Climate & Energy · Friday, 2 October 2026

01 Briefing what happened

New South Wales approves the biggest coal mine project in its history, digging until 2045, and 98% of its carbon will come from coal burned abroad

Climate & Energy 53 sources

The Hunter Valley mine's owners expect 809 million tonnes of carbon over its life, and climate rules count almost all of it in the countries that buy the coal. Also today: 21 US states sue over power-plant carbon rules, western Europe's hottest summer on record, and a US Supreme Court climate case on Monday.

809m tonnes

of carbon dioxide-equivalent the owners expect the mine to release over its life

nearly double Australia's climate pollution in a whole year [3]

98%

of it released when the coal is burned overseas

794 million tonnes, which the Paris Agreement counts in the countries that burn it [1][2]

under 2%

of the mine's emissions covered by Australia's main limit on big polluters

that limit, the Safeguard Mechanism, does not cover coal burned abroad [2]

1,500

jobs the owners say the mine keeps

the commission worked from an average of 1,311 jobs over the project's life [1][2]

The lead story — what happened

The New South Wales Independent Planning Commission approved the Hunter Valley Operations coal mine on Wednesday, letting mining continue until 2045. [1] It is the biggest coal mine project ever to go before the commission. [1]
Glencore and Yancoal, the mining companies that own it, plan to dig the north pit until 2045 and the south pit from 2030 to 2042. [1]
The owners expect the mine to release 809 million tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent over its life. [1] About 794 million tonnes of that comes from burning the coal overseas. [1]
The Paris Agreement, the 2015 climate deal, counts emissions where fuel is burned, not where it is dug up. [2][3] So the exported coal never appears on Australia's books. [2]
The commission said the mine's gases would add to climate change in the Hunter, in New South Wales and around the world. [1] It ruled that jobs, royalties and taxes outweighed that harm. [1]
A key part of its reasoning was that the mine's emissions would be counted somewhere else, The Conversation reports. [2] It told the owners to try to sell only to countries in the Paris Agreement, or with similar rules, such as Taiwan. [2]
The Net Zero Commission, New South Wales's own climate watchdog, had advised that more coal expansions do not fit the state's climate law or the Paris Agreement. [2]
Matt Kean, who chairs the Climate Change Authority and advises Australia's federal government, said the commission never put a figure on the climate damage to New South Wales. [3] "Climate change isn't someone else's problem," he said. [3]
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns called it the right decision on Thursday. [3] He said the mine supports thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in state royalties. [3]
Without the approval, the mine could have been forced to close in December. [3]
It still needs approval under Australia's national environment law by the end of the year. [1] Under that law, climate harm is not a reason to block a project. [3]
A new tool built by Australian scientists estimates the mine's extra heating would expose about 462,000 more people to dangerously high temperatures. [2][4]

Who is involved

Glencore and Yancoal

the mining companies that jointly own Hunter Valley Operations; they want to dig until 2045
NSW Independent Planning Commission

the body that rules on big projects in the Australian state of New South Wales; it approved the mine
Chris Minns

Premier of New South Wales, the state's elected leader; he backed the approval
Matt Kean

chair of the Climate Change Authority, which advises Australia's federal government; he challenged the approval
NSW Net Zero Commission

New South Wales's independent climate watchdog; it warned against more coal expansions

How it unfolded

75 years Coal has been mined at the site [1]
2025 A New South Wales court says planners must weigh the harm of coal burned abroad [2]
Wed 30 Sept The commission approves mining until 2045 [1]
Next week Australia's High Court is due to rule on the appeal against that 2025 decision [2]
By end of 2026 Australia's federal environment decision is due [1]
2045 The north pit is due to stop [1]

Where this points

Watch Australia's High Court ruling next week on whether planners must weigh coal burned abroad, and then the federal decision due by December. [2][1]

What is pushing on the whole day

The bar and the word are our reading of how hard each one is pushing today. The arrow is where it is heading. The evidence is in the stories below.

