Environment

Duke Energy Florida, a U.S. utility, announced on Wednesday that the storm cost recovery charge will be removed from customers' bills a month sooner than originally planned. Costs are related to the company's response of nearly $1.1 billion dollars to hurricanes Debby Helene and Milton. For this, the Florida?Public Service Commission had received a plan from the company in late 2024. The utility announced that residential customers would see a?reduction of about $33 in their monthly bill starting in February, and another $11 in March, bringing the total?reductions up to $44 from levels in January. Commensurate with the reduction in...

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...

During its current term, the U.S. Supreme Court weighs a number of important cases involving such issues as presidential powers and tariffs, gun rights, race, transgender sportspeople, campaign finance laws, voting rights, LGBT “conversion therapy”, religious rights, capital punishment, and more. The term began in October, and will run through June. Separately, the court has also acted in emergency cases in several cases that challenge President Donald Trump's policy. TRUMP TARIFFS During arguments on the 5th of November, the justices raised questions about the legality and impact of Trump’s sweeping tariffs. This case has implications for the global economic system....

The Trump administration proposed on Tuesday a rule that would revise the 'Biden-era protections against pollution for waterways. This move, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), would speed up permitting of energy infrastructure and artificial intelligence. The 'proposed' rule would revise a rule from the administration of former President Joe Biden in 2023 on Section 401, which gave tribes and states authority to protect waters during their review of federally-permitted projects such as pipelines and power stations. Biden's rule replaced one from the first administration of President Donald Trump that limited the power?of tribes and states to force changes...

The U.S. greenhouse gases emissions increased for the first two years at a faster rate than the U.S. economy. They rose by 2.4% by 2025. This was largely due to the increase in power sector demand and the use of fuel for heating buildings. According to the research firm, the increase in emissions was primarily due to increased emissions from direct fuel used to heat buildings. These emissions rose 6.8% from 2025 to the previous year. The power sector also saw a 3.8% increase in emissions as a result of coal-fired generators being added to meet the demand for?data centres...

Local authorities in Kyiv, Ukraine's capital city, said that more than 1,000 apartment blocks are still without heating after a Russian attack this week. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has intensified its bombardment of Ukraine's power system. Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the President of Ukraine, said that Russia has launched over 1,100 drones as well as more than 890 guided aerial weapons and 50 missiles against Ukraine in the last week. These include?ballistic and cruise missiles', A missile strike on Kyiv, Ukraine, left the city virtually without electricity and heat during a cold snap. It wasn't until Sunday,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Nestle has expanded its recall of certain batches of infant nutritional products beyond Europe, to include the Americas, Asia, China, and Brazil. This is according to statements from the company and the national health ministries. Nestle has recalled batches of SMA formula, BEBA formula, NAN formula, and Alfamino due to possible contamination by cereulide. This toxin can cause nausea and vomiting. At least 37 countries have issued health warnings about the possibility of contamination in infant formulas. This includes?most European States, Australia, Brazil and China. Nestle and its new CEO Philipp Navratil are under more pressure after the recall. Nestle...

Chicago Board of Trade Soybean futures rose slightly on Tuesday, as China purchased more U.S. soybeans. The corn and wheat futures both rose slightly as the agricultural markets continued to gain after recovering?on Monday? from recent multi-week?lows. Traders were watching closely the?Chinese?demand for U.S. soybeans after Washington announced in late October Beijing's agreement to purchase supplies as part a truce between the two countries in their trade war. Three traders said that China's stockpiler Sinograin bought 10 U.S. soy cargoes this week, totaling around 600,000 tons. U.S. Department?Agriculture confirmed later that exporters had sold 336,000 metric tonnes of U.S. soya...

Nestle CEO Philipp Navratil apologized?over the recall of certain batches of 'the?firms infant nutrition products in dozens of -countries. This was a new blow for the Swiss consumer goods company after a difficult 2025. "Before I go into more detail about the situation, I want to sincerely apologize for any worry or disruption this may have caused our customers, our caregivers, and parents," Navratil stated in a video released by the 'company. Navratil announced that all recalls had been made. According to the CEO, there are no confirmed illnesses linked to products. The recall has increased the 'pressure' on KitKat...

The chief executive of TotalEnergies, a French oil company, said that the company would consider returning to Venezuela. However, it is not a top priority. "People want a quick return to Venezuela, but it's going to take some time to get a clear investment framework in place. TotalEnergies left Venezuela in 2021. Pouyanne pointed to 'the high capital investment needed to produce and transport Venezuelan heavy crude oil, and to manage greenhouse gas emissions. Pouyanne stated that adding 100,000 barrels a day would require an additional $100 billion. The CEO stated, "We will look at it, we'll be sure to...

