Environment

Minnesota power regulators approved on Friday a $6.2 billion deal for a BlackRock subsidiary and Canada Pension Plan (CPP) to purchase utility owner Allete - parent of Minnesota Power - saying that recent modifications made by the parties will address concerns over rates and clean energy investments. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission's 5-0 vote may assure investors that BlackRock can address regulatory and antitrust issues as it pushes its Global Infrastructure Partners division, which was purchased last year, to pursue more deals. People familiar with the situation said earlier this week that the infrastructure unit is in negotiations to purchase...

Minnesota power regulators approved on Friday a $6.2 billion deal for a BlackRock subsidiary and Canada Pension Plan (CPP) to purchase utility owner Allete - parent of Minnesota Power - saying that recent modifications made by the parties will address concerns over rates and clean energy investments. The Minnesota Public Utility Commission's 5-0 vote may assure investors that BlackRock can address concerns about regulatory and antitrust issues as it pushes its Global Infrastructure Partners division, which was purchased last year, to pursue more deals. People familiar with the situation said earlier this week that the infrastructure unit is in negotiations...

The U.S. Supreme Court will be deciding a number of cases during the new nine-month session that begins Monday. These include issues like presidential powers, trade tariffs, transgender sportspeople, guns, race laws, campaign finance laws, gay "conversion therapies", religious rights, and capital punishment. The following are some of the cases that will be heard during the upcoming court term. Separately, the court has also acted in emergency cases involving challenges against President Donald Trump's policy. TRUMP TARIFFS A court has agreed that it will decide on the legality Trump's global tariffs. This is a major test for one of Trump's...

Public Investment Corporation, a South African state-owned investor, reported an increase of 22.5% in its listed equity portfolio for the fiscal year ending March 2025. The report was published on Friday. PIC is Africa's largest asset management company, managing assets for clients in the public sector including South African civil servants pension funds. The South African stock exchange's 31.3% return on the dollar over that period, significantly outpacing the 8.6% growth of emerging markets according to MSCI, was a major factor in the financial returns for the 2024/25 year. This was mainly due to cyclical and resources-heavy sectors. PIC's investment...

According to the Interior Department's contingency plan published on Wednesday, some government employees will remain on duty during the shutdown to process oil, gas, and coal leases on public lands. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management posted a plan that stated the goal of maintaining workers in these areas was to address the national energy crisis declared by President Donald Trump when he assumed office in January. BLM's shutdown plan for 2023 did not exclude energy leasing or permitting. The plan stated that "in order to protect life and property of the federal government and to address the National Energy...

Duke Energy, a U.S. energy company, is looking at adding large nuclear reactors and extending some coal plants' lives as part of its long-term plan to meet the rapidly increasing electricity demand in the Carolinas. U.S. electric utilities are increasing their power infrastructure plans in order to accommodate the rapid growth of electricity consumption. This is driven by AI data centres, the electrification and modernization of buildings, transportation, as well as the resurgence of domestic manufacturing. Nuclear energy has been rediscovered due to the recent increase in electricity consumption. It produces electrons around-the clock that are almost carbon-free. Kendal bowman,...

The top European weather forecaster announced on Wednesday that it has opened up access to real-time weather data, which will help support early warning systems around the world for extreme weather. Climate change is causing more intense and frequent weather events, such as heatwaves, floods, and storms. Access to high-quality data is essential to understanding and managing the risks. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts is backed by 35 countries, mostly European, who collect 800 million observations per day to predict the weather. It also oversees one the largest meteorological archives in the world. The centre's data policy leader...

Residents of Tierra Amarilla, a mining town in the Chilean Desert, are hoping that a recent court ruling will ease their fears over a huge sinkhole which opened up near their homes three years ago but remains unfilled. This month, a Chilean environmental court ordered Minera Ojos del Salado owned by Canada's Lundin Mining to repair environmental damages related to its Alcaparrosa Copper Mine, which it is believed to have caused the sinkhole to appear in 2022. The company is required to fill the sinkhole and protect the water supply in the area. The cylindrical crater was originally 64 meters...

