis-could-hit/
"President Trump really, really wants lower interest rates, and the Federal Reserve and other tools of state power have tried to deliver them. The bond market isn't cooperating.
"Longer-term borrowing rates are set on global markets, as savvy players who together deploy trillions of dollars make bets on the future of growth and inflation."
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/22/trump-tariffs-bond-market-fed
"Trump warns of 'big retaliation' if Europe divests from US stocks and bonds…
"The comments follow news that AkademikerPension, a Danish fund, confirming that it would divest $100 million in US Treasury. While the fund cited fiscal concerns rather than politics, the move coincides with renewed American pressure on Greenland."
https://www.trtworld.com/article/fbd4bbb30f5b
"Trump Muses About Asking NATO to Help Protect US Southern Border.
"President Donald Trump openly mused about invoking NATO's collective defense obligation to place allied troops along the US-Mexico border, a suggestion that, even if not meant seriously, represents another volley of rhetoric aimed squarely at European allies."
"Trump hails 'incredible' Davos trip - and promises Greenland 'deal' will be 'amazing' for US.
"Donald Trump says his time in Davos at the World Economic Forum was "incredible" and promises his 'deal' over Greenland will be "amazing" for the US. Elsewhere, EU leaders have gathered in Brussels for an emergency meeting."
"Frustrated farmers target ports in fresh protests [UK]…
"Organisers say the aim of the protests is to raise public awareness of government free trade deals which are facilitating cheap food imports at lower production costs and inferior food standards to those of UK farmers. This is putting national food security in jeopardy at a time when the world is increasingly unstable."
https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/frustrated-farmers-target-ports-in-fresh-protests
"'We will let nothing pass': France intercepts Russia-linked oil tanker in Mediterranean…
""This morning, the French Navy boarded an oil tanker coming from Russia, subject to international sanctions and suspected of flying a false flag," Macron said on X in English, adding the operation had been carried out "with the support of several of our allies"."
"Putin's zombie missiles pose €80m dilemma for Ukraine.
"Russia hopes to keep Kyiv's expensive air defences guessing with cheap target practice munitions… Russia, for the first time, appears to have fired RM-48U target practice missiles, which were decommissioned but have been brought back to life as offensive weapons."
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/21/putin-zombie-missiles-80m-dilemma-kyiv/
"Deep strikes, deep costs: Ukraine pushes the war inside Russia…
"From oil refineries to fuel depots and naval infrastructure, Kyiv is increasingly targeting the economic backbone of Russia's war effort—even in regions once considered safely removed from the fighting."
https://tvpworld.com/91195900/ukraines-deep-strikes-expose-russias-energy-weakness
"China likely to lower 2026 growth target as global slowdown weighs…
"China is expected to set a more conservative official economic growth target for 2026, signalling a growing acceptance in Beijing that external headwinds and domestic structural challenges are limiting the scope for rapid expansion."
"China's rural banks struggle to sell seized properties despite hefty discounts.
"Chinese rural banks are unable to find buyers for hundreds of foreclosed properties they are auctioning despite offering steep discounts, deepening a real estate crisis and adding to risks for the financial sector and the broader economy."
"Japan diplomatic post in Chongqing sits unfilled as China feud drags on.
"The top position at the Japanese Consulate in Chongqing has been vacant for more than a month amid the Chinese government's delay in granting approval for a new nominee… A source familiar with Sino-Japanese relations pointed to bilateral tensions while describing the situation as "harassment by China.""
"Japan Bond Wipeout Was Triggered by Just $280 Million of Trading…
"That was the combined turnover for the country's benchmark ultra-long maturity bonds as they plummeted on Tuesday, unleashing a $41 billion wipeout across the Japanese curve that sent shockwaves through global markets."
"Japan has delivered domestically produced rails to Ukraine to help it restore transport networks severely damaged by Russian attacks.
"A ceremony to hand over the rails to Ukraine's state-run railway operator took place in the capital Kyiv on Thursday… Hattori Osamu, the head of the JICA office in Ukraine, said in a speech that Japan will continue to stand by Ukraine and its people on the path to recovery and peace."
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20260123_03/
"Taiwan offers talks with Ukraine on weapons sanctions-busting.
"Taiwan President Lai Ching-te on Friday offered talks with Ukraine to crack down on sanctions-busting after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy name-checked the island as a source of illicit missile components."
"Ancient Khmer temples scarred by Thailand-Cambodia conflict.
"Ancient Khmer temples along the Thailand-Cambodia border have been damaged or destroyed by recent fighting rooted in centuries-old territorial claims. The area is militarised and mostly off-limits."
"Junta airstrike kills its own troops and families detained by AA in Kyauktaw [Myanmar].
"A junta airstrike hit an Arakan Army (AA) detention facility holding prisoners of war (POWs) and their family members near Chaungtu Village in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan (Rakhine) State, killing at least 21 people and injuring 30 others, according to local sources."
"More Than 3,000 Afghan Migrants Deported from Pakistan and Iran in One Day.
"Pakistan and Iran have stepped up deportations amid stricter migration policies. According to Taliban officials, more than 2.5 million Afghans have been expelled from the two countries since the beginning of the current solar year."
"Iran warns 'finger on trigger' as Trump says talks still possible.
"The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned Washington on Thursday that the force had its "finger on the trigger" after mass protests, even as US President Donald Trump said Tehran appeared open to talks. The death toll from nationwide protests has topped 5,000 people killed…"
"Torn Between Iran and Trump, Iraq Confronts a Stark Choice.
"As the country recovers from the disastrous US invasion, it's being pulled between its neighbor Iran, which has built decades of influence, and a president who wants America to have more sway in OPEC's second-largest producer."
"UN says 134,000 displaced in northeast Syria after clashes.
"In the past three days, the number of internally displaced people in Hassakeh province "has increased to approximately 134,803 individuals" compared to 5,725 recorded on Sunday, the International Organization for Migration said in a statement."
https://www.newarab.com/news/un-says-134000-displaced-northeast-syria-after-clashes
"'Open the gates': riots, fires and escape attempts as Syrian army takes over IS camp…
"Since 2019, life inside al-Hawl, the vast detention facility in the remote Syrian desert which holds at least 24,000 suspected members of IS from 42 different countries, has stood nightmarishly still. But on Monday, time at this vast prison camp lurched back into motion, dizzyingly fast."
"Israeli troops fire on sheep herders, shell farmland in Syria's Quneitra.
"Israeli forces have been carrying out near-daily incursions into Syrian territory, particularly in the Quneitra countryside, detaining civilians, setting up checkpoints, questioning those passing through and destroying farmland."
"Trump's 'master plan' for Gaza contrasts with reality on the ground…
"The vision contrasts sharply with the present reality in Gaza, where Israeli troops still control more than half of the enclave while some 2 million Palestinians are crowded into the other half, many living in ramshackle tents or bombed-out buildings that provide little shelter from winter storms."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/01/22/trump-kushner-gaza-plan/
"Five killed in 'treacherous' attack on military convoy in Yemen…
"A bombing targeting a convoy of a group allied with Yemen's Saudi-backed government has killed five people and wounded three others, Yemeni authorities have said. The attack on Wednesday targeted a convoy carrying Hamdi Shukri, a commander in the pro-government Giants Brigades…"
"Somaliland: How the security architecture on the Red Sea is undergoing a realignment.
"Israel's recognition of Somaliland is part of a larger shift in the axes of power in the strategically important Red Sea. Regional players are reorganizing their alliances, while lines of conflict between status quo maintainers and revisionists are solidifying."
"Somalia: One year on, families reeling from conflict in Puntland…
"Now in its second year, the conflict in the northern part of the country between Puntland Defence Forces and the Islamic State Group-Somalia (ISg-S) has displaced tens of thousands of people, disrupting a nomadic way of life that communities have relied on for generations."
"Hunger, death, devastation: No respite in Tigray a year after US aid cuts…
""We have little humanitarian support," laments the octogenarian whose frail appearance is mirrored by many others in his village of Hitsats, near the Eritrean border. "It's not conflicts that will ultimately kill us, but famine," he says."
"Venezuela's Delcy Rodríguez assured US of cooperation before Maduro's capture.
"Before the US military snatched Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro, earlier this month, Delcy Rodríguez and her powerful brother pledged to cooperate with the Trump administration once the strongman was gone…"
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/22/delcy-rodriguez-capture-maduro-venezuela
"House rejects resolution that would bar Trump from sending troops to Venezuela.
"The US House has rejected a resolution that would have prevented Donald Trump from sending US military forces to Venezuela, after a vote on the legislation fell just short of the majority needed for passage."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/22/house-war-powers-resolution-trump-military-venezuela
"Trump seeking 'regime change' in Cuba by end of the year: US media report.
"United States President Donald Trump aims to remove Cuba's leadership and is actively seeking government insiders in Havana who are willing to make a deal with Washington to "push out the Communist regime", according to a report in The Wall Street Journal."
"UN-backed force in Haiti to deploy fully by summer amid political turmoil…
"Around 1,000 mostly Kenyan police are currently in Haiti as part of the force, whose deployment has been marked by delays and severe lack of funding. Since the first deployment in June 2024, gangs have expanded to much of central and rural Haiti."
"Nearly 200 arrested in cross-border crackdown on gold mining in Amazon.
"Illegal gold mining has become a major driver of deforestation and river pollution in the Amazon, contaminating waterways with toxic mercury and damaging lands relied on by Indigenous communities. In recent years the activity has expanded rapidly as global gold prices have climbed…"
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/22/cross-border-crackdown-illegal-gold-mining-amazon
"Experts warn of threat to democracy from 'AI bot swarms' infesting social media…
"A would-be autocrat could use such swarms to persuade populations to accept cancelled elections or overturn results, they said, amid predictions the technology could be deployed at scale by the time of the US presidential election in 2028."
I rely on donations and tips from my readers to to keep the site running. Every little bit helps. Can you chip in even a dollar? Buy me a coffee or become a Patreon supporter. A huge thank you to those who do subscribe or donate.
You can read the previous "Economic" thread here. I'll be back tomorrow with a "Climate" thread.
The post 23rd January 2026 Today's Round-Up of Economic News appeared first on Climate and Economy.
22nd January 2026 Today's Round-Up of Climate News [ 22-Jan-26 9:56am ]
"Scientists reveal the impact of air pollution on the human body.
"Breathing in air pollution like ozone and PM2.5 harms nearly every major system in the human body. It is particularly hard on the cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological systems… Even short-term exposure to either PM2.5 or ozone can increase hospitalizations for heart attacks and strokes.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/air-pollution-effects-health-heart-b2904649.html
"Prolonged air pollution linked to increase of incurable muscle-wasting diseases, study suggests…
"Swedish scientists found that long-term exposure to air pollution was associated with a 20 to 30 per cent higher risk of developing motor neurone disease (MND) including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - even in the "relatively low levels" found in Sweden."
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/air-pollution-mnd-als-disease-sweden-b2904528.html
"Air pollution a major financial risk for companies and investors.
"A new report released today (January 21st) warns that air pollution has evolved from a public health emergency into a severe and systemic financial risk, threatening trillions of dollars in economic value and exposing companies and investors to escalating regulatory, legal and operational pressures."
"Next week the US will have the "relative" coldest air on Earth. But notice the mid-latitudes in general from the US to Europe to Russia feature a band of cold anomalies, whereas the Arctic is warm all around.
"That's precisely why the cold is being displaced south." [Jeff Berardelli]
https://x.com/WeatherProf/status/2014182059078525204
"'Wavy' jet stream dumps record snowfall on Russia. Extreme weather paralyses region as Arctic blast sweeps across Asia…
"In Russia's far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, vast snowdrifts several metres high blocked building entrances and buried cars, after more than 2m (6.5ft) of snow fell in some areas in the first half of January, following 3.7m in December, according to weather monitoring stations."
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/20/wavy-jet-stream-dumps-record-snowfall-russia/
"On the afternoon of January 21, the second floor of a shopping center on Naumova Street in Novosibirsk's Pervomaysky District collapsed [under the weight of heavy snow]. Several people were trapped under the rubble, and one died .
"The shopping center building turned out to be illegal, and its owner was arrested . NGS reports on the tragedy and how the structure evolved from a car wash."
https://ngs.ru/text/incidents/2026/01/22/76227143/
"Biodiversity collapse threatens UK security, intelligence chiefs warn.
"The global attack on nature is threatening the UK's national security, government intelligence chiefs have warned, as the increasingly likely collapse of vitally important natural systems would bring mass migration, food shortages, price rises, and global disorder."
"Food price inflation rises unexpectedly. [UK]
""The last few days have been a reminder that an uncritical reliance on volatile and unreliable forces leaves the UK with little room to manoeuvre. Food inflation ticking back up shows this vulnerability extends even to something as basic as food affordability."
https://eciu.net/media/press-releases/food-price-inflation-rises-unexpectedly-comment
"Severe hailstorms increasing most rapidly in Europe.
"The frequency of severe hailstorms is increasing more rapidly in Europe than anywhere else in the world. Closely linked to climate change, such storms can cause considerable damage. This is a key takeaway from a recent study compiled by researchers from the European Severe Storms Laboratory…"
https://www.munichre.com/en/insights/natural-disaster-and-climate-change/hail-research-2025.html
"Two people died on Jan 21 in Greece after torrential rain flooded homes and businesses in Athens and other parts of the country, the authorities said.
A woman died after being hit by a car that was carried away in flash floods in the southern Athens suburb of Glyfada, a fire brigade official told Reuters."
https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/two-dead-as-rainstorm-pound-greece?ref=latest
"Storm Harry, the Island [Sardinia] reckons with the storm: "Immense damage."
"Now that the great fear has passed, Harry is no longer the cyclone but the damage count. "Immense," said Governor Alessandra Todde , who yesterday, together with Environment Councilor Rosanna Laconi and Civil Protection Director General Mauro Merella, conducted an initial reconnaissance…"
"One person was killed and 15 others were injured on Tuesday as a sandstorm hit eastern and southern Libya, causing extensive damage in the eastern city of Benghazi.
"Khaled Al-Qadhafi, an official with the East Libya-based Health Ministry, said the injuries ranged from moderate to minor, without giving further details."
"Flooding in Tunisia has killed five people, authorities said, as media reported four others missing on Wednesday after the country experienced its heaviest rainfall in over 70 years.
"Four deaths occurred in the town of Moknine in the Monastir governorate, while a fifth death was reported in Nabeul town, civil defence spokesman Khalil Mechri told AFP."
https://www.newarab.com/news/tunisia-flood-death-toll-rises-five-four-missing
"Strong winds reignite wildfires near Cape Town.
"Wildfires burning in Franschhoek, east of Cape Town, flared up on Tuesday, leaving fire crews scrambling to contain the blaze once again. Local reports say fierce winds of up to 50 km an hour have exacerbated the situation in an area laden with dry combustible materials that are fueling the flames."
https://www.africanews.com/2026/01/21/fire-crews-battle-to-contain-wildfires-east-of-cape-town/
"Mozambique floods spiralling into escalating emergency, UN warns.
""We are working, but we don't have all the data about what is happening now," says Manuel Tule, Governor of Maputo Province. "This moment we are making plans to go to the affected areas where there are people waiting to be rescued. We are still working.""
"HISTORIC HEAT IN SOUTHERN AFRICA:
"4 consecutive Minimums >29C [84.2F] in Juan de Nova Island, French Southern Territories [off Mozambique]. Unprecedented in climatic history of all tropical Africa south of equator. Once again, climatic history is being rewritten."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2013869168379228298
"Sharp rise in malnutrition cases, preventable diseases in Somalia: MSF.
"Somalia is facing a deepening health and nutrition emergency as consecutive failed rainy seasons, soaring water prices and sharp cuts to humanitarian aid drive a surge in malnutrition and outbreaks of preventable diseases…"
"In Africa it was another day with >40C [104F] in CHAD with the hot air moving Northeast.
"Next 2 days we can expect 40C in Sudan, >30C in Egypt and tropical nights on the Red Sea coast. Several records will fall all over the area."
[Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2014045612719681792
"The Omani port of Sultan Qaboos, near the capital Muscat, has never dropped below 20C [68F] once so far this winter.
"It's the only place in the world outside the tropics where all nights are…tropical (min >20C). This happened only once in world history - in 2024 in the same place."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2013998354414649579
"Uttarakhand's Vanishing Winter: A Crisis In The Himalayas.
"Uttarakhand is grappling with an unprecedented climate crisis. November and December passed without a drop of rain or a flake of snow, and with more than half of January gone, there are still no signs of relief."
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/uttarakhands-vanishing-winter-a-crisis-in-the-himalayas-10792649
"Man-Animal Conflict Undergoes Change In Uttarakhand With Involvement Of Younger Wildlife…
"Most of the tigers captured following incidents of man-animal conflict in the last five years are young tigers aged between three and seven. This is a worrying signal that also demonstrates the continuing deterioration of the balance between forests and humans."
"Strange circular sea current off Vasai [W India] coast sparks panic.
"A strange circular whirlpool has been seen about 66 nautical miles off the Vasai coast near Palghar, puzzling local fishermen. The unusual ring-shaped formation appeared over the past ten days, and one fishing boat got caught inside but escaped safely."
https://www.newsband.in/article_detail/strange-circular-sea-current-off-vasai-coast-sparks-panic
"In Bangladesh, thousands of volunteers are battling climate-fueled disease at its source…
"Mosquitoes are now breeding more rapidly, bringing with them diseases like dengue and chikungunya. The insects thrive in warm, humid environments rich in the kind of organic matter found in much of Dhaka's waste."
https://grist.org/health/bangladesh-clean-volunteers-dhaka-mosquitoes/
"From record warmth to record cold in few days. Incredible turnaround in Northern CHINA where dozens of January warm records were broken 1 week ago.
"Today 5 stations broke their January cold records (3 Mins+2 low maxes). In particular, -33.1C at Linxi is a new all time record low."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2013662533308068129
"Firefighters battle wildfire raging in Busan for 2nd day [Korea].
"Hundreds of personnel were mobilized to put out a wildfire raging for the second day in the southeastern city of Busan, with 17 helicopters set to be deployed Thursday, officials said… A dry weather advisory has been issued for days in Busan, with conditions making the area susceptible to wildfires."
https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10660426
"East Asia seas hit near-record heat as global oceans store more warmth.
"Sea surface temperatures in waters around South Korea and East Asia hit some of their highest levels on record last year, accelerating climate risks to marine ecosystems and the country's fisheries, government data showed."
"Forest and land fires have erupted in several regions across the country despite most areas still being in the peak of the rainy season [Indonesia].
"In Aceh, authorities are continuing efforts to extinguish fires that broke out last week in several villages in West Aceh regency."
"A tornado unleashes chaos in Karangpandan, Karanganyar [Java, Indonesia].
"Emergency teams and local authorities were deployed to the area to assess the damage and assist those affected, while cleanup and reconstruction efforts began."
https://www.tiempo.com/videos/un-tornado-desata-el-caos-en-karangpandan-karanganyar.html
"INDONESIA ENDLESS RECORD HEAT: Another scorching hot night with Minimums up to 28C in Vanuatu and in West Papua (Indonesia).
"New Records of hottest night in history MINIMUMS: 27.2 [82.4F] Manokwari, 26.6 Jayapura AP. Its last remaining glaciers, the Carstensz, are on their way to the extinction."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2013802368316674126
"50 DEGREES [122F] IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.
"50.0c Hamelin Pool WA today; 49.2C Shark Bay AP - monthly record smashed. This is just the beginning of one of the harshest coastal heat waves ever seen worldwide."
[Extreme Temps]
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2013554196323410400
"Heatwave and fire warnings as parts of Victoria expected to approach 'all-time maximum record' temperatures.
"Victorians are being warned to brace for another heatwave, with temperatures set to soar towards record levels in some parts of the state, putting authorities on alert in fire-affected areas."
"Victorian bushfires to drive premiums higher in high-risk areas.
"The Victorian bushfires are expected to add further upward pressure on insurance premiums, particularly in regional and high‑risk areas, as insurers absorb additional catastrophe losses on top of existing claims inflation in personal lines."
"Damaged cars near Great Ocean Road recovered after flash floods from record rainfall.
"One of Australia's most iconic and picturesque roads had to be temporarily closed for a dramatic recovery operation following a severe flood last week. Victoria's Wye River and surrounding waterways became swollen and broke their banks after more than 170 millimetres of rain fell in seven hours…"
"Rescuers in New Zealand were searching for several people, including at least one child, after a landslide tore through a popular holiday campsite as days of record-breaking rain and flooding continued to batter the country.
"The landslide struck a campground at the base of Mount Maunganui on Thursday morning…"
"NZ is again being soaked this summer - record ocean heat helps explain it…
"This week, fresh downpours on already saturated ground have again triggered flood warnings and road closures across the upper North Island. These are individual weather events, but they are unfolding against unusually warm seas that load the atmosphere with extra moisture and energy."
"EXTRAORDINARY - records all over New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Indonesia:
"MINIMUMS: 28.5 [83.3F] Aneityum, 27.0 Tanna, VANUATU HOTTEST NIGHT EVER. NEW CALEDONIA: 27.9 Ouvea,26.6 Koumac. INDONESIA: 27.9 Luwuk,27.0 Ternate and 26.2 Labuha."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2014156846655762535
"Chile's wildfire crisis was fueled by record heat.
"The fires have been burning in many locations along Chile's coastline, with some of the hardest-hit areas in the Ñuble and Biobío regions. Authorities declared a state of catastrophe as conditions worsened."
https://www.earth.com/image/chiles-wildfire-crisis-was-fueled-by-record-heat/
"Chile's fire-ravaged communities pull together as frustrations mount over state response…
"Boric's government was criticized for a slow reconstruction following deadly fires in Valparaiso in 2024. President-elect Jose Antonio Kast, who takes office on March 11, has vowed to prioritize reconstruction in fire-hit communities."
"Costa Rica Firefighters Battle Surge in Wildfires Amid Dry Winds.
"Firefighters across Costa Rica report a sharp rise in wildfire incidents this year, with dry weather and strong winds fueling larger blazes. In the first three weeks of January, emergency calls for fires have nearly doubled compared to the same period in 2025…"
https://ticotimes.net/2026/01/21/costa-rica-firefighters-battle-surge-in-wildfires-amid-dry-winds
"Drought conditions intensify across Texas.
"Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialists and county agents are reporting widespread drought conditions with symptoms ranging from ungerminated wheat fields and declining rangeland conditions to low water levels in stock ponds due to unseasonably warm temperatures and little rain since July."
https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2026/01/21/drought-conditions-intensify-across-texas/
"Two-thirds of the US is facing drought in the middle of winter. Here's why scientists are worried.
"The conditions have set off alarm bells across the country, especially in regions like the Mountain West, which is dependent on snowfall both for winter tourism dollars and water supplies from snowmelt."
https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/drought-us-states-snow-water-climate-b2904392.html
"A whopper storm could soon engulf a 2,000-mile stretch with snow and ice…
""We're about to witness a truly legendary winter storm setup in the Southern U.S. later this week," wrote Defense Department meteorologist Eric Webb… around 55 percent of people living in the contiguous United States are forecast to experience snow, sleet or freezing rain at the same time."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2026/01/21/winter-storm-forecast-snow-ice-travel-impacts/
"Half the world's 100 largest cities are in high water stress areas, analysis finds…
"Watershed Investigations and the Guardian mapped cities on to stressed catchments revealing that Beijing, New York, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro and Delhi are among those facing extreme stress, while London, Bangkok and Jakarta are classed as being highly stressed."
"Climate change is pushing insurance to breaking point.
"Climate change is no longer a distant scenario for risk teams to model; it is showing up in annual losses, premium hikes and insurer retrenchment, with knock-on effects that reach far beyond household cover."
https://fintech.global/2026/01/21/climate-change-is-pushing-insurance-to-breaking-point/
"For 50 years, global warming had a very consistent trend (+0.19 °C/decade) with a boring, predictable range of natural variations around it.
"During the last three years, we've broken out above that range, suggesting the pace of change has quickened."
[Dr Robert Rohde].
https://x.com/RARohde/status/2013546834900255097
"Will 2026 end up surprising those who made these predictions, again?
"Earth's Energy Imbalance suggests the next (starting) El Niño year could turn out much warmer than most realize."
