China’s Carbon Emissions Rise Again as More Clean Power Is Wasted
China’s carbon dioxide emissions from energy and industry rose 2% in the first quarter of 2026, reversing a full‑year decline recorded in 2025. The increase stems from an inflexible grid that discarded clean power equivalent to France’s entire electricity output, while coal and gas plants burned more fuel despite record wind and solar installations. Renewable curtailment climbed to 9.2% for solar and 8.5% for wind, limiting the sector’s ability to meet rising demand. Analysts estimate that 170 TWh of potential clean generation was lost, enough to offset the demand surge.
Recycling Could Meet Half of Europe’s Critical Mineral Needs by 2050
A new EU‑funded FutuRaM report finds that recycling waste streams could meet more than half of Europe’s critical mineral demand by 2050. The study estimates that 2 million tonnes of critical minerals in 2022 waste could rise to 6 million tonnes by...
Electric Car Sales Race Ahead in SE Asia and Latin America Amid Oil Supply Crisis
The International Energy Agency’s latest analysis shows electric vehicle sales surged in the first quarter of 2026, with nearly 30% of all cars sold projected to be electric as the Iran‑Hormuz conflict drives oil prices higher. Sales jumped 80% in...
Ukraine Can Help Europe Meet Its Battery Material Needs, Experts Say
Ukraine possesses deposits of 25 of the EU’s 34 critical minerals, including the continent’s largest graphite and manganese reserves essential for EV batteries and energy storage. Researchers say a new graphite mine and processing plant near Balakhivka could supply up...
Paris Agreement Committee Snubbed over Missing NDC Climate Plans
The UN’s Paris Agreement Implementation and Compliance Committee (PAICC) reported that at least 55 countries have not submitted their 2025‑round nationally determined contributions (NDCs), with only two submissions recorded since the March meeting. Roughly half of the lagging nations—about 28—have...
Santa Marta Was a Learning Moment for How to Shape Inclusive Just Transitions
The first Global Conference on Transitioning away from Fossil Fuels convened in Santa Marta, Colombia, co‑hosted by the Netherlands, drawing nearly 60 countries alongside activists, Indigenous peoples, private‑sector leaders and academia. The summit aimed to forge a “coalition of the...
Signify: “We Believe Resilience Is Becoming More Important to Businesses Right Now”
Signify has launched its third sustainability roadmap, “Brighter Lives, Better World 2030,” expanding targets across energy efficiency, emissions reduction and circular revenue. The plan aims to source 41% of revenue from solutions beyond illumination by 2030, save 60 TWh of electricity...
Indigenous Groups Warn Amazon Oil Expansion Tests Fossil Fuel Phase-Out Coalition
Indigenous leaders at the Santa Marta conference warned that expanding oil drilling in the Amazon threatens the credibility of the emerging fossil‑fuel phase‑out coalition. They called for permanent exclusion zones—dubbed “Life Zones”—to protect Indigenous territories and biodiverse areas, but the final...
EU Warns on Solar Geoengineering but Research Debate Grinds On
EU foreign ministers issued their first joint statement warning that large‑scale solar radiation modification (SRM) poses significant climate, environmental, security and geopolitical risks. The declaration calls for a moratorium on SRM deployment, applies the precautionary principle, and urges the EU...
Türkiye’s COP31 Presidency and IEA Join Forces on Clean Energy Push
Türkiye’s COP31 presidency has forged a strategic partnership with the International Energy Agency to accelerate the global clean‑energy transition amid the Iran‑Russia war‑driven energy crisis. The alliance will focus on energy security, large‑scale electrification, green industrialisation, clean cooking for 2.3 billion...
New Loss and Damage Fund Could Run Out of Money Next Year
The UN‑backed Loss and Damage Fund, established to compensate developing nations for climate‑related harms, may exhaust its capital by the end of 2027, according to Executive Director Ibrahima Cheikh Diong. Ten projects have already requested $166 million, yet only $449 million of...
This Week’s IMO Green Shipping Talks Are a Test for Multilateralism
Governments gathered in London to push the International Maritime Organization’s Net‑Zero Framework (NZF), a combined technical fuel standard and emissions pricing scheme for international shipping. The sector moves 80% of global trade and accounts for roughly 3% of worldwide emissions....
China’s Solar Exports Reach “Gigantic” Record in March as Energy Crisis Bites
China’s solar component exports surged to a record 68 GW in March, roughly the output of Spain’s entire solar fleet. The volume more than doubled February’s shipments and topped the previous record by 49%, driven largely by a rush to ship...
To Phase Out Fossil Fuels, Developing Countries Need Exit Route From “Debt Trap”
A new report from the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative warns that soaring external debt – now $8.9 trillion for low‑ and middle‑income nations – is trapping developing countries in a cycle where fossil‑fuel revenues are needed to service debt, while that...
Earth Day Is an Opportunity for Communities to Show the Way on Climate Action
Earth Day 2026 is framed as a rallying point for grassroots climate action as the United States deepens federal rollbacks, including withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and repeal of the EPA’s greenhouse‑gas endangerment finding. The article highlights record‑high temperatures in...