Newspapers around the world are reporting on the impacts of extreme heat. In a story trailed on its front page, the Times reports that “parts of the UK are facing a heatwave”. The paper says that temperatures are expected to peak 31C on Wednesday, before “returning to normal” on Thursday. It continues: “It would be the first heatwave of the year and is likely to produce the hottest day of the year so far…A yellow heat health alert has been issued for most of England until Thursday afternoon, meaning there is potential for ‘significant impacts’ on the NHS as a result of high temperatures.” The Daily Mail reports that a cavalry guard is believed to have fainted in the heat. The Press Association quotes “industry leaders”, who say the warm weather offers a “welcome boost” to the UK’s hospitality sector. Separately, the newswire says the heat “marks a break from the rainy spring, which saw 32% more rainfall than the average in England and Wales according to the Met Office”. The Daily Telegraph reports that “festival-goers at Glastonbury will have to wait a little longer for more clarity on the outlook for the weekend”. Elsewhere, the New York Times says: “Greek authorities said on Monday that the body of a missing German man was recovered near a gorge on the island of Crete, the latest in a series of fatal incidents involving tourists undertaking demanding hikes in the scorching heat.” Reuters and the Daily Mail also cover the story.

In the US, the New York Times reports that the “unusually early” heatwave is “expected to subside by Monday, bringing relief to tens of millions of Americans”. Reuters notes that the heatwave is expected to peak in the Southwest, Mid-South and Plains early this week. Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that flooding in the US Midwest has forced entire neighbourhoods to evacuate. The newswire adds: “Parts of northern Nebraska, southeastern South Dakota, southern Minnesota and northwest Iowa received eight times the typical average rainfall. And more heavy rain was expected this week.” The Independent says: “Several midwest states remain underwater on Monday as 50 million people continue to face extreme heat warnings across the US.” It adds that the Big Sioux River is forecasted to break a record of 42.2 feet by this afternoon. The Washington Post reports that at least two people have been killed and a railroad bridge collapsed in the floods. It adds: “The flooding brought added misery to parts of Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota during a vast and stubborn heatwave. In some communities hit by flooding, the temperature Monday afternoon approached 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38C).” Separately, the Washington Post warns that the flooding is forecast to worsen today and tomorrow, and “meteorologists warn that any additional rain from possible thunderstorms could extend or heighten the risks of inundation”. 

Elsewhere, Reuters report that Delhi’s education minister, Atishi, has “started an indefinite hunger strike to demand more drinking water for India’s capital, where taps in some of its poorest neighbourhoods are running nearly dry in the middle of searing heat”. The newswire continues: “Millions of Indians face water shortages every summer when water demand rises in farms, offices and homes against a limited supply, but a prolonged heatwave this year has worsened the shortfall, including in Delhi and the southern tech hub of Bengaluru. Delhi relies on the Yamuna River that runs through the capital for most of its water needs but the river slows down during dry summer months, causing shortages that lead to protests and calls for better water conservation. Atishi blamed the neighbouring farming state of Haryana for guzzling up a large share of river water.” The Hindustan Times reports that the hunger strike has entered its fourth day. The Times of India also covers the story.