[Leon Simons]
https://x.com/LeonSimons8/status/2014021218563723475
I rely on donations and tips from my readers to to keep the site running. Every little bit helps. Can you chip in even a dollar? Buy me a coffee or become a Patreon supporter. A huge thank you to those who do subscribe or donate.
You can read the previous "Climate" thread here. I'll be back tomorrow with an "Economic" thread.
The post 22nd January 2026 Today's Round-Up of Climate News appeared first on Climate and Economy.
21st January 2026 Today's Round-Up of Economic News [ 21-Jan-26 9:07am ]Huge thanks to all of you who contributed to my fundraiser, which has now reached its target. I was very touched by the generosity. And thank you, as ever, to all those who subscribe and donate. I couldn't do this without you.
"Geopolitical and tariff risk back with a bang for markets.
"As President Donald Trump kicks off the second year of his second term in office, the geopolitical- and tariff-related volatility that characterized his return to power has resurfaced to shake markets. Investors who have been conditioned to asset prices swiftly rebounding are worried that this time, there could be more lasting damage."
https://www.reuters.com/business/geopolitical-tariff-risk-back-with-bang-markets-2026-01-21/
"Trump tariff threats risk triggering 'spiral of escalation' in world economy, says IMF.
"Donald Trump's tariff threats over Greenland risk triggering a "spiral of escalation" that would damage the world economy and lead to a sharp sell-off in financial markets, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said."
"Mark Carney tells Davos the old world order is 'not coming back' as Trump heads to Switzerland.
"Canadian prime minister Mark Carney has said that the US-led global system of governance is enduring "a rupture," defined by great power competition and a "fading" rules-based order."
"Trump doubles down on Greenland ahead of Davos visit, saying there is 'no going back'.
"Asked at a news conference how far he was willing to go to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish territory, he replied: "You'll find out." It comes after French President Emmanuel Macron warned of a "shift towards a world without rules", and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the "old order is not coming back"."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgr19m642zo
"Gold zooms past $4,800 for the first time as Greenland tensions simmer.
"Gold prices were boosted to a record high above $4,800 per ounce on Wednesday, as investors looked to the metal as a safe haven after a broad selloff in U.S. assets on heightened tensions between the U.S. and NATO over Greenland."
"Trump craves more than Greenland. He wants the Moon…
"…the lure remains powerful, especially for someone desperately seeking a legacy, namely Donald J Trump. Before Christmas, he issued an executive order directing Nasa to put a man on the Moon by 2028 - before he ends his second term."
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/20/trump-craves-more-than-greenland-wants-moon/
"'Very historic time': US protests have jumped since Trump's first term…
""It is a very historic time, in the sense that people are mobilizing where they live in ways that I don't think I have seen before in my lifetime," said Erica Chenoweth, a political scientist at Harvard Kennedy School and co-director of the Crowd Counting Consortium."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/19/trump-protests-data
"Trump signs order to restrict Wall Street firms from buying single-family homes…
""To preserve the supply of single-family homes for American families and increase the paths to homeownership, it is the policy of my Administration that large institutional investors should not buy single-family homes that could otherwise be purchased by families," Trump said in his order."
"Risky hedge funds propping up UK borrowing, warns Bank of England.
"The Bank of England Governor said on Tuesday that traders now "dominated" the ownership of the UK's £3tn market for bonds - known as gilts - increasing the risk of rapid sales if they seek quick profits."
"Danish Pension Fund to Dump All U.S. Treasuries Amid Fears Over U.S. Credit Under Trump.
"Danish pension fund AkademikerPension is preparing to liquidate its remaining U.S. Treasury holdings by the end of January, citing concerns over America's long-term fiscal stability and heightened credit risks tied to President Donald Trump's policies."
"Franco-German tensions jeopardize EU's drive for common front against Trump…
"French diplomats are worried by Berlin's increasing assertiveness in styling itself as Europe's dominant player, while the Germans are fed up with the French over a stalled joint fighter-jet program, their opposition to an EU-Mercosur trade deal, and a shelved plan to use Russian assets to finance aid for Ukraine."
https://www.politico.eu/article/france-germany-strain-eu-donald-trump/
"Amid Tensions with Serbia, Kosovo to Deploy Shahed-Like Strike Drones.
"Production began with the manufacture of smaller FPV drones, while larger models are currently still under development. Against the backdrop of Kosovo's expanding defense capabilities, the country is preparing for a potential escalation of tensions with Serbia."
https://militarnyi.com/en/news/amid-tensions-with-serbia-kosovo-to-deploy-shahed-like-strike-drones/
"Ukraine's parliament and half of Kyiv with no heating after Russian strikes.
"A large Russian aerial strike on Ukraine has left the Ukrainian parliament and half of Kyiv's residential buildings without heating or power as temperatures across the country continue to hover around -10C."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy1lpgqenxo
"IMF Slashes Russia's 2026 Growth Forecast to 0.8%.
"The International Monetary Fund on Monday lowered its forecast for Russia's economic growth to 0.8% in 2026 as it raised the global outlook to 3.3%. Previously, the IMF forecast Russia's 2026 GDP growth at 1% before cutting it by 0.2% in the latest World Economic Outlook update."
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/01/19/imf-slashes-russias-2026-growth-forecast-to-08-a91718
"The Ukraine war has given rise to an 'exorcism economy' in Russia…
"The Russian Orthodox Church's appointment of Vladimir Putin as "chief exorcist" in 2022 could also help explain why some Russians have been drawn into a fight with their inner demons. The Russian president's appointment came after the Kremlin called for Ukraine to be "desatanised"."
https://theconversation.com/the-ukraine-war-has-given-rise-to-an-exorcism-economy-in-russia-271037
"China's consumers refuse to open their wallets. Is 'luxury-phobia' the problem?
"As China struggles to boost consumer spending, a professor at one of the country's top universities has argued that authorities first need to overcome a psychological barrier: a deep-seated "luxury-phobia" that has taken hold among the Chinese public."
"Mainland denounces Taiwan-US trade deal as 'sellout pact'.
"A Chinese mainland spokesman on Wednesday criticized the recent trade agreement between Taiwan and the United States, labeling it a "sellout pact" and accusing Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party of jeopardizing the well-being of its people and undermining industrial development."
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202601/21/WS69706bc2a310d6866eb34f43.html
"Chinese tourists shun Japan in wake of Taiwan invasion row.
"Chinese tourism to Japan almost halved in December amid a bitter diplomatic row between Beijing and Tokyo over the security of Taiwan. The number of tourists from mainland China dropped by about 45% from the same month a year earlier to about 330,000, Japan's transport ministry said on Tuesday."
"Japanese bonds hit record high - sending shockwaves through global debt markets.
"Japanese bond yields have soared to record highs - helping push up government borrowing costs around the world. The yield on Japan's 40-year bond rose above 4 per cent for the first time since its introduction in 2007. Finance minister Satsuki Katayama said: 'I'd like everyone in the market to calm down.'"
"North produces enough nuclear material a year for 10-20 weapons: S. Korea president…
""Even now, nuclear materials sufficient to produce 10 to 20 nuclear weapons a year are still being produced" in North Korea, Lee told reporters at a New Year news conference. At the same time, the North is continuing to improve its long-range ballistic missile technology aimed at striking the US mainland, Lee added."
"Indonesia's rupiah falls after Prabowo Subianto nominates nephew to central bank role…
"The currency, which had already been trading near its lowest levels since the 1998 Asian financial crisis due to persistent concerns over Indonesia's fiscal position, weakened to 16,945 to the US dollar on Tuesday, close to a record low hit last April."
https://www.ft.com/content/8326616f-7508-44e2-b79f-34af6eb6cfaf
"Indian Rupee Hits Weakest on Record.
"The Indian rupee fell toward 91.3 per dollar on Wednesday, hitting an all-time low amid persistent foreign capital outflows and heightened geopolitical uncertainty."
https://tradingeconomics.com/india/currency/news/518615
"India beefing up space-based surveillance after border conflict.
"India plans to launch over 50 spy satellites and add night-time imaging to enhance its national security capabilities, people familiar with the matter said, after New Delhi encountered surveillance blind spots during a border conflict last year with neighbor Pakistan."
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/21/asia-pacific/india-space-surveillance-border/
"Pakistan extends airspace ban on Indian aircraft for tenth consecutive month.
"With a few days still remaining in the current restriction period, Pakistan on Tuesday night extended the ban on its airspace for Indian aircraft up to February 24 (5.29 am), marking the tenth consecutive monthly extension. India is expected to reciprocate in kind."
"India is profiling Kashmir mosques, raising new surveillance fears…
"Residents say the police exercise feels less like a routine survey and more like an attempt by the state to exert control over Kashmir's religious institutions that have traditionally managed their own affairs."
"'Weaponisation of water': Pakistan warns UN India's move on Indus treaty threatens water security…
"Speaking at the Global Water Bankruptcy Policy Roundtable hosted by Canada and the United Nations University on Tuesday, Ambassador Jadoon said that since April last year, India had committed several serious violations of the treaty…"
https://www.dawn.com/news/1968202
"Beijing has demanded the Taliban government protect its citizens after an explosion at a Chinese restaurant in the Afghan capital Kabul killed at least seven people…
"The jihadist group Islamic State (IS) said it was behind the attack - although police in Kabul said the "nature of the explosion is unknown so far and is being investigated"."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yvqx22dyvo
"Iran 'just getting started' on punishing 'rioters' arrested during protests…
"In a joint statement released by state media, they said "murderers and terrorist seditionists" will face decisive action, while people who were "tricked" by foreign powers into protesting could potentially benefit from "Islamic compassion" shown by authorities."
"Syrian forces hunt for ISIS fugitives after prison break…
"Syrian forces are hunting ISIS fugitives after dozens escaped from a prison in northeastern Syria, the interior ministry said, as the government moves to take territory from Kurdish fighters… Meanwhile, the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a former US ally in the fight against ISIS, accused the US-led coalition of failing to come to its aid…"
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/20/middleeast/syria-isis-fugitives-prison-break-intl
"[Israeli Defense Minister] Katz issues veiled warning to Turkey as he meets Greek defense minister in Athens…
"Issuing a thinly veiled warning to Turkey, Katz said Israel and Greece were determined "not to allow actors seeking to undermine regional stability to establish a foothold through terrorism, aggression, or military proxies — in Syria, in Gaza, in the Aegean Sea, or in any other arena — and to realize their dangerous ambitions.""
"After Yemen rift, Saudi Arabia aims to oust UAE from wider region.
"The long-simmering rivalry between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that erupted across southern Yemen in recent weeks has led to a dramatic shift in the regional balance of power — and threatens to upend other fragile states where the two countries hold sway."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/01/20/saudi-arabia-uae-yemen-red-sea/
"Sudan's energy crisis deepens amid ongoing conflict.
"After more than two years of conflict, Sudan is facing a deepening energy crisis as the country's oil production and refining capacity collapse. Fighting has forced the shutdown of major oil fields and refineries, leaving production severely disrupted and crippling the nation's energy supply."
https://www.africanews.com/2026/01/19/sudans-energy-crisis-deepens-amid-ongoing-conflict/
"Fighting climate change in the Sahel is worsening conflicts - new research shows how.
"Many climate mitigation efforts are large-scale projects, like building solar farms, extensive reforestation initiatives, or bio-fuel plantations… These projects are deemed vital for reducing carbon footprints. But carrying them out in fragile states poses a risk."
"US forces seize a seventh Venezuela-linked oil tanker…
"US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which oversees military operations in Latin America, said on Tuesday that it captured the Motor Vessel Sagitta as part of its blockade on oil vessels leaving and entering the country."
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/21/us-seizes-a-seventh-venezuela-linked-oil-tanker
"Russian minister visits Cuba as Trump ramps up pressure on Cuba…
"Russia's ambassador to Havana, Victor Koronelli, wrote on X Tuesday that Kolokoltsev was in Cuba "to strengthen bilateral cooperation and the fight against crime." Cuba needs all the help it can get as it grapples with its worst economic crisis in decades and now the added pressure from Washington."
"Trump wants to send troops into Mexico. The land grab of the Mexican-American War makes this 'politically untenable'…
"After the United States government celebrated the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, President Donald Trump issued warnings about what might come next. "Something will have to be done about Mexico," he said."
"State of emergency declared in Guatemala as death toll rises to 10 in gangster attacks.
"The death toll from suspected gangster attacks on Guatemalan police rose to 10 on Monday, as civilians saw heavier security in the streets after Congress approved President Bernardo Arevalo's emergency declaration."
"The Coming Energy Shock: AI, Utilities And What This Means For Investors…
"The old vision of energy transition was about climate, electrification and decarbonization at a global scale. The new reality is more fractured: energy projects tuned not for mass distribution, but for industrial AI demand."
"The world has entered a new era of 'water bankruptcy' with irreversible consequences…
""If you keep calling this situation a crisis, you're implying that it's temporary. It's a shock. We can mitigate it," said Kaveh Madani, director of the UN University's Institute for Water, Environment and Health, and the report's author."
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/20/climate/water-bankruptcy-drought-united-nations
I rely on donations and tips from my readers to to keep the site running. Every little bit helps. Can you chip in even a dollar? Buy me a coffee or become a Patreon supporter. A huge thank you to those who do subscribe or donate.
You can read the previous "Economic" thread here. I'll be back tomorrow with a "Climate" thread.
The post 21st January 2026 Today's Round-Up of Economic News appeared first on Climate and Economy.
20th January 2026 Today's Round-Up of Climate News [ 20-Jan-26 9:44am ]Huge thanks to all of you who contributed to my fundraiser, which has now reached its target. I was very touched by the generosity. And thank you, as ever, to all those who subscribe and donate. I couldn't do this without you.
"Scientists warn of 'regime shift' as seaweed blooms expand worldwide.
"Scientists have warned of a potential "regime shift" in the oceans, as the rapid growth of huge mats of seaweed appears to be driven by global heating and excessive enrichment of waters from farming runoff and other pollutants."
"Antarctic penguins have radically shifted their breeding season - seemingly in response to climate change…
"Dramatic shifts in behaviour were revealed by a decade-long study led by Penguin Watch at the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University, with some penguins' breeding period moving forward by more than three weeks. The changes threaten to disrupt penguins' access to food…"
"Monday ice update - Arctic sea ice extent is currently the *lowest* on record (JAXA data)…
"• about 450,000 km² below the 2010s mean
• about 1,030,000 km² below the 2000s mean
• about 1,580,000 km² below the 1990s mean
• about 2,010,000 km² below the 1980s mean" [Zack Labe]
https://bsky.app/profile/zacklabe.com/post/3mcrtlvxkm22z
"Warm air is reaching Greenland again where the past weeks have been absurdly mild.
"One striking example is Kitsissorsuit-74N, 57.8W. Current average temperature this month is -3.6C [25F] which is about +14C above normal. World record of highest monthly anomaly is +14.8C at Vize Island."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2012712029044494368
"Melting ice may raise Greenland's value. Trump's fight may be just the start….
""It's partly the melting of sea ice making it more attractive for the economic development that he'd pursue in Greenland," said Sherri Goodman, a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council and the former deputy undersecretary of defense for environmental security."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2026/01/18/melting-arctic-greenland-trump-2/
"The Ocean Is Still Reeling From a Single Massive Heat Wave Decades Ago.
"A 2003 marine heat wave in the waters around Greenland continues to impact North Atlantic ocean ecosystems decades on, with a sudden and strong increase in marine heat wave frequency persisting ever since."
https://www.sciencealert.com/the-ocean-is-still-reeling-from-a-single-massive-heat-wave-decades-ag
"Norway's oil fund defends push to water down net zero…
"The $2tn oil fund told the FT that it feared companies could back away from the idea of science-backed climate targets unless they were allowed to emit more greenhouse gases while still claiming to be working towards those goals."
https://www.ft.com/content/dedb200b-8cf4-407d-8e92-593d7a4dca8a
"Pic de Neige Cordier 1950 | 2025 [French Alps].
"Only 7 decades and this south-facing tributary of Glacier Blanc flowing from Neige Cordier (3614 m) has entirely gone! (A red dot indicates a similar location on both images)." [Melaine Le Roy]
https://x.com/subfossilguy/status/2013226113925833123
"Mediterranean Faces Dangerous High Flood Risk as a Deep Low Drives Extreme Rainfall.
"A combination of stratiform and convective rainfall could result in widespread 200-400 mm [15 inches] rain accumulations with the upslope flow onto Corsica, Sardinia, and southeast Italy. The Mediterranean region braces for a period of extreme rainfall…"
"Icy floods have swamped Malta after a freak storm battered the Mediterranean holiday island over the weekend.
"Dramatic footage shows cars buried beneath hailstones as rivers of ice cascade through the streets. Authorities can be seen working furiously to clear the roads…"
"Greater Tunis, Nabeul and Bizerte: Floods are affecting several neighborhoods! [Tunisia].
"Since Sunday evening, a new wave of heavy rain has been affecting northeastern Tunisia, with significant water accumulation in several localities in the Nabeul Governorate, as well as in some areas of Greater Tunis and Bizerte."
"EXTRAORDINARY records hot nights continue in the Gulf of Guinea. Minimum temperatures 26/29C [84.2F] all month:
"Absolutely insane in January. Mins 29C in The Madagascar Channel. Mins 28C in SW Oceania. Mins 27C in The Caribbean. All tropics are smashing record after record. Unprecedented."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2013501939191882120
"South Africa Declares National Disaster After Deadly Floods.
"Heavy rainfall, strong winds, lightning and flooding have resulted in loss of life, significant damage to infrastructure and property, environmental degradation and displacement of communities, the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs said in a statement on Sunday."
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2026/01/19/854770.htm
"Floods in Mozambique displace more than 300,000 people in one province, governor says.
"More than 300,000 people have been displaced by flooding in a province in Mozambique, its governor said Monday. Authorities had already announced that around 40% of the Gaza province has been submerged by floodwater following weeks of torrential rain…"
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/mozambique-gaza-south-africa-maputo-davos-b2903481.html
"Extraordinary and unprecedented heat in the Indian Ocean: the islands of Juan de Nova and Europa [off Mozambique] keeps recording Minimums temperatures of 29C+ [84.2F] for days, already 3 in a row and counting..
"Never happened anywhere in Southern Africa, although the record of 30.3 set last year is safe."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2013471881291276375
"Syrian army moves to retake strategic Tishrin Dam from YPG militants.
"The Tishrin Dam, situated on the Euphrates River, is Syria's second-largest hydroelectric facility and holds strategic importance for energy and water management. Last week, Syrian forces began operations to push YPG elements from areas west of the Euphrates."
"Central Asia's water resources are running out: what happens when the tipping point is reached?
"Climate change, growing consumption, and systemic weaknesses in water governance are making the country increasingly vulnerable. Experts warn that without an urgent revision of water policy, the capitals of Central Asia could face a crisis comparable to the one already unfolding in Tehran."
https://asiaplustj.info/ru/node/357021
"Tajikistan Expands Saxaul Plantations to Fight Climate Change.
"Tajikistan is stepping up efforts to combat climate change and land degradation by expanding saxaul plantations across several regions. In the Shahriotus district of Khatlon province, saxaul has already been planted on more than 250 hectares…"
https://caspianpost.com/tajikistan/tajikistan-expands-saxaul-plantations-to-fight-climate-change
"Quetta's water crisis worsens as groundwater depletes and public supply fails [Pakistan].
"Behind people's daily struggles lies a deeper structural crisis rooted in geography, climate and policy failure. Despite covering nearly 44 per cent of Pakistan's landmass, Balochistan receives less than 200mm of annual rainfall, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department."
https://www.dawn.com/news/amp/1964668
"When winter burns: Uttarakhand to Kashmir, Himalayan forests are catching fire out of season.
"From Uttarakhand to Himachal Pradesh and deep into Jammu and Kashmir forest fires are breaking all known seasonal patterns. Erupting at a time when they simply should not exist. What we are witnessing is not an isolated anomaly. It is a warning…"
"India's coconut belt battles whitefly crisis…
"Across India, farmers battling climate change, erratic rainfall, rising input costs, labour shortages and unstable markets now face another persistent threat: the rugose spiralling whitefly (RSW)."
https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/indias-coconut-belt-battles-whitefly-crisis/
"Not just Indore: Urban rivers and lakes turning toxic in Madhya Pradesh.
"Most major cities of Madhya Pradesh—Bhopal, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Ujjain and Sagar—depend directly or indirectly on rivers, lakes and groundwater for drinking water. All these sources are under increasing pressure from urban sewage, industrial waste and solid garbage."
https://www.counterview.net/2026/01/not-just-indore-urban-rivers-and-lakes.html
"CHINA HISTORIC WARM SPELL. This unprecedented January warm spell which has broken hundreds of records continue.
"Many January records today includes: 19.0 Chongqing, Tiancheng, Yubei, Changshou etc. Also almost 31C in Taiwan. Tomorrow >30C [86F] in Yunnan."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2012867048599093556
"Wildfire rages for nearly two days in China's Yunnan…
"The fire broke out at 4:51 p.m. on Friday in Jiasheng Village, under the jurisdiction of Nujiang Prefecture. The local government has organized 326 rescuers, including personnel from forestry, grassland and firefighting departments, to combat the blaze."
"HISTORIC WINTER WARM SPELL IN JAPAN. Another record day in this endless January warm spell with temperatures up to 25.8C [78.4F] and even some tropical nights in the southern islands.
"10 more records of January high temperatures fell (see list credit of JMA)… Geochang in South Korea broke its record of January highest temperature again."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/201319138912386702
"Well, Gorontalo record hasn't lasted long…24 hours Minimum of 26.6C [79.9F] and hottest night in history.
"Record hot nights all over Indonesia which has broken heat records every single day for over 1000 consecutive days."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/201343771315290933
"Persistent floods kill 5, paralyze transport across Java.
"Flooding across Java has left at least five people dead, displaced thousands of residents, and disrupted public transportation networks, with authorities warning the situation could persist through February."
"Perth & WA weather: Scorching temperatures across State prompt extreme heatwave, fire warnings.
"A severe heatwave warning is in effect for residents living in the Kimberley, Central West, and Lower West regions of the State, while people living in Pilbara, Gascoyne, and the North Interior have been issued an extreme heatwave warning."
"Pilbara water sources drying up as blistering heatwave continues in Karratha…
"A key water source for a major city in Western Australia's North West has hit its lowest level since 1987, as the region faces another week of temperatures creeping towards 50 degrees Celsius. Yesterday, Karratha, 1,500 kilometres north of Perth, recorded rainfall for the first time since August 2025."
"Australia's ocean temperatures reached a record high in 2025, according to Weatherzone, due to a number of climate drivers.
"The weather service reported the mean annual sea surface temperature in Australia last year was 21.13 degrees, which is 0.93 degrees above the 1961-1990 average."
"After four shark attacks in 48 hours, NSW authorities urge beachgoers 'just go to a pool'…
"Shark bites are rare in Sydney Harbour. Before Sunday, there had been just four in the past 50 years, including a woman who was seriously injured after a bull shark bit her leg in Elizabeth Bay in 2024."
"EXTRAORDINARY UNBELIEVABLE. Records of Hottest nights ever recorded in VANUATU and NEW CALEDONIA.
"MINIMUMS 28.0 at Mare Island, Lifou Island and Aneityum. Smashed the records with ridiculous margins… ALL TIME RECORD at Raoul Island with 31.1C [88F]."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2013231772658786564
"Chile wildfires rage for third day, entire towns wiped out.
"Wildfires that have killed at least 20 people in southern Chile and wiped out entire towns raged for a third day on Monday, January 19, fanned by warm temperatures and strong winds at the height of the Southern Hemisphere summer."
"An exceptionally long heat wave is culminating with a record hot night in Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL.
"Tonight Minimums in the ciy area were 25C/28C [82.4F], in some cases a record high Minimum (City Center, Marambaia)."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/201328512815216686
"Heat inequality: Study measures the toll of climate change in Rio de Janeiro favelas…
"Michele Campos feels like crying every summer when temperatures in Rio de Janeiro climb above 40°C (100°F), heating up the cement that covers every corner of the favela of Chapeu Mangueira where she lives and making life unbearable in her windowless bedroom."
"Damage in various neighborhoods of Mar del Plata after the storm: "Some people lost their roofs" [Argentina].
""Thank God no one was hurt. We went inside when we saw the strong wind coming," said a neighbor, adding, "Some people lost their roofs.""
"HISTORIC HEAT IN THE CARIBBEAN. Record heat continues from Mexico (39C/102F) in Sinaloa to Central America and Caribbean.
