The Greenland ice cap is losing 20% more ice than previously thought, a new study covered by the Guardian reveals. It is losing 30m tonnes of ice an hour, with some scientists concerned that this additional source of freshwater pouring into the Atlantic might mean a collapse of the ocean currents called the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (Amoc)  is closer to being triggered, it continues. Greenland’s ice sheet is known to be shrinking, especially since the 1990s due to warming from climate change, adds the New York Times. The ice has been breaking and melting from the ends of glaciers around Greenland’s perimeter, new research published in journal Nature details, the article continues. It quotes Chad Greene, a glaciologist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the lead author of the study, who says: “Almost every glacier in Greenland is retreating. And that story is true no matter where you look. This retreat is happening everywhere and all at once.” Researchers had previously estimated that the Greenland ice sheet lost about 5,000 gigatonnes (Gt) of ice since 2000, but the new estimate adds 2,000Gt to this period, reports the Washington Post. Amoc circulates warm, salty water from the tropics towards Europe and sends colder water south along the ocean floor, the article continues, as well as “shuttling nutrients that help sustain ocean life”. Changes to ocean circulation could have notable impacts on human life, bringing extreme weather events and disrupting rain patterns, the article adds. But some researchers say any effects of the Greenland ice sheet melting on ocean circulation needs to be further monitored and investigated, says the Washington Post. The Greenland ice sheet is one of the world’s two remaining ice sheets, and comprises hundreds of glaciers, which cover about 80% of Greenland’s landmass, reports Reuters. If fully melted, the Greenland ice sheet would raise global sea levels by about 7.4 metres, it adds. (See Carbon Brief’s annual updates about the state of the Greenland ice sheet.)

This year’s US presidential election will help determine whether the world can stem global warming fast enough to avoid its most severe impacts, the country’s climate envoy John Kerry has said, reports Bloomberg. Speaking to the publication’s TV channel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Kerry said the transition to a lower carbon economy is now inevitable because companies are investing billions of dollars in cutting emissions. However, the speed of the transition will be affected by the vote in November, which is why the stakes are “as high as they can get”, the article continues. Kerry is stepping down from his role as climate envoy to join president Joe Biden’s campaign for reelection, it notes. Potential successors to Kerry include his deputy Sue Biniaz, Washington governor Jay Inslee and longtime political operative John Podesta, reports Politico. His successor will be “hard-pressed to replicate his versatility, though experts say Kerry’s tenure provides a helpful blueprint on what kind of leader is needed to fill that role given the challenges ahead”, the article continues.

In other US climate news, a lawsuit, first instituted more than 10 years ago, brought by a climate scientist over alleged defamation by a rightwing blogger and a rightwing analyst is going to trial this week, reports the Guardian. University of Pennsylvania earth and environmental scientist Michael Mann is alleging that online attacks on his work amount to defamation, it continues. The litigation targets Rand Simberg – an analyst at the climate-sceptic rightwing lobby group called the Competitive Enterprise Institute, which published an online post comparing Mann to a convicted serial child molester – and National Review blogger Mark Steyn (who quoted Simberg and called Mann’s research “fraudulent”), it adds. In another US climate case, this week the Supreme Court will hear arguments that could bring fresh constraints to federal agencies’ room to craft energy and climate regulations, reports Axios. The justices will look into cases challenging the “Chevron defence”, a long-standing precedent that gives departments broad leeway when underlying statutes are vague or silent on the topic, the article adds. 

Beyond the US, newly discovered Shell documents that date back decades could help strengthen lawsuits aiming to hold the oil major to account for climate damages, reports DeSmog. Among the files, there is a 1970 industry journal article in which Shell appears to accept responsibility for the harms caused by its products. There is also a “trove of Shell publications” from the 1980s and 1990s that foresee the “major adverse changes” the “greenhouse effect” is liable to cause to the climate, the article adds. 

Chinese premier Li Qiang has said in a speech at the World Economic Forum’s Davos forum that “new discriminatory trade and investment measures” have appeared every year, adding that “any obstacles or disruptions can slow down or block the flow of lifeblood of the world economy”, reports AFP. China Energy Net also covers Li’s speech reporting that he said the world should “enhance cooperation in green development, break down various green barriers, jointly promote green transformation…and actively address global climate change”. Chinese industry outlet IN-EN.com reports that China is “actively advancing its green and low-carbon transformation…[with] nearly half of global solar power generation capacity installed in China and over half of the world’s new energy vehicles in operation in China”. The state news agency Xinhua quotes Deloitte China chair Jiang Ying as saying that “China’s practices can provide insights into how to balance economic development and environmental protection”.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that Canada wants to “prevent[] sensitive technological research developed in the country [going] to China, Iran or Russia”, including in advanced energy technologies. Chinese economic outlet Caixin reports that premier Li Qiang said in a meeting with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen that China is willing to “import more marketable products from the EU” in a bid to “establish a more balanced trade relationship”. The state-run newspaper China Daily reports that the Chinese ambassador to the US Xie Feng said in an address that “over the past year, the world witnessed a China committed to green development, with low-carbon living gradually becoming a trend”.