New coal, oil and gas approved High↑

Canada's prime minister, Mark Carney, put a 1,250km oil pipeline to the Pacific coast on a fast track to approval. [5] Ameren, a power company in the US state of Missouri, plans 10.6 gigawatts of new gas power over 20 years. [6] The head of EDF Energy urged Britain's government to approve two new North Sea oil and gas fields. [7]

Record heat on land and sea High↑

Western Europe had its hottest summer on record, the EU's Copernicus climate service said on Friday. [8] The world's oceans soaked up a record 23 zettajoules of heat in 2025, almost 40 times all the energy humans used. [9] Swiss glaciers lost 5.5% of their ice this year. [10]

Climate fights moving into court Building↑

Twenty-one US states sued the US Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday over its repeal of power-plant carbon limits. [11] The US Supreme Court hears on 5 October a bid by two oil companies to end a climate damages lawsuit by Boulder, in Colorado. [12] Groups that lost US solar grants are now suing for damages. [13]

Climate rules put off Building↑

The EU's energy commissioner proposed delaying its methane rules for imported oil and gas by a year. [14] New US farm rules published on Thursday all but end grants for farm solar that sells power to the grid. [15] A council in England run by the Reform UK party moved to drop its 2050 net-zero goal. [16]

More wind and solar plugged in Building↑

Wind and solar have saved Britain about 5.9 billion pounds of imported gas since the Hormuz crisis began. [17] South Korea opened its south-west to more renewable connections, making room for 2.6 gigawatts more solar. [18] California made small balcony solar panels legal to plug in without asking the power company. [19]

The rest of the day

33 more stories on this beat.

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

02
21 US states sue over power-plant carbon rules

Twenty-one US states, led by New York, sued the Trump administration on Thursday for repealing limits on carbon from coal and gas power plants. [11] The District of Columbia, New York City, Chicago and Denver joined them. [11] The US Environmental Protection Agency scrapped the Biden-era rule last month. [11] The states have asked a US federal appeals court to strike the repeal down, saying the agency ignored its health and climate costs. [11]

Why it matters — Power plants that burn coal and gas are a major source of US greenhouse gases. [11] The agency has also proposed a separate rule that could stop future US governments limiting that carbon at all, due to be final next year. [11]
03
Western Europe's hottest summer on record

Western Europe had its hottest summer on record, the EU's Copernicus climate service said on Friday. [8] From June to August the air there was 2.5C warmer than the average of recent years. [8] More than 60% of western Europe was above 30C on 17 days, against 11 days in 2003 and seven in 2025. [8] Europe's rivers had their lowest summer flows in more than 30 years. [8] In Germany alone, an estimated 16,000 people died from the heat, the most ever recorded there. [20]

20257 days
200311 days
202617 days
Days when more than 60% of western Europe was above 30C. This summer had more than twice as many as last summer.

Why it matters — Experts at a meeting in Hamburg said Germany's heat forecasts were accurate, but its hospitals had no set way to declare and run a heat emergency. [20] Across Europe the heatwaves also ruined harvests and shut power plants. [8]
04
US Supreme Court hears a climate damages case

The US Supreme Court hears arguments on 5 October in a case brought by Boulder, a city and county in Colorado, against two oil companies, Exxon Mobil and Suncor. [12] Boulder sued in 2018 to make them pay for its costs from wildfires, floods and heat. [21][22] The companies say US federal law shields them from such claims in state courts. [22] On 28 September Justice Samuel Alito, who owns shares in other oil companies, stepped aside from the case. [23]

Why it matters — Nearly 60 state and local governments have brought similar suits, Exxon and Suncor told the court, and a ruling for the companies could get many thrown out. [12] The Trump administration backs Exxon and Suncor, and a decision may not come until next spring. [12][24]
05
The EU moves to delay its methane rules

The European Commission plans to postpone the EU's methane rules for imported oil and gas, a spokesperson said on 28 September. [25] On Tuesday the EU's energy commissioner, Dan Jorgensen, proposed a one-year delay at a meeting of energy ministers in Dublin. [14] From January 2027 the rules would make foreign oil and gas producers selling to the EU measure and report their methane leaks. [26] Methane is the second-biggest cause of warming after carbon dioxide. [26]