"Today 90F/32.2C St Thomas Airport. US VIRGIN ISLANDS HOTTEST JANUARY DAY - Record broken 5 times in 1 week and all months of 2024 and 2025! Crazy MINIMUM 26.0C Montego Bay JAMAICA Record January hottest night. Temperatures are typical of AUGUST."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2013065882633748665
"We are witnessing record tropical heat waves everywhere:
"Hundreds of records are falling in Oceania (New Caledonia, Fiji, Indonesia),Africa (French Territories, Mozambique, Gulf of Guinea),Central America and Caribbean, every day. We can only imagine how it will be with the next Nino."
https://x.com/extremetemps/status/2012905669121446073
"Insurance companies: Climate-related damage shifts to consumers.
"Extreme weather events are an increasing burden on insurers, who are withdrawing from a growing number of high-risk areas. As a result, the costs of climate-related damage are increasingly being shifted to households, companies and the public sector."
"Wildfires trigger massive soil loss for decades, new global map shows.
"When rain falls on the charred landscapes, it increases surface runoff and soil erosion that can last for decades, according to a new study published in Nature Geoscience."
https://phys.org/news/2026-01-wildfires-trigger-massive-soil-loss.html
"The way Earth's surface moves has a bigger impact on shifting the climate than we knew.
"…the way tectonic plates move about Earth's surface plays a major, previously underappreciated role in climate. Carbon doesn't just emerge where tectonic plates meet. The places where tectonic plates pull away from each other are significant too."
"Breaking News!
"CERES just released the "Earth Energy" data for November, 2025, and there was a new record low for the 36-month running average for Earth albedo, now down to 28.682%.
""Well, darkness has a hunger that's insatiable." -Indigo Girls."
[Prof Eliot Jacobson]
https://x.com/EliotJacobson/status/2012578014106882110
I rely on donations and tips from my readers to to keep the site running. Every little bit helps. Can you chip in even a dollar? Buy me a coffee or become a Patreon supporter. A huge thank you to those who do subscribe or donate.
You can read the previous "Climate" thread here. I'll be back tomorrow with an "Economic" thread.
The post 20th January 2026 Today's Round-Up of Climate News appeared first on Climate and Economy.
19th January 2026 Today's Round-Up of Economic News [ 19-Jan-26 9:12am ]Huge thanks to all of you who contributed to my fundraiser, which has now reached its target. I was very touched by the generosity. And thank you, as ever, to all those who subscribe and donate. I couldn't do this without you.
"Billionaire wealth jumps to highest ever at $18.3 trillion as Oxfam warns of 'dangerous inequality'…
"The total number of billionaires in the world has now reached 3,000 for the first time ever, while 1 in 4 people globally do not regularly have enough to eat, and nearly half of the world's population lives in poverty, the report shows."
"Gen Z protests show level of youth frustration.
"Exasperated by lack of opportunity and freedoms, young people across the globe are resorting to direct action… Born between 1997 and 2012, the Gen Z cohort will this year celebrate birthdays between 14 and 29, moving it decisively to the political centre stage."
https://www.ft.com/content/8edfe87e-c3b9-4a1f-ace6-cd904f19f138
"These prophets of economic doom are worried about another collapse.
"The current investment boom is triggering déjà vu for some economists and traders who successfully predicted past economic crashes… A tech-fueled surge in share prices over recent years has driven the total value of the stock market to far outweigh U.S. economic input…"
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/01/18/ai-bubble-predictions-crash/
"'We could hit a wall': why trillions of dollars of risk is no guarantee of AI reward…
"…sky-high numbers are all propped up by investors who expect a return on their trillions. AGI, a theoretical state of AI where systems gain human levels of intelligence across an array of tasks and are able to replace humans in white-collar jobs such as accountancy and law, is a keystone of this financial promise."
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/17/why-trillions-dollars-risk-no-guarantee-ai-reward
"Private credit investors pull $7bn from Wall Street's biggest funds.
"Private credit investors pulled more than $7bn from some of the biggest funds on Wall Street in the final months of last year, as jitters over credit quality following the bankruptcies of First Brands and Tricolor hit one of the fastest-growing parts of finance."
https://www.ft.com/content/8d7a9c3d-8e1c-40be-915c-7118c4946468
"Gold, silver hit record highs as Trump-Greenland row sparks safety rally.
"Gold and silver prices climbed to fresh peaks on Monday, as investors poured into safe-haven assets after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose extra tariffs on European countries over the control of Greenland."
"Trump has tariffs. Europe has a 'trade bazooka.' This Greenland standoff could get ugly, fast.
"President Donald Trump's latest tariff threats over Greenland and Europe's potential countermeasures could result in significantly higher import prices that could weaken both economies. Neither side appears to be messing around…"
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/18/business/europe-greenland-trump-tariffs-trade
"Bessent says Europe is too weak to guarantee Greenland's security.
"US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent said that Europe was too weak to guarantee Greenland's security, as the US refused to back down on its demand to take control of the strategically important island."
https://www.ft.com/content/4128365f-37d9-4f69-b916-1bc0d1bae040
"Hedge funds have placed a £100bn bet on gilts that the Bank of England believes has left Britain dangerously exposed to a bond market meltdown.
"Andrew Bailey will face questions from MPs this week after Threadneedle Street expressed alarm over trades that allow hedge funds to borrow huge amounts of cash from banks using gilts as collateral."
"Europe already 'at war' with Russia, says central banker.
"Latvia's central bank governor Mārtiņš Kazāks… a member of the European Central Bank's governing council who is a contender to become ECB vice-president, stressed that central banks and the financial system needed to prepare for further escalation."
https://www.ft.com/content/16b95175-6b23-4544-86e5-4d9c6662d6b4
"Zelenskyy demands faster energy imports as Ukraine reels from power outages.
"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said imports of electricity and additional power equipment must be accelerated as Russian attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure have left the country reeling from its worst wartime energy crisis."
"Moscow cheers NATO crisis as the Ukraine war stifles Russia's economy, forcing companies to use 4-day weeks and lay off workers…
"Weapons makers and other suppliers are booming as the Kremlin funnels investments and loans to those industries. But the rest of the economy is suffering."
"China's economy hit growth goal last year despite Trump trade war and property crisis…
"Economy weathered a fraught geopolitical landscape to reach 5% target but structural challenges at home 'are not going away', say experts… Among those is a four-year housing market meltdown that has left Chinese homeowners depressed and unwilling to spend."
"China Home Prices Fall Again as Calls Grow for More Action…
""Beijing cannot afford to let its property sector slide indefinitely," Lu Ting, chief China economist at Nomura Holdings Inc., wrote in a recent note. "Much more decisive action is needed to truly stabilize the property sector and the overall economy.""
"China's demographic alarms blare as births hit historic low and population shrinks again.
"China's birth count plummeted to a record low last year, falling by about 10 million from its 2016 peak and slashing the total by more than half in less than a decade, as the country's population shrank for a fourth consecutive year."
"Japan protests China's latest resource development move in East China Sea…
"Tokyo has confirmed the move in waters close to the Japan-China median line, the ministry said in a statement. "It is extremely regrettable," the ministry said, adding that the boundaries of the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in the region have yet to be demarcated."
"Japan's 10-Year Bond Yield Hits 27-Year High at 2.23%…
"This trend is attributed to market sentiment that if the ruling party wins the early general election, which Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has decided to hold, the Takaichi cabinet's aggressive fiscal policies will be strengthened."
https://www.chosun.com/english/market-money-en/2026/01/19/GE3MY4KNXVBRVDV7ZB6CT7RCDU/
"South Korea deploying 'monster' ballistic missile to deter North Korea: Report…
"The surface-to-surface missile, which can carry a warhead weighing up to 8 tons, is designed to destroy underground bunkers, and is an important factor in Seoul's plan to deter and, if necessary, respond to a major attack by Pyongyang, according to Yonhap News."
"China flies drone into Taiwan's airspace for first time…
""China has found another soft spot," said Kitsch Liao, an associate director at the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub. "They can repeat this to demonstrate that they can enter Taiwan airspace with impunity.""
https://www.ft.com/content/4b73bf1c-76a4-426f-a335-de8528b24acb
"The war on the horizon that global economies haven't priced in.
"A clash between China, Taiwan and the US would dwarf every current conflict - and AI won't save us… The Chinese navy, the world's largest for some time, has lately become much more assertive, staging lots of "near misses" against US and Australian vessels across the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca…"
"Cambodia protests Thai military actions at border.
"Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MFAIC) has expressed strong protest against the actions of the Thai armed forces that threaten civilian security, strengthen military control, or alter the situation on the ground."
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501828780/cambodia-protests-thai-military-actions-at-border/
"Fresh unrest in Murshidabad, police resort to baton charge to disperse mobs [West Bengal].
"Fresh unrest was reported at Beldanga in Murshidabad district of West Bengal on Saturday as locals blocked National Highway 12. Hundreds of locals gathered on the highway at Barua More in Beldanga, bringing traffic on the national highway to a standstill and triggering long queues of stranded vehicles."
"Tajikistan border guards neutralize four militants on border with Afghanistan.
"The Border Troops of the State Committee for National Security of Tajikistan reported the liquidation of four "members of a terrorist organization" who illegally crossed the state border from Afghanistan."
"UN Warns 17.4 Million Afghans Could Face Severe Food Insecurity in 2026…
"OCHA highlighted that Afghanistan is likely to experience one of the world's largest humanitarian crises next year. Years of conflict, economic fragility, low investment in essential services, and the rapid erosion of basic rights have left vast segments of the population highly vulnerable."
https://www.khaama.com/un-warns-17-4-million-afghans-could-face-severe-food-insecurity-in-2026/
"'He hoped Trump's help would arrive': why protesters in Iran feel betrayed…
"Authorities started shooting, but no help came. On 8 January, the internet was shut off and Iran went dark, Shirzad was shot at a protest in Tehran and died of his wounds hours later, leaving behind a 12-year-old son."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/18/why-protesters-iran-feel-betrayed-donald-trump
"Iraq announces full withdrawal of US forces from its federal territory…
"Iraq's defense ministry said the final contingent of US advisers had departed from Al-Asad Air Base in Anbar province in western Iraq, which hosted US troops for more than two decades."
"US kills Al-Qaeda-linked leader behind ISIS attack that killed two service members and American interpreter, military says…
"A retaliatory airstrike strike in northwest Syria on Friday killed Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, who was "an experienced terrorist leader who plotted attacks," according to U.S. Central Command."
"Syrian troops seize nation's largest oilfield…
"The Omar facility and nearby gas fields are under army control after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) pulled back, the BBC reported. The army had earlier captured the strategic Tabqa dam on the Euphrates River."
https://www.upstreamonline.com/politics/syrian-troops-seize-nations-largest-oilfield/2-1-1929753
"Israel seizes swathes of Palestinian West Bank land, raids villages…
"According to reports, the government seized around 700 dunams of land. Hebrew-language paper Yedioth Aharonoth confirmed the land grab, stating: "A few days ago, 695 dunams were taken to establish a new neighbourhood near the settlement of Karnei Shomron"."
https://www.newarab.com/news/israel-seizes-swathes-palestinian-land-west-bank
"A hundred days of Gaza ceasefire? For us, the war continues in all but name…
"We exist between the anguish of our past, the fear of the unknown, and the constant threat of war. I have never felt as though there is a ceasefire. Each day is soundtracked by the background noise of the yellow line bombing the eastern Gaza region."
"Uganda's president calls opponents 'terrorists' in victory speech…
"The whereabouts of the opposition leader, Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi and who won 25% of the vote, were still uncertain after he said on Saturday that he had escaped a police raid on his home and was in hiding."
"Port Assab becomes flashpoint for Ethiopia-Eritrea relations.
"The latest development comes amid a growing feud between Eritrea and Ethiopia over landlocked Ethiopia's lack of sea access. Eritrea's 1993 independence left Ethiopia without direct access to the Red Sea, which Ethiopian Prime Minister Ahmed sees as a defining strategic constraint for Africa's second-most populous country."
https://www.dw.com/en/port-assab-becomes-flashpoint-for-ethiopiaeritrea-relations/a-75453946
"Sudan's people endure 'horror and hell' in war, says UN rights chief.
"United Nations rights chief Volker Turk says the war in Sudan has put its people through "horror and hell", as Sudan's population continues to face acute food insecurity and displacement."
"The violent convergence of the Sudanese civil war and Chadian sovereign security reached a critical threshold last week, within the strategically vital Tine corridor.
"This lethal engagement, characterized by the Chadian government as a deliberate incursion by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), resulted in the death of seven Chadian soldiers and the destruction of military assets."
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/sudan-chad-clash-the-tine-incursion-and-north-africa-sahel-security/
"The Biggest Challenge in Venezuela? Forget the Oil, It's Stocking the Fridge…
"After more than a decade in crisis, Venezuela is no stranger to food shortages, high prices and economic pain. But the U.S. military raid that removed Venezuela's leader, Nicolás Maduro, has plunged the South American nation into a chaotic new chapter of political and economic uncertainty, setting off a new wave of inflation…"
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/18/world/americas/venezuela-economy-food-prices.html
"Clashes in Colombia between rival rebel groups kill 27 people.
"At least 27 members of a leftist rebel group have been killed in clashes in central Colombia with a rival faction, according to military authorities, at a time of heightened tension in the region under the pall of United States military action in Venezuela and threats against Colombia."
"Life in Cuba after Trump's threats: 'This is a ship adrift'.
"The possibility of the US overthrowing the communist regime seems more plausible than ever, even more than during the Cold War. In Havana, a mixture of emotions hangs in the air, sometimes contradictory, but always permeated by the extreme precariousness of the present and anxiety about the future."
"Bank of England must plan for a financial crisis triggered by aliens, says former policy expert.
"Helen McCaw, who served as a senior analyst in financial security at the UK's central bank, has written to Andrew Bailey… saying politicians and bankers can no longer afford to dismiss talk of alien life, and warned a declaration of this nature could trigger bank collapses."
I rely on donations and tips from my readers to to keep the site running. Every little bit helps. Can you chip in even a dollar? Buy me a coffee or become a Patreon supporter. A huge thank you to those who do subscribe or donate.
You can read the previous "Economic" thread here. I'll be back tomorrow with a "Climate" thread.
The post 19th January 2026 Today's Round-Up of Economic News appeared first on Climate and Economy.
Has the transition to low-carbon electricity caused bills to rise? And what will happen over the next few years? [ 13-Dec-25 4:01pm ]
Source: www.electricitybills.co.uk. All data in real 2025 prices and exclude VAT. Figures are for a household consuming 3,100 kWh a year.
The analyst Ben James provides very useful data on the composition of energy costs at www.electricitybills.uk. He calculates how a bill is made up for a household consuming 3,100 kWh a year, showing how much arises from the wholesale cost of electricity and how much from other elements, such as supplier costs, transmission and from the impact of government initiatives.[1]
We are locked in debate as to why electricity prices are so high and rising in the UK. We can use Ben James' data from the last few years to indicate what percentage of the increase in electricity prices has been due to the growth in power prices and what share comes from other parts of the consumer's bill. He also provides some careful forecasts of how the constituent elements will change over the years to 2030/31.
What do the numbers show for the past few years?
· For the period between 2019/20 and this year, the numbers from electricitybills.uk suggest that only about a third of the rise in electricity prices has occurred because of higher wholesale costs of electricity.
· Approximately another third arises directly or indirectly from the policies intended to support moves towards the full decarbonisation of the electricity grid.
· The final third of the increase comes from greater supplier costs and other smaller elements. In other words, it's finely balanced as to whether gas costs or energy policies have caused more of the inflation we have seen.[2]
Looking ahead at the next five years, Ben James' forecast estimates that household power bills will rise by 8% or more, even if the government continues with the recently announced temporary policy of removing the Renewables Obligation from the makeup of costs paid by buyers. (His views are not unusual; the business supply team at npower have similarly pessimistic forecasts for the period to 2030/31.)
· Within the total bills, he suggests we'll actually see falling wholesale costs, a conclusion he comes to after a series of interviews with other industry analysts.
· The large bulk of the future rise in retail power prices is driven by the costs associated with the energy transition, such as transmission and distribution network improvements, the payments under the Contracts for Difference scheme, the rising costs of having to restrict electricity generation at times when the grid is overloaded and the subsidy costs for the proposed new nuclear power station at Sizewell.
These results make uncomfortable reading for those of us seeking the fastest possible transition to a wholly decarbonised electricity grid. The increase in high voltage transmission costs alone will wipe out the gains from decreased wholesale prices in the period from now until 2030/31. We should accept that we are now entering the period of maximum upward impact of government policies on retail electricity bills.
Let's put this another way.
· In 2019/20, Ben James suggests that the real terms household electricity bill was £763 a year (NB: excluding VAT). By 2030/31, he suggests that the figure will be around £995, or 30% more.
· However, in that period the cost of the wholesale electricity bought to meet the demand from that household will see a small reduction from £272 (36% of the final bill) to £269, when it will be just a 27% share. Whatever else is tending to increase prices, it certainly isn't the underlying cost of the electricity itself.
This unfortunate effect is almost certainly temporary; as improved high voltage transmission links are successfully completed, the costs of grid curtailment will fall sharply in the 2030s. Similarly, Renewable Obligation and CfD costs will decline as the subsidy periods end. In ten years time electricity bills will probably be substantially reduced as cheaper and cheaper renewables provide almost all the power into the UK grid and gas generation ceases to play an important role.
However the next few years will almost certainly see understandable discontent over high electricity costs. Whether we like to admit this or not, government policies towards electricity are imposing substantially higher costs on householders today.
The details - 2019/20 to 2025/26
Ben James provides estimates in both nominal and real terms. He also adds VAT to the final bill rather than to individual elements. My analysis of his numbers uses the costs expressed in 2025/26 real terms and without VAT.
His figures suggest a total electricity bill of £763 for a 3,100 kWh household in 2019/20 and an annualised cost of £922 in this financial year thus far. (The numbers for this year therefore exclude any changes in cost from January to March). This represents a supplement of £159, a real increase of around 21% over the nearly six year period.
In 2019/20, the cost of purchasing the electricity to supply to the household was £272 out of a total final bill of £763, a 36% share. (All figure in real terms). By 2025/6, this share had fallen slightly to 35%. The share of network costs and generation subsidies had also declined marginally to a total of around 43% of the bill in 2025/26.
The constituents of the overall increment of £159 in bills, expressed in £ and as a percentage of the aggregate increase, are as follows:
Table 1: The sources of increased electricity bills in the UK
Source: www.electricitybills.co.uk. All data in real 2025 prices and exclude VAT. Figures are for a household consuming 3,100 kWh a year.
(Numbers are rounded and therefore do not exactly agree).
I have then estimated how much of the total increase is due to policies associated with the energy transition. These percentages are necessarily approximate. In the case of investments in the lower voltage distribution networks, for example, some extra capital expenditure would have been necessary to improve ageing infrastructure. But for the grid balancing costs, the substantial increase in costs arise almost entirely from the need to cope with the rising percentage of intermittent electricity supply. This has meant a steep but irregular increase in 'constraint payments' that are made to power producers obliged to disconnect from the grid. This was the single most important reason why bills rose as a result of energy policies.
In total, these rough estimates suggest that policies to speed up the move to low carbon generation were responsible for about 34% of the increase in bills from 2019/20 to this year. For comparison, 33% of the increment arose from higher wholesale bills, largely caused by increases in the price of gas supplied to power stations. The next most important reason for rising costs was the 13% increase in revenues retained by suppliers, partly to cope with higher bad debt levels.
In one sentence, electricity inflation is one third due to higher gas prices, one third to the cost of decarbonisation and one third for other reasons.
Table 2 How much of the increase in electricity prices has arisen from net zero policies?
Source: www.electricitybills.co.uk. All data in real 2025 prices and exclude VAT. Figures are for a household consuming 3,100 kWh a year.
The details - 2025/26 to 2030/31
The British government made two significant changes in a recent budget. It took 75% of the payments for the Renewables Obligation out of customer bills and placed the cost in general taxation until 2029. (Understandably, Ben James assumes this arrangement will actually continue indefinitely beyond 2029 because of the difficulty of raising household bills, particularly in an election year). It also abandoned the ECO scheme, which had used cash from electricity purchases to pay for improvements in the insulation of domestic homes. These two adjustments will reduce electricity bills by about £105 in the 2026/27 year according to the Ben James calculations.[3]
However these two changes are not sufficient to stop bills rising, even as expectations of future wholesale costs show substantial declines. After the reallocation of most of the Renewables Obligation costs, the real terms price of electricity for 3,100 kWh of household consumption is still projected to increase from £922 to £995 by 2030/31, a rise of £73 or 8%. And this number may be an underestimate; Ben James' spreadsheets do not yet include figures for hydrogen or long duration storage subsidies because of the lack of information on likely costs.
In other words, the government's commitment to reduce energy bills by 2030 by £300 for the typical household will not be met by projected retail electricity price changes.
Why are electricity bills expected to rise? In contrast with recent years, the cause is not an increase in wholesale costs, which are expected to fall from £324 to £269, a reduction of £55, or about 20%. The dominant causes of future retail electricity price inflation are network costs - up by £135 - and low carbon subsidies, now expected to increase by £72 a home if we exclude the cut to the Renewables Obligation.[4] (To restate the obvious point: if the government in its November 2025 budget had not removed 75% of Renewable Obligations costs from household bills, the expected increase would have been substantially larger.
The increase in network costs dominates the chart below. High voltage transmission charges double to around £105 from 2025/26 to 2030/31. Network balancing costs more than double and lower voltage distribution bills rise by over 25%.
Contracts for Difference, the active subsidy scheme for renewables, will cost the typical 3,100 kWh household £70 in 2030/31, up from £33 this year. The bills for the capacity market are projected to rise by £17 to £46. However these increases are more than balanced by the removal of 75% of the cost of the Renewables Obligation which saves the billpayer £85.
In summary, the expected annual change in real terms costs for a 3,100 kWh household bill is shown in the following chart.
Table 3
Source: www.electricitybills.co.uk. All data in real 2025 prices and exclude VAT. Figures are for a household consuming 3,100 kWh a year.
The likely rise in household bills is disturbing in itself. The further problem is that increased electricity prices are likely to cause a continuing flight of businesses from the UK, chased away by the costs of carrying out industrial activities here. We need to address this important public policy issue urgently. The net zero cause is not assisted by ignoring the impact of rising electricity bills, either on popular support or on UK industrial production.
[1] Ben James' calculations use an electricity consumption of 3,100 kWh per year. Ofgem's current estimate of the purchases of a typical household not using their electricity for heating is 2,700 kWh. Consumption continues to fall, even as more EVs are in use, because of more efficient household appliances and lights. And probably the impact of higher prices.
[2] The counter argument is that the increase in subsidy costs is a result of bringing more renewables onto the UK grid. The greater volumes of electricity from wind and solar have tended to reduce the requirements for the more expensive gas-fired power stations to operate. In this way, renewables subsidies could have reduced average power prices below would they might have been. The response is to say that without the policy-induced growth of renewables the UK might have seen the power market incentivise the construction of increased numbers of efficient CCGT stations, thus holding down power prices.
[3] The saving from the government's Renewable Obligation reduction will fall from 2027/28 onwards as projects within the scheme gradually reach the end of their subsidy period.
[4] The payments made by households towards the construction of Sizewell C are not strictly subsidies but rather interest payments on investments being made to build the nuclear power station.
How electricity imports into GB change with differing levels of wind and solar output [ 30-Oct-25 5:09pm ]When wind and solar provide more than 55% of GB electricity, imports of power from other countries start to drop sharply. Below this level of renewables generation we usually see over 5 GW of electricity from interconnectors but when the level gets above 75% the volume is typically less than 1GW.
Not only will continued growth in renewables reduce average wholesale prices - as has been recently extensively discussed, including on this site - but it will also therefore reduce the volume of imports, improving Britain's trade balance. A year ago, Drax estimated that electricity imports typically, cost about £250m a month, or around £3bn a year.
The pattern is shown in the chart below which logs half hourly import volumes against the share of wind and solar in total electricity generation, including imports, over 2025 so far. Up to a 55% wind and solar share, imports are typically between 4.9 and 5.6 GW of total electricity need. Then a sharp and consistent fall begins. Combined with 3-4 GW of nuclear power, high levels of renewables reduce wholesale electricity prices and make it unprofitable to import electricity via interconnectors to compete in the UK wholesale market.