Separately, Chinese energy outlet BJX News reports that, in December 2023, the electricity generation of large-scale industries reached “829 terawatt-hours (TWh), an 8% year-on-year increase”. During the same period, thermal power generation “accelerated, while the growth rates of hydropower, wind power and solar power generation declined, and the [deceleration of growth] in nuclear power increased”. Wind power “increased by 7.4%, but its growth rate fell by 19.2 percentage points compared with November”; for solar, “power generation increased by 17.2%, but the growth rate fell by 18.2 percentage points compared with November”. Economic outlet Jiemian reports that the Institute for Carbon Neutrality at Tsinghua University has found that the cost of solar thermal electricity in China could still be further reduced by “at least 50%”. Xinhua reports that the newly adopted coal capacity payment mechanism can play a significant role in supporting the “secure transition of China’s power and energy systems”.

Continuing its focus on “Beautiful China”, the Communist party-affiliated newspaper People’s Daily writes that, in 2023, China “continuously strengthened the ecological foundation of a beautiful China”. The People’s Daily also publishes an article titled, “Listening to public opinion with heart and promoting problem solving” in its Beautiful China series, in which it reports that environmental inspection teams “will conduct a one-month inspection in Fujian and five other provinces”. Finally, the Communist party-affiliated magazine Qiushi carries a commentary by two academics and deputy secretary-generals of the Shanghai Marxist Research Association, Du Shijiu and Ye Bairong. They write that China must prioritise the construction of a “beautiful China” in the context of “maintaining strategic determination to strengthen the construction of ecological civilisation”.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has confirmed “large winter snowfall deficits across the northern regions of Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand”, the Third Pole reports. Mountain slopes remain bare even in Kashmir’s ski capital of Gulmarg, “[d]espite the ongoing Chillai Kalan [Kashmir’s harshest, 40-day winter period]”, the story says. Climate scientists tell the portal that “western disturbances” (WDs) – extratropical storms from the Mediterranean and Caspian seas that bring rain and snow to Pakistan and northern India – are decreasing in intensity and frequency in winter, but rising in summer and monsoon months. “Climate models suggest a further decrease of about 10-15% in the frequency of WDs by 2050 or so…It should really worry us,” says Madhavan Rajeevan, India’s former earth sciences secretary. The “lack of winter snowfall and receding glaciers could have a transboundary impact,” scientists are quoted saying, which could impact “crucial water-sharing treaties” between both countries. 

Meanwhile, Hindustan Times analysis of satellite data finds that the northern Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir have seen “a record number of forest fires, as winter turns dry”. An editorial in the newspaper earlier this week pointed to falling water levels in one of India’s biggest dam reservoirs and the likelihood that the “virtually dry snowfall period ends next month without any snowpacks in the higher reaches”, calling for “a better understanding of the cyclical nature of the problems to enact informed water management, agricultural practices and rethink hydropower operations throughout the year”.

Separately, according to a new study, more than half of India’s sub-districts saw an increase in monsoon rainfall in the 2012-22 decade, with nearly two-thirds witnessing an increase in the frequency of heavy rainfall but 11% of “key agricultural hotspots saw a decline”, the Hindustan Times reports. “[N]atural variability is increasing further due to climate change, as we witness hills, cities, districts faced with flash floods, plains with riverine floods, and simultaneously some areas facing the drought,” says IMD director M Mohapatra, commenting on the study. 

In energy news, Business Standard reports on India’s transition away from coal in key eastern and central states where “coal is the backbone of their revenue”, but are poor in renewable resources. Prof Rohit Chandra at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, tells the outlet that “coal-rich states could become even bigger net importers of power and the regional imbalance of power generation will widen.” Trade union leaders quoted in the story said “the energy transition plan in its current form is unjust and would affect a much larger population than accounted for”, impacting livelihoods of close to 22m people across several states. But to Coal India Limited (CIL), the world’s largest coal producer, “resettling its own workforce, as part of [a] just transition, is not applicable in [the] case of CIL right now”.

A comment piece by Bishal Thapa in the Economic Times, meanwhile, focuses on how “energy efficiency secured the spotlight” at COP28, but while “[a]ppliances are a critical piece of helping people adapt to a warming climate”, billions of climate-vullnerable people still “lack access to even the most basic appliances needed to adapt to a warming world.”