Why it matters — France's president asked for the delay, and the US, Europe's biggest supplier of shipped gas, warned the rules could disrupt supplies. [26] Italy and the Czech Republic want a three-year delay. [26]
06
Canada fast-tracks an oil pipeline to the Pacific

Canada's prime minister, Mark Carney, said on Thursday that his government will fast-track approval of Pacific Link, a 1,250km oil pipeline. [5] It would carry about a million barrels a day from Alberta to a port near Delta, British Columbia, for shipping overseas, mainly to Asia. [5] Last year Canada sent 90% of its crude oil exports to the US. [5] On 28 September Canada's energy regulator also approved new tolls on Trans Mountain, Canada's only east-west oil pipeline, which already reaches Asian buyers. [27]

Why it matters — Carney says Canada's dependence on the US became a weakness once Donald Trump imposed tariffs. [5] It is the first project under a 2025 law meant to give investors a yes or no within a year, at a cost of C$35.2 billion to C$43.7 billion. [5]
07
The oceans took in record heat in 2025

The world's oceans absorbed a record 23 zettajoules of heat in 2025, the Copernicus ocean state report found this week. [9] That is almost 40 times all the energy humans used that year. [9] Sea levels rose 4.2mm a year from 2012 to 2025, faster than the 3.8mm a year since 1999. [9] The ocean has also become 17% more acidic in 40 years. [9]

Why it matters — The oceans take up about 90% of the extra heat trapped by greenhouse gases. [9] Hot coastal water keeps nights warm, which makes heatwaves on land worse. [9]
08
Switzerland's glaciers lose a fifth in five years

Swiss glaciers lost 5.5% of their ice in the first eight months of 2026, the yearly report from Glacier Monitoring Switzerland found. [10][28] That brings the loss since 2021 to 19.4%. [10] Until recently, Alpine scientists called a 2% loss in one year extreme. [28] The little snow left after a mild winter melted fast in heatwaves in May and June, leaving the ice bare. [28] Bare ice is darker than snow, so it soaks up more sunlight. [28]

A year once called extreme2%
20265.5%
Share of Switzerland's glacier ice lost in one year. This year's loss was nearly three times what Alpine scientists used to call extreme.

Why it matters — The glaciers released about 2.2 trillion litres of meltwater from July to September, which eased this summer's water shortages. [28] Each such summer leaves less ice to top up rivers for farms, hydropower and shipping in future dry spells. [28]
09
Wind and solar save Britain 5.9 billion pounds of gas

Wind and solar have saved Britain from buying about 5.9 billion pounds of imported gas since the Hormuz crisis began, an analysis by Carbon Brief finds. [17] They made a record 41% of Britain's electricity so far this year, against 25% from gas. [17] Gas prices in September averaged 189p a therm, the highest since the 2022 energy crisis. [17] From 1 October typical household gas bills are 33% higher than in April, and electricity bills only 4% higher, says the think tank Nesta. [17]

Wind and solar41%
Gas25%
Share of Britain's electricity in 2026 so far, by source. Wind and solar made more than gas.

Why it matters — High gas prices are landing on household gas bills, while electricity bills have barely risen because more power comes from wind and solar. [17] With its gas stores low, Europe must compete with Asia for gas cargoes this winter. [17]
10
Britain's Rosebank oil field draws new fights

Britain's government must soon decide whether to approve Rosebank, its largest untapped oil field, which lies off Shetland. [29] This week Simone Rossi, head of EDF Energy, which makes about a fifth of Britain's low-carbon electricity, called new North Sea fields a no-brainer. [7] He said fuel produced in Britain has lower emissions than imports because it travels less. [7] Campaigners also warned Prime Minister Andy Burnham that Rosebank's links to Delek Group, an Israeli company, could clash with Britain's new sanctions on West Bank settlements. [29]

Why it matters — Delek controls Ithaca Energy, which owns 20% of Rosebank, and says it no longer has any role in the settlements. [29] Rossi said Britain can only cut its emissions by using less fossil fuel. [7]
11
No Atlantic hurricane through September

