Conservative MP Claire Coutinho has been named secretary of state for energy security and net-zero, replacing Grant Shapps who has been appointed defence minister, Reuters reports. According to the newswire, Coutinho worked as an aide to Rishi Sunak when he was a junior minister in the finance ministry. BBC News says Coutinho was previously a member of the Conservative Environment Network and vice chair of a parliamentary group studying how the finance sector could contribute to reaching net-zero target. Politico says that Coutinho has “distinct shades of green”. It notes that she “used her maiden speech in parliament in January 2020 to discuss green policy”, hailing the UK’s status as a leader in offshore wind. Before becoming a minister, she was also “an active member of the backbench Tory green caucus, the Conservative Environment Network, and campaigned for ‘wild belts’ – areas of land left aside for nature in planning decisions”, the outlet says. It adds: “Coutinho’s apparent green leanings will give hope to climate activists and renewable energy bosses who have watched, with increasing alarm, as Sunak’s government sends out mixed signals on its commitment to the green agenda and in particular the net-zero goal.” The Times calls Coutinho a “Rishi Sunak loyalist”. It says that energy bills will be on the top of her in-tray in the new position. The Daily Telegraph says another key issue for Coutinho will be the government’s planned ban on new oil boilers from 2026.

The i newspaper says Coutinho’s appointment has “raised hopes among environmental campaigners and the Conservatives’ green wing that the government’s net-zero agenda could be back on track”, but adds that “as an ultra-loyalist to Sunak, she may toe the line on his net-zero agenda – which has been watered down by the prime minister in recent weeks after the Uxbridge by-election”. The Daily Telegraph says Coutinho’s appointment “hints at [a] more conservative approach to net-zero”. The Big Issue quotes Dave Timms, head of political affairs at Friends of the Earth: ““Good riddance to Grant Shapps…He has promoted new drilling for oil and gas against the advice of his own climate advisers, allowed speculation about whether vital deadlines for the transition to electric vehicles and heat pumps would be stuck to, and failed to invest in home insulation. The country needs a serious secretary of state that will step up to give the certainty and support that businesses and people need to invest in the changes that will cut both emissions and the cost of living. We hope Claire Coutinho will be that person.” Coutinho’s appointment was also welcomed by green business groups, according to BusinessGreen. 

In other UK news, outlets including the Guardian, the Times and the Press Association report that RSPB has apologised for a social media post that called Sunak and other ministers “liars” over their plans to scrap water pollution restrictions on housebuilding. A comment by Sun political editor Trevor Kavanaugh calls the charity a “provisional wing of the [opposition] Labour Party”.

China’s special envoy on climate change Xie Zhenhua says, ahead of COP28,  that “China, US and Europe complement each other in a lot of ways in terms of green technology and markets, so they have broad prospects for cooperation”, reports the Chinese outlet Caixin. It adds that Xie says he has engaged in discussions with John Kerry, his American counterpart, and Frans Timmermans, formerly the executive vice president of the European Commission, on leveraging their “complementary strengths” to bolster renewable energy cooperation. BBC News reports the comments of James Cleverly, British foreign secretary: “During his visit [to China] Cleverly said having a ‘pragmatic, sensible working relationship with China’ was essential ‘because of the issues that affect us all’.” An editorial by the state news agency Xinhua calls for more “concrete” actions to “stabilise” China-US relations. A comment piece in the Daily Telegraph says that Kerry “gets crushed by the Chinese in his diplomatic trips abroad”, citing a recent trip when Chinese president Xi Jinping “refused to adopt more aggressive guidelines designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions”.

Meanwhile, CNN covers a report published by the University of Chicago which “praised” China’s  “remarkable achievements” in combating air pollution. Al Jazeera cites Carbon Brief analysis on China’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions increasing in the second quarter of the year. China Energy News reports that the “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality conference” commenced on Tuesday in eastern China’s Shandong province. The meeting launched China’s “first carbon sink verification system based on highly accurate CO2 concentration monitoring”. China Dialogue reports: “China’s national emissions trading scheme (ETS), which turned two in July”. The state-run newspaper Global Times says in an editorial that western countries’ worries about China boosting its coal power capacity are “unnecessary”. 

Separately, Bloomberg carries a comment piece by columnist David Flicking, who writes that China has achieved “remarkable” success in enhancing safety in the coal industry but methane “remains a looming threat”. CNBC reports on how China “became the king of new nuclear power”.

Residents across the south-eastern US have begun the clean-up from Hurricane Idalia, the Guardian reports. The paper says: “The worst of the devastation was evident along Florida’s Gulf coast, where Idalia tore ashore on Wednesday as a category three hurricane with gusts of 160mph and sent a surge of seawater of up to 16ft [5m] far inland through vulnerable low-lying communities.” The paper reports that US presisdent Joe Biden will visit Florida over the weekend, adding: “The president’s signature on the major disaster declaration frees federal funds to reimburse state and local authorities, and individuals, for rebuilding. But he warned in an afternoon press conference at the White House that funding was not unlimited.” The Associated Press carries pictures of people picking through the “rubble of lost homes and scattered belongings” in Florida and Georgia.The Hill reports that 300,000 people are still without power – mostly in Florida and Georgia. Axios calls the hurricane “yet another test of America’s ageing power infrastructure”. 

