According to the Financial Times, India is gathering support for a proposal for countries to agree to the “phase down” of all fossil fuels at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt. This would be instead of the “narrower” decision to phase down coal, which was agreed at the COP26 summit last year, it notes. This push for a commitment to phase-down all fossil fuels “has not previously featured in a final COP agreement” and has “gained traction unexpectedly”, the piece notes, with EU climate chief Frans Timmermans expressing interest. However, it also quotes Saudi Arabia’s minister of state for foreign affairs, Adel al-Jubeir, who says tackling climate change is “not about fossil fuels”. The Hindu reports on comments by Indian environment minister Bhupender Yadav, who told delegates that his country had updated their climate plans despite accounting for less than 4% of the world’s cumulative emissions so far. The Guardian has an article about “India’s energy conundrum” – namely that, even as the nation increases its use of renewables, the Indian government is continuing on its biggest ever push for domestic coal production.

Reuters reports that experts see COP27 as vital for the success of the COP15 biodiversity talks taking place in Montreal next month. The “architects of the Paris Agreement”, including COP21 president Laurent Fabius and former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres, have released a statement urging leaders to agree on a “Paris Agreement for nature”, BusinessGreen reports. Another Reuters piece notes that cutting meat and dairy output in a bid to cut emissions is not yet on the agenda for governments at COP27.

The 11-year-old activist Licypriya Kangujam has accused UK environment minister Lord Goldsmith of having “run away” to avoid her questions about the release of jailed climate protesters in the UK, the Press Association reports. Meanwhile, the Guardian reports that BBC climate editor Justin Rowlatt was removed from a Russian event at COP27 by security staff after approaching the stage and asking: “Are you going to pay for the environmental damage you have caused in Ukraine?” Protesters also disrupted the event, according to Reuters, calling the Russian delegates “war criminals” and carrying a banner reading “fossil fuels kill”.

In more news from around the COP, the Independent reports that UN climate chief Simon Stiell has reminded delegates at COP27 about the importance of “harassment-free sessions” at the climate summit. Meanwhile, analysis by BBC News finds that women make up less than 34% of country negotiating teams at the UN summit in Egypt, despite evidence that women “bear a disproportionate burden from climate change”. (Carbon Brief published its own analysis of COP27 delegations last week, which shows a gender breakdown of delegates across different parties.) Finally, the Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Egyptian presidency has dismissed allegations of covert surveillance being deployed at COP27.

The Egyptian president of COP27, Sameh Shoukry, is optimistic that a deal on the loss and damage resulting from climate change can be reached this week at COP27, Bloomberg reports. His desire to reach a “landing zone” comes “despite disagreements over who should pay for destruction caused by climate change”, it adds. Shoukry adds that “there is a vast global community within the parties that places great importance on loss and damage”. According to Reuters, Vanuatu’s climate change minister Ralph Regenvanu has said that COP27 will be a “failure” without a deal on a new loss and damage fund.

A new proposal for a loss and damage fund by the G77 bloc of developing countries and China lays out principles and operating policies to be established by the next round of climate talks in Dubai in 2023, Reuters reports. This idea will be “considered as part of talks which are entering their final few days after making limited progress”, it adds. Analysis in the Financial Times considers the proposal for a largely insurance-based approach pushed by Germany and the V20 group of vulnerable countries, called the “Global Shield”. It notes that the “main fear is that the Global Shield could distract from the push for a formal loss and damage facility”. (This chart tweeted by Carbon Brief’s Josh Gabbatiss yesterday shows the breakdown of Global Shield funds contributed so far, compared to other commitments to loss and damage.) Bloomberg has an article profiling Pakistan’s climate minister Sherry Rehman and her support for loss and damage funds. Reuters also has an overview of the “sticking points” in the negotiations taking place in Sharm El-Sheikh.

The Independent reports on “leaked” draft texts concerning “long-term climate finance”, which relates to the $100bn that developed countries were meant to have raised for developing countries each year by 2020. It notes that references to achieving the missed target by 2023 have been dropped from the most recent text.

The Japan Times quotes Japanese environment minister Akihiro Nishimura, who says that his country will consider providing funds to a World Bank framework to support developing countries suffering climate-related losses and damage. It also notes plans for a separate aid package and plans to assist the introduction of an early warning system for weather disasters in the Asia-Pacific region. The Wall Street Journal has a piece on plans by the UN and the US to expand weather stations across sub-Saharan Africa, south Asia and the Caribbean and Pacific island regions.

