COP17, the UN nature summit in Yerevan, ends with a deal to speed up work on the 2030 nature targets, but the money stays short

The stories

34 stories on this beat today.

Every story told the same way: what happened, who is involved, why it matters, how it works, the truth and the good news.

1. 01

   COP17, the UN nature summit in Yerevan, ends with a deal to speed up work on the 2030 nature targets, but the money stays short

   $10,000

   raised by the Cali Fund, which hoped for $1 billion a year

   decisions on it were put off to the next summit, in 2028 [3][4]

   19% of 30%

   of the world's land is protected, against the 2030 target

   for the oceans it is 10% [3]

   $30 billion

   a year for nature from governments by 2030, the goal reaffirmed

   a further $170 billion was promised from private sources in 2022 [2]

   What happened

   • Nearly 200 countries agreed a new plan for nature early on Saturday, after overtime. [2]
   • They met at COP17, the UN's nature summit, in Yerevan, Armenia's capital. [1]
   • Countries promised to speed up work on the nature targets they set for 2030. [1]
   • But they left open the biggest fight: which countries must pay for it. [1]
   • One target is to protect 30% of the world's land and seas by 2030. [3]
   • Today about 19% of land and inland waters is protected, and 10% of oceans. [3]
   • Countries reaffirmed a goal of $30 billion a year for nature by 2030. [1]
   • The yearly gap between what nature needs and what it gets is about $700 billion. [3]
   • Many rich countries have moved aid money to defence and to energy shocks, the UN says. [2]
   • The EU wanted China and rich Gulf states to join the countries that must pay. [3]
   • Saudi Arabia and Qatar reportedly opposed widening the list. [3]
   • The final agreement left the question open. [1]
   • The Cali Fund asks companies that profit from nature's genetic data to pay in. [2]
   • The fund aimed to raise $1 billion a year, and has about $10,000. [3]
   • Decisions on it were put off to the next summit, in two years. [1]
   • Saudi Arabia and Russia were reported to have held up approval of science reports. [2]
   • Argentina, Saudi Arabia and Russia watered down the wording on ambition in the final text. [1]
   • Every decision needs all countries to agree, so a few can block progress. [3]
   • Panama's environment minister, Juan Carlos Navarro, said the summits were "designed to fail". [1]

   Land protected now19%

   Oceans protected now10%

   2030 target30%

   Who is involved

   Drug companies are among the firms that profit from such data. [1]

   • COP17 the UN nature summit
   • Yerevan Armenia's capital
   • The EU wants more payers
   • China and Gulf states classed as developing
   • Saudi Arabia
   • Qatar
   • Russia
   • Argentina
   • Hambardzum Matevosyan the president of COP17, the summit's chair; he closed the talks with "And that's it. Perfect"
   • The European Union the union of European countries; it pushed for China and Gulf states to pay too
   • Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Russia oil and gas producers; reported to have opposed wider payments and held up science reports
   • Juan Carlos Navarro Panama's environment minister; he said the summits were "designed to fail"

   How it unfolded

   In 2022 nearly every government signed a deal to halt the loss of nature by 2030. [2]

   That deal, the Global Biodiversity Framework, set 23 targets. [3]

   A UN review this month found fewer than half of national targets on track. [3]

   Governments have never met a target in the convention's 34-year history, the Guardian reports. [1]

   In 2022 they also promised to raise a further $170 billion from private sources. [2]

   The list of payers was written in 2006. [5]

   China and several Gulf states are still classed as developing countries in it. [1]

   1. 2022 the nature deal is signed
   2. 2030 the deadline for its targets
   3. 2006 the list of paying countries is written
   4. This month the EU asks to widen it
   5. Now no decision on the fund
   6. In two years the next summit decides
   7. 2022 nearly every country signs a deal with 23 nature targets [3]
   8. 15 Oct a UN review finds fewer than half of national targets on track [3]
   9. 31 Oct COP17 agrees to speed up, but leaves who pays open [1]
   10. 2028 the next nature summit, in Ecuador [4]

   Why it matters

   Scientists say species are dying out about 100 times faster than the natural rate. [2]

   Governments also pay twice: they fund harmful fishing, like trawling, then pay to repair nature. [2]

   How it works

   In diplomacy this is a consensus rule: a deal passes only when no country objects. [3]

   The truth

   • What is really going on Nearly 200 countries in Yerevan agreed to try harder on 2030 nature targets that they are mostly missing, but they did not settle who pays.
   • What is really going on The Cali Fund, meant to charge companies for nature's genetic data, has about $10,000 and was put off to 2028. [1][3]
   • Why it works on people A gavel, applause and a deal announced at dawn look like a result, while the hardest questions are moved to the next meeting.
   • The 2022 deal aims to cut $500 billion a year of subsidies that harm nature. [3]
   • Greenpeace says the agreed wording on those subsidies is weak. [4]
   • Who gains China and rich Gulf states — The 2006 list of countries that must pay for nature still classes them as developing, and COP17 did not change it. [1][5]
   • Who pays Indigenous communities expecting Cali Fund money — A significant share was meant to reach them, and the fund has raised just over $10,000. [1]
   • Nobody knows yet

     How much new money COP17 actually raised.

