China’s new environment ministry unveiled, with huge staff boost
New offices required to house mega-department, but will climate change survive as a priority after being shifted out of the powerful development commission?
UN, EU climate chiefs call for ambitious shipping strategy from IMO
The UN’s Patricia Espinosa urged negotiators at the International Maritime Organization to adopt a deal this week that supports the Paris Agreement
Climate talks for shipping ‘on a knife-edge’ as deadline looms
A draft text would see shipping halve its carbon footprint by 2050, but experts say that falls short of the Paris Agreement goals
US agency calls for ban on controversial coal mine ‘self-bonds’
The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office is urging Congress to make coal mining companies pay for environmental clean-up and reduce the risk to taxpayers
Documents shed light on BP’s failures in the Great Australian Bight
A major oil spill in the region would have covered up to 750km of beaches and disrupted whale migration, reveal government documents BP tried to suppress
Shell threatened with climate lawsuit in the Netherlands
Friends of the Earth has warned it will take the oil giant to court unless it overhauls its business plan in line with international climate goals
Norway oil fund omits meatpacker JBS from deforestation watch list
The $1 trillion investor is raising deforestation concerns with a number of beef companies but not the Amazon’s biggest cattle buyer, despite evidence against it
Costa Rica president-elect promises to lead the country towards an oil-free future
Carlos Alvarado Quesada is promising to replace petrol and diesel in the transport system with clean energy, comparing the task to abolishing the army
Shipping climate talks begin amid protests and concerns over influence
Talks on curbing shipping’s carbon footprint started in London on Tuesday with ongoing transparency issues foremost in the minds of those outside the room
UN Security Council makes ‘historic’ warning on climate threat to Somalia
Drought, desertification, land degradation and food insecurity are driving conflict in the Horn of African country, says security council
Shipping lobby urges EU to compromise on maritime climate target
Calls for a 70-100% cut in shipping emissions by 2050 are “unlikely to achieve consensus support”, warns influential trade body ahead of a key UN meeting
UK MPs call on Gove to trigger climate reporting clause
Financial regulators drew parliamentarians’ ire after failing to meet their demands to voluntarily report their climate adaptation plans
Coal tycoon governor Jim Justice uses loophole to leave mines and workers idle
Companies owned by WV governor exploited a supposedly temporary status to defer environmental clean up and leave miners in limbo, in some cases for decades
White House to tap energy official as new climate lead – reports
Wells Griffith, who worked on the Trump campaign, has spent the last year negotiating exports deals for the US energy industry
EU leaders order long-term climate strategy by early 2019
Campaigners welcome move to update low-carbon emissions roadmap, saying it sends an important political signal
Emissions controls for 1.5C climate target to cost three times 2C: study
Meeting the tougher global warming limit in the Paris Agreement will require earlier emissions cuts in transport and buildings sectors, study shows
Macron: EU ‘mad’ to do trade deal with US after Paris climate withdrawal
‘I’m not in favour of showing any softness to those who decide to break those rules,’ the French president said about the deal struck in his capital in 2015
Ex-UN climate chief calls for green bonds to hit $1 trillion by 2020
Christiana Figueres is urging public authorities and corporates to scale up climate-friendly infrastructure investment by 2020, under the “green bond pledge”
US, EU biggest importers of illegal Amazon ipe timber: report
Dodgy credits allow exporters to ship the valuable timber overseas, to unsuspecting consumers who are unaware the timber may be illegal
Avocado trade threatened by shipping climate measure, say Chile, Peru
Speed limits at sea could cut shipping’s carbon footprint fast, but fresh fruit exporters are raising concerns about trade impacts ahead of a critical UN meeting