The Edhi ambulance service says it has taken around 568 people’s bodies to the Karachi city morgue in Pakistan over the past six days – up from its usual rate of 30-40 bodies a day – according to reporting by BBC News. While it is “too early to say exactly what the cause of death was in every case”, the news comes as temperatures in the city reached above 40C, “with the high humidity making it feel as hot as 49C”, the article explains. The heatwave hitting the city is expected to last until next week and the article notes that “experts agree these sorts of extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense as a result of climate change”. According to Pakistani newspaper Dawn, many of the bodies that have been picked up by rescue services in Karachi were those of drug addicts who, according to health officials, died of exposure to excessive heat. The Indian Express reports that, according to the head of the Edhi Foundation that runs the ambulances, the city is running out of space in its mortuaries. The article notes that, amid the heatwave, many residents are being forced to endure “long hours” of “load shedding” and power cuts.

In more heatwave news, Reuters reports that “sweltering summer weather is worsening conditions in Gaza, where nearly all the 2.3 million inhabitants have been driven from their homes by Israel’s military campaign”. It adds that there is almost no electricity and little clean water for the population. 

In the US, the Boston Globe reports that last week’s heatwave in New England brought a “sharp spike” in people visiting hospital emergency rooms. An article by climate scientists for the Conversation about the recent heatwave in the eastern US emphasises that the heat “was unusually early and long-lasting compared with typical patterns”. They stress the impact of climate change. Separately, the Associated Press says few people in the recently flood-struck states of the US Midwest – including Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota – have flood insurance. 

Meanwhile, lawyers from the NGO Public Citizen have written a memo concluding that prosecutors in Arizona could “reasonably press homicide charges against big oil” for the people who died due a heatwave that struck the state in July last year, the Guardian reports. The article explains that, while 40 cities and states have sued major oil companies in recent years over climate change, “each of those existing cases is based on civil charges such as tort law and racketeering protections”. In a separate article, the Guardian reports on a “sharp rise” in the number of climate lawsuits being filed against companies around the world.

In a frontpage story, the Daily Telegraph reports on a recording it has “obtained” of Labour’s Darren Jones, the shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, saying that decarbonising the UK economy will cost “hundreds of billions” of pounds. Jones’ comments were not made in secret, but rather at a public meeting in Bristol on 14 March, as the newspaper states. The comments were part of a discussion about Labour downgrading its “green” investment plans from £28bn to £4.7bn a year, it adds. Jones said Labour “definitely haven’t” abandoned their investment plans, according to the article, and when an audience member said some people would say that £28bn a year would not be enough to decarbonise the economy, he replied: “No, it’s tiny. Hundreds of billions of pounds we need.” The Daily Telegraph claims the story is “set to reignite the row over Labour’s spending plans”. The comments have been picked up by other right-leaning newspapers, including the Daily Express, the Daily Mail and the Sun. The latter says that the Conservatives have “claimed that [Labour leader] Sir Keir [Starmer’s] plans will cost more than listed in the Labour manifesto and will lead to a string of brutal tax hikes”. Despite the tone of this coverage, as the Financial Times notes in its article, Jones also “made clear that he was talking primarily about long-term private-sector investment, backed up with some state subsidy”. The newspaper also points out that the Conservatives have previously said that reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 – a target that both parties support – would cost hundreds of billions of pounds. BBC News’ “Verify” team also makes this point in its factcheck of last night’s election debate, where Conservative prime minister Rishi Sunak brought up the recording. The article notes that the UK’s independent Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) reported in 2021 that reaching net-zero by 2050 would require around £1.3tn of investment. However, it adds that moving away from fossil fuels would also bring savings of around £1tn due to moving away from fossil fuels, according to OBR. A Labour source quoted in the Times says that Jones’ comment about “hundreds of billions” referred to the combined cost of hitting net-zero by 2050, not Labour’s plan to decarbonise the electricity grid by 2030.

In other UK news, more than 60 climate groups and unions, including Greenpeace and Oxfam, have signed an open letter sent to all party leaders calling for the next government to provide a “clear and funded” transition plan for workers in the UK’s offshore oil and gas industry, according to the Press Association. It quotes Mick Lynch, general secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), who calls a just transition for these workers a “moral imperative”. Meanwhile, BBC News reports on comments made by Reform UK’s climate-sceptic chair and former leader Richard Tice, who has said that oil and gas expansion is Scotland’s “greatest growth opportunity”. Tice also called net-zero “the greatest act of negligence imposed on a country by its leaders”. The Scottish Greens, on the other hand, say they would push for £28bn in annual public investment to drive a “green new deal” and reach 100% renewable power in Scotland and the wider UK, according to the Press Association. (See Carbon Brief’s “UK election 2024: What the manifestos say on energy and climate change”.)

Meanwhile, the Met Office says Wednesday was the UK’s hottest day of the year so far, reaching 30.3C at London’s Heathrow Airport, according to BBC News.

