UN secretary general Antonio Guterres has warned that rising sea levels is a “crisis that will soon swell to an almost unimaginable scale, with no lifeboat to take us back to safety”, reports the Associated Press. Speaking at a Pacific Island Forum leaders meeting in Tonga earlier today, Guterres said: “A worldwide catastrophe is putting this Pacific paradise in peril…The ocean is overflowing.” Ahead of the speech, the UN released two separate reports on rising sea levels and how they threaten Pacific island nations, says BBC News: “The World Meteorological Organization’s state of the climate in the south-west Pacific report says this region faces a triple whammy of an accelerating rise in the sea level, a warming of the ocean and acidification.” It adds: “The UN Climate Action Team released a report called ‘surging seas in a warming world’, showing that global average sea levels are rising at rates unprecedented in the past 3,000 years…According to the report, the levels have risen an average of 9.4cm (3.7in) in the past 30 years, but in the tropical Pacific, that figure was as high as 15cm.” The outlet quotes sections of Guterres’ speech, in which he warned: “The reason is clear: greenhouse gases – overwhelmingly generated by burning fossil fuels – are cooking our planet…The sea is taking the heat – literally.” Guterres also “repeated his longstanding appeal to ‘the biggest emitters’, the Group of 20 (G20) nations, to financially support the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries,” reports Al Jazeera. He said that “we need a surge in funds to deal with surging seas”, the outlet notes. The Guardian explains that the annual meeting of leaders “is the top political decision-making body” for Pacific nations, noting that the “week-long summit culminates in the leaders’ retreat, where key decisions are made”. The newspaper adds: “As geopolitical tensions rise and competition for influence in the Pacific increases, more outside attention has been focused on some of the smallest countries in the world. The threats posed by climate change and sea level rise will be a central part of the summit…Pacific leadership will be looking for more financial support for its climate and disaster initiatives.”

Elsewhere, the Guardian also reports on how the outcome of an international court case on climate change obligations “could strengthen the legal position of Caribbean islands claiming damages from developed countries after natural disasters”. It explains: “Brought to the international court of justice (ICJ) by the UN general assembly, the case seeks clarification on what states can be held liable for in relation to climate change. It has attracted the attention of numerous countries and organisations, with a record 91 written submissions lodged for consideration before a landmark oral hearing in The Hague this December. The ICJ was only asked to provide an advisory opinion on the issue, but the human rights and global justice lawyer Nikki Reisch said that, while it will not single out specific emitters, the court’s opinion could and should strengthen the legal basis for holding countries accountable for their current and historical environmental damage.”

Finally, the Associated Press reports that “three tropical cyclones swirled over the Pacific Ocean” yesterday, including Tropical Storm Hone, which brought rainfall and flash floods to Hawaii, causing road closures, downed power lines and damaged trees in some areas of the Big Island.

China’s wind and solar capacity has reached 1,206 gigawatts (GW), surpassing a goal its president Xi Jinping set in 2020, Bloomberg reports, citing data from the National Energy Administration. The outlet adds that this achievement comes almost “six years earlier than planned”. State-run newspaper China Daily also covers the story: “The rapid growth of solar and wind power installations have transformed China’s electricity structure…However, due to the nature of new energy sources, their utilisation rate is not high and during peak periods of electricity demand new energy often cannot generate enough electricity.”

Elsewhere, the Washington Post reports Canada is imposing a “100% tariff on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs) that matches US tariffs and follows similar plans announced by the European Commission”. The New York Times and Reuters also cover the story. The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP) says China is considering raising import tariffs on all “large engine petrol-powered vehicles” as the latest “tit-for-tat response” to the EU’s tariffs on China-made EVs. Another SCMP report says that only two out of 30 Chinese EV companies are profitable, despite increasing sales of EVs in China. A survey by the China Automobile Dealers Association also reveals that many autodealers in China are losing money, business news outlet Caixin reports. An article from the economic news outlet Yicai says that the “smart and new energy transition will be a major driving force for the earnings growth” of China’s vehicle components manufacturers.

