Russia's strikes leave some Kyiv homes with power cuts of up to 20 hours, and a wrecked power station stays down until summer

The stories

31 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

   Russia's strikes leave some Kyiv homes with power cuts of up to 20 hours, and a wrecked power station stays down until summer

   20 hours

   of power cuts at a time, for some families in Kyiv

   officials fear life breaks down below 4 hours of power a day [1]

   850,000

   people across Ukraine without power after one weekend of strikes

   more than 600,000 of the cut-offs were in the Dnipropetrovsk region [3][4]

   1 or 2 hours

   of useful repair work a day at a wrecked power station

   air raids keep halting the work, so repairs run to next summer [1]

   What happened

   • Some families in Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, now live with power cuts of up to 20 hours. [1]
   • Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukraine's power grid since October, the BBC reports. [1] Planned power cuts now run on a rolling timetable. [1]
   • Officials fear life becomes unsustainable for millions if power falls below 4 hours a day. [1]
   • Strikes on the weekend of 7 and 8 November cut power to more than 600,000 people in one region. [4][5]
   • That region, Dnipropetrovsk, lies in Ukraine's south-east. [5] DTEK, the power company there, said repairs were slowed by repeated attacks. [4]
   • Across Ukraine, more than 850,000 people lost power that weekend, Euronews reported. [3]
   • In the Zhytomyr region, in the north-west, 140 apartment buildings lost their heating, Zelensky said. [3]
   • Overnight into 10 November, Russia hit energy sites in 8 regions and cut power in 6, Ukrenergo said. [2]
   • Ukrenergo is the company that runs Ukraine's national grid. [2] Reuters counted 10 regions struck that night, and 5 major substations. [6]
   • The strikes came just before US-led peace talks with Russia and Ukraine opened in Abu Dhabi on 10 November. [2]
   • The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant also lost power that weekend. [5]
   • It cooled its reactors on emergency diesel generators, the International Atomic Energy Agency said. [5]
   • BBC reporters visited one of Ukraine's largest power stations, wrecked by a recent ballistic missile strike. [1]
   • Its turbines lie buried in rubble, and the whole site is offline. [1]
   • Air raids leave its repair crews only 1 or 2 useful hours a day, DTEK's boss says. [1]
   • Maxim Timchenko runs DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company. [1] He says rebuilding the plant will take until at least next summer. [1]
   • Timchenko says Russia's attacks have "doubled in power and in scale". [1]
   • President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine still has enough power stations to meet demand. [1] The trouble is getting the power through damaged lines and substations. [1]
   • Russia is using drones that cling to pylons and cables until they are set off, the BBC reports. [1]

   Who is involved

   • Maxim Timchenko head of DTEK
   • Ukrenergo the company that runs Ukraine's national grid; it reports which regions lose power
   • DTEK and Maxim Timchenko Ukraine's largest private energy company and its boss; he says attacks have doubled in scale
   • Volodymyr Zelensky Ukraine's president; he says the country has enough power stations but not enough working lines
   • Russia's defence ministry the Russian government department in charge of its armed forces; it says it will keep striking energy sites it says help Ukraine's army

   How it unfolded

   1. The night before strikes on 8 regions
   2. 10 Nov Russia hits energy sites in 8 regions before talks in Abu Dhabi [2]
   3. This winter the plant stays offline
   4. Next summer earliest end of repairs
   5. October rolling power cuts begin in Kyiv as attacks on the grid grow [1]
   6. 7-8 Nov strikes cut power to more than 850,000 people across Ukraine [3]
   7. 12 Nov some Kyiv families face power cuts of up to 20 hours [1]

   Why it matters

   Daryna Kulchytska lives with 2 children on the 7th floor of a Kyiv block. [1] When the power goes, the lift stops too. [1]

   Electric pumps lift water up to her flat, so her taps run dry in a power cut. [1]

   Hospitals in the Dnipropetrovsk region ran on generators after the weekend strikes, the governor said. [5]

   Power sites have been attacked almost daily since August, and the attacks kill several people each week, the BBC reports. [1]

   How it works

   Engineers call this link the water-energy nexus: moving water takes electricity, and making most electricity takes water.

   In Kyiv, the pumps that lift water to high flats run on the grid. [1] So a long power cut also stops the taps. [1]

   Seen it before

   A fridge needs power to keep food cold, so a long power cut spoils the milk too.

   The truth

   • What is really going on Russia is breaking Ukraine's grid faster than crews can mend it: one wrecked power station gets only 1 or 2 hours of repair work a day, so it stays dark until next summer. [1]
   • Why it works on people One mother playing cards by torchlight in Kyiv makes a grid war easy to feel, while a figure like 850,000 people without power is too big to picture.
   • The warning that Kyiv is near breaking point comes from officials speaking privately to the BBC. [1]
   • Russia's defence ministry says it strikes energy sites because they help Ukraine's army. [4] Zelensky says Russia steps up strikes to press Ukraine before talks. [4]
   • Who pays Families in Kyiv's high-rise flats — When the power goes, their lifts stop and their taps run dry, because the water pumps run on the grid. [1]
   • Who pays Ukraine's power workers — They repair plants under almost daily attack, and several are killed every week. [1]
   • Nobody knows yet

     How many Ukrainian regions Russia struck on the night of 10 November.

