Many outlets cover a two-day summit on energy security hosted by the UK government and the International Energy Agency (IEA). At the event, UK prime minister Keir Starmer told the audience that his nation will accelerate the drive to reach net-zero instead of slowing down as some have demanded, the Guardian reports. The newspaper describes Starmer’s statement as “his strongest declaration yet of support for the net-zero agenda”. The newspaper notes that Starmer’s energy secretary Ed Miliband and the wider net-zero goal “have been subject to growing criticism in the past few weeks”, with critics linking both to high energy prices and the crisis in the nation’s steel industry. “But Starmer’s words were a clear vote of confidence,” it adds. BusinessGreen quotes Starmer stating that “homegrown clean energy is in the DNA of my government”. In his speech at the event, Miliband said that while he recognised the value of fossil fuels in the global energy mix, in the UK at least the future is low-carbon energy, according to BBC News. Both Miliband and IEA executive director Fatih Birol emphasised the need for countries to cooperate on energy, the article notes. While no countries were named, it adds that “energy prices have been particularly impacted by the war in Ukraine and US President Donald Trump’s recent trade war”. In an interview with Politico, Miliband said that the UK would be able to cooperate with both the US and China – the former on nuclear power and the latter on tackling climate change more broadly. The news outlet notes that he acknowledged China’s supply-chain dominance in the clean-energy sector and said the solution was promoting domestic industries.

The Associated Press describes divisions between the UK’s outlook and that of the US. It reports that Starmer said renewables would help countries curb reliance on “the rollercoaster of international fossil fuel markets”, while announcing new investments in offshore wind manufacturing. Meanwhile, Tommy Joyce, US acting assistant secretary of energy for international affairs, described policies that place clean power over fossil fuels as “harmful and dangerous”, the article adds. Much of the coverage of the summit focuses on this divide, with the Daily Telegraph quoting Joyce saying that net-zero policies “harm human lives” and undermine “health, wealth and opportunity”. Bloomberg describes the US “clash[ing] with allies” at the summit. In its coverage, Climate Home News says the US was supported by officials from Iraq and Egypt in arguing that fossil fuels should remain part of the energy system. Meanwhile, Politico reports that at recent IEA meetings, US officials have pushed the body, which publishes influential forecasts, to “cease its work promoting the global shift to clean power and net-zero carbon emissions”.

Sky News points out that “most of the other 55-odd governments who attended [Starmer’s] summit in London” agreed that clean power would help protect people from energy import-related price shocks. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told attendees that “as our energy dependence on fossil fuels goes down, our security goes up”, the article says. Von der Leyen pointed to an upcoming EU “roadmap”, expected on 6 May, which is set to offer “concrete measures to phase out all imports of Russian fossil fuels so that we will no longer rely on a hostile power for our energy needs”, according to Politico.

Starmer used the conference to announce £2bn in funding for a new carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in north Wales and north-west England, which will help to decarbonise industries including hydrogen and cement production, the Independent reports. The article notes that the UK government has reached an agreement with Italian fossil-fuel company Eni that will “see the company invest billions” in the project.

Finally, the United Arab Emirates state-owned National reports on comments from IEA executive director Fatih Birol, who warned the conference of the risk posed by the “huge concentration” of critical minerals in a small number of countries.

There is continuing coverage of the virtual meeting of world leaders organised by the UN and Brazil to discuss climate change. Chinese president Xi Jinping has pledged “more stringent curbs” on emissions by 2035 “covering the entire scope of the economy, including all greenhouse gases” at the meeting that took place without the US, Bloomberg reports, citing state broadcaster CCTV. State news agency Xinhua quotes Xi saying “China will announce its 2035 nationally determined contributions (NDC)” before the COP30 climate summit in November. Xi also “vows [that] China will ‘not slow down its climate actions’”, BusinessGreen says. The fact that it’s the “first time that China clarifies this point” was “extremely important for climate action”, remarked UN secretary general Antonio Guterres, Xinhua notes in a separate article. Xi also told the meeting that China has built the “world’s largest renewable energy system”, its “most complete new energy industry chain” and “contributed to a quarter of the world’s new green area”, says energy news site International Energy Network.

Meanwhile, China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has updated its market access “negative list”, industry outlet BJX News reports. It says that building new coal-fired power plants or oil-fired generating units that “do not comply with national regulations” are prohibited under the new list. Other products and projects, such as agriculture products, hydro power projects, cross-border electricity grids and gas pipelines, are also on the list, according to the outlet. The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP) and Reuters also cover the news. 

Separately, China has issued the “first batch” of the “energy conservation and emissions reduction subsidy budget” for this year, reports energy news portal China Energy Net. It adds that the total amount exceeded 13bn yuan ($2bn), of which disbursement for “new energy vehicle (NEV) subsidies” totalled 831m yuan ($114m). The 13bn yuan ($2bn) special government bonds for the “two new” have also been issued, Xinhua says. The Financial Times publishes an article under the headline: “How critical minerals became a flash point in US-China trade war.” 