Finally, BBC News speaks to climate experts on whether the islands of Lakshadweep can sustain mass tourism, after prime minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit triggered “an unexpected row that soured ties with neighbouring Maldives”, but also a “surge in tourist interest.” Marine biologist and reef ecologist Rohan Arthur tells the outlet that the “long-term stability of Lakshadweep islands depends on the ecological integrity of her coral reefs, lagoons and beaches…’ecological infrastructure’ that holds the atoll together – quite literally”.

According to Auto Trader, Chinese brands are set to launch a price war and will capture a sixth of the UK electric car market by 2030, reports the Times. A “new order is coming”, with China’s largest electric car manufacturer BYD overtaking Tesla as the world leader in zero-emission vehicles and Shanghai Automotive’s MG brand already out-selling Volkswagen and BMW in the UK segment, the article notes. Electric car prices are set to become cheaper than ever in the UK in 2024, the Auto Trader report also finds, reports the Independent, as a “fierce electric car price war” is set to unfold, transforming the sector. Currently, electric cars lose as much as half their value after just three years on the road, a rate of depreciation that far outstrips conventional equivalents, reports the Daily Telegraph. The research from Auto Trader finds that the price of battery-powered vehicles has dropped by 23% in the past year alone, with “unsustainable levels of depreciation” in the electric car market currently, the article notes.

A new study has revealed that nearly half of Bangladeshi water contains dangerously high levels of arsenic, reports the Independent. A team of scientists found that 49% of the water that the overwhelming majority of the population depends on contains unsafe limits of the carcinogenic contaminant, it continues. Global warming is causing sea level rises, unpredictable flooding and extreme weather, which will accelerate the release of dangerous levels of arsenic in the country’s drinking water, reports the Guardian. This will intensify a public health crisis that is already gripping Bangladesh, where millions have skin, bladder and lung cancers as a result of arsenic poisoning, the article notes. It quotes lead researcher, Dr Seth Frisbie, an emeritus professor of chemistry at Norwich University, who says: “Chronic arsenic poisoning from drinking water…is a real problem, not a theoretical exercise. I once walked into a village where no one was over 30 years old.”

Over the past decade, the UK government has done all it can to develop a “full-blown moral panic” over refugees, writes Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty. But, while these “small boats” getting constant attention from both politicians and the media, the “real bad-news stories” contain superyachts, he writes, which dump toxic waste at sea and burn through tens or hundreds of thousand of tonnes of “dirty diesel”. He continues: “If the climate crisis is partly a crisis of the very richest burning ridiculous amounts of carbon, then analysts believe yachts are the single biggest part of a billionaire’s carbon footprint – far more than private jet flights.”. While these superyachts may be a fringe hobby, the “small boats” are also a tiny fraction of a far bigger immigration picture in the UK, where an ageing population needs workers and NHS medics. “But the two boats together in the same picture and you get a larger perspective on the arguments of the nativist right”, concludes Chakrabortty. 

In other UK comment, climate-sceptic columnist Juliet Samuel argues in the Times that, despite the government suggestion that “net zero, free trade and economic security are all wonderfully self-reinforcing ideas”, the UK cannot address its vulnerabilities by resorting to Autarky. Instead, she writes, it must address our excessive reliance on “hostile suppliers or fragile trade routes”, following the debate on the closure Grangemouth oil refinery”.

Elsewhere, Foreign Affairs carries a comment piece by Jason Bordoff and Meghan L O’Sullivan headlined: “Geopolitics – not just summits – will shape the transition to clean energy: how COP28 demonstrated what’s missing from climate diplomacy.” And an editorial in the climate-sceptic comment pages of the Wall Street Journal argues that “[John] Kerry’s problem has been a failure to recognise reality [about China’s emissions], which is typical of America’s climate lobby”.

A new study finds that since 1985, the Greenland ice sheet has lost more than 5,000 square kilometres of area, corresponding to more than 1,000bn tonnes of ice lost. The researchers combined 236,328 manually derived and AI-derived observations of glacier end positions collected between 1985 and 2022 and used this data to generate a map of ice-sheet extent every month at a resolution of 120m for nearly four decades. The authors say that neglecting the process of “calving-front retreat”, where ice suddenly breaks away from the front of a glacier, had led to current consensus estimates underestimating recent mass loss from Greenland by as much as 20%.

Approximately 49% of Bangladesh drink water from wells where the water contains concentrations of arsenic that exceed the World Health Organization guideline of 10 micrograms per litre, according to new research. The paper suggests that climate change-driven sea level rise and greater monsoon flooding will lead to a decrease in the dissolved oxygen concentration of underlying aquifers while also increasing salt content. This, in turn, causes an increase in the concentration of arsenic released into drinking water wells from sediments. This exposure to a potent carcinogen is “a significant threat to public health”, warn the authors.