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Steven
Grattan, The Associated
Press
A
“first-of-its-kind
international conference on
moving away from fossil fuels”
has concluded in Santa Marta,
Colombia, reports the
Associated Press. The newswire
explains that “officials,
climate advocates and
financial experts from 56
countries” gathered to discuss
how to transition away from
fossil fuels. It continues:
“The meeting did not produce
binding commitments, but
participants said it delivered
a set of initial outcomes,
including plans for continued
cooperation between countries,
the creation of working groups
on issues such as financing
and labor transitions, and
momentum toward future
negotiations aimed at
coordinating a global phaseout
of fossil fuels.” Agence
France-Presse says that
Tuvalu and Ireland have been
named as the hosts of next
year’s conference. Bloomberg
reports that the French
government used the event to
release a “national road map”
detailing plans to end coal by
2030, oil by 2045 and gas by
2050. It continues: “The core
of France’s plan is a push to
electrify transportation,
buildings and parts of
industry, backed by an
expansion of low-carbon
electricity production and
grid investment. It highlights
measures such as boosting
electric vehicle sales,
supporting heat pumps in
buildings, developing public
transport and increasing
energy generation from
nuclear, wind, solar,
hydropower, hydrogen and other
alternatives to fossil fuels.”
The Financial Times
says the plan “did not
present new pledges but
brought together existing
climate and energy targets in
a cohesive document with an
explicit goal”. Agence
France-Presse unpacks
the roadmap, adding that
“analysts say no other country
has published such a clear and
comprehensive plan”. BusinessGreen
also covers the roadmap.
In
other coverage of the summit,
the Guardian
reports that Colombian
president Gustavo Petro told
delegates that “the world is
threatened by a ‘suicidal’
model of capitalism that is
leading to war, fascism and
the potential extinction of
humanity”. Agence
France-Presse reports
that “oil-rich African
nations” said at the talks
they would “keep drilling to
support economic growth”. Agence
France-Presse lists key
takeaways from the conference,
including “the creation of an
expert scientific panel to
advise governments, cities or
regions in planning their own
pathways away from fossil
fuels”. Politico, NPR, Euractiv
and Bloomberg
also cover the talks. [Carbon
Brief’s in-depth summary will
be published later today.]
Mark
Saunokonoko, The Guardian
The
price of Brent oil surpassed
$126 per barrel yesterday,
reports the Guardian, adding:
“Surging more than 13% in 24
hours, Brent crude hit a
record price since the war
began on 28 February. Not
since Russia’s 2022 invasion
of Ukraine has Brent topped
$120, with the price then
peaking at $139.” The Financial Times
says the surge “follows
indications by Donald Trump on
Wednesday that he would keep
blockading the vital Strait of
Hormuz until Iran agreed a
deal to end its nuclear
programme”. BBC News
says that energy executives
met Donald Trump on Tuesday
“to discuss how to limit the
fallout from the conflict on
American consumers”. It
continues: “Oil traders appear
to have taken the meeting as a
sign the effective closure of
the Strait of Hormuz will
continue for a long time. The
executives discussed topics
including domestic energy
production, progress in
Venezuela, oil futures,
natural gas and shipping,
according to a White House
official.” Axios, Politico, Bloomberg
and Reuters
also cover the meeting.
Meanwhile,
Reuters
reports that OPEC+ “will
likely agree a small oil
output quota hike on Sunday”.
There is also ongoing coverage
of the decision by the United
Arab Emirates (UAE) to leave
OPEC, including from outlets
such as Al Jazeera,
BBC News
and the New York Times.
Bloomberg
says that Trump has praised
the UAE’s decision, saying
that it would help to lower
energy prices. Reuters
reports that Goldman Sachs has
said the UAE departure “poses
a greater upside risk to oil
supply over the medium term
than in the short term”.
Separately, Reuters
reports that Russia’s finance
minister has said the decision
means “oil-producing countries
will boost production,
bringing down global prices in
the future”. Bloomberg
reports that “Russia said it
has no plans of leaving its
alliance with OPEC”.
MORE
ON OIL AND GAS
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Reuters
says the US has become a
net exporter of crude oil
“for the first time since
world war two”, while Bloomberg
reports that the US “has
more natural gas than it
can use”.
-
Reuters
says that PetroChina,
Asia’s largest oil and gas
producer, “posted a 1.9%
rise in first-quarter
profit on Wednesday”.
-
Bloomberg
reports that “some of the
biggest names in oil
trading” are becoming
involved in legal disputes
about “who should be
liable for contracted
shipments that weren’t
delivered as a result of
the Iran war”.
-
Bloomberg:
“Ukraine said it hit an
oil pumping station deep
inside Russia, as well as
a sanctioned tanker in the
Black Sea.”