     The BBC counts more than $1 billion pledged, half from charities and rich donors; the summit's own secretariat counted more than $1.8 billion announced. [2][3]

   • Nobody knows yet

     What the final COP17 texts say.

     The final versions of the two main texts were still not published early on Saturday. [4]

   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether China and Gulf states will ever join the countries that must pay for nature.

     A late draft only invited other countries to join by choice, and the final agreement left it open. [4][1]

   Good news

   • Tokyo, Beijing and Tianjin slowed or stopped their land from sinking by pumping less water from under the ground.

   What comes next

   Ecuador beat Panama in a secret vote to host the next nature summit, in 2028. [4]

1. 02

   Germany will miss its gas storage goal

   What happened

   • Germany said it will miss its goal of having gas stores 70% full by Sunday. [6]
   • Its stores are about 62% full, against 91% in Italy and 75% across the EU. [6]
   • Alessandro Noce, an Italian energy official, blamed late German buying for prices above €100. [6]
   • That price is for a megawatt-hour of gas; he says it would otherwise be near €70. [6]
   • Germany's economy ministry said on Friday: "We firmly reject the accusation." [6]

   Who is involved

   • Alessandro Noce official at Italy's energy ministry
   • Italy stored early
   • Germany started late

   How it unfolded

   Late last month Germany's minister told SEFE, a state-owned firm, to buy and store gas. [6]

   Italy spent about €300 million filling its own stores, Noce said. [6]

   Why it matters

   If winter is very cold, Italy may have to help cover Germany's shortfall. [6]

   How it works

   In energy economics a shared market has one price, so Germany's buying moves Italy's too. [6]

   The truth

   • Countries that stored early, like Italy, may still pay for another country's late start. [6]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether Germany's gas stores fill before a cold spell.

     Germany will miss its 70% goal by Sunday, and Italy says it may have to help if winter is very cold. [6]

2. 03

   UAE says the tanker spill is contained

   What happened

   • UAE officials said they had contained the oil spill from the damaged tanker Gem No. 2. [7]
   • They have found no fresh leak, and the pollution has noticeably declined. [7]
   • Beaches stay shut in Umm Al Quwain, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah, three UAE emirates. [7]
   • The slick lies mostly off Umm Al Quwain, reaching partly towards Ajman too. [7]

   Who is involved

   • Umm Al Quwain
   • Sharjah
   • Ras Al Khaimah

   How it unfolded

   The Chinese-owned supertanker was hit off Sharjah more than two weeks ago, experts say. [8]

   A marine monitor, Windward, counted 12 spills near the strait between July and September. [8]

   1. Over two weeks ago the tanker is hit off Sharjah
   2. Friday the UAE says the spill is contained

   Why it matters

   Experts warn that turtles, dolphins and seabirds could be harmed. [8]

   How it works

   Spill teams are using machines to remove oil, alongside chemical sprays called dispersants. [7]

   The truth

   • Fishermen have been told to avoid polluted areas while the clean-up goes on. [8]
3. 04

   October is on track to be the hottest

   What happened

   • This October is on track to be the hottest October ever recorded. [9]
   • Global temperatures are set to be about 1.76C above pre-industrial levels. [9]
   • That would beat October 2023, which reached 1.7C. [9]
   • Climate scientists Andrew Dessler and Zeke Hausfather made the projection. [9]

   Who is involved

   They used data from Copernicus, a Europe-based service that tracks the climate. [9]

   • Andrew Dessler climate scientist
   • Zeke Hausfather climate scientist

   How it unfolded

   El Nino, an unusually warm patch of the Pacific Ocean, is adding to the heat. [9]

   Why it matters

   2026 is now on track to be among the hottest years recorded, if not the hottest. [9]

   How it works

   Climate scientists add two pushes: steady warming from burning fuels, and El Nino's swings. [9]

   The truth

   • The record is a projection; the final October figure is not out yet. [9]

   What comes next

   Hausfather expects a series of record months, ending in a record 2027. [9]

4. 05

   Bhutan's glacial flood washes out a bridge

   What happened

   • A glacial lake in north-west Bhutan burst on Thursday night, flooding the Mochhu river. [10]
   • The flood damaged two roads and swept away a bridge built in 2022 with Indian help. [10]
   • It washed away almost all public buildings at Gasa Tshachu, a popular hot spring. [10]
   • Officials reported no deaths or injuries. [10]
   • In India, at least 4,000 people in West Bengal were moved to safety. [11]