China’s climate envoy, Liu Zhenmin, has said at the Summer Davos meetings that COP29 must bring about “a new global agreement on climate finance or risk setting back the green transition”, the Strait Times reports. The Singaporean newspaper quotes Liu saying: “China will not be a donor like OECD countries. But we are going to continue to support multilateral development banks…[and] continue our support to other developing countries through south-south cooperation.” Chinese economic newswire Yicai says Liu also said “for the vast majority of countries, including China, there is no overcapacity issue”. According to Bloomberg, Wan Gang, a former science and technology minister and the “father of China’s electric car [EV] industry”, said at Summer Davos that China and the EU need to “resume talks for an investment deal as a way to resolve trade tensions” over EVs, adding that the EU tariffs “have political motivations”. Hong Kong-based newspaper the South China Morning Post (SCMP) quotes Ren Hongbin, chairman of the government-affiliated trade association China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, saying at the meeting that “[China is] still willing to deepen cooperation with the US in trade and investment”, despite current tensions.

Away from the meeting, the EU has “marginally revised” tariffs on Chinese EV imports following “more information from the affected companies”, with SAIC’s rate dropping from 38.1% to 37.6% and Geely’s falling by 0.1 percentage point, notes Bloomberg. SCMP reports that “China and Poland have agreed to cooperate on [EVs]” despite the EU tariffs. The Guardian carries a commentary by Jeffrey Frankel, Harvard University professor and advisor to former president Bill Clinton, arguing that US tariffs on Chinese “clean-energy” technology risks “undermining” the US government’s climate agenda. Elsewhere, Bloomberg reports that Politburo Standing Committee member Ding Xuexiang has been tapped “to spearhead China’s drive for breakthroughs in core technologies”. (Ding also holds the climate portfolio.)

Finally, Bloomberg reports that China has accumulated “a glut of coal”, in order to ensure power for the summer when “consumption typically peaks”. The Financial Times interviews several experts on China’s continued coal buildout, quoting Michal Meidan, head of China energy research at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, arguing that “the reversion to more coal does not mean China is backtracking on its ‘30-60’ targets”, but that “there is a risk that the peak could be higher and later”. Chinese energy newspaper BJX News reports that China’s national green certificate issuance and trading system will be officially launched at the end of June.

The Italian government will work to “correct” the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the EU from 2035, which “makes no sense”, according to Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni, Politico reports. Speaking in her nation’s parliament ahead of the EU leaders’ summit, which starts today, Meloni said pursuing “green” objectives had meant sacrificing entire industries and leaving the bloc vulnerable to “new strategic dependencies”, such as on China’s electric vehicles, the article continues. According to the Times, the prime minister said: “Italians and Europeans believe the EU is too invasive and is telling citizens what to eat, what car to drive, how to ­refurbish their house, how much land to cultivate and what technology to ­develop.” The newspaper notes that the right-wing leader has been “snubbed” for a “top job” in the EU and has “accused centrist and left-wing leaders of striking a back-room deal on key appointments”. Separately, Politico reports that a line about “prepar[ing] for the new realities stemming from climate change” has been deleted from the European Commission’s new strategic agenda for 2024-2029, which EU leaders are expected to adopt this week at the European Council summit. In contrast, Carbon Pulse reports on a leaked draft which, it says, “reinstates green priorities” compared to an earlier draft.

Meanwhile, the Hindu reports that the European Commission has released its new tariff rates for electric vehicles imported from China, “which is being perceived as the start of a potential trade war between the EU and China”. (See China block above.) In more electric vehicle news, the Times reports that the UK’s car manufacturing output fell by 12% in May “as assembly lines continued to retool for electric vehicles”. The figures are from trade body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, which emphasises the importance of expanding electric vehicle manufacturing and sales in order for the UK to remain globally competitive, the newspaper says. Finally, the Wall Street Journal reports that Volkswagen is investing $1bn in electric-pickup maker Rivian Automotive, “with plans to spend up to $5bn as part of a software-development partnership”.

A World Economic Forum report covered by Colombia’s El Espectador notes that renewable energy growth in Latin America has been slower in the past decade, registering a 3% increase in the Energy Transition Index (ETI), with investment in renewable energy falling by 70% during the same period. However, Colombia is ranked fifth in the region by the report, following Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica and Uruguay.

Elsewhere, Mexico’s Excélsior reports that Latin America saw a 140% increase in heat-related deaths due to climate change between 2013 and 2022. The 2023 Lancet Countdown Latin America report says that Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, Paraguay and Uruguay show a “clear and sustained trend” towards an increase in such cases.

Meanwhile, Peru’s Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem) tells El Comercio it is working on a national gas pipeline plan. The newspaper notes that the Peruvian government has had plans to develop a national pipeline network since 2014. It also points out that the country currently has 1,500km of gas pipelines, “less than countries such as Bolivia, with 4,000km, or Argentina, with 20,000km of pipelines”. 

Finally, in a comment piece for Folha de São Paulo, Ilona Szabó de Carvalho, president of the Brazilian thinktank Igarapé Institute, writes that Brazil’s government “is preparing to launch concessions for ecological and productive forest restoration”, with Pará being the first state to launch a concession. Brazil is committed to reaching “zero deforestation” and restoring 12m hectares of forest by 2030, as outlined in its national pledge under the Paris Agreement. Szabó de Carvalho stresses the importance of the Brazilian government “coordinating efforts and agreeing with the other branches of government on a lasting state policy”.

