The world’s coal use is expected to reach a new high of 8.7bn tonnes this year, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Guardian reports. The newspaper says: “There has been record production and trade of coal and power generation from coal since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine inflated global gas market prices…[The IEA] blamed power plants for the growing use of coal over the last year, particularly in China which consumes 30% more of the polluting fuel than the rest of the world put together. In developed economies, such as the US and the European Union, coal power generation has already passed its peak, the IEA says, and is forecast to fall by 5% and 12%, respectively, this year.” Bloomberg adds: “The latest forecast from the IEA sees demand for coal rising to nearly 8.9bn tonnes by 2027, about 1% higher than 2024 levels. That overwrites last year’s estimate that coal demand would begin a steady decline this decade. The reality could surpass the current estimate, as demand has consistently eclipsed the IEA’s predictions in recent years.” The Daily Telegraph reports the story under the headline: “Miliband’s coal ban eclipsed by surging global demand.” BusinessGreen also covers the story. 

There is widespread media coverage of the latest report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). BBC News says that, according to the report, “governments are underestimating or ignoring the links between five key areas – biodiversity, water, food, health and climate change”. The outlet quotes report co-chair Paula Harrison, who warns: “Our current governance systems are often different departments, they’re working in silos, they’re very fragmented…Often these links are not even acknowledged or ignored and what that means is you can get unintended consequences or trade-offs that emerge because people just weren’t thinking in an holistic way.” New Scientist reports that a “unified approach could improve nature, climate and health all at once”, but “focusing on one issue alone” can “make the other crises worse”. The Financial Times says the report was approved in Namibia yesterday, after three years of work by 165 scientists. It adds that, according to the report, the “global economy is losing up to $25tn a year because sectors such as agriculture, energy and fishing fail to account for how their actions fuel interconnected crises in nature, climate and human health”. The New York Times says that, according to the report, “direct public subsidies that are damaging to biodiversity amount to about $1.7tn per year, incentivising the private sector to invest even more in harmful activities”. Agence France-Presse, the Times, Hindustan Times and Press Association also cover the report. See Carbon Brief’s coverage for more detail.

Joe Biden’s administration has released a “long-awaited” report on the country’s liquefied “natural” gas (LNG) exports, according to the Guardian. The newspaper says that energy secretary Jennifer Granholm released a letter alongside the report, warning that, according to its findings, “rising LNG exports risk dramatically raising greenhouse gas emissions and could also trigger price hikes for US energy consumers”. The newspaper continues: “Granholm told reporters that a business-as-usual approach to LNG export permitting was neither sustainable nor advisable and that the findings underscored the need for a cautious approach to new permits.” Bloomberg says that, according to the analysis, higher LNG exports “would be more likely to displace renewable energy, rather than coal”, leading to a rise in emissions. The New York Times says that Biden ordered the analysis in January, when he paused the process of issuing permits for more than a dozen new gas-export facilities. According to the newspaper, the report “does not provide grounds for the federal government to issue blanket denials of the final permits for future natural gas terminals”, but “could provide a legal argument for those seeking to sue to stop permits for export terminals in the future”. Separately, the New York Times says: “The American Gas Association, an industry trade group, criticised the study, saying it had ‘glaring issues’ that the group would seek to correct during a 60-day public-comment period. Environmental groups praised the report.” The Financial Times says the “future of America’s natural gas export boom has been thrown into doubt” by the report. It adds that the US LNG industry has “grown exponentially since its establishment less than a decade” and the US overtook Australia to become the world’s biggest LNG exporter last year. Politico says: “By highlighting the economic argument against LNG exports, the Biden administration may be hoping to reach Trump supporters with a populist economic message.” Reuters, ABC News, the Associated Press, Forbes and Axios also cover the report. 

In other US news, Bloomberg reports that US power demand is expected to climb almost 16% over the next five years – largely due to increased energy demand from AI datacentres. It continues: “The surge is prompting utilities and their big power-using customers to make some unexpected decisions. After years of watching coal plants retire in droves as power producers sought to curb their planet-warming emissions, some utilities are reversing course on climate goals. Customers are clamoring for so much electricity that operators are keeping their dirtiest fossil fuel plants running longer than expected.” The Financial Times says that the “shortfall could cause blackouts during peak demand periods” in the US and Canada, adding that this “will be worsened by delays in adding solar generation capacity, batteries and hybrid resources to the grid”. 

