Delegates at last week’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) meeting in Hangzhou, China, “delayed for the third time a key decision on the timing of an influential climate science assessment”, Climate Home News reports. According to the outlet, officials agreed on the outline of the IPCC’s “three flagship reports”, but “failed to break the deadlock on when they should be delivered”. The talks ran overtime, with a “nearly uninterrupted 30-hour session on the closing day”, the outlet says. It continues: “Most governments spoke in favour of a proposal put forward by the IPCC’s administrative arm to conclude the scientific review process by August 2028, so that the reports would be ready in time to be considered as part of the ‘global stocktake’, a scorecard of climate action carried out under the Paris Agreement.” It says that European nations, Japan, Turkey, small island states and most Latin American and least developed countries supported the plan. However, China, Saudi Arabia and India “strongly pushed back against that timeline”, with South Africa and Kenya asking for further discussions, the outlet says. It adds: “At the eleventh hour, the Chinese hosts of the summit brokered an interim deal that will kickstart the assessment process in 2025, while discussions over the deadline for completing the reports will resume again at the next IPCC session later this year, for which there’s still no fixed date. Agence France-Presse says “the meeting was overshadowed by a US decision to stay away”. 

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has announced that carmakers will have more “breathing space” on meeting their CO2 emission targets for the next three years, but that the 2035 ban on sales of new petrol cars will be kept, the Financial Times reports. The outlet continues: “Under the rules, which were designed as part of the bloc’s green transition, new passenger cars and vans must reduce their CO2 emissions by 15% compared to 2021 levels…Under the new flexible regime, the fines would only be levied in 2027, allowing companies undershooting the targets in one year to outperform in future years and avoid payments…There is widespread support for the move among member states and members of the European parliament, who must approve it.” The Guardian calls von der Leyen’s announcement a “further rollback of her green deal climate policies”. It continues: “Companies who sell too many dirty vehicles this year will be allowed to compensate by selling more clean vehicles in the two years that follow, under a proposal that would stretch the window of compliance for the 2025 fleet emissions target to 2027…Environmental groups said the proposal rewarded companies that had failed to invest in meeting the targets and warned it would slow the transition to cleaner cars, particularly cheap ones.” Bloomberg says the change will be formally proposed later this month. It adds that European carmakers “pushed to change the 2025 goal after an electric vehicle sales slump last year, which made it more difficult to hit the target and may have entailed billions of euros of fines”. EurActiv and Reuters also cover the news. Meanwhile, a draft document seen by Bloomberg indicates that the European Commission “will recommend that member states overhaul their tax regimes so that companies choose to buy EVs for their employees instead of traditional combustion engine vehicles”. 

In other European news, Bloomberg reports that “the strongest output in power generation from solar parks in Germany since September pushed prices in several countries into negative territory”. And Reuters says: “Ireland may have to pay EU compliance costs of between 8bn euros and 26bn euros if it does not swiftly implement its emissions-cutting plans by 2030, the country’s fiscal and climate watchdogs warned on Tuesday.”

Donald Trump has signed an executive order to expand logging across 280m acres of national forests and other public lands, the Guardian reports. The newspaper continues: “Trump has instructed the US forest service and bureau of land management to increase logging targets and for officials to circumvent the US’s Endangered Species Act by using unspecified emergency powers to ignore protections placed upon vulnerable creatures’ habitats. This move is similar to recent instructions by Trump to use a rarely used committee to push through fossil-fuel projects even if they imperil at-risk species. Experts have said this overriding of the Endangered Species Act is probably illegal. The order also stipulates logging projects can be sped up if they are for purported wildfire risk reduction, via ‘thinning’ of vegetation that could ignite. Some scientists have said that aggressively felling forests, particularly established, fire-resistant trees, actually increases the risk of fast-moving fires.” Inside Climate News carries a warning from conservation groups that the executive order “could have a disastrous impact on climate change, endangered species and local economies dependent on ecotourism”. Axios also covers the news. 