   Who is involved

   The lake, Shintapu Tsho, lies in Gasa district, which borders Tibet. [10]

   • Himanta Biswa Sarma Assam's chief minister
   • Bhutan where the lake burst
   • West Bengal, India downstream

   How it unfolded

   1. Thursday night the lake bursts
   2. Friday officials count the damage

   Why it matters

   Assam's chief minister said his Indian state was watching the flood closely. [10]

   How it works

   This kind of flood has its own name: a glacial lake outburst flood, or GLOF. [10]

   The truth

   • The water crosses a border, so West Bengal relies on Bhutan's warnings and its own checks. [11]
   • Who pays Gasa Tshachu, a hot spring town in Bhutan — The glacial flood washed away almost all its public facilities. [10]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether the new lake in Bhutan bursts too.

     Water is building up behind debris near Taktsemakhang, and officials fear a second outburst. [10]

   Good news

   • All 47 people reported missing in West Bengal were later found safe. [11]
   • All 47 people reported missing in West Bengal after Bhutan's glacial flood were found safe, and Bhutan reported no deaths.

   What comes next

   Officials now fear a new lake, formed downstream near Taktsemakhang, could also burst. [10]

5. 06

   Storms cross south-east Australia

   What happened

   • Storm warnings covered Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane as a cold front crossed Australia. [12]
   • The Bureau of Meteorology, Australia's weather agency, warned of winds over 125km/h. [12]
   • Winds like that could bring down large trees and damage homes, it said. [12]
   • Large hail and flash floods were also possible in inland New South Wales. [12]
   • Storms reached Melbourne on Saturday and were due on the east coast on Sunday. [12]

   How it unfolded

   1. Saturday storms reach Melbourne
   2. Sunday storms reach the east coast

   Why it matters

   Places soaked in the past fortnight face the highest flash-flood risk, a forecaster said. [12]

   How it works

   Meteorologists say these storms form where a cold front meets warm, humid air. [12]

   The truth

   • How much damage the storms did is not yet known; these were warnings. [12]

   What comes next

   Brisbane expects heavy rain and storms on Sunday afternoon. [12]

6. 07

   Greece and Turkey brace for more rain

   What happened

   • Greece and Turkey issued severe rain and flood warnings this week. [13]
   • Another 100-150mm of rain is expected in central Greece and western Turkey. [13]
   • Some places could get even more, forecasters say. [13]
   • The rain comes with strong winds across south-eastern Europe and Turkey. [13]

   How it unfolded

   On Tuesday a tornado in Antalya, on Turkey's coast, killed 4 construction workers. [13]

   Why it matters

   Rain on this scale brings a risk of floods, which is why both countries issued warnings. [13]

   How it works

   Forecasters say an area of low pressure is letting powerful thunderstorms build there. [13]

7. 08

   Super Typhoon In-fa heads for the Marianas

   What happened

   • Typhoon In-fa became a super typhoon on Wednesday, with sustained winds of 240km/h. [13]
   • Its gusts went over 296km/h. [13]
   • It is heading north-west and expected to miss Guam, hit by Typhoon Champi this month. [13]
   • In-fa is expected to affect the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific. [13]
   • Further east, Tropical Storm Vance brought 50-100mm of rain to western Mexico. [13]
   • Vance has now weakened to a tropical depression, a weaker storm. [13]

   Why it matters

   The islands have already been battered by four super typhoons this year. [13]

   The truth

   • Its exact path, and how hard it hits the islands, is still a forecast. [13]
8. 09

   Xcel plans $70 billion of new building

   What happened

   • Xcel Energy, a US power company, plans to spend $70 billion over five years. [14]
   • That is 17% more than its previous $60 billion plan. [14]
   • It would add 9.2 gigawatts of renewables, 2.3 of storage and 3.3 of gas. [14]
   • About $7 billion goes to data centre projects already under contract. [14]
   • Xcel will borrow $26 billion and sell $8 billion of new shares to pay for it. [14]
   • Its quarterly profit jumped 83% to $960 million. [14]

   Who is involved

   • Existing customers
   • Data centres

   Why it matters

   Its boss says existing customers should not subsidise new large users like data centres. [14]

   How it works

   Utility regulators set its prices: Minnesota approved a 2.9% yearly rise in July. [14]

   The truth

   • Xcel cannot yet say what it owes for the 2024 Smokehouse Creek fire in Texas. [14]
   • Claims could exceed its $525 million insurance, its filing says. [14]
   • Who gains Xcel Energy's owners — Its quarterly profit rose 83% to $960 million on good weather, more sales and approved price rises. [14]
9. 10

