EU leaders split over the carbon market at their Brussels summit, as six countries push to loosen it and the Nordics refuse

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36 more stories on this beat.

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

1. 02

   Climate science panel ends without a timetable

   A meeting of the IPCC, the UN body that sums up climate science for governments, was suspended in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Friday. [8] Its 195 member states could not agree when to publish the next big review of the science. [8] The fight has run for nearly three years. [8] India, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Russia and China want more time, while 30 countries, including small island states, want the reports ready for the 2028 UN climate talks. [8]

   Why it matters — Governments are due to check their progress on the Paris climate deal in 2028, and may now do it without the panel's review. [8] Tina Stege, the Marshall Islands' climate envoy, called the delay "a shameful play for time". [8]

2. 03

   Scotland set to drop its stand against new oil fields

   Scotland's government, run by the Scottish National Party (SNP) since 2007, is set to drop its "presumption against" new oil and gas fields in the North Sea, two senior members told Politico. [9] The SNP lost a by-election in Aberdeen, Scotland's oil city, to the pro-drilling Conservatives this summer. [9] Its conference voted on Friday that oil and gas produced at home is "clearly preferable" to imports. [9] Britain's government, which grants the licences, says decisions on the Jackdaw gas field and the Rosebank oil field are coming soon. [10]

   Why it matters — Scotland cannot approve fields itself, but its stand has been a pressure on Britain's government. [9] Jackdaw's operators say it could be linked to Britain's gas network within months. [10]

3. 04

   Union fights to keep Britain's biggest gas store

   Unite, a trade union, called on Britain's government and Centrica, the owner of British Gas, to keep the Rough gas store open. [11] Rough, 18 miles off the East Yorkshire coast, holds about half of Britain's space for storing gas. [11] Centrica will invest 2 billion pounds only if Britain's government guarantees it a minimum return, and its licence ends in April 2027. [11] Unite says 100 jobs, and 350 more at suppliers, are at risk. [11]

   Why it matters — Britain's energy department says storage gave only 5% of supply last winter. [11] Centrica's boss says that without a deal, the business decision will be to close it. [11]

4. 05

   Hurricane Trudy grows to 120 mph near Mexico

   Hurricane Trudy grew fast on Friday and reached winds of about 120 mph (195 km/h) off Mexico's Pacific coast. [12] It is forecast to pass 60 to 65 km from the coast of Jalisco and Colima states late on Saturday. [12] Mexico's weather agency said any turn towards land would make it worse. [12] Up to 38 cm of rain could fall, and the coast is still recovering from storms in recent weeks. [12]

   Why it matters — People in Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco face floods and landslides even if the eye stays at sea. [12] Last week Tropical Storm Rachel damaged 1,500 homes in Baja California. [12]

5. 06

   UN chief calls fossil fuel subsidies 'suicide'

   Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, told governments on Friday in Yerevan, Armenia's capital, that "subsidising fossil fuels is subsidising suicide". [13] The UN counts $2.6 trillion a year in public subsidies that harm nature and the climate. [13] He spoke before COP17, the UN nature summit that opens there on 19 October. [13] A UN report found that if every country's plans were carried out, only 27% of land and 12% of the sea would be protected by 2030, against a goal of 30%. [13]

   Goal30%

   Land in plans27%

   Sea in plans12%

   Why it matters — Global Witness, a campaign group, found that Turkey and Australia, the hosts of next month's climate summit, are both raising oil and gas output. [13] Woodside, an Australian gas company, is set to double its liquefied gas output by 2032. [13]

6. 07

   113 countries file new nature plans

   113 of 196 countries have now sent the UN new plans for protecting nature, up from 55 a year ago, Carbon Brief counts. [14] They were due in October 2024, and only 15% arrived on time. [14] Brazil and many African countries filed in the past year. [14] The US, Russia, Peru, Papua New Guinea and South Africa have not. [14] COP17 is the first check on the 23 targets for 2030 agreed in Montreal in 2022. [14][15]

   Why it matters — The UN's report on progress, which the summit will review, draws on these plans. [14] Many developing countries have said a lack of money stopped them writing one. [14]

7. 08

   US regulator moves to speed gas pipelines

   FERC, the US agency that approves gas pipelines, proposed on Thursday to stop requiring air-pollution models in its reviews of gas projects. [16] The models show how a plant's fumes spread and mix with other pollution nearby. [16] It also proposed letting some work at gas export plants go ahead with no application. [16] Laura Swett, FERC's chair, said the only limit on American gas is getting it to market. [16]