There is continuing coverage of Tropical Cyclone Chido, which hit the French archipelago of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean over the weekend. The New York Times reports that authorities “introduced a curfew on Tuesday as they rushed to get food and water into the territory”. It adds that “hundreds or even thousands are feared dead” and “officials who toured Mayotte said the devastation had spared no corner of the tiny archipelago, France’s poorest territory”. More than 35,000 houses were destroyed, the paper says. It adds that Mayotte is usually sheltered from the brunt of storms by neighbouring Madagascar, but “this time, the cyclone passed above the tip of Madagascar and hit Mayotte with full force”. EuroNews reports that Chido is the deadliest storm to hit Mayotte in more than 90 years, according to the French weather service. It continues: “A rapid study from Imperial College London has found that human-caused climate change intensified Tropical Cyclone Chido’s destructive winds, elevating it from a Category 3 to a Category 4 storm when it struck Mayotte…Scientists found that climate change increased Chido’s wind speeds by about 11kph when it hit the island. It also made the storm more likely with the chance of cyclones of this strength hitting Mayotte becoming 40 per cent more likely compared to pre-industrial times…Hot sea temperatures that provided the fuel for Chido to form and rapidly intensify were also made more than 50 times more likely by climate change.” The paper quotes Dr Friederike Otto, co-founder of World Weather Attribution at Imperial College London: “This is a tragic illustration of climate change preying on the poorest and most vulnerable. Unfortunately, this is becoming the norm in Africa – a continent that has contributed the least amount of emissions but is enduring some of the worst extreme weather.” Reuters reports that “doctors are bracing for a surge in disease”. Bloomberg says that French president Macron will visit Mayotte on Thursday. The Guardian, ABC News, EuroNews, South China Morning Post and Independent also cover the news.

Despite China’s efforts to curb its emissions, the country’s “commitment to energy security” means that its “breakneck pace of coal production” is “unlikely to slow soon”, says Bloomberg. The outlet adds that coal mining is “big business” for China and that the National Energy Administration “set a target to mine 4.8bn tonnes of coal in 2025, potentially setting a record”. Meanwhile, China’s energy self-sufficiency rate has “climbed to an impressive 85[%] in 2024”, state-run newspaper China Daily reports, adding that the figure is projected to reach 95% by 2060. State news agency Xinhua also covers the story. Another China Daily article says that the growth of the “new energy” industry in China is “closely aligned with significant anticipated demand”, according to a new report by China’s state council.

Elsewhere, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports that China is “leading the world in nuclear power installations and projects”, planning the construction of more nuclear plant projects in coastal regions in 2025 as Beijing “amps up investment efforts to decarbonise its energy mix”. Beijing is searching for counsellors with a “focus on diplomatic engagement” related to the electric vehicle (EV) sector for its overseas embassies, another SCMP report says.

Finally, the Financial Times reports that the “push to loosen China’s stranglehold over the global battery supply chain” has intensified after the US agreed to fund the “first large-scale synthetic graphite facility” in North America. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said yesterday that he hopes the Trump administration will “make the right choice” and work with Beijing, hours after Donald Trump told reporters “the Covid-19 pandemic had strained his relationship with ‘friend’ Xi Jinping”, Reuters reports. Bloomberg reports that Chinese companies are already “considering a range of steps”, including “shifting production to other countries such as the US”, to avoid potential tariffs imposed by the incoming Trump administration.

Japanese car companies Nissan and Honda are “in exploratory talks about a merger of the two carmakers that would create a $52bn Japanese behemoth”, the Financial Times reports. According to the newspaper, the companies are hoping to “better compete at a time when traditional carmakers are grappling with fast-growing Chinese electric-vehicle manufacturers, and slower than expected consumer demand for EVs”. The paper continues: “Nissan and Honda announced in March they would team up to develop EVs and have deepened their talks amid uncertainty about what Donald Trump’s return as US president will mean for the car industry…The combined company would rank as the world’s third-largest carmaker behind Toyota and Volkswagen based on last year’s sales volumes, giving it the scale to make investments to compete with Tesla and China’s BYD.” BBC News, the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph and Reuters also cover the report. 

In other EV news, the Daily Telegraph reports that European carmakers including Stellantis, Volkswagen and Renault “are raising petrol vehicle prices as they scramble to encourage take-up of costly electric vehicles”. And Reuters says: “Honda Motor aims to double its global hybrid car sales to 1.3m vehicles annually by 2030 from 2023 levels, providing a ‘bridge’ until fully electric vehicles become more widespread, the Japanese automaker said on Wednesday.”

The Guardian reports that “energy companies have promised to spend almost £70bn over five years to help rewire Great Britain’s electricity infrastructure in the global race to shift from fossil fuels to clean electricity”. The newspaper adds: “The companies that own the high-voltage power system – National Grid, SSE and ScottishPower – have submitted spending plans totalling about £68bn to the industry regulator Ofgem for the period from 2026 to 2031, which could support about 100,000 jobs. The proposals must still be approved by the watchdog, which is expected to balance the need for costly investments in upgrading the power infrastructure to meet climate targets, which is paid for through energy bills, against the need to protect customers from rising costs.”

In other UK news, the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has ruled that a LinkedIn advert from Lloyds, which discussed the bank’s efforts to support the energy transition, was “misleading”, Bloomberg reports. According to the outlet, the regulator said the advert “omitted significant information about Lloyds’ contribution” to greenhouse gas emissions. Lloyds was told that the ad may not reappear without being amended, it says. The Guardian reports that “Bristol-based campaign group Adfree Cities reported the ads to the ASA earlier this year”. The Press Association also covers the news.