Meanwhile, the Global Times, a state-supporting newspaper, reports that Xi and UK prime minister Sir Keir Stamer held a phone call last Friday. The newspaper says Xi told Stamer the two countries should “​​expand cooperation in…green economy…clean energy…and jointly address global challenges, such as climate change”. The Financial Times cites a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, saying that China’s “industrial emissions were curbed by accompanying pilot carbon trading systems with reduced fossil fuel subsidies, and more financing incentives for energy efficiency”. An article from the economic news outlet Jiemian says that China’s energy law should “ensure national energy security, promote green and low-carbon transitions, establish a unified market system and maximise societal welfare”. 

Finally, a report in Science cites analysis from Carbon Brief saying that China is “on track for a decline in annual emissions”. The World Economic Forum also cites analysis from Carbon Brief saying that 2024 could be a “pivotal year” for China’s energy transition, as its carbon emissions “could fall for the first time” since late 2022. BBC News’ Climate Question podcast discusses whether China’s engineer solutions, such as “sponge cities”. 

The death toll from flooding in Bangladesh “caused by relentless monsoon rain and overflowing rivers” has risen to 23 lives so far, with 1.24 million families stranded across 11 districts, state officials tell Reuters. Meteorological authorities tell the newswire that “flood conditions could persist if the monsoon rains continued, as water levels were receding very slowly”, hampering relief efforts and posing “a significant threat to crops” if floodwaters linger for longer. “Countries like Bangladesh with negligible emissions and whose people have shown super resilience deserve immediate funds to address the impacts of climate change and frequent disasters,” says Farah Kabir, director of ActionAid Bangladesh, speaking to Reuters. More than 300,000 people are still in emergency shelters requiring aid in a country among the “most vulnerable to disasters and climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index”, Al Jazeera reports. While Bangladesh “has experienced frequent floods” in the last several decades, “the climate crisis is shifting weather patterns and increasing the number of extreme weather events”, Agence France-Presse reports. Cox’s Bazaar, which is home to about 1m Rohingya refugees, is among the worst-hit areas, it adds. At a press conference, India’s external affairs ministry “categorically denied” reports that floods in some parts of Bangladesh were caused by the opening of the Farakka barrage on the Ganga river in India’s state of West Bengal, Indian Express reports. Disaster management experts and dam officials tell Scroll.in that record rainfall was a key factor in the floods, but “dam authorities [in the east Indian state of Tripura] could have managed water release better” from the Dumbur dam and failed to “inform Bangladesh”. 

Meanwhile, in Nigeria, at least 49 people have been killed and thousands displaced by floods in the northeast of the country, Reuters reports. Elsewhere, Mali has declared a state of national disaster “over floods that have killed 30 people and affected over 47,000 others since the start of the rainy season”, according to another Reuters story. 

New research suggests that extreme heat killed more Americans in 2023 than any other year over nearly a quarter century of records, reports the Hill. The paper, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that at least 2,325 people died from the heat in the US last year, the outlet says: “The study, which used records dating back to 1999, found that annual deaths mostly remained steady, including a low point in 2004, until the mid-2010s, when an upward trend began. The increases culminated with the last year, which was also the hottest year on record.” The researchers warn that “the current trajectory is likely to continue due to climate change”, says the Los Angeles Times. CNN leads with the findings that, in total, US heat-related deaths have increased 117% since 1999, “with at least 21,518 people dying in that period”. Co-author Dr Jeffrey Howard from the University of Texas tells the outlet that heat-related deaths are probably undercounted: “The way that death certificates are filled out, the people that are filling them out don’t always know the full circumstances that led to the death. So we’re only probably scratching the surface of it…The fact that you see this trend tells me that there’s probably many more deaths that are we just are unable to measure.” Data from the study indicates that heat-related deaths are highest in Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas, notes CBS News. The outlet also quotes Howard, who said: “This is not terribly surprising because we know that these are some of the hottest regions in the country, but it does reinforce that the risk varies regionally.” 

In related news, the Guardian reports on how US cities are working to protect isolated people in heatwaves, while another Guardian story reports that Australia has recorded its hottest ever winter temperature, with Yampi Sound in the Kimberley region of Western Australia reaching 41.6C. The outlet adds: “Scientists say Australia is on track to record its hottest August on record as global heating shortens winter and brings warmth typical of spring and summer.”