Source: NESO
Increasing amounts of renewable capacity will increase the percentage of the time that wind and solar push out imports. During 2025, wind and solar share has been above 55% only about 15% of all half hour periods. But it has been above 30% almost half of the time.
So if, as targeted, wind and solar grows by double by 2030, we can expect more and more frequent periods of very limited imports of electricity. My rough calculations suggest that typical half hourly imports are likely to fall from an average of 5.1 GW to just under 3.2 GW (assuming total electricity consumption does not change). The saving will be between £1 and £1.5bn a year.
How much electricity storage capacity does the UK need? [ 04-Oct-25 6:10pm ]The first winter storm of 2025 has just passed over the UK, providing huge amounts of wind-generated electricity. This wasn't the first time in recent weeks. From late July to late August 2025 we saw a consistent mixture of high winds and good sun across the UK. At the peak at about 11am on the 11th of September, these renewable sources provided more than 27.5 GW into the GB electricity grid accounting for approximately 70% of total needs. The purpose of this note is to estimate how much storage capacity will be needed in future to cope with periods of very strong supply such as we saw in that four week period.
Across the whole period from the morning of 25th August to the afternoon of 22nd September, the average production of wind and solar electricity was about 14.6 GW, representing over 48% of GB demand in the period.
The UK government has targets for expanding renewables capacity by 2030. Much of the expansion will take place in offshore wind, already the most important source of renewable power. And, moreover, experts believe that new offshore wind installations will obtain a significantly higher average load ('capacity factor') than existing offshore wind. Turbines are bigger and will be placed in areas of higher typical wind speeds. Onshore wind will also see improved 'capacity factors'. Changes in solar will not be as sharp, although we will probably notice some improvements as very large installations are placed in the southernmost parts of England.
I looked at how much electricity would have been generated from 25th August to 22nd September 2025 if the target solar and wind capacity for 2030 was already in place. This period would have seen substantial and long periods of excess production. My purpose was to give a rough idea of how much storage capacity will be needed as the UK expands intermittent renewables.
A short note on how I made the calculations is appended below. But, to summarise, the conclusion is that at least 8 TWh of storage capacity would have been needed to hold all the excess electricity generated in this four week period in August and September. That would power the whole of GB for about 10 days at current rates of consumption.
As at September 2025, the UK has just over 10 GWh of batteries, or just over 0.1% of the storage capacity required in 2030 just to handle this single period of good solar and wind production. This assumes renewable targets are met and electricity demand stays constant.
If wastage is to be avoided, huge surplus such as we have just seen has to be stored so that it is ready for the inevitable periods of deficit that will follow, such as we see in the last days of September in this chart, when almost 2 TWh are needed. Batteries are unlikely ever to be able to store enough, even in progress in costs contains at very high rates. I believe gaseous hydrogen stored in underground salt caverns is likely to be the only viable storage medium for the huge quantities of energy needed to be held in reserve when solar and wind do not meet the needs of Great Britain.
Chart 1
Notes
1, I obtained half hourly production data for the days in August and September from the NESO generation database. This database estimates how much electricity came from each type of power source.
2, I multiplied the solar and wind installed capacity figures to the level that is likely in 2030, if government renewable installation targets are met. Notes 3 and 4 say how this was done.
3, In the case of solar, the capacity in 2030 is expected to be about 2.41 times the level in late summer 2025. I assumed no increase in production per unit of installed capacity. In other words, the capacity factor is held constant.
4, For wind, I used the UK government's figures for the expected increase in capacity factors by 2030. Onshore = 25% to 36%, offshore 38% to 49%. To be clear, existing installations continue to achieve current capacity factors, new installations obtain the higher numbers.
5, From these numbers I was able to calculate what would be the output of wind and solar in 2030 in the meteorological conditions that we saw in August and September.
6, I then assumed that no other generation sources were operating and no electricity imports were flowing into the country. The single exception in my arithmetic is nuclear power, which remains at the level achieved in the two months of this year. The calculations therefore provide the smallest possible estimate of how much excess electricity generation will take place.
7, The chart shows that in the early weeks of August, wind and solar alone (+nuclear) would have been sufficient to meet all electricity demand. The surplus peaks on August 10th at about 2.5 TWh. Then the system swings into deficit, falling to a low of about 0.25 TWh on August 25th. At that point, therefore, solar and wind will not quite have provided enough electricity between August 1st and August 25th to meet the country's total need.
8, But then a prolonged period of about four weeks of excess production starts. Almost all days see an increase in the surplus and it rises to around 7.9 TWh on August 22nd. The system has swung from a deficit of 0.25 TWh to a surplus of 7.9 TWh.
The weaknesses in the assumptions in this note.
1, I assume static electricity demand. This may or may not be implausible. Electricity use is still falling, despite the growth of electric cars. But this will change at some point as heat pumps, greater industrial use of electricity and rapid increase in EV numbers turn the decline around.
2, It may be that the collection efficiency of wind turbines does not increase as fast as the government predicts.
3, in the calculations I assume other sources of power, whether from gas, imports, biomass or other sources, are completely unused. This is clearly unreasonable but I made this choice to show that, even under extreme absence of other electricity sources, solar and wind will produce long periods of excess supply by 2030 and that storage will be necessary in amounts vastly greater than currently envisaged.
Andrew Neil errors on offshore wind developers [ 01-Sep-25 4:41pm ]The journalist Andrew Neil published an article on 27th August about offshore wind in the Daily Mail, a UK newspaper. The article contains a large number of factual inaccuracies. I have commented on these in 15 notes in the text below. These points are are embedded below and to the right of the relevant sentences in the Andrew Neil text (which is now all in a bold font).
Many of Mr Neil's other assertions in the article are highly contentious but I have tried to restrict my responses to clearing up the most obvious errors in his text. Where useful, my comments are accompanied by a reference that provides the source for my corrections
Andrew Neil, Daily Mail 27th August
For those deluded enough to believe government claims that renewable energy is the key to a glorious future of clean, cheap energy, have a look at the plight of Orsted, the world's biggest wind farm developer.
Until recently, it was Denmark's industrial champion and the darling of the Green Blob, with investments across the globe including 12 offshore wind farms in British waters.
Yet today Orsted is a financial basket case, surviving thanks only to the prospect of a multi-billion-pound bailout from the Danish taxpayer.
Note 1
Ørsted is not a 'financial basket case'. Here is a quote from the Economist of 28th August 2025[1]:
'Orsted's financial position is not yet a cause for alarm. Its annualised return on capital employed was a relatively healthy 7.5% in the first half of 2025, rising to 12.3% once accounting impairments and costs related to project cancellations are excluded. Analysts expect it to generate an operating profit (before depreciation and amortisation) of DKr 28bn this year, about as much as in 2024 and enough to comfortably service the company's DKr 66bn pile of net debt.'
Its fall from grace is a case study in the pitfalls of renewables, especially wind power. And it has huge implications for UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband's zealous obsession with 'decarbonising' our electricity grid by 2030 so that it is overwhelmingly powered by renewables alone.
Even before Orsted ran into trouble, that was always going to be a stretch. Now, with the Danish giant wallowing in the knacker's yard, it is (spoiler alert) mission impossible.
Note 2
Ørsted is not 'wallowing in the knacker's yard'. Here is a second quotation from the Economist of 28thAugust 2025[2]:
'Yet despite the stormy weather, there is no need for Orsted's investors to panic.'
In May, citing escalating costs, Ørsted announced it was handing back the contract Miliband had just given it to develop Hornsea 4 off the coast of Yorkshire, earmarked to be Britain's biggest offshore wind farm.
Note 3
Ørsted did not 'hand back the contract'. In a press release on 7th May the CEO of the company said[3]:
"I'd like to emphasise that Ørsted continues to firmly believe in the long-term fundamentals of and value perspectives for offshore wind in the UK. We'll keep the project rights for the Hornsea 4 project in our development portfolio, and we'll seek to develop the project later in a way that is more value-creating for us and our shareholders."
This despite the fact the contract came with massive subsidies and generous price guarantees.
Note 4
Mr Neil fails to understand the way the UK system for financing renewables work. There are no 'massive subsidies'. Instead, renewables developers such as Orsted bid for a single guaranteed price for their electricity output for a period of years. This scheme is called 'Contracts for Difference' or CfD. Orsted has been a bidder in many of the UK government's auction for CfDs. There is no separate subsidy scheme.
Orsted added that it had no plans to bid for any more UK wind farm developments.
Note 5
No, it did not add this point. In the 7th May press release mentioned above the CEO said[4]:
"We remain fully committed to being an important partner to the UK government to help them achieve their ambitious target for offshore wind build-out and appreciate the work they've done to deliver a clear framework to support offshore wind.."
Cue silence from Miliband and his increasingly discredited Department of Energy Security and Net Zero.
Note 6
Mr Miliband was abroad when the announcement was made. Reuters reported that he commented as follows[5]:
Britain's Energy Secretary Ed Miliband hoped the plans could be revived.
"We are still committed to working with Orsted to seek to make Hornsea 4 happen by 2030," Miliband told reporters while on a visit to Norway."
This assertion supports the point made above that Orsted did not 'hand back the contract'.
Orsted's troubles started in America, where it was investing big. In 2023 and 2024, it had to halt two massive projects because higher than expected costs and supply chain problems were making them uneconomic, despite subsidies from the then Biden administration, which shared Miliband's enthusiasm for renewables.
American withdrawal cost Orsted $5.6billion in 'impairments' - accountancy jargon for huge losses - and marked the start of serious financial trouble. Its share price tanked and Orsted was forced to announce a $9.4billion 'rights issue' to raise fresh capital.
Note 7
Orsted has not withdrawn from America. On 16th December 2024 it announced a new US CEO, Amanda Dasch, in a press release which included the following sentences[6]:
"We're thrilled to welcome Amanda to our leadership team and to draw from her 20+ years of energy experience in the U.S. to guide and advance our plans to build an American energy industry across technologies, including offshore and onshore wind, solar, and battery storage," said Rasmus Errboe, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Commercial Officer, Ørsted. "Amanda joins a strong Region Americas team that is advancing a core market for our company, and I look forward to her joining us in January."
Since the Danish government is the biggest shareholder, the Danish taxpayer is on the hook for at least half of that (unless the Danes are prepared to let their former champion go to the wall, which is unlikely).
The cost of the state bail-out could be even higher now that Donald Trump, no fan of wind power, has ordered a halt to Orsted's $1.5billion wind farm development off Rhode Island pending investigation into the national security implications of foreign-owned critical infrastructure (something that, in its mad dash to Net Zero, seems to cause our own government no concern).
Of course, Miliband claims developing our own renewables will ensure security of supply - by reducing our dependence on supposedly unreliable foreign gas. But most of our gas comes from Norway these days, which is a pretty secure supply.
In contrast, wind turbines and solar panels are nearly all imported - increasingly from China - which might not always be reliable.
Note 8
With respect to wind turbines, this is not true. The large majority of wind turbines in the UK, onshore and offshore, are made by European manufacturers[7]. Some are also made by the US company GE Vernova. The UK is a particular centre for the manufacture of offshore wind turbine blades in Siemens Gamesa's Hull factory.
If Miliband really cared about security of supply, he wouldn't be shutting down any further oil and gas exploitation in the North Sea. But he is. Norway, on the other hand, has just discovered a massive new oilfield it plans to develop.
Orsted's troubles are proof positive that cheap renewable energy is a lie.
After all, if wind power was going to sweep all before it by outcompeting nasty fossil fuels and nuclear power, why do developers like Orsted demand ever bigger subsidies to continue investing?
Wind power is only cheap if you ignore most of the costs associated with it, a sleight of hand Miliband and his ilk have been allowed to get away with for too long by an unquestioning media which has largely swallowed the Net Zero agenda.
When you include the cost of offshore wind power - the building and sinking the turbines in the sea, the cables required to take the power onshore, the transformers required to insert the power into the National Grid, the upgrading of the Grid to deal with the 'intermittency' of wind power and the cost of keeping gas-fuelled electricity generating stations ticking over for when the wind isn't blowing (or blowing so much the turbines have to be closed down) - then wind power is anything but cheap.
Note 9
1, The costs mentioned by Mr Neil, such as putting foundations in place are paid for by the wind farm developer and the cost is covered in the CfD price. 2, There will be no need to upgrade the electricity distribution system ('the Grid') to cope with the intermittency of wind power. There will be investment in large scale batteries and other forms of electricity storage but intermittency itself does not mean the Grid will need to changed. 3, Gas-fuelled power stations are not kept 'ticking over' for when the wind isn't blowing. Yes, at the moment the Grid always keeps about 2 gigawatts of gas power operational even when wind speeds are high. This is to provide what is known as 'inertia' to the network and, second, to help deal with unexpected short-term variations in the supply from other sources. But gas-fired power stations are not kept operational in order the deal with future periods of low wind speed.
Consider the following figures. Gas recently cost about £60 per megawatt hour (MWh). To that, the Government adds a carbon emissions levy of £15/MWh, taking the cost of gas for electricity generation to £75/MWh.
Note 10
In the UK market as currently configured, the cost of electricity is almost always set by the lowest price offered by gas-fired power stations competing in the power markets. The average 'day ahead' hourly electricity price in the UK in these markets over the first 220 days of 2025 was about £100, not £75, and this is what electricity produced from gas will have been worth to power station owners[8]. Recent days have seen temporarily lower prices because demand has been restrained during the summer holidays but the price is highly likely to revert to the standard levels in September.
The carbon emissions levy is approximately £25 per megawatt hour, not £15. (This is included in the £100 figure, as is always the case in industry analyses).
Offshore wind automatically gets the £75/MWh plus another £83/MWh in subsidies to pay for the costs outlined above - plus another £32/MWh to pay for various technical matters related to the stability of the National Grid.
Note 11
This is the most serious problem in the article. This comment suggests Mr Neil has no understanding of the way the UK is incentivising wind and solar developments. Large scale renewables, such as offshore wind, now typically bid into Dutch auctions for Contracts for Difference. If they win, the government ensures they are paid a guaranteed price for each megawatt hour they produce. (Please see Note 4 above). They do not receive the market price for electricity in addition to this. Nor do they receive 'another £32/MWh to pay for various technical matters..' or any other subsidy. The last auction for offshore wind CfDs produced a quaranteed price of £58.87 (in 2012 prices) per megawatt hour[9]. Inflated to July 2025 prices, this auction price is just over £85. This means the numbers in the next sentence are wholly wrong.
That's a grand total of £190/MWh for wind versus £75/MWh for gas.
Note 12
The correct way to compare gas-fired electricity and offshore wind to use the £100 figure for gas (Note 10) against the current CfD price for offshore wind (which may rise or fall at the next auction) of around £85 per megawatt hour. In addition, offshore wind should be assumed to add some costs to the running of the Grid. Large batteries, for example, are needed to help ensure that short-term surpluses and deficits of electricity can be accommodated. New grid connections have to be constructed. Estimates vary as to the real cost of adding more large-scale wind or solar to the power supply but figures of between £10 and £25 per megawatt hour are estimated. The most recent government estimates (from 2023, and therefore now out-of-date) suggest direct offshore wind costs are less than half those of a modern gas-fired power station.[10]
More in subsidies for wind than the total cost of gas.
Note 13.
This is wholly incorrect, as the above numbers show. There are no direct subsidies to today's offshore wind farms. They are paid a guaranteed price which will sometimes be higher than the market price for electricity and sometimes lower.
And remember, you are picking up the tab for all this in higher energy bills, taxes and the soaring price of anything (including food) that uses energy.
No wonder British households now face some of the highest energy bills in the world and our heavy industry has been decimated by huge energy costs (the highest in the developed world) - £228/MWh in the UK versus £110 in Germany, £65 in France and £52 in Sweden.
Note 14
This sentence contains another very serious error. UK heavy industry's electricity costs are subsidised by the UK and are expected to be around £86 per megawatt hour after a small adjustment which has just been introduced[11]. According to Ed Miliband's department, this figure compares with £69 in France and £60 in Germany. Secondly, it is certainly true that UK domestic electricity bills are high compared to most other countries. The excess arises largely, as stated above, because the wholesale price of electricity is set in the UK by gas-fired power stations and not because of payments to renewable generators.
And all to further Miliband's vainglorious pursuit of Net Zero, on which billions are being squandered while households and industry are impoverished. Of course, as always, a privileged few are doing well out of the madness. Failed, has-been politicians feather their retirement nests by sitting on Green Blob lobbies and quangos. Landowners replenish their depleted family fortunes by accommodating wind turbines on their estates. Green zealots, such as Dale Vince, become multi-millionaires supping at the generous teat of subsidised renewable energy while bankrolling the Labour Party.
The misuse of our money staggers even me - and I've been following energy policy for years. Miliband has pledged £50billion in subsidies to develop carbon capture and storage (CCS), a dubious and untried technology designed to bury CO2 emissions underground.
A study of eight CCS projects around the world by the Institute for Energy Economics found that none worked well and that most had been commercial and technological failures. It warned that the UK's CCS projects risked becoming a bottomless pit.
Bottomless it may be, but Miliband is still throwing billions into it. His barmy dash to Net Zero is the most expensive, self-inflicted wound in modern British history, penalising struggling households, killing industry, stifling economic growth, deepening regional inequalities.
It has become the most efficient system for taking money from the poor and giving it to the rich since feudalism.
A wise government would see Orsted as a wake-up call. Time to put a halt to further wind power while better ways of pricing energy are devised and the possibilities of new technologies more clearly seen.
Note 15
Offshore wind is being developed around the world, particularly rapidly in China. In high latitude countries like the UK it will continue to provide inexpensive electricity with direct CO2 emissions. The UK has a strong position in this industry and backing away now would risk large numbers of UK jobs and experts and would increase the price of our electricity.
Instead, this Labour government blithely continues to feed the monster even while pleading poverty on so many other fronts that do require government cash.
I suspect it is largely because Keir Starmer knows nothing about energy policy and doesn't understand the folly of what is happening on his watch. If so, he will rue the day. Allowing Miliband to continue with his free hand will end up being the biggest nail in Starmer's political coffin.
Chris Goodall, chris@carboncommentary.com, +44 (0)7767 386696
September 1 2025
[1] https://www.economist.com/business/2025/08/28/how-much-trouble-is-the-worlds-biggest-offshore-wind-developer-in
[2] https://www.economist.com/business/2025/08/28/how-much-trouble-is-the-worlds-biggest-offshore-wind-developer-in
[3] https://orsted.com/en/company-announcement-list/2025/05/orsted-to-discontinue-the-hornsea-4-offshore-wind--143901911
[4] https://orsted.com/en/company-announcement-list/2025/05/orsted-to-discontinue-the-hornsea-4-offshore-wind--143901911
[5] https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/offshore-wind-developer-orsted-q1-beats-forecasts-2025-05-07/
[6] https://us.orsted.com/news-archive/2024/12/amanda-dasch-selected-as-orsted-region-americas-ceo
[8] The £100 figure comes from analysis I have carried out of data from the UK electricity system operator, NESO. This data was used to create the regressions in the previous article on this web site.
[9] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/contracts-for-difference-cfd-allocation-round-6-results/contracts-for-difference-cfd-allocation-round-6-results-accessible-webpage
[10] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6556027d046ed400148b99fe/electricity-generation-costs-2023.pdf
Climate change and La Niña made 'devastating' southern African floods more intense [ 29-Jan-26 4:00am ]"Exceptionally heavy" rainfall that led to deadly flooding across southern Africa in recent weeks was made more intense by a combination of climate change and La Niña.
This is according to a rapid attribution study by the World Weather Attribution service.
From late December 2025 to early January, south-eastern Africa was hit hard by intense downpours that resulted in more than a year's worth of rain falling in some areas in just a few days, according to the study.
This led to severe flooding that left at least 200 people dead, thousands sheltering in temporary accommodation and tens of thousands of hectares of farmland waterlogged.
The analysis finds that periods of intense rainfall over southern Africa have become 40% more severe since pre-industrial times, according to observations.
The authors say they were unable to calculate how much of this increase was driven specifically by climate change, due to limitations in how climate models simulate African rainfall.
However, the study notes that the researchers "have confidence that climate change has increased both the likelihood and the intensity" of the rainfall.
The authors also note that the El Niño-Southern Oscillation phenomenon played a role in the "devastating" flooding, estimating that a La Niña event made the rainfall around five times more likely.
Major disruptionThe heavy rainfall started on 26 December last year and intensified from early January. The most-extreme rainfall took place between 10 and 19 January.
The countries most affected by the floods, and analysed by the study, are Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe, with some areas receiving up to 200mm of rain, according to the study authors.
Study author Bernardino Nhantumbo - a researcher at Mozambique's National Institute of Meteorology - told a press briefing that in just two or three days, some areas recorded the amount of rainfall that is "expected for the whole rainy season".
The map below shows the areas most affected by intense rainfall over 10-19 January. Darker blue indicates a greater accumulation of rainfall, while light green indicates less rainfall. The pink box shows the study area.
Most affected areas by large floods in southern Africa. Darker blue indicates a greater accumulation of rainfall, while light green indicates less rainfall. The pink box shows the study area. Source: WWA (2026).
In Mozambique, the floods damaged nearly 5,000km of roads, which has hindered the transport of goods and affected pharmaceutical supply chains, the study says. In Zimbabwe, bridges, roads and infrastructure were "significantly damaged or destroyed".
More than 75,000 people have been affected by the floods in Mozambique, according to the study. BBC News reported the floods were the worst seen "in a generation" in the country.
Dr Izidine Pinto, a climate scientist from Mozambique currently working at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, told a press briefing that the country was particularly affected because it "lies downstream of major river basins".
The flooding prompted Mozambique's education minister to consider rescheduling the start of the academic year, according to Channel Africa.
In South Africa, the country's weather service said that areas receiving more than 50mm of rain over 11-13 January were "widespread", with some places seeing up to 200mm.
South Africa's Kruger National Park - the largest national park in South Africa - was severely damaged by floods and temporarily closed after several rivers burst their banks, reported TimesLIVE.
The South African news outlet quoted environment minister Willie Aucamp as saying: "The indication is that it will take as long as five years to repair all the bridges and roads and other infrastructure."
Extreme rainfallThe peak of the rainy season in southern Africa falls between December and February.
To put the extreme rainfall into its historical context and determine how unlikely it was, the authors analysed a timeseries of 10-day maximum rainfall data for the December-February season.
They find that in today's climate, extreme rainfall events of the scale seen this year in southern Africa would be expected only once every 50 years.
They add that such events have become "significantly more intense", with observational data showing a 40% increase in rainfall severity since pre-industrial times.
The map below shows accumulated rainfall over Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe over 10-19 January, as a percentage of the average December-February rainfall for the region over 1991-2020.
Green shading indicates that the rainfall in 2026 was higher than in 1991-2020, while brown indicates that it was lower. The red box indicates the study region.
Accumulated rainfall over Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe over 10-19 January 2026, shown as a percentage of the average December-February rainfall for the region over 1991-2020. The study region is outlined in dark red. Source: WWA (2026).
The study explains that in January and February, rainfall patterns in southern Africa are "strongly influenced" by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a naturally occurring climate phenomenon that affects global temperatures and regional weather patterns.
La Niña is the "cool" phase of ENSO, which typically brings wetter weather to southern Africa.
Pinto told the press briefing that "most past extreme rainfall events [in the region] have occurred during La Niña years".
The authors estimate that the current weak La Niña event made the extreme rainfall five times more likely and increased the intensity of the event by around 22%.
For attribution studies, which identify the "fingerprint" of human-caused climate change on extreme weather events, scientists typically use climate models to simulate and compare worlds with and without global warming.
However, many models have limitations in their simulations of African rainfall. In this study, the authors found that the models available to them cannot "adequately capture" the influence of ENSO on rainfall in the region.
Study author Prof Fredi Otto, a professor in climate science at the Imperial College London, told a press briefing that these limitations are "well known". They stem, in part, because the models were "developed outside of Africa" by modellers with different priorities, she explained.
This means that the authors were unable to calculate how much more intense or likely the rainfall event was specifically as a result of human-caused warming.
However, Otto explained that the authors are "very, very confident that climate change did increase the likelihood and intensity of the rainfall" to some extent. This is because the observations all show an increase in rainfall over time and other existing literature supports this assumption, she added.
She told the press briefing that the results of this study were "definitely not 100% satisfactory", adding that this study will "definitely not be the last of its kind in this region".