Elsewhere, BusinessGreen reports that wind power generated 22,243MW of electricity on Sunday 15 December at 6:30pm – a new maximum wind record for the UK. MailOnline also carries the story, which includes a quote from Carbon Brief’s Dr Simon Evans: “By 2030, if the government’s clean power target is to be met, then gas would be below 5% and wind would be well over 50%. The UK already gets nearly as much electricity from wind as from gas – and wind will dominate our supplies by the end of the decade. While we’ll still need gas-fired capacity for when it isn’t windy, the rise of wind means we’ll be burning much less fuel bought on volatile international gas markets.”

Separately, MailOnline reports that “Brits could face an extra £20 a year on energy bills to fund carbon capture technology”. The Financial Times reports that the UK government is forming a 16-member “industrial strategy advisory council, which will include Octopus energy CEO Greg Jackson and former Conservative energy secretary Greg Clark. The council will focus on eight sectors – “advanced manufacturing, clean energy, creative industries, defence, digital and technologies, financial services, life sciences and professional and business services”.

Finally, the Financial Times has published a warning from the chair of Ineos Energy that “punitive” government tax policies are making the North Sea “uninvestable”. The Daily Telegraph reports that “only one in 250 Britons would be willing to cover the average cost of installing a heat pump, polling reveals”. Inside Climate News reports that climate activists from Just Stop Oil have lost a court case against Shell. According to the outlet, the defendants participated in a protest at a Shell gas station in Essex in 2022 and the Shell legal team “argued that the protests in question are unlawful, potentially unsafe and likely to injure the company’s proprietary rights”. BBC News reports that “two environmental campaign groups will be allowed to help appeal against the sentences given to five climate protestors who took part in demonstrations that blocked the M25”. The Daily Telegraph reports that energy secretary Ed Miliband “suggested the government could introduce new rules making it mandatory for developers to install the devices on new builds as standard, telling MPs he was ‘very sympathetic’ to the idea”. And the Sun quotes shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho in a piece that says that “Ed Miliband came under fire last night for saying it’s ‘completely logical’ to say energy bills will come down in the dash to net-zero”.

Pilita Clark – an associate editor and business columnist at the Financial Times – has penned a comment piece under the subheading: “It’s not just Trump – elections around the world may produce a new crop of net-zero critics in 2025”. Clark says that, in addition to Trump’s win in the US, “elections are due or possible in at least four other sizeable economies where relatively green governing parties face rivals that want to rein in, water down or reverse climate action”. For example, she notes that Canada’s Conservative party – who have promised the “axe” the carbon tax that was introduced in 2019 – are ahead of Justin Trudeau’s liberal party. She also discusses the mainstream leading parties in Germany and France, neither of which are likely to push action on climate change.

Elsewhere, Bloomberg columnist Javier Blas has written a comment piece about the recent IEA report (see above), which shows that coal use reached a new record high this year. He notes that, on October 1, the UK did not burn any coal to generate electricity for the first time in nearly 150 years. However, he continues: “The moment was hailed by politicians as a sign of the progress against fossil fuels. It was also completely irrelevant. The very same day the UK went without coal-fired electricity, the world burned roughly 24m metric tons of coal.” Blas outlines the key findings from the report, then concludes: “The biggest problem is China. The country, worshiped by some green enthusiasts thanks to its embrace of electric vehicles, wind turbines and solar panels, is the world’s big polluter…For Beijing, coal is energy security. It’s time to acknowledge that. And acknowledge that China’s promises to reduce its coal consumption any time soon just don’t stand up to scrutiny.” The Financial Times Lex column says: “Should fossil fuel and industrial companies spend billions trying to build new, ‘cleaner’ businesses? Or simply squeeze as much cash as possible from existing operations, even if they are in structural decline? This is one of the defining questions of the decade in many sectors. Successful case studies backing up option A are becoming fewer and farther between.”

Finally, Richard Haas and Carolyn Kissane from New York University write in Project Syndicate: “Dominant intellectual frameworks persist until their limitations in describing reality become undeniable, paving the way for a new paradigm. The idea that the world can and will replace fossil fuels with renewables has reached that point.” And the Sun has published yet another climate-sceptic editorial attacking Ed Miliband. It says: ‘We defy anyone to read his latest official net-zero statement without coming close to tears of despair…If ‘accelerating to net-zero’ was that easy, beneficial and profitable, instead of ruinous for family finances and the economy, the entire planet would be ­racing Miliband to the finish line. It’s not.”

A new paper finds the global cement sector could produce “net-negative” cement and meet its 2050 carbon neutrality target early if bioenergy and carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is integrated into cement operations. According to the findings, the cement sector could achieve carbon neutrality 10-18 years sooner with “bioenergy substitution up to 80%” paired with extensive investment in CCS processes. However, the paper cautions that stronger climate policies and the rapid growth of bioenergy use worldwide is “essential” to enable this fast-tracked decarbonisation scenario.