The Independent warns that while the storm is expected to move into the Atlantic Ocean over the weekend, a US federal hurricane projection model has “caused alarm” by indicating that it could circle back to strike Florida a second time. The New York Times warns that the post-tropical cyclone “could restrengthen and hit Bermuda this weekend”. Hurricane Idalia could become the costliest “climate disaster” to hit the US this year, the Guardian reports. It has a “preliminary price tag” of between $9bn and $20bn, based on estimates by different groups, the paper says. Idalia is expected to raise insurance costs for commercial properties in Florida, Reuters reports. It notes that this year, Florida commercial property insurance rates have climbed to 93 cents per $100, from 68 cents per $100 in 2022, in part driven by last September’s Hurricane Ian. Al Jazeera says Idalia was “less catastrophic than feared, with property damage, loss of life and power disruptions paling in comparison to the last major hurricane that struck Florida nearly a year ago, Hurricane Ian.” In comment, Bloomberg columnist David Fickling calls hurricane season “a perfect storm for insurance coverage”.

In other US developments, Climate Home News reports that the US has “hit back at claims that it is trying to stack the board of a new climate fund by giving developed countries more seats than developing ones”. The outlet continues: “Campaigners at a crunch meeting in the Dominican Republic this week said the US proposal on how to divide the board of the new loss and damage fund ‘tilts power towards wealthy nations’. But, in the meeting room of a five-star hotel in Santo Domingo, US government negotiator Christina Chan yesterday told these campaigners that they were wrong.”

Elsewhere, the New York Times reports that the energy department will give $12bn to car companies to help them convert their existing factories into plants that produce hybrid and electric vehicles. The money will be provided under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, the paper says. The Hill adds: “The department will also make an additional $3.5bn available for domestic battery manufacturing that was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”

The German liberal FDP party wants to halt the dismantling of nuclear power plants, “sparking new conflicts” within the ruling coalition, reports Süddeutsche Zeitung. The chairman of the FDP parliamentary group, Christian Dürr, told the newspaper that the group would discuss the idea that “the dismantling of the still operational nuclear power plants should be stopped”. The news adds that the draft resolution for the meeting of the 92 FDP members of parliament states that “Germany needs baseload-capable power plants”. In addition, the party wants to advocate for “the entry into modern, particularly low-waste and low-risk nuclear fission technologies”, notes the outlet. However, in the environment ministry, the idea is considered “unrealistic”, reports Table.Media. Steffi Lemke, the minister of environment, is quoted saying that “it is the FDP’s own decision and responsibility whether they submit such a backwards-looking proposal to the German [parliament] Bundestag”. The outlet explains that a nuclear restart would require at least an amendment to the Atomic Energy Act, a willing operator, new fuel elements, and an entirely new approval process for the old facilities.

Elsewhere, Der Spiegel reports that a representative of the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), Achim Dercks, notes that German companies are “increasingly sceptical about the energy transition’s success”, with concerns over competitiveness at an all-time high. The DIHK’s recent survey of almost 3,600 companies reveals that “52% view the shift towards climate neutrality negatively, while only 13% see positive effects”. Meanwhile, EurActiv reports that a disagreement over electricity subsidies for energy-intensive companies in Germany remains yet to be resolved.

The National Grid will pay British households and businesses to cut their power consumption during peak hours this winter, in an extension of the voluntary “demand flexibility service” that was employed last winter, the Financial Times reports. According to the paper, the system was employed last year after disruption to gas supplies and problems at some nuclear power stations in France sparked fears of an energy shortage. These fears are “less acute” this year, the paper says, but “the company said retaining the scheme would give it ‘additional tools’ for managing the network and help it ‘build further resilience’”. The Times reports that last winter, around 1.6m households participated in the scheme and were paid a total of almost £11m. It adds: “Energy bills for most households are due to fall by 7% to an average of £1,923 a year from October but experts have warned that millions will struggle.” The Daily Telegraph reports that top-performing households shaved an average of £40 off their bills.

This comes as the Times reports that “energy companies are set to be banned from a controversial trading practice that inflated customers’ bills by demanding unduly high prices for generating electricity”. According to the paper, energy regulator Ofgem said that power plant owners could face fines of up to 10% of their revenues if they “flout the new rules to make ‘excessive’ profits”. The Press Association says the move comes after an investigation by Ofgem, which found that “some generators were taking advantage of existing rules after their balancing costs tripled to more than £1.5bn between November 2021 and February 2022, compared with a winter average of just under £500m between 2017 and 2020”. Bloomberg also covers the story.

Elsewhere, BBC News reports that the maximum amount of money that  households and firms in the UK can claim for power cuts due to storms has risen from £700 to £2,000, following a review into the response to Storm Arwen, when nearly one million homes and businesses lost power in 2021. “An Ofgem director said the ‘tough new rules’ would ensure energy companies prepare better for severe weather,” the broadcaster adds. The Press Association reports: “Under Ofgem’s new rules, the initial payment will also increase, from £70 to £80, if a customer’s supply is not restored after 24 hours in a category one storm or 48 hours in a category two storm.”

