US House votes 417-3 on whether data centres pay for the power built for them, as a state study warns the biggest US grid could fall short by 2030

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28 more stories on this beat.

Each with its own sources. None of these is a link to the story above.

1. 02

   The longest ice record ever made

   Greenland and Antarctica have lost 11.3 trillion tonnes of ice since the 1970s, according to a study published on Wednesday in the journal Scientific Data. [11] A team led by the European Space Agency added NASA satellite data to European records, reaching back to 1972 for Greenland and 1979 for Antarctica. [11] Loss ran four times faster in the 2010s than in the 1980s. [12] Of that increase, 84% came from glaciers sliding into the sea rather than melting at the surface. [12][13]

   Why it matters — The lost ice has raised the sea about 3 centimetres. [12] Ines Otosaka of Northumbria University, who led the study, says every centimetre puts 2 to 3 million more people in the path of yearly coastal flooding. [12] Warm sea water melting ice from below acts faster than sunshine melting it on top. [13]

2. 03

   Warming helped set up Nepal's glacier collapse

   The World Weather Attribution group of scientists said on Thursday that human-caused warming very likely helped cause the rock and ice collapse that killed about 1,400 people in Nepal and Tibet on 26 August. [14] About 2 square kilometres of rock wall and glacier ice came off Langtang Lirung, a 7,200-metre peak, and the debris ran roughly 100km down the valleys. [14][15] Temperatures in the region in August were about 5C above normal, 1.5C of it from climate change, and glaciers there have thinned by about half a metre a year since 2000. [14]

   Why it matters — This is the second such finding in a week for the same mountains: a report on 14 September said Himalayan glaciers are melting faster than a decade ago and the region faces peak water by mid-century. [17] Researchers say the practical answer is a warning chain that crosses the Nepal-China border, because the flood did. [15][16]

3. 04

   Nature adds a fifth to the warming

   Four natural sources of carbon will add 0.2C to 0.4C of warming this century on top of what people emit, a study led by Christina Schaedel of the Woodwell Climate Research Center found. [18] The four are thawing permafrost, which is ground frozen for thousands of years, wetlands, ponds and lakes, and wildfires. [18] That is 20% to 30% more warming than models that leave these out. [18] The extra heat arrives even in a case where emissions start falling today. [18]

   Why it matters — Carbon budgets, the sums governments use to work out how much they may still emit, mostly leave these sources out. [18] If the study holds, every target built on those budgets is aiming at the wrong number.

4. 05

   The Southern Ocean may hand the carbon back

   The Southern Ocean absorbs about a tenth of the carbon dioxide people emit, more than any other single region. [19] Yechul Shin of Seoul National University led a study of what happens after the world stops adding carbon. [19] The water flips from taking carbon in to giving it back, at 8 to 9 grams per square metre a year by 2400. [19] In the model where machines and trees pull carbon out of the air, the amount in the air rises again for 50 years before levelling off. [19]

   Why it matters — Plans that promise to bring temperatures back down lean on removing carbon later. [19] This is a reason to treat the return trip as slower and less certain than the outward one.

5. 06

   Gas buyers in Asia drop out at $30

   Gas cargoes in Asia are selling near $30 per million British thermal units, against about $10 before the war between the United States and Iran closed most exports from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. [20] Shell says the world has lost about 36 million tonnes of gas supply from the Middle East this year. [20] Deepak Gupta, chairman of India's biggest gas distributor GAIL, said at a conference in Bangkok that many Indian industries simply switch to another fuel when gas stops paying. [20] Demand in China, India and Pakistan is at multi-year lows. [20]

   Why it matters — The countries that were supposed to grow into gas are the ones that leave first when it gets dear, and coal and oil take the load back. [20]

6. 07

   Two US airlines cut flights over fuel

   American Airlines and United Airlines said on Wednesday they are dropping less profitable flights because of fuel costs. [21] American says the latest jump alone adds about $1 billion to its costs in the last three months of the year. [21] United has already removed some December flights and says more may go in early 2027. [21] Both said passenger demand is holding up, and that higher fares have already recovered most of the higher fuel bill. [21]

   Why it matters — Fuel has been climbing since the war with Iran began, and the US industry has held up by flying less and charging more. [21] The flights that go are the ones on routes that earn least.