UK chancellor Rachel Reeves is facing “growing anger” from within her own Labour party, due to plans to “abolish winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners”, the Times reports. This comes after the energy regulator Ofgem ­announced on Friday that energy bills would rise by an average of around £12 a month, or £149 a year, from October, the newspaper explains. It adds that Rachael Maskell, a former ­Labour shadow minister, has urged the government to reconsider the decision and called for them to consider a “social tariff” instead. BBC News reports that both the new Labour government and MPs from the previous Conservative government “blame each other” for the rise in energy prices. It quotes net-zero and energy security secretary, Ed Miliband, who said energy price increases were the result of the Conservatives’ failure to invest sufficiently in renewables. According to the outlet, he said: “The rise in the price cap is a direct result of the failed energy policy we inherited, which has left our country at the mercy of international gas markets controlled by dictators.” By contrast, the former Conservative energy secretary, Claire Coutinho, said non-renewable energy should be prioritised over emissions targets to help people this winter, BBC News says. The Guardian reports that campaigners and Labour MPs have warned that millions of people could face a “cruel winter” due to the combination of rising energy costs and the cuts to welfare schemes. The newspaper says these groups warn that “thousands of people could die because of the cold this winter without those schemes”. Millions of pensioners will have to pay an extra £500 to heat their homes over winter, according to the Daily Mail. The story makes the frontpages of the Times, the Guardian and the Daily Mail. Separately, the Daily Telegraph reports that Stefano Sommadossi, chief executive of battery storage developer NatPower UK, has said that industry concerns about a government “raid” on capital gains tax are stalling investment in green power as companies choose to put decisions on hold.

Meanwhile, the Independent reports in an “exclusive” that thousands of UK steelworkers “are set to be laid off just before Christmas after British Steel brought forward plans to close its blast furnaces in Scunthorpe”. The company had previously said it would keep its current operations running until the transition had been made to low-carbon electric arc steelmaking, but the news outlet says the site will now stop importing coke and coal for its existing blast furnaces in October.

“Germany’s fossil-fuel interest groups are demanding an end to oil and petrol,” reports Handelsblatt, highlighting a report from the German automotive association VDA. The group claims to support Germany’s climate goals, yet it is calling for a ban on the sale of petrol and diesel as late as 2045 onwards, which is also the year when Germany should become “climate neutral”, the outlet says. By proposing this, the VDA ”passes the buck” to the oil industry, the article says, which would be responsible for providing the “still very expensive e-fuels” as a replacement for fossil fuels. The oil industry association, in turn, emphasises its commitment to CO2 neutrality, but demands tax relief for renewable fuels, notes the outlet. 

Elsewhere, Tagesschau reports that German economy minister Robert Habeck has launched a new funding programme to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises to adopt more “climate-friendly processes”. According to the outlet, the €3.3bn programme is set to run until 2030. Euronews also covers the story, adding that the money will also fund projects aimed at “burying carbon underground at offshore sites”. Finally, Die Tageszeitung reports that the German energy provider Uniper is opening a test facility for the storage of hydrogen in a salt cavern. The newspaper continues that, currently, only companies in the US and the UK are using hydrogen storage in salt caverns commercially.

The Sunday Times is among the newspapers publishing commentary articles about the UK Labour government’s plans for energy bills, after the regulator Ofgem announced that bills would rise this winter. In an editorial, the newspaper notes that Ed Miliband, the energy security and net-zero secretary, was “quick to blame” the previous Conservative government. Miliband emphasised his government’s focus on building new, low-carbon power, it notes. “By allowing Miliband to pursue an energy strategy based on climate evangelism, Labour is in danger of forgetting the key lesson of that period – that price spikes focus voters’ minds on the here and now, prompting them to ask more challenging questions about the often undisclosed costs of long-term targets,” the editorial says. It argues that Labour is wrong to focus on phasing out North Sea oil and gas. The editorial concludes: “Just as it is not right for [Miliband] to blame the imminent rise in energy bills on the Tories, it would not be right to blame them on him. But if Labour stumbles into a fresh energy crisis with its eyes fixed on arbitrary net-zero targets rather than the reality hitting households, it will pay a heavy political price.”