     Ukrenergo, via DW, said 8 regions were hit and 6 lost power, while Reuters counted 10 regions and 5 major substations. We used Ukrenergo's count. [2][6]

   • Nobody knows yet

     How close Kyiv really is to the point where life cannot go on.

     The warning comes from officials who spoke to the BBC privately, so it cannot be checked against a public count. [1]

   Good news

   • In the Kharkiv region, power came back for about 250,000 customers after the weekend strikes. [3]

   What comes next

   The wrecked power station will stay offline until at least next summer, DTEK says. [1]

1. 02

   Oil states said to resist the power pledge

   What happened

   • Saudi Arabia and Russia are said to oppose a COP31 pledge to grow electricity's share of energy. [7]
   • The pledge, called 35 by 35, aims for electricity to supply 35% of the world's energy by 2035. [8]
   • Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, says most countries back the pledge. [7]
   • Birol expects 12,000 gigawatts of new power capacity in the next 10 years. [7] The last 10 years added about 5,000. [7]

   Who is involved

   • Fatih Birol head of the International Energy Agency

   How it unfolded

   Today electricity supplies about 1 in 4 units of the energy people use. [7] Oil, gas and coal supply most of the rest. [7]

   1. This week leaders speak
   2. Next week the summit's last days

   Why it matters

   In Norway, water makes 90% of the power. [9] A dry winter with little snow raises prices, an Oslo resident says. [9]

   Birol names 3 causes: data centres, electric transport and, biggest of all, air conditioning. [7]

   About 90% of US homes have air conditioning, against fewer than 20% in India and about 5% in Nigeria. [7]

   How it works

   Political scientists call anyone whose yes a decision needs a veto player.

   COP31 decides by consensus, so a small number of countries can block what the rest want, the Guardian notes. [7]

   Seen it before

   If a class only picks a film when everyone agrees, one pupil can stop the whole vote.

   Why a power cut can stop the taps

   Engineers call it the water-energy nexus: pumps that move water run on electricity, and most power plants need water, so a shortage in one spreads to the other.

   The twist

   A power cut can stop the taps, because pumps lift the water. A drought can dim the lights, because rivers turn the turbines.

   The picture

   Water supplyneeds pumps

   ↓→

   Electricityneeds water

   Step by step

   1. 1 Pumps move and clean water
   2. 2 Pumps run on electricity
   3. 3 Most power plants need water to run or cool
   4. 4 So a cut in one becomes a cut in the other

   The same force, elsewhere today

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

   • Central Asia asks for a shared climate plan

     The same rivers water Central Asia's farms and turn its power stations, so shrinking glaciers cut both.

   • Oil states said to resist the power pledge

     Norway makes 90% of its power from water, so a dry winter with little snow raises its power prices.

   Where you've seen this

   Farming

   irrigation pumps stop in a power cut, so crops go without water

   Gulf cities

   drinking water is made from seawater with a lot of electricity

   Data centres

   many are cooled with water, so they draw on both the grid and the local supply

   The catch

   The link is weak for wind and solar panels, which need almost no water to run, so a grid built on them depends less on rivers.

   And the whole of it

   A mother in a Kyiv flat, a farmer in Uzbekistan and a family in Oslo all rely on pumps and rivers they never see. Each of them sees only a tap or a switch.

   The truth

   • What is really going on At COP31, Saudi Arabia and Russia are said to oppose the electricity pledge, and because the summit decides by consensus, a few countries can stop it. [7]
   • No source is named: Saudi Arabia and Russia are only "said to be opposed", the Guardian writes. [7]
   • Nobody knows yet

     What share of the world's energy electricity supplies today, the starting point of the 35 by 35 pledge.

     The sources give three figures: 21% in The Hindu, 23% in another Guardian report, and about a quarter from the IEA's chief. [8][9][7]

   • Nobody knows yet

     Which countries would actually block the electricity pledge.

     Saudi Arabia and Russia are only said to be opposed, and no named source says so on the record. [7]

   What comes next

   Governments from 185 countries meet in Antalya this week and next. [7]

1. 03

   Rights groups want mining rules in the pledge

   What happened

   • More than 120 groups wrote to COP31's hosts with conditions for the electricity pledge. [8]
   • They want binding checks on human rights and nature, and protection for Indigenous peoples. [8]
   • Power lines, batteries and wind turbines all need mined metals and minerals. [8]
   • The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre recorded over 300 rights allegations tied to these mines in 2025. [8]
   • That was up 73% on the year before, the nonprofit says. [8]

   Why it matters

   Mining has felled forests, poisoned water and cost Indigenous peoples their land. [8]

   How it works

   Lawyers call a duty to check a supplier for harm due diligence. [8]

   The letter asks that such checks be binding along the whole chain of mines and suppliers. [8]

   Seen it before

   A school that buys football shirts can ask who sewed them and how they were paid.