(These findings are yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal. However, the methods used in the analysis have been published in previous attribution studies.)
VulnerabilityThe study warns that the flooding "exposed deep and persistent social vulnerability in the region".
The authors say that a large proportion of the population - especially in urban areas - live in poor housing with "inadequate planning and insufficient provision of basic services".
Paola Emerson, head of office at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Mozambique, told a UN press briefing about the flooding that nearly 90% of people in the country live in traditional adobe houses that "basically melt after a few days' rains".
In a WWA press release, study author Nhantumbo explained:
"When 90% of homes are made of sun-dried earth, they simply cannot withstand this much rain. The structural collapse of entire villages is a stark reminder that our communities and infrastructure are now being tested by weather they are just not designed to endure."
Study author Renate Meyer - an adviser with the conflict and climate team at the Red Cross Red Crescent Centre - said in a WWA press briefing that the "recurring frequency of hazards such as drought and extreme rainfall have had a significant impact on communities experiencing, amongst others, displacement, health challenges, socioeconomic loss and psychological distress".
For example, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a press release that the event had disrupted access to health services and increased the risks of water- and mosquito-borne diseases, as well as respiratory infections across southern Africa.
Meyer explained that the countries included in this study have "substantial populations living below or near the poverty line with limited savings, low insurance cover and a high dependence on climate sensitive livelihoods".
Guest post: How adaptation has cut flood deaths and losses in Europe
Attribution
|09.09.25
Children born in 2020 will face 'unprecedented exposure' to climate extremes
Attribution
|07.05.25
Two-thirds of global warming since 1990 caused by world's 'wealthiest 10%'
Attribution
|07.05.25
'Catastrophic' 2023 lake outburst in India driven by glacial melt and permafrost thaw
Attribution
|30.01.25
jQuery(document).ready(function() { jQuery('.block-related-articles-slider-block_332c49e59f124375c5edbec2c2ee3b07 .mh').matchHeight({ byRow: false }); });The post Climate change and La Niña made 'devastating' southern African floods more intense appeared first on Carbon Brief.
Climate change could lead to 500,000 'additional' malaria deaths in Africa by 2050 [ 28-Jan-26 4:00pm ]Climate change could lead to half a million more deaths from malaria in Africa over the next 25 years, according to new research.
The study, published in Nature, finds that extreme weather, rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns could result in an additional 123m cases of malaria across Africa - even if current climate pledges are met.
The authors explain that as the climate warms, "disruptive" weather extremes, such as flooding, will worsen across much of Africa, causing widespread interruptions to malaria treatment programmes and damage to housing.
These disruptions will account for 79% of the increased malaria transmission risk and 93% of additional deaths from the disease, according to the study.
The rest of the rise in malaria cases over the next 25 years is due to rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns, which will change the habitable range for the mosquitoes that carry the disease, the paper says.
The majority of new cases will occur in areas already suitable for malaria, rather than in new regions, according to the paper.
The study authors tell Carbon Brief that current literature on climate change and malaria "often overlooks how heavily malaria risk in Africa is today shaped by climate-fragile prevention and treatment systems".
The research shows the importance of ensuring that malaria control and primary healthcare is "resilient" to the extreme weather, they say.
Malaria in a warming worldMalaria kills hundreds of thousands of people every year. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 610,000 people died due to the disease in 2024.
In 2024, Africa was home to 95% of malaria cases and deaths. Children under the age of five made up three-quarters of all African malaria deaths.
The disease is transmitted to humans by bites from mosquitoes infected with the malaria parasite. The insects thrive in high temperatures of around 29C and need stagnant or slow-moving water in which to lay their eggs. As such, the areas where malaria can be transmitted are heavily dependent on the climate.
There is a wide body of research exploring the links between climate change and malaria transmission. Studies routinely find that as temperatures rise and rainfall patterns shift, the area of suitable land for malaria transmission is expanding across much of the world.
Study authors Prof Peter Gething and Prof Tasmin Symons are researchers at the Curtin University's school of population health and the Malaria Atlas Project from the The Kids Research Institute, Australia.
They tell Carbon Brief that this approach does not capture the full picture, arguing that current literature on climate change and malaria "often overlooks how heavily malaria risk in Africa is today shaped by climate-fragile prevention and treatment systems".
The paper notes that extreme weather events are regularly linked to surges in malaria cases across Africa and Asia. This is, in-part, because storms, heavy rainfall and floods leave pools of standing water where mosquitoes can breed. For example, nearly 15,000 cases of malaria were reported in the aftermath of Cyclone Idai hitting Mozambique in 2019.
However, the study authors also note that weather extremes often cause widespread disruption, which can limit access to healthcare, damage housing or disrupt preventative measures such as mosquito nets. These factors can all increase vulnerability to malaria, driving the spread of the disease.
In their study, the authors assess both the "ecological" effects of climate change - the impacts of temperature and rainfall changes on mosquito populations - and the "disruptive" effects of extreme weather.
Mosquito habitatTo assess the ecological impacts of climate change, the authors first identify how temperature, rainfall and humidity affect mosquito lifecycles and habitats.
The authors combine observational data on temperature, humidity and rainfall, collected over 2000-22, with a range of datasets, including mosquito abundance and breeding habitat.
The authors then use malaria infection prevalence data, collected by the Malaria Atlas Project, which describes the levels of infection in children aged between two and 10 years old.
Symons and Gething explain that they can then use "sophisticated mathematical models" to convert infection prevalence data into estimates of malaria cases.
Comparing these datasets gives the authors a baseline, showing how changes in climate have affected the range of mosquitoes and malaria rates across Africa in the early 21st century.
The authors then use global climate models to model future changes over 2024-49 under the SSP2-4.5 emissions pathway - which the authors describe as "broadly consistent with current international pledges on reduced greenhouse gas emissions".
The authors also ran a "counterfactual" scenario, in which global temperatures do not increase over the next 25 years. By comparing malaria prevalence in their scenarios with and without climate change, the authors could identify how many malaria cases were due to climate change alone.
Overall, the ecological impacts of climate change will result in only a 0.12% increase in malaria cases by the year 2050, relative to present-day levels, according to the paper.
However, the authors say that this "minimal overall change" in Africa's malaria rates "masks extensive geographical variation", with some areas seeing a significant increase in malaria rates and others seeing a decrease.
Disruptive extremesIn contrast, the study estimates that 79% of the future increase in malaria transmission will be due to the "disruptive" impacts of more frequent and severe weather extremes.
The authors explain that extreme weather events, such as flooding and cyclones, can cause extensive damage to housing, leaving people without crucial protective equipment such as mosquito nets.
It can also destroy other key infrastructure, such as roads or hospitals, preventing people from accessing healthcare. This means that in the aftermath of an extreme weather event, people face a greater risk of being infected with malaria.
The climate models run by the study authors project an increase in "disruptive" extreme weather events over the next 25 years.
For example, the authors find that by the middle of the century, cyclones forming in the Indian Ocean will become more intense, with fewer category 1 to category 4 events, but more frequent category 5 events. They also find that climate change will drive an increase in flooding across Africa.
The study finds that without mitigation measures, these disruptive events will drive up the risk of malaria - especially in "main river systems" and the "cyclone-prone coastal regions of south-east Africa".
Between 2024 and 2050, 67% of people in Africa will see their risk of catching malaria increase as a result of climate change, the study estimates.
The map below shows the percentage change in malaria transmission rate in the 2040s due to the disruptive impacts of climate change alone (left) and a combination of the disruptive and ecological impacts (right), compared to a scenario in which there is no change in the climate. Red and yellow indicate an increase in malaria risk, while blue indicates a reduction.
Colours in lighter shading indicate lower model confidence, while stronger colours indicate higher model confidence.
Increase in clinical cases of malaria projected across Africa over the next 25 years, broken down into the different drivers of malaria risk. Blue shading indicates "disruption", while grey shading indicates "ecological" changes. Source: Symons et al (2026).
The maps show that the "disruptive" effects of climate change have a more uniform effect, driving up malaria risk across the entire continent.
However, there is greater regional variation when these effects are combined with "ecological" drivers.
The authors find that warming will increase malaria risk in regions where the temperature is currently too low for mosquitoes to survive. This includes the belt of lower latitude southern Africa, including Angola, southern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia, as well as highland areas in Burundi, eastern DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda.
Meanwhile, they find that warming will drive down malaria transmission in the Sahel, as temperatures rise above the optimal range for mosquitoes.
Rising riskThe combined "disruptive" and "ecological" impacts of climate change will drive an additional 123m "clinical cases" of malaria across Africa, even if the current climate pledges are met, the study finds.
This will result in 532,000 additional deaths from malaria over the next 25 years, if the disease's mortality rate remains the same, the authors warn.
The graph below shows the increase in clinical cases of malaria projected across Africa over the next 25 years, broken down into the different ecological (yellow) and disruptive (purple) drivers of malaria risk.
Increase in clinical cases of malaria projected across Africa over the next 25 years, broken down into the different drivers of malaria risk. Blue shading indicates "disruption", while grey shading indicates "ecological" changes. Source: Symons et al (2026).
However, the authors stress that there are many other mechanisms through which climate change could affect malaria transmission - for example, through food insecurity, conflict, economic disruption and climate-driven migration.
"Eradicating malaria in the first half of this century would be one of the greatest accomplishments in human history," the authors say.
They argue that accomplishing this will require "climate-resilient control strategies", such as investing in "climate-resilient health and supply-chain infrastructure" and enhancing emergency early warning systems for storms and other extreme weather.
Dr Adugna Woyessa is a senior researcher at the Ethiopian Public Health Institute and was not involved in the study. He tells Carbon Brief that the new paper could help inform national malaria programmes across Africa.
He also suggests that the findings could be used to guide more "local studies that address evidence gaps on the estimates of climate change-attributed malaria".
Study authors Symons and Gething tell Carbon Brief that during their study, they interviewed "many policymakers and implementers across Africa who are already grappling with what climate-resilient malaria intervention actually looks like in practice".
These interventions include integrating malaria control into national disaster risk planning, with emergency responses after floods and cyclones, they say. They also stress the need to ensure that community health workers are "well-stocked in advance of severe weather".
The research shows the importance of ensuring that malaria control and primary healthcare is "resilient" to the extreme weather, they say.
UN report: Five charts which explain the 'gap' in finance for climate adaptation
Risk and adaptation
|29.10.25
Guest post: How adaptation has cut flood deaths and losses in Europe
Attribution
|09.09.25
Warming due to tropical deforestation linked to 28,000 'excess' deaths per year
Plants and forests
|27.08.25
Scientists are 'most trusted' source of climate information in global-south survey
Public opinion
|22.08.25
jQuery(document).ready(function() { jQuery('.block-related-articles-slider-block_75906bc939d253957be67a97c9451173 .mh').matchHeight({ byRow: false }); });The post Climate change could lead to 500,000 'additional' malaria deaths in Africa by 2050 appeared first on Carbon Brief.
Cropped 28 January 2026: Ocean biodiversity boost; Nature and national security; Mangrove defence [ 28-Jan-26 3:00pm ]We handpick and explain the most important stories at the intersection of climate, land, food and nature over the past fortnight.
This is an online version of Carbon Brief's fortnightly Cropped email newsletter. Subscribe for free here. This is the last edition of Cropped for 2025. The newsletter will return on 14 January 2026.
Key developments High Seas Treaty enters forceOCEAN BOOST: The High Seas Treaty - formally known as the "biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction", or "BBNJ" agreement - entered into force on 17 January, following its ratification by 60 states, reported Oceanographic Magazine. The treaty establishes a framework to protect biodiversity in international waters, which make up two-thirds of the ocean, said the publication. For more, see Carbon Brief's explainer on the treaty, which was agreed in 2023 after two decades of negotiations.
Subscribe: Cropped- .pull-left{background: #f4f4f4} .listing ul{list-style:none; margin:0} ol {background: #F4F4F4; padding: 0px;} .listing ul {background: #F4F4F4; padding: 0px;} .listing li{font-size:0px;}
Sign up to Carbon Brief's free "Cropped" email newsletter. A fortnightly digest of food, land and nature news and views. Sent to your inbox every other Wednesday.
DEEP-SEA MINING: Meanwhile, the US - which is not a party to the BBNJ's parent Law of the Sea - is pushing on with an effort to accelerate permitting for companies wanting to hunt for deep-sea minerals in international waters, reported Reuters. The newswire described it as a "move that is likely to face environmental and legal concerns".
UK biodiversity probeSECURITY RISKS: The global decline of biodiversity and potential collapse of ecosystems pose serious risks to national security in the UK, a report put together by government intelligence experts has concluded, according to BBC News. The report was due to be published last autumn, but was "suppressed" by the prime minister's office over fears it was "too negative", said the Times.
COLLAPSE CONCERNS: Following a freedom-of-information (FOI) request, the government published a 14-page "abridged" version of the report, explained the Times. A fuller version seen by both the Times and Carbon Brief looked in detail at the potential security consequences of ecosystem collapse, including shifting global power dynamics, more migration to the UK and the risk of "protests over falling living standards".
- OZ BUSHFIRES: Bushfires continued to blaze in Victoria, Australia, amid record-breaking heat, said the Guardian. A recent rapid attribution analysis found that the "extreme" Australian heat in early January was made around five times more likely by fossil-fuelled climate change.
- MERCO-SOURED: On 17 January, the EU signed its "largest-ever trade accord" with the Mercosur bloc of countries - Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay - after 25 years of negotiations, per Reuters. On 21 January, amid looming new US sanctions, EU lawmakers voted to send the pact to the European Court of Justice, which could delay the deal by almost two years, according to the New York Times.
- SOY IT ISN'T SO: Meanwhile, the Guardian reported that UK and EU supermarkets have "urged" traders who had "abandoned" the Amazon soya moratorium to stick to its core principles: "not to source the grain from Amazon land cleared after 2008".
- WATER 'BANKRUPTCY': A new UN report warned that the world is facing irreversible "water bankruptcy" caused by overextracting water reserves, along with shrinking supplies from lakes, glaciers, rivers and wetlands, Reuters reported. Lead author Prof Kaveh Madani told the Guardian that the situation is "extremely urgent [because] no one knows exactly when the whole system would collapse".
- KRUGER UNDER WATER: Flood damages to South Africa's Kruger National Park could "take years to repair" and cost more than $30m, said the country's environment minister, quoted in Reuters. Rivers running through the park "burst their banks" and submerged bridges, with "hippos seen…among treetops", it added.
- FORESTS VS COPPER: A Mongabay report examined how "community forests stand on the frontline" of critical-minerals mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's copper-cobalt belt.
This week, Cropped speaks to the lead author of a new study that looks at how - and where - mangrove restoration can be best supported across the world.
Along Mumbai's smoggy shoreline, members of the city's Indigenous Koli community wade through the mangroves at dawn to catch fish. Behind their boats, giant industrial cranes whir to life, building new stretches of snaking coastal highway that blot out the horizon.
Mumbai's mangrove cover is possibly the highest for any major city. With their tangled, stilt roots, mangrove species serve as a natural defence for a city that experiences storm surges and urban flooding every year. These events disproportionately affect the city's poor - particularly its fishing communities.
This mangrove buffer is being increasingly threatened, as the city chooses coastal roads and other large development projects over green cover, despite protests. But can green and grey infrastructure coexist to protect vulnerable communities in a warming world?
A new global-scale assessment published last week tallied the benefits of mangrove restoration for flood risk reduction, factoring in future climate change, development and poverty.
It advanced the idea of "hybrid" coastal defence measures. These combine pairing tropical ecosystems with modern, engineered defences for sea level rise, such as dykes and levees.
When Carbon Brief contacted lead author and climate scientist Dr Timothy Tiggeloven of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, he was in Kagoshima in Japan, home to the world's northernmost mangrove forests. Why combine mangroves and dykes? Tiggeloven explained:
"Mangroves are like active barriers: they reduce incoming energy from waves, but they will not stop the water coming in from storms, because water can flow through the branches. But wave energy can still be overtopped. So if you reduce wave energy via mangroves and have dykes behind this, they very much have a synergy together and we wanted to quantify the benefits for future adaptation."
According to the study, if mangrove-dyke systems were built along flood-prone coastlines, mangrove restoration could reduce damages by $800m a year, with an overall return-on-investment of up to $125bn.
It could also protect 140,000 people a year from flood risk - and 12 times that number under future climate change and socioeconomic projections, the study said.
According to the study, south-east Asia could reap the "highest absolute benefits" from mangrove restoration under current conditions. Countries that could see the "highest absolute potential risk reduction" - considering future climate damages in 2080 - are Nigeria ($5.6bn), Vietnam ($4.5bn), Indonesia ($4.3 bn), and India ($3.8bn), it estimated.
Maharashtra - which Mumbai serves as the state capital for - is one of two subnational regions globally that could reap the largest benefits of restoration.
Tiggeloven emphasised that the goal of the study was to examine how restoration impacts people, "because if we're looking only at monetary terms, we're only looking at large cities with a lot of assets", he told Carbon Brief.
A pattern that his team found across multiple countries was that people with lower incomes are disproportionately living in flood-prone coastal areas where mangrove restoration is suitable. He elaborated:
"Wealthier areas might have higher absolute damages, but poor communities are more vulnerable, because they lack alternatives to easily relocate or rebuild, so the relative impact on their wellbeing is much greater."
Poorer rural coastal communities with fewer engineered protections, such as sea walls, could benefit the most from restoration as an adaptive measure, the study found. But as the study's map showed, there are limits to restoration. Tiggoloven concluded:
Watch, read, listen"We also should be very careful, because mangroves cannot grow anywhere. We need to think 'conservation' - not only 'restoration' - so we do not remove existing mangroves and make room for other infrastructure."
DU-GONE: A feature in the Guardian examined why so many dugongs have gone missing from the shores of Thailand.
WILD LONDON: Sir David Attenborough explored wildlife wonders in his home city of London. The one-off documentary is available in the UK on BBC iPlayer.
GREAT BARRIER: A Vox exclusive photo-feature looked at the "largest collective effort on Earth ever mounted" to protect Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
'SURVIVAL OF THE SLOWEST': A new CBC documentary filmed species - from sloths to seahorses - that "have survived not in spite of their slowness, but because of it".
- Including carbon emissions from permafrost thaw and fires reduces the remaining carbon budget for limiting warming to 1.5C by 25% | Communications Earth and Environment
- Penguins in Antarctica have radically shifted their breeding seasons in response to rising temperatures | Journal of Animal Ecology
- Increasing per-capita meat consumption by just one kilogram a year is "linked" to a nearly 2% increase in embedded deforestation elsewhere | Environmental Research Letters
- 31 January: Deadline for inputs on food systems and climate change for a report by the UN special rapporteur on climate change
- 1 February: Costa Rica elections
- 2-6 February: First session of the plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution | Geneva
- 2-8 February: Twelfth plenary session of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services | Manchester, UK
- 5 February: Future Food Systems Summit | London
Cropped is researched and written by Dr Giuliana Viglione, Aruna Chandrasekhar, Daisy Dunne, Orla Dwyer and Yanine Quiroz. Please send tips and feedback to cropped@carbonbrief.org
Cropped 14 January 2026: Wildfires scorch three continents; EU trade; Food and nature in 2026
Cropped
|14.01.26
Cropped 17 December 2025: 'Deadly' Asia floods; Boosting London's water birds; UN headwinds
Cropped
|17.12.25
Cropped 3 December 2025: Extreme weather in Africa; COP30 roundup; Saudi minister interview
Cropped
|03.12.25
Cropped 19 November 2025: COP30 edition
Cropped
|19.11.25
jQuery(document).ready(function() { jQuery('.block-related-articles-slider-block_25a1058de0bf2364fb6e6eeaee1fdd30 .mh').matchHeight({ byRow: false }); });The post Cropped 28 January 2026: Ocean biodiversity boost; Nature and national security; Mangrove defence appeared first on Carbon Brief.
Expensive gas still biggest driver of high UK electricity bills, says UKERC [ 28-Jan-26 12:01am ]High gas prices are responsible for two-thirds of the rise in household electricity bills since before the global energy crisis, says the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC).
The new analysis, from one of the UK's foremost research bodies on energy, flatly contradicts widespread media and political narratives that misleadingly seek to blame climate policies for high bills.
Kaylen Camacho McCluskey, research assistant at UKERC, tells Carbon Brief that despite "misleading claims" about policy costs, gas prices are the main driver of high bills. She says:
"While the story of what has driven up GB consumer electricity bills is often largely attributed to policy costs, our analysis shows that this is not the case. Volatile, gas-linked market prices - not green policies, as some misleading claims have suggested - dominate the real-terms increase in bills since 2021."
In its 2025 review of UK energy policy, published today, UKERC says that annual electricity bills for typical households have risen by £166 since 2021.
It says that, after adjusting for inflation, some two-thirds of this increase (£112) is due to higher wholesale gas prices, as shown in the figure below.
(This analysis does not account for the recent surge in wholesale gas prices, which, in a matter of days, have jumped by around 40% in the UK and 140% in the US.)
Contributions to the rise in annual electricity bills for typical households, £ adjusted for inflation, between April-September 2021 and April-September 2025. "Networks" includes the cost of building and operating the electricity grid. "Policy" includes costs to support clean power, as well as social policies and the "capacity market" that guarantees security of supply. "Other" includes supplier operating costs. Source: UKERC analysis of data from the Ofgem price cap.
UKERC estimates that, despite only supplying a third of the country's electricity, gas-fired generators set the wholesale price of power around 90% of the time in 2025.
(This is slightly lower than widely cited earlier estimates, published in 2023 and covering 2021, which found gas was setting power prices 97% of the time.)
A surge of new clean power means that gas would only set wholesale power prices 60% of the time by 2029, UKERC says, adding that this would cut the nation's exposure to "gas price shocks".
It finds that new renewable projects set to come online over the next three years could cut wholesale power prices by 8% from current levels.
UKERC argues that the government could "strengthen…these downward trends" by shifting older renewable plants onto fixed-price "contracts for difference" (CfDs).
These older schemes, built under a policy known as the "renewables obligation", are paid a top-up subsidy in addition to the wholesale power price, linking their receipts to high gas prices.
Newer renewable projects with CfDs get a fixed price, which is not linked to wholesale electricity prices or the price of gas power that drives it.
Prof Rob Gross, UKERC director says in a press release that "unpredictable global gas prices still dominate our power market". He continues:
"The link between the wholesale price of gas and electricity prices continues to be the most significant factor in the price increases consumers have seen over the last few years. Government took action on some policy costs in [last year's] budget and ongoing policies will weaken the link to gas prices. But more could be done to help ensure that the stable prices offered by renewables flow through to consumer bills."
The UKERC analysis shows that rising network charges, linked to investments in expanding the electricity grid as well as balancing supply and demand in real time, were the second-largest contributor to the rise in bills since 2021.
Significant further grid investments are set to add further pressure on bills over the next few years. However, energy regulator Ofgem says these investments will cut bills relative to the alternative.
Policy costs are only the third-largest driver of current high bills, according to UKERC's analysis. It says these were linked to just 12% of the rise for typical households, or £19 per year.
It is commonly argued that rising policy costs are certain to raise bills, but this tends to ignore the interplay between CfDs and wholesale power prices.
The record-breaking recent government auction for CfDs is expected to be roughly "cost neutral" for bills, potentially even generating consumer savings of £1bn a year by 2035.
As UKERC explains, this is because new renewable projects will receive CfD payments and may result in higher network costs, but they also cut wholesale power prices. A full analysis of the overall impact on bills must take all of these factors into account.
The UKERC report aligns with another recent analysis from thinktank Nesta, which said that, while there was a pressing need to look at future cost pressures from network and policy charges, "it is clear that gas is still the main source of our high energy bills to date". It added:
"It is still true that higher gas prices are the main reason for higher energy bills for most British households when you look at the whole bill. Gas is not the only culprit, but it is still the biggest one."
Analysis: EVs just outsold petrol cars in EU for first time ever
Energy
|27.01.26
Q&A: What UK's 'warm homes plan' means for climate change and energy bills
Energy
|23.01.26
Explainer: Why gas plays a minimal role in China's climate strategy
China energy
|22.01.26
Experts: What to expect from China on energy and climate action in 2026
China energy
|16.01.26
jQuery(document).ready(function() { jQuery('.block-related-articles-slider-block_45a11d3c26ab262890dc69afc70cb19f .mh').matchHeight({ byRow: false }); });The post Expensive gas still biggest driver of high UK electricity bills, says UKERC appeared first on Carbon Brief.