No hurricane formed in the Atlantic through the end of September, a first in reliable records. [30] Those records start in 1966, when the US began watching the weather by satellite. [31] The ocean is warm enough, but a very strong El Nino, a shift of warm water in the Pacific, is driving winds that stop Atlantic storms from growing. [30] The same El Nino has made the eastern Pacific busy, giving Hawaii one of its busiest seasons on record. [30]

Why it matters — Forecasters say the season could end with no Atlantic hurricane at all, which last happened in 1914. [31] Of the three earlier very strong El Ninos, only one produced an Atlantic hurricane after 1 October. [31]
12
Fires reach half of Borneo's orangutans

Wildfires in Indonesia have reached habitat holding 52% of all Bornean orangutans, primate experts at the International Union for Conservation of Nature said this week. [32] Fire is often used there to clear land for palm oil and pulp plantations. [32] This year a very strong El Nino has dried out forests in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Papua, so the fires spread fast. [32] Drained peat keeps burning underground and is very hard to put out. [32]

Why it matters — The experts asked for international help and warned that thousands of orangutans could be killed, hurt or driven from their homes. [32] Five endangered kinds of gibbon live in the burning areas too. [32]
13
US farm rules end most solar grants

The US Department of Agriculture published rules on Thursday that all but end its grants for farm solar that sells power to the grid. [15] The Rural Energy for America Program had let farms build panels that made more power than they used, and sell the rest. [15] The new rules stop grants for that, for panels on cropland, and for parts from countries the US calls foreign adversaries. [15] Grants now pay a quarter of the cost instead of half, and farmers can apply only after a year of running. [15]

Why it matters — Farmers must now pay for a whole system with no promise of being repaid. [15] The changes also hit grants already awarded but not yet paid out. [15]
14
US Senate blocks a data-centre power bill

Democrats in the US Senate blocked the Ratepayer Protection Act on Wednesday, 57 votes to 43, short of the 60 it needed. [33] The bill would have made power companies consider rules so that data centres pay for the grid upgrades they need. [33] The US House of Representatives had passed it almost unanimously earlier this month. [33] Chuck Schumer, the Democrats' leader in the US Senate, called it toothless. [33]

Why it matters — Without such rules, the cost of grid upgrades for data centres can be passed on to homes and businesses. [33] Both US parties are campaigning on living costs before the 3 November midterm elections. [33]
15
US nuclear regulator proposes a rules rewrite

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed a 339-page rewrite of its rules for building and running nuclear power plants. [34] It would cut reporting of non-emergency events, end the expiry date on approved reactor designs and change rules on earthquake risk. [34] It follows a 2025 order from Donald Trump to reform the rules by the end of 2026. [34] The same order set a goal of four times as many US reactors by 2050. [34]

Why it matters — A separate July proposal would replace the long-standing rule to keep radiation exposure as low as reasonably possible, which industry groups have opposed. [34] Lara Nichols, a lawyer and former Duke Energy executive, says one change could avoid delays like the ones that left two Georgia reactors nearly a decade late. [34]
16
A Missouri power company plans 10.6 gigawatts of gas

Ameren Missouri, which serves about 1.3 million customers in the US state of Missouri, filed a 20-year plan on Monday. [6] It would add about 10.6 gigawatts of gas power, 3.6 of solar, 1.5 of wind, 2.4 of storage and 1.2 of nuclear. [6] Gas would rise from about 5% of its power to 60% by 2045, and coal would go to zero. [6] Ameren expects data centres to raise its deliveries by 60% between 2027 and 2030. [6]

Now5%
2045 plan60%
Gas as a share of Ameren Missouri's power supply, now and in its 20-year plan.