   The truth

   • The official COP31 talks contain no clear wording on these minerals, rights experts say. [8]
   • Who pays People living near new mines — Rights groups say mining has felled forests, poisoned water and pushed Indigenous people off their land. [8]

   What comes next

   Better recycling could cut the need for new mining by 25% to 40% by 2050, the IEA estimates. [8]

2. 04

   Gulf oil output nears prewar levels

   What happened

   • OPEC's output rose by 1.97 million barrels a day in October, the group's own data show. [23]
   • OPEC is short for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. [13] Venezuela and Saudi Arabia are both members. [13][23]
   • Most of the rise came from Saudi Arabia, putting OPEC near prewar levels for the first time. [23]
   • US escorts, ship-to-ship transfers and pipelines to other ports helped restore the flow. [23]
   • Iran's own output is almost half what it was before the war, OPEC says. [23]

   How it unfolded

   The Iran war began in late February, and Iran has since restricted ships in the Strait of Hormuz. [21]

   1. Late February the Iran war begins
   2. October OPEC output near prewar

   Why it matters

   The extra oil has helped keep crude prices down, even as attacks in Hormuz pick up. [23]

   Gulf states need the money to repair public finances hurt by the war. [23]

   How it works

   Oil traders call refilling stocks emptied during a shortage restocking.

   Aramco expects buyers to refill oil stocks drained early in the war, so it plans to pump all it can. [23]

   Seen it before

   After a storm warning empties the shop shelves, the shop sells extra for days as people restock.

   The truth

   • The output figures come from OPEC itself, the group whose members sell the oil. [23]
   • Who gains Saudi Arabia and Aramco — Pumping near prewar levels brings in the money Gulf states need to repair budgets hurt by the war. [23]
3. 05

   Two supertankers burn in Hormuz

   What happened

   • Iran's Revolutionary Guards said 2 supertankers caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday night. [21]
   • Together they carried more than 4 million barrels of oil, the Guards said. [21]
   • The Guards called it an "accident" on a route Iran has banned. [21]

   Who is involved

   • Iran sets the routes
   • United States blockades Iran's ports

   How it unfolded

   Since the war began in late February, Iran has made ships use routes it approves. [21] The US blockades Iran's ports in reply. [21]

   Why it matters

   The strait normally carries about 1 in 5 barrels of the world's oil. [21]

   The truth

   • Iran has said before that such ships hit mines. [21] The US military says all mines have been cleared. [21]
   • The Guards did not say what caused the explosion that stopped the 2 ships. [21]
   • Nobody knows yet

     What caused the fires on the 2 supertankers in Hormuz.

     Iran's Revolutionary Guards called it an accident and named no cause, and the US says the mines are gone. [21]

4. 06

   Satellites map the war's oil in the Gulf

   What happened

   • Greenpeace has spotted more than 500 oil spills by satellite since the war began on 28 February. [22]
   • Added together, the spills' daily footprints cover about 20,000 square kilometres, almost the size of Wales. [22]
   • More than 133 attacks on oil tankers have happened since the war began, Greenpeace says. [22]
   • October was the worst month, with more than 30 attacks, a Washington think tank counted. [22]
   • A strike on the supertanker Gem No 2 left a slick more than 35km long off the UAE. [22]

   Why it matters

   The Gulf's coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass feed dolphins, sea turtles and fish. [22]

   How it works

   Marine biologists say a shallow sea heats fast because there is no cold, deep water to mix in. [22]

   The Gulf's heat already kills corals and fish in summer, Bernhard Riegl says, so the oil hits a stressed sea. [22]

   Seen it before

   A paddling pool warms in an afternoon, while the deep sea beside it stays cold.

   The truth

   • The naval blockade makes checking the pollution on the ground almost impossible. [22]
   • Who pays Sea life and fishers along the Gulf coast — Oil can coat birds' feathers and smother mangrove roots, and the war has made more than 500 spills. [22]
   • Nobody knows yet

     How much oil the war has spilled into the Gulf.

     Greenpeace adds up satellite footprints, but the naval blockade stops anyone checking on the ground. [22]

5. 07

   Europe's Russian gas bill rises before a ban

   What happened

   • EU countries spent about EUR 8.7bn on Russian Arctic gas in the first 10 months of 2026. [24]
   • That is 21% more than the whole of 2025, campaign group Urgewald found. [24]
   • The gas comes as LNG, liquefied natural gas, from Russia's Yamal project in the Arctic. [24]
   • EU ports took 12.89 million tonnes, 81% of everything Yamal shipped worldwide. [24]

   How it unfolded

   The EU bans Russian LNG bought under long-term contracts from 1 January 2027, about 50 days away. [24]

   1. Jan to Oct 2026 EUR 8.7bn spent
   2. 1 January 2027 the ban starts

   Why it matters

   France took 70% of the EU's Yamal deliveries in October. [24]

   Without EU ports, Russia's ice-class tankers would face longer trips and higher costs, Urgewald argues. [24]

   How it works

   Analysts split a bill's rise into two parts: how much is bought, and the price of each unit.