In commentary, Lin Boqiang, director of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University, writes in China Daily that “with the alignment of China’s carbon neutrality goals and [the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’s] energy transition plans, bilateral collaboration in addressing climate change is entering a new period of strategic opportunities”. He urges the two to “leverage” their free trade agreement to “address challenges posed by European and US tariffs”. And a commentary by social commentator Lijia Zhang in SCMP asks China to “resist greenwashing its dirty coal habit with green bonds”.

US president Donald Trump has signed an executive order with the aim of boosting the deep-sea mining industry, with the goal of opening up international waters to companies supported by his nation, the Washington Post reports. Such mining is currently banned and 167 nations are trying to agree on how it should be regulated, the newspaper explains. The move has therefore earned rebukes from both the International Seabed Authority, the UN-sanctioned agency that regulates the ocean floor in international waters, as well as other countries, it continues. However, the US is not a voting member of that body because it has not ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the newspaper adds. Reuters says the executive order “seeks to jumpstart the mining of both US and international waters as part of a push to offset China’s sweeping control of the critical minerals industry”. It explains that parts of the Pacific Ocean and elsewhere are thought to contain large amounts of “polymetallic nodules”, which are “filled with the building blocks for electric vehicles and electronics”. The newswire notes that “any country can allow deep-sea mining in its own territorial waters” and companies are already preparing to mine US waters, but the new order also calls for the expedited review of seabed mining permits “in areas beyond the national jurisdiction”. CNN says that administration officials estimate US waters alone contain more than 1bn tonnes of nodules, containing copper, cobalt, nickel and other materials. India’s Mint notes that the new order directs the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the US Export-Import Bank to explore options for financing exploration, extraction, processing and environmental monitoring of seabed resources. It adds that environmental groups want “stiffer international regulation of deep-sea mining”, warning that it could endanger deep-sea ecosystems. (For more on deep-sea mining, see Carbon Brief’s explainer, published last year.)

In more US news, CNN reports that the Trump administration has cancelled the lease for the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies – “its top climate monitoring lab” – which is leased from Columbia University. As of 31 May, employees will transition to remote work, according to an email seen by the news outlet.

Reuters reports that the US administration’s energy security council plans to host a summit in Alaska in early June, “when it hopes Japan and South Korea will announce commitments” to a major liquified natural gas (LNG) project in Alaska. President Donald Trump has advocated for the $44bn project, which would involve delivering gas from Alaska’s North Slope fields via an 800-mile pipeline for domestic use and sending it to customers in Asia as LNG instead of via the Panama Canal. US officials are urging Japan and South Korea to commit to the project in the “next few weeks”, according to the New York Times, which places the data for the planned summit on 2 June. “Many remain wary of the economics of such a deal. Letters of intent to participate in the project are likely to include room to withdraw,” the article says. 

Meanwhile, Spain has signalled that weakening EU goals on methane regulation in LNG supplies, as member states seek to diversify from Russian supplies “isn’t an option”, according to Bloomberg. “Some nations have been calling for a reduction of technical burdens that may hinder the prospects of more purchases of LNG from third countries,” the article notes.

In related news, US energy secretary Chris Wright has “sought to reassure” US oil companies at an energy conference in Oklahoma, Bloomberg reports. He tells the news outlet that the “uncertainty” around tariffs is a “short term issue” and, ultimately, the administration is focused on scaling up oil output. Meanwhile, Trump’s effort to cut environmental reviews for new projects down to a month or less “could push his administration into murky legal ground” and give environmental groups “more ammunition to challenge federal approvals of mines and fossil fuel projects in court”, E&E News reports. And Bloomberg has spoken to hedge fund managers about investing in low-carbon assets, noting that “most said they now see better opportunities in Europe and Asia” than the US.

UK energy secretary Ed Miliband has insisted that “no decision has been made” on plans to overhaul the way in which electricity is priced in the UK, BusinessGreen reports. However, it notes that the minister stressed he is “not in favour of a postcode lottery on bills”, referring to speculation about plans for “zonal pricing”. According to the news outlet, speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Miliband said: “Whatever route we go down, my bottom line is bills have got to fall, and they should fall throughout the country. I’m not about to introduce a postcode lottery. I’m determined we don’t do that. But absolutely no decision has been made.” BBC News notes that Miliband also “rejected claims in a Daily Telegraph article that it would mean increased energy bills for southern English households”. Sky News says it “understands” that the government will make a decision on this policy by the summer. It also explains that the idea behind zonal pricing is “to attract industry to build in low-cost areas, and incentivise new electricity generation in regions where people need it most”. Meanwhile, the Times reports that Ecotricity owner and Labour donor Dale Vince has branded zonal pricing a “terrible idea”.

