Environment

The repeal by President Donald Trump of the federal climate regulations will free automakers of costly emissions standards at the tailpipe. However, the move may spark lawsuits or force businesses to navigate a future of uncertain state and regional rules. Trump's Environmental Protection Agency finalized on Thursday its repeal of "endangerment findings" for vehicles. This was a 2009 determination that greenhouse gas emission endanger the health of humans. The agency was given the authority to regulate vehicle emissions, and those from other sectors which produce or burn fossil fuels. Trump claimed that the "biggest deregulation action" of all time would...

The Trump administration's repealing of an Obama-era scientific finding that found greenhouse gases posed a threat to public health could open a new path for filing lawsuits. Legal experts say that reversing policy could lead to an increase in "public nuisance" lawsuits, which were previously blocked by a Supreme Court decision in 2011 that said that the Environmental Protection Agency should regulate greenhouse gas emissions instead of courts. Legal experts say that now that the EPA is abandoning this regulatory effort, it's likely that the legal shield created in 2011 will unravel. Robert Percival is a professor of environmental law...

Data from Benchmark Mineral - Intelligence (BMI), a consultancy, showed that global EV registrations dropped 3% in January due to the introduction of a EV purchase 'tax' and lower EV subsides in China as well as policy alterations in the U.S. Why it's important Global automakers with a large exposure to the U.S. have written down $55 billion over the last year. This is due to their scaling back of electric vehicle ambitions as they face a difficult U.S. marketplace under President Donald Trump. They also faced price wars and more complex vehicle types in Europe. The European Union, as...

The U.S. Climate Prediction 'Center' said on Thursday that there is a 60% probability of a shift in the climate phenomena known as La Nina to?El Nino between February and April 2026. This pattern, also known as ENSO neutral, will likely persist throughout the summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Climate Prediction Center?said Thursday. The U.S. forecaster stated that "atmospheric abnormalities weakened due subseasonal variability but still reflected La Nina." "Low level westerly winds were present over western equatorial Pacific and upper level westerly winds continued across east-central equatorial Pacific." Why it's important La Nina is a part of the El...

In his latest effort to boost the coal sector, President Donald Trump ordered on Wednesday that the Defense Department purchase electricity from coal-fired?power?plants. The Pentagon is required to sign purchase agreements with coal-fired power stations for an undisclosed amount. This executive order was issued by the White House. The Energy Department announced $175 million in upgrades for six coal plants located in Kentucky, North Carolina?Ohio?, Virginia?and West Virginia. Utilities have been phase out coal-fired generators, which are major contributors to carbon emissions linked to climate change. Trump, who called climate change a "hoax", has promised to speed up energy infrastructure...

Shareholder advocates and portfolio managers claim that the Trump administration's decision, to reverse an Obama-era legal analysis, which underpinned greenhouse gas regulations will cause confusion and increase costs for both businesses and investors. Donald Trump, the U.S. president who has called climate changes a "hoax," intends to formally rescind on Thursday 2009 scientific findings which?linked carbon dioxide to harmful health effects - data that have?guided standards of pollution for over 15 years. This is the most significant 'climate change' policy rollback by the Republican administration. It follows a series of regulatory reductions and other measures intended to free up fossil...

On Wednesday, top business leaders called on the European Union to take urgent action to lower energy prices. They said that this was crucial for European industries to be able to compete with the U.S. The message from the industries was timed to land just before EU leaders meet in a Belgian Castle on Thursday for a "retreat". They will discuss how Europe can compete with China and America economically. In a written declaration, CEOs from the city of Antwerp stated that the next five years would be the most challenging in Europe's industrial history. The outcome of the crisis...

Solstice Advanced Materials' forecast for full-year earnings in 2026 was below market expectations on Wednesday. This overshadowed the solid growth of sales during the fourth quarter and the continued strength of nuclear?and electronics materials. LSEG data shows that the'specialty materials maker', which spun off from Honeywell last October, expects to earn adjusted earnings per share in 2026 between $2.45 and $2.75. This is below the analysts’ average estimate of 2.93 per share. Solstice estimates annual sales between $3.9 billion and $4.1 billion compared to an estimated $3.96 billion. The revenue forecast ?signals modest growth from 2025, but continued pressure on...

?U.S. Bloomberg News, citing an official at the White House, reported that President Donald Trump will direct the Pentagon to use government funding and Pentagon contracts to sustain U.S. coal-fired power stations. The report could not be verified immediately. The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment made outside regular business hours, and the Pentagon deferred any?comments to the White House. Bloomberg reported that Trump will issue an executive order on Wednesday directing Defense Sec.?Pete Hegseth?to enter into?agreements for the military to purchase electricity from coal plants. The report said that Trump will also announce a plan...

The White House announced on Tuesday that U.S. president Donald Trump plans to formalize a move on Thursday to overturn the legal basis of federal greenhouse gas regulations from the Obama era, which will result in 'the repeal of vehicle emission?rules. Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, told reporters that Trump would be joined by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin at an event to formalize the revocation of President Barack Obama's 2009 scientific findings that carbon dioxide was harmful to human health. She claimed that the action was the largest deregulation in U.S. History and estimated it would save...

The latest example of local opposition to the expansion of server warehouses in the U.S. is a county commission that denied Talen Energy's request on Tuesday to rezone hundreds of acres of land. Residents in the surrounding communities had been protesting the project for months, voicing their concerns about the impact on the environment and the increase of power bills. Talen said in a press release that it would continue to monitor the situation. The company stated that it was grateful for the opportunity to have a continuing conversation with Montour County residents and leaders about the proposed project. This...