   Britain approves the Sea Link power cable

   What happened

   • Britain's government approved Sea Link, a 138km undersea power cable from Suffolk to Kent. [15]
   • It can carry 2GW, enough for the equivalent of two million homes, National Grid says. [15]
   • It will carry power from offshore wind farms, links abroad and nuclear plants. [15]
   • It runs under the sea from Pegwell Bay in Kent to near Aldeburgh in Suffolk. [15]
   • The Planning Inspectorate said it heard local views before making its recommendation. [15]

   Who is involved

   • Kent Wildlife Trust against
   • Britain's government approved it

   How it unfolded

   1. Start Pegwell Bay, Kent
   2. End near Aldeburgh, Suffolk

   Why it matters

   Britain's government says it will cut payments to generators to switch off power. [15]

   How it works

   When the wires are full, the grid pays generators to stop; more wires cut that. [15]

   The truth

   • Kent Wildlife Trust says the cable harms coastal habitats and will keep challenging it. [15]
   • Who gains National Grid — Its Sea Link cable was approved despite Kent Wildlife Trust's objection that it harms coastal habitats. [15]
10. 11

    A fault halves Northern Ireland's power link

    What happened

    • A fault has halved how much power Northern Ireland can import from Great Britain. [16]
    • The link, the Moyle Interconnector, is an undersea cable now carrying only 250MW. [16]
    • Mutual Energy, which runs it, does not know the cause or a repair date. [16]
    • The grid operator, SONI, still expects enough power to meet demand this winter. [16]

    Who is involved

    • SONI Northern Ireland's grid operator

    Why it matters

    The fault comes just before winter, when demand for power is highest. [16]

    How it works

    Grid operators test winter against a base case that assumes plants and links work. [16]

    The truth

    • If the link stays broken, the risk rises but stays within safe limits, SONI says. [16]
    • Nobody knows yet

      When the Moyle power link is repaired.

      Mutual Energy does not yet know the cause or the repair date. [16]

11. 12

    EU and Canada agree minerals and gas study

    What happened

    • The EU and Canada agreed on Friday to study shipping Canadian gas to Europe. [17]
    • They also agreed more EU investment in Canada's critical minerals. [17]
    • The deal was concluded after talks in Montreal. [17]

    Who is involved

    The money would come through the European Investment Bank, the EU's lending arm. [17]

    • European Investment Bank the EU's lending arm
    • The EU
    • Canada

    How it unfolded

    Canada has plenty of gas but no east-coast plant to turn it into liquid for ships. [17]

    Why it matters

    Both sides call themselves like-minded democracies in a world moving away from shared rules. [17]

    The truth

    • The gas part is only a long-term feasibility study, not a supply deal. [17]
12. 13

    Pakistan's imported gas price jumps 15%

    What happened

    • Ogra, Pakistan's oil and gas regulator, raised the price of imported gas by up to 15.3%. [18]
    • Higher crude oil prices were the main cause, the regulator said. [18]
    • Imported LNG cost $18.96 in July, $12.12 in August, $10.06 in September, $10.75 in October. [18]

    Who is involved

    LNG is liquefied natural gas, shipped in from abroad, priced per million British thermal units. [18]

    How it unfolded

    The rise follows a 20% cut for September. [18]

    Why it matters

    Power stations burn this gas, so electricity costs in December are expected to rise. [18]

    The truth

    • One gas company, SSGC, now loses 12.55% of its gas in its pipes, up from 10.6%. [18]
    • Who pays Power users in Pakistan — Imported gas rose by up to 15.3%, which is expected to raise power costs in December. [18]
13. 14

    First Solar cuts its sales forecast

    What happened

    • First Solar, a US solar panel maker, cut its sales forecast for 2026. [19]
    • It now expects $4.6 billion to $4.9 billion, down from $4.9 billion to $5.2 billion. [19]
    • Its sales fell 23% in the third quarter as it sold fewer panels to other firms. [19]
    • Its profit still rose 25%, to $571 million. [19]

    How it unfolded

    It blames uncertainty after an August US tariff order under a trade law, Section 232. [19]

    Why it matters

    Buyers who cannot tell what tariffs will cost hold back, so orders slow. [19]

    How it works

    Economists call this policy uncertainty: firms delay buying until the rules are clear. [19]

    The truth

    • Its shareholders still gain: it approved a new $500 million share buyback. [19]

    What comes next

    It faces a "binary decision" on the future of its Malaysia factory. [19]

14. 15

    SEG Solar plans a Texas cell factory

    What happened

    • SEG Solar plans a $950 million factory near Houston to make 4 gigawatts of solar cells. [20]
    • It will use a high-efficiency design called heterojunction, or HJT. [20]
    • It would open in two halves, in 2028 and 2029, with over 700 jobs. [20]

    How it unfolded

    Today SEG assembles panels in Texas; the new plant would make the cells inside them. [20]

    1. 2028 first half opens
    2. 2029 second half opens

    Why it matters

    US-made cells help solar farms meet rules that reward home-made parts. [20]