7. 08

   A US court takes airBaltic's bankruptcy case

   A US bankruptcy judge accepted Latvia's national airline airBaltic into Chapter 11 protection, which lets a company keep flying while it rewrites its debts, Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said on Wednesday. [22] The airline has a commitment for 350 million euros of rescue financing and plans to shrink its fleet and cut costs. [22] Some bondholders have filed against the financing package. [22] The ratings firm Fitch said last week the carrier needs about 156 million euros just to keep operating in the short term. [23]

   Why it matters — The Latvian state owns most of airBaltic, so this bill reaches the country's budget as well as its passengers. [22] Fitch says bondholder approval of the plan is critical. [23]

8. 09

   Malaysia looks for cover if AirAsia fails

   Malaysia's airport operator has talked to rival airlines about taking over routes if the budget carrier AirAsia runs into trouble, people familiar with the talks told Reuters. [24] AirAsia owes the airport operator at least 500 million ringgit, about $120 million, and had 18.4 billion ringgit of debts due within a year at the end of June. [24] The airline says demand across its network is strong and that it is working with its lenders. [24]

   Why it matters — Malaysia's airport operator says it regularly talks to airlines about routes where there is unmet demand. [24] Planning for someone else to fly them is a different kind of conversation. [24]

9. 10

   Chevron spreads its gas bets

   Chevron, one of the biggest US oil companies, says it will grow its gas supply to about 20 million tonnes a year, from Argentina, the Mediterranean, Australia and Africa. [25] Freeman Shaheen, who runs its global gas arm, said at a conference in Bangkok that buyers now want a spread of sources and of contract types. [25] The company also expects demand from India to grow and is working on a deal there. [25] Two shocks in four years, the war in Ukraine and the war with Iran, cut off supply from Russia and Qatar. [25]

   Why it matters — Shaheen says the crisis has made buyers want a spread of suppliers rather than reliance on spot cargoes. [25] Paying for several supply routes costs more per cargo than buying from the cheapest one. [25]

10. 11

    Thailand plans 10 gigawatts of rooftop solar

    Thailand's draft national power plan would buy up to 10 gigawatts of electricity from rooftop solar and lift renewables from under 20% of generation to 50% within a decade, Energy Minister Ekanat Prompan said. [26] Thailand's government is putting 50 billion baht, about $1.5 billion, behind it, and has waived import tax on solar equipment. [26] Registration for approved installers and equipment opened in August and closes on 30 September. [26]

    Why it matters — Thailand is asking households to build the capacity instead of ordering large plants, which spreads both the spending and the ownership. [26]

11. 12

    Zambia signs its biggest solar contract

    Zambia's state power company ZESCO signed a power purchase agreement with the developer EnerSynk for a 500 megawatt solar plant, the country's largest solar contract so far. [27] Zambia had 841 megawatts of solar running as of figures published this month and expects to pass a gigawatt by the end of the year. [27] Its largest plant to date, the 136 megawatt Itimpi II, opened in May, and ZESCO doubled its Chisamba plant to 200 megawatts in July. [27]

    Why it matters — Zambia opened its power procurement to private developers last year and is now one of Africa's busiest solar markets. [27] The developer says it sees the country as a long-term market rather than a single project. [27]

12. 13

    Lebanon lets small solar skip its energy ministry

    Lebanon's government ruled that solar systems up to 1.5 megawatts no longer need approval from Lebanon's Ministry of Energy and Water. [28] Instead the local council checks the paperwork, and named structural and electrical engineers must sign off on the design and confirm the finished work is safe. [28] Approvals last a year, within which the system must be built. [28] Lebanon had 1,505 megawatts of solar at the end of 2025, up from 1,081 a year earlier. [28]

    Why it matters — Lebanon added about 420 megawatts of solar during 2025, faster than the state was permitting it. [28] The new rules put the safety check with local councils and named engineers instead. [28]

13. 14

    Lithuania backs home solar and heat pumps

    Lithuania's energy ministry set out support for household solar panels, for swapping old boilers for heat pumps, which move warmth from outside air into a house, and for cheaper electricity bills for the most vulnerable customers. [29] The package also funds thousands of kilometres of cable, new links to neighbouring countries and lower network charges for batteries. [29] The country wants to be a net electricity exporter by 2028, from 2 euros of exports for every 100 euros imported in 2025 to at least 20. [29]

    Why it matters — Energy Minister Lukas Savickas says the country has already reached energy independence and the sector must now earn a return. [29] For households the promise is steadier prices; for the state, more electricity made at home. [29]