Analysis: EVs just outsold petrol cars in EU for first time ever [ 27-Jan-26 2:41pm ]Sales of electric vehicles (EVs) overtook standard petrol cars in the EU for the first time in December 2025, according to new figures released by industry group the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA).
The figures show that registrations of battery EVs - sometimes referred to as BEVs, or "pure EVs" - reached 217,898, up 51% year-on-year from December 2024, as shown in the chart below.
Meanwhile, sales of standard petrol cars in the bloc fell 19% year-on-year, from 267,834 in December 2024 to 216,492 in December 2025. (Note that this definition, from ACEA, excludes "hybrid" cars that only run on petrol, but also have a small battery.)
Monthly passenger battery EV and standard petrol car registrations in the EU from January to December 2025. Source: ACEA.
Overall in 2025, EVs reached 17.4% of the market share in the bloc, up from 13.6% the previous year.
(EVs run purely from a battery that is charged from an external source, plug-in hybrids have both a battery that can be charged and an internal combustion engine, while regular hybrids cannot be plugged in, but have a smaller battery that is charged from the engine or braking.)
According to ACEA, 1,880,370 new battery-electric cars were registered last year, with the four biggest markets - Germany (+43.2%), the Netherlands (+18.1%), Belgium (+12.6%), and France (+12.5%) - accounting for 62% of registrations.
In a release setting out the figures, ACEA described this as "still a level that leaves room for growth to stay on track with the transition".
Meanwhile, registrations of petrol cars fell by 18.7% across 2025, with all major markets seeing a decrease.
France accounted for the steepest decline in standard petrol registrations at 32% year-on-year, followed by Germany (-21.6%), Italy (-18.2%), and Spain (-16%).
Overall, 2,880,298 new standard petrol cars were registered in 2025, a drop in market share from 33.3% in December 2024 to 26.6%.
Hybrid vehicles, which are still entirely fuelled by petrol or diesel, remain the largest segment of the EU car market, with sales jumping 5.8% from 307,001 in December 2024 to 324,799 a year later, as shown in the chart below.
However, cars that can run on electricity from the grid - battery EVs and plug-in hybrids - are growing even faster, with sales up 51% and 36.7% in December 2025, respectively.
EU car registrations by type, December 2024 and December 2025. Source: ACEA.
The registration figures follow the EU's automotive package, released in December to "support the automotive sector's efforts in the transition to clean mobility".
It includes a proposed shift from banning the sale of new combustion-engine cars from 2035 to reducing their tailpipe emissions.
Under the proposals, the EU will target a 90% cut in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from 2021 levels by 2035, rather than all vehicle sales having to be zero-emissions.
If approved, the package would require that the remaining 10% of emissions be compensated through the use of low-carbon steel made in the EU or from e-fuels and biofuels.
This would allow for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), "range extenders", hybrids and pure internal combustion engine vehicles to "still play a role beyond 2035".
There has been repeated pushback from the automotive sector in Europe against the introduction of "clean car rules", which has led to targets being shifted more than once.
For example, the head of Stellantis in Europe, one of the continent's largest car manufacturers, recently claimed that there was no "natural" demand for EVs.
Automakers have argued that EU targets for cleaner cars should be eased in the face of competition from Chinese producers and US tariffs.
ACEA figures show Volkswagen continued to claim the largest market share in the EU, accounting for 26.7% of new registrations in December, up from 25.6% a year earlier.
It was followed by Stellantis, Renault, Hyundai, Toyota and BMW.
EV giant Tesla saw its market share drop from 3.5% in December 2024 to 2.2% in December 2025. Over the course of 2025, the brand saw its market share in the EU fall 37.9% from 2024, following controversy around its owner, Elon Musk.
Meanwhile, Chinese EV brand BYD tripled its market share from 0.7% in December 2024 to 1.9% in December 2025.
Expensive gas still biggest driver of high UK electricity bills, says UKERC
Energy
|28.01.26
Q&A: What UK's 'warm homes plan' means for climate change and energy bills
Energy
|23.01.26
Explainer: Why gas plays a minimal role in China's climate strategy
China energy
|22.01.26
Experts: What to expect from China on energy and climate action in 2026
China energy
|16.01.26
jQuery(document).ready(function() { jQuery('.block-related-articles-slider-block_0668c1bfb793a813ccb013f4b78d9a56 .mh').matchHeight({ byRow: false }); });The post Analysis: EVs just outsold petrol cars in EU for first time ever appeared first on Carbon Brief.
DeBriefed 23 January 2026: Trump's Davos tirade; EU wind and solar milestone; High seas hope [ 23-Jan-26 3:13pm ]Welcome to Carbon Brief's DeBriefed.
An essential guide to the week's key developments relating to climate change.
TILTING AT 'WINDMILLS': At the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Donald Trump was quoted by Reuters as saying - falsely - that China makes almost all of the world's "windmills", but he had not "been able to find any windfarms in China", calling China's buyers "stupid". The newswire added that China "defended its wind power development" at Davos, with spokesperson Guo Jiakun saying the country's efforts to tackle climate change and promote renewable energy in the world are "obvious to all".
SPEECH FACTCHECKED: The Guardian factchecked Trump's speech, noting China has more wind capacity than any other country, with 40% of global wind generation in 2024 in China. See Carbon Brief's chart on this topic, posted on BlueSky by Dr Simon Evans.
GREENLAND GRAB: Trump "abruptly stepped back" from threats to seize Greenland with the use of force or leveraging tariffs, downplaying the dispute as a "small ask" for a "piece of ice", reported Reuters. The Washington Post noted that, while Trump calls climate change "a hoax", Greenland's described value is partly due to Arctic environmental shifts opening up new sea routes. French president Macron slammed the White House's "new colonial approach", emphasising that climate and energy security remain European "top priorities", according to BusinessGreen.
Around the world- EU MILESTONE: For the first time, wind and solar generated more electricity than fossil fuels in the EU last year, reported Reuters. Wind and solar generated 30% of the EU's electricity in 2025, just above 29% from plants running on coal, gas and oil, according to data from the thinktank Ember covered by the newswire.
- WARM HOMES: The UK government announced a £15bn plan for rolling out low-carbon technology in homes, such as rooftop solar and heat pumps. Carbon Brief's newly published analysis has all the details.
- BIG THAW: Braving weather delays that nearly "derail[ed] their mission", scientists finally set up camp on Antarctica's thawing Thwaites glacier, reported the New York Times. Over the next few weeks, they will deploy equipment to understand "how this gargantuan glacier is being corroded" by warming ocean waters.
- EVS WELCOME: Germany re-introduced electric vehicle subsidies, open to all manufacturers, including those in China, reported the Financial Times. Tesla and Volvo could be the first to benefit from Canada's "move to slash import tariffs on made-in-China" EVs, said Bloomberg.
- SOUTHERN AFRICA FLOODS: The death toll from floods in Mozambique went up to 112, reported the African Press Agency on Thursday. Officials cited the "scale of rainfall" - 250mm in 24 hours - as a key driver, it added. Frontline quoted South African president Cyril Ramaphosa, who linked the crisis to climate change.
$307bn
The amount of drought-related damages worldwide per year - intensified by land degradation, groundwater depletion and climate change - according to a new UN "water bankruptcy" report.
Latest climate research
- A researcher examined whether the "ultra rich" could and should pay for climate finance | Climatic Change
- Global deforestation-driven surface warming increased by the "size of Spain" between 1988 and 2016 | One Earth
- Increasing per-capita meat consumption by just one kilogram a year is "linked" to a nearly 2% increase in embedded deforestation elsewhere | Environmental Research Letters
(For more, see Carbon Brief's in-depth daily summaries of the top climate news stories on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.)
Captured
For the first time since monitoring began 15 years ago, there were more UK newspaper editorials published in 2025 opposing climate action than those supporting it, Carbon Brief analysis found. The chart shows the number of editorials arguing for more (blue) and less (red) climate action between 2011-2025. Editorials that took a "balanced" view are not represented in the chart. All 98 editorials opposing climate action were in right-leaning outlets, while nearly all 46 in support were in left-leaning and centrist publications. The trend reveals the scale of the net-zero backlash in the UK's right-leaning press, highlighting the rapid shift away from a political consensus.
Spotlight Do the oceans hold hope for international law?This week, Carbon Brief unpacks what a landmark oceans treaty "entering into force" means and, at a time of backtracking and breach, speaks to experts on the future of international law.
As the world tries to digest the US retreat from international environmental law, historic new protections for the ocean were quietly passed without the US on Saturday.
With little fanfare besides a video message from UN chief Antonio Guterres, a binding UN treaty to protect biodiversity in two-thirds of the Earth's oceans "entered into force".
What does the treaty mean and do?The High Seas Treaty - formally known as the "biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction", or "BBNJ" agreement - obliges countries to act in the "common heritage of humankind", setting aside self-interest to protect biodiversity in international waters. (See Carbon Brief's in-depth explainer on what the treaty means for climate change).
Agreed in 2023, it requires states to undertake rigorous impact assessments to rein in pollution and share benefits from marine genetic resources with coastal communities and countries. States can also propose marine protected areas to help the ocean - and life within it - become more resilient to "stressors", such as climate change and ocean acidification.
"It's a beacon of hope in a very dark place," Dr Siva Thambisetty, an intellectual property expert at the London School of Economics and an adviser to developing countries at UN environmental negotiations, told Carbon Brief.
Who has signed the agreement?Buoyed by a wave of commitments at last year's UN Oceans conference in France, the High Seas treaty has been signed by 145 states, with 84 nations ratifying it into domestic law.
"The speed at which [BBNJ] went from treaty adoption to entering into force is remarkable for an agreement of its scope and impact," said Nichola Clark, from the NGO Pew Trusts, when ratification crossed the 60-country threshold for it to enter into force last September.
For a legally binding treaty, two years to enter into force is quick. The 1997 Kyoto Protocol - which the US rejected in 2001 - took eight years.
While many operative parts of the BBNJ underline respect for "national sovereignty", experts say it applies to an area outside national borders, giving territorial states a reason to get on board, even if it has implications for the rest of the oceans.
What is US involvement with the treaty?The US is not a party to the BBNJ's parent Law of the Sea, or a member of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) overseeing deep-sea mining.
This has meant that it cannot bid for permits to scour the ocean floor for critical minerals. China and Russia still lead the world in the number of deep-sea exploration contracts. (See Carbon Brief's explainer on deep-sea mining).
In April 2025, the Trump administration issued an executive order to "unleash America's offshore critical minerals and resources", drawing a warning from the ISA.
This Tuesday, the Trump administration published a new rule to "fast-track deep-sea mining" outside its territorial waters without "environmental oversight", reported Agence France-Presse.
Prof Lavanya Rajamani, an expert in international environmental law at the University of Oxford, told Carbon Brief that, while dealing with US unilateralism and "self-interest" is not new to the environmental movement, the way "in which they're pursuing that self-interest - this time on their own, without any legal justification" has changed. She continued:
"We have to see this not as a remaking of international law, but as a flagrant breach of international law."
While this is a "testing moment", Rajamani believes that other states contending with a "powerful, idiosyncratic and unpredictable actor" are not "giving up on decades of multilateralism…they just asking how they might address this moment without fundamentally destabilising" the international legal order.
What next for the treaty?Last Friday, China announced its bid to host the BBNJ treaty's secretariat in Xiamen - "a coastal hub that sits on the Taiwan Strait", reported the South China Morning Post.
China and Brussels currently vie as the strongest contenders for the seat of global ocean governance, given that Chile made its hosting offer days before the country elected a far-right president.
To Thambisetty, preparatory BBNJ meetings in March can serve as an important "pocket of sanity" in a turbulent world. She concluded:
Watch, read, listen"The rest of us have to find a way to navigate the international order. We have to work towards better times."
OWN GOAL: For Backchannel, Zimbabwean climate campaigner Trust Chikodzo called for Total Energies to end its "image laundering" at the Africa Cup of Nations.
MATERIAL WORLD: In a book review for the Baffler, Thea Riofrancos followed the "unexpected genealogy" of the "energy transition" outlined in Jean-Baptiste Fressoz's More and More and More: An All-Consuming History.
REALTY BITES: Inside Climate News profiled Californian climate policy expert Neil Matouka, who built a plugin to display climate risk data that real-estate site Zillow removed from home listings.
Coming up- 26 January: International day of clean energy
- 27 January: India-EU summit, New Delhi
- 31 January: Submit inputs on food systems and climate change for a report by the UN special rapporteur on climate change
- 1 February: Costa Rica elections
- British Antarctic Survey, boating officer | Salary: £31,183. Location: UK and Antarctica
- National Centre for Climate Research at the Danish Meteorological Institute, climate science leader | Salary: NA. Location: Copenhagen, with possible travel to Skrydstrup, Karup and Nuuk
- Mongabay, journalism fellows | Stipend: $500 per month for 6 months. Location: Remote
- Climate Change Committee, carbon budgets analyst | Salary: £47,007-£51,642. Location: London
DeBriefed is edited by Daisy Dunne. Please send any tips or feedback to debriefed@carbonbrief.org.
This is an online version of Carbon Brief's weekly DeBriefed email newsletter. Subscribe for free here.
DeBriefed
|16.01.26
DeBriefed
|09.01.26
DeBriefed
|19.12.25
DeBriefed 12 December: EU under 'pressure'; 'Unusual warmth' explained; Rise of climate boardgames
DeBriefed
|12.12.25
jQuery(document).ready(function() { jQuery('.block-related-articles-slider-block_de32d348c4ab99ca7409c370a2b8084b .mh').matchHeight({ byRow: false }); });The post DeBriefed 23 January 2026: Trump's Davos tirade; EU wind and solar milestone; High seas hope appeared first on Carbon Brief.
Q&A: What UK's 'warm homes plan' means for climate change and energy bills [ 23-Jan-26 2:05pm ]The UK government has released its long-awaited "warm homes plan", detailing support to help people install electric heat pumps, rooftop solar panels and insulation in their homes.
It says up to 5m households could benefit from £15bn of grants and loans earmarked by the government for these upgrades by 2030.
Electrified heating and energy-efficient homes are vital for the UK's net-zero goals, but the plan also stresses that these measures will cut people's bills by "hundreds of pounds" a year.
The plan shifts efforts to tackle fuel poverty away from a "fabric-first" approach that starts with insulation, towards the use of electric technologies to lower bills and emissions.
Much of the funding will support people buying heat pumps, but the government has still significantly scaled back its expectations for heat-pump installations in the coming years.
Beyond new funding, there are also new efficiency standards for landlords that could result in nearly 3m rental properties being upgraded over the next four years.
In addition, the government has set out its ambition for scaling up "heat networks", where many homes and offices are served by communal heating systems.
Carbon Brief has identified the key policies laid out in the warm homes plan, as well as what they mean for the UK's climate targets and energy bills.
- Why do homes matter for UK climate goals?
- What is the warm homes plan?
- What is included in the warm homes plan?
- What does the warm homes plan mean for energy bills?
- What has been the reaction to the plan?
Buildings are the second-largest source of emissions in the UK, after transport. This is largely due to the gas boilers that keep around 85% of UK homes warm.
Residential buildings produced 52.8m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) in 2024, around 14% of the nation's total, according to the latest government figures.
Fossil-fuel heating is by far the largest contributor to building emissions. There are roughly 24m gas boilers and 1.4m oil boilers on the island of Great Britain, according to the National Energy System Operator (NESO).
This has left the UK particularly exposed - along with its gas-reliant power system - to the impact of the global energy crisis, which caused gas prices - and energy bills - to soar.
At the same time, the UK's old housing stock is often described as among the least energy efficient in Europe. A third of UK households live in "poorly insulated homes" and cannot afford to make improvements, according to University College London research.
This situation leads to more energy being wasted, meaning higher bills and more emissions.
Given their contribution to UK emissions, buildings are "expected to be central" in the nation's near-term climate goals, delivering 20% of the cuts required to achieve the UK's 2030 target, according to government adviser the Climate Change Committee (CCC).
(Residential buildings account for roughly 70% of the emissions in the buildings sector, with the rest coming from commercial and public-sector buildings.)
Over recent years, Conservative and Labour governments have announced various measures to cut emissions from homes, including schemes to support people buying electric heat pumps and retrofitting their homes.
However, implementation has been slow. While heat-pump installations have increased, they are not on track to meet the target set by the previous government of 600,000 a year by 2028.
Meanwhile, successive schemes to help households install loft and wall insulation have been launched and then abandoned, meaning installation rates have been slow.
At the same time, the main government-backed scheme designed to lift homes out of fuel poverty, the "energy company obligation" (ECO), has been mired in controversy over low standards, botched installations and - according to a parliamentary inquiry - even fraud.
(The government announced at the latest budget that it was scrapping ECO.)
The CCC noted in its most recent progress report to parliament that "falling behind on buildings decarbonisation will have severe implications for longer-term decarbonisation".
What is the warm homes plan?The warm homes plan was part of the Labour party's election-winning manifesto in 2024, sold at the time as a way to "cut bills for families" through insulation, solar and heat pumps, while creating "tens of thousands of good jobs" and lifting "millions out of fuel poverty".
It replaces ECO, introduces new support for clean technologies and wraps together various other ongoing policies, such as the "boiler upgrade scheme" (BUS) grants for heat pumps.
The warm homes plan was officially announced by the government in November 2024, stating that up to 300,000 households would benefit from home upgrades in the coming year. However, the plan itself was repeatedly delayed.
In the spending review in June 2025, the government confirmed the £13.2bn in funding for the scheme pledged in the Labour manifesto, covering spending between 2025-26 and 2029-30.
The government said this investment would help cut bills by up to £600 per household through efficiency measures and clean technologies such as heat pumps, solar panels and batteries.
After scrapping ECO at the 2025 budget, the treasury earmarked an extra £1.5bn of funding for the warm homes plan over five years. This is less than the £1bn annual budget for ECO, which was funded via energy bills, but is expected to have lower administrative overheads.
In the foreword to the new plan, secretary of state Ed Miliband says that it will deliver the "biggest public investment in home upgrades in British history". He adds:
"The warm homes plan [will]…cut bills, tackle fuel poverty, create good jobs and get us off the rollercoaster of international fossil fuel markets."
Miliband argues in his foreword that the plan will "spread the benefits" of technologies such as solar to households that would otherwise be unable to afford them. He writes: "This historic investment will help millions seize the benefits of electrification." Miliband concludes:
What is included in the warm homes plan?"This is a landmark plan to make the British people better off, secure our energy independence and tackle the climate crisis."
The warm homes plan sets out £15bn of investment over the course of the current parliament to drive uptake of low-carbon technologies and upgrade "up to" 5m homes.
A key focus of the plan is energy security and cost savings for UK households.
The government says its plan will "prioritise" investment in electrification measures, such as heat pumps, solar panels and battery storage. This is where most of the funding is targeted.
However, it also includes new energy-efficiency standards to encourage landlords to improve conditions for renters.
Some policies were notable due to their absence, such as the lack of a target to end gas boiler sales. The plan also states that, while it will consult on the use of hydrogen in heating homes, this is "not yet a proven technology" and therefore any future role would be "limited".
New fundingTechnologies such as heat pumps and rooftop solar panels are essential for the UK to achieve its net-zero goals, but they carry significant up-front costs for households. Plans for expanding their uptake therefore rely on government support.
Following the end of ECO in March, the warm homes plan will help fill the gap in funding for energy-efficiency measures that it is expected to leave.
As the chart below shows, a range of new measures under the warm homes plan - including a mix of grants and loans - as well as more funding for existing schemes, leads to an increase in support out to 2030.
Annual support for home upgrades, such as heat pumps and insulation, broken down by UK government scheme, £bn. The blue columns indicate new schemes under the warm homes plan. The grey columns include ongoing schemes, such as the boiler upgrade scheme. Figures are adjusted to constant 2025/26 pounds using the latest Treasury GDP deflators. Source: Nesta analysis using UK government data.
One third of the total funding - £5bn in total - is aimed at low-income households, including social housing tenants. This money will be delivered in the form of grants that could cover the full cost of upgrades.
The plan highlights solar panels, batteries and "cost-effective insulation" for the least energy-efficient homes as priority measures for this funding, with a view to lowering bills.
There is also £2.7bn for the existing boiler upgrade scheme, which will see its annual allocation increase gradually from £295m in 2025-26 to £709m in 2029-30.
This is the government's measure to encourage better-off "able to pay" households to buy heat pumps, with grants of £7,500 towards the cost of replacing a gas or oil-fired boiler. For the first time, there will also be new £2,500 grants from the scheme for air-to-air heat pumps (See: Heat pumps.)
A key new measure in the plan is £2bn for low- and zero-interest consumer loans, to help with the cost of various home upgrades, including solar panels, batteries and heat pumps.
Previous efforts to support home upgrades with loans have not been successful. However, innovation agency Nesta says the government's new scheme could play a central role, with the potential for households buying heat pumps to save hundreds of pounds a year, compared to purchases made using regular loans.
The remaining funding over the next four years includes money assigned to heat networks and devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which are responsible for their own plans to tackle fuel poverty and household emissions.
Heat pumpsHeat pumps are described in the plan as the "best and cheapest form of electrified heating for the majority of our homes".
The government's goal is for heat pumps to "increasingly become the desirable and natural choice" for those replacing old boilers. At the same time, it says that new home standards will ensure that new-build homes have low-carbon heating systems installed by default.
Despite this, the warm homes plan scales back the previous government's target for heat-pump installations in the coming years, reflecting the relatively slow increase in heat-pump sales. It also does not include a set date to end the sale of gas boilers.
The plan's central target is for 450,000 heat pumps to be installed annually by 2030, including 200,000 in new-build homes and 250,000 in existing homes.
This is significantly lower than the previous target - originally set in 2021 under Boris Johnson's Conservative government - to install 600,000 heat pumps annually by 2028.
Meeting that target would have meant installations increasing seven-fold in just four years, between 2024 and 2028. Now, installations only need to increase five-fold in six years.
As the chart below shows, the new target is also considerably lower than the heat-pump installation rate set out in the CCC's central net-zero pathway. That involved 450,000 installations in existing homes alone by 2030 - excluding new-build properties.
Annual heat-pump installation targets, including the previous UK government goal, the number set out in the CCC's "balanced" net-zero pathway and the new target set out in the warm homes plan. Source: UK government, CCC.
Some experts and campaigners questioned how the UK would remain on track for its legally binding climate goals given this scaled-back rate of heat-pump installations.
Additionally, Adam Bell, policy director at the thinktank Stonehaven, writes on LinkedIn that the "headline numbers for heat pump installs do not stack up".
Heat pumps in existing homes are set to be supported primarily via the boiler upgrade scheme and - according to Bell - there is not enough funding for the 250,000 installations that are planned, despite an increased budget.
The government's plan relies in part on the up-front costs of heat pump installation "fall[ing] significantly". According to Bell, it may be that the government will reduce the size of boiler upgrade scheme grants in the future, hoping that costs will fall sufficiently.
Alternatively, the government may rely on driving uptake through its planned low-cost loans and the clean heat market mechanism, which requires heating-system suppliers to sell a growing share of heat pumps.
Rooftop solarRooftop solar panels are highlighted in the plan as "central to cutting energy bills", by allowing households to generate their own electricity to power their homes and sell it back to the grid.
At the same time, rooftop solar is expected to make a "significant contribution" to the government's target of hitting 45-47 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity by 2030.
As it stands, there is roughly 5.2GW of solar capacity on residential rooftops.
Taken together, the government says the grants and loans set out in the warm homes plan could triple the number of homes with rooftop solar from 1.6m to 4.6m by 2030.
It says that this is "in addition" to homes that decide to install rooftop solar independently.
Efficiency standardsThe warm homes plan says that the government will publish its "future homes standard" for new-build properties, alongside necessary regulations, in the first quarter of 2026.
On the same day, the government also published its intention to reform "energy performance certificates" (EPCs), the ratings that are supposed to inform prospective buyers and renters about how much their new homes will cost to keep warm.
The current approach to measuring performance for EPCs is "unreliable" and thought to inadvertently discourage heat pumps. It has faced long-standing calls for reform.
As well as funding low-carbon technologies, the warm homes plan says it is "standing up for renters" with new energy-efficiency standards for privately and socially rented homes.