U.S. president Donald Trump warned Congress Democrats on Tuesday, that allowing the government to shut down by midnight would allow him to take "irreversible actions" including closing programs important to them. Trump told reporters in the White House Oval Office that he could do things during the shut down that were irreversible. They would be bad for them as well as irreversible themselves, such as removing a large number of people, cutting the things they want, and cutting the programs they enjoy. Trump continued, "You know Russell Vought." He was referring to the Director of the Office of Management and...

Indonesian authorities announced on Tuesday that it is regularly updating the United States and the global nuclear watchdog about its investigation into the detection of radioactive elements in a shipment of shrimp. Indonesia is investigating the traces of Caesium-137 that were found in shrimps shipped by a local firm to the United States in August. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported that the same contaminant had been found last week in a shipment containing cloves. Zulkifli Hazan, Coordinating Minister for Food, told journalists that Indonesia is in contact with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and U.S. authorities. According...

The U.S. Department of the Interior announced Monday that it will open up 13.1 million acres (53,013.8 square kilometers), of federal land to the public. The Trump administration is trying to reverse the decline in coal use. In April, President Donald Trump issued executive orders to increase coal production. This was one of many actions he took that ran counter to the global effort to reduce carbon emissions. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), coal-burning power plants will generate about 15% of U.S. electricty in 2024. This is down from 50% in 2000. Fracking and other drilling techniques have...

Interior Department officials said that the Trump administration is preparing to announce policies on Monday to increase coal production, in an effort to reverse the decline in the use of this fuel. In April, President Donald Trump signed executive orders that increased coal production. This was one of many actions he took to counter global efforts to reduce carbon emissions. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), coal-burning power plants will generate about 15% of U.S. electricty in 2024. This is down from 50% in 2000. Fracking and other drilling techniques have increased natural gas production. The growth of solar...

In the northwestern part of Venezuela, a local foundation has turned piles of broken furniture and discarded plastic into desks. El Zulia Recicla in the capital of Zulia, Maracaibo has so far refurbished 160 desks using plastic waste collected from students. The foundation does not build new furniture but instead repairs metal frames that are damaged and replaces the missing parts with molded panels manufactured in its workshop. The research director of the foundation, Nicolino Bácho, said: "We show that desks with damaged wood and falling apart can be restored." Already, 20 desks were delivered to Ramon Reinoso Nunez school,...

In November, Brazil will host the COP30 climate summit, and the Amazon city of Belem, which is the most biodiverse city in the world, will be the center of attention. Visitors to Sao Paulo in Brazil's business capital may be shocked by the city's treeless landscapes, and its polluted river. Cardim is a botanist and landscaper on a mission. He wants to use native plants of the Atlantic Forest, Brazil's most endangered ecosystem. The Atlantic Forest once covered the entire city but now only occupies a fraction of its original area along the coast. Cardim has created "pocket trees," a...

Petrobras failed a part of the test required to get a drilling license in the Foz do Amazonas Basin, Brazil's Environmental Agency wrote in its report made public on Wednesday. The agency Ibama said that Petrobras had passed the broad test. However, the technical report required the firm to resubmit their animal-rescue plans, listing this as a step necessary for its bids to drill in an ecologically sensitive area. Ibama wrote that the plan "is not capable of ensuring adequate actions for animal care." Petrobras and Ibama didn't immediately respond to requests for comments. Petrobras had previously stated that it...

At a United Nations conference in New York, Brazil's president Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva announced a $1 billion investment into the Tropical Forests Forever Facility. This multilateral funding mechanism has been proposed to support the conservation of endangered forest. Brazil is the first country in the world to make a commitment to the Forest Fund. The announcement confirmed an earlier report citing sources. Lula stated that Brazil will be the first to set an example by investing $1 billion in the forest fund. He added that he expected other countries to announce similar contributions. Sources said the move was...