Why it matters — Environmental groups say the plan increases Ameren's reliance on fossil fuel and could delay coal plant closures. [6] Ameren says Missouri law makes large new users pay for the equipment they need. [6]
17
British banks lead Europe in coal lending

Banks based in Britain have given 8.3 billion dollars to the coal industry since the 2021 Glasgow climate summit, more than any other European country's banks, a report finds. [35] German banks gave 4.9 billion dollars and French banks 3.4 billion. [35] Barclays' coal financing rose 34% between 2022 and 2025, and HSBC's more than doubled. [35] The report is by Urgewald, a German environmental and human rights group that tracked 744 banks. [35]

Why it matters — HSBC says it will stop financing coal power and coal mining by 2030 in rich countries and by 2040 elsewhere. [35] Barclays says it does not lend to companies earning more than 30% of their revenue from coal. [35]
18
US electric car sales split after the tax credit

GM sold just 1,905 Chevy Equinox EVs from July to September, down 92% from more than 25,000 a year earlier. [36] GM blamed a much smaller electric car market. [36] The US tax credit of $7,500 for electric cars ended last September. [37] Toyota's US sales still rose 0.6%, helped by its bZ electric SUV, which has sold nearly 25,000 this year. [38] Kia had its best September in the US and sold 514 of its new EV3, a car costing under $30,000, in its first full month. [39]

Jul-Sep 202525,000
Jul-Sep 20261,905
Chevy Equinox EVs sold in the US in the same three months, a year apart. The 2025 figure is GM's 'more than 25,000'.

Why it matters — Hyundai cut the price of its IONIQ 5 by up to $9,800 after the credit ended, and has still sold more than 31,000 this year. [37]
19
California allows balcony solar and backs home batteries

California's governor, Gavin Newsom, signed a law on Wednesday that makes small plug-in solar panels legal. [19] Renters and people in flats can plug panels of up to 1,200 watts into an ordinary socket without a power company's approval. [19] He also signed two bills to pay for virtual power plants, which link home batteries, electric cars and smart thermostats to help the grid at busy times. [40] Newsom had vetoed three such bills last year. [40]

Why it matters — Prices charged by California's three big power companies have risen to about twice the US average in ten years. [40] Using batteries people already own could mean paying for fewer gas plants that run only a few hours a year. [40]
20
South Korea opens its grid to more renewables

South Korea's climate and energy ministry has lifted limits on new renewable connections in Honam, its south-western region. [18] Projects can now connect beyond a line's normal limit, and their output is cut back when the grid is full. [18] South Korea's ministry says that alone makes room for 2.6 gigawatts more solar in Honam without new lines. [18] It has also taken back 9 gigawatts of connection rights from solar projects that were not going to be built. [18]

Why it matters — South Korea's ministry plans to use batteries instead of some new power lines. [18] It will now plan for 67.2% of renewable projects finishing on time, instead of assuming all of them will. [18]
21
Spain asks the EU for a 2040 renewables goal

Spain, Portugal and Luxembourg have asked the European Commission to set an EU target for renewable energy in 2040, Spain's energy minister said on Tuesday. [41] The EU's current goal is for renewables to make up 42.5% of all the energy it uses by 2030. [41] The EU is debating a 2040 renewables target or a wider clean-energy goal that would include nuclear power. [41] The minister, Sara Aagesen, also backed a permanent tax on oil and gas companies to pay for climate protection as temperatures rise. [41]

Why it matters — Spain and five other EU countries asked the Commission to look at taxing windfall profits from high energy prices. [41] EU energy ministers met in Dublin the same day, where the EU's energy commissioner proposed delaying the methane rules. [41][14]
22
Solar grant winners sue the US for damages

Groups that won grants under Solar for All, a $7 billion US programme to bring solar to low-income homes, are suing the US Environmental Protection Agency for damages. [13] Two US federal judges ruled in September that the agency broke the law when it ended the programme in 2025. [13] Inclusive Prosperity Capital, a non-profit awarded $249.3 million, says the year of uncertainty did lasting harm. [13] The agency says it is considering an appeal. [13]

Why it matters — Damages on top of the grants would raise the cost to the US government of ending the programme. [13]
23
Climate talks open in Fiji and Tuvalu on Monday

Leaders and officials from countries including Australia, Germany, Mexico and Thailand meet in Fiji and Tuvalu from Monday. [42] The meetings come before COP31, the UN climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, in November. [42] Under a deal made last year, Australia leads the negotiations and Turkey runs the summit. [42] Pacific leaders still criticise Australia for not moving its economy away from producing fossil fuels. [42]

