The Japanese government says it is “looking to” cut emissions by 60% by 2035 compared to 2013 levels, Kyodo News reports. The Environment Ministry and the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry have proposed the new target in a joint meeting this week, it continues. This would mark a 14% increase on current targets, with the ministry noting that a more aggressive cut to emissions is necessary to achieve net-zero, Kyodo News notes. Japan is currently targeting a reduction in emissions of 46% by 2030, notes the Japan Times. According to the ministries, reaching net-zero by 2050 will require reducing emissions by 60% by 2035 and 73% by 2040, it adds. The Japanese government will now consider what level to set the target at taking into account the suggestion of the ministries, reports NKH World Japan. Under the Paris Agreement, countries have to submit their new emission targets for 2035 to the UN by next February, it adds.

Vauxhall’s owner Stellantis has announced plans to close its van-making factory in Luton, putting 1,100 jobs at risk, reports BBC News. The company said the decision was made in the “context” of the UK’s rules that are designed to speed up the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). Current rules in the UK, known as the zero emissions vehicle mandate (ZEV), state that EVs must make up 22% of automotive manufacturers’ car sales and 10% of van sales this year, and for every sale that pushes it outside the mandate there is a £15,000 fine, BBC News explains. In a frontpage story, the Financial Times adds that Stallentis has pointed to the “challenging” EV sales quota, saying it played a “significant part” in its decision to consolidate its UK operations to its Ellesmere Port factory in Cheshire. Stellantis will now invest around £50m in its Ellesmere Port site and offer staff at the Luton plant the chance to move north, although the company noted it will ultimately employ fewer people in the UK overall, reports the Daily Telegraph. Ellesmere Port is the only UK factory that solely makes electric vans, whereas the Luton site manufactures petrol and diesel-powered vehicles, it adds, although it was due to begin electric production next year. Frontpage coverage of the closure of the Luton site in the Times highlights that Ford last week announced it would cut 800 jobs in the UK due to “slower than expected” EV sales and Nissan has warned that jobs at its Sunderland plant could be at risk. In its frontpage coverage of the closure, the Guardian notes that “industry insiders questioned whether the closure was directly linked to the ZEV mandate, pointing instead to Stellantis’s unused factory capacity across Europe”. Speaking on Sky News, former CEO of Aston Martin and COO of Nissan Dr Andy Palmer highlighted that the Luton site did not produce any EVs. He adds that, while it is convenient to blame the ZEV mandate, this “isn’t the full picture”. Sharing the Sky News clip on Twitter, Palmer adds: “It’s down to a combination of headwinds (including Chinese EV competition) the European auto industry has been facing and we musn’t roll back progress being made with EVs although I would support greater flexibility on the annual targets.” 

Rules on EV sales could be changed as part of a “fast-track” consultation the UK government has said, reports BBC News. This follows carmakers urging the government to alter the rules as EV demand is “not strong enough” to meet the rules of the ZEV mandate, it says. Manufacturers have pointed to the closures at Luton and other sites (mentioned above), saying they are in part due to the Labour government’s plans to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles, it adds. The Daily Mail reports in a frontpage story that the government’s EV plans have been left in “disarray” after the ZEV targets were blamed for the closure of Stellantis’ factory. Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds has now confirmed that there will be a consultation on the ZEV, after “warnings from carmakers that the rules were putting the industry’s future at risk”, reports the Daily Telegraph. The article highlights that governments in Europe are also under pressure to “rein in EV targets”, with Porsche saying it will stick to petrol engines for “much longer” than previously planned this week. “Europe’s top carmakers suffered a further setback on Tuesday after more than €10bn (£8.9bn) was wiped off their value following Donald Trump’s announcement that he would impose tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China”, the article continues. EV charging companies are warning that “any “backsliding” on the ZEV policy could put billions of pounds of investment at risk, reports BusinessGreen. Meanwhile, Politico looks at what happens when “green goals clash with ambitions for growth” in light of the possible rollback of the ZEV.

Nearly half of experts believe China’s carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) have already peaked, or will do so next year, reports the Guardian. The results of a survey of experts by thinktank the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) “reflect increasing optimism about the country’s green transition at a time when it is being called on to take a leading position on global climate action”, it adds. The survey found that 44% of climate experts from academia and industry believe that China’s CO2 emissions will peak at the latest in 2025, an increase from 21% surveyed last year, the article notes. The article highlights that China is a world leader in investing in clean energy, contributing to this shift in views. It points to recent analysis for Carbon Brief by Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at CREA, which found clean energy contributed a record 11.4tn yuan (£154.4bn) to China’s economy in 2023 and was the biggest driver of GDP growth. China’s CO2 emissions are on course for a slight rise this year, despite the rapid progress on renewables and EVs, reports Reuters. According to CREA, the country wants to cut the amount of CO2 it produces per unit of economic growth by 18% over 2021-2025, but has fallen behind due to rushing energy demand, the article adds. Despite the progress made by China, more clarity was needed from Beijing on the country’s emissions and economic path, Myllyvirta tells the Financial Times. He notes the possibility of emissions rising up to 2030, if China’s economy once again picks up pace, saying: “This scenario would make meeting global climate targets all but impossible.” 

Meanwhile, state-run newspaper China Daily reports that a study released at COP29 says China’s “sustainable development index” shows “steady improvement for seven consecutive years”. Vox says that, while the US “steps back from the international stage on climate change…China is gearing up to fill the void, emphasising a willingness to work with other countries”. In an editorial, the state-supporting newspaper Global Times argues that the “international community” should “create strong public pressure to ensure that developed countries fulfil their commitments on time and take real responsibility for this ‘climate debt’”. Developed countries shouldn’t “default again” this time, the newspaper adds.