A Sun editorial is similarly sceptical about Labour’s plan to reduce energy bills over time by building more renewables and curbing reliance on imported fossil fuels. It says people suffering from rising bills “will not be comforted by a Labour minister, driven by ideology, meddling in our energy mix and claiming in defiance of experts that it will magically cut prices in the end”. The Daily Mail takes aim at Miliband’s “net-zero zealotry” in its editorial, stating: “If we are dependent on unreliable renewables and imports of oil and gas, we will be vulnerable to dizzying price spikes.” The Daily Telegraph also criticises Labour, after the party pledged during the election campaign that it would bring down energy prices. Echoing language in the other newspaper, it suggests that Labour’s plans to move away from North Sea oil and gas are not aligned with its plans to curb energy bills. It concludes: “[Labour prime minister] Sir Keir Starmer’s earlier promises to ‘cut bills for good’ and boost our energy independence are now colliding with the reality of his colleagues’ efforts to turn us into a so-called clean energy superpower. Difficult choices lie ahead.” In its editorial, the Times says the government should reconsider its plans to scale back pensioners’ winter fuel payments. It also says the government “should look again at its plans for clean energy and the trade-offs with the welfare of lower-income households and especially pensioners”.

In its editorial, the Mail on Sunday says “the slashing of the winter fuel payment to pensioners looks more and more like a classic political bungle”. A Daily Express editorial in Saturday’s edition urges chancellor Rachel Reeves to reverse the decision. Another Daily Express editorial from Monday says a predicted “climbdown” on the withdrawal of payments “cannot come soon enough”. In the same edition, the Daily Express has an article written by shadow home secretary – and Conservative leadership hopeful – James Cleverly. He writes that Labour has “no democratic mandate” to remove winter fuel payments from millions of pensioners, as the policy did not appear in their election manifesto.

Greenwashing “remains all too prevalent” in carbon offsets, “but there is still time for the carbon offset system to clean up its act”, says the Washington Post editorial. The newspaper explains: “Carbon offsets or credits are investments in sustainability projects around the globe that, in theory, conserve enough emissions to counteract those produced by carbon-intensive activities such as manufacturing or jet travel…The catch is that corporate climate pledges hinge on the validity of the offsets they purchase – and many are bogus.” The article outlines the many and varied issues with offsets, highlighting its own investigation – published last month – which identified forest conservation programmes in the Brazilian Amazon that “don’t do much to offset carbon emissions”. The newspaper argues that, “to regain its credibility, the voluntary carbon offset market needs uniform verification standards, thorough vetting of projects and a focus on high-integrity offsets”. It continues: “Maintaining the status quo would mean more billions of dollars wasted by individuals, corporations and governments on false climate solutions – and that much less money available for real ones. The Biden administration’s policy statement in May on the voluntary carbon market moved in the right direction, promoting high-integrity carbon credits and encouraging uniform standards for evaluating additionality. Leaders at this year’s COP29…could take their cue from the Biden administration and start the process for establishing those standards. Global governing bodies should also demand greater transparency in the voluntary carbon market and the offset projects of which it consists.” 

Elsewhere, Mark Gongloff – Bloomberg opinion editor and columnist – writes that “companies’ addiction to junk carbon offsets is killing the planet”. He says: “Huge companies like Shell and Chevron are buying up the shakiest available products, defeating their purpose for fighting climate change.” [For more on carbon offsets, see Carbon Brief’s week-long special series from last year.]

Coastal cities, which are exposed to multiple climate impacts, are being “rather slow” to implement adaptation measures, a new study says. The research assesses the academic literature to evaluate evidence on climate change adaptation in 199 coastal cities worldwide. It says: “Results show that adaptation in coastal cities is rather slow, of narrow scope and not transformative. Adaptation measures are predominantly designed based on past and current, rather than future, patterns in hazards, exposure and vulnerability.”

American Indian communities risk missing out on a potential $19bn in lease and tax earnings from renewable energy by 2050, if little is done to address barriers to project development, new research says. The study combines data on wind and solar endowments, reservation characteristics and utility-scale renewable energy projects and “offers three insights”. The authors explain: “First, the colonial process of reservation creation that intentionally deprived tribes of other natural resources unintentionally left them with favourable wind and solar, especially on reservations with the lowest-income populations. Second, despite favourable endowments, renewable projects are rare: reservation lands are 46% less likely to host wind farms and 110% less likely to host solar than comparable adjacent lands. Third, if this disparity persists, tribes may forgo over $19bn in lease and tax earnings that could be accrued under forecasts of renewable energy demand through 2050.”