-
Bloomberg:
“Morocco’s
state-controlled natural
resources company plans to
start raising part of the
$25bn needed to build a
pipeline that will link
gas fields in West Africa
to the Mediterranean
coastline.”
-
Reuters
reports that “oil producer
BP and Venezuela have
signed a memorandum of
understanding for the
company to explore for gas
in the Loran offshore
area”.
Lisa
O’Carroll, The Guardian
The
Guardian reports that the EU
has announced a package of
emergency measures to
subsidise the extra cost of
fuel and fertilisers caused by
the Iran war. The newspaper
adds: “Individual companies
can claim up to €50,000 each
between now and the end of the
year with minimum paperwork, a
measure the EU hopes will
remove what it sees as an
existential threat to hauliers
and farmers. Energy-intensive
industries including steel,
chemicals or even rail firms,
will be able to claim up to
70% of the extra electricity
cost of eligible consumption.”
The Guardian continues: “The
EU said the loosening of state
aid rules was an emergency
measure aimed at helping those
in agriculture and fisheries,
including aquaculture, as well
as transport – covering road,
rail and inland waterways,
plus intra-EU short sea
shipping. No relief has been
offered to airlines and
airports regarding jet fuel,
but potential future
intervention has not been
ruled out.” Bloomberg
notes that “easing state-aid
safeguards is a well-trodden
path for the EU in times of
crisis”. Euractiv
and Reuters
also cover the news.
MORE
ON EUROPE
-
The
Associated
Press reports that
European Commission
president Ursula von der
Leyen has warned that “EU
countries must funnel
their energy aid chiefly
to vulnerable households
and industries or risk
wasting billions of
euros”.
-
According
to Politico,
von der Leyen said “in
just 60 days of conflict,
our bill for fossil-fuel
imports has increased by
over €27bn, without a
single molecule of
additional energy”.
-
The
Financial Times
reports that “the EU has
demanded an end to
Hungarian and Slovak
pricing systems that make
fuel more expensive for
foreign motorists than for
residents”.
-
The
Guardian
continues coverage from
yesterday of a report
co-authored by a former
deputy head of national
security strategy at the
UK Cabinet Office, which
finds that “Europe is
‘sleepwalking’ into a
series of economic and
national security problems
because of an
over-reliance on Chinese
green technology”.
-
Reuters
reports that most
countries are currently
looking to conserve jet
fuel, but Europe is an
exception.
-
Politico
says that Europe “doesn’t
know how much fuel it
has”.
Wang
Keju, China Daily
China
has formally submitted a
complaint to the European
Commission over the European
Union's proposed Industrial
Accelerator Act, warning that
the legislation would create
"serious investment barriers
and institutional
discrimination" against
Chinese companies and “vowing
countermeasures if Brussels
pushes ahead”, reports
state-run newspaper China
Daily. Additionally, financial
news outlet Caixin
reports Chinese automakers
have unveiled “ambitious”
expansion targets amid
“fierce” price competition and
overcapacity. China’s wind
turbine manufacturer Ming Yang
said its European strategy
will not be affected by the
UK’s rejection and that it
will pick a European site for
a factory by June, reports Bloomberg.
It adds that the UK’s
“politicisation” of the
investment will “greatly
undermine” Chinese companies’
“sense of security”, says the
Financial Times.
Elsewhere,
Jiang Wei, vice chairman of
the China Iron and Steel
Association, says that
calculations from China’s
“full-industry-chain
Environmental Product
Declaration (EPD) platform”
show a “significant” gap
between the default emissions
values published under the
EU’s CBAM and the actual
emissions levels of Chinese
steel products, reports state
news agency China News
Service. Jiang adds that
the EU’s default emissions
values are nearly double the
actual levels in China and
“significantly higher” than
those of countries with
similar technological
standards, indicating a “clear
discriminatory tendency”, adds
the outlet. Caixin
publishes an article saying
that the EU’s “tightening
carbon regime” is emerging as
a “new barrier to Chinese auto
exports”, prompting
manufacturers to “step up
decarbonisation efforts and
strengthen carbon footprint
management across their supply
chains”.
MORE
ON CHINA
-
President
Xi Jinping has urged
officials to “enhance the
capacity” to respond to
natural disasters, reports
Xinhua. China Daily
reports that “heavy rain”
and storms are expected in
southern China over the
May Day holiday.
-
The
Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation forum on
“green and sustainable
development” has adopted a
new initiative proposing
cooperation on low-carbon
technologies among SCO
countries, reports China Daily.
-
China’s
thermal power output rose
3.7% last quarter, as
“weather variations and
grid constraints slowed
the growth of clean
energy”, reports Bloomberg.
-
China’s
top climate official, Liu
Zhenmin, visited India on
Tuesday to discuss the
global climate agenda,
reports the Tribune.