The US climate envoy John Kerry met yesterday with his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua at COP27 in a “further hint of improving relations between the world’s top two polluters, seen as vital for substantial progress against global warming”, the Associated Press writes. It adds that the meeting between Kerry and Xie “raised prospects for a full-fledged resumption of climate talks” between the two countries, which Beijing ” put on hold three months ago in retaliation for” US House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan. Kerry and Xie met for “about 45 minutes” at the Chinese delegation’s offices at COP27, the article adds, saying that “neither side revealed much after it was over. The Chinese officials left without commenting.” Kerry is quoted as saying: “We had a very good meeting…It was ‘much too early’ to talk about any remaining differences…but we’re gonna go to work.” The article highlights that China and a “broad group” of developing countries known as the G77 put forward a proposal to create a fund into which developing nations would pay. It adds that the draft proposal, seen by AP, “calls for the fund’s rules to be finalised by the next UN climate talks in 2024”.

Meanwhile, the state-supporting newspaper Global Times reports that Chinese leader Xi Jinping met and held “formal talks” with Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese at the G20 summit in Bali yesterday. Albanese said: “Australia is willing to…carry out more cooperation on climate change, economy and trade and other important issues”.

Separately, according to the statistics released by the China’s National Bureau of Statistics about the nation’s energy production in October, China Energy News, a state-run industry newspaper, says that the production of “industrial raw coal” (used to produce commodities rather than electricity), crude oil, natural gas and electricity production “maintained growth year-on-year”, with the country producing “370m tonnes of raw coal, up 1.2% year-on-year”. Compared with September, the growth rate of industrial raw coal “fell”, the growth rate of crude oil and natural gas “accelerated”, and “the increase in electricity turned from negative to positive”, the article notes. Bloomberg writes that China’s economic activity “weakened in October, putting pressure on Beijing to ramp up support after it took major steps in the past week to reduce the drag on consumers from Covid-zero policies and a property slump”.

Finally, the state news agency Xinhua reports on Xi’s G20 speech. Xi said: “In tackling climate change and transitioning toward green and low-carbon development, the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities must be upheld. It is also important to provide funding, technology and capacity-building support for developing countries and promote cooperation on green finance.” Xi added that food and energy security is the “most pressing challenge in global development. The root cause of the ongoing crises is not production or demand, but interrupted supply chains and international cooperation”, the article highlights. Xi added: “In reducing the consumption of fossil fuel energy and transitioning toward clean energy, we need to give balanced consideration to various factors, and make sure that the transitional process does not hurt the economy or people’s livelihood.”

The EU climate chief, Frans Timmermans, has arrived at COP27 with the news that the EU’s 2030 emissions reduction target “can now be increased to 57%” from the original goal of 55%, EurActiv reports. Last week, the EU concluded negotiations on two pieces of legislation that are part of a broader package of climate laws, it notes. The article says that Timmermans confirmed that the higher level of ambition shown by EU legislators meant the bloc could officially increase the target in the climate plan it has submitted to the UN. Reuters adds that Timmermans told the summit that the update to the EU’s Paris Agreement pledge is expected before next year’s COP summit. It also quotes him saying: “Don’t let anybody tell you, here or outside, that the EU is backtracking.” The article describes how the bloc “rushed through” deals on three of its climate laws, including a 2035 ban on selling new fossil fuel cars, in order to confirm the 57% target. According to Politico, the EU has been accused of an “accounting trick” by environmental NGOs, who note that the actual emissions produced by the bloc will not change in the new plan. They say that the key difference is that the EU has switched from accounting for “gross” emissions to “net” emissions, with the new cuts arising from CO2 removed by natural sinks, such as soil and forests.

Reuters reports that Turkey has also come forward with a new climate target under the Paris Agreement at COP27, after only submitting its first one last year. The nation will aim to bring its greenhouse gas emissions 41% below business-as-usual levels by 2030, raising the target from 21%, according to environment minister Murat Kurum, the newswire reports. It adds that the target includes emissions peaking in 2038 at the latest and net-zero emissions by 2053. NGOs cited in the article note that the new target simply means Turkey will continue on its historical emissions trajectory. The plan will see the nation’s emissions rise by 32% by 2030, Bloomberg notes.

US climate envoy John Kerry has said that he wants to come up with a strategy to reform multilateral development banks and unleash “hundreds of billions” of dollars to help vulnerable countries tackle climate change, Reuters reports. Speaking at a side event, Kerry said he wants to work with Germany – the other largest shareholder alongside the US – to come up with a plan by the next World Bank Group meetings in April 2022 to “enlarge the capacity of the bank” and put more money into circulation for climate-related measures. BBC Newsnight also has an interview with Kerry.

There are more details of the “just energy transition partnership” – which will see rich nations including the US and Japan invest $20bn in Indonesia’s transition away from coal – reported in Climate Home News. It notes that the package announced so far does not include details of how much of the funding will come as loans. BusinessGreen has an article about the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII), a $600bn scheme that is widely viewed as Western attempt to provide alternatives to China’s ‘Belt and Road’ initiative.

