COP climate talks are “no longer fit for purpose” and require an urgent overhaul, according to a group of key experts, BBC News reports. In a letter to the UN, a group of signatories – including former UN secretary general Ban-Ki Moon, former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres and former president of Ireland Mary Robinson – say countries should not be able to host UN climate talks if they do not support the phase-out of fossil fuels. The writers also take aim at the COP process, stating that: “Its current structure simply cannot deliver the change at exponential speed and scale, which is essential to ensure a safe climate landing for humanity.” The Guardian also covers the letter on its frontpage in a story that covers the wider status of the summit. The newspaper says that negotiations over the new climate finance settlement “moved slowly on Thursday, with a new draft text called ‘unworkable’ by some countries”. See more on the latest climate finance negotiations in a thread by Carbon Brief’s Josh Gabbatiss on Bluesky.

Meanwhile, the Financial Times reports that Argentina has said it would “re-evaluate” its role in global climate talks following its departure. It says this has “fuell[ed] concerns” that Argentina could leave the Paris Agreement. The New York Times says that, if Argentina leaves, “some worry it could set off a domino effect, prompting other countries to reconsider their own participation”. Climate Home News says that European leaders have “reacted angrily” to criticism from Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev, who launched the COP by attacking France and the Netherlands and also took aim at the nations’ relationship with their “so-called overseas territories”. The news outlet also reports that the Azerbaijan presidency has dropped plans to launch a new climate fund backed by fossil-fuel producers, which had been criticised as “greenwashing”. It explains that potential donors from developing countries had been “particularly worried” that contributing to the fund would be seen as a precedent that could push them to contribute to the new finance goal. Politico notes that Aliyev’s direct attacks on other countries – “highly unusual in the three-decade history of UN climate talks – left senior officials questioning whether the president “is actually committed to the delicate dance of getting 200 countries to find consensus”.

In other news, the Guardian reports that at least 1,773 coal, oil, and gas lobbyists have been granted access to COP29. UN secretary general Antonio Guterres has issued a call for companies, financial firms, cities and regions to develop “credible, 1.5C-aligned transition plans” ahead of COP30 next year, BusinessGreen says. And the Daily Telegraph reports that a “row about a lack of vegan options” has erupted at COP29.

UK energy secretary Ed Miliband has said that he will ban new coal mines in Britain, in a “landmark decision” that forms part of his drive to hit net-zero, the Daily Telegraph reports. The government announced that it was bringing forward a decision to restrict new licences, “ending an era of coal-fired power generation that at its peak supported more than 1m jobs”, the newspaper adds. It notes that it follows the closure of the UK’s last coal power plant in September. The Times says the ban on mines marks the “final death knell for a proposed site in Cumbria”. Miliband, who is at COP29, said the change would be a “clear signal” about the future of coal in the UK, the newspaper added. It says the ban will likely be achieved through primary legislation to restrict future licensing of all new mines, “probably by amending the Coal Industry Act of 1994”. The Press Association says there will be a “small number” of licensed operational coal mines “that would be unaffected and could continue mining in line with their current licences and consents”.

Elsewhere, behavioural researchers writing in the Conversation say that the UK government cannot rely on technological innovation to achieve decarbonisation. They say that curbing emissions in line with Paris Agreement goals “requires radically different lifestyles which involve flying less, eating more plant-based foods, wasting less and replacing boilers and combustion engines with heat pumps and electric vehicles”. The Economist has a piece about how Miliband should approach policies to decarbonise the nation’s power system by 2030. And the Press Association reports that money from the UK’s existing pledge to spend £11.6bn in climate finance over five years up to 2026 will go towards speeding up the energy transition in developing countries. The £79m funding pot was announced by Miliband at COP29, it adds. 

