Figures from the Canadian Climate Institute thinktank suggest that Canada has seen its first drop in greenhouse gas emissions since the Covid-19 pandemic, leaving them 8% lower than the nation’s baseline year of 2005, according to the Toronto Star. Emissions fell 0.8% between 2022 and 2023, driven largely by the phase-out of coal in Ontario and Alberta and the introduction of renewables in the Maritimes region, the newspaper says. The Globe and Mail is less positive in its coverage, with a headline stating that “oil and gas emissions swamp progress in other Canadian sectors”. It explains that emissions from the nation’s oil and gas sector increased 1% in 2022 and now make up 31% of its total. By contrast, it notes that emissions from the electricity sector have dropped, and are now 62% lower than they were in 2005. Reuters notes that Canada is aiming to cut its emissions 40-45% below 2005 levels by 2030, and says that the early estimate from the thinktank “shows slow progress towards the target and that emissions from the oil and gas sector continue to rise”. The newswire adds that the current Liberal government has proposed an oil and gas emissions cap from 2026, but says the policy faces strong resistance from the fossil-fuel industry and the opposition Conservative party – which is likely to win the federal election next year. According to CBC News, other trends include a reduction in emissions from buildings, due to uptake of heat pumps and government grants for retrofitting homes, as well as an “unusually warm winter”. As for transport, emissions from the sector increased – largely due to an uptick in air travel – but road travel emissions remained flat “even as car sales in Canada increased”, Bloomberg reports. Reuters cites Canadian Climate Institute executive director Mark Zacharias, who says that “Canada could reach the 2030 goal by leaning on other policies” instead of the controversial carbon tax that consumers pay on gasoline and other fuels.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has pledged €10bn of EU aid to help repair the damage caused by recent floods across central Europe as she visited the western Polish city of Wroclaw, Deutsche Welle reports. Days of flooding resulting from Storm Boris “have wreaked death and destruction across central Europe,” it says, noting that the death toll currently stands at 24. The article includes a rundown of the latest flooding-related events, including Germany offering military assistance to Poland and Wroclaw itself “preparing for peaking floods”. Agence France-Presse says Von der Leyen spoke alongside the leaders of four countries from the flood-hit region, including Poland, Czech Republic, Austria and Slovakia. She said the EU would use “cohesion funds” and the “solidarity fund” to provide the  €10bn of aid. Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orbán told a press conference he was sceptical that his country would receive timely help from the EU following the floods, stating that “if we waited for Brussels to bail us out, we’d be up to our necks in water”, Politico reports. Meanwhile, the Associated Press says the flooding is “threatening new areas and raising concerns among residents and leaders”, pointing to the evacuation of around 1,000 residents in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. BBC News states that “the recent events in central Europe fit with expectations of more extreme rainfall in a warming world, although it is not yet possible to quantify exactly how much of a role climate change has played”. 

In Greece, Reuters reports that fires have destroyed swathes of forest, leaving regions more vulnerable to flash floods as well as poorer air quality and higher air temperatures, due to lack of shade. Nevertheless, the loss has “ignited a debate about what the government response should be: continue with a programme of replanting trees that could provide fuel for future fires, or, as some scientists urge, look for new ways to adapt”. The article notes that the Greek fires “have become more frequent and fierce, driven by higher temperatures and drier conditions that scientists link to climate change”.

China’s National Meteorological Centre has issued a severe weather alert for Typhoon Pulasan, the 14th typhoon this year, as the tropical storm was “moving at a speed of 40-45 kph with increased intensity”, according to the China Meteorological Administration (CMA). The outlet adds that Typhoon Soulik, the 15th typhoon this year, is expected to affect southern Hainan province. The Ministry of Water Resources has issued an emergency response to flooding in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Henan and Hainan, state news agency Xinhua reports. State-owned media The Paper quotes Minister of Water Resources Li Guoying calling for “enhanced monitoring, forecasting and early warning system, and defence measures” to protect lives and critical infrastructure as the “back-to-back typhoons, Pulasan and Bebinca are likely to bring repeated damages in certain areas”.

Meanwhile, the South China Morning Post reports that “top trade officials from the European Union and China failed to reach a deal on ending a bitter dispute over electric vehicles during talks in Brussels” yesterday. However, it adds, “the sides committed to intensify talks towards finding a negotiated solution to the quarrel, including taking a ‘renewed look at price undertakings’”. According to Reuters, China’s commerce minister Wang Wentao said at the China-Europe Electric Vehicles (EVs) event in Brussels that he would “continue to negotiate until the last minute” on the EU’s anti-subsidy probe into China’s EVs. The New York Times says Chinese EV makers are “[expanding] through joint ventures in Europe” as they “[look] for ways to avoid the tariffs”. Back in China, German carmaker Volkswagen and its Chinese partner SAIC Motor are “preparing to close a factory in Nanjing as soon as next year” in response to “slowing demand for combustion-engine cars”, Bloomberg reports. John Kerry, who stepped down as US president Joe Biden’s climate envoy earlier this year, has “[advocated] working with China on climate” as he spoke against the US tariffs on Chinese imports, Reuters reports. 