   Why it matters — Judy Chang, the one commissioner who voted against, said the models are the best tool for knowing how nearby people are affected. [16] Projects that once had to model their air pollution may now be approved without it. [16]

8. 09

   US farm scheme stops paying for solar

   New rules for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), run by the US Department of Agriculture, took effect on 16 October. [17] They effectively shut solar projects out of its grants and loans. [17] The scheme, created by the US Congress in 2008, helped farmers and rural shops put up solar to cut bills and sell power. [17] The Iowa Farmers Union is among groups suing, and their lawyers say the department is ignoring what the US Congress told it to do. [17]

   Why it matters — Farmers facing higher costs for fuel and fertiliser lose a way to cut their power bills. [17] The lawsuit argues the department broke the law that set the scheme up. [17]

9. 10

   NextEra's $4m ballroom gift draws questions

   NextEra Energy, a big US power company that owns Florida's main utility, gave $4 million to President Trump's White House ballroom, The Washington Post reported from an internal list of donors. [18] NextEra is asking federal regulators chosen by Trump to approve its purchase of Dominion Energy, Virginia's main power company. [18] The deal would create the world's largest regulated power company, with 10 million customers. [18] NextEra did not comment. [18]

   Why it matters — Public Citizen, a consumer group, called the gift "obviously very problematic" while the merger waits for approval. [18] The money cannot be charged to customers of NextEra's Florida utility, a watchdog group said. [18]

10. 11

    US regulator lets Palisades lift its tipped fuel

    The NRC, the US nuclear safety regulator, gave Holtec permission to lift a fuel bundle that tipped inside its Palisades reactor in Michigan. [19] Holtec bought the plant after it shut in 2022 and is trying to restart it. [19] The NRC also found a "chilled work environment" in two departments, where staff fear punishment for raising safety concerns. [19] A source close to Holtec said it hopes to restart by March 2027. [19]

    Why it matters — Don't Waste Michigan, a campaign group, calls it an unprecedented restart of a closed reactor. [19] It says the plant sits a hundred yards from the Great Lakes, drinking water for more than 40 million people. [19]

11. 12

    China moves to keep solar know-how at home

    China's commerce and science ministries proposed on 16 October to ban exports of the know-how for making its most efficient solar cells. [20] The list covers tandem cells, which stack a new crystal called perovskite on silicon, at 30% efficiency or more. [20] Finished panels are not covered. [20] Firms must now register any plan to sell or license this know-how abroad, and comments close on 15 November. [20]

    Why it matters — Factories abroad that hoped to buy Chinese production lines may be delayed or blocked. [20] It is part of a wider list of 40 technologies, including AI and medicine, that China wants to keep. [20]

12. 13

    US electric car sales rise for a second quarter

    Americans bought 262,649 new electric cars from July to September, a second quarter of growth, Cox Automotive counts. [21] That is well below the record 437,487 a year earlier, when buyers rushed before a tax credit ended. [21] Petrol has stayed above $4 a gallon. [21] An analysis in The Conversation found new electric cars on dealers' lots fell from about 130 days of supply early this year to 78 days in August. [22]

    Jul-Sep 2025437,487

    Jul-Sep 2026262,649

    Why it matters — Carmakers cut electric car production after the tax credit ended, so buyers found too few to choose from. [22] Used electric car prices rose 13% by late June. [22]

13. 14

    Canadian buyers wait for Chinese electric cars

    Of the 48% of Canadians likely to buy an electric car next, 42% say they will wait for more Chinese models, a survey for Clean Energy Canada found. [23] Canada had matched the US 100% tax on Chinese electric cars. [23] It now lets in 49,000 a year under a deal with China, and the first have arrived. [23] Provinces in the middle of Canada, where farmers grow canola, an oil-seed crop, pushed for it so China would drop its tax on their canola. [23]

    Why it matters — Carmakers selling in Canada face buyers who would rather wait than buy their cars now. [23] Few Chinese models are on sale there yet. [23]