14. 15

    BYD sells storage by the block

    BYD, the Chinese carmaker and battery maker, launched a standard battery unit of 10 megawatts and 62 megawatt-hours for very large storage plants. [30] It says a one gigawatt-hour project would need about 17 of them, cutting the wiring, foundations and maintenance a site needs. [30] The unit uses its 1,980 amp-hour cells and comes with matching power conversion and control systems. [30] It was shown this week at an energy conference in Shenzhen. [30]

    Why it matters — Grid storage is moving from one-off container yards to a repeated standard part. [30] BYD says that cuts the installation and commissioning work on a gigawatt-scale plant by more than 18%. [30]

15. 16

    Clean energy tax credits go cheap

    US clean energy developers can sell their federal tax credits to companies that want to cut their tax bills, and they are now creating credits faster than buyers are taking them, a market report by Renewable Credit Management found. [31] Credits based on electricity produced fetch 92 to 94.5 cents per dollar, while credits based on building costs sell for 90 to 93 cents, and the technology-neutral ones for 88 to 91. [31] About one in four of the largest 1,000 US companies now buys them. [31]

    Why it matters — A developer who sells a dollar of credit for 88 cents has just lost 12 cents of the subsidy that was meant to pay for the project. [31]

16. 17

    US appeals over California car rules

    The Trump administration appealed a court ruling that stopped the US environment agency sending California's vehicle emission rules to the US Congress for a fast-track repeal. [32] On 2 September Judge Beryl Howell found the agency acted improperly when it sent four waivers, covering stricter standards for cars, trucks and garden equipment, to the US Congress in June. [32] The Trump administration has attacked California's power to set its own rules from several directions at once. [32]

    Why it matters — California's standards have long been copied by other US states and watched by carmakers everywhere, so what happens to the waivers sets the pace for electric cars in the country's biggest car market. [32]

17. 18

    European leaders meet on the Arctic

    Leaders including Germany's Friedrich Merz and Poland's Donald Tusk met in Finland to agree a common line on the Arctic. [33] Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said the region brings natural resources and new sea routes because of climate change, and threats alongside them. [33] The meeting is a rehearsal for a new European Union Arctic policy this autumn, which will put security at its centre for the first time. [33] Trade through the Arctic has grown as conflict around the Strait of Hormuz pushed shipping north. [33]

    Why it matters — Thinner ice is opening sea routes through the Arctic, and Chinese trade through them is growing. [33] The same melting puts the region's minerals within reach, which is why access is now argued over. [33]

18. 19

    Hawaii asks for federal help after Lowell

    Governor Josh Green asked the US government for disaster help after Hurricane Lowell hit Kauai, an island of about 73,000 people, on Monday and Tuesday. [34] Most of the island lost power, piers and ports were damaged and beachfront buildings were destroyed, and two deaths on Kauai and Oahu appear linked to the storm. [34] Green said the damage looks worse than Hurricane Iniki in 1992. [34] It is the second hurricane to hit Hawaii in weeks, after Lala washed away about 100 homes on the Big Island. [34]

    Why it matters — Green says Lowell did more damage than Hurricane Iniki in 1992. [34] Hurricane Lala had already washed away about 100 homes on the Big Island in mid-August, so the state is repairing two storms at once. [34]

19. 20

    Florida's oldest mobile homes and a strong El Nino

    Forecasters put the odds of a strong El Nino this winter above 90%, peaking between January and March, which tilts Florida towards a more active storm season. [35] Florida has about 830,000 manufactured homes, more than any state, and the industry estimates about 600,000 were built before stronger wind rules took effect in 1994. [35] People in such homes are 15 to 20 times more likely to die in a tornado than people in permanent houses. [35] Nobody counts how many old ones are left, because the census does not record build years that finely. [35]

    Why it matters — In 1998, during a similar El Nino, tornadoes killed 42 people in central Florida, almost all of them in mobile homes. [35] The federal money for community storm shelters was cancelled in 2025 and a court ordered it restored only in March. [35]

20. 21

    Fifty years on, the water numbers got vaguer

    Researchers compiled 1,624 estimates of how much water the world's farms draw for irrigation, from 65 studies published between 1974 and 2025, and tested them across 360 ways of analysing the set. [36] Uncertainty has not fallen: only 17% of those analyses show any narrowing over time, and 40% show it widening. [36] The paper, in Nature Water, argues the field should stop promising to narrow the range and instead state honestly how wide it is. [36]

    Why it matters — Irrigation is commonly said to take 70% of the fresh water people use, and that number sits under water plans and food forecasts everywhere. [36]