Currently, private renters - who rely on landlords to invest in home improvements - are the most likely to experience fuel poverty and to live in cold, damp homes.
Landlords will now need to upgrade their properties to meet EPC ratings B and C across two new-style EPC metrics by October 2030. There are "reasonable exemptions" to this rule that will limit the amount landlords have to spend per property to £10,000.
In total, the government expects "up to" 1.6m homes in the private-rental sector to benefit from these improvements and "up to" 1.3m social-rent homes.
These new efficiency standards therefore cover three-fifths of the "up to" 5m homes helped by the plan.
The government also published a separate fuel poverty strategy for England.
Heat networksThe warm homes plan sets out a new target to more than double the amount of heating provided using low-carbon heat networks - up to 7% of England's heating demand by 2035 and a fifth by 2050.
This involves an injection of £1.1bn for heat networks, including £195m per year out to 2030 via the green heat network fund, as well as "mobilising" the National Wealth Fund.
The plan explains that this will primarily benefit urban centres, noting that heat networks are "well suited" to serving large, multi-occupancy buildings and those with limited space.
Alongside the plan, the government published a series of technical standards for heat networks, including for consumer protection.
The warm homes plan could save households "hundreds on energy bills" for those whose homes are upgraded, according to the UK government.
This is in addition to two changes announced in the budget in 2025, which are expected to cut energy bills for all homes by an average of £150 a year.
This included the decisions to bring ECO to an end when the current programme of work wraps up at the end of the financial year and for the treasury to cover three-quarters of the cost of the "renewables obligation" (RO) for three years from April 2026.
Beyond this, households that take advantage of the measures outlined in the plan can expect their energy bills to fall by varying amounts, the government says.
The warm homes plan includes a number of case studies that detail how upgrades could impact energy bills for a range of households. For example, it notes that a social-rented two-bedroom semi-detached home that got insulation and solar panels could save £350 annually.
An owner-occupier three-bedroom home could save £450 annually if it gets solar panels and a battery through consumer loans offered under the warm homes plan, it adds.
Similar analysis published by Nesta says that a typical household that invests in home upgrades under the plan could save £1,000 a year on its energy bill.
It finds that a household with a heat pump, solar panels and a battery, which uses a solar and "time of use tariff", could see its annual energy bill fall by as much as £1,000 compared with continuing to use a gas boiler, from around £1,670 per year to £670, as shown in the chart below.
Annual energy bill savings (£) for a typical household from April 2026, by using different clean-energy technologies in comparison with a gas boiler. Source: Nesta analysis, using data from Ofgem, the Centre for Net Zero and an Octopus Energy tariff.
Ahead of the plan being published, there were rumours of further "rebalancing" energy bills to bring down the cost of electricity relative to gas. However, this idea failed to come to fruition in the warm homes plan.
This would have involved reducing or removing some or all of the policy costs currently funded via electricity bills, by shifting them onto gas bills or into general taxation.
This would have made it relatively cheaper to use electric technologies such as heat pumps, acting as a further incentive to adopt them.
Nesta highlights that in the absence of further action with regard to policy costs, the electricity-to-gas price ratio is likely to stay at around 4.1 from April 2026.
What has been the reaction to the plan?Many of the commitments in the warm homes plan were welcomed by a broad range of energy industry experts, union representatives and thinktanks.
Greg Jackson, the founder of Octopus Energy, described it as a "really important step forward", adding:
"Electrifying homes is the best way to cut bills for good and escape the yoyo of fossil fuel costs."
Dhara Vyas, chief executive of the trade body Energy UK, said the government's commitment to spend £15bn on upgrading home heating was "substantial" and would "provide certainty to investors and businesses in the energy market".
On LinkedIn, Camilla Born, head of the campaign group Electrify Britain, said the plan was a "good step towards backing electrification as the future of Britain, but it must go hand in hand with bringing down the costs of electricity".
However, right-leaning publications and politicians were critical of the plan, focusing on how a proportion of solar panels sold in the UK are manufactured in China.
According to BBC News, two-thirds (68%) of the solar panels imported to the UK came from China in 2024.
In an analysis of the plan, the Guardian's environment editor Fiona Harvey and energy correspondent Jillian Ambrose argued that the strategy is "all carrot and no stick", given that the "longstanding proposal" to ban the installation of gas boilers beyond 2035 has been "quietly dropped".
Christopher Hammond, chief executive of UK100, a cross-party network of more than 120 local authorities, welcomed the plan, but urged the government to extend it to include public buildings.
The government's £3.5bn public sector decarbonisation scheme, which aimed to electrify schools, hospitals and council buildings, ended in June 2025 and no replacement has been announced, according to the network.
Expensive gas still biggest driver of high UK electricity bills, says UKERC
Energy
|28.01.26
Analysis: EVs just outsold petrol cars in EU for first time ever
Energy
|27.01.26
Explainer: Why gas plays a minimal role in China's climate strategy
China energy
|22.01.26
Experts: What to expect from China on energy and climate action in 2026
China energy
|16.01.26
jQuery(document).ready(function() { jQuery('.block-related-articles-slider-block_2afae6bac8891aff4e92286169c857be .mh').matchHeight({ byRow: false }); });The post Q&A: What UK's 'warm homes plan' means for climate change and energy bills appeared first on Carbon Brief.
China Briefing 22 January 2026: 2026 priorities; EV agreement; How China uses gas [ 22-Jan-26 1:48pm ]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 Tasks for 2026'GREEN RESOLVE': The Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) said at its annual national conference that it is "essential" to "maintain strategic resolve" on building a "beautiful China", reported energy news outlet BJX News. Officials called for "accelerating green transformation" and "strengthening driving forces" for the low-carbon transition in 2026, it added. The meeting also underscored the need for "continued reduction in total emissions of major pollutants", it said, as well as for "advancing source control through carbon peaking and a low-carbon transition". The MEE listed seven key tasks for 2026 at the meeting, said business news outlet 21st Century Business Herald, including promoting development of "green productive forces", focusing on "regional strategies" to build "green development hubs" and "actively responding" to climate change.
CARBON 'PRESSURE': China's carbon emissions reduction strategy will move from the "preparatory stages" into a phase of "substantive" efforts in 2026, reported Shanghai-based news outlet the Paper, with local governments beginning to "feel the pressure" due to facing "formal carbon assessments for the first time" this year. Business news outlet 36Kr said that an "increasing number of industry participants" will have to begin finalising decarbonisation plans this year. The entry into force of the EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism means China's steelmakers will face a "critical test of cost, data and compliance", reported finance news outlet Caixin. Carbon Brief asked several experts, including the Asia Society Policy Institute's Li Shuo, what energy and climate developments they will be watching in 2026.
COAL DECLINE: New data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed China's "mostly coal-based thermal power generation fell in 2025" for the first time in a decade, reported Reuters, to 6,290 terawatt-hours (TWh). The data confirmed earlier analysis for Carbon Brief that "coal power generation fell in both China and India in 2025", marking the first simultaneous drop in 50 years. Energy news outlet International Energy Net noted that wind generation rose 10% to 1,053TWh and solar by 24% to 1,573TWh.
上微信关注《碳简报》
EV agreement reached
'NORMALISED COMPETITION'?: The EU will remove tariffs on imports of electric vehicles (EV) made in China if the manufacturers follow "guidelines on minimum pricing" issued by the bloc, reported the Associated Press. China's commerce ministry stated that the new guidelines will "enable Chinese exporters to address the EU's anti-subsidy case concerning Chinese EVs in a way that is more practical, targeted and consistent with [World Trade Organization] rules", according to the state-run China Daily. An editorial by the state-supporting Global Times argued that the agreement symbolised a "new phase" in China-EU economic and trade relations in which "normalised competition" is stabilised by a "solid cooperative foundation".
SOLAR REBATES: China will "eliminate" export rebates for solar products from April 2026 and phase rebates for batteries out by 2027, said Caixin. Solar news outlet Solar Headlines said that the removal of rebates would "directly test" solar companies' profitability and "fundamentally reshape the entire industry's growth logic". Meanwhile, China imposed anti-dumping duties on imports of "solar-grade polysilicon" from the US and Korea, said state news agency Xinhua.
OVERCAPACITY MEETINGS: The Chinese government "warned several producers of polysilicon…about monopoly risks" and cautioned them not to "coordinate on production capacity, sales volume and prices", said Bloomberg. Reuters and China Daily covered similar government meetings on "mitigat[ing] risks of overcapacity" with the battery and EV industries, respectively. A widely republished article in the state-run Economic Daily said that to counter overcapacity, companies would need to reverse their "misaligned development logic" and shift from competing on "price and scale" to competing on "technology".
High prices undermined home coal-to-gas heating policySWITCHING SHOCK: A video commentary by Xinhua reporter Liu Chang covered "reports of soaring [home] heating costs following coal-to-gas switching [policies] in some rural areas of north China". Liu added that switching from coal to gas "must lead not only to blue skies, but also to warmth". Bloomberg said that the "issue isn't a lack of gas", but the "result of a complex series of factors including price regulations, global energy shocks and strained local finances".
Subscribe: China Briefing- .listing{background: #f4f4f4} .listing ul{list-style:none; margin:0} ol {background: #F4F4F4; padding: 0px;} .listing ul {background: #F4F4F4; padding: 0px;} .listing li{font-size:0px;}
Sign up to Carbon Brief's free "China Briefing" email newsletter. All you need to know about the latest developments relating to China and climate change. Sent to your inbox every Thursday.
HEATED DEBATE: Discussions of the story in China became a "domestically resonant - and politically awkward - debate", noted the current affairs newsletter Pekingnology. It translated a report by Chinese outlet Economic Observer that many villagers in Hebei struggled with no access to affordable heating, with some turning back to coal. "Local authorities are steadily advancing energy supply," People's Daily said of the issue, noting that gas is "increasingly becoming a vital heating energy source" as part of China's energy transition. Another People's Daily article quoted one villager saying: "Coal-to-gas conversion is a beneficial initiative for both the nation and its people…Yet the heating costs are simply too high."
DEJA-VU: This is not the first time coal-to-gas switching has encountered challenges, according to research by the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, with nearby Shanxi province experiencing a similar situation. In Shanxi, a "lack of planning, poor coordination and hasty implementation" led to demand outstripping supply, while some households had their coal-based heating systems removed with no replacement secured. Others were "deterred" from using gas-based systems due to higher prices, it said.
More China news- LOFTY WORDS: At Davos, vice-premier He Lifeng reaffirmed commitments to China's "dual-carbon" goals and called for greater "global cooperation on climate change", reported Caixin.
- NOT LOOKING: US president Donald Trump, also at Davos, said he was not "able to find any windfarms in China", adding China sells them to "stupid" consumers, reported Euronews. China installed wind capacity has ranked first globally "for 15 years consecutively", said a government official, according to CGTN.
- 'GREEN' FACTORIES: China issued "new guidelines to promote green [industrial] microgrids" including targets for on-site renewable use, said Xinhua. The country "pledged to advance zero-carbon factory development" from 2026, said another Xinhua report.
- JET-FUEL MERGER: A merger of oil giant Sinopec with the country's main jet-fuel producer could "aid the aviation industry's carbon reduction goals", reported Yicai Global. However, Caixin noted that the move could "stifl[e] innovation" in the sustainable air fuel sector.
- NEW TARGETS: Chinese government investment funds will now be evaluated on the "annual carbon reduction rates" achieved by the enterprises or projects they support, reported BJX News.
- HOLIDAY CATCH-UP: Since the previous edition of China Briefing in December, Beijing released policies on provincial greenhouse gas inventories, the "two new" programme, clean coal benchmarks, corporate climate reporting, "green consumption" and hydrogen carbon credits. The National Energy Administration also held its annual work conference.
While gas is seen in some countries as an important "bridging" fuel to move away from coal use, rapid electrification, uncompetitiveness and supply concerns have suppressed its share in China's energy mix.
Carbon Brief explores the current role of gas in China and how this could change in the future. The full article is available on Carbon Brief's website.
The current share of gas in China's primary energy demand is small, at around 8-9%.
It also comprises 7% of China's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fuel combustion, adding 755m tonnes of CO2 in 2023 - twice the total CO2 emissions of the UK.
Gas consumption is continuing to grow in line with an overall uptick in total energy demand, but has slowed slightly from the 9% average annual rise in gas demand over the past decade - during which time consumption more than doubled.
The state-run oil and gas company China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) forecast in 2025 that demand growth for the year may slow further to just over 6%.
Chinese government officials frequently note that China is "rich in coal" and "short of gas". Concerns of import dependence underpin China's focus on coal for energy security.
However, Beijing sees electrification as a "clear energy security strategy" to both decarbonise and "reduce exposure to global fossil fuel markets", said Michal Meidan, China energy research programme head at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.
A dim future?Beijing initially aimed for gas to displace coal as part of a broader policy to tackle air pollution.
Its "blue-sky campaign" helped to accelerate gas use in the industrial and residential sectors. Several cities were mandated to curtail coal usage and switch to gas.
(January 2026 saw widespread reports of households choosing not to use gas heating installed during this campaign despite freezing temperatures, due to high prices.)
Industry remains the largest gas user in China, with "city gas" second. Power generation is a distant third.
The share of gas in power generation remains at 4%, while wind and solar's share has soared to 22%, Yu Aiqun, research analyst at the thinktank Global Energy Monitor, told Carbon Brief. She added:
"With the rapid expansion of renewables and ongoing geopolitical uncertainties, I don't foresee a bright future for gas power."
However, gas capacity may still rise from 150 gigawatts (GW) in 2025 to 200GW by 2030. A government report noted that gas will continue to play a "critical role" in "peak shaving".
But China's current gas storage capacity is "insufficient", according to CNPC, limiting its ability to meet peak-shaving demand.
Transport and industryGas instead may play a bigger role in the displacement of diesel in the transport sector, due to the higher cost competitiveness of LNG - particularly for trucking.
CNPC forecast that LNG displaced around 28-30m tonnes of diesel in the trucking sector in 2025, accounting for 15% of total diesel demand in China.
However, gas is not necessarily a better option for heavy-duty, long-haul transportation, due to poorer fuel efficiency compared with electric vehicles.
In fact, "new-energy vehicles" are displacing both LNG-fueled trucks and diesel heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs).
Meanwhile, gas could play a "more significant" role in industrial decarbonisation, Meidan told Carbon Brief, if prices fall substantially.
Growth in gas demand has been decelerating in some industries, but China may adopt policies more favourable to gas, she added.
An energy transition roadmap developed by a Chinese government thinktank found gas will only begin to play a greater role than coal in China by 2050 at the earliest.
Both will be significantly less important than clean-energy sources at that point.
This spotlight was written by freelance climate journalist Karen Teo for Carbon Brief.
Watch, read, listenEV OUTLOOK: Tu Le, managing director of consultancy Sino Auto Insights, spoke on the High Capacity podcast about his outlook for China's EV industry in 2026.
'RUNAWAY TRAIN': John Hopkins professor Jeremy Wallace argued in Wired that China's strength in cleantech is due to a "runaway train of competition" that "no one - least of all [a monolithic 'China'] - knows how to deal with".
'DIRTIEST AND GREENEST': China's energy engagement in the Belt and Road Initiative was simultaneously the "dirtiest and greenest" it has ever been in 2025, according to a new report by the Green Finance & Development Center.
INDUSTRY VOICE: Zhong Baoshen, chairman of solar manufacturer LONGi, spoke with Xinhua about how innovation, "supporting the strongest performers", standards-setting and self-regulation could alleviate overcapacity in the industry.
$574bn
The amount of money State Grid, China's main grid operator, plans to invest between 2026-30, according to Jiemian. The outlet adds that much of this investment will "support the development and transmission of clean energy" from large-scale clean-energy bases and hydropower plants.
New science
- The combination of long-term climate change and extremes in rainfall and heat have contributed to an increase in winter wheat yield of 1% in Xinjiang province between 1989-2023 | Climate Dynamics
- More than 70% of the "observed changes" in temperature extremes in China over 1901-2020 are "attributed to greenhouse gas forcing" | Environmental Research Letters
China Briefing is written by Anika Patel and edited by Simon Evans. Please send tips and feedback to china@carbonbrief.org
China Briefing
|11.12.25
China Briefing 27 November 2025: COP30 wraps; Climate and critical minerals at G20; Coal use up
China Briefing
|27.11.25
China Briefing 13 November 2025: COP30 special
China Briefing
|13.11.25
China Briefing
|30.10.25
jQuery(document).ready(function() { jQuery('.block-related-articles-slider-block_41232f598c30dd488dcf85bde7338693 .mh').matchHeight({ byRow: false }); });The post China Briefing 22 January 2026: 2026 priorities; EV agreement; How China uses gas appeared first on Carbon Brief.
Guest post: 10 key climate science 'insights' from 2025 [ 22-Jan-26 8:00am ]Every year, understanding of climate science grows stronger.
With each new research project and published paper, scientists learn more about how the Earth system responds to continuing greenhouse gas emissions.
But with many thousands of new studies on climate change being published every year, it can be hard to keep up with the latest developments.
Our annual "10 new insights in climate science" report offers a snapshot of key advances in the scientific understanding of the climate system.
Produced by a team of scientists from around the world, the report summarises influential, novel and policy-relevant climate research published over the previous 18 months.
.innerArt>ol { font-family: 'PT Serif'; font-size: 18px !important; }The insights presented in the latest edition, published in the journal Global Sustainability, are as follows:
- Questions remain about the record warmth in 2023-24
- Unprecedented ocean surface warming and intensifying marine heatwaves are driving severe ecological losses
- The global land carbon sink is under strain
- Climate change and biodiversity loss amplify each other
- Climate change is accelerating groundwater depletion
- Climate change is driving an increase in dengue fever
- Climate change diminishes labour productivity
- Safe scale-up of carbon dioxide removal is needed
- Carbon credit markets come with serious integrity challenges
- Policy mixes outperform stand-alone measures in advancing emissions reductions
In this article, we unpack some of the key findings.
A strained climate systemThe first three insights highlight how strains are growing across the climate system, from indications of an accelerating warming and record-breaking marine heatwaves, to faltering carbon sinks.
Between April 2023 and March 2024, global temperatures reached unprecedented levels - a surge that cannot be fully explained by the long-term warming trend and typical year-to-year fluctuations of the Earth's climate. This suggests other factors are at play, such as declining sulphur emissions and shifting cloud cover.
(For more, Carbon Brief's in-depth explainer of the drivers of recent exceptional warmth.)
Ocean heat uptake has climbed as well. This has intensified marine heatwaves, further stressing ecosystems and livelihoods that rely on fisheries and coastal resources.
The exceptional warming of the ocean has driven widespread impacts, including massive coral bleaching, fish and shellfish mortality and disruptions to marine food chains.
The map below illustrates some of the impacts of marine heatwaves from 2023-24, highlighting damage inflicted on coral reefs, fishing stocks and coastal communities.
The impacts of the exceptional marine heatwaves over 2023-24, a period which saw the warmest sea surface temperature in the satellite record since 1985. Dataset used is the ESA Climate Change Initiative's sea surface temperature v3 featured in Embury et al. (2024). Credit: 10 new insights in climate science report (2025).
Land "sinks" that absorb carbon - and buffer the emissions from human activity - are under increasing stress, too. Recent research shows a reduction in carbon stored in boreal forests and permafrost ecosystems.
The weakening carbon sinks means that more human-caused carbon emissions remain in the atmosphere, further driving up global temperatures and increasing the chances that warming will surpass the Paris Agreement's 1.5C limit.
This links to the fourth insight, which shows how climate change and biodiversity loss can amplify each other by leading to a decrease in the accumulation of biomass and reduced carbon storage, creating a destabilising feedback loop that accelerates warming.
New evidence demonstrates that climate change could threaten more than 3-6 million species and, as a result, could undermine critical ecosystem functions.
For example, recent projections indicate that the loss of plant species could reduce carbon sequestration capacity in the range of 7-145bn tonnes of carbon over the coming decades. Similarly, studies show that, in tropical systems, the extinction of animals could reduce carbon storage capacity by up to 26%.
Human health and livelihoodsGrowing pressure on the climate system is having cascading consequences for human societies and natural systems.
Our fifth insight highlights how groundwater supplies are increasingly at risk.
More than half the global population depends on groundwater - the second largest source of freshwater after polar ice - for survival.
But groundwater levels are in decline around the world. A 2025 Nature paper found that rapid groundwater declines, exceeding 50cm each year, have occurred in many regions in the 21st century, especially in arid areas dominated by cropland. The analysis also showed that groundwater losses accelerated over the past four decades in about 30% of regional aquifers.
Changes in rainfall patterns due to climate change, combined with increased irrigation demand for agriculture, are depleting groundwater reserves at alarming rates.
The figure below illustrates how climate-driven reductions in rainfall, combined with increased evapotranspiration, are projected to significantly reduce groundwater recharge in many arid regions - contributing to widespread groundwater-level declines.
The top panel shows the impact of climate change on terrestrial water fluxes and groundwater recharge. It illustrates how climate change directly and indirectly affects groundwater resources by altering precipitation (P) and temperature (T) patterns, increasing evapotranspiration (ET), which further reduces groundwater recharge (R) and leads to declining levels. The lower panel illustrates how lower water tables can cause wells to run dry (B), streams to lose water to surrounding aquifers (C), saltwater to intrude into coastal aquifers (D) and land subsidence (E). Credit: 10 new insights in climate science report (2025).
These losses threaten food security, amplifying competition for scarce resources and undermining the resilience of entire communities.
Human health and livelihoods are also being affected by changes to the climate.
Our sixth insight spotlights the ongoing and projected expansion of the mosquito-borne disease dengue fever.
Dengue surged to the largest global outbreak on record in 2024, with the World Health Organization reporting 14.2m cases, which is an underestimate because not all cases are counted.
Rising temperatures are creating more favourable conditions for the mosquitoes that carry dengue, driving the disease's spread and increasing its intensity.
The chart below shows the regions climatically suitable for Aedes albopictus (blue line) and Aedes aegypti (green line) - the primary mosquitoes species that carry the virus - increased by 46.3% and 10.7%, respectively, between 1951-60 and 2014-23.
The maps on the right reveal how dengue could spread by 2030 and 2050 under an emissions scenario broadly consistent with current climate policies. It shows that the climate suitable for the mosquito that spreads dengue could expand northwards in Canada, central Europe and the West Siberian Plain by 2050.
The chart on the left shows how climate affects the ability of mosquitoes to spread dengue. R0 (the basic reproduction) on the y-axis represents the average number of new infections in a completely susceptible population generated by a single new case (adapted from Romanello et al. (2024)).The world maps on the right show how the global risk of dengue transmission is expected to change by 2030 and 2050, measured as the number of months in a year when the climate is suitable for mosquitoes to spread the virus, under the SSP2-4.5 scenario (adapted from Ryan et al. (2019), using CMIP6 climate projections). Credit: 10 new insights in climate science report (2025).
The ongoing proliferation of these mosquito species is particularly alarming given their ability to transmit the zika, chikungunya and yellow fever viruses.
Heat stress is also a growing threat to labour productivity and economic growth, which is the seventh insight in our list.
For example, an additional 1C of warming is projected to expose more than 800 million people in tropical regions to unsafe heat levels - potentially reducing working hours by up to 50%.
At 3C warming, sectors such as agriculture, where workers are outdoors and exposed to the sun, could see reductions in effective labour of 25-33% across Africa and Asia, according to a recent Nature Reviews Earth & Environment paper.
Meanwhile, sectors where workers operate in shaded or indoor settings could also face meaningful losses. This drain on productivity compounds socioeconomic issues and places a strain on households, businesses and governments.
Low-income, low-emitting regions are set to shoulder a greater relative share of the impacts of extreme heat on economic growth, exacerbating existing inequalities.
Action and policyOur report illustrates not only the scale of the challenges facing humanity, but also some of the pathways toward solutions.
The eighth insight emphasises the critical role of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) in stabilising the climate, especially in "overshoot" scenarios where warming temporarily surpasses 1.5C and is then brought back down.
Scaling these CDR solutions responsibly presents technical, ecological, justice, equity and governance challenges.
Nature-based approaches for pulling carbon out of the air - such as afforestation, peatland rewetting and agroforestry - could have negative consequences for food security, biodiversity conservation and resource provision if deployed at scale.
Yet, research has suggested that substantially more CDR may be needed than estimated in the scenarios used in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC's) last assessment report.