The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reports that eight people died in Hunan province as torrential rains continued in southern China. The newspaper adds that “multiple cities in Hunan have been affected by the extreme weather, with the heaviest rainfall recorded at Taoyuan county, which saw 39.5cm (15.6 inches) of rain from Friday to Saturday night”. Reuters says that heavy rains “swamped” Hunan’s provincial capital, Changsha. State news agency Xinhua reports that flooding has affected Anhui province, with “power and telecommunication supplies” in some areas disrupted due to heavy rainfall. Elsewhere, Reuters says that severe droughts, caused by “record high temperatures” in northwest and east China, are forcing local corn farmers to “delay planting”. China is “restricting fertiliser exports” to protect its farmers following “worrying signals from the agricultural sector” including “a rising threat to crop production” from extreme weather events, Bloomberg reports.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg says that negotiations between China and the EU over the EU’s additional duties on Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) imports “may buy time” for China to “sow enough opposition” between EU member states, adding that Beijing has suggested that German luxury automakers “could benefit if Berlin convinces the EU to drop tariffs”. State-run newspaper China Daily publishes a commentary by the president of China’s University of International Business and Economics arguing that China’s green industries are now “mature” and that “signs of overcapacity” are a natural result of “industrial development driven mainly by spontaneous market forces”. An editorial in the print edition of the China Daily says that Beijing is “willing…to try and resolve the reasonable concerns of the EU” and hopes that Brussels will avoid escalating frictions “by meeting China halfway”. Energy newspaper International Energy Net reports that China’s environment minister and the European commissioner for climate action signed an agreement on “enhancing cooperation in carbon emissions trading”.

Xinhua reports that the China Development Bank has issued over 200bn yuan ($28bn) of “green loans” between January and May this year. International Energy Net says that coal’s share of China’s energy consumption “significantly declined” from 67.4% to 55.3% between 2013 and 2023. Separately, local governments in China are being urged to “ease…limitations and provide additional quotas for vehicle purchases”, Xinhua reports. Energy newspaper BJX News quotes Chinese president Xi Jinping calling for “careful and sustainable development” of low-carbon energy industries, such as wind, solar and hydrogen, during a trip to Ningxia province.

A new “Mission 2025” coalition of businesses, mayors, governors and investors is urging governments to make ambitious new climate pledges under the Paris Agreement, the Financial Times reports. It says: “The Mission 2025 group is calling for governments to ensure that new national climate plans for the next decade – known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs) – are strong enough to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Under the Paris agreement, countries have to submit fresh plans every five years, starting from 2020, with the next round due in 2025.” The newspaper says former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres “told the Financial Times that Mission 2025 aimed to rebut the view that moving faster on tackling the climate crisis was ‘too difficult, too unpopular or too expensive’”. It adds: “Figueres argued that the extreme heatwaves being experienced around the world, including in the US where about 100 million people were under a heat warning in June, showed that ambitious NDCs were ‘absolutely necessary’.”

A new study of Britain’s finds that over the past five years, two-thirds of applications to build onshore renewable energy projects have failed to get through the planning stage, the Guardian reports. The newspaper continues: “[The report finds that] 63% of mooted projects were either abandoned, refused planning permission, or an application was withdrawn or ultimately expired between 2018 and 2023. The remainder of the applications were either approved or revised, according to the research by the consultancy Cornwall Insight.” According to the newspaper, no region of Great Britain had a success rate higher than 20% of projects gaining planning permission. It adds: “Cornwall Insight said ‘speculative and duplicate applications’ were in part to blame, citing reports that ‘phantom’ energy projects were holding back efforts to decarbonise the grid. Last year, a report commissioned by Centrica, the owner of British Gas, claimed that some developers were applying to connect projects to the grid that did not even have land rights or planning consent applications.” The Financial Times also carries the story, reporting: “The majority of Britain’s onshore renewable energy projects are failing to get beyond the planning stage, according to analysis that highlights the challenges the country still faces in hitting its clean energy targets.”

Separately, the Guardian reports that experts have criticised a Conservative pledge to review overhead electricity pylons, with a view to favouring underground cables. The paper says that energy and climate experts “hit out” at the plans, saying they would increase energy bills and make it harder to reach net-zero. The newspaper highlights a report commissioned by the government in 2023, which found that burying electricity cables could cost up to 10 times more than pylons. However, it says that the Tories have since “faced mounting pressure from rural voters to abandon their commitment to building new pylons, and some candidates are now actively campaigning against them in their own constituencies”. In other UK news, the Guardian covers the results of a poll of heat pump installers. According to the paper, the survey finds that “the UK’s drive to replace gas boilers with heat pumps is being stymied by a lack of consumer demand and a shortage of skilled installers to fit heat pumps where they are wanted”. Finally, BBC News reports that “Plaid Cymru’s leader Rhun ap Iorwerth says his party would support new nuclear power plants at Wylfa and Trawsfynydd, but not anywhere else in Wales”.