In other US news, Politico reports that the head of the Environmental Protection Agency has “requested an inspector general probe of the management of a $20bn climate fund held by Citibank”. The outlet continues: “The fund is at the center of a fight between the Trump administration and environmental groups seeking access to the funds that Congress approved under its massive climate legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act – and which Republicans are seeking to gut to help pay for trillions of dollars in tax cuts.” Separately, the Guardian says: “Donald Trump’s blitz on federal science agencies has increased the risk of endangered species going extinct, fired government experts have warned.” Reuters reports that “Canada’s oilfield drilling and services sector is already showing signs of slowing due to US president Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs”.

The Trump administration has told the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that “two pivotal centers for weather forecasting will soon have their leases cancelled”, sources have told Axios. The outlet calls one of the buildings “the nerve center for generating national weather forecasts”, saying that it integrates multiple forecasting centres and houses telecommunications equipment to send weather data and forecasts domestically and internationally. A NOAA employee told Axios that the “cancellations – along with recent layoffs, early retirements and travel and hiring limitations – point to an effort to dismantle the agency”. Reuters reports that more than 1,000 people gathered outside the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration building on Monday, protesting the layoffs of roughly 10% of NOAA employees. The Hill reports that a former public affairs specialist and climate scientist at NOAA said in an interview on Monday that the “drastic cuts to the federal workforce at NOAA won’t ‘make anybody safer’”. 

In other US news, E&E News reports that Stuart Levenbach – a “former Trump official” who previously served as NOAA’s chief of staff – will be appointed an energy official at the Office of management and budget (OMB). According to the outlet, Levenbach “alarmed scientists years ago” when he “attempted to tone down the summary conclusions of the National Climate Assessment”. In his new role, Levenbach will “oversee” the production of the report, the outlet says. It adds: “Levenbach is joining OMB at a time when its director, Russ Vought, wants to suppress climate science throughout the federal government and increase Trump White House oversight over the next installment of the National Climate Assessment, which is due out in 2026 or 2027.” Bloomberg reports that the United Nations is urging countries including India and China to put more money into its Green Climate Fund, after Donald Trump cancelled the $4bn that the US had pledged.

Li Gao, a “climate negotiator” with “two decades of experience in global climate change talks” and an “advocate of the country’s carbon-credit program”, has been promoted to be the vice minister at China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), replacing Zhao Yingmin, who served as the head of China’s delegation to COP29, Bloomberg reports. Jimu News, a Communist-party backed news outlet, says that Li has “overseen” the development of the national carbon market and has made multiple efforts in relation to the “dual-carbon” goals, climate change response and energy transition.

Meanwhile, state broadcaster CCTV publishes an article, “studying” Chinese president Xi Jinping’s view on China’s “dual-carbon” goals for the upcoming annual national political meeting in Beijing known as the “two sessions”. Economic Information Daily, run by the state news agency Xinhua, publishes an article discussing six “hot topics” for the upcoming “two sessions”, which includes the “14th five-year plan” and “countering excessive competition”. Pan Huimin, deputy director of the department of new energy and renewable energy sources of the National Energy Administration (NEA), says that China’s renewable energy law, passed two decades ago, should be “revised accordingly” as renewable energy is “fully integrated into the market” and becomes “increasingly cost-competitive”, state-run newspaper China Daily reports. China Meteorological News gathers opinions from Chinese journalists on reporting climate change in China over recent years.

Separately, Bloomberg cites a report from the state-supporting newspaper Global Times, saying that China is considering “retaliatory measures on US agriculture and food products” in response to Trump’s tariffs. The Washington Post publishes an article under the headline: “How China pulled ahead to become the world leader in electric vehicles.” The Financial Times reports that “China’s leading electric-vehicle maker BYD has pledged to work with rival Tesla to combat petrol cars”. Separately, Reuters says that BYD is considering building a third plant in Europe. Xinhua carries an article, “factchecking” reports on China’s economy from Western outlets, saying that contrary to the “narratives of China’s economic doom”, the Chinese economy remains “dynamic and poised for long-term growth”, especially thanks to factors including “green development”. The Wire China carries an interview with Anders Hove, a senior research fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies China Energy Research Programme, discussing China’s energy security. 

Finally, Global Times publishes an editorial under the headline: “In a turbulent world, the value of China’s two sessions gains increasing prominence.” The newspaper argues that “two sessions” will “contribute stability and governance wisdom to the world” amid rising geopolitical tensions. The newspaper also cites a survey conducted by People’s Daily Online, saying that members of the “two sessions” are expected to raise a range of topics, including “supporting the green-energy industry”. 