This week, the administration of Donald Trump will overturn a scientific finding from Obama's time that "carbon dioxide is harmful to human health". The legal basis for federal regulations on greenhouse gas emissions will be removed. The move would be the most significant climate change policy rollback by the Republican administration to date. It follows a series of regulatory reductions and other measures intended to unfetter the development of fossil fuels and stymie clean energy's rollout. Trump has said that he believes climate changes are a hoax and has pulled the United States out of global efforts to fight it....

Traders reported that the cyclone which hit Madagascar this week has stopped 'production' at Ambatovy Cobalt and Nickel Miner. They added that a prolonged outage could increase prices for battery materials. Ambatovy is owned by the Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corp and the state-owned Korea Mine Rehabilitation and Mineral Resources Corporation. In 2024, it will produce?around 28,000. metric tons nickel and 2,500 tons cobalt. Exports are likely to be disrupted, as Madagascar's principal port Toamasina has been?hit severely. Ambatovy & Sumitomo didn't?respond to requests for comment. Ambatovy produces Nickel and Cobalt Briquettes that are easily crushed to small particles, and...

The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday released interim rules to enforce provisions in President Donald Trump's tax law which restrict companies from claiming federal clean energy subsidies if they are too reliant on Chinese made?equipment. Since the passage of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act in July last year, solar and wind developers, as well as factory owners, have been anxiously waiting for this?guidance. It applies to lucrative tax incentives for clean energy manufacturing, and electricity generation. The law has accelerated expiration dates for many clean energy tax credits from the Biden era and introduced complex requirements to reduce U.S....

Analysts?and producers say that Paraguay’s soybean crop in 2025/26 is expected to exceed 10 million tons, and could become the biggest ever recorded by the country. StoneX, a South American agricultural?consultancy, revised its estimate of the crop harvested from October to February, increasing it by 500,000 tons. This is a significant increase over the previous estimate, which was 9.65 million tonnes. The crop, according to StoneX, "is among the best recorded ever" in this landlocked South American producer, the report stated. Analysts believe the final production total will depend on the second, smaller crop (or "zafrina") harvested between April-May. StoneX's...

Iron ore futures in Dalian fell for the sixth time on Monday, as concerns over supply disruptions subsided after the Australian hub port resumed operations after a cyclone alert. As of 0258 GMT, the most-traded contract for May iron ore on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange was trading 0.33% lower. It was 762.5 Yuan ($109.98). The benchmark March ore traded on the Singapore Exchange rose 0.72% to $99.75 per ton. Singapore's benchmark dropped below $100 per ton, as the demand in China slowed before the Lunar New Year holiday. Data from Steelhome, released on 6 February, showed that iron ore inventories...

Agrotools is a Brazilian agricultural data service firm that will?complete building what they claim will be the largest platform in the world for payment of environment services, after securing an subsidized loan from the government, said a senior executive this week. Bernardo 'Pires, government relations manager at the firm, explained in an interview that the platform allows farmers receive lease payments at market rates in exchange for maintaining native vegetation on their land. Businesses and governments that are required to reduce their carbon footprint will provide the money, which they will then share with farmers from a region considered one...

The Meteorological Department of China announced on Thursday that the average temperature in China for the year was 10.9 degrees Celsius (51,6 degrees Fahrenheit). This is the highest ever recorded high-temperature day. At a press event, the administration announced its climate bulletin for 2025. The World?Meteorological Organisation stated in January that last year was?amongst the three warmest years on record. The administration stated that China's annual average temperature has risen in recent decades. 2025 will be the hottest year since 1961 when the first nationwide records began. The intensity of heavy rainfall and extreme heat has increased, increasing the risk...

Researchers studying satellite data for California discovered that the?more electric vehicles in a neighbourhood, the lower air pollution caused by burning fossil fuels. Satellite data confirmed, on the other hand, that areas that increased their number of gas-powered cars saw an increase in pollution. In a press release, Sandrah Eckel from the Keck Medical School at USC stated that California's move to electric vehicles has already made measurable changes in the air quality. Researchers reported in The Lancet Planetary Health that for every 200 zero emission vehicles added to Californian neighborhoods between 2019-2023, nitrogen dioxide concentrations dropped by 1.1%. Pollutants...

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...

On Saturday, almost 4,000 flights in the U.S. were cancelled ahead of a monster storm that already has?cut off power to thousands utility customers as far as Texas? and threatens to paralyze east states with heavy snowfall. Forecasters predicted that a monster winter storm, which has already 'cut power to thousands of utility customers as far west as Texas,' and threatened to paralyze eastern states with heavy snowfall, will sweep across the eastern two thirds of the country on Sunday, and continue into next week. Donald Trump, who called the storms historic, approved federal disaster declarations on Saturday in South...

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...

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...

Nestle has expanded its recall of certain batches of infant nutrition products beyond Europe. It now includes Africa, Americas, and Asia. Nestle recalled batches of SMA formula, BEBA formula, NAN formula, and Alfamino formulation because they may have been contaminated with cereulide. This toxin can cause nausea and vomiting. Health warnings have been issued in 37 countries including the majority of European states, Australia, Brazil and China. The recall puts more pressure on KitKat, Nescafe and its new CEO Philipp Navratil who is trying to restore growth with a portfolio review following management changes. Nestle shares are down 5.7% this...