Why it matters — Low-lying Pacific nations face rising seas, and money for climate loss and damage is running low. [42] Australia's Greens asked Australia's federal government to rule out approving the Hunter Valley mine before COP31. [3]
24
More rain, yet less water in many rivers

Researchers at Pennsylvania State University in the US compared rainfall and river flow for more than 10,000 rivers from 1951 to 2020. [43] In nearly a third of them, river flow did not follow the changes in rain and snow. [43] More than 10% of the rivers get more rain than 50 years ago but carry less water. [43] The gap was most common where evaporation is high and heavy downpours are becoming more frequent. [43]

Why it matters — Big cities get nearly 80% of their water from rivers and lakes. [43] The researchers say river flow must be tracked alongside rainfall to predict future water supply. [43]
25
Small US solar adds 1.6 gigawatts

Small solar systems on US homes and businesses added almost 1.6 gigawatts from April to June, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance reports. [44] Solar of all sizes made up 55% of all new US power capacity in that quarter. [44] Its share fell because more fossil-fuel plants came online than in any quarter of the past two years. [44] More than 2.5 gigawatt-hours of batteries were also added at homes and businesses. [44]

Why it matters — Small systems largely avoid the long queues to join the grid that hold up big solar farms. [44]
26
Sea algae may bring rain to central Europe

A new study in a Nature journal links blooms of algae in the far North Atlantic to summer plant growth across central Europe. [45] In bloom years, the green pigment soaks up sunlight and warms the sea surface. [45] That shifts air pressure and strengthens westerly winds carrying moisture inland. [45] Central Europe gets wetter, and plant growth rises by about 15-20% in the growing season. [45]

Why it matters — Scientists usually treat life in the sea and life on land as separate parts of the carbon cycle, and this study links them. [45]
27
China's Nio grows more slowly

Nio, a Chinese electric carmaker, delivered 109,178 cars from July to September, 25.4% more than a year earlier. [46] Its growth slowed each month, from 71% in July to 7.7% in September. [46] Its main Nio brand grew 69%, while its cheaper Onvo brand fell 43% in September. [46] Nio has delivered nearly 1.3 million cars since it began. [46]

Why it matters — Part of the slowdown comes from comparing with a strong second half of 2025, when Nio's sales began to climb. [46]
28
A Sydney data centre is dropped after protests

Goodman Group, Australia's biggest property company, has withdrawn plans for a 90-megawatt data centre in Lane Cove, a Sydney suburb. [47] The A$1.2 billion project, called Project Mars, would have stood about 20 metres from the nearest house. [47] A public consultation drew 374 submissions, and only nine supported it. [47] The company confirmed the withdrawal in a letter to the local planning authority. [47]

Why it matters — Australia's government wants AI investment, but residents are pushing back because data centres use large amounts of power and water. [47]
29
An English council moves to drop net zero

East Sussex County Council in England, run by the Reform UK party, moved to drop its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. [16] Its draft plan puts preparing for severe weather ahead of cutting emissions. [16] Cuts would continue only where they are affordable, paid for by others or required by law. [16] The council's leader, Andy Woolley, said the cost of its legal duties had grown. [16]

Why it matters — The Green Party called the plan a dereliction of duty. [16] The council's scrutiny committees will review it before any vote. [16]
30
A plan for 32 giant English wind turbines draws fire

Vattenfall, a power company owned by Sweden's government, plans up to 32 wind turbines, each up to 220 metres tall, on farmland in eastern England. [48] The Redmere wind farm would cross the borders of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk and could power nearly 220,000 homes. [48] Nick Timothy, a Conservative MP, warned that it sits near two US Air Force bases and could invite sabotage. [49] Final plans are due in autumn 2027. [48]

Why it matters — Because of its size, Britain's government, not a local council, will make the final decision. [48]
31
New York's power authority takes a solar stake

The New York Power Authority will own 51% of Rich Road Solar, a 240-megawatt project in St. Lawrence County, it said on Monday. [50] The authority supplies power to town-owned utilities and rural co-operatives across New York state. [50] EDF Power Solutions North America will own the rest and oversee building. [50] Construction is due to start in late 2027, with power from 2030. [50]

