Former US secretary of state John Kerry will act as climate envoy when US president-elect Joe Biden takes office in January, the BBC reports. Kerry “served as secretary of state during Barak Obama’s second term as president” and is now set to be the “first official dedicated to climate change to sit on the National Security Council.” The outlet reports that “Kerry signed the Paris climate agreement on behalf of the US in 2016” and that in 2019 he launched “World War Zero” – a “coalition of world leaders and celebrities” who called for net-zero carbon emissions and action on climate change. The news comes as the Trump administration finally gives the “green light” for government officials to proceed with the Biden transition, according to Reuters. The Guardian reports that since leaving government in 2017 “Kerry has been sharply critical of Donald Trump’s dismantling of climate policies and the decision to remove the US from the Paris agreement”, adding that the Biden team plans to reenter the Paris Agreement. The newpaper also reports that Kerry was part of a “climate taskforce [that] the Biden campaign used to develop its carbon-cutting policies” over the summer, and that, according to the Biden transition team, “this elevation shows the president-elect sees the climate crisis as an ‘urgent national security issue’”. The Washington Post reports that Kerry has spent much of his career working to reduce the impacts of climate change and that he “has represented the United States at every pivotal international climate conference in the past three decades”. It adds that “Kerry will report directly to Biden as part the White House’s National Security Council, underscoring how the incoming administration views the warming planet as an issue with implications for both national defense and foreign policy.” The Hill and Climate Home News refer to Kerry as a “climate czar”, with the latter highlighting Kerry’s work with the Chinese government. It reports that he “met president Xi Jinping in 2014 during a six-day visit to advance collaboration on climate action between the world’s two largest emitters.” The New York Times reports that “those who have worked with him describe Mr Kerry as having real understanding of the science of climate change, a grasp of the economic costs and benefits of moving to clean energy and a close working relationship with dozens of leaders in the field.” Reuters also reports on this story, adding that Biden has named former Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen as US Treasury secretary. The Wall Street Journal , Axios, MailOnline and the Independent also report on this story, whilst Mother Jones runs a story on “seven ways that Biden can fight climate change without any help from Congress”.

There is widespread media coverage of the annual greenhouse gas bulletin released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) yesterday which states that, despite the global coronavirus lockdowns, levels of CO2 in the atmosphere have reached a new record high. The Guardian says that “there is estimated to have been a cut in emissions of between 4.2% and 7.5% in 2020 due to the shutdown of travel and other activities”. However, there is still a clear increase in CO2 levels measured this year when compared to those measured last year – the average CO2 level in the atmosphere this September was 411.3ppm [parts per million], “up from 408.5ppm in September 2019”. BBC News reports that “CO2 will continue to increase this year, but that rise will be reduced by 0.08 to 0.23ppm” and that this value “falls within the 1ppm natural variability that occurs from year to year.” The WMO secretary-general Petteri Taalas tells the outlet that “the lockdown-related fall in emissions is just a tiny blip on the long-term graph. We need a sustained flattening of the curve.” He adds that “the Covid-19 pandemic is not a solution for climate change. However, it does provide us with a platform for more sustained and ambitious climate action to reduce emissions to net-zero through a complete transformation of our industrial, energy and transport systems.” The Independent also reports comments from Taalas. He says: “CO2 remains in the atmosphere for centuries and in the ocean for even longer. The last time the Earth experienced a comparable concentration of CO2 was 3-5 million years ago, when the temperature was 2-3C warmer and sea level was 10-20m higher than now. But there weren’t 7.7 billion inhabitants.” Bloomberg states that “concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere were 48% higher in 2019 than 1750”. Furthermore, nitrous oxide levels are up by 23% compared to pre-industrial levels and methanes level up by 160% compared to the same baseline. Reuters adds that methane levels rose by 8ppb [parts per billion] this year – “slightly lower than the previous year-on-year change but still above-average over the last 10-year period”. The Hill, DeSmog, Al Jazeera, Axios, and the Press Association also report on this story. Carbon Brief has previously held a webinar on the impacts of Covid-19 on CO2 emissions, and published a guest post on the impacts of rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations.