    The truth

    • SEG calls itself the only US firm making everything in one place: its own claim. [20]
15. 16

    US releases Ethiopia-made solar cells

    What happened

    • US customs released solar cells made in Ethiopia by TOYO, a Japanese company. [21]
    • TOYO showed where its polysilicon and wafers, the cells' raw silicon, came from. [21]
    • In the second half of 2025 they reached about $277 million. [21]

    How it unfolded

    In May, 8 US makers, including First Solar, accused it of using Chinese wafers. [21]

    They say this dodges US duties on Chinese solar goods. [21]

    Ethiopia's solar cell and panel sales to the US were almost nil before July 2025. [21]

    1. Before July 2025 almost nothing
    2. Late 2025 $277 million

    Why it matters

    The ruling decides whether Ethiopia's fast-growing solar trade with the US can carry on. [21]

    How it works

    Trade lawyers call it circumvention: routing goods through another country to avoid a duty. [21]

    The truth

    • Any duties could be charged back to the start of the inquiry. [21]
    • Who gains TOYO — Its Ethiopian cells were released and can be sold in the US while the trade inquiry runs. [21]
    • Nobody knows yet

      Whether Ethiopia-made solar cells will face US duties.

      The first US ruling is due by 10 December and the final one around May 2027. [21]

    What comes next

    The US Commerce Department makes a first ruling by 10 December. [21]

16. 17

    JA Solar's losses grow

    What happened

    • JA Solar, a Chinese solar maker, lost 3.64 billion yuan in the first nine months. [22]
    • That is more than its 3.558 billion yuan loss a year earlier. [22]
    • Its revenue fell 23.62% to 28.113 billion yuan. [22]
    • It blames low prices across the industry. [22]
    • Overseas buyers took 60.92% of the panels it shipped. [22]

    Why it matters

    Another Chinese maker, Jinko, renamed itself to invest in AI and space as well. [22]

    The truth

    • Its losses come from low prices, write-downs on its factories and compensation costs, it says. [22]
17. 18

    Benin funds its first private solar plants

    What happened

    • Benin, a West African country, secured €30 million for its first privately run solar plants. [23]
    • The four plants will total 62 megawatts. [23]
    • Axian, a pan-African company, will build them in Natitingou, Djougou, Parakou and Bohicon. [23]
    • They should add about 17% to Benin's power from 2028. [23]

    Who is involved

    The lenders are the International Finance Corporation and Proparco, France's development lender for firms. [23]

    • International Finance Corporation
    • Proparco

    Why it matters

    Benin aims to connect about 928,000 more households to power by 2030. [23]

    How it works

    The state utility has agreed to buy the plants' power under long-term contracts. [23]

    Good news

    • The money is now agreed, with power due in early 2028. [23]
    • Benin signed €30 million in loans for four solar plants that should add about 17% to its power from 2028.
18. 19

    Italy rejects 468 megawatts of solar

    What happened

    • Italy's cabinet rejected 10 solar projects totalling about 468 megawatts on 28 October. [24]
    • It approved five others, totalling 272 megawatts, all in Puglia. [24]
    • The largest rejected was a 113-megawatt plant in Ascoli Satriano, in Puglia. [24]
    • The largest approved is a 76.77-megawatt farm between Foggia and Lucera, also in Puglia. [24]

    Who is involved

    Many were agrivoltaic: solar panels built over farmland that is still farmed. [24]

    • Landscape and heritage won
    • More clean power lost
    • Neighbours
    • Developers

    Why it matters

    Italy's government said protecting landscape and heritage outweighed producing more clean power. [24]

    How it works

    Each project needs a formal environmental review opinion from the cabinet before it is built. [24]

    The truth

    • Neighbours who value the view gain; developers lose 468 megawatts of planned plants. [24]
19. 20

    Hitachi's nuclear sales rise 48%

    What happened

    • Hitachi, a Japanese conglomerate, said its nuclear revenue rose 48% in a year. [25]
    • It plans to deliver the first of four small reactors to Ontario, Canada, in 2030. [25]
    • Most of Hitachi's energy money still comes from grid equipment: $5.7 billion in the quarter. [25]

    Who is involved

    The reactors, called BWRX-300, make 300 megawatts each and are built with GE Vernova. [25]

    Why it matters

    Data centres are driving demand for its grid equipment, Hitachi says. [25]

    The truth

    • Hitachi warns that new-technology projects can change in cost or even be cancelled. [25]

    What comes next

    The Tennessee Valley Authority, a US public power firm, wants one by 2032. [25]

20. 21

    Edison says fire law delay costs customers

    What happened

    • Edison International, owner of Southern California Edison, says delay on wildfire laws is hurting customers. [26]

    Who is involved

    Liability here means having to pay for fire damage. [26]

    How it unfolded

    In September California lawmakers did not pass a plan to limit power firms' fire liability. [26]

    Edison International's shares fell 23% on that news. [26]

    Why it matters

    Pizarro says delay into 2027 would bring "significant and costly consequences". [26]

    How it works

    Lenders charge more when a borrower looks risky, and fire claims make SCE look risky. [26]

    The truth

    • Higher borrowing costs could cost customers $300 million on 2027's bonds alone, Edison says. [26]
    • Who pays Southern California Edison's customers — Higher borrowing costs could add $300 million on the bonds SCE issues in 2027 alone. [26]
    • Nobody knows yet

      Whether California passes a wildfire liability law this year.