Restoration projects in Brazil have increased 160% since 2020 Wildfire-fueled deforestation breaks records Restoring soil with seed is a cost-effective alternative By Andre Cabette Fabio Oliveira, a seed collector from Mato Grosso is among the?more that 700 members of the Xingu Seeds Network who are working to recover forests and savannas in this major agricultural state. After the Brazilian government committed to restore 12,000,000 hectares of natural areas (or 30,000,000 acres) by 2030, as part of its climate goals in the 2015 Paris Agreement, forest restoration is now taking hold. This is thanks to the support of civil society, businesses,...

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that the United States must control Venezuela's oil revenue and sales to achieve the changes it seeks to see in Venezuela. Wright stated that he had been speaking with?U.S. Wright said he was speaking to?U.S. Donald Trump announced over the weekend that the U.S. will "take control" after U.S. troops ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. This could allow U.S. companies to access the vast oil reserves of Venezuela. Wright added that instead of blocking the oil as it is now, the government will sell it to buyers around the U.S. Wright said that the?sales will...

The central bank of Peru slightly increased its forecasted economic growth for 2026 from 2.9% to 3.0%. It also forecasted the same 3.0% growth in 2030. The central bank stated that the revised projections of 2026 in its latest inflation report take into consideration the likely impact of the country's forthcoming presidential elections scheduled for April 12th, 2026. Bank of America also increased its forecast for growth this year from 3.2% to 3.3%. Peru's economy has been recovering for the last two years, after a severe recession in 2023 that was caused by political unrest, social unrest and adverse weather...

Chile is creating a national park to protect unique ecosystems and endangered wildlife at the very edge of the map. The proposed?Cape Froward National Park would cover approximately 150,000 hectares of forest, peatlands and glaciers, as well as coastlines facing the Strait of Magellan. Benjamin Caceres is the wildlife coordinator for Rewilding Chile. He said that humans must regulate their activities, including tourism and industry, to protect fragile ecosystems. "These are resilient places that create refuges for endangered species and maintain balance." Rewilding?Chile is a foundation founded by Douglas Tompkins who was a philanthropist, and the founder of North?Face, an...

Around 200 Indigenous members from Ecuador, Colombia and Peru met in the?Amazonian village of Sinangoe located along the border of Colombia to strategize together how to defend their ancestral land. To mark the occasion, they cleansed their energy with tobacco and nettle leaf and drank sap of the ancestral yoco tree. Indigenous communities of the Amazon rainforest train men and women for years to recognize threats to their mineral rich and verdant lands, and to prevent outsiders from entering their communities. Members of the Indigenous Guard say that in recent years, threats to their ancestral Indigenous territories have increased the...

The economy minister announced on Tuesday that Argentina would lower export taxes for grains, including soybeans and corn. This move will be welcomed by the farming sector, which has been one of Javier Milei's strongest supporters. Milei, who is running for president, has promised Argentine exporters he will cut?taxes. However, he warned him that he would have to do this in stages in order to avoid a sudden?decrease in tax revenue. In a blog post, Economy Minister Luis Caputo announced that the levy on exports of soybeans would be reduced to 24%, from 26%. Byproducts of soybeans will now be...

In the midst of the bustle and noise in a posh coffee shop located on Sao Paulo’s Oscar Freire Avenue a barista prepares an unusual espresso. The shot is extra creamy with a cocoa nib aroma, but lacks the acidity that distinguishes coffees made from arabica beans. This premium espresso is 100% robusta, a bean that has been criticized in the coffee industry as a cheap filler more suited to instant coffee. Marco Kerkmeester said that the coffee has a lot more chocolatey notes and makes a great crema. He also noted the appeal of a variety cheekily labelled "0%...

Brazilian Environment Minister Marina Silva fought tears while global diplomats applauded for several minutes Saturday at the closing plenary session of the COP30 climate summit. She told the delegates in the Amazon rainforest town of Belem that "we've made modest progress, even if it was modest." Then she raised her fist defiantly above her head. "The courage to face the climate crisis is a result of persistence and collective efforts." The Brazilian hosts were able to release their frustrations in the tense room where many nations expressed their displeasure with a deal which failed to mention fossil-fuels, even though they...

Brazil's president Luiz inacio Lula da Silva said that the G20 climate summit in South Africa, and the COP30 summit in Brazil, show that multilateralism remains alive despite attempts by U.S. Donald Trump to dismantle. "Trump is trying to preach against multilateralism and to reinforce unilateralism. "I think multilateralism is going to win," he said to reporters at the Group of 20 summit in Johannesburg. Lula said that Trump's absence from the summit "didn't really matter" to him. "The G20 is still strong." "We need to put the decisions we made into action," he said. He added that he was...

Brazil's COP30 summit was forced to face a crucial day on Saturday after all-night discussions to break an impasse. The European Union had blocked a deal that it felt would not advance efforts to curb greenhouse gases, which are driving global climate changes. The two-week climate conference, billed as an opportunity to demonstrate that nations could still unite to combat climate change in the absence of the United States, was supposed to end on Friday. However the standoff forced the negotiators to work overtime. The Brazilian presidency tried to reach a compromise over a deal which most of the 200...