A fire which broke out at a lithium battery factory in South Korea on Monday morning has killed at least 22 people, the Financial Times reports. The paper reports that the fire was caused by a number of battery cells exploding at the Aricell plant, but says the cause of the explosion is unknown. It adds: “Aricell, which was established in 2020, makes lithium batteries for sensors and radio communication devices, according to its regulatory filing.” The New York Times says that “the 22 victims included 18 migrants​ from China and one from Laos, as well as two South Koreans”. It adds: “Fires can occur in lithium batteries when the inside layers are compressed, causing a short circuit. The layers can become compressed by a sudden impact, such as during a vehicle collision, or by gradual swelling of the batteries through regular use…Lithium battery fires have been a growing problem in the United States and elsewhere, and fires are an industry-wide concern for battery manufacturers.” Al Jazeera adds: “Lithium batteries, which are used in phones, laptops and electric vehicles, have been known to explode or catch fire due to a phenomenon known as thermal run, which can occur when they overheat or are punctured. The Daily Mail says: “The vast 2,300 square metre factory had an estimated 35,000 battery cells on the second floor in storage at the time of the blaze, with more batteries stored in other areas. Lithium batteries burn hot and fast, and are difficult to control with conventional fire extinguishing methods…South Korea is a major producer of batteries, including those used in electric vehicles. Its battery makers supply EV makers around the world, including Tesla.” The Associated Press, the Daily Telegraph, the Los Angeles Times, CNN and the Times of India also cover the story.

A new study finds that “the climate crisis is driving an exponential rise in the most extreme wildfires in key regions around the world”, the Guardian reports. The paper continues: “The analysis of satellite data showed the number of extreme fires had risen by more than 10 times in the past 20 years in temperate conifer forests, such as in the western US and Mediterranean. It has increased by seven times in the vast boreal forests in northern Europe and Canada. Australia was also a hotspot for these devastating fires. The scientists also found that the intensity of the worst wildfires had doubled since 2003, and that the six years with the biggest numbers of extreme fires had all occurred since 2017…The researchers also warned that the rise in the huge fires was threatening to create a ‘scary’ feedback loop, in which the vast carbon emissions released by the fires cause more global heating, which causes more fires. The new research helps resolve an apparent paradox, in that global heating has driven an unambiguous rise in hot, dry fire weather, but the area burned by wildfires has fallen. The researchers said that most fires were small, started by humans, caused relatively little damage and may be declining due to expansion of cropland and cuts in crop waste burning. Including all fires in global analyses therefore obscured the rapid rise in the most intense and destructive wildfires.” In the Conversation, study authors Calum Cunningham, David Bowman and Grant Williamson from the University of Tasmania explain their research. They explain that they used a 21-year satellite dataset of satellite observations, and focused on the most “energetically extreme” fires. The New York Times, the Washington Post and Phys.org also cover the study. 