   October's deliveries fell 11%, yet their value rose 2.6% to EUR 839m, because gas got dearer. [24]

   Seen it before

   A family can buy less petrol and still pay more, if each litre costs more.

   The truth

   • The figures are Urgewald's estimates from Kpler shipping data, not official EU numbers. [24]
   • Who gains Russia's Yamal gas project — EU buyers took 81% of its deliveries this year, and short trips to European ports keep its costs low. [24]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether EU countries will enforce the Russian LNG ban from 1 January without exemptions.

     Urgewald says this is still open as winter approaches and worries about supply grow. [24]

6. 08

   China says no to hosting COP33

   What happened

   • China has ruled out hosting COP33, the UN climate summit in 2028, the Guardian understands. [10]
   • UN rules mean an Asian country should host that year. [10] India also thought about offering, and decided against it. [10]

   Who is involved

   China is the world's biggest emitter and its second-biggest economy. [10]

   Its clean energy industries drove more than 90% of its investment growth last year. [10]

   • China said no
   • India also said no

   Why it matters

   COP33 will hold the global stocktake, a check on whether countries are on track for the Paris goals. [10]

   The next US presidential election is on 7 November 2028. [10] COP33 is due from 6 to 17 November that year. [10]

   The truth

   • China has given no public reason. [10] Experts told the Guardian the US election was likely a factor. [10]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Why China turned down COP33.

     China gave no public reason, and the US election timing is only experts' guess. [10]

7. 09

   Burnham's COP speech, and a report kept secret

   What happened

   • Britain's prime minister, Andy Burnham, told COP31 that the consensus on climate science and action "has broken down". [12]
   • He said last summer was Britain's hottest on record, made 130 times more likely by climate change. [11]
   • Cereal harvests fell 11% that summer, he said. [11]
   • A UK security report on collapsing ecosystems is still kept from the public, the Guardian reports. [12]

   How it unfolded

   Keir Starmer's government held back its launch at last year's summit. [12] A redacted copy came out early this year. [12]

   1. Last year's summit launch held back
   2. Early this year a redacted copy

   Why it matters

   It found failing ecosystems could bring food shortages, mass migration and conflict abroad. [12]

   The truth

   • Oxfam's Beth John says he cannot call for clean power while "saying yes to more fossil fuels". [11]
   • His government approved the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea last month. [11] Burnham has no dedicated climate adviser in Downing Street. [12]
8. 10

   Venezuela claims a right to more oil

   What happened

   • Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, told COP31 her country has a "sovereign right" to grow its oil industry. [13]
   • She said Venezuela's forests take in more carbon than the country gives off. [13]

   Who is involved

   • Venezuela an OPEC member
   • United States funding more output

   How it unfolded

   Venezuela is a member of OPEC. [13] The US is raising billions of dollars to grow its oil output. [13]

   Why it matters

   Her speech came on the summit's fifth day, as nearly 200 countries try to agree a deal. [13]

   The truth

   • She did not speak about the carbon from Venezuela's oil once it is sold abroad. [13]
9. 11

   US governors carry climate to COP31

   What happened

   • Governors Gavin Newsom of California and Tim Walz of Minnesota spoke at COP31 on Thursday. [14]
   • They and about a dozen mayors are the only US elected officials there, with no US government team. [14]
   • Newsom warned the summit: "I don't want to romanticize what this will mean." [14]

   Who is involved

   • Gavin Newsom California
   • Tim Walz Minnesota

   How it unfolded

   In the 3 November elections, Democrats won the US Congress and took 5 governors' offices from Republicans. [15]

   Measures to limit data centres passed in 44 cities and failed in 1. [15]

   1. November the election
   2. January new governors take office

   Why it matters

   Any big climate bill still faces a veto from President Trump. [15]

   How it works

   Political scientists call it divided government when the president's party does not control Congress.

   Democrats can shape budgets and hold inquiries, but Trump can block their bills, so states are where they can act. [15]

   Seen it before

   If the head teacher can veto the pupils' council, the council works on what each class can do alone.