14. 15

    Britain may tax Chinese electric cars

    The British prime minister's office said on Friday it wants the UK included in the EU's Made in Europe rules, which favour cars built in Europe. [24] A Franco-German plan says Britain would have to match EU taxes on Chinese electric cars to join. [24] China's embassy in London called that "discriminatory". [24] About 80% of British-made cars are sold abroad, more than half to the EU. [24]

    Why it matters — Taxes could protect British car factories but raise prices for buyers. [24] BYD, a Chinese carmaker, sold 78% more in September than a year earlier. [24]

15. 16

    Volkswagen recalls more electric cars

    Volkswagen is recalling "several thousand" electric cars, including the ID.3, ID.4, ID.7 and ID. Buzz, built from 2023 to 2026. [25] Some battery cells failed a quality check, and charging past 80% could start a fire, the company says. [25] It already recalled 22,524 ID.4s in the US this month. [25] Letters to owners go out on 27 November, but there is no fix yet. [25]

    Why it matters — Owners are told to charge only to 80% until a fix is ready. [25] Volkswagen asked SK Battery America, the cell maker, which production dates are affected. [25]

16. 17

    Nickel in car batteries traced to cleared forest

    A Guardian-led investigation traced nickel from two mines on Sulawesi, an Indonesian island, through Chinese plants that supply CATL, the world's biggest battery maker. [26] Volkswagen, Ford, Tesla and other carmakers are named as end users of those plants' products. [26] Satellite analysis links the mines to cleared rainforest on land of the Tolaki, an Indigenous people. [26] One mine's owner was sanctioned for clearing more than 450 hectares beyond its permit. [26]

    Why it matters — Public filings do not show how much of that nickel reaches any one car. [26] Volkswagen said it could not rule out that the mines are in its supply chain. [26]

17. 18

    US clean energy jobs fall for the first time in years

    The US had 3.52 million clean energy jobs at the end of 2025, about 37,000 fewer than a year before, E2, a business group, found. [27] It is the first fall after four years of growth. [27] Clean vehicle jobs fell 2.4%, while jobs in grid batteries grew 3.2%. [27] Overall energy jobs also fell. [27]

    Why it matters — Companies cancelled or shrank nearly 150 clean energy projects in 2025, which were meant to create about 85,000 jobs. [27] Grid batteries kept their tax credit, and they are the part still growing. [27]

18. 19

    El Nino drought kills hundreds of children in Sudan

    Hundreds of children have died of hunger and disease in Sudan's drought, the IPC, a UN-led hunger monitor, says. [28] New Scientist links the drought to El Nino, a warming of the Pacific that shifts rain around the world, which has cut the rain on Sudan's crops. [28] Hunger has reached famine level in two camps in Darfur. [28] Almost 29 million people, 62% of Sudan, are going hungry. [28]

    Needed$2.87bn

    Given$1.25bn

    Why it matters — Ninety per cent of Sudan's farms rely on rain, and a civil war has already displaced 14 million people. [28] Donors have given $1.25 billion of the $2.87 billion the UN says Sudan needs this year. [28]

19. 20

    Up to 40 million in South Asia may have to move

    Up to 40.5 million people in South Asia may be forced from their homes by 2050 in the worst case, the IOM, the UN's migration agency, says. [29] Its head, Amy Pope, said in New Delhi on Friday that rising seas, floods and drought threaten homes and farms. [29] She pointed to Nepal's 26 August disaster, when a mountain and glacier collapsed and caused deadly floods. [29] She said heat is also pushing people into India's cities. [29]

    Why it matters — Pope said finding money for these programmes is a major obstacle. [29] She said AI weather forecasts can now show which villages are most at risk before a disaster. [29]

20. 21

    South Africa wants three times more money for coping

    South Africa will push to triple money for adapting to climate change by 2035 at COP31, the UN climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, from 9 to 20 November. [30] Adapting means paying for things like flood walls and drought-ready farms. [30] Its environment minister, David Maynier, said a UN fund for climate damage has requests above $1.4 billion and about $450 million to give. [30]

    Why it matters — South Africa has asked that fund for $20 million to restore Kruger National Park after floods in January. [30] South Africa's chief negotiator said current plans put the world on course for about 2.8C of warming. [30]

21. 22

    Groups challenge South Africa's gas power plan

    Six civil society groups attacked South Africa's plan to buy 5,000 megawatts of gas power and 4,600 megawatts of batteries. [31] The electricity minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, confirmed the plan on 7 October, with no new wind or solar in the first round. [31] The groups, including 350.org and Fossil Free South Africa, warned imported gas ties bills to world prices and the exchange rate. [31]