A Financial Times editorial considers the often deadly extreme weather that has been sweeping the world, driven by rising levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. It notes that as tropical regions grow hotter and cooler region become milder, economic activities such as agriculture and tourism are shifting. “Business and industry are once again showing their ability to adapt to new opportunities, even if the cause is unfortunate. But here any gains are negative sum. For every new British vineyard, there are others in Chile that can no longer operate,” it says. The fact that many economic activities will likely shift to the northern hemisphere “only underscores” the responsibility that the global north has in financing efforts towards “net-zero goals, climate adaptation and food security”, the newspaper continues. It also emphasises that richer countries will also face significant consequences of a hotter world, including weather extremes, biodiversity loss and intensified migration pressures.

Elsewhere, the Economist also has an editorial about rising global temperatures titled: “Simple steps to stop people dying from heatwaves.” Despite the deadly heat events that have struck from India to Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, it says: “The good news, however, is that even as temperatures soar, deaths can be avoided and economic disruption can be minimised.” Solutions it lists include air conditioning and better designed cities, as well as ensuring that governments and citizens are better prepared for heat.

In his New York Times newsletter, David Wallace-Wells writes about “how ocean warming is warping the world”. He considers various environmental threats facing the world’s oceans, including melting Arctic and Antarctic ice, marine heatwaves and the “possible collapse” of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) – the ocean system that transfers heat from the tropics up toward Europe and Greenland. He concludes by describing the “high seas” as a “vast and distant elsewhere, into which we can casually dump not just pollution and heat but our sense of responsibility, as well”.

Former Labour home secretary David Blunkett has a comment piece in the Sun, in which he says that focus on net-zero policies in EU countries has contributed to the rise of the far right in Europe. “A combination of discontent with the establishment, a long-standing resentment about migration into Europe and a substantial push back on moves to decarbonise the economy into what is known as net-zero, has shaken the political tree,” he writes. Blunkett reflects on what this means for the UK, as a general election approaches and Nigel Farage’s climate-sceptic Reform UK party becomes more prominent. “The truth remains that the more dependent we become on electricity, the less choice people have, and the more the issue of transition will become politically toxic. Not only will people resent higher costs and disruption to their lives, but it will gradually dawn on them that without alternatives we all become more vulnerable,” he says. A Sun editorial picks up Blunkett’s argument, stating that he “nails the problem” and describing the “rise of the right” in the EU as a backlash against being “forced to pay more for a lower quality of life”. It rails against the “staggering cost of inadequate battery cars or feeble heat pumps”, as well as the supposed threat to energy security from relying on renewable energy. “So whoever is in Downing Street next Friday must bat away the eco fanatics and get real over what can be done and what the public will stand,” the editorial concludes.

The climate-sceptic Daily Mail columnist Stephen Glover lists “net-zero” as one of his “10 good reasons to fear Labour”. He says “Labour is committed to achieving net-zero by 2030, at least five years before the rest of Europe”. [This assertion, which has been repeated by other right-wing commentators and outlets in recent months, is incorrect. Labour’s plan is to reach a net-zero electricity supply in 2030, five years ahead of the Conservatives. Its net-zero target for the whole economy is for 2050 – the same as the Conservative party.] Regarding Labour’s plans for a Great British Energy Company, former Conservative chancellor Norman Lamont writes in the Daily Mail that “the UK’s private sector already leads the world in renewable energy. There’s no evidence at all that a state body could add extra value”. An editorial in the Daily Telegraph says Labour has failed to set out a “compelling vision for the country”, citing Keir Starmer’s supposed inability in last night’s televised leaders’ debate to answer questions about the cost of net-zero.

Finally, an editorial in the Times says that Labour’s plan to bring the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars back to 2030 – the original Conservative target before the current government delayed it to 2035 – would “cripple Britain’s motor industry”.

Coral bleaching will likely begin on most coral reefs in spring instead of late summer by 2080, new research finds. The researchers analyse daily projections of ocean warming to find out the severity, annual duration and onset of the “severe bleaching risk” for coral reefs around the world this century. The study finds that there may be a high “year-round bleaching risk” for some low-latitude coral reefs, “regardless of global efforts” to cut greenhouse gas emissions. It notes that low-latitude coral regions are “most vulnerable to thermal stress and will experience little reprieve from climate mitigation”. These findings can help to prioritise efforts to “limit future loss of coral reef biodiversity”, the researchers write.

Maps showing projected sea level rise can have the “unintended consequence” of reducing concerns about the risks among local communities, a new study warns. The researchers held two survey experiments to see how effective these maps are at communicating the risks of sea level rise. In one experiment, people in coastal communities across four US states, living both inside and outside sea level rise boundaries, were shown maps outlining their individual risk. This “common risk communication approach” results in “reducing concern” over future risks, even for households expected to experience flooding this century, the study says. On the other hand, an experiment on coastal residents in San Francisco finds that communicating the effect of sea level rise on traffic patterns increases concern about future climate impacts.