The Associated Press reports that the nations have preserved a plan to adopt the first global “carbon fee” on shipping. It adds that at the conclusion of the International Maritime Organization’s meeting in London last week, nations agreed to keep working on the framework, but also agreed to discuss alternