Climate Change








Asia

ADB approves $500 mln loan to support a sustainable Philippine blue economy

The Asian Development Bank approved a $500-million policy-based loan for the Philippines to help support its blue?economy. This will focus on protecting the marine ecosystem from threats such as extreme weather conditions and plastic pollution. The?programme will be cofinanced by Agence Francaise de Developpement (French Development Agency) and Germany's KfW Development Bank, each contributing about $235 millions. It aims to ensure environmental resilience as the Philippines taps into its ocean resources via industrial fishing, tourism -and offshore energy. In a press release, ADB Philippines Country director Andrew Jeffries stated that this is ADB’s first extensive multi-sectoral program focused on fostering...

North America

Climate Change

Wash Post reports that US national parks are being asked to remove signs about climate change and mistreatment of Native Americans.

The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that U.S. officials ordered this month national parks to remove hundreds of signs and displays about the mistreatment by settlers of Native Americans, as well as climate change. This is part of Donald Trump's effort to change public spaces and museums, which rights activists say could reverse decades of social progress. Last week, the National Park Service removed an exhibition on slavery from Philadelphia's?historical site, in accordance with Trump’s claims of "anti-American ideologies" at historical and cultural institutions. The Post reported citing documents that Trump administration officials had ordered that this month signs in...

Environment

Wash Post reports that US national parks are being asked to remove signs about climate change and mistreatment of Native Americans.

The Washington Post reported?on Tuesday? that U.S. officials ordered this month national parks to remove hundreds of signs and displays relating to the'mistreatment of Native Americans in the past by settlers', as well as the - climate change and - environmental protection. This is part of Donald Trump's effort to change public spaces and museums, which rights activists say could reverse decades of social progress. Last week, the National Park Service removed an exhibit about slavery from a Philadelphia historical site, in accordance with Trump's claims, which were rejected by civil right groups. The Post?reported citing documents that Trump administration...

Environment

Insurance giant AXA XL, Enosis Capital seal 'debt-for-nature' tie up

Enosis capital, a credit fund, has signed an agreement with AXA XL to have the insurance company provide vital cover for a $3 billion wave of debt for nature' deals. The first deal is expected to be in the next 6 to 9 months. Debt-for nature swaps are designed to help countries with lower incomes spend more money on ecosystems that are under threat, such as coral reefs or rainforests. They do this by substituting expensive government bonds for cheaper alternatives. Belize, Barbados, and Ecuador's Galapagos Islands are examples of places that have seen their popularity grow. But there has...

Climate Change

What one year's Trump's climate censorship has revealed

EPA reportedly removes a climate page that mentions "human-caused" Data preservation and tracking changes are a priority for groups The future of climate reporting is in the air By David Sherfinski The administration has removed all references to climate justice and environmental change from government resources. It even deleted or blocked access to data and information which could contradict or undermine his agenda. The implications of this are huge - and they could be even more severe during his remaining term. There is a perception among some that scientists who don't support the agenda will be muzzled, and that findings...

Environment

Colon cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in US under 50s

According to a recent data analysis, cancer-related deaths among U.S. adult under 50 years of age have declined for all leading cancers except colorectal. This cancer is now the most common cause, moving up from fifth place during the early 1990s. Researchers from the American Cancer Society noted that colorectal cancer has surpassed its original prediction of becoming the leading cause of cancer death in the age group under 50 by 2040. The analysis published in JAMA?found that from 1990 to 2023, the last year for which there are data available, nearly 1.3 millions people in the U.S. died of...

Climate Change

Microsoft signs record-breaking deal with soil carbon credits to boost data centres

Microsoft and Indigo Carbon have agreed to purchase a record amount of?2,85 million soil carbon credits related to regenerative farming in the United States. The tech giant is aiming to be "carbon-negative" by 2030, despite the rising emissions associated with AI. Microsoft, the world's largest buyer of carbon credits, did not reveal the price of the 12-year deal. However, someone with knowledge of it said that the credits Indigo Carbon sells are priced between $60 and $80 per ton, which would put the value of the deal anywhere from $171 million to $228 million. Regenerative farming includes a variety of...

Environment

CDP data shows that Japanese companies are leading in climate leadership

22% of companies achieve 'climate Leadership' More companies signing up for SBTi helps CEO: Corporates continue to move forward despite politics By Sharon ?Kimathi LONDON (Jan 14) - Japanese companies topped a ranking of corporate climate efforts, in part due to the fact that?more? have had their targets?signed off by an independent validator. Non-profit data tracker CDP announced this on Wednesday. Japan topped the list with 22% of its companies having achieved what CDP defines as "climate-leadership", followed by UK with 17% and the European Union with 16%. China and Southeast Asia were at 8%. CDP is the only independent...

Climate Change

UN chief Guterres regrets US withdrawal from certain UN entities

His spokesperson stated that the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres regretted a U.S. withdrawal from dozens of U.N. bodies, and stressed that U.S. funding was mandatory for "a large number" of these organizations. U.S.?President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that United States will withdraw from dozens international and U.N. organizations, including one that promotes gender equity and women's empowerment and another that is a U.N. entity, as they "operate against U.S. National Interests." Stephane Dujarric said that a "large number" (of the 31 U.N. organizations on the U.S. List) are funded from the regular U.N. Budget. He added that...

Environment

US CPC predicts La Nina transition in early 2026 with 75% probability

The U.S. Climate Prediction Center (CPC), which is based in the United States, said that La Nina persists, and there's a 75% probability of a shift to ENSO neutral conditions between January-March. "Atmospheric anomalies remained consistent with La Nina across the tropical Pacific Ocean." The U.S. forecaster said that for most of the month easterly winds anomalies remained over the central equatorial Pacific and upper-level westerly winds continued across the equatorial Pacific. Why it's important La Nina is a part of El Nino and the Southern Oscillation, which affects the water temperatures in central and eastern Pacific Ocean. La Nina...

Carbon Emissions

"US withdrawal from key UN climate treaty is criticized as self sabotage".

Simon Stiell, the UN climate chief, said that the United States' decision not to sign a key U.N. climate treaty was a "colossal own goal" which would harm its economy, jobs and living standards. Stiell stated in a statement that "while all other nations are moving forward together, the latest step backward from global leadership can only harm the U.S. Economy, Jobs and Living Standards, as wildfires and?floods become more severe, and mega-storms, droughts, and floods worsen." "It's a colossal goal that will make the U.S.?less secure and less prosperous." Donald Trump, the U.S. president, who has been a vocal...

Energy Markets

Legal questions arise from Trump's withdrawal of the UN Climate Treaty

Some legal experts believe that the Trump administration's decision, made by the Trump Administration, to withdraw from the U.N. Climate Treaty, which was unanimously adopted in the U.S. Senate more than 30 year ago, could be illegal. They say Congress would have to approve the withdrawal. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced that the United States will withdraw from dozens international and U.N. organizations. This includes the U.N. The Framework Convention on Climate Change and the scientific Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are both "opposed to U.S. National Interests" by focusing on oil, gas, and mining development. Trump, who is...

Climate Change

Trump vetoes first measures in his second term, including a Florida tribal measure and a Colorado water project

Donald Trump, the U.S. president, has vetoed an important drinking water project in Colorado. This prompted immediate condemnation by Colorado Republican 'lawmaker'?Lauren Boebert. Boebert is a former MAGA ally and recently challenged Trump on his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein documents. Late on Tuesday, the White House announced Trump vetoed the Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act (AVC), which had been unanimously approved by the House of Representatives as well as the Senate. A second measure, affecting a Florida-based project, was also rescinded. These were Trump's first two vetoes during his second term. The Colorado project was vetoed after Trump's...

Europe

Environment

Sicilian town is left perched on the edge of a cliff by a landslide

The Italian civil protection chief said that homes in the Sicilian city of Niscemi were left perched on the edge of the cliff following a landslide triggered by storm. Niscemi is a town with a population of around 25,000 in central-south Sicily. It sits on top of a plateau which, according to authorities, is slowly collapsing towards the plain below. Over 1,500 people had to be evacuated. After large sections of slopes gave way, buildings were left hanging over the edge. The front end of a car was poking out into the chasm. Fabio Ciciliano, the head of civil protection...

Environment

Marshall Islands' nuclear past, present and future are explored at a London exhibition

After a trip to the Marshall Islands as part of a?expedition, a group of artists has shed light on climate change and nuclear testing. The "Komij mour?Ijin/Our Life Is Here" exhibition, at London's National Maritime Museum, features photos, videos, and sculptures that explore the dark history of the country and the threats it faces. Cape Farewell is a cultural project that combines art, science and climate change founded by artist David Buckland. In 2023, a group of artists, scientists, writers and filmmakers will sail to the Marshall Islands. The group visited several atolls including Bikini where the U.S. conducted?nuclear tests...

Climate Change

UK court approves challenge to large data center

After campaigners received permission on Thursday to file a first-of-its-kind lawsuit against the project, Britain's approval of a hyperscale data center just?outside London is under scrutiny. The government approved plans for a 90MW Data Centre in Buckinghamshire last year after the local authority refused permission. Foxglove, a British non-profit and Global Action Plan, an environmental charity, argued that ministers had failed to take into account the climate change impact of the "vast" amount of electricity required by the data center. Since ChatGPT's release in late 2022 the global data centre demand has risen, and so have the planned projects, as...

Western Europe

East Asia

Climate Change

The climate change is putting the Winter Games in Milano Cortina to the test.

Teams of snowmakers are racing against the clock to meet the competition requirements for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, within ever-shorter cold windows. Climate change is reshaping the limits of technology. Organisers at Italy's Alpine venues are increasingly relying on artificially-produced snow to compensate for the declining and less predictable natural snowfall. This means that months of preparation can be squeezed into short periods of subzero temperatures, leaving less room for error. In order to accommodate the Olympic competition in Milano - Cortina, resorts like Livigno, Bormio and Antholz-Anterselva, which are already established, have added reservoirs, pumps and snow...

Pollution

eBay announces its first climate plan that targets net zero by 2045

eBay, the e-commerce giant, unveiled on Wednesday its first climate change plan and said it would increase efforts to decarbonize?its operations?and supply chain?as part of a plan?to reach?net-zero emission levels by 2045. The plan was validated by Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), a standard-setting organization. It builds on achieving an earlier goal to power all of its facilities with 100% renewable electricity by 2020, which had been achieved in 2024. Renee Morin, Chief Sustainability Officer at eBay, said the company aims to align with the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius over the pre-industrial level. This...

Climate Change

Research firm predicts that global EV sales will slow down after a 20% increase in 2025.

Data showed that global EV registrations increased by 20% in 2018, but will likely slow down in 2026. This is because a combination of a slowdown in China, and the relaxation of electrification goals worldwide, led to a sales increase in December which was the lowest since February 2024. The number of monthly'registrations' of electric vehicles in North America, including plug-in and battery hybrids, has dropped even further since the United States ended its EV tax credit program in October, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Why it's important According to BMI data manager Charles Lester, radical policy changes, such as...

Environment

Tiny Tuvalu treasures its'special relationship with Taiwan'

The Prime Minister of Tuvalu, who visited Taiwan on Tuesday during a period of increasing geopolitical rivalry between China and the United States in the Pacific, said that his tiny country values its "special relationship". Tuvalu is only one of 12 countries, including three in the Pacific region, that maintains formal diplomatic relations with Chinese-claimed Taiwan. Beijing has intensified its efforts to win back Taiwan's remaining allies. Feleti Teo said he was always impressed by the warmth with which he is welcomed whenever he visits Taiwan. Teo stated that "Tuvalu treasures its special relation with Taiwan. A relationship built on...

Pollution

Indigenous leaders attend the opening of COP30 Climate Summit with an uncertain outcome

It was not clear what the 190+ countries attending the COP30 would be discussing during the two week U.N. Summit in Brazil's Amazonian city of Belem. It's also unclear how they will handle controversial issues such as the 2023 pledge to stop using polluting sources of energy and their demand for funding to achieve this. The biggest question was whether or not countries would want to reach a final deal, which is difficult to do in an era of global politics that has been fractious and the U.S.'s efforts to block a move away from fossil-fuels. After years of COP...