   What comes next

   Democrats will hold 29 or 30 governors' offices from January. [15]

10. 12

    Ohio bill would keep a coal unit open

    What happened

    • Republican lawmakers in Ohio drafted a bill to stop coal plants closing when a legal settlement requires it. [16]
    • It would let Buckeye Power run the 620-megawatt Cardinal coal unit past its 2028 closing date. [16]

    Who is involved

    Buckeye Power says it backs the bill to keep power reliable and affordable. [16]

    • Buckeye Power owner of the Cardinal plant

    How it unfolded

    That closure came from a 2015 settlement with the Sierra Club, which campaigns against coal. [16]

    Last week Ohio's voters ended 15 years of Republicans holding the governor's office and both houses. [17]

    1. 2015 closure agreed
    2. End of 2028 closure due

    Why it matters

    Ohio's constitution bans laws that reach back in time, the Sierra Club's Neil Waggoner says. [16]

    How it works

    Lawmakers call the weeks before a new government arrives a lame-duck session. [16]

    Republicans keep a supermajority in Ohio's House until the session ends on 31 December. [16] Democrat Amy Acton becomes governor in January. [16]

    Seen it before

    A club's leaving members may rush through rules in the last week, before the new members arrive.

    The truth

    • The bill cites grid reliability, but the grid operator's own check on Cardinal is still under way. [16]
    • Who gains Buckeye Power — The draft Ohio bill would free it from a settlement that requires its Cardinal coal unit to close. [16]
11. 13

    US power output hits a record

    What happened

    • US power plants will make a record of almost 4,390 billion kWh this year, up 2.7%, the EIA says. [26]
    • The EIA is the US government's energy statistics agency. [26] Most of this year's rise is met by wind and solar, it says. [26]
    • Solar's share of US power goes from 7% in 2025 to 8% in 2026 and nearly 10% in 2027. [26]
    • Big batteries grow to 91.7 GW by the end of 2027, nearly 40% more than this year. [26]
    • Coal's share falls from 17% to 15% as 13 GW of coal plants retire by the end of 2027. [26]

    Why it matters

    Power plants burned less coal than last year in 8 of the first 10 months. [26]

    How it works

    Energy economists call it fuel switching when plants burn whichever fuel is cheaper.

    Coal use fell as wind and solar grew and gas prices for power plants dropped 9%, the EIA says. [26]

    Seen it before

    A family takes the train instead of the bus for a week when train fares drop.

    The truth

    • These are forecasts, and the EIA expects milder summer weather to cut home use next year. [26]
12. 14

    Merz writes to defend the EU carbon market

    What happened

    • Germany's chancellor, Friedrich Merz, wrote to the EU urging it not to weaken its carbon market. [25]
    • The carbon market makes power plants and heavy industry pay for each tonne they emit. [25]
    • His letter says the EU must ensure "investment certainty" in emissions trading. [25]

    Who is involved

    Merz's own energy minister, Katherina Reiche, has pushed to relax the rules. [25]

    • Friedrich Merz keep the rules
    • Katherina Reiche relax the rules

    How it unfolded

    A second carbon market, for heating and road fuel, starts in 2028 after a delay agreed in early 2026. [25]

    1. Early 2026 start delayed
    2. 2028 second market begins

    Why it matters

    Several EU countries want parts of it weakened, blaming carbon prices for high power bills. [25]

    How it works

    Economists call a price that firms can plan years ahead around a price signal.

    Firms built their plans on reliable carbon prices, Merz's letter says, so changing them puts investment at risk. [25]

    Seen it before

    Nobody buys a bike to save on bus fares if the fares might be cut next month.

    The truth

    • Merz wants help with bills paid through existing support schemes, not through a weaker carbon price. [25]
13. 15

    Lebanon says war is undoing its climate plans

    What happened

    • Lebanon's environment minister, Tamara El Zein, says Israel's war threatens her country's climate goals. [19]
    • Israeli attacks burned 16,000 hectares of Lebanese forest from October 2023 to September 2026, she said. [19]
    • A normal year loses about 1,500 hectares, she said. [19]
    • Lebanon's plan to cope with climate change needs $11 billion by 2035. [19] War damage since 2023 already tops $20 billion. [19]

    Who is involved

    • Tamara El Zein Lebanon's environment minister

    How it unfolded

    Fighting restarted in March 2026, after the US and Israel began their war with Iran. [19]

    1. Since 2023 Israel and Hezbollah fight
    2. March 2026 fighting restarts

    Why it matters

    Lebanon aims to get a quarter of its electricity from renewables by 2035. [19]

    The truth

    • Israeli troops still occupy parts of the south, so the damage there cannot all be checked. [19]
14. 16

    Erdogan calls Gaza's war an ecocide

    What happened

    • Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, spoke at COP31 in Antalya on Wednesday. [18]
    • He said what happened in Gaza is "not only a genocide, but it is also an ecocide". [18]
    • He said centuries-old olive trees were cut down and Gaza's soil and water polluted. [18]
    • A UN report found more than 97% of Gaza's tree crops damaged by May 2025. [18]

    Who is involved

    • Recep Tayyip Erdogan Turkey's president

    Why it matters

    Gaza's families can now use about 3% of its cropland, a Palestinian climate group says. [18]