In other news, the EU has imposed “fresh restrictions” on China-made electrolysers, which bars “funding for any future ‘green hydrogen’ projects that are too reliant on Chinese suppliers”, business news outlet Caixin reports. However, Chinese companies are “not overly concerned” as “technological differences and Europe’s strict standards” have already been “deterring” Chinese imports, the outlet adds. In its “supply lines” newsletter, Bloomberg says that the “prospects” of tariffs under the second term of Donald Trump are “likely to drive Chinese exports to a record as companies try to get their goods into the US before Inauguration Day”. 

Elsewhere, Japanese news outlet Nikkei Asia reports that China is “creating an overarching strategy” for its energy security law, which will take effect on 1 January. China Briefing’s coverage of China’s new renewable energy plan says it “targets to increase annual renewable energy consumption to one billion tonnes of standard coal equivalent (SCE) by 2025 – a 30% jump from 2023 levels; and five billion tonnes of SCE by 2030 – another 36% jump from the 2025 levels”.

Finally, China’s first offshore gas storage facility has “officially started operations” in north China, China Daily reports. Industry news outlet BJX News reports that China has issued a plan to “fully realise large-scale 5G applications”, including meeting the demands of renewable energy grid integration. The China Chamber of Commerce of Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products calls the solar industry to “prevent overcapacity” in exports, China Energy Net reports.

According to new data, there has been a threefold increase in the number of internally displaced people in Africa over the past 15 years due to wars and climate disasters, reports the Guardian. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) has found that there are 35 million people internally displaced in the continent, in comparison to 11.6 million in 2009 “when African governments signed a landmark deal legally binding them to tackle the causes of displacement”, the article says. It quotes Alexandra Bilak, director at IDMC, who says “The displacement situation in Africa is absolutely critical, but not hopeless. There are many good examples on the continent of governments working to address its root causes. It’s important for them to keep ownership of this issue and the international community to support their efforts.”

The Financial Times Asia Lex editor June Yoon argues that an “abrupt change of course on US subsidies” under incoming president Donald Trump could threaten the EV transition. While EV sales have recently picked back up, with global sales running a third higher in October than in the previous year, many countries including the US have seen growth driven by government subsidies, she explains. With Trump expected to “kill the $7,500 consumer tax credit for EV purchases as part of broader tax-reform legislation”, not just the US but Chinese and European markets are also likely to be hit by the end of this “lucrative offer”, she writes. “With demand from early adopters levelling off and mainstream consumers still wary about the relatively new technology and inadequate charging infrastructure, carmakers depend on subsidies now more than ever”, Yoon concludes.

In other EV commentary, there was a range of editorials focused on the closure of Stallantis’ Luton van factory and the consultation on the ZEV mandate in the UK. The Sun says it hopes “ministers really have listened to car manufacturers worried about crazy fines”. The Times argues “Britain’s insane compulsory timetable for electric vehicle production is sabotaging the car industry and destroying jobs”. And the Daily Mail writes that “Labour’s electric car revolution is rapidly running out of road”.

Further UK comment focuses on energy bills, with Daily Telegraph assistant editor Jeremy Warner discussing the “fantasy of Ed Miliband’s promise of lower electricity bills”. In a separate piece in the Daily Telegraph, columnist and deputy comment editor Annabel Denham argues that “for now, we cannot have net-zero emissions, security of supply and affordability”. The Guardian’s financial editor Nils Pratley says the “costs to the consumer shouldn’t be ignored” in the push for clean energy. Also in the Guardian, Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, argues that “investing in homegrown renewable power and cutting our reliance on oil and gas is crucial if we’re to fix our energy system”.

Finally, in BusinessGreen, journalist Roger Harrabin writes about his interactions with former deputy prime minister John Prescott, who died last week. Prescott “cared deeply about the environment and ocean protection”, Harrabin says, adding that the “world could do with more Prescotts”.

Peter H Gleick, an expert on water and conflict and a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, writing in Time magazine explains why despite the “complex climate threats facing the planet” he refuses to give up hope. “The scientific facts of climate change and the role that humans play in driving those changes are irrefutable and have been understood and tested for literally decades”, he writes, listing a series of historical highlights. Following the recent election of Donald Trump in the US, the “frustration my colleagues and I feel is almost palpable”, Gleick continues. However there are a number of positive signs of progress, he adds, pointing to the falling cost of renewable energy among other things. “I refuse to give up hope that the world will finally openly embrace science and act”, Gleick concludes.

In other comment, chief economics commentator at the Financial Times Martin Wolf argues that climate change is “a global problem — it requires a global solution”. He explores the finance deal agreed at COP29, writing that it is “too little, too late”. (For a full explanation of the deal see Carbon Brief’s write-up of all the key outcomes at COP29.)

A new paper explores the impact of a commitment in EU trade agreements to “effectively implement” the Paris Agreement. First included in 2019, the commitment now exists in nine ratified or pending trade agreements, the researchers say. They argue that these trade deals “increase the cost of withdrawing from the Paris Agreement”. The agreements also “bolster the Paris Agreement’s obligations of conduct”, the paper says, including “the expectation of progressively more ambitious climate pledges”. The authors add that the implementation and enforcement mechanisms available via these trade deals “in the context of the Paris Agreement commitment may prove pivotal in realising the climate regime’s objectives”.