Environment

The Spanish Ministry of Economy announced on Tuesday that the World Bank and Spain have partnered to help countries release money for sustainable development projects through debt swaps. Many countries spend more money on debt servicing than they do on development. As a result, many nations have to come up with creative solutions to fund projects. These can range from funding schools and water sanitation projects to protecting coral reefs. The Spanish government announced that the Global Hub for Debt Swaps for Development will be launched at the Finance for Development Summit in Seville (southern Spain) and provide countries with...

The Inter-American Development Bank wants to unlock at least 11 billion dollars in sustainable financing to help countries deal with events such as natural disasters, which put pressure on their currencies and hinder private-sector investments. Multilateral lenders are being pressed to find innovative ways to address climate change, biodiversity loss and other challenges as the United States and richer nations reduce official development aid. Ilan Goldfajn, IDB president, said that the IDB's actions would inspire the private sector to contribute more - a priority of the conference. He said: "We are not just announcing new ideas, we're launching the things...

Inter-American Development Bank President, said that the bank aims to attract at least $11billion in new climate finance by launching a series initiatives to assist countries with global warming impacts and to attract private funding. Multilateral lenders, such as IDB, are being encouraged to squeeze even more out of what they already have. Ilan Goldfajn, speaking on the sidelines of 4th International Conference on Financing for Development said that the IDB's series of actions would help to attract more private funding - which was a major goal of the conference. He said: "We are not merely announcing new ideas, we're...

The latest version of Donald Trump's proposed tax bill includes a reduction in the price of coal used to produce steel. This subsidy could amount to hundreds of millions over a period of 10 years, for a fuel which is mainly exported to China. In April, Trump issued executive orders directing Chris Wright, former CEO of fracking and energy secretary, to determine if metallurgical coal, or met coal, is a critical mineral. Wright did so in May. The latest version of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, released by the Senate over the weekend, allows met coal to claim a tax...

Brazil's Energy Minister said on Monday that a UN decision recognizing the environmental benefits of Multicropping for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), was a win for the South American nation, where farmers grow more than one type of crop on the same piece land. Two sources claimed that the United States planned to object to a recommendation made by the 36 members of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This was revealed in reports published earlier this month. In a press release, Brazil's Minister for Mines and Energy Alexandre Silveira said, "This victory is further proof that Brazil has been the...

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Exxon Mobil Corp.'s attempt to reverse a civil penalty of $14.25m that a court imposed as part of a long-running case over air pollution in its Baytown, Texas crude oil refinery. Exxon asked the Justices to review the case, after a lower-court in December upheld a penalty that was the highest ever imposed in a citizen's lawsuit seeking enforcement of protections against pollution in the air under the landmark Clean Air Act. The lawsuit was filed by the Environment Texas Citizen Lobby in 2010 and the Sierra Club. It focused on Exxon’s Baytown operation, the...

Republican U.S. Republican U.S. Tillis is one of only two Republican Senators who voted against the opening debate for Trump's tax-cutting and spending bill on Saturday. This was a necessary procedural step to advance this legislation. The midterm elections in 2026, when both chambers of Congress are at stake, will see his North Carolina Senate seat as one of only a few competitive Senate races. Trump welcomed Tillis' decision on Sunday. "Great News! "'Senator Thom Tillis' will not seek reelection," said he in a Truth Social posting. While the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives is considered up for grabs, Democrats...

The U.S. Senate Republicans released a revised budget and tax bill late Friday that would eliminate the $7,500 credit for new electric vehicles and leases as well as $4,000 credit for used EVs by September 30. Prior to the new version, the credit would have been terminated 180 days after it was signed into law for new vehicles, 90 days after that for used vehicles. It would also have been terminated immediately for vehicles that were not assembled in North America or those that met other requirements. The Republicans have targeted EVs in a variety of ways, reversing former president...

London's Climate Week attracted a record number of attendees, which was boosted by the cloud that hung over its sister event held in New York last September. The U.S. Government has turned its back on global warming efforts and tightened entry requirements. London Climate Action Week, which concludes on Sunday, has more than doubled its size compared with the 2024 edition. It now hosts 700+ events, and over 45,000 participants. Two dozen sources from business, politics and civil society said that the UK's stronger stance on climate change and its support for visitors coming from developing countries helped. "We are...

Hearings held by the Worker Safety Agency for the first national standard In the U.S., 69 millions people are at risk from extreme heat. States and cities fill in gaps left by federal regulations By Carey L. Biron She said that her father had suffered a heat stroke 10 years ago but still needed his construction job, despite the scorching temperatures in Phoenix, Arizona. "Everyday he leaves for the office is a day that we hope we won't get the same call - anxiety, despair, and worried that he wouldn't pass out again on the job," Moreno Dominguez, 24, said....

Tony Dalwood said that U.S. investors and Asian investors were looking at Europe as a result of the U.S. government's decision to withdraw support for projects in the United States related to the transition to low-carbon economies. Since assuming office, U.S. president Donald Trump has taken steps to reduce various environmental initiatives and regulations, as well as standards, that were championed by the predecessor. This includes ending tax credits for projects involving green energy years earlier than originally planned. Other countries are also feeling the pressure to slow down their transition to zero emissions, but many governments still remain committed...

Cloud computing and AI consume energy and water Climate crisis in the sector Big Tech claims its accounts are transparent and open By Carey L. Biron According to the research, the tech industry faces a "climate crisis" because its data centers require more and more electricity and water in order to power fields such as artificial Intelligence (AI) or cloud computing. The narrative has changed, from "we're set on the target" to "we're not really sure but we'll make it." He said that the picture was further complicated by ongoing discussions about how to report and count future emissions. Big...