Why it matters — It is the authority's largest solar deal since a state budget told it to build renewables. [50] Its chief executive says the partnership lets the project use federal tax credits before they expire. [50]
32
Sea turtles nest in California for the first time

An olive ridley sea turtle dug a nest and laid eggs near Seal Beach, California, on 16 September. [51] It is the first sea turtle nest ever recorded on the US West Coast, says NOAA, a US government agency that protects sea turtles. [51] A second turtle nested near Huntington Beach Pier three days later. [51] With high surf forecast, scientists moved the 100 to 200 eggs to the Aquarium of the Pacific on 25 September. [51]

Why it matters — If the eggs hatch, the young turtles will be released on the beaches where the eggs were laid. [51] Each olive ridley usually nests two or three times a season, so more nests may follow. [51]
33
Chicago's first battery train arrives

Metra, which runs commuter trains in and around Chicago, is receiving its first battery-electric train from the train maker Stadler. [52] It will replace diesel engines on part of the Rock Island Line, between La Salle Street and Blue Island. [52] Metra ordered eight of the trains, which are due to carry passengers before the end of 2027. [52] The first goes on show at a transport conference in Chicago from Sunday. [52]

Why it matters — Swapping diesel for batteries is expected to clean the air for people who live and work near the tracks. [52]
34
An Irish farmer's solar farm is the first of its kind

Sean Keating, a farmer in County Cork, has switched on the first solar farm under Ireland's Small-Scale Renewable Energy Support Scheme. [53] The scheme backs projects of 50 kilowatts to 6 megawatts. [53] His 650-kilowatt Meadhill farm can power about 150 homes, and sheep graze under the panels. [53] He has a 15-year deal to sell its power to Flogas, which is owned by DCC Energy. [53]

Why it matters — He began work on it in 2017. [53] Flogas says much of the scheme's capacity is still free for other farmers and landowners. [53]

02 Lesson why it matters

Why coal dug in Australia is counted where it is burned

Climate rules count carbon where coal is burned, so the Hunter Valley's exported coal adds almost nothing to Australia's own total.

The twist

Australia keeps the jobs and royalties from the Hunter Valley mine. The 794 million tonnes of carbon from burning its coal will be counted in the countries that buy it.

The picture

Coal burned overseas794 m tonnes · 98%
At the mine in Australia15 m tonnes · 2%

The 809 million tonnes the owners expect over the mine's life. Only the small slice is counted in Australia's own total; the rest is counted where the coal is burned.

How it works

A mine in Australia digs coal and ships almost all of it abroad
Power stations in the buying countries burn it
The Paris Agreement counts the carbon where it is burned
So the buyers' totals go up and Australia's barely moves
Planners in Australia weigh local jobs against carbon that counts in other countries' totals

The same force, elsewhere today

Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.

Canada's Pacific Link pipeline

Canada would ship about a million barrels of oil a day to Asia, so the carbon from burning it would be counted in the Asian countries that buy it.
EDF's boss on Rosebank

Simone Rossi says Britain can only cut emissions by using less fossil fuel, so he argues that producing more North Sea oil and gas does not clash with its climate goal.
Boulder against Exxon and Suncor

Boulder wants the companies that produced and sold the fuel to pay for damage caused by burning it, which reaches back past the point where the carbon is counted.
The EU's methane rules

The EU's law would make foreign producers measure the methane that leaks where the fuel is dug up, and that is the part now being delayed.

Where you've seen this

Imported steel

the carbon from making it is counted where the furnace is, not where the bridge is built

Flights and shipping between countries

fuel burned between borders is left out of national totals, so most countries' targets leave it out

Clothes made in one country and worn in another

the factory's power is counted where the factory is, not where the shirt is worn

The catch

The rule changes whose total the carbon lands in, not how much of it there is, and courts in Australia and the US are now testing whether sellers must answer for it.

And the whole of it

The miner, the planner, the power station abroad and the families using its electricity each count only their own part. No country's climate total shows all 809 million tonnes, though everyone lives with the warming it adds.