The Sydney Morning Herald also runs a story on emissions changes to due Covid-19, noting that the economics downturn caused by the pandemic has “put Australia’s carbon emissions on course to reach the country’s Paris 2030 climate target, although the dip is likely to be reversed as soon as demand revives.”

Several publications cover the UK government’s announcement that it will double the capacity of renewable energy projects eligible for support in its next round of subsidy auctions. Reuters says the next allocation round for renewables will open late next year. The newswire adds: “[The government] will increase the capacity of renewable energy from the 5.8 gigawatts (GW) achieved in the last allocation round to up to 12 GW, which could be enough to power 20m electric cars on Britain’s roads in a year…Floating offshore wind projects will be able to bid for contracts for the first time, and solar and onshore wind projects will be able to bid for the first time since 2015, as was announced in March.

Former coal-burning power stations that have been converted to biomass generation will be excluded from future CfD rounds, the government added.” The Financial Times says the new capacity will be procured through the next “contracts for difference” [CfD] auction, which “awards developers of renewable energy projects a guaranteed price per unit of electricity generated for 15 years”. (See Carbon Brief’s analysis of last year’s CfD auction.) The FT quotes Emma Pinchbeck, chief executive of Energy UK, which, she says, has “long called for the next contracts for difference auction round to bring forward as much low carbon power as possible — so we strongly welcome the potential for double the capacity…next year”. The Guardian and Bloomberg also cover the story. Separately, the Guardian reports that, according to specialist fund manager Octopus Renewables, “global investors managing nearly $7tn (£5.2bn) of assets plan to almost double their spending on renewable energy infrastructure over the next five years amid deepening concerns over the fossil fuel industry’s climate plans”.

On the comment pages, Tony Lodge – who has a history of attacking climate and energy policies in his role as an analyst for a lobby group called the Centre for Policy Studies – offers something of an about-turn in the Times: “Last week’s announcement by the prime minister of a plan to quadruple UK offshore wind capacity by 2030 will require £50 billion of investment but there is a real risk that only £20 billion will go to Britain. This is unacceptable. It undermines the government’s wider regional and environmental policy, but putting it right can help to win over and convert those who still doubt climate change policies.” In the Daily Mail, the climate sceptic columnist Dominic Lawson wails at what he calls “economics of the madhouse”. He says: “Public expenditure to fund more expensive energy (for example, with wind turbines replacing gas ones for industrial use) is what economists call ‘malinvestment’. Making our businesses pay more for their energy than international rivals is the route to penury.”

Meanwhile, several UK newspapers preview this week’s spending review by the chancellor, with articles attacking foreign aid. The Daily Mail has a large feature on its news pages attacking “Britain’s £81m giveaway to China”, which it described as a “joint investigation with the TaxPayers’ Alliance”. (The TPA, whose funding is unknown, has a long history of attacking climate policy.) The article says: “Today, we reveal how British cash is helping the Chinese overtake us as the world’s largest producer of wind energy, protecting their cities from floods – after the UK suffered one of the worst years of flooding on record.” Reuters also looks at the impact of possible cuts to the UK’s foreign aid budget: “Hundreds of charities have warned the cuts will harm poor communities already reeling from Covid-19 and could also hamper efforts to curb climate change, with Britain set to host UN climate talks in 2021.” Finally, writing in the Times, Ruth Davidson MSP, the former Scottish Conservative leader, argues that “politically, I can’t think of worse mixed messaging to the world…[that] “Global Britain” turns around and says we’ll walk away from our humanitarian and development ones”. She continues: “Next year we host the COP26 environmental conference and hold the chairmanship of the G7. We have an enormous opportunity to reassure our allies that we continue to be a trusted international partner. I frankly wouldn’t fancy being the prime minister when other world leaders feel duty-bound to upbraid him about walking away from his global responsibilities.”