    The truth

    • A UN-backed expert panel concluded last year that Israel committed genocide in Gaza. [18] Israel strongly denies it. [18]
    • Israel, which was not invited to COP31, accused Erdogan of spreading lies. [18]
15. 17

    Central Asia asks for a shared climate plan

    What happened

    • Uzbekistan's president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, proposed a joint climate plan for Central Asia at COP31. [20]
    • His plan includes a shared early-warning system for disasters, with help from the World Meteorological Organization. [20]
    • A separate EUR 264.4m programme will help Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan adapt to climate change. [20]
    • It aims to restore 18,000 hectares of forest and 123,000 hectares of pasture. [20]

    Who is involved

    • Shavkat Mirziyoyev Uzbekistan's president

    How it unfolded

    Central Asia's glaciers have shrunk by about 30% in 60 years, the World Bank says. [20]

    1. Now plan proposed
    2. 2027 Uzbekistan chairs the Aral Sea fund

    Why it matters

    The region's shared water is essential for its farms and for making electricity. [20]

    How it works

    Water engineers call a river that crosses borders a transboundary river.

    Central Asia's countries share the same rivers, so Mirziyoyev says no country can tackle the problem alone. [20]

    Seen it before

    Flats that share one water tank all run short when one family leaves a tap running.

    The same rivers water Central Asia's farms and turn its power stations, so shrinking glaciers cut both.

    The idea, in story 02: Why a power cut can stop the taps →

    The truth

    • The programme mixes several sources of money rather than one grant, euronews notes. [20]

    Good news

    • A EUR 264.4 million programme to restore forest and pasture in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan was launched at COP31.

    What comes next

    Uzbekistan chairs the fund for saving the Aral Sea from 2027. [20]

16. 18

    Solar and batteries could cut power costs 40%

    What happened

    • Solar, batteries and electric demand planned together could cut Europe's power system costs by up to 40%, a study says. [27]
    • The study, from the research arm of Schneider Electric, modelled 40,500 combinations of costs. [27]
    • Get the battery mix wrong, and costs could run up to 35% above today's, it warns. [27]

    How it unfolded

    SolarPower Europe says solar has saved the EU EUR 43.7bn in gas imports since the Iran war began. [27]

    Why it matters

    Batteries were one of the biggest factors in the cost, by easing strain at peak hours. [27]

    How it works

    Grid planners call spreading use away from the busiest hours flattening the load curve. [27]

    Moving use out of the busiest hours frees up grid capacity, Laurent Bataille of Schneider says. [27]

    Seen it before

    A school canteen runs 2 lunch sittings, so it needs fewer tables.

    The truth

    • The 40% is a best case from computer models, not a saving anyone has measured. [27]
17. 19

    Rich economies curb clean-tech imports

    What happened

    • Countries with 58% of the world's economy restrict some clean energy imports, the Oxford Climate Policy Monitor finds. [28]
    • Many of the limits target Chinese goods. [28]
    • Smaller economies, about 8% of world output, are opening up to electric cars, batteries and solar gear. [28]

    Why it matters

    The limits make the switch to clean energy slower and dearer, Oxford's Blavatnik School finds. [28]

    How it works

    Economists call shielding home factories from foreign rivals protection. [28]

    A limit on cheap imports helps factories at home, while buyers pay more and the switch slows. [28]

    Seen it before

    A school that only lets pupils buy snacks at its own tuck shop pays more for crisps.

    The truth

    • The same brief says some limits may be needed for industry and economic security. [28]
    • Who gains Factories at home in big economies — Limits on clean-tech imports shield them from cheaper foreign rivals. [28]
18. 20

    Arctic ice linked to droughts far away

    What happened

    • A new study links less winter sea ice in the Arctic to summer drought across eastern Europe and Asia. [29]
    • It studied the Barents and Kara seas, off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia. [29]
    • The drought corridor runs from eastern Romania and Ukraine to western Kazakhstan. [29]

    How it unfolded

    A record 52% of Europe faced heat stress this year. [29]

    The Loire, Po, Rhine and Danube rivers all fell to record lows by August. [29]

    Why it matters

    A warning months ahead could let countries prepare for drought, the researchers say. [29]

    How it works

    Meteorologists call the giant bends in the high winds Rossby waves. [29]

    After low-ice winters the air flow bent more, bringing warm, dry, still air to the corridor, Petru Vaideanu says. [29]

    Seen it before

    A kinked garden hose sends all the water one way and leaves the rest of the garden dry.