03 Truth what's really going on

What is really going on

New South Wales approved a coal mine whose coal will be burned almost entirely abroad, so 98% of its carbon is counted in other countries and barely touches Australia's own climate total. [1][2] A day later Canada fast-tracked an oil pipeline to sell oil in Asia. [5] Australia's High Court rules next week on whether planners must weigh coal burned abroad, and the US Supreme Court hears on 5 October two oil companies' bid to end Boulder's climate damages lawsuit. [2][12]

Why it works on us — A total like 809 million tonnes means little to most people, while 1,500 jobs in one valley are easy to picture, so the jobs are easier to argue for. [4][1]

Who gains

Glencore and Yancoal — The approval lets them keep digging coal in the Hunter Valley until 2045 instead of facing closure in December. [1][3]
New South Wales's state budget — Premier Chris Minns says the mine brings in billions of dollars in royalties. [3]
Oil and gas sellers to the EU, including US gas exporters — A delay would spare them from measuring and reporting their methane leaks from January 2027. [26][25]
Alberta's oil producers — Pacific Link would let them sell about a million barrels a day to Asia instead of mostly to the US. [5]
British electricity customers — Typical electricity bills rose 4% since April, against 33% for gas, as wind and solar cut the gas burned in power stations. [17]
Companies building US data centres — The blocked US Senate bill would have pushed power companies to make them pay for their grid upgrades. [33]

Who pays

People in hot places far from the Hunter Valley — A new tool estimates the mine's extra heating would expose about 462,000 more people to dangerously high temperatures. [2]
People in Germany during the heatwaves — An estimated 16,000 died, and hospitals had no set way to declare and run a heat emergency. [20]
US farmers who built solar expecting a grant — The new rules also cover grants awarded but not yet paid, so some may never be repaid. [15]
Boulder's taxpayers — The city and county say they have spent millions protecting against wildfires and floods, and want the oil companies to repay it. [21]
Bornean orangutans — Fires now reach habitat holding 52% of them, on land often cleared by burning for palm oil. [32]

What nobody knows yet

Open questions from across today’s stories — ours included.

01

Whether Australia's High Court will make planners weigh coal burned abroad.

A New South Wales court said they must, the ruling was appealed, and the High Court is expected to decide next week. [2]
02

Whether Australia's federal government approves the mine.

It must decide by the end of the year, and national law does not treat climate harm as a reason to block a project. [3]
03

How many jobs the mine really keeps.

The owners say 1,500. [1] The commission worked from an average of 1,311 over the project's life. [2]
04

How many extra heat deaths the mine's carbon would cause.

The Conversation, using the new Carbon Impacts Tracer, gives 435 extra heat deaths in Europe. [2] The Guardian's report on the same tool says more than 100 by the end of the century. [4]
05

How the US Supreme Court will rule on Boulder's case.

It hears the case on 5 October without Justice Alito, and a decision may not come until next spring. [23][24]
06

How long the EU will delay its methane rules.

The energy commissioner proposed one year, while Italy and the Czech Republic want three. [14][26]
07

Whether the states' lawsuit can save the US power-plant limits.

The case goes to a US federal appeals court, and the agency's separate rule to stop future limits is due to be final next year. [11]
08

How many people Europe's summer heat killed.

The Guardian reports tens of thousands across the continent, and Germany alone estimates 16,000, but neither gives a figure for all of Europe. [8][20]
09

Whether the Atlantic season ends with no hurricane.

Only one of the three earlier very strong El Ninos produced an Atlantic hurricane after 1 October. [31]

04 Hope carry this

Wind and solar made a record 41% of Britain's electricity so far this year. They have saved it from buying about 5.9 billion pounds of imported gas since the Hormuz crisis began.

Also true today

Two olive ridley sea turtles laid eggs on beaches in Orange County, California, in September, the first sea turtle nests ever recorded on the US West Coast. Scientists moved the eggs to the Aquarium of the Pacific to keep them safe from high surf.
South Korea lifted limits on connecting renewable power in its south-west, which it says makes room for 2.6 gigawatts more solar there without building new lines.
Renters and people in flats in California can now plug balcony solar panels of up to 1,200 watts into a wall socket without asking their power company first.