The Guardian’s environment editor, Fiona Harvey, unpacks opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer’s pledge to “make Britain a clean energy superpower, to cut bills, create jobs and deliver security with cheaper, zero-carbon electricity by 2030, accelerating to net-zero”, which is one of five “missions” in the party’s election manifesto. Harvey says: “Electricity will play a much greater role as the UK moves to net-zero. Gas will no longer be used for home heating, as nearly all homes will need to use electric heat pumps. Electric vehicles will replace diesel and petrol cars. Industry will move to cleaner processes, such as forging green steel in electric arc furnaces instead of using coking coal.” However, she writes that the “whole landscape of energy policy and the race to net-zero is a mess”, stating that new onshore windfarms are “in effect banned in England”, solar farms face planning obstacles, it “can take a decade to get a grid connection to new green energy installations”, there is no scheme for insulating homes, and “heat pumps are still expensive rarities”. She writes that “money will be tight”, noting that Labour has already scaled back on its £28bn “green prosperity plan”. Harvey suggests “simple” measures that Starmer could take when elected: “Labour could scrap restrictions on building onshore wind turbines. Housebuilders can be ordered to put solar panels on new or refurbished developments, and landlords will be required to meet minimum energy efficiency standards, knocking an estimated £6bn off the cost of home insulation for low-income families.” In the Conversation, David Hall and Vera Weghmann – researchers from the University of Greenwich – ask: “Will Labour’s Great British Energy company lower household bills?” They argue that “to take back control, GB Energy will need to actually own and run renewable energy generators itself, instead of just providing finance for long-term concessions to private companies which expect high returns for their investment”. 

In other UK comment, BusinessGreen speaks to former Green MP Caroline Lucas as she steps down from parliament. Lucas says: “You can get emissions down and improve people’s lives, and that is a matter of political choice. We can do that if we choose to do it.” She also said she would “love to see the private sector speaking out more on net-zero”. Elsewhere, Guardian columnist Zoe Williams laments that although 100,000 people marched for nature this weekend, “it didn’t make the bulletins” because they marched peacefully. She says: “This is the new conundrum of public protest; the only way to be talked about is if you’re demonised.” The Daily Telegraph’s financial columnist Matthew Lynn writes that “not even the Greens want heat pumps”, stating that “the co-leader of the Green party Carla Denyer came up with plenty of excuses for why she had not yet managed to get around to replacing her gas boiler with a heat pump”. And separately, a comment by Daily Telegraph columnist Sherelle Jacobs has the print headline “Starmer only offers green delusions, grievance and national bankruptcy.” She says: “Labour’s Blob-pleasing obsession with net-zero – decarbonising the grid by 2030 and banning new North Sea oil and gas – could yet prove to be the single greatest act of national self-harm this century. After all, history suggests that sustained economic growth is always underpinned by access to cheap and abundant energy.” [A recent report by Oxford Economics on behalf of Energy UK said an accelerated transition to net-zero “could boost the UK’s economy by £240bn in 2050”.]

The FInancial Times has published a “Big Read” about the “vast oil reservoir” that was discovered about 120 miles off the coast of Guyana, which ExxonMobil executives want to turn into one of the largest offshore oil developments in history. The paper says: “More than $55bn of investment has been sanctioned to extract just under half of those reserves, but after making more discoveries, the consortium is scaling up production.” It notes that Guyana is one of the smallest countries in South America, and had no hydrocarbon industry before this discovery. It adds: “The promised financial windfall could create one of the world’s last petrostates, just as global policymakers pledge a shift away from fossil fuels. Field development is already generating rapid growth in a poor country; Guyana’s economy expanded 33% even after inflation last year.” However, it says that “environmental campaigners have labelled the project a ‘climate bomb’”. It also notes “concerns among civil and human rights groups, trade unions and opposition politicians that the wealth generated by Exxon’s oil bonanza will bypass the general public and cause more harm than good” – a phenomenon known as the “resource curse”. Separately, Daniel Yergin, the vice-chair of S&P Global, writes in the Financial Times that, in the run up to the US election, voters are worried about the cost of petrol.

Earth’s most extreme wildfires increased 2.2-fold in the past 20 years, with the last seven  years seeing the six most extreme fires on record, new research finds. The study uses 21 years of satellite data on daily fire activity to examine how the fires in the 99.99th percentile have increased from 2003-2023. The authors say: “Although the total area burned on Earth may be declining, our study highlights that fire behaviour is worsening in several regions – particularly the boreal and temperate conifer biomes – with substantial implications for carbon storage and human exposure to wildfire disasters.”