Recent findings showed that a pathway where temperatures remain below 1.5C with no overshoot would require up to 400Gt of cumulative CDR by 2100 in order to buffer against the effect of complex geophysical processes that can accelerate climate change. This figure is roughly twice the amount of CDR assessed by the IPCC.
This underscores the need for robust international coordination on the responsible scaling of CDR technologies, as a complement to ambitious efforts to reduce emissions. Transparent carbon accounting frameworks that include CDR will be required to align national pledges with international goals.
Similarly, voluntary carbon markets - where carbon "offsets" are traded by corporations, individuals and organisations that are under no legal obligation to make emission cuts - face challenges.
Our ninth insight shows how low-quality carbon credits have undermined the credibility of these largely unregulated carbon markets, limiting their effectiveness in supporting emission reductions.
However, emerging standards and integrity initiatives, such as governance and quality benchmarks developed by the Integrity Council for Voluntary Carbon Markets, could address some of the concerns and criticism associated with carbon credit projects.
High-quality carbon credits that are verified and rigorously monitored can complement direct emission reductions.
Finally, our 10th insight highlights how a mix of climate policies typically have greater success than standalone measures.
Research published in Science in 2024 shows how carefully tailored policy packages - including carbon pricing, regulations, and incentives - could consistently achieve larger and more durable emission reductions than isolated interventions.
For example, in the buildings sector, regulations that ban or phase out products or activities achieve an average effect size of 32% when included in a policy package, compared with 13% when implemented on their own.
Importantly, policy mixes that are tailored to the country context and with attention to distributional equity are more likely to gain public support.
These 10 insights in our latest edition highlight the urgent need for an integrated approach to tackling climate change.
The science is clear, the risks are escalating - but the tools to act are available.
Guest post: How to steer EVs towards the road of 'mass adoption'
Guest posts
|18.12.25
Guest post: How the Greenland ice sheet fared in 2025
Guest posts
|15.12.25
Guest post: Why cities need more than just air conditioning for extreme heat
Energy
|15.12.25
Guest post: Why carbon emissions from fires are significantly higher than thought
GHGs and aerosols
|01.12.25
jQuery(document).ready(function() { jQuery('.block-related-articles-slider-block_9a5b96843d8905ad55342248c73ce32f .mh').matchHeight({ byRow: false }); });The post Guest post: 10 key climate science 'insights' from 2025 appeared first on Carbon Brief.
Explainer: Why gas plays a minimal role in China's climate strategy [ 22-Jan-26 8:00am ]Ten years ago, switching from burning coal to gas was a key element of China's policy to reduce severe air pollution.
However, while gas is seen in some countries as a "bridging" fuel to move away from coal use, rapid electrification, uncompetitiveness and supply concerns have suppressed its share in China's energy mix.
As such, while China's gas demand has more than doubled over the past decade, the fuel is not currently playing a decisive role in the country's strategy to tackle climate change.
Instead, renewables are now the leading replacement for coal demand in China, with growth in solar and wind generation largely keeping emissions growth from China's power sector flat.
While gas could play a role in decarbonising some aspects of China's energy demand - particularly in terms of meeting power demand peaks and fuelling heavy industry - multiple factors would need to change to make it a more attractive alternative.
Small, but impactfulThe share of gas in China's primary energy demand is small and has remained relatively unchanged at around 8-9% over the past five years.
It also comprises 7% of China's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fuel combustion, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Gas combustion in China added 755m tonnes of CO2 (MtCO2) into the atmosphere in 2023 - double the total amount of CO2 emitted by the UK.
However, its emissions profile in China lags well behind that of coal, which represented 79% of China's fuel-linked CO2 emissions and was responsible for almost 9bn tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2023, according to the same IEA data.
Gas consumption continues to grow in line with an overall uptick in total energy demand. Chinese gas demand, driven by industry use, grew by around 7-8% year-on-year in 2024, according to different estimates.
This rapid growth is, nevertheless, slightly below the 9% average annual rise in China's gas demand over the past decade, during which consumption has more than doubled overall, as shown in the figure below.
Total demand for gas in China, 1965-2024, billion cubic metres. Source: Energy Institute statistical review of world energy 2025.
The state-run oil and gas company China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) forecast in 2025 that demand growth for the year may slow further to just over 6%.
The majority of China's gas demand in 2023 was met by domestic gas supply, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).
Most of this supply comes from conventional gas sources. But incremental Chinese domestic gas supply in recent years has come from harder-to-extract unconventional sources, including shale gas, which accounted for as much as 45% of gas production in 2024.
Despite China's large recoverable shale-gas resources and subsidies to encourage production, geographical and technical limitations have capped production levels relative to the US, which is the world's largest gas producer by far.
CNPC estimates Chinese gas output will grow by just 4% in 2025, compared with 6% growth in 2024. Nevertheless, output is still expected to exceed the 230bn cubic metre national target for 2025.
Liquified natural gas (LNG) is China's second most-common source of gas, imported via giant super-cooled tankers from countries including Australia, Qatar, Malaysia and Russia.
This is followed by pipeline imports - which are seen as cheaper, but less reliable - from Russia and central Asia.
One particularly high-profile pipeline project is the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline project. However, Beijing has yet to explicitly agree to investing in or purchasing the gas delivered by the project. Disagreements around pricing and logistics have hindered progress.
Evolving roleBeijing initially aimed for gas to displace coal as part of a broader policy to tackle air pollution.
A three-year action plan from 2018-2020, dubbed the "blue-sky campaign", helped to accelerate gas use in the industrial and residential sectors, as gas displaced consumption of "dispersed coal" (散煤)"- referring to improperly processed coal that emits more pollutants.
Meanwhile, several cities across northern and central China were also mandated to curtail coal usage and switch to gas instead. Many of these cities were based in provinces with a strong coal mining economy or higher winter heating demand.
China's pollution levels saw "drastic improvement" as a result, according to a report by research institute the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
(In January 2026, there were widespread media reports of households choosing not to use gas heating despite freezing temperatures, as a result of high prices following the expiry of subsidies for gas use.)
Industry remains the largest gas user in China, with "city gas" - gas delivered by pipeline to urban areas - trailing in second, as shown in the figure below. Power generation is a distant third.
Gas consumption by sector in 2023, billion cubic metres. Source: China Natural Gas Development Report (2024).
Gas has never gained momentum in China's power sector, with its share of power generation remaining at 4% while wind and solar power's share has soared from 4% to 22% over the past decade, Yu Aiqun, a research analyst at the US-based thinktank Global Energy Monitor, tells Carbon Brief.
Yu adds that this stagnation is largely due to insufficient and unreliable gas supply, which drives up prices and makes gas less competitive compared to coal and renewables. She says:
"With the rapid expansion of renewables and ongoing geopolitical uncertainties, I don't foresee a bright future for gas power."
Average on-grid gas-fired power prices of 0.56-0.58 yuan per kilowatt hour (yuan/kWh) in China are far higher than that of around 0.3-0.4 yuan/kWh for coal power, according to some industry estimates. Recent auction prices for renewables are even cheaper than this.
Meanwhile, the share of renewables in China's power capacity stood at 55% in 2024, compared with gas at around 4%.
Generation from wind and solar in particular has increased by more than 1,250 terawatt-hours (TWh) in China since 2015, while gas-fired generation has increased by just 140TWh, according to IEEFA.
As the share of coal has shrunk from 70% to 61% during this period, IEEFA suggests that renewables - rather than gas - are displacing coal's share in the generation mix.
However, China's gas capacity may still rise from approximately 150 gigawatts (GW) in 2025 to 200GW by 2030, Bloomberg reports.
A report by the National Energy Administration (NEA) on development of the sector notes that gas will continue to play a "critical role" in "peak shaving", where gas turbines can be used for short periods to meet daily spikes in demand. As such, the NEA says gas will be an "important pillar" in China's energy transition.
In 2024, a new policy on gas utilisation also "explicitly promoted" the use of gas peak-shaving power plants, according to industry outlet MySteel.
China's current gas storage capacity is "insufficient", according to CNPC, reducing its ability to meet peak-shaving demand. The country built 38 underground gas storage sites with peak-shaving capacity of 26.7bn cubic metres in 2024, but this accounts for just 6% of its annual gas demand.
Transport useGas is instead playing a bigger part in the displacement of diesel in the transport sector, due to the higher cost competitiveness of LNG as a fuel - particularly in the trucking sector.
CNPC expects that LNG displaced around 28-30m tonnes of diesel in the trucking sector in 2025, accounting for 15% of total diesel demand in China.
This is further aided by policy support from Beijing's equipment trade-in programme, part of efforts to stimulate the economy.
However, gas is not necessarily a better option for heavy-duty, long-haul transportation, due to poorer fuel efficiency compared with electric vehicles (EVs).
In fact, "new-energy vehicles" (NEVs) - including hydrogen fuel-cell, pure-electric and hybrid-electric trucks - are displacing both LNG-fueled trucks and diesel heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs).
In the first half of 2025, battery-electric models accounted for 22% of all HDV sales, a year-on-year increase of 9%, while market share for LNG-fueled trucks fell from 30% in 2024 to 26%.
Gas can be cheaper than oil but is not competitive with EVs and - with the emergence of zero-emission fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia - gas may eventually lose even this niche market, says Yu.
Supply securityChinese government officials frequently note that China is "rich in coal, poor in oil and short of gas" ("富煤贫油少气"). Concerns around import dependence have underpinned China's focus on coal as a source of energy security.
However, Beijing increasingly sees electrification as a more strategic way to decarbonise its transport sector, according to some analysts.
"Overall, electrification is a clear energy security strategy to reduce exposure to global fossil fuel markets," says Michal Meidan, head of the China energy research programme at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.
Chinese oil and gas production grew dramatically in the last few years under a seven-year action plan from 2019-25, as Beijing ordered its state oil firms to ramp up output to ensure energy security.
Despite this, gas import dependency still hovers at around 40% of demand. This, according to assessments in government documents, exposes the country to price shocks and geopolitical risks.
The graph below shows the share of domestically produced gas (dark blue), LNG imports (mid-blue) and pipeline imports (light blue), in China's overall gas supply between 2017 and 2024.
China's gas supply by source, 2017-2024, billion cubic metres (bcm). Source: IEEFA.
"Gas use is unlikely to play a significant role in decarbonising the power system, but could be more significant in industrial decarbonisation," Meidan tells Carbon Brief.
She estimates that if LNG prices fall to $6 per million British thermal units (btu), compared to an average of $11 in 2024-25, this could encourage fuel switching in the steel, chemical manufacturing, textiles, ceramics and food processing industries.
The chart below shows the year-on-year change in gas demand between 2001-2022.
Year-on-year changes in Chinese industry's gas demand by sector, 2001-2023, bcm. Source: National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), OIES.
Growth in gas demand has been decelerating in some industries in recent years, such as refining. But it also remains unclear if Beijing will adopt more aggressive policies favouring gas, Meidan adds.
A roadmap developed by the Energy Research Institute (ERI), a thinktank under the National Development and Reform Commission's Academy of Macroeconomic Research, finds that gas only begins to play an equivalent or greater role in China's energy mix than coal by 2050 at the earliest - 10 years ahead of China's target for achieving carbon neutrality.
Both fossil fuels play a significantly smaller role than clean-energy sources at this point.
Wang Zhongying and Kaare Sandholt, both experts at the ERI, write in Carbon Brief:
"Gas does not play a significant role in the power sector in our scenarios, as solar and wind can provide cheaper electricity while existing coal power plants - together with scaled-up expansion of energy storage and demand-side response facilities - can provide sufficient flexibility and peak-load capacity."
Ultimately, China's push for gas will be contingent on its own development goals. Its next five-year plan, from 2026-2030, will build a framework for China's shift to controlling absolute carbon emissions, rather than carbon intensity.
Recent recommendations by top Chinese policymakers on priorities for the next five-year plan did not explicitly mention gas. Instead, the government endorses "raising the level of electrification in end-use energy consumption" while also "promoting peaking of coal and oil consumption".
The Chinese government feels that gas is "nice to have…if available and cost-competitive but is not the only avenue for China's energy transition," says Meidan.
Experts: What to expect from China on energy and climate action in 2026
China energy
|16.01.26
Analysis: Coal power drops in China and India for first time in 52 years after clean-energy records
China energy
|13.01.26
Q&A: Five key climate questions for China's next 'five-year plan'
China energy
|11.12.25
Interview: How 'mid-level bureaucrats' are helping to shape Chinese climate policy
China energy
|09.12.25
jQuery(document).ready(function() { jQuery('.block-related-articles-slider-block_75750d6da72543622709ca076f80485d .mh').matchHeight({ byRow: false }); });The post Explainer: Why gas plays a minimal role in China's climate strategy appeared first on Carbon Brief.
Gutterres Says It's Time To Switch To Clean Energy Goals [ 29-Jan-26 12:30pm ]United Nations secretary-general António Guterres' message was powerful on January 26, the International Day of Clean Energy. Rather than succumbing to the global powers' failure to meet goals to cap warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius, he insists "we must pick up the pace" to a "just, orderly and equitable transition ... [continued]
The post Gutterres Says It's Time To Switch To Clean Energy Goals appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Forget Sensors, Tesla's AI Training Costs Are Soaring [ 29-Jan-26 4:58am ]One argument Elon Musk and Tesla fans have made for ages — for about a decade — is that the extra costs of sensors like lidar and radar for self-driving vehicles are not worth it, are illogical, and will be the death of a company like Waymo. Just use cameras ... [continued]
The post Forget Sensors, Tesla's AI Training Costs Are Soaring appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Can Europe Go Electric & Remain Sovereign? [ 29-Jan-26 4:55am ]The Greenland crisis showed that if Europe shows spine, it can be strong. It must now apply that lesson to industrial policy, or suffer the consequences. By William Todts, Executive DirectorBrussels (EU), T&E "The strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must," wrote the Greek historian ... [continued]
The post Can Europe Go Electric & Remain Sovereign? appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Trump's EPA Proposes to Reward States for Being Bad Neighbors [ 29-Jan-26 4:53am ]Washington, D.C. — Today, the Trump administration released yet another coal industry handout by proposing to undo the Environmental Protection Agency's previous disapproval of State Implementation Plans from states failing to meet their Clean Air Act obligations under the federal ozone air quality standard. Previously in 2023 the EPA had ... [continued]
The post Trump's EPA Proposes to Reward States for Being Bad Neighbors appeared first on CleanTechnica.
4 of the 5 Wind Power Projects Stopped by Trump in December Have Resumed Work [ 29-Jan-26 4:51am ]Court Allows Vineyard Wind Project to Continue Construction BOSTON — A judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts has granted a preliminary injunction for yet another one of Donald Trump's freezes on offshore wind. Judge Brian Murphy ruled Wednesday that Vineyard Wind, a 13 megawatt wind project off the ... [continued]
The post 4 of the 5 Wind Power Projects Stopped by Trump in December Have Resumed Work appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Groups Challenge Trump Administration's Illegal Craig Coal Plant Extension [ 29-Jan-26 4:50am ]Order required broken plant to stay online to address unproven emergency DENVER — Public interest organizations today challenged the Department of Energy's illegal emergency order extending the life of Unit 1 at Colorado's Craig Station. The groups include Sierra Club and Environmental Defense Fund, and Earthjustice on behalf of GreenLatinos, Vote Solar, ... [continued]
The post Groups Challenge Trump Administration's Illegal Craig Coal Plant Extension appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Warum grüner Stahl — nicht grünes Eisen — Europas industrielle Zukunft bestimmt* [ 29-Jan-26 3:43am ]Die Idee einer europäischen Prämie für grünen Stahl hat sich in den vergangenen Jahren weitgehend etabliert. Sie beruht auf der Annahme, dass Europa seinen Stahlsektor im Inland dekarbonisieren kann, höhere Produktionskosten durch eine Mischung aus politischer Unterstützung und Zahlungsbereitschaft der Abnehmer auffängt und dabei seine industrielle Wettbewerbsfähigkeit bewahrt. Diese Annahme ... [continued]
The post Warum grüner Stahl — nicht grünes Eisen — Europas industrielle Zukunft bestimmt* appeared first on CleanTechnica.
From Peak Load to Public Health: What Batteries Are Already Doing for Power Grids [ 29-Jan-26 3:18am ]Being invited to speak (virtually) at an upcoming hybrid Ottawa Lunch and Learn on peak grid load and battery energy storage provided an opportunity to extend several ongoing lines of analysis. This article is an extension of the brief remarks I will be making at that event, written to unpack ... [continued]
The post From Peak Load to Public Health: What Batteries Are Already Doing for Power Grids appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Tesla's First Ever Annual Revenue Drop Is Not The Concerning Part [ 29-Jan-26 1:41am ]Tesla has now published its 4th quarter and full-year financial details and various updates on vehicle models, robots, factories, and its energy business. Steve Hanley is going to cover some of the vehicle and robot news, so I'm jumping into the finances. One of the big headline stories is that ... [continued]
The post Tesla's First Ever Annual Revenue Drop Is Not The Concerning Part appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Europa baute Wasserstoffinfrastruktur statt des benötigten Stromnetzes* [ 28-Jan-26 11:30pm ]Die wichtigste politische Lehre aus dem 400 km langen europäischen Wasserstoff-Backbone-Abschnitt ohne Lieferanten und ohne Abnehmer, einer Pipeline von nirgendwo nach nirgendwo, über den ich kürzlich geschrieben habe, ist, dass Dekarbonisierung an Nachfrage-Realismus scheitert oder gelingt, nicht an technologischer Ambition. Europa wusste bereits Ende der 2000er-Jahre, dass eine tiefgreifende Elektrifizierung ... [continued]
The post Europa baute Wasserstoffinfrastruktur statt des benötigten Stromnetzes* appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Caterham Project V: Electrification Of Fun [ 28-Jan-26 10:50pm ]In the past weeks, we have had a lot of serious coverage. The political landscape in the US has become discouraging, while the world realigns around us. Many of us could use a release from that seriousness. While the world order seemed to be unraveling last week, Caterham showed a ... [continued]
The post Caterham Project V: Electrification Of Fun appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Waabi Robotaxis, What? [ 28-Jan-26 10:03pm ]Just when you thought you knew all the robotaxi startups out there and the door was closing for any new entrants, here's another one! And it's coming in with a bang! Maybe some of you had spotted Waabi already, but I certainly hadn't. The news today, though, is this robotaxi ... [continued]
The post Waabi Robotaxis, What? appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Demand For Electric Vehicles From BMW & Mercedes Higher Than Expected [ 28-Jan-26 5:22pm ]Electric cars are enjoying a sales surge in Europe, outselling gas-powered cars for the first time in December of 2025.
The post Demand For Electric Vehicles From BMW & Mercedes Higher Than Expected appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Solar-Powered Boat Travels Into France [ 28-Jan-26 5:18pm ]The last time I watched a True North solar-powered boat video, he was slowly moving on a journey of about 200 miles and on electricity from his boat's solar panels. He constructed his own boat with rooftop solar and an electric motor for propulsion, an Epropulsion 6 kW. There are ... [continued]
The post Solar-Powered Boat Travels Into France appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Trump Fails, Again, To Stop US Offshore Wind Industry [ 28-Jan-26 5:16pm ]Wasting time and taxpayer money yet again, US President Trump has suffered yet another blow in his war against the domestic offshore wind industry. On January 27, a federal judge allowed work to resume on the massive, 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind project in Massachusetts, staying a stop-work order issued by the ... [continued]
The post Trump Fails, Again, To Stop US Offshore Wind Industry appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Transforming EVs & Charging Stations into Virtual Power Plants [ 28-Jan-26 3:19pm ]Nearly a decade ago, I gave a presentation at EVBox's rEVolution conference in Amsterdam. One of the other presenters at the even was the head of The Mobility House, founder and then-CEO Thomas Raffeiner. The company's focus: vehicle-to-grid technology. It was clear he and The Mobility House had been working ... [continued]
The post Transforming EVs & Charging Stations into Virtual Power Plants appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Tesla Removed Autopilot. The Data Says Safety Wasn't Lost [ 28-Jan-26 4:59am ]Tesla's decision to remove Autopilot and Autosteer as standard features in North America initially struck me as a step backward for safety, a cash grab for the Full Self Driving monthly subscription and as such an attempt to boost TSLA stock price. That reaction was almost automatic. I've used and ... [continued]
The post Tesla Removed Autopilot. The Data Says Safety Wasn't Lost appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Here Comes Concentrating Solar Power To Decarbonize Industrial Heat [ 28-Jan-26 4:58am ]The US concentrating solar power startup GlassPoint has its sights set on ripe solar markets in the US Southwest as well as southern Europe, the Middle East, and South America.
The post Here Comes Concentrating Solar Power To Decarbonize Industrial Heat appeared first on CleanTechnica.
From Beta to Data: Marine Energy Analysis Tool Is Now Stable & Ready [ 28-Jan-26 4:51am ]Updated Tool Could Help Marine Energy Developers Save Time, Money, and Effort A team of national laboratory researchers recently released version 1.0 of the Marine Hydrokinetic Toolkit (MHKiT)—a free, publicly available software tool used to process, analyze, visualize, and standardize marine energy data. Marine energy—energy generated from ocean and river waves, currents, ... [continued]
The post From Beta to Data: Marine Energy Analysis Tool Is Now Stable & Ready appeared first on CleanTechnica.
NLR & Blip Energy Collaborate on Smart Home Battery System [ 28-Jan-26 4:17am ]Drop-In Solution Benefits From Laboratory Expertise Through Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator To Cut Electric Bills and Strengthen Grid Reliability A smart home battery and energy management platform by Chicago startup Blip Energy is advancing through the 14th cohort of the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), launched in November 2024 and based ... [continued]
The post NLR & Blip Energy Collaborate on Smart Home Battery System appeared first on CleanTechnica.
NLR Advances Battery-Free Power for Remote Maritime Sensors and Navigation Aids [ 28-Jan-26 4:07am ]Compact Thermomagnetic Generator Delivers Continuous Electricity Using Natural Temperature Differences Between Ocean Water and Air The key to future technologies can sometimes be found in the past. What Ravi Kishore is working to perfect, for example, has its origins in the 19th century imaginations of Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison. ... [continued]
The post NLR Advances Battery-Free Power for Remote Maritime Sensors and Navigation Aids appeared first on CleanTechnica.
100 Gigawatts Of CdTe Thin Film Solar By 2030, But How To Get There? [ 28-Jan-26 3:55am ]The CdTe thin film solar manufacturing industry has an opportunity to grow to 100 gigawatts per year in the US as soon as 2030, according to an US industry-academic research team.
The post 100 Gigawatts Of CdTe Thin Film Solar By 2030, But How To Get There? appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Hundreds of Thousands of People Across U.S. Voice Opposition to Trump's Plan to Expand Offshore Drilling [ 28-Jan-26 3:39am ]Communities, local officials, and business oppose planned offshore drilling expansion WASHINGTON, D.C. — Friday, January 23rd, marked the close of the 60-day public comment period on the Trump administration's draft offshore drilling plan, which proposes an unprecedented expansion off of Alaska, Gulf, and California coastlines. Nearly 300,000 Americans submitted comments in ... [continued]
The post Hundreds of Thousands of People Across U.S. Voice Opposition to Trump's Plan to Expand Offshore Drilling appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Trump Admin Fast-Tracks Oil & Gas Drilling in National Forests, Removes Signage on Climate Change & Native American History [ 28-Jan-26 2:12am ]Donald Trump continues his assault on climate change awareness and climate action while pushing more fossil fuel extraction and use. Well, in this case, it's not a post on antisocial media that looks 50 years out of date or a mind-bogglingly stupid statement in front of world leaders. However, his ... [continued]
The post Trump Admin Fast-Tracks Oil & Gas Drilling in National Forests, Removes Signage on Climate Change & Native American History appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Zayed Sustainability Prize Opens Global Call for Submissions for 2027 Cycle [ 28-Jan-26 1:40am ]With an increased prize fund of US $7.2 million, the Zayed Sustainability Prize supports enterprises, nonprofit organisations and schools delivering transformative solutions. Entries are now open, with applicants invited to submit innovative, scalable sustainability solutions. Now in its 18th year, the Prize has positively impacted over 400 million people by expanding ... [continued]
The post Zayed Sustainability Prize Opens Global Call for Submissions for 2027 Cycle appeared first on CleanTechnica.