Elsewhere, the National Energy Administration has issued “five recommendations to accelerate the promotion of distributed solar in north-west China”, energy news outlet BJX News reports. In a joint action plan, 13 government departments say they will “step up the intergovernmental coordination and formulate policies to better tackle health challenges brought by climate change”, state-run newspaper China Daily reports.

In other news, China plans to “open 12 nuclear research facilities and testing platforms to international scientists and institutions to enhance global cooperation”, Liu Jing, vice-chairman of the China Atomic Energy Authority, was quoted by Xinhua saying. CNN notes that while “the US led on nuclear fusion for decades”, China is now “in position to win the race”. China’s first solar-powered hydrogen drone has completed its inaugural flight in the Chongqing province, according to the Science and Technology Daily. The country has also initiated a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) programme across several airports, Xinhua reports. Finally, the Ministry of Water Resources has outlined plans to strengthen the “ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin”, says China News Network.

The World Bank says it delivered a record $42.6bn in climate finance during the 2024 fiscal year, marking a 10% increase on the $38.6bn it distributed the prior year, Reuters reports. This brings the bank close to its target for next year of reaching a 45% share of total financing devoted to climate projects, the article adds. It says that this “shows progress towards the bank’s goals, but is well short of the trillions of dollars in additional resources needed annually to finance the clean energy transition in emerging markets and developing countries”. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports on Mission 300, a “plan to bring electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030”, which has been backed by an initial pledge of $30bn from the World Bank and the African Development Bank. It says the programme has begun implementation, with the formation of a technical assistance facility to examine projects and help secure funding, led by major climate organisations such as the Rockefeller Foundation and Sustainable Energy For All.

Separately, biodiversity finance – meaning development funding for efforts to protect and restore nature – increased in 2022, according to the latest figures from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Climate Home News reports. The amount of money provided by wealthy countries, banks and other institutions increased from $11.1bn in 2021 to $15.4bn in 2022, it adds. However, the outlet notes that the increase “came mostly in the form of loans rather than grants”, with multilateral institutions such as development banks providing the bulk of the uplift. It notes that “boosting funds for biodiversity protection will be a key issue at the COP16 UN conference in Colombia late next month, as countries face the challenge of meeting a goal to mobilise $20bn by 2025”.

The European Commission and the International Energy Agency (IEA) have jointly presented the agency’s report on “immediate measures to be taken to strengthen Ukraine’s energy security and help it cope with the coming winter”, according to Euractiv. The article explains that, following two years of conflict with Russia, more than two-thirds of the nation’s pre-war electricity generation capacity has been destroyed, damaged or occupied. The IEA report “sets out 10 key energy measures that Ukraine and its international partners can take to address these risks while reducing future vulnerabilities”, the article explains. These include further decentralising Ukraine’s electricity supply, investing in energy efficiency and increasing its capacity to import electricity and gas from the EU – as well as investing further in wind turbines, solar panels, heat pumps and batteries. Recharge says the IEA emphasised wind and solar farms because “they are less vulnerable to Russian missiles than power plants”. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is travelling to Ukraine with the promise of €160m in new funds to support the nation’s energy system through winter, according to the Associated Press. Von der Leyen told reporters that €100m of those funds would come from Russian assets held in the EU, because “it is only right that Russia pays for the destruction it caused”, the outlet reports. The IEA report states that Ukraine’s energy infrastructure is “set to face its toughest test yet as the country approaches the winter season”, Power Technology says. Meanwhile, Reuters reports that Russian forces hit Ukraine’s energy sector in a new wave of airstrikes on Thursday, with power cuts in force in 10 regions as a result.

In related news, Euractiv reports that Csaba Marosvari, Hungary’s energy security chief, has taken aim at the EU for not providing enough support to help smaller, landlocked countries move away from their dependence on Russian natural gas. Hungary, which the article describes as “friendly” to the Russian state gas company Gazprom, still gets two-thirds of its gas imports from Russia.

Germany’s economy and climate minister, Robert Habeck, has emphasised that the country’s gas storage facilities are full ahead of winter, with gas distribution “functioning well”, reports Handelsblatt. As a result, Habeck expects “natural” gas prices to decrease next year, adds the outlet. Die Zeit says that, more than two years ago, Germany declared “the alarm level” of its gas emergency plan in response to a significant reduction in Russian gas supplies. Since then, the country has successfully reduced its dependence on Russian gas. In light of this, the environmental organisation Deutsche Umwelthilfe has called on the government to “immediately downgrade the alarm level of gas supply emergency” to the early warning level because the current level of emergency justifies and simplifies the construction of new liquified “natural” gas terminals in Germany, says Die Zeit. 

