In a wide-ranging interview with the Washington Post, John Kerry – President Biden’s special presidential envoy for climate – says he doesn’t “see the evidence yet” of global leaders revisiting their national climate pledges as agreed at COP26 in Glasgow last year. (See Carbon Brief‘s summary of the Glasgow Climate Pact.) He says: “I don’t see the evidence that that is happening, and I also don’t see the evidence that they are reducing [emissions] significantly enough to keep us on a track where we can achieve it. So I think we have a huge lift. And obviously, what’s happened in Ukraine has not helped to concentrate people on reducing [emissions]. It’s concentrated people on trying to find substitutes for Russian gas and to meet higher levels of production because of low supply. But it obviously does interrupt the momentum that we had created coming out of Glasgow.” For the US pledge, Kerry says he thinks it “is strong enough for the 2030 target, but I think we need to review how we’re going to get there more”. He adds: “I think there’s got to be some taking stock right now of what’s happened to us in terms of the Ukraine situation, the gas demand, the production levels – and we’ve got to take a hard look at it, because it’s definitely having an effect.” On the $100bn target for international climate finance, Kerry says that by the end of the year, developed nations will be “probably at $96bn”, adding: “I still think we have time to try to get to $100bn.” The Hill picks up the interview.

Kerry also speaks to Bloomberg, telling them that “we have to put the [fossil gas] industry on notice”. He explains: “You’ve got six years, eight years, no more than 10 years or so, within which you’ve got to come up with a means by which you’re going to capture, and if you’re not capturing, then we have to deploy alternative sources of energy.”

In related news, BusinessGreen reports on comments from COP26 President Alok Sharma ahead of the “spring meetings” of the World Bank and the IMF in Washington DC this week. He said that “across the world we see renewables creating good, green jobs and connecting people to reliable low cost power for the first time”. The next step is to “support developing countries to make this transition”, he continued: “The South Africa Just Energy Transition partnership is a great example of this. I am here in Washington DC to push further to see whether we can get further such deals announced by COP27. If we want to make the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C a reality, we have to get finance flowing and push developed countries, multilateral development banks and private finance to deliver on their finance commitments.”

UK prime minister Boris Johnson has rejected calls from some Conservative MPs that he should scrap the “green levy” on electricity bills to help households as energy prices soar, reports the Financial Times. Speaking to media while on his trip to India, Johnson said he wanted “to do everything we can to alleviate the cost of living”, but warned of “a lot of prejudice against the green agenda”. The paper explains that “the so-called green levy is made up of several taxes used to help fund investment in low-carbon generation, including nuclear and wind farms, and paying energy companies to insulate homes for poorer households”. Despite reports this week that government officials were considering whether to scrap the levy, Johnson said: “Actually green technology, green, sustainable electricity can help to reduce bills. Overall, if you look at what we have done with renewables it has helped to reduce bills over the last few years and will continue to do so.” (Carbon Brief analysis, published in January, has shown how previous efforts to slash climate policies are now costing the average household around £40 per year, rising to £60 under the price cap expected next winter.) Johnson added: “That’s why one of the things I want to do is use this moment to really drive towards more offshore wind turbines. This country used to be number one for offshore wind … then China overtook us. We need to regain our lead, we need to build them faster and we can do it,” reports the Times. Johnson’s comments appear to be a “sideswipe at Tory climate policy sceptics”, says the Guardian. And the Daily Telegraph says Johnson’s response “will be seen as a wider defence of his promise to make the UK a net-zero carbon emitter by 2050”. The prime minister also “refused to rule out taking more steps to ease cost of living pressures” and “defended existing measures”, notes the Daily Mail. The Independent also has the story.

Meanwhile, DeSmog reports that Johnson met with billionaire Gautam Adani during his trip to India. Adani is the head of an Indian multinational conglomerate building Australia’s largest coal mine, the outlet explains. Johnson took the meeting “despite having called on the world to phase out the fuel as part of the UK’s COP26 presidency”, it says.

Finally, the Daily Telegraph reports that UK landowners “will be encouraged to build a wind farm to make extra revenue as part of the government’s push for onshore turbine expansion”. The energy firm Octopus has offered to link communities keen for a local wind turbine with landowners willing to have one built on their property, the paper explains. And the paper also uses Earth Day as a reason to revisit the plans in the government’s net-zero strategy.

China’s president Xi Jinping has “recently” replied to a letter sent to him by pupils from the Francis Holland School in London regarding climate change, reports Xinhua, China’s state news agency. The outlet says that Xi described climate change as “a common challenge to all humanity” in his letter, adding that “mankind should cooperate to tackle the issue”. Xi told those British pupils that they “are welcomed to visit China” and “encouraged” them to “communicate with their Chinese peers”, Xinhua notes.

