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Lili Pike and Alfred Cang, Bloomberg
Bloomberg reports that “China is considering a proposal to host the annual UN climate summit in 2028, a move that would signal the country’s intent to show greater global leadership on the issue”. The outlet adds: “Officials in Beijing are debating the merits of a potential bid to stage the conference…after India in April withdrew an offer to host the negotiations, according to people familiar with the issue, who requested anonymity to discuss private deliberations. Discussions, which have involved the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and environmental officials, are at an early stage and there’s no certainty that China’s government will choose to move ahead with a plan to hold the COP33 talks, the people said. Any decision to do so would require support from the highest levels of government, they said. China’s foreign ministry said in a statement that it isn’t aware of the situation, though the country will continue to support COP events.”
Agence France-Presse also carries the story, saying: “China is mulling a bid to host UN climate talks in 2028, two sources familiar with the matter told AFP Friday, as it seeks to burnish its reputation as a leader in the fight against global warming. Beijing has not yet made a final decision regarding the proposal for the COP33 summit, both sources said, nor is there a clear timeline for doing so. The host does not have to be decided this year.” Seoul Economic Daily notes that such a move would see China “potentially competing with South Korean cities Yeosu and Jeju”.
Jillian Ambrose and Alex Clark, The Guardian
Plans for new onshore windfarms in England have reached their highest annual level in a decade, after the government overturned the Conservatives’ de facto ban in 2015, according to a Guardian analysis of government data. It adds: “About 45 applications for new onshore windfarms were submitted in the year to March…Onshore wind power capacity entering the planning system has more than tripled since Labour dropped the blocks on onshore developments within days of coming to power just over two years ago, the analysis revealed.”
Meanwhile, the Sunday Times reports: “[UK prime minister] Andy Burnham is considering spending billions on new infrastructure to help the UK import foreign gas in an unprecedented intervention in the energy market. Ministers are looking at acquiring a huge ship capable of vaporising liquified gas brought from elsewhere in the world, or creating a government-controlled stockpile of natural gas that could be drawn on in emergencies. However, the plans have drawn criticism from energy industry figures who believe the government should prioritise drilling at the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gasfields in the North Sea.” The climate-sceptic Daily Mail covers new “exclusive” claims by the Conservatives under the headline: “More than 100,000 North Sea oil and gas jobs set to disappear by 2050.” The Press Association covers Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch’s visit to Scotland on Friday, where she claimed that her party has a “common-sense approach” for domestic drilling of oil and gas. The Herald highlights the views of “Scotland’s top energy expert”, Glasgow University’s Dr Ewan Gibbs, who says: “More drilling won’t lower bills.”
Separately, the Financial Times reports that “Britain’s power companies have been put on alert after hackers thought to be affiliated with the Iranian regime shut down a small UK energy facility”. It adds: “The attack took down one of the UK’s small gas-fired ‘peaker’ plants, which generally have a capacity of about 15 megawatts and are connected to local electricity distribution networks, according to two energy industry executives with knowledge of the situation.” The climate-sceptic Daily Telegraph says that the “costs of upgrading Britain’s energy grid for net-zero threaten to spiral out of control, EDF has warned”. The climate-sceptic Mail on Sunday has a double-page spread under the headline: “Is Ed Miliband’s race to net-zero turning Britain into a solar panel tinder box?” [The article “reveals” fires “involving solar panels” affected 0.01% of the UK’s solar installations in 2025.]
MORE ON UK
The Sunday Times: “After the heatwave, the floods. Is UK ready for autumn downpours?” The Times also reports: “UK drought to last into 2027 without extremely wet winter.” The Times: “How will ‘the worst El Niño on record’ affect the UK?” Relatedly, the Guardian reports that “Britain's railway prepares for more extreme weather as intense El Niño develops”. BBC News: “How a new era of heatwaves could shake up the school calendar.” Bloomberg: “Londoners find ‘horrendous’ cracks in their homes after successive heatwaves.” Weaker electric-vehicle targets could mean up to 12 gigawatts less flexible charging capacity being available by 2034, according to new analysis by UK trade association BEAMA, covered by BusinessGreen. The climate-sceptic Mail on Sunday claims that “Andy Burnham is under mounting pressure to sack his 'climate tsar' after she racked up more than enough 'air miles' to get to the moon”. The government has responded: “'We make no apology for pursuing international climate action.”