    Why it matters — The minister says gas will cover hours when wind and sun fall short, and wind and solar come in a later round. [31] The groups say gas costs more than renewables paired with batteries. [31]

22. 23

    Uzbekistan signs $4.7bn of power deals

    Uzbekistan signed six energy deals worth $4.7 billion on Friday, for 3,000 megawatts of power and 400 megawatts of storage, its presidency said. [32] Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power and France's EDF are among the firms. [32] President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said he plans a second and third nuclear plant, after Russia's Rosatom began building the first in June. [32] He wants renewables, including dams, to make 54% of power by 2030, up from 31%. [32]

    Why it matters — Future projects will be tendered with grid links fixed in advance, after plants bunched in some regions. [32] Uzbekistan's president admitted "bureaucracy and corruption" still hold investors back. [32]

23. 24

    A cleaner way to get silver out of old solar panels

    Researchers at France's CEA, a state research agency, recovered more than 98% of the silver from old solar panel waste without using nitric acid. [33] Most current methods dissolve silver in that acid and give off harmful gases. [33] The new method strips the other metals in under 10 minutes and leaves the silver behind. [33] It has worked in a 20-litre test reactor. [33]

    Why it matters — Silver is under 0.5% of the waste by weight but about 60% of the value in an old panel. [33] That makes it the main thing that decides whether recycling pays. [33]

24. 25

    China could make the cheapest clean hydrogen

    China could make hydrogen from wind and solar power for an average of about $120 per megawatt-hour, an analysis by the University of Cologne's energy institute found. [34] Germany comes second at $175 and the US at $225. [34] Japan would pay over $300 to import it without Chinese supply. [34] China's edge comes from strong sun and wind and cheaper equipment, labour and loans. [34]

    China$120

    Germany$175

    Japan$190

    US$225

    Why it matters — Buying from China would be cheaper for Japan than making its own. [34] The researchers call relying on imports a supply risk for Germany. [34]

25. 26

    Finland puts man-made gas into its pipes

    P2X Solutions is putting e-methane from its plant in Finland into the country's gas network. [35] E-methane is a gas made by joining hydrogen from clean power with captured carbon dioxide, so it can flow through ordinary gas pipes. [35] Gasgrid, Finland's state gas network, issued the first certificates proving its origin. [35] ITM Power, a British firm, signed early terms for a 150-megawatt hydrogen plant at a European oil refinery. [35]

    Why it matters — The certificates let buyers pay for clean gas separately from gas dug from the ground. [35] The gas can reach other European markets through the Balticconnector pipeline. [35]

26. 27

    US candidates go quiet on climate

    Candidates in eight US states that will decide control of the US Senate are mostly silent on climate change, the Guardian found. [36] Only two of them mention climate on their websites. [36] James Talarico, a Democrat running in Texas, now says "I support our oil and gas industry". [36] A poll by the Environmental Voter Project found 54% of Texas voters more likely to back a pro-renewables candidate, and 19% less likely. [36]

    Why it matters — The midterm elections are three weeks away, and US households pay about $2,000 more this year for energy and mortgages, the paper says. [36]

27. 28

    Britain still has no named storm

    Britain has not had a named storm yet this autumn, the BBC reports. [37] The jet stream, a band of fast wind high up that steers storms, has sat to the north. [37] Parts of Herefordshire have had a tenth of their normal October rain. [37] The Met Office, Britain's weather service, gives double the normal chance of a wet end to the year as El Nino strengthens. [37]

    Why it matters — Very low reservoirs have already put parts of southern England in severe drought. [37] A wetter, windier spell may start late next week. [37]

28. 29

    Moths show up as rain on Australian radar

    Weather radars across New South Wales, in Australia, are showing rain on nights when none falls. [38] The Bureau of Meteorology says swarms of bogong moths flying to the Australian Alps may be the cause. [38] Radar pulses meant to bounce off raindrops can bounce off insects too. [38] Scientists already use radar to count flying foxes, a kind of bat. [38]

    Why it matters — Researchers who have struggled to track the moths' journey call the radar data "absolute gold". [38] It could also show mass flowering or heat events. [38]

