Anna Stacey

The Conservatives pledged to replace the UK’s Climate Change Act with a new plan for “cheap and reliable” energy. Meanwhile, UK energy billpayers have spent a record £1 billion this year to switch off wind turbines due to grid capacity failures.

At the UN General Assembly, President Trump dismissed climate change as “the greatest con job”. Elsewhere, as Belém prepares to host COP30, the city faces a housing crisis fuelled by a surge in short-term rentals targeting summit attendees, displacing local residents.

The EU is expected to miss a key UN deadline to submit updated climate targets. Meanwhile, in Australia, the Albanese government has set a 2035 emissions reduction target of 62% to 70% below 2005 levels, calling it the “maximum achievable ambition.”

A new forecast has warned that Donald Trump’s pro-fossil fuel policies could cut the pace of US emissions reductions by more than half. Also in the US, two former Meta researchers have testified to a Senate panel that Meta prioritised profits from its VR platform over child safety.

For the first time in six years, no environmental proposals were passed in the 2025 US proxy season, reflecting waning investor support. Elsewhere, in Australia, it has been revealed that the Darwin LNG plant leaked methane for nearly 20 years, emitting up to 184kg an hour.

The EU’s goal of cutting vehicle CO2 emissions to zero by 2035 is no longer achievable, industry leaders warned. Meanwhile, the Net-Zero Banking Alliance has paused activities after an exodus of members including HSBC, Barclays, and UBS.

The European Central Bank faces calls to toughen climate-risk penalties. Meanwhile, UN negotiations to finalise the world’s first legally binding treaty on plastic pollution collapsed after three years of talks.

Ford will invest $5 billion to expand its U.S. electric vehicle production and has plans for what will be the most affordable electric pickup truck on the market. Elsewhere, one of the largest nuclear power plants in France has been shut down after a massive jellyfish swarm clogged cooling systems.

Italy has fined fast fashion giant Shein €1 million for making misleading environmental claims on its website. Elsewhere, a database documenting the billion-dollar impact of increasingly severe weather events will be revived this autumn.

Australia is ramping up its renewable energy efforts by expanding its key clean energy investment scheme by 25%. Meanwhile, China's massive coal expansion is sparking alarm, with over 450 new mine projects in development, and 40% already under construction, posing a serious threat to global climate targets.