Environment

What are the world leaders saying in Brazil at the climate summit?

Brazil hosted world leaders on Thursday for a summit ahead of the COP30 Climate Conference in the rainforest city Belem. Leaders have made some interesting comments. U.N. SECRETAIRE-GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES We can either choose to lead or we can be led into ruin. "Too many companies are making record profits by destroying the climate, while spending billions on lobbying and deceiving public opinion and obstructing advancement. And too many leaders continue to be captive to these entrenched interest." BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA We need a road map to plan an equitable way to undo the deforestation and...

Energy Markets

HSBC reduces emissions targets in the near term for polluting industries

HSBC released a new set of climate targets on Thursday that are softer and more flexible for near-term sectors like oil and gas. This is in response to the slow rate of change in real economy. The targets for the end of the decade follow a review that was announced by British bank earlier this year, when it dropped its goal to reach net-zero emissions in all of its operations by 2030. HSBC is still aiming for its operations, funded by the loan book, to produce zero emissions by 2050. It and other banks who have set similar climate goals...

Energy Markets

Maguire: New five-year plan to cut subsidies will focus on China's EV exports.

China's car industry has been a major disruptor of the global automaker industry for the last decade. Its electric vehicle producers have replaced combustion engine cars at home, and have also flooded the global market with record exports. The country may have to reverse its electric vehicle exports and output following a major policy shift that will reduce EV subsidies in the upcoming five-year plans. China's top industrial policymakers have omitted electric cars from the list of strategic industries in their 2026-2030 Development Agenda, China's main industrial strategy blueprint. Industry analysts interpret the omission as Beijing's willingness to let the...

Environment

The heatwaves in China threaten to reduce the supply of 'hairy Crabs'

Xie and her family have had to endure the most hardships in the last three years, after more than a decade of cultivating "hairy claws", a Chinese delicacy renowned for its furry appearance. The 34-year old woman, who was standing in front of tanks full of crabs prized for their golden roe and sweet flesh, said that the weather had been getting worse each year since 2022. She wrapped some of the crabs in straw before preparing them for her customers. We've prepared ourselves mentally for these losses. Xie, a farmer at Yangcheng Lake in Jiangsu province's eastern region, is...

Environment

New Zealand's Finmin aims to strengthen regional ties as US-China trade war continues

Nicola Willis, New Zealand's Finance Minister, said that regional and bilateral trade relationships would continue to grow in the face of the U.S.-China Trade War. Small countries such as hers will have to adjust to a different reality and maintain their priorities. Willis stated in an interview with The New Zealand Herald on Thursday that New Zealand is acutely aware of geopolitical risks and economic challenges. However, her discussions this week at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund annual meetings showed the strength of international institutions as well as trade agreements among other countries. She said that New Zealand...

Energy Markets

China accuses EU of hypocrisy over critics of climate goal

China's Foreign Ministry said that the EU's climate chief's criticisms of China's climate pledges show "double standards" and "selective blindness", accusing them of slow action on their own climate targets. China pledged earlier this week to reduce greenhouse gas emissions between 7% and a 10% reduction by 2035 compared to their peak levels as part of the new targets for its nationally determined contributions. Wopke hoekstra, the European Union's climate commissioner, called the goal "clearly disappointed". The Chinese Foreign Ministry appeared to make a reference to this statement without directly addressing it. A day earlier Donald Trump, the U.S. president,...

Environment

Fortescue Chairman Forrest doubles-down on renewables to challenge Trump

Australian miner Fortescue is experiencing strong interest in its decarbonization-related offerings, Executive Chairman Andrew Forrest said in an interview, as he challenged U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that climate change is the "greatest con job" in the world. Fortescue, Australia's fourth-largest iron ore miner, has set ambitious targets for decarbonization. However, it was forced to abandon some green hydrogen projects. The fourth largest iron ore miner in the world, Fortescue, blamed the cancellation of an Arizona project on a shift away from green energy in the United States. Forrest, however, said that he would not give up, despite the criticisms...