Two people familiar with the plans said that Brazil would announce a $1billion investment in the Tropical Forests Forever Facility. This multilateral funding mechanism is intended to help conserve endangered forests. Sources say that the investment will be announced later Tuesday by Brazilian President Luiz inacio Lula da So at an event hosted by the United Nations in New York. Brazil is the first country to make a commitment to the Forest Fund. Sources say the move is intended to encourage contributions from wealthy economies and developing countries, who have had disagreements over funding global climate policies. According to those...

AgRural, an agribusiness consulting firm, said that Brazil's soybean planting was at 0.9% of total area expected for the 2025/26 crop season as of last week, which is in line with the planting progress last year. AgRural reported that planting has intensified on the fields in Parana, Mato Grosso and Rondonia states. AgRural reported that "good rainfall forecasts for many areas in the country will give a boost to work this week, despite the low humidity." Conab, a Brazilian crop agency, said that Brazilian farmers would sow soy on approximately 49.08 millions hectares (121.279 acres) of land. The agency forecasts...

Climate Week will kick off in New York City on Sunday, marking the biggest year ever for the event. Organizers report a record number companies participating and more than ever events to attend. This response was almost unanticipated in an event-hosting country that is the wealthiest nation on the planet. The host has a climate-denying program of increasing fossil fuels and rolling back pollution regulations, and defunding U.S. climate science and action. Climate Week organizers even wondered if people would show up, said Climate Group Chief executive Officer Helen Clarkson. Clarkson stated that there was a lot of enthusiasm. Climate...

Three people familiar with the plans said that Brazil would be the first to announce an investment into the Tropical Forests Forever Facility. This multilateral funding mechanism was proposed by Brazil to support the conservation of endangered forest globally. The President Luiz inacio Lula da So will announce the investment at the U.N. on Tuesday in New York. This is a move to unlock more contributions both from wealthy and developing countries, who have been at odds over funding global climate policies. The Brazilian government believes that the TFFF could be the main deliverable for the U.N. Climate Summit known...

On Wednesday night, less than two months before Belem welcomes heads of state to the U.N. Climate Summit COP30 in the Brazilian city, pop star Mariah Carey performed with a cast local artists at a floating concert for the Amazon rainforest. The concert was part of the two-day "Amazon Live Today and Forever" event, organized by Rock World. The company that organizes the music festivals Rock in Rio and The Town. Carey, 56 years old, was able to captivate more than 70,000 Sao Paulo fans on Saturday when she appeared at The Town. Fans watched from another location as the...

In light of the rising costs of accommodation in Belem, an Amazonian city, the U.N. is giving low-income countries additional money to attend COP30. This global climate summit will take place in Brazil in November. Brazil has resisted the calls for the conference to be moved from Belem. President Luiz inacio Lula da So did not want to renege on his promise to show the Amazon rainforest at COP30. A spokesperson for the U.N. Climate Secretariat informed that the International Civil Service Commission of the U.N., which makes decisions on the "daily allowance", has agreed to increase it for Belem....

Residents and local leaders from Ecuador's central Azuay Province took to the streets Tuesday to call for the suspension of an mining project by Canada’s Dundee Precious Metals. They claim that the project will have a negative impact on a crucial water reserve. Dundee had been granted an environmental permit by the government of President Daniel Noboa to begin construction of the Loma Larga Gold Mine there. However, as the community's pressure grew, the country’s energy minister suspended construction in August until Dundee provided an environmental management plan. Provincial authorities rejected the project because it would affect the 3,200-hectare Quimsacocha...

The United Nations has asked its staff to limit their attendance at the COP30 Climate Summit in Brazil, which will take place in November. Meanwhile, government delegations continue to scramble to find hotels within their budgets. As delegations become increasingly concerned over the rising cost of accommodation, the city of Belem on the coast of the Amazon is hosting the COP30. Brazil is working on nearly doubling the number of hotel beds available, but rising prices have led some governments to call for a relocation of the COP30 conference. Brazilian officials, however, have refused. In a UNFCCC document, Simon Stiell,...