    The truth

    • The study finds a link, and says only that it is consistent with a possible change in the air flow. [29]
19. 21

    South Australia lets gas power data centres

    What happened

    • South Australia's energy minister, Tom Koutsantonis, says gas can help power the state's planned AI data centres. [31]
    • Developer Quantum DC paused its 1,200-megawatt data centre plan at Tungkillo this week. [31]
    • It had planned for gas to supply about 20% of that site's power. [31]
    • Koutsantonis said: "if you don't let them use gas, they'll use diesel or they'll use coal." [31]

    Who is involved

    • Tom Koutsantonis South Australia's energy minister

    How it unfolded

    His government's data centre strategy, released less than 5 months ago, promised renewable power. [31]

    1. About 5 months ago strategy promises renewables
    2. This week gas allowed

    Why it matters

    South Australia aims for 100% net renewable electricity by 2027, a conservation group notes. [31]

    How it works

    Grid engineers call backup power that fills gaps when sun and wind drop firming. [31]

    Data centres need power every hour, so the minister wants gas to fill gaps when sun and wind fall. [31]

    Seen it before

    A phone charged by a solar panel still needs a wall plug on cloudy days.

    The truth

    • The Greens call it a backflip. [31] The state government calls that claim nonsensical. [31]
    • Who gains Gas suppliers in South Australia — The state now accepts gas to fill gaps in power for its planned AI data centres. [31]
20. 22

    Court lets coal port protest go ahead

    What happened

    • A New South Wales court let a climate protest go ahead in Newcastle's coal port on Saturday. [32]
    • NSW police had asked the state's Supreme Court to stop it over fears of collisions and drowning. [32]
    • Up to 785 kayaks and boats may block the shipping channel for 30 to 40 minutes. [32]
    • Justice Edward Muston said the public interest in political protest outweighed the police's concerns. [32]

    Who is involved

    Rising Tide, the group behind it, protests against coal exports. [32]

    • NSW police asked for a ban
    • Rising Tide the protest group

    Why it matters

    On Tuesday, Newcastle council also banned Rising Tide from protesting on community land. [32]

    How it works

    Lawyers call weighing one right against another a balancing test.

    The judge weighed the right to protest against police fears of collision and drowning, and let it go ahead. [32]

    Seen it before

    A head teacher lets a school march go ahead if enough teachers walk alongside it.

21. 23

    Argentina threatens an oil boss with jail

    What happened

    • Argentina threatened the boss of British oil firm Rockhopper with jail over Falklands drilling, the Guardian revealed. [33]
    • Chief executive Sam Moody says the letter came on 1 September. [33]
    • Rockhopper and Israel's Navitas lead the Sea Lion oil project north of the islands. [33]

    Who is involved

    The Falklands are a British overseas territory, and Argentina disputes who owns them. [33]

    • Sam Moody head of Rockhopper

    How it unfolded

    Argentina has asked a sea court in Hamburg to pause the drilling, and hearings were held this week. [33]

    1. 1 September letter to Moody
    2. This week hearings in Hamburg

    Why it matters

    US firm Halliburton says it will not work on Sea Lion after talks with Argentina. [33]

    How it works

    Lawyers call a court's right to hear a case its jurisdiction.

    The UK argues the tribunal lacks jurisdiction, so it should not rule on Sea Lion at all. [33]

    Seen it before

    A referee from one league cannot send off a player in a different league's match.

    The truth

    • Rockhopper and Navitas kept their contractors' names secret, fearing Argentine retribution. [33]
22. 24

    Canada budgets for 55,000 car chargers

    What happened

    • Canada's draft budget sets aside CAD 4bn for the power grid, including more than 55,000 new car chargers. [30]
    • About CAD 635m of it goes to charging. [30] CAD 1.6bn upgrades power in northern and remote communities. [30]
    • The rest of the grid money is spent from 2027 to 2036. [30]
    • The charger scheme pays up to 50% of a project's costs, or 75% for Indigenous-led projects. [30]

    How it unfolded

    Nearly 60% of Canada's electricity already comes from hydro and wind. [30]

    1. 2027 spending starts
    2. 2036 spending ends

    Why it matters

    The charging industry wants chargers for flats, motorways and lorries. [30]

    The truth

    • It is a proposed budget, so none of the money is law yet. [30]

    Good news

    • Canada's draft budget sets aside money for more than 55,000 new public chargers for electric cars.
23. 25

    Octopus raises money for Asian solar

    What happened

    • British firm Octopus Energy launched a fund aiming to raise $600 million for clean power in Asia. [34]
    • Japanese investors back it with $50 million, but Octopus did not name them. [34]
    • Its first deal backs a Manila firm planning 450 MW of solar and 350 MWh of batteries. [34]
    • Octopus says that could supply more than 300,000 homes in the Philippines by 2030. [34]

    Why it matters

    Coal still makes more than 60% of the Philippines' electricity, Octopus says. [34]

    The truth

    • Octopus gave no fund structure, no closing date and not the size of its stake in the Manila firm. [34]
24. 26

    Kazakhstan offers a backstop buyer

    What happened

    • Kazakhstan plans to let wind and solar farms sell to a state buyer if their private buyer walks away. [35]
    • A farm must first sell under a private contract for at least 36 months. [35]
    • Kazakhstan's government also plans auctions for energy storage. [35]

    Who is involved

    The state buyer is the RFC, part of the national grid company Kegoc. [35]

    Why it matters

    Renewables make 8.5% of Kazakhstan's electricity today. [35] It aims to add at least 8.4 GW by 2035. [35]

    How it works

    Bankers call the risk that a buyer stops paying counterparty risk. [35]

    A state buyer in reserve makes a farm's income more certain, so lenders find it easier to back. [35]

    Seen it before

    A lemonade stand plans better when a neighbour promises to buy whatever is left.