-
In
an article for China Daily,
three energy experts have
called for “systemic
synergy” when addressing
climate change, nature and
biodiversity loss, and
pollution and waste.
-
Bloomberg
reports that CATL has
signed its first deal to
provide 60GWh of
sodium-ion battery storage
to a domestic
manufacturer. Caixin and
the South China
Morning Post also
cover the story.
Jennifer
McDermott, The Associated
Press
Democrats
have begun an investigation
into the Trump
administration’s efforts to
end offshore wind projects,
reports the Associated Press.
The newswire says the Trump
administration “is spending
nearly $2bn to get energy
companies to walk away from US
offshore wind projects”,
adding that “three agreements
have been announced”. The
newswire adds that Democrats
sent a letter to TotalEnergies
yesterday “demanding documents
and communications” and
“advising the CEO not to take
the money”. It adds: “The
letter outlines the ways they
think the deal appears to be
illegal.” Heatmap
says the investigation was
announced by house
representatives Jared Huffman
and Jamie Raskin. It quotes a
press release, in which
Huffman said: “We’re going to
get every document, every
email, every last receipt on
this deal and every person who
had a hand in this is going to
answer for it…What I have to
say to TotalEnergies is this:
consider yourself on notice,
we’re coming for you.”
Meanwhile, CNN reports
that offshore wind farms are
taking shape along the coast
of Rhode island.
MORE
ON US
-
The
Guardian
reports that “the US’s top
utilities’ CEOs enjoyed a
16% pay raise last
year…even as consumers
shoulder the pain from
high bills spurred by
continuing inflation”.
-
Inside Climate
News reports that
“Democrats and Republicans
pushed back against the
administration’s proposal
to eliminate NOAA’s
research office and
monitoring stations across
the globe”.
-
The
Associated
Press says that
Democrats “accused the
Trump administration of
abandoning the
Environmental Protection
Agency's mission to
protect human health and
the environment at a
congressional hearing
Wednesday, slamming agency
leadership over a proposal
to cut its budget in
half”.
-
Politico:
“The US is continuing its
efforts to scupper a
global carbon tax on
shipping by lobbying other
countries over the costs
that measure would
impose.”
-
The
Independent
says that more than 70
Democrats have “urged”
Trump “not to permit
Chinese automakers to
build or sell cars in the
US”.
-
The
Associated
Press has an article
on “one of America’s
oldest weather
observatories”.
Mark
Poynting, BBC News
The
loss of tropical rainforests
slowed last year, “largely due
to Brazil's efforts to curb
deforestation in the Amazon”,
reports BBC News. The
broadcaster says that the loss
of tropical forests fell by
36% in 2025, according to
analysis from the World
Resources Institute and the
University of Maryland.
However, it adds that there is
“concern that a two-pronged
attack from climate change and
the arrival of the warming El
Niño weather pattern later
this year could increase the
likelihood and severity of
forest fires.” Bloomberg
says the world still lost 4.3m
hectares of rainforest last
year – “an area roughly the
size of Denmark, or more than
11 soccer fields every
minute”. It adds that forest
loss last year was still 46%
higher than a decade earlier.
It says that “blazes are
increasing in the tropics due
to warmer temperatures and
more severe droughts”. Climate Home
News notes that the
world “remains way off track
for a 2030 goal to halt
deforestation”. Al Jazeera
also covers the news.
Michael
Holder, BusinessGreen
The
UK’s department for transport
has published new data showing
that, at the end of 2025,
there were “just over two
million licensed zero-emission
vehicles in the UK,
representing 4.8% of all
vehicles registered to drive
on Britain's roads”. It adds:
“The milestone comes after
well over half a million
zero-emission vehicles were
registered in the UK last year
for the first time, marking an
increase of 24% compared to
the number registered in
2024.” The Press
Association also covers
the news.
MORE
ON UK
-
The
Times:
“Traditional tumble dryers
are to be phased out in
favour of heat-pump
alternatives under new
rules to be introduced as
part of the push towards
net-zero.”
-
The
Daily Express
says Ed Miliband and Sir
Keir Starmer have been
“blasted” over an
“economically illiterate”
suggestion to put a
windfall tax on the
"excess" profits of energy
companies, “despite those
profits being earned
overseas”. (See Comment
below.)
-
The
Daily Telegraph
reports that “the ministry
of defence is in a dispute
with Ed Miliband over
plans to build one of the
UK’s largest solar farms
near an RAF fighter base”.
BBC News
also covers the news.
-
The
Financial Times:
“Developers wanting to
build data centres should
target Scotland, the boss
of Britain’s grid operator
has said, warning that new
projects in the south-east
of England risk adding to
stress in the energy
system and pushing up
costs.”
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