The Shanghai-based financial outlet Yicai focuses on the announcement by a high-level government meeting that China had approved three nuclear power projects. In an “exclusive”, Yicai says that six generation-three nuclear power reactors – whose combined investment is estimated to be 120bn yuan ($18.6bn) – had been greenlighted this time, according to “multiple authoritative sources”. A “nuclear industry insider” told Yicai that this was the first time since 2008 that China had approved six nuclear power reactors in one go.

Meanwhile, Caixin – an independent financial outlet – reports that Chinese “top” policymakers laid out a plan to “add 300m tonnes of coal production capacity” in 2022 to ensure the country’s energy security in a meeting chaired by China’s premier, Li Keqiang, on Wednesday. The “expansion” of coal production capacity would account for 7% of China’s projected coal consumption for this year, Caixin says. The Global Times – a state-run Chinese newspaper – and Bloomberg also cover the news. Lin Boqiang – director of the China Centre for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University – told the Global Times that “[energy] supplies [in China] this year should be adequate, as market demand is slowing down amid rising outside pressure, while coal capacity is increasing”. Bloomberg says that the move is “a blow to shippers already contending with weaker Chinese imports”.

Separately, the Daily Telegraph reports that China is “taking advantage of” the Ukraine war to “grab” coking coal at a “heavy discount”. The UK newspaper says that China’s imports of Russian coal “more than doubled” last month. It adds that “Beijing’s willingness to work with Moscow will feed frustration in the West”. Additionally, the Guardian picks up a new study that forecasts “an abrupt end” to Australia’s “coal export boom” due to an “imminent and substantial” purchase decline by China. Elsewhere, Xinhua reports that green recovery and sustainable development are “among the topics” of the ongoing annual Bo’ao Forum for Asia in China’s Hainan province. Finally, Reuters notes that China “should” set up a “pilot” programme of a “carbon trading market” in Hong Kong to attract “foreign investors”, according to Ma Jun, a former central bank adviser who spoke at the Bo’ao conference.

Janet Yellen, the US Treasury secretary, has urged Europe to be “careful” about imposing a complete ban on Russian energy imports, warning of the potential harm such a move could inflict on the global economy, the Financial Times reports. Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank’s spring meetings yesterday, Yellen said: “Medium term, Europe clearly needs to reduce its dependence on Russia with respect to energy, but we need to be careful when we think about a complete European ban on say, oil imports.” She said an immediate ban by the EU would “clearly raise global oil prices” and “would have a damaging impact on Europe and other parts of the world”, the FT reports. Yellen added that, “counter-intuitively”, a total embargo may not have such a negative impact on Moscow’s finances, with Russia benefiting from higher prices. Yellen suggested that the focus should instead be on trying to reduce “proceeds from sales of oil and gas” for Russia, adding: “If we could figure out a way to do that, without harming the entire globe through higher energy prices that would be ideal. And that’s a matter that we’re all trying to get through together.“ The Hill also has the story.

Meanwhile, European Union countries are “edging towards a deal on how to share the burden of cutting greenhouse gas emissions within the EU”, reports Reuters, with states poised to accept national targets proposed by Brussels last year. The EU’s “effort sharing” policy sets national goals for its 27 member states to reduce emissions in sectors like transport and buildings, adding up to a 40% cut in relevant emissions by 2030, from 2005 levels, the newswire explains. According to “diplomats and a draft document seen by Reuters”, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Denmark and Luxembourg would be obliged to cut emissions in the relevant sectors 50% by 2030, from 2005 levels, versus a 10% cut for Bulgaria and 12.7% for Romania. The newswire says that the goals “would hike countries’ existing targets – Bulgaria’s existing goal is simply not to increase its emissions by 2030, while Germany currently faces a 38% cut”, adding that “the targets are based on a country’s per capita economic output and adjusted to ensure emissions are cut cost effectively”. Three EU diplomats said they expected the draft proposal to form the basis for a deal among countries, who would then negotiate the final rules with European Parliament, the article notes.

Finally, the International Energy Agency (IEA) and European Commission yesterday launched guidance for consumers to adopt energy-saving measures that they said could save a typical household €450 a year and would support Ukraine “by reducing the need for Russian oil and gas”, reports the Times. Suggestions include raising the temperature of air conditioners, adjusting boiler settings, driving more slowly and swapping short-haul flights for trains, says Reuters.

