|
Edith M Lederer, The Associated Press
The Associated Press previews this week’s UN general assembly where world leaders will be meeting “facing new fears that runaway artificial intelligence could threaten humanity even as climate shocks and escalating prices are already making life much tougher for hundreds of millions of people”. It says that the future of the UN itself will be “on the agenda”, while there will be “behind the scenes…speculation” as the next secretary general. The Backchannel substack asks “what to expect on climate” at the general assembly. The Financial Times “week ahead” newsletter also previews the meeting, saying there is “speculation” that there will be additional late entrants to the secretary-general race. For the Guardian, journalist Steve Bloomfield has a comment under the headline: “In a world of wars and climate crisis, a new leader could save the UN. But would Trump allow it?” [See the Carbon Brief summary of the current candidates’ views on climate change.]
Adrienne Klasa, Rachel Millard, Verity Ratcliffe, Ryohtaroh Satoh and Paola Tamma, Financial Times
The Financial Times reports French president Emmanuel Macron saying on Friday that he would convene a G7 summit to look at releasing more strategic oil reserves, in the wake of “spreading conflict in the Middle East”. The newspaper says that the flow from a previous release of reserves, coordinated by the International Energy Agency in March, has “slowed to a trickle” as it nears completion. It adds: “Macron added that he would contact the European Commission president to co-ordinate a bloc-wide response on natural gas supplies, including increasing gas storage levels.” Politico and Reuters also have the story. A Financial Times “big read” looks at “five ways the Iran energy shock is wrongfooting the world”. Semafor reports on Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia over the weekend “threatening to ignite another round of regional escalation”. BBC News covers Ukrainian strikes on an oil refinery in the Moscow region.
MORE ON ENERGY CRISIS
The Financial Times says government finances around the world are “set to come under further strain from mounting fuel-subsidy costs, as they attempt to shield households and businesses from the worsening energy crisis”. Reuters: “Bolivia scraps diesel subsidy to combat fuel shortages.” Financial Times: “Biodiesel for shipping now cheaper than conventional fuels after price fall.” Politico: “Germany cuts fuel tax as Middle East conflicts send prices soaring.” Reuters: “Bangladesh raises fuel prices as Middle East conflict drives up costs.”
Jan Strupczewski, Reuters
EU finance ministers discussed whether to impose an EU-wide windfall tax on energy companies at a meeting on Friday, reports Reuters. It says further talks are expected in October. The Guardian adds: “With elections due next year in eight EU countries including France, Italy, Spain and Poland, leaders are scrambling to head off the potential fallout from what analysts have warned could be one of the continent’s biggest energy shocks in decades.” It continues: “The EU’s economic commissioner, Valdis Dombrovskis, has said the commission has no plans ‘at this stage’ for an EU-wide taxing mechanism, but stressed it was ‘ready to engage in discussion’ and member states were free to impose their own taxes.” Euractiv also has the story.
MORE ON EU
The Guardian: “Burning forests, emptying rivers, €180bn in damage: Europe’s politicians face reckoning after ‘summer of truth’.” Reuters: “EU to impose provisional safeguards to protect electrical steel from imports.” The Financial Times: “Single bet on electric trucks would be ‘super dangerous’ for Europe, Volvo says.” The Financial Times: “Ineos to store carbon dioxide off Denmark as technology gains momentum.” Euractiv: “Brussels should 'resist' U-turn on methane rules, lawmakers warn.” Euractiv: “Interview: Hoekstra on climate and energy crises, COP31 and China.”
James Murray, BusinessGreen
The UK’s next auction for clean energy “could deliver over £11bn in savings for consumers through to 2050, according to a new analysis from LCP Delta”, reports BusinessGreen. It says the analysis points to the potential for significant savings on energy bills from the upcoming eighth “contracts for difference” auction, due to be held this autumn. The outlet adds that the auction could secure up to 19 gigawatts of new capacity and that this would reduce wholesale power costs by £51bn over 25 years, only partially offset by contract payments of £38bn. The Times reports warnings that a £600m government scheme to reduce energy costs for businesses “will be far less generous than intended due to rising energy prices”.
Meanwhile, in the climate-sceptic newspapers, an article in the Sunday Telegraph claims the UK’s “rush to net-zero…risks giving [Beijing] critical leverage over [the] UK power system”, as part of a feature on China’s “dominance” of cleantech supply chains. The Daily Mail carries an article under the headline: “Spies fear Ed Miliband will be weak on China as we need their green tech to hit his net-zero targets.” It quotes one unnamed “security source” and reuses an old quote from Richard Dearlove, the former MI6 chief who last week delivered the annual lecture to the Global Warming Policy Foundation, a UK climate-sceptic lobby group. An accompanying Daily Mail comment by author Ian Williams describes wind turbines as “weapons”.
MORE ON UK
BBC News reports that Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey is calling for a 10p cut in fuel duty for three months, along with lower rail and bus fares. The Times says Davey is “court[ing] Tory voters” with the fuel-duty call. The Financial Times: “Dry British summers raise hopes of homegrown chickpeas.” The Sunday Express cites a series of climate-sceptic lobby groups in an article calling for more North Sea oil and gas drilling. The Observer: “Super El Niño could end the ‘sense of food abundance’ enjoyed by UK consumers.” The Daily Express: “NHS heatwave trauma revealed in nurses’ poll.” The New York Times: “‘Way too hot’: Britain’s hospitals were not built for 96F [36C] summers.” The Daily Mail: “Could the SNP's eco zealots be coming for Scotland's cows?”
Bloomberg
Chinese authorities have issued a notice calling on coal miners to “accelerate efforts to ensure steady output and promote the reopening of mines to support economic growth and energy supply”, reports Bloomberg. The move comes after “spot prices for the power-station fuel rallied to the highest level in nearly three years”, adds the outlet. Industry news outlet BJX News carries the notice, jointly issued by China’s top economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission, the National Energy Administration, and the National Mine Safety Administration.
MORE ON CHINA
Reuters reports “direct economic losses” due to August's extreme weather in China of 36bn yuan ($5.4bn). The recent Himalayan floods left 562 people dead or missing in Tibet, reports Guangming Daily, citing official figures released on Friday. China has urged the EU to “provide a just and non-discriminatory business environment for enterprises from all countries”, reports the Global Times. An official with China’s commerce ministry said “green and low-carbon development has become a defining feature of China’s foreign trade”, reports Xinhua. The New York Times says that “already dominant” in low-carbon technologies, China now appears to “have an unparalleled position across the energy landscape”. Reuters reports leading Chinese EV manufacturers and battery-makers may join president Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to Washington. The Financial Times publishes its “moral money” newsletter under the headline: “Why Al Gore welcomes China’s ‘unilateral leadership’ on climate?”
Jake Spring, The Washington Post
|