      Edison wants one before the 15 November deadline, and lawmakers have not voted. [26]

    What comes next

    Its boss, Pedro Pizarro, wants a law before the 15 November deadline. [26]

21. 22

    Meta backs a low-carbon cement plant

    What happened

    • Meta, the tech company, will buy certificates from a planned low-carbon cement plant. [27]
    • The plant, by a start-up called Fortera, would be in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. [27]
    • Meta's certificates cover about 200,000 tons of cement. [27]
    • The companies did not say what Meta is paying. [27]
    • Microsoft, which invested in Fortera last year, also plans to buy its certificates. [27]
    • Very little clean cement or green steel is made in the US today. [27]

    Who is involved

    • Microsoft investor and buyer

    Why it matters

    A promised buyer helps the start-up raise money to build its first plant. [27]

    How it works

    Fortera captures carbon dioxide from other factories and locks it inside cement. [27]

    A certificate lets Meta claim the green part while the cement is sold locally. [27]

    The truth

    • So Meta can claim greener building without that cement reaching its data centres. [27]
    • Who gains Meta — Its certificates let it claim greener cement without that cement reaching its data centres. [27]
22. 23

    US voters decide energy questions on Tuesday

    What happened

    • US voters decide several energy measures on Tuesday, alongside the midterm elections. [28]
    • Colorado's Amendment 82 would put a right to natural gas in its constitution. [28]
    • California's Proposition 45 would limit most environmental reviews to 365 business days. [28]
    • Fossil fuel building would be left out of that limit. [28]
    • Michigan's Proposition 2 would stop utility bosses and their families giving to campaigns. [28]
    • Ann Arbor votes on studying a takeover of DTE Energy's local grid. [28]

    Why it matters

    These votes shape how fast power projects get built, and how utilities spend on elections. [28]

    The truth

    • Utilities have spent at least $215,000 opposing it. [28]
    • Opponents say a takeover could cost $1 billion; supporters say far less. [28]
23. 24

    Volkswagen pauses its electric Golf

    What happened

    • Volkswagen paused work on its electric Golf at its Wolfsburg plant in Germany. [29]
    • VW Group lost €5.9 billion in the third quarter, its worst since 2015. [29]
    • Causes include a write-down on Porsche, weak China sales and thin profits on electric cars. [29]
    • The VW brand's boss, Thomas Schafer, wrote: "We simply can't afford this work right now." [29]
    • VW plans to cut 100,000 jobs worldwide by 2030. [29]

    How it unfolded

    The car was due in 2028, then delayed to nearer 2030. [29]

    1. First plan launch in 2028
    2. Now nearer 2030

    Why it matters

    Wolfsburg is called the heart of the VW brand, and the Golf matters most there. [29]

    The truth

    • VW's works council says the pause will not delay the launch. [29]
24. 25

    LiveWire warns it may not survive

    What happened

    • LiveWire, Harley-Davidson's electric motorbike brand, warned it may not survive. [30]
    • Its shares fell more than 40% on Thursday. [30]
    • Its cash fell from $82.8 million at the end of 2025 to $39.9 million. [30]
    • Sales rose 38% to $7.9 million in the quarter, but it lost $18.6 million. [30]

    Why it matters

    The warning comes just as it prepares its cheapest bikes, meant for many more riders. [30]

    How it works

    Accountants' phrase "going concern" asks whether a firm can keep operating; LiveWire doubts it. [30]

    The truth

    • It is spending cash faster than its rising sales bring it in. [30]

    What comes next

    It plans bikes under $5,000, and shows new models in Milan next week. [30]

1. 26

   Turkey's farmland fills with sinkholes

   What happened

   • Turkey's disaster agency, AFAD, has recorded 684 sinkholes in three farming provinces. [31]
   • Some are tens of metres wide and deep, and swallow farmland. [31]
   • About 3 a year formed in 2000-10, rising to 32 a year in 2016-19. [31]
   • The rate eased to about 22 a year after 2020. [31]
   • The ground there is also sinking slowly, by up to 90 millimetres a year. [31]

   Who is involved

   They are in Konya, Karaman and Aksaray, on Turkey's central Anatolian plateau. [31]

   • Farm output
   • Saving water

   How it unfolded

   Farmers pump groundwater for maize and sugar beet, and pumped more in 2025's drought. [31]

   Why it matters

   Countries meet in Turkey for COP31, the UN climate talks, as this grows at home. [31]

   How it works

   Hydrogeologists say pumping lowers water pressure in the rock, which can let caves collapse. [31]

   Why pumping water out from under the ground makes the land sink

   Water in the gaps between grains of soil holds up part of the weight above, so pumping it out lets the ground squeeze down, mostly for good.