29. 30

    Duct tape keeps out more flood water than sandbags

    Duct tape on the outside of a house door cut flood water leaking in by 97-98% in tests at the University of Hull, in England. [39] Sandbags cut it by 70% at best. [39] A roll costs 10 pounds or less, while sandbags take far more effort to find and stack. [39] The study was paid for by Flood Re, Britain's flood insurance scheme. [39]

    Duct tape97%

    Sandbags70%

    Why it matters — Tape does not stop water coming through walls, floors and drains. [39] The researchers say it is a cheap step before the water arrives, not a replacement for proper flood doors. [39]

30. 31

    Extreme heat and cold hit Pennsylvania's prisons

    Extreme heat and cold were linked to more deaths and medical transfers in Pennsylvania's state prisons over 20 years, a study found. [40] Nearly 40,000 people are held there, and most prisons were built in the 1990s or earlier. [40] Women had larger rises in infirmary visits after very hot days than men. [40] Temperatures in the state reached 39C and fell to -23C last year. [40]

    Why it matters — People in prison cannot turn on air conditioning or go somewhere cooler. [40] The prisoners are getting older: the average age on arrival rose from 31 in 2000 to 38 in 2023. [40]

31. 32

    Ships buy less low-carbon fuel

    Ships bought 47% less marine biofuel in Singapore, the world's biggest refuelling port, from January to September than a year earlier. [41] Shipowners say they are waiting for the IMO, the UN shipping agency, to decide on a net-zero plan at a meeting by early November. [41] Rotterdam's biofuel sales rose 28% in the first half, helped by EU rules. [41]

    Why it matters — One fuel seller said biofuel is sometimes cheaper than ordinary ship fuel now, and shipowners still pass it over. [41] Ordinary ship fuel is at least 70% dearer than before the war on Iran. [41]

32. 33

    IEA releases more oil from stocks

    The IEA, the energy watchdog for rich countries, said on Thursday its members will release more than the 400 million barrels of emergency oil agreed in March. [42] About 100 million barrels are still to go, including over 20 million barrels of diesel. [42] Members agreed to speed it up. [42]

    Why it matters — Von der Leyen named this release of oil and diesel as one of the steps meant to ease Europe's prices. [5] Members said they will finish it "in a timely manner". [42]

33. 34

    Solar panels bring cranberry bogs back

    Two cranberry bogs in Massachusetts that had stopped paying are growing berries again with solar panels overhead. [43] The panels stand 10 feet up so farm machines fit under them. [43] Rent from the solar made farming worth it again, says DEI, the firm that built them. [43] The two sites have 5.4 megawatts of panels and 16.2 megawatt-hours of batteries. [43]

    Why it matters — Building took about eight months, twice as long as a normal solar farm, to protect the vines. [43] The owners have not said how many berries were picked. [43]

34. 35

    Thawing ground on the Tibetan Plateau sends mud into rivers

    Collapses of thawing frozen ground on the Tibetan Plateau sent more than four times as much sediment into rivers from 2000 to 2022 as new plant growth held back, a Nature study found. [44] These collapses, called thaw slumps, wear away 100 to 1,000 times faster than undisturbed land. [44] They now make up for falling sediment from shrinking glaciers. [44]

    Why it matters — The authors say a small patch of collapsing ground can outweigh new plants spreading across a wide area. [44] More mud is now reaching rivers downstream. [44]

35. 36

    Heat pumps cut a chicken farm's heating bill

    A heat pump that draws warmth from outside air could cut the heating cost of a chicken house in Sakarya, Turkey, by about 44% compared with coal, researchers found. [45] They compared three identical houses of 21,000 chickens each on one farm. [45] The birds stayed warm enough. [45]

    Why it matters — The test was aimed at cold places, where poultry houses are often heated with coal. [45] The team next plans to add solar panels and batteries. [45]

36. 37

    Asia's sunshine swings to records

    Sunshine on solar panels across Asia in September was up to 30% above or below normal, an analysis by Solcast, a weather data firm, found. [46] Japan and Borneo got about 70% of their usual sun, from typhoons and wildfire smoke. [46] Parts of Korea and southern China had their sunniest September on record. [46]

    Why it matters — Typhoons Dujuan and Surigae hit Japan one after the other. [46] Forecasters expect a sunnier end to the year for most of Southeast Asia as El Nino grows. [46]