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) – the strongest ocean current in the world – could slow down due to an influx of meltwater from the Antarctic, according to a new study covered by Agence France-Presse. The newswire says that under the “high emissions scenario”, the current could slow by around 20% in the next five years. Inside Climate News reports that the ACC is the “only ocean current to flow around the entire planet unimpeded, carrying more than 100 times more water than all the world’s rivers combined”. The Guardian says the current “plays a critical role in the climate system by influencing the uptake of heat and carbon dioxide in the ocean and preventing warmer waters from reaching Antarctica”. The Independent and MailOnline also cover the study. Study authors Taimoor Sohail and Bishakhdatta Gayen from the University of Melbourne write in the Conversation that they used Australia’s fastest supercomputer and climate simulator for the study. They add: “Weakening of the current could reduce biodiversity and decrease the productivity of fisheries that many coastal communities rely on. It could also aid the entry of invasive species such as southern bull kelp to Antarctica, disrupting local ecosystems and food webs. A weaker current may also allow more warm water to penetrate southwards, exacerbating the melting of Antarctic ice shelves and contributing to global sea-level rise. Faster ice melting could then lead to further weakening of the current, commencing a vicious spiral of current slowdown.”

Oil prices fell on Monday after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) confirmed its plans to increase crude oil production from April, the New York Times reports. The newspaper continues: “​Opening the taps in countries such as Saudi Arabia and Russia, which have voluntarily throttled supply to prop up prices, increases the risk that the world could soon find itself with more oil than it needs.” OPEC said they would raise production by 2.2m barrels, accounting for 2% of global demand, according to the newspaper. Bloomberg reports that the “surprise move” comes “amid pressure from President Donald Trump to lower oil prices”. The Daily Telegraph reports that Trump used a speech at the World Economic Forum last month to “urge Saudi Arabia and other members to ‘bring down the cost of oil’, linking it to the war in Ukraine”. Reuters and the Financial Times also cover the story. Bloomberg says: “OPEC’s crude production rose to the highest level in more than a year ahead of the group’s planned supply revival, driven by gains in Iraq, Venezuela and the United Arab Emirates.” Clyde Russell – an Asia commodities and energy columnist at Reuters – writes that the oil market is “far from healthy”, but the “Trump effect” is real. Elsewhere, the Times reports that “gas prices in Britain and Europe have jumped after the disastrous meeting between President Trump and President Zelensky raised doubts about the chances of a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia”. 

Japan’s biggest wildfire in 30 years has burned around 2,100 hectares so far and one fatality has been reported, the South China Morning Post reports. The newspaper adds that “climate analysts have warned such occurrences may become more common in the country due to climate change”. According to the Hong Kong-based outlet, the blaze has “destroyed at least 84 buildings, causing the evacuation of nearly 4,600 people”. It adds: “Climate analysts have blamed the fires on an arid winter on the country’s east coast amid erratic weather pattern…The fires were believed to have been worsened by seasonal strong winds in northeast Japan that fanned the flames of small-scale fires in forested areas until they reached the canopy.” Agence France-Presse reports that the fire follows Japan’s hottest summer on record last year. ABC News and the Associated Press also cover the story.

Bottlenecks in the UK’s electricity network, which “force the energy system operator to pay wind farms to switch off and gas plants to replace them”, cost more than £250m in January and February 2025, the Times reports. Citing analysis by Wasted Wind, the newspaper says costs from the bottlenecks are up 60% from the same period of 2024. “These costs are ultimately funded through energy bills,” it adds. The outlet says that Wasted Wind, which is run by “off-duty employees” from Octopus energy, is “lobbying for the government to introduce regional electricity pricing to help reflect such network constraints”. The Daily Telegraph runs the story under the headline: “Britain paying £180,000 an hour to switch off wind farms.” It says that the “revelation adds to concerns about the state of the UK’s creaking power grid as Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, pushes forward with an unprecedented expansion of wind and solar farms across the country”. 