President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to reverse major US climate policies passed during Joe Biden’s presidency could push $80bn of investment to other countries and cost the country up to $50bn in lost exports, according to a new study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, covered by the Guardian. The newspaper says that Biden’s Chips Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), all aimed “in varying degrees” to tackle climate change while boosting US manufacturing. It adds that Trump has vowed to stop spending under these programmes and prioritise fossil fuels, a move that the article says could “further cement China’s leadership in clean energy production”. Reuters lists some of the “top ideas” being proposed by energy industry groups and executives, as Trump gears up to take power. Among them are repealing or replacing regulations on vehicle emissions and accelerating pipeline and energy infrastructure permitting. The Financial Times says Trump’s likely ending of government subsidies for consumers who buy electric cars could boost Elon Musk’s Tesla while “hitting its rivals with greater losses”. The newspaper explains that while Tesla is making money from electric-vehicle sales, its rivals’ losses have been “narrowed” by consumer tax credits under the IRA. The New York Times Climate Forward newsletter focuses on the threat Trump poses to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), due to his links to the controversial Project 2025 manifesto. The authors of Project 2025 wrote that NOAA “should be broken up and downsized”.

Other outlets are more positive about the US under a Trump presidency, with Forbes publishing an article titled “10 reasons why Trump 2.0 won’t kill the green revolution”. The Economist recalls Trump’s first presidency, noting that “domestically, the first withdrawal galvanised a coalition of states, cities and corporations organised in part by Bloomberg Philanthropies, a charity”. It adds that “this is happening again” with the “America is All In” coalition setting up its own pavilion at COP29. Meanwhile, the Times reports that Trump’s victory in the US election “may have only a small impact on exacerbating global warming” – adding a further 0.04C – according to new analysis by Climate Action Tracker (CAT). Bill Hare, chief executive of Climate Analytics, who worked on the analysis, said that “the clean energy momentum created by President Biden, being actioned across the country, is likely to continue at significant scale”. 

Politico reports that while Trump plans to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, many European leaders have found a “MAGA-compatible approach to climate diplomacy”. It says nationalist leaders from countries such as Turkey and Italy have “made a right-wing case” for climate action, including concerns that climate disasters will drive migrants into Europe. Finally, Reuters reports that Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese has said that reversals of US climate policy under Trump “could benefit Australia’s ambitions to attract greater investment to its critical minerals and green energy industry”.

African countries will not support “[broadening] the base” of countries contributing to the ”new collective quantified goal” (NCQG) to include “new polluters [such as] China”, says Africa-centric media outlet the Africa Report, quoting an unnamed African negotiator. It adds that while the decisions on climate finance at COP29 are “strategic for the continent…it’s in the interests of individual African countries not to antagonise such a major trading partner and investor”. Chinese executive vice-premier Ding Xuexiang told Azeri deputy prime minister Shahin Mustafayev in a meeting that “China actively adapts itself to the trend of green and low-carbon transition and continues to deepen energy cooperation”, reports state news agency Xinhua. 

Meanwhile, China News notes that “many international organisations and foreign media have looked to the ‘China solution’ in addressing climate change”. Speaking at the launch of the China Energy Transformation Outlook 2024 report, Chinese climate envoy Liu Zhenmin said “proactive climate adaptation and promoting energy transformation and green and low-carbon development are important global tasks”, according to Xinhua. Financial news outlet 21st Century Business Herald also quotes Liu saying that “China has invested $676bn on energy transformation in 2023 – more than any other country”. Liu Yuanling from the Chinese Academy of Social Science writes in a commentary in state-run newspaper China Daily that China will work with “all the forces in the world”, including the incoming Trump administration, to “make a difference in addressing the climate crisis”.

Elsewhere, Chinese president Xi Jinping writes an opinion article in Peruvian news outlet El Peruano ahead of his visit, promising to “work with Peru to champion true multilateralism”. Xinhua says Xi’s trip to Peru for an APEC economic leaders’ meeting, followed by one to Brazil for the G20 summit, is “fuell[ing] expectations that China will continue championing inclusive growth and better global governance” and provide “practical solutions for issues such as…green development”. US president Joe Biden will meet with Xi in Peru to “discuss differences between the countries and how to manage them”, reports the New York Times.

In other news, China’s annual production of electric vehicles (EVs) “reached…10m units”, an increase of 4.3% year-on-year, state broadcaster CCTV reports. Bloomberg says that eastern China’s Zhejiang province has drafted legislation to allow “wind and solar generators…to opt in to the spot market”. Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, is “experiencing the longest summer in decades”, according to China Daily. China has triggered an emergency response to Typhoon Usagi, Shanghai-based news outlet the Paper reports.