   The twist

   Groundwater does two jobs at once. Farms and cities drink it, and it also holds up the ground they stand on.

   The picture

   2000-103 a year

   2016-1932 a year

   After 202022 a year

   Step by step

   1. 1 Soil is grains, with water filling the gaps between them
   2. 2 That water pushes back and holds up part of the weight above
   3. 3 Pumping it out lowers the water's push
   4. 4 The grains must carry the extra weight, so they squeeze closer
   5. 5 Clay layers pack tight and do not spring back
   6. 6 The ground sinks, and cracks or collapses where it sinks unevenly

   The same force, elsewhere today

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

   • Turkey's farmland fills with sinkholes

     Konya's farmers pumped more in the 2025 drought, the water's push in the rock fell, and the roofs of old caves gave way.

   • Satellites find big cities sinking

     Water firms and factories pumping under cities like Jakarta lower the water's push, and the soft ground squeezes down.

   Where you've seen this

   California's Central Valley

   decades of pumping for farms dropped parts of the valley floor by several metres

   Oil and gas fields

   taking oil and gas out of the rock can let the seabed above settle, as at Ekofisk in the North Sea

   A wet sponge under a book

   squeeze out the water and the book sinks; let go and a sponge springs back, but clay does not

   The catch

   Not every sinking city is pumping water: in New York the weight of buildings squeezes soft soil, and a sinkhole also needs a cave already there.

   And the whole of it

   The farmer in Konya, the water firm in Jakarta and the family with the cracked wall stand on the same ground. Each well is small, and no one owner sees what all the wells together are doing to the floor beneath them.

   The truth

   • Policies favouring high farm output over saving water keep the pumps running, the authors say. [31]
   • Who pays Farmers in Turkey's Konya basin — Sinkholes are swallowing fields, and the ground is sinking by up to 90 millimetres a year. [31]

1. 27

   Satellites find big cities sinking

   What happened

   • A satellite survey of 465 big cities found many sinking, some by several inches a year. [32]
   • They include New Orleans, Mexico City, Jakarta and Rome. [32]
   • Sinking was worst in Southeast Asia, West and Central Asia, and North America. [32]
   • In New York, the weight of buildings squeezes soft soils instead. [32]
   • For almost half the cities, no such study had ever been done. [32]

   Who is involved

   • New Orleans
   • Mexico City
   • Jakarta
   • Rome
   • New York heavy buildings on soft soil

   Why it matters

   Uneven sinking cracks foundations, breaks sewers and makes floods worse. [32]

   Indonesia is building a new capital on Borneo partly because Jakarta is sinking. [32]

   How it works

   The study, in the journal Nature Cities, used satellite radar from 2014 to 2023. [32]

   The biggest cause is usually pumping water out from under the ground. [32]

   Water firms and factories pumping under cities like Jakarta lower the water's push, and the soft ground squeezes down.

   The idea, in story 26: Why pumping water out from under the ground makes the land sink →

   The truth

   • Sinking is "cumulative and largely irreversible", says co-author Guoquan Wang. [32]

   Good news

   • Tokyo, Beijing and Tianjin slowed or halted their sinking by limiting pumping. [32]
2. 28

   A new kind of Arctic landslide

   What happened

   • Scientists described a new kind of landslide in Canada's Northwest Territories. [33]
   • They call it a permafrost detachment slide. [33]
   • Two slides, in 2017 and 2018, moved 30 million cubic yards of earth. [33]
   • The frozen ground then weakened from below until it gave way within hours or days. [33]

   Who is involved

   Permafrost is ground that stays frozen for 2 years or more. [33]

   How it unfolded

   Both began with a wildfire in 1995 that burned off the plants shading the ice. [33]

   1. 1995 a wildfire burns the plants
   2. 2017 and 2018 the ground gives way

   Why it matters

   Thawing permafrost lets microbes eat old plant matter and release greenhouse gas. [33]

   How it works

   Soil scientists call land collapse from thawing ice thermokarst. [33]

   The truth

   • How much gas these slides release is unknown, lead author Joseph Young says. [33]
   • Nobody knows yet

     How much greenhouse gas the Arctic's new landslides release.