The Guardian has published an editorial following UK prime minister Rishi Sunak’s “mini cabinet reshuffle”, in which Claire Coutinho replaced Grant Shapps as secretary of state for energy security and net-zero. The editorial describes Shapps as a “lightweight” and Coutinho as a “Sunak loyalist”, and says the reshuffle indicates that Sunak “bet this summer that he would gain by siding with motorists and consumers against environmental policies in a cost of living crisis”. It continues: “Sunak badly misjudged voter sentiment on climate issues. His rhetoric and policy shifts have not moved the polls, but have instead highlighted Tory divisions, including within the cabinet. Shapps’ problems began when his energy bill became a battleground between pro-green, climate-sceptic and free-market Conservatives. This saw the business and trade secretary, Kemi Badenoch, the current darling of the Tory right, able to promote her own anti-green agenda, making Sunak look weak for failing to push back. Coutinho will have her work cut out to prevent major rebellions when the bill returns to the Commons next week. If she fails on this key policy question, Sunak will find it harder to claim he is chief of the Tory tribe.”  In the Independent, chief political commentator John Rentoul writes that “Sunak is trying to scare voters by presenting Labour’s climate-change policies as ‘eco-zealoutry’, contrasting them with his own ‘proportionate and pragmatic’ approach to net-zero. Yet Sunak and Coutinho will struggle to get that message across against the impression, accentuated by this reshuffle, of a dying government.” For the Times, Katy Balls, political editor of the Spectator, writes under the headline: “Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak set for battle on net-zero.” She says: “Both sense risk in doing too much or too little, so this autumn each will try to cast the other side as climate extremists.”

Elsewhere, Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee has written a piece under the headline: “When is a vandal not a vandal? When they’re attacking Ulez cameras, say desperate Tory MPs.” Toybee notes that protestors claim to have destroyed 600 of the 3,000 cameras needed to enforce London’s new ultra-low emission zone and says “property damage is always roundly condemned by elected politicians”. She continues: “It’s dumbfounding for senior Tory politicians at Westminster and in local authorities to encourage acts of criminal damage…A line is crossed when democratically elected politicians rouse people to disobey democratically made laws…Remember, two Just Stop Oil protesters are in jail – for three years and two years seven months – for climbing on to a bridge and disrupting traffic. Yet now, some Conservative MPs are saying that police resources are being used to investigate ‘attacks on Ulez cameras rather than more serious crimes’. I don’t recall them saying the police wasted time prosecuting climate protesters.” 

In other UK comment, Gillian Tett – chair of the Financial Times editorial board – writes that “investor interest in small modular [nuclear] reactors is growing as demand for electricity is set to soar”. Daily Telegraph chief city commentator Ben Marlow writes: “the electric car debacle shows the top-down economics of net-zero don’t add up”.

Guardian US columnist Steven Donziger, a human rights and environmental lawyer, has penned a comment piece about the recent vote in Ecuador to ban oil drilling in the Amazon’s Yasuní national park. He says the referendum “proves that real democracy that respects the popular will can be a powerful tool for transitioning to a sustainable future” and “underscores how important it is to protect our increasingly fragile democracy”. However, he warns that “powerful oil and gas companies understand the threat a real citizen-based democracy poses to their power”. He goes on to discuss the power of the fossil fuel industry in the US to lobby against new legislation and says “voter suppression is now a regular feature in many US states”. Donziger continues: “On top of these threats to democracy at the state level, the US supreme court and its unelected, mostly far-right justices are weakening both our democracy and its ability to regulate the fossil fuel industry.” He concludes: “It is clear we cannot trust either of the two major US political parties – both of which mostly support fossil fuel expansion – to adequately address this [climate] crisis. We simply cannot save the planet without first protecting and strengthening our democracy.”

A new study finds that previous research has underestimated the strength of the Arctic methane sink. Using field data from Canada and Finland, laboratory experiments and machine learning, a team of researchers investigates the daily and seasonal cycles of atmospheric methane consumption by the Arctic soils. They find that soil moisture and biotic factors – such as the makeup of the microbial community – strongly influence the rate of methane uptake. Drier soils lead to increased methane uptake in the Arctic, leading the authors to conclude that these soils will “provid[e] a negative feedback to global climate change”.

Annual hydropower energy production in the highlands of the Euphrates-Tigris basin in eastern Turkey could decrease by 10% in the coming decades, according to a new study. The researcher uses climate models coupled with a soil-and-water model to determine future inflow to the Dipni reservoir under two emissions scenarios. He finds that under an emissions scenario that roughly matches the world’s current trajectory, energy production at the dam would decrease by 10%, while it would drop by more than 20% under a very-high emissions scenario. The paper highlights “the need to take adaptive measures against the projected impacts of climate change to achieve the targeted return for the coming decades”, the author writes.