Jerry Fisayo-Bambi, Euronews
More than 10,000 people marched yesterday through the Swedish capital Stockholm in a “protest against human-made climate change”, reports Euronews, “weeks ahead of a 13 September general election where the issue is top among Swedish voters' concerns”. The outlet adds: “Organised by youth and sporting groups, unions, rural associations and rights groups, the rally…included Sweden's most famous climate campaigner, Greta Thunberg.” Agence France-Presse adds: “According to a Verian opinion poll published by public broadcaster SVT on Thursday, 37% of respondents said the climate was a top priority in the election.”
MORE ON EUROPE
BBC News reports that a government minister says that France has seen 301 drownings since 19 June, “linking the sharp rise in deaths from last year to a series of prolonged heatwaves”. The Financial Times: “Data centres drive Ireland to reopen nuclear power debate.” Reuters: “Norway will drill in Arctic regardless of EU's position, says energy minister.” The Times of India carries an interview with the Potsdam Institute’s Prof Stefan Rahmstorf under his quote: “Europe won’t get back its ‘normal’ climate – a swift transition from fossil fuels will prevent worse conditions.” The Wall Street Journal: “Europe chastised [US president Donald] Trump’s climate rollback. Now it’s delaying its own green goals.” Deutsche Welle: “Subtropical fruits in Germany? Farmers adapting to drought.”
Phoebe Zhang, South China Morning Post
Local authorities in south-western China have updated the death toll of Typhoon Maysak from 39 to 159, six weeks after the devastating floods, reports the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP). The outlet adds that the disaster affected more than 1.65 million people, according to officials, who also said that the typhoon triggered “historically rare, large-scale and persistent heavy rainfall”. State news agency Xinhua says that “major” rice-producing regions in southern China were hit by multiple typhoons, with early rice in some areas flattened, affecting grain harvesting. Wei Fenghua, with the National Bureau of Statistics, said that despite declining early rice production this year due to adverse weather, China's output has remained above 28m tonnes for six consecutive years, laying a “solid foundation for a bumper grain harvest for the year”, according to the newswire. China has issued a 2026-2030 plan for the development of climate services, calling for the establishment of a modern system by 2030 to “better meet the climate service needs of economic and social development”, says Xinhua.
MORE ON CHINA
China and Indonesia have agreed to “work closely” on minerals and “green energy”, reports Reuters. The NEA says China’s total electricity consumption reached 1.04m gigawatt hours in July, up 1.7% year on year, marking a monthly record high, reports Xinhua. Jiemian says manufacturers are not seeing “significant reductions” in electricity bills, as rising system costs offset cheaper renewable power from its large-scale market entry. The NDRC’s Li Qingbin tells Economic Daily that China’s “green consumption potential” will bring opportunities for low-carbon industries and contribute to the global response to climate change. Researchers from China and the US have found that “solar expansion policies across China have led to a reduction in bird diversity”, reports the SCMP. Inside Climate News and Scientific American also cover the story.
Dorany Pineda and Wufei Yu, The Associated Press
The Associated Press reports that federal officials have announced “sharp water cuts for the next two years…for three western [US] states that rely on the imperiled Colorado River”. The newswire adds: “Under the Bureau of Reclamation’s plan, California, Nevada and Arizona will collectively reduce water use by [1.54bn cubic meters] annually during that period, with the possibility of larger cuts depending on conditions.” It quotes Andrea Travnicek, the Interior Department’s assistant secretary for water and science, saying: “We’ve been in this 26-year prolonged drought period. We continue to see a prolonged drought in our future.” The newswire adds: “Years of overuse combined with drought and rising temperatures due to climate change have depleted the country’s two largest reservoirs, which are both fed by the Colorado.” [See Carbon Brief’s recent analysis headlined: “The two largest reservoirs in the US have hit record-low levels.”] The New York Times has a feature on the city of Phoenix: “America’s desert metropolis is on the short list to lose water.” Separately, the Washington Post has published an article under the headline: “See the invisible force driving destructive floods across the US.”
MORE ON US
The Guardian: “Despite [US president Donald] Trump’s attacks, unions are fighting for good US clean energy jobs.” The Los Angeles Times: “Florida shows how to adapt as coastal cities fac
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