Separately, Reuters reports that the G20’s Financial Stability Board has warned that climate-related stress tests for banks need to better capture the indirect fallout of climate change on lenders and the wider economy.

At least nine gas deals have been struck so far on the sidelines of the COP27 negotiations, five involving Africa, and DeSmog reports that African protesters at the UN climate talks have demanded European governments halt a “dash” for the continent’s gas. It notes that “German, Italian and other companies have been scouring Africa for alternatives to Russian supplies in the wake of the February invasion of Ukraine, raising fears that new projects will lock Africa into long-term dependence on fossil fuels”.

Meanwhile, COP27 host Egypt is increasing its use of the heavy fuel oil mazut in 20 power plants, in order to free up gas for export to Europe, Climate Home News reports. A whistleblower from the Egyptian Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy told the outlet that, previously, mazut was being phased out due to its harmful health impacts. The Straits Times has a piece about Southeast Asian plans to expand its gas infrastructure and how these could impact climate change. A Guardian article says the United Arab Emirates “has been using its role as the host of next year’s UN climate conference to launder its international reputation”. Meanwhile, the New York Times dives into Colombia’s plans, under its new left-wing government, to phase out oil while heavily taxing coal-mining companies.

Finally, New Scientist has a piece focusing on the threats facing the Congo rainforest, including logging and mining.

Australia has joined an international group of world governments and private organisations termed the Global Offshore Wind Alliance to “supercharge the offshore wind energy sector” under an agreement signed by climate minister Chris Bowen at COP27, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Meanwhile, the Guardian reports that “in a sign Australia has come in from the cold at climate talks after years of being criticised as a laggard”, Bowen has been asked to take a leadership role in COP27 talks on climate finance. At the same time, another Guardian story reports that Australia “has drawn internal criticism” at COP27, after it chose not to sign an agreement focused on ending fossil fuel subsidies known as the statement on international public support for the clean energy transition partnership.

The Guardian also has an article about Gladstone, the world’s fifth largest coal exporting port and Australia’s “carbon capital”, which has unveiled a 10-year energy transition plan designed to reposition the region as “a renewable energy superpower”.

The question of whether Africa should be allowed to exploit its gas reserves “has been much discussed” at COP27, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, according to academics Chukwumerije Okereke and Youba Sokona in the Conversation. They say that the simple binary of being for or against gas is too simplistic. “This is too narrow and fails to consider what development might look like for Africa and other regions that are struggling to grow their economies and address widespread poverty while also taking ambitious climate action. It also neglects the question of what kind of international cooperation might be necessary to make climate-compatible development possible,” they write. The authors continue by noting that “what Africa urgently needs is a credible plan for oil-dependent economies to avoid the need to transition to gas in the long run”, including technical and financial support to scale up renewables in all countries. “Calls to cease all gas exploration in Africa that fail to account for where historical responsibility for climate change lies and the need to close the current finance gap are the most audacious kind of climate imperialism,” they conclude.

Mohamed Adow, director of thintank Power Shift Africa, has a piece in Project Syndicate in which he argues firmly against the expansion of gas in Africa, titled: “Africa is not Europe’s gas station.” He writes: “Germany and Italy are telling Africans that we should saddle ourselves with fossil-fuel infrastructure that will soon become a drag on our economies and propel us toward climate disaster. We must respond with a firm no.” Another piece by Deborah Ramalope, head of the climate policy team for Climate Analytics, in Climate Home News, argues that “a dash for gas risks distracting from the support for climate resilience Africans really need”.

An editorial in the Financial Times says that COP27 has “put a spotlight” on Egypt’s human rights record. It notes that while the Egyptian government has released about 800 political prisoners this year, while also arrested others “in a sign that it was concerned about its reputation ahead of COP27”. However, it notes that the leadership has “stubbornly refused” to release the British-Egyptian dual citizen Alaa Abdel Fattah.

John Brown, chair of BeyondNetZero and former CEO of the oil major BP, writes in the Financial Times that there is a need for a “plan C” to address climate change, namely geoengineering. “I was one of a few voices at COP this year calling for the world to pay greater attention to geoengineering of the oceans and atmosphere,” he writes.

In the Guardian, activist and academic Helen Pankhurst (the great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst and granddaughter of Sylvia Pankhurst, both leaders in the suffragette movement) argues that climate protesters will one day be “seen as heroes”. She writes: “I am uncomfortable with some of the more disruptive tactics used by environmental protesters. I worry about the danger of alienating the general public. Nevertheless, I understand the sense of urgency and frustration with the untenable status quo.” She adds: “Environmentalists of all forms have the moral high ground. I have absolutely no doubt that in 100 years’ time they will be seen as the real heroes. Those who ignored the warning bells will be – nay, already are – on the wrong side of history.”