The first ever summit of its kind began in Seville on Monday in scorching temperatures, with the world leaders increasingly under pressure to reduce poverty and limit Climate change Other key development goals are increasingly in danger. U.N. Chief Antonio Guterres stated that the event was intended to "repair and rev up" an international system in which "trust is fraying, and multilateralism has been strained." This was a jab at the most notable absence from the conference - U.S. president Donald Trump. The world's biggest economy and its traditional largest aid donor, refused to take part in the conference after...

On Monday, a once-in-10-year summit began in Seville as world leaders are under increasing pressure to speed up progress on poverty reduction. Climate change The Sustainable Development Goals are at greater risk of failing. The U.N. Chief, Antonio Guterres said that the event was intended to "repair and rev up" an existing system of cooperation in which "trust is fraying, and multilateralism has been strained." The U.S. president Donald Trump was notably absent from the summit, which had been attended by more than 50 leaders of the world. This is because the leader of the largest economy in the world...

Four sources familiar with planning say that the Trump administration is preparing a package of executive measures aimed at increasing energy supply in order to fuel the U.S.'s expansion of artificial intelligence. The two biggest economic rivals, the U.S.A. and China, are engaged in a technology arms race that has a military and economic edge. AI's massive data processing requires an increase in energy supplies, which is straining many utilities and grids. According to sources, the government is considering a number of measures, including making it easier to connect power-generating projects with the grid and providing federal land for the...

Researchers at the ETH University of Zurich developed a method that efficiently recovers rare earth elements from electronics waste. This advances sustainable recycling, and reduces mining dependence. Rare earth elements are essential in modern electronics. They power fluorescent lamps, hard drive magnets, and they're used to produce generators for wind farm turbines. According to ETH Zurich University, less than 1% rare earth materials can be recycled due to the enormous energy and chemical effort required to separate the elements within the materials. This comes at a significant cost. ETH Pioneer Fellow Dr. Marie Perrin and Professor Dr. Victor Mougel, Associate...

India has allocated record volumes of rice for ethanol production, as it battles with unprecedented inventories. These are expected to grow further when the new crop arrives. This is a turnaround from the earlier shortages which led to export restrictions. The conversion of more rice into ethanol helps reduce the rice stock in the world’s largest producer and exporter. It also keeps India’s ambitious ethanol blend programme on track, despite the drop in sugar cane supplies. India lifted the last of two years' worth of export restrictions in March. The poor rains had curtailed rice production. The abundant monsoon rainfall...

Floodwaters from an upstream province swept into the mountainous area of China's Guangxi, causing towns and villages to be half submerged. A tropical cyclone is expected to land in the region later on Thursday, adding further disaster risk. Massive flooding in Guizhou province, in the cities of Rongjiang, Congjiang, and other areas, has now spread to the southwest, including Guangxi, where rural settlements are located on the banks of Liu River, which originates in Guizhou. State media reported that the Guangxi township Meilin had been hit hardest, with floodwaters reaching a height of more than four metres (13 feet), above...

After days of rain, multiple rivers in China's flood hit province of Guizhou burst their bank. This is the southwest end of the seasonal rain belt which stretches from Japan to China. Congjiang, and Rongjiang, both riverside cities with populations of more than 300,000 people, told their residents to leave the low-lying and fast-rising areas and along the rivers' banks. Since last week, the East Asia monsoon has been bringing heavy rains to parts of China. This is breaking records for rainfall. Scientists warn that while China has experienced summer flooding before, climate change will bring more rain and heavier...

Brazilian soy farmers have been pushing deeper into the Amazon rainforest in order to plant more crops. This puts pressure on an historic deal signed 20 years ago that was meant to slow down deforestation. A loophole exists in the Amazon Soy Moratorium. This voluntary agreement was signed in 2006 by the top grain traders of the world that they would no longer buy soy produced on deforested land after 2008. Moratorium The law protects the old-growth forest that has not been previously cleared. However, it excludes other types of vegetation or forests that have grown back on land that...

Stellantis, a French company, and Renault, a Chinese automaker, are pushing for fewer safety features in small cars, which would make them more affordable. In the past two months, Stellantis chairman John Elkann has engaged in a public campaign that is rare to try and get the European Union's attention on the issue. It is a goal to revive the small car segment that was abandoned by Europe's automobile manufacturers because they were unprofitable. They blame this on regulations which make vehicles heavier, larger and more expensive. Elkann said last week that Europe needed its own version, which could be...

On Thursday, Prabowo Subito announced that foreign investors were invited to participate in Indonesia's plan for a seawall of hundreds of kilometers to prevent flooding along the north coast on its largest island Java. The wall is expected to cost $80 billion and will be built to prevent flooding. The project builds on a plan from 2014 by the government of Jakarta to protect the city against rising sea levels, land subsidence and flooding along the north Java Coast. Prabowo announced that he will form an agency for the project to build a giant seawall stretching from Banten province to...

China has removed 51 tonnes of rubbish from a scenic region in the south, famed for its craggy peak that was featured in Hollywood blockbuster Avatar. The removal came after social media videos showing ancient caves being used as a garbage dump went viral. Videos on Chinese social media showed that the caves of Hunan province in southern China were filled with rotting garbage piled up to seven to eight stories high. This led to an accumulation of sewage. The Zhangjiajie Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that inspired the scenery of James Cameron's 2009 sci fi film. On...

Proxima Fusion is a Munich-based company that specializes in nuclear fusion technologies. It announced on Wednesday that it had raised 130 million Euros ($148.8 Million) to move it closer to its goal to develop a novel power station. Why does it matter? Around the world, dozens are exploring nuclear-fusion technology, which is a newer form of energy generation that harnesses the same intense process that powers our sun. There is fierce competition between private and public companies, governments of European countries, United States, and China and technology options such as Plasma confinement used by Proxima or lasers. The new conservative...