Nina Scheer, one of the leading members of Germany’s Social Democratic Party, which is expected to join the coalition government, tells Politico that a potential US move to ease sanctions on Russian energy could be justified if it serves the goal of securing peace in Ukraine. It quotes her saying that the “US sanctions [on Nord Stream 2] were unlawful from the start…Lifting them would be in line with international law”. She also emphasised that the stance on the Nord Stream gas pipeline does not alter Germany’s commitment to the energy transition. However, Berliner Zeitung reports that the US administration under Donald Trump has rejected a Politico report claiming that the White House was discussing lifting sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline and other Russian assets in Europe in exchange for a peace deal with Ukraine. The outlet quotes Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, criticising the reporting as “completely fabricated and irresponsible”.

Meanwhile, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reports on a study by the German Mineral Resources Agency (DERA) highlighting Germany’s potential vulnerability to China’s “blackmail” in the trade disputes over rare-earth materials. It explains that in 2023, Germany imported almost 70% of all its rare-earth minerals from China, compared to 46% for the EU average. The study emphasises Germany’s 100% dependence on China on rare-earth materials, such as dysprosium and terbium, which are “vital” for green technologies. The DERA study concludes that the west will remain dependent on China for heavy rare earths for decades and urges stockpiling, domestic mining and recycling, without which climate targets are at risk.

Finally, Euractiv features an article titled: “Germans are slowly warming up to heat pumps again.” FAZ also notes that demand for heat pumps is rising in Germany, with the sales in the first quarter increasing by 35% compared to the same period last year. 

To coincide with a joint UK-International Energy Agency (IEA) event on energy security taking place this week, UK energy secretary Ed Miliband and IEA executive director Fatih Birol have co-written an article for the New Statesmen. “As circumstances change, countries need to take a fresh look at what it means to have secure energy systems,” they write. The authors note that while oil and gas will continue to play a role in energy systems “for years to come”, investing in clean energy is “now not just a climate imperative but an urgent national security imperative”. They point to the pressure Russia was able to put on Europe via its control of gas supplies. The article also highlights the declining costs of renewables, as well as the “next frontier” of technologies such as small modular nuclear reactors and hydrogen. “At the same time, as we make this clean energy transition, there is a crucial role for co-operation on oil and gas across countries, so no country or region is exposed as Europe was before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” they say. The article concludes by stating: “There is a vision of energy abundance, across developed and developing countries that can raise living standards, deliver energy security and do the right thing for future generations.”

In his column for Bloomberg, Javier Blas writes about what he describes as “the risk implications of electrifying everything”. He says: “Climate deniers only see trouble in renewables, electric vehicles and the other greener technologies, forgetting all the risks that oil, gas and coal bring along. In between both positions lays the reality.” Blas highlights issues such as the huge demand that must be met, problems with grid connections and governments shutting down “so-called dispatchable power”. He concludes: “Flagging the problem isn’t climate denialism. It’s electricity realism.”

In his sketch for the Daily Mail, Quentin Letts is scathing about the energy-security conference, stating that “it was all pointless” after various interventions from Trump administration representative Tommy Joyce that took aim at climate policies. Meanwhile, right-leaning outlets launch more of their regular attacks on Miliband. A Daily Mail editorial calls him an “eco-zealot” and once again calls for prime minister Keir Starmer to sack him. The editorial also claims that Miliband is planning to introduce a “postcode lottery”. [Miliband rejected reports of a postcode lottery in an interview with the BBC Radio 4 Today programme – see news coverage above.] A Sun editorial takes a similar line, listing Miliband’s supposed shortcomings and concluding: “The mystery is not that Red Ed believes this guff. It’s that the prime minister tolerates it.” Climate-sceptic columnist Ross Clark has written a “factcheck” for the Spectator about Miliband’s comments on taxes on oil-and-gas companies affecting energy prices.

The Daily Telegraph’s editorial states that “Miliband has conceded that his department is considering plans for regional power pricing”. Instead, it recommends that the government should “abandon the rush to decarbonise the grid by 2030” and focus on fossil fuels instead. Writing in the Independent, columnist John Rentoul considers the latest flurry of speculation about government plans to vary electricity pricing by region. “Miliband has become the target of the Conservative press, and is acutely aware that he cannot allow his green policies to be blamed for adding to the cost of living,” he says: “Once he has ‘carefully assessed’ the plan for regional energy pricing, I predict he will not do it.”

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from farm equipment have “increased nearly sevenfold” in China since 1985, a new study says, adding that continued growth could “compromise” the country’s carbon-neutrality goals. Researchers estimate the county-level use of agricultural machinery and the associated emissions of CO2 and air pollutants, then project their future growth. They find that “unabated” growth would result in emissions equal to 21% of China’s stated 2050 carbon targets. But, they add that “adoption of renewable energy sources could mitigate 65-70% of these emissions”.