The Financial Times covers a new report from thinktank Carbon Tracker, which finds that progress on reducing emissions in the fossil-fuel sector has “stalled”. Assessing the 30 largest oil-and-gas producers, the analysis concludes that “not one has set a comprehensive strategy to address the sources of their emissions”, the newspaper says. Neither have they set plans to “adequately” cut methane emissions, it adds. The Economist has an article headlined “big oil may be softening its stance on climate-change regulation”. It says “ExxonMobil wants a global effort to lower the carbon intensity of products, based on standardised metrics, which are currently lacking”. At the same time, Reuters reports on “record” investments in Norway’s oil and gas sector.

Meanwhile, the Times reports that global oil supply “will exceed demand by more than one million barrels a day next year”, according to the  International Energy Agency.

According to a letter seen by Financial Times, the German economy ministry has warned its state-operated gas import terminals “to reject” any Russian cargoes of liquefied “natural” gas (LNG) after Deutsche Energy Terminal informed Berlin that its import facility in Brunsbüttel was set to receive Russian cargo on Sunday. The outlet says that the potential shipment comes at a time when LNG is set to become “a bargaining chip” between the EU and the US, with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen last week voicing the idea of replacing Russian LNG with more imports from the US. However, the outlet adds that Germany’s state energy group Sefe has a long-term contract to bring LNG from Russia’s Yamal export facility. Germany’s economy ministry declined to comment directly on the letter, adding: “In principle, it is correct that Germany does not import Russian gas and it is also clear to the [ministry of economy] that this must not happen via German LNG terminals.” Reuters and Euronews also cover the story. 

Meanwhile, Deutsche Welle reports that the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in an interview that it would be “rational” for Germany to return to nuclear power even though the country’s phase-out was completed in 2023. Nevertheless, Handelsblatt quotes the CEO of the largest German energy company RWE, Markus Krebbe, saying that “we’ve passed the point here in Germany where we should consider bringing decommissioned nuclear power plants back online…if you look at the hurdles and especially the costs involved, I consider it very unrealistic”.

Finally, Bloomberg reports that Germany’s snap elections will delay its energy transition, as eight “crucial” pieces of legislation remain “in limbo” until a new administration is formed next year – and may potentially not be enacted at all. 

Bloomberg opinion editor Mark Gongloff writes about the ongoing disputes around climate finance at the COP29 climate summit. “COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, was always going to be a fight about money, and so far it’s going about as well as you’d expect a money fight to go,” he says, pointing to disputes between developed and developing countries. “The fact that we are still squabbling over relatively small sums in 2024 – when the window to keep global heating limited to less than 2C above pre-industrial averages is slamming shut – is disgraceful and demoralising,” he adds. Gongloff points out that, apart from anything else, the costs of climate change will continue to increase as temperatures rise, concluding: “The time for the entire world to put its money where its jawboning is was at least a decade ago, but it’s never too late to start.”

Meanwhile, Guardian columnist George Monbiot is dismissive of the COP in his column, describing it as “more like a trade fair dominated by the interests it is supposed to curtail than a serious attempt to address the species’ greatest threat”, citing the Azerbaijani government using the event to try to arrange fossil-fuel deals. Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, the world economy editor of the Daily Telegraph, is critical for different reasons. He calls the talks a “scam” and “worse than superfluous” because now the energy transition is happening and “decarbonisation is irreversible”. Evans-Pritchard also cites a recent Carbon Brief assessment showing how climate finance is going to fossil fuels. 

Elsewhere, an editorial in the Economist is positive about climate action, despite various climate-driven disasters around the world. To achieve progress, it says “poor countries in which capital is costly need help” to build clean power. “Rich countries have moral and pragmatic reasons to provide financial help to the global south,” it argues. It concludes that when addressing climate change a “fatalistic sense that nothing can change must itself be changed”.

A new study finds that wildland fires in the Arctic are increasing local warming due to increasing air pollution. Researchers use satellite measurements and aerosol models to simulate air pollution in the northern hemisphere during boreal summer over 2000-20, finding a “substantial increase” in aerosols during summer months over that time. Increased aerosols absorb more solar radiation, the paper explains, resulting in “pronounced” excess warming during Arctic summers. The authors note that further warming of 1C is projected to cause a six-fold increase in aerosols from biomass burning, “further warming the Arctic and potentially negating the benefits of ambitious anthropogenic black carbon mitigation”.