General Motors is abandoning the Trump administration in a lawsuit that aimed to end California’s right to set its own clean-air standards, the Independent reports. General Motors CEO Mary Barra “said in a letter on Monday to environmental groups that GM will pull out of the lawsuit and it urges fellow manufacturers to join them.” Reuters reports that “the about-face came as GM sought to work with president-elect Joe Biden, who has made boosting electric vehicles (EVs) a top priority” and that the announcement “reflects Corporate America’s move to engage quickly with the incoming Democratic administration.” Bloomberg reports that “the decision is a significant reversal by the largest U.S. automaker” and Axios adds that “environmental groups welcomed Barra’s announcement and urged other automakers to follow GM’s lead”. The Hill and the New York Times also report on this story, and the Washington Post runs an opinion piece entitled “General Motors’ parting shot at Trump bodes well for the Biden presidency”.

Hybrid cars are emitting up to eight times more pollution than advertised, the Times reports, “potentially undermining a government pledge to prolong their sale in the UK”. The research, by the Brussels-based campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E), finds that “plug-in hybrids – petrol cars with a battery that can be charged from the mains for limited journeys – released more carbon dioxide (CO2) when driven on the road than suggested in official tests”, the paper explains, adding: “The research also suggests that the cars’ zero-emission electric range was cut by as much as three quarters in more “challenging” driving conditions such as those featuring sharper acceleration and greater hill climbs.” T&E compared the results of the tests to the diesel emissions scandal, reports the Daily Telegraph. Julia Poliscanova, T&E’s senior director, says: “Plug-in hybrids are fake electric cars, built for lab tests and tax breaks, not real driving,” the paper reports. Poliscanova adds that hybrids have “weak electric motors, big, polluting engines, and usually can’t fast charge”. Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, has responded that plug-in hybrids are an “essential stepping stone” to a fully electric vehicle, reports the i newspaper. He stresses that standardised, regulated tests prove “plug-in hybrids deliver substantial emission reductions compared to pure petrol or diesel equivalents”, the paper adds. T&E’s analysis comes “just days after proposed European Union rules were released laying out tight emissions limits for carmakers to hit for their activities to be classed as a sustainable investment”, notes Reuters, which adds: “Under those rules, hybrid vehicles would lose their ‘green’ label from 2026 onward.”

Elsewhere, BusinessGreen reports that 15 UK transport businesses and organisations have called on the government to back up its 2030 phase out date for the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles with financial and tax incentives that accelerate the transition to cleaner vehicles.

Dozens of oil and gas companies yesterday have committed to report more accurately on and, ultimately, reduce emissions of methane, reports Reuters. Oil majors, such as BP, Royal Dutch Shell, Eni, Equinor and Total, have signed up for the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP) under the umbrella of the United Nations, the European Union and the Environmental Defense Fund, the newswire explains. The new standard aims to deliver a 45% reduction in the industry’s methane emissions by 2025 and a 60-75% reduction by 2030, it says. However, the outlet notes: “While OGMP says its 62 members represent 30% of the world’s oil and gas production, US oil and gas majors such as Chevron and Exxon are not involved. Nor are any Russian producers nor any national oil companies apart from the United Arab Emirate’s Adnoc.“ The agreement “calls for companies to report their emissions from all parts of the oil and gas sector where methane can be emitted, including production and transmission of fuel to underground storage”, says the Hill. However, the outlet adds, “the data will be kept largely confidential, though the UN’s Environment Programme [UNEP] intends to publish an annual report on the aggregated data”. The Independent reports the comments of Inger Andersen, executive director of UNEP, who says: “To win the race to net-zero emissions, we need everyone on board. We need ambitious action from the oil and gas industry. UNEP is committed to supporting efforts that reduce methane emissions, and we recognise the leadership of companies that have joined such an ambitious methane reporting framework.” E&E News also has the story, while Scientific American notes that the agreement comes as methane hits a “record high” in the atmosphere. Earlier this year, Carbon Brief reported on the latest update to the global methane budget.

Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd has writen an opinion piece in the Sydney Morning Herald criticising the climate policy decisions of current Australian prime minister Scott Morrison. Rudd begins by saying that “Scott Morrison’s attempt last week to crab walk away from his government’s insistence on being able to use so-called ‘Kyoto credits’ to achieve Australia’s formal commitments under the Paris Agreement was inevitable. Morrison’s position was not only legally baseless and at odds with the rest of the world, it did nothing for the atmosphere.“ He continues to discuss the changes taking place on the world stage following the outcome of the recent presidential election, emphasising ‘president-elect Biden has made clear his determination to put the fight against climate change at the centre of his domestic agenda and to rally the rest of the world to lift our collective climate ambition. Despite Morrison making low-emissions technology a priority for co-operation in his congratulatory message to Biden, Australia’s seven years of climate inaction is well known in Washington”. Rudd goes on to elaborate on how “Australia lacks both short-term ambition and long-term vision on climate action” and state that “if the Kyoto credits were Morrison’s first climate crab walk, it won’t be his last”. Rudd insists that Morrison must “honour the commitment Australia made in the 2015 Paris Agreement” and “put in place the domestic policy changes to give effect to a new and genuinely ambitious national target”. Rudd concludes that “in addition to committing to a substantive increase in our Paris commitment for 2030, the time has come for Morrison to enunciate a series of similar substantive national measures to get there. These measures should include changing the national building codes to make solar panels mandatory for all new residential and non-residential construction”.

Also in Australia, the Sydney Morning Herald runs a story on the tax of 2.5% per km that were imposed on electric cars on Saturday in Victoria, following a similar announcement in Australia earlier in the week. The paper reports that unless the nations light vehicle fleet is up to 90% electric by 2050, it will be impossible to reach net-zero targets, and that “even without EV taxes, if Australia were to continue on its current policy path with little support for consumers opting for electric vehicles, the federal government’s own modelling suggests the fleet will be only about 65% electric by 2050”.

Elsewhere, the Guardian reports on a speech that Morrison made yesterday, reporting that he “recently implicitly rebuked [Boris] Johnson after he raised a net-zero emissions reduction target during a private conversation”, but that in a speech made yesterday, Morrison said that “Boris and I share an ambition to chart a course on emissions reduction”and that he looked forward to working with the UK to make COP26 ‘a major step forward in dealing with the challenge of climate change’”. The Guardian also runs a story on former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who told the paper that “Scott Morrison was ‘dazzled and duchessed’ and went ‘full-in’ with Donald Trump on foreign affairs and climate change, but now needs to change direction to avoid Australia being seen as a ‘Trump-lite refuge in the southern hemisphere’.

The transport of ocean heat from the Atlantic Ocean into the high latitudes has seen a “significant increase” since 2001, a new study says. Using a “box inverse model” and more than 20 years of volume transport measurements, the researchers find that average ocean heat transport was 305 terawatts (TW) for 1993-2016, and increased by 21TW after 2001. This increase is “sufficient to account for the recent accumulation of heat in the northern seas”, the authors say, and “contrasts with the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) slowdown at mid-latitudes”.

New research attempts to disentangle the impacts of multiple global changes on the land-based carbon cycle. Undertaking an eight-year grassland experiment called “TeRaCON” in Minnesota in the US, the researchers tested the effect of changing temperature, rainfall, CO2 and nitrogen deposition. They find that “net primary production increased under warming, elevated CO2 and nitrogen deposition, and decreased under diminished summer rainfall”, adding: “Treatment combinations that increased net primary production also increased soil CO2 emissions, but less so, and hence ecosystem carbon storage increased overall”. The researchers note that “multiple global change drivers had a profound combined influence on observed outcomes that would have been poorly predicted by knowledge of each driver alone”.

A new “topical review” paper systematically reviews and compares 88 scenarios in integrated assessment models (IAMs) of building heating and cooling demand for commercial and residential buildings. The study notes that “projections underestimate the energy demand of the building sector when it is driven only by income, population, unchanging climatic conditions and their associated adaptation needs”. Across the studies reviewed, climate change by 2050 brings an average 30 to 90% increase in cooling demand and -8 to -24% decrease in heating demand, the researchers say, leading to a 2 to 13% overall increase in energy demand. Carbon Brief has previously published an in-depth Q&A on IAMs and a recent guest post on why demand for cooling is a “blind spot fo climate and sustainable development”.