     Nobody has measured it yet, the lead author says, because the slides have not been classified. [33]

3. 29

   Warming may have stopped an ice age

   What happened

   • A study in the journal Science says human warming halted the start of an ice age. [34]
   • It tracked the Barnes ice cap on Baffin Island in northern Canada. [34]
   • By the 1960s, summers were warm enough to shrink it again. [34]

   Who is involved

   • Earlier research
   • This study

   How it unfolded

   The ice cap is the last remnant of an ice sheet that once reached Manhattan. [34]

   The ice began to grow about 2,000 years ago. [34]

   1. About 2,000 years ago the ice starts to grow
   2. 1960s warm summers shrink it

   Why it matters

   Nicolas Young called it "a very powerful example of how we have jolted the system". [34]

   How it works

   The team carbon-dated old plants the melting ice uncovered, to time its advance. [34]

   The truth

   • Earlier research said the next ice age was thousands of years away; this study disagrees. [34]
4. 30

   AI counts Britain's woodland bats

   What happened

   • Britain's biggest woodland bat survey recorded 98 million calls in 310 woods over three years. [35]
   • AI sorted calls that would have taken over 30 years to analyse by hand. [35]
   • Rare barbastelle bats turned up mostly in south-west England. [35]
   • Kate Jones of University College London called it a "nice story of AI for good". [35]

   Who is involved

   The barbastelle is on Britain's red list of the most threatened species. [35]

   Why it matters

   The bat's secretive habits had made it hard to track until now. [35]

   How it works

   Ecologists call this acoustic monitoring: listening devices count animals nobody sees. [35]

5. 31

   A Highland fire may have killed ancient pines

   What happened

   • A summer wildfire near Glenmore in the Cairngorms may have killed many ancient Scots pines. [36]
   • Some of these "granny pines" were 100 to 200 years old. [36]
   • Grasses, bracken and blaeberry are turning parts of the hillside green again. [36]
   • Regrowth is strongest where the soil stayed moist or the fire burned less hot. [36]
   • Deer and capercaillie birds now come to feed on the new grass. [36]

   Who is involved

   Forestry and Land Scotland, a government agency, says they were key seed sources. [36]

   • Deer
   • Capercaillie

   Why it matters

   Without them, trees of that size could take centuries to return. [36]

   The truth

   • Badly burned soil layers make recovery harder, a forester warns. [36]

   Good news

   • Birch, rowan and willow are already growing back from surviving roots. [36]
   • Birch, rowan and willow are already growing back on the Cairngorms hillside burned by this summer's Glenmore wildfire.
6. 32

   Work starts to rewet a Lake District bog

   What happened

   • Cumbria Wildlife Trust has started restoring 435 hectares of damaged peatland in Skiddaw Forest. [37]
   • Skiddaw's bog is one of the largest in the Lake District, and a huge carbon store. [37]
   • The work takes three to four months and repairs a 6km fence. [37]

   Who is involved

   Peat is soil packed with partly rotted plant matter. [40]

   Why it matters

   Wetter peat slows water running off the hills, helping protect towns from floods. [37]

   How it works

   Ecologists call this rewetting: keeping the bog wet so sphagnum mosses grow back. [37]

7. 33

   Nine orangutans go back to the forest

   What happened

   • Nine orangutans rescued from Indonesia's fires were released into protected forest on Thursday. [38]
   • They included 4 mothers with young; three were found to be pregnant. [38]
   • Some had burns on their hands and feet. [38]
   • Their new home, Batu Nyambu, is a 23,000-hectare protected forest. [38]

   How it unfolded

   They were rescued in August and September from a burning oil palm plantation in Ketapang. [38]

   Fires have burned more than 4.6 million acres in Indonesia since August. [40]

   1. August and September rescued from the fires
   2. Thursday released into the forest

   Why it matters

   At least 51 orangutans have been rescued from fires in West Kalimantan since August. [38]

   How it works

   Peat burns easily once drought dries it, and El Nino brought that drought. [40]

   Good news

   • Freed from their cages, the apes climbed the trees and vanished into the canopy. [38]
   • Nine orangutans rescued from Indonesia's fires were set free in a protected forest on Thursday. Four were mothers with young, and three were pregnant.
8. 34

   Standard Bank faces a greenwashing complaint

   What happened

   • Campaigners filed a greenwashing complaint against Standard Bank, a South African bank. [39]
   • They say its climate claims mislead, because it lends to an oil pipeline. [39]
   • The complaint went to South Africa's Advertising Regulatory Board on Tuesday. [39]
   • Absa, FirstRand, Nedbank and Investec, four big South African banks, refuse to fund it. [39]
   • Standard Bank says it did years of checks, and over 8,000 people work on the project. [39]

   Who is involved

   The East African Crude Oil Pipeline would carry oil 1,443km from Uganda to Tanzania's coast. [39]

   Why it matters

   The case tests whether a bank can advertise itself as green while lending to oil. [39]

   How it works

   Advertising rules require green claims to be true and provable. [39]

   The truth

   • The complaint cites up to 34 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year at peak. [39]