21. 22

    Tesla registers a company in Vietnam

    Tesla has set up Tesla Motors Vietnam, registered in Ho Chi Minh City with 77.7 billion dong of capital, about $3 million, according to a business filing seen by Reuters. [37] It is the carmaker's formal entry into one of South East Asia's fastest-growing electric vehicle markets. [37] The filing gives no plant, no showroom and no launch date. [37]

    Why it matters — Registering a local company is the step before importing, selling and servicing cars in Vietnam. [37] Reuters describes the country as one of South East Asia's fastest-growing markets for electric vehicles. [37]

22. 23

    US oil firms line up Venezuela deals

    A US oil and gas producer would announce a large investment in Venezuela at a G20 energy meeting in Houston, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Wednesday. [38] Bloomberg reported the company is Continental Resources, founded by the billionaire Harold Hamm. [38] Foreign producers are moving their Venezuelan joint ventures onto new terms under an energy law overhaul, alongside a US-backed $100 billion plan to rebuild the industry after US forces removed Nicolas Maduro in January. [38]

    Why it matters — Existing foreign producers are moving their Venezuelan joint ventures onto new terms at the same time. [38] The contracts being signed now set who lifts the oil for years ahead. [38]

23. 24

    Iran drops a charge on energy ships

    Iran has suspended a 10% charge on freight for foreign ships carrying oil, gas and liquid petroleum products to or from the country, the semi-official Fars news agency reported. [39] A US naval blockade has sharply cut Iran's seaborne oil exports. [39]

    Why it matters — A US naval blockade has sharply cut Iran's seaborne oil exports. [39] Dropping the fee makes calling at an Iranian port cheaper for the few owners still willing to send a ship. [39]

24. 25

    Europe's split grid and the AI race

    Large industrial users in the European Union paid about $107 per megawatt-hour for electricity in 2025, more than twice the US level and roughly 57% above China's, on International Energy Agency estimates cited by a Reuters columnist. [40] European chemicals output fell 19% between 2021 and 2025, steel 16%, cement 14% and aluminium 11%. [40] About 40% of the bloc's distribution grids are more than 40 years old, and the European Commission puts the investment needed at 584 billion euros. [40]

    Why it matters — Europe is bidding for artificial intelligence computing sites with about 3 billion euros pledged, while six mostly US firms are expected to spend over $1.3 trillion by 2027. [40]

25. 26

    A case for state planning in open power markets

    In US states that opened their electricity markets to competition, nobody is left doing long-term planning, a report by the Clean Air Task Force argues. [7] Market prices look one or two years ahead, while nuclear plants, geothermal wells, offshore wind farms and long-duration storage take much longer than that to build. [7] The report asks states for regular scenario studies, technology roadmaps and direct purchasing, and points to an Illinois law that took effect in June as a model. [7]

    Why it matters — The most common reasons US solar and wind projects die are refused permits, local opposition and no transmission line to connect to, none of which a price signal fixes. [7]

26. 27

    Data centres start buying their own weather

    Climavision, a US firm that sells radar and forecasting data, opened its network of 31 radars in 15 states to data centre customers from 10 September. [8] Chief executive Chris Goode says public radar beams often sit above 10,000 feet, missing the weather below that. [8] Better forecasts let a site switch on its own generators, batteries or demand response before the grid is stretched. [8] Its radars cover Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Louisiana, Georgia and Mississippi, where Meta, OpenAI and Amazon are building. [8]

    Why it matters — A customer big enough to move the grid can now see the weather better than the grid can, which changes who reacts first when a storm arrives. [8]

27. 28

    New Mexico wants households shielded from a buyout

    TXNM Energy, which owns New Mexico's largest electricity utility PNM, has undone a $400 million share sale to a Blackstone affiliate that state regulators voided in July for skipping their approval. [9] TXNM borrowed $400 million from Wells Fargo over 30 months to repay the money and cancelled about 8 million shares. [9] New Mexico's justice department told regulators the filings do not show whether that borrowing will cost PNM's 550,000 customers anything. [9]

    Why it matters — The takeover itself is not supposed to reach household bills, and the argument is now about the borrowing used to unwind one step of it. [9]

28. 29

    South Korea lines up $100bn for US power

    South Korea's government is preparing an energy investment in the United States worth more than $100 billion, aimed at the artificial intelligence buildout, the Wall Street Journal reported. [10] The plan would finance up to eight nuclear power plants and a gas project. [10]

    Why it matters — The reported plan would have a foreign government finance US power stations, and keep South Korea's reactor builders in work. [10] Nothing has been signed in public yet. [10]