    The truth

    • The plan does not yet say what price the state buyer pays, or for how long. [35]
    • Nobody knows yet

      What price Kazakhstan's state buyer will pay wind and solar farms.

      The proposal does not set the price, the contract length or other terms. [35]

25. 27

    Dutch MPs back balcony solar

    What happened

    • Dutch MPs asked their government to write rules for balcony solar panels by next spring. [36]
    • Balcony solar means small panels that plug into a home's socket. [36]
    • Members from 12 of the 17 party groups voted for it. [36]

    How it unfolded

    35% of Dutch households already have solar panels. [36]

    Germany added about 500 MW of plug-in panels last year. [36] Britain legalised them in August. [36]

    Why it matters

    Balcony panels would let more households make their own power and cut bills, the motion says. [36]

    Good news

    • Dutch MPs from 12 of the 17 party groups voted to let homes plug small solar panels into a balcony socket.
26. 28

    Bay Area ends polluting water heaters

    What happened

    • San Francisco Bay Area regulators finalised a rule that new home water heaters give off no nitrogen oxides from 2028. [37]
    • The start date is a year later than planned. [37]
    • Gas appliances there give off more smog-forming pollution than the region's cars, the air district says. [37]
    • Replacing a gas water heater costs about $3,600, against about $7,100 for a heat-pump one. [37]
    • Low-income homes and some with no space are exempt, and about half of installs may qualify. [37]

    How it unfolded

    1. This month rule finalised
    2. 2028 rule takes effect

    Why it matters

    That pollution causes up to 85 early deaths and 15,000 asthma attacks a year. [37]

    The truth

    • Savings estimates differ: the air district says $40 to $50 a year, and the think tank RMI says $360. [37]
    • Who pays Bay Area home owners replacing a gas water heater — A heat-pump model costs about $7,100 against about $3,600 for gas, unless they qualify for an exemption. [37]

    Good news

    • Bay Area regulators finalised the first US rule that new home water heaters must give off no smog-forming nitrogen oxides, from 2028.
27. 29

    Droughts threaten most cactus species

    What happened

    • Most of nearly 1,000 cactus species will lose habitat as droughts worsen, a study in Nature finds. [38]
    • More than a quarter could lose at least 80% of their habitat by 2100. [38]
    • The team used 650,000 sightings that people posted on iNaturalist, a nature app. [38]
    • Lead author Michiel Pillet says cacti are "not that different from other plants". [38]

    Why it matters

    In the Sonoran Desert, saguaro cacti flower less often during long droughts. [38]

    How it works

    Ecologists call harm that does not kill but stops breeding a sublethal effect. [38]

    A cactus can live through a drought yet not flower, so fewer young plants grow. [38]

    Seen it before

    A pot plant can stay green all summer and never flower if it gets too little water.

    The truth

    • The losses are model results up to 2100, not counts of dead cacti. [38]
28. 30

    Wood smoke rivals traffic in children's air

    What happened

    • Children may breathe as much pollution from home wood burning as from traffic, a six-city European study suggests. [39]
    • Scientists measured PAHs, chemicals given off when fuel burns, in homes, schools and sports centres. [39]
    • Colchester and Athens, where people burn wood, had the highest levels, above WHO guidelines. [39]
    • In Colchester homes, the heaviest PAHs were more than 10 times higher in winter than in summer. [39]

    Why it matters

    Some PAHs are linked to cancer after long exposure, and may slow children's development, Barend van Drooge says. [39]

    The truth

    • No city in the study passed the limits for lifetime cancer risk, the researchers say. [39]
29. 31

    UK's first cold health alerts of the season

    What happened

    • The UK's first cold health alerts of the season began on Thursday, for the West Midlands and north-west England. [40]
    • Arctic air could push night temperatures down to -7C. [40]
    • Gusts of 50 to 60mph were forecast for north-east Scotland. [40]

    Who is involved

    The UK Health Security Agency issues the alerts with the Met Office. [40]

    • UK Health Security Agency
    • Met Office

    How it unfolded

    1. This weekend a little milder
    2. Next week wind and rain

    Why it matters

    The yellow alerts warn of more hospital visits by vulnerable people, who face a greater risk to life. [40]

    How it works

    Forecasters call it wind chill: wind takes heat from skin, so it feels colder than the thermometer says. [40]

    Seen it before

    Blowing on hot soup cools it faster than leaving it to stand.

    What comes next

    Temperatures rise a degree or two over the weekend, with rain next week. [40]