Meanwhile, Der Spiegel reports on a new study on Germany’s preparedness for extreme weather events, as parts of central Europe face widespread flooding. Analysis by 73 researchers from the University of Hamburg calls for more efforts to protect people from such events, the outlet says. It quotes co-author Prof Beate Ratter, who warns that Germany is responding “too slowly” to the increasing likelihood of more frequent heavy rainfall, heatwaves, and droughts. Deutsche Welle reports that Dresden, in eastern Germany, has already put up barriers to guard against extreme flooding. Further north, Brandenburg “is looking anxiously at the Oder river, which is expected to bring more water in the coming days”, notes the Local. 

Finally, Reuters reports that Germany’s power grid battery capacity, used to stabilise electricity networks, has risen by nearly a third this year, reflecting the country’s efforts to support the grid as it integrates more renewable energy sources.

US energy company Holtec has chosen to build a major £1.5bn factory, which will construct “the next generation of nuclear reactors”, near the city of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, according to the Daily Telegraph. If built, the factory would be “a major boost for the region”, creating up to 3,000 high-tech jobs to make the components for small modular reactors (SMRs), the newspaper says. Such SMRs “could become the backbone of the UK’s planned nuclear revival”, the article explains. BBC News quotes Oliver Coppard, South Yorkshire’s mayor, who said: “I promised to deliver a clean energy transformation and this decision is just more evidence of the huge and increasingly rapid progress we’re making.”

In a separate nuclear deal, the Financial Times reports that Rolls-Royce is set to secure the first order from a European government to build a fleet of SMRs. It says the company has been selected as the preferred supplier in a competition overseen by the Czech government. The article explains that governments around the world are increasingly looking to SMRs “to provide a reliable electricity supply to meet rising demand without generating carbon emissions”. The Times describes this as “a vote of confidence for the London-listed group as it competes for up to £20bn in UK government funding to roll out Britain’s first SMRs”. It notes that the first small nuclear plants are not expected to be up and running until 2035.

Meanwhile, BBC News reports on an interview with prime minister Keir Starmer in which he says the construction of electricity pylons and solar farms in the east of England is a necessary “trade-off” in order to get cheaper energy bills. Elsewhere, the Daily Telegraph reports on analysis by Wood Mackenzie that suggests the Labour government’s higher taxes on the oil and gas industry risk “leaving taxpayers on the hook for billions of pounds more in decommissioning charges”, as firms may collapse and “run out of cash for decommissioning”. The article, written by the former media manager for the UK’s oil and gas trade body, Offshore Energies UK, quotes analysts who blame the government’s higher taxes for the sector’s failure to plug up old oil boreholes. 

Climate change is not being sufficiently prioritised as a geopolitical threat, according to Anatol Lieven, director of the Eurasia programme at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, in an article for the Guardian. “Climate breakdown in general is visibly proceeding even faster than most models predicted, and some of its worst probable consequences are already clear,” he writes. Nevertheless, he says that while the UK and other western European states might be expected to devote their energies to fostering international collaboration to tackle the issue, “nothing of the sort has occurred”. Lieven says that despite the growing list of immediate threats, from record temperatures to floods, the issue is not taken seriously by the security establishment. “It is not, of course, that the climate crisis is ignored altogether; but it is placed in a separate compartment from security – which means that it is continually being eclipsed by the latest ‘security threat’,” he continues. Lieven argues that tackling climate change is therefore a good reason to pursue a “detente” with Russia and China, and disengage from conflicts in the Middle East, if only to focus resources on climate instead.

Even marine ecosystems that have been “relatively untouched” by humans may still harbour species that are at elevated risk of extinction due to human pressures, according to a new study. Researchers model the cumulative impact of human activities – including climate change, fishing, shipping and nutrient runoff – on more than 21,000 ocean-dwelling species around the world. By modelling the risk to individual species, not just ecosystems as a whole, they find that coastal ecosystems are at greater risk than previously thought. They also find that “impacts from climate-related stressors in general dominate impacts from non-climate stressors, regardless of the ecosystem element studied”.

A new study finds that the phenomenon of marine species moving polewards to escape warming waters may not be as prevalent as previously thought. Using two reef-monitoring datasets, researchers track the ranges of more than 650 Australian shall-water fishes and invertebrates over the last decade. They find that while “some species responded rapidly to temperature change”, most species demonstrated “little net movement overall”. The scientists conclude that previous work “may have overestimated the prevalence, magnitude and longevity of range shifts amongst marine taxa”.