German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reports that the Lower Saxony ministry of economy has agreed with the Dutch company One-Dyas on key points for the production of fossil gas off the German North Sea coast, despite Germany previously being opposed to the idea. The outlet continues that “the company puts the production volume at around 60bn cubic metres of natural gas, which is divided equally between Dutch and German territory”. Euractiv also has the story.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that Germany has rejected Russian president Vladimir Putin’s demand for gas payments in rubles, noting the statement of finance minister Christian Lindner: “Contracts are based on dollars and euros, so private sector companies have to pay in dollars or euros.”

Elsewhere in German media, Tagesspiegel reports that “regional transport in Berlin and Brandenburg is to be completely emission-free by 2037”. The newspaper continues that, on Wednesday, Berlin’s senator for transport, Bettina Jarasch and Brandenburg’s minister of infrastructure, Guido Beermann, “presented the joint diesel phase-out strategy”.

In neighbouring Austria, OMV – one of the biggest oil refiners in central Europe – has ended all purchases of Russian oil, reports Financial Times. “The company’s Schwechat refinery, just outside Vienna, sits at one terminus of the Soviet-era Druzhba oil pipeline,” the paper explains. Austrian media outlet Der Standard adds that “Austria’s most important oil supplier has been Kazakhstan for many years, with an import share of 38.9%. Libya follows in second place with 22.1% and third place goes to Iraq with 20.7%”.

Finally, energy officials told Reuters that Ukraine is trying to convince its allies, including Germany, to shift Russia’s shipments of natural gas from the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Ukraine’s pipeline. The news continues that “representatives from Ukraine’s gas pipeline operator Naftogaz spent a week in Washington meeting administration officials and congressional lawmakers to urge them to convince Germany and other European allies to adopt the plan”.

Reuters energy and climate reporter Timothy Gardner and White House reporter Jarrett Renshaw explore the plans that Joe Biden had for making climate change a pillar of his presidential campaign and how he has instead “been forced by rampant inflation and a war in Europe to prioritise energy security”. They write: “The jarring shift in Biden’s energy policy priorities reflects the difficulties any US administration might face in attempting a sweeping, decades-long reform of the country’s massive energy economy to curb global warming while simultaneously assisting geopolitical allies and keeping consumer prices in check. Failing to achieve that balance could have big political consequences for Biden’s fellow Democrats in November’s mid-term elections: conservatives will blame the party if pump prices stay high, while progressives will punish it if it backslides on its climate promises.” The authors note that Biden’s “Build Back Better Bill” would have poured $300bn into tax credits for producers and buyers of low carbon energy, extended tax breaks for renewable energy and launch new ones for nuclear power, and sped up the transition to electric vehicles. However, conservative Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, “from coal-producer West Virginia, opposes it as too costly, and Republicans have slammed it as expensive and dangerous to the economy”. Gardner and Renshaw note that “behind the scenes, there are no signs that the White House and Manchin are any closer to a deal on massive spending bill. The two sides are not operating on any specific timeline and many of the key details remain unresolved, according to three sources familiar with the discussions”. And while Biden has taken several executive actions on climate change – as well as re-entering the Paris Agreement – “experts say Biden will struggle to meet his climate targets without passing the brunt of his climate legislation”, they warn.

In a piece for Tagesspiegel Background, Tagesspiegel editor Jan Kixmüller discusses the alternatives to gas available to Germany if it imposes an embargo on Russia. He notes that “around 55% of the natural gas consumed in Germany comes from Russia” and 28% of all natural gas is used by private households for heating. He quotes Kens Clausen from Scientists for Future: “For the foreseeable future, hydrogen will be too scarce, too expensive and too inefficient to be used as a fuel to provide heat.” In his opinion, the article continues, “heat pumps are an option”. Kixmüller also quotes Johan Lilliestam from Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies: “In the short term, however, behavioural changes such as lowering the room temperature, only taking a short shower or sealing windows better would play a role.”

A new study finds that increased tilling of agricultural soils in the US since 2008 – correlated with the emergence of herbicide-resistant weeds – significantly increased the greenhouse gas emissions from these lands. By combining survey data on farming practices with a land model, researchers determine the effects of tillage intensity on CO2 and nitrous oxide emissions from croplands. They find that over 2008-16, tilling intensity increased, resulting in greenhouse gas emissions of around 14m tonnes of CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e) per year – as compared to negative emissions of more than 5m tonnes CO2e per year over the previous decade. The researchers conclude that “farmers’ choices in managing herbicide resistance may help mitigate agricultural greenhouse gas emissions”.

Bird species living at high elevations in the European Alps could lose 17–59% of their current range by 2041-70 under an extremely high emission scenario, new research finds. The authors combine species distribution models with climate models to identify “climate refugia” for high-elevation bird species. “We identified ~15,000 km2 of the Alpine region as in-situ refugia for at least three species, of which 44% are currently designated as protected areas,” the study finds.