In other UK news, DeSmog covers the news that climate-sceptic Conservative peer Lord Craig Mackinlay has been appointed to head up the Global Warming Policy Foundation – the UK’s “leading climate science denial think tank”. BBC News covers new analysis which finds that spring is the UK’s fastest-warming season. ITV news also covers the analysis, noting that the average spring temperature has increased by 1.8C since 1970. The Daily Mail reports that the “head of Ofgem has admitted that it cannot ensure Drax only uses sustainable wood following reports it burned pellets from rare forests”. Separately, the outlet covers new “analysis” first covered by the Daily Telegraph yesterday, which “questioned whether Britain’s decarbonisation efforts were to blame for the country’s productivity crisis”. According to the outlet, the report “found a ‘clear link’ between falling energy capacity and weak productivity in the UK”. [The analysis seems to assume that, falsely, the UK’s falling electricity demand is due to “throttling supply”.] The Press Association reports that “parents and children from across the country are meeting with MPs on Tuesday to encourage their support for a just transition to renewable energy”. The Press Association covers analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, which finds that weakening electric vehicle sales rules could “significantly increase the cost of driving for millions of motorists”. The newspaper says that, if the zero emission vehicles mandate is suspended for two years, around 2.7m fewer used EVs would be available between now and 2034.

Brett Christophers – a professor at Sweden’s Uppsala University – writes in the Guardian that it “would be very easy to be sharply critical of BP” after its decision to drop their renewable energy targets and focus on oil and gas production. However, he argues that this “would arguably be unhelpful and perhaps even misguided”. He continues: “The problem is not BP or indeed any other individual company. The problem is that BP and its fossil-fuel peers operate within a system that requires them to invest and operate in ways that are deleterious to the environment.” Christophers continues: “It is entirely within the power and purview of governments to change this situation for the better; either by making fossil fuels less profitable, or by making renewables more profitable, or both…But what is economically straightforward on paper is politically fraught in practice.”

In other UK comment, Luke Tryl – executive director of More in Common UK – writes in the Financial Times that leaders of Reform UK “risk misreading the British electorate’s appetite for Trumpian policies on climate and Ukraine”. Tryl continues: “According to polling, at least half of voters are worried about climate change – in Nigel Farage’s own Clacton constituency, it is 68%. Britain is strongly in favour of renewables, backing investment in renewables by six-to-one. Even Reform voters are twice as likely to support as oppose this, driven in part by concerns about energy security. Reform risks misreading the public, confusing anxiety about the cost of net-zero targets as outright rejection. Some worry about whether the energy transition will be fair, but climate scepticism is rare. A tax on renewables, proposed by deputy Reform leader Richard Tice, is deeply unpopular.” In the Daily Telegraph, the climate-sceptic shadow secretary of state for justice, Robert Jenrick, says: “If Starmer was serious about placing the UK on a war footing, he would not have Ed Miliband as his energy secretary. He would ditch the net-zero crusade – tantamount to unilateral economic disarmament – and drive forward the reindustrialisation of Britain through cheap and reliable energy powered by small nuclear reactors.” And in the Hill, William S Becker – a former regional director at the US Department of Energy – writes that “America must break its addiction to fossil fuels”. He writes: “If Trump were really worried about an energy shortage, he would advocate the rapid deployment of clean, inexhaustible and indigenous renewable energy. Instead, he issued an order ‘Terminating the Green New Deal’ and paused funding appropriated by Congress for clean energy technologies and infrastructure…As for energy dominance, it’s a hypermasculine fantasy. Trump has been told repeatedly that no nation, including ours, can dominate oil and gas supplies and prices. The global oil market determines them.” He continues: “For the good of our own country, Congress should formalise America’s participation in the Paris climate agreement and the goal to decarbonize the economy by 2050. It should codify a national commitment to restore the ecosystem services we have degraded or destroyed during the fossil-fuel era.”

Fossil-fuel lobbyists have been gaining access to UN climate summits through developed-country business non-governmental organisations and developing-country governments, according to an AI-driven assessment of COP side events from 2003-23. The research uses machine learning-based modelling and social network analysis to analyse the “discourse and networks of actors” at COP side events. The results “uncover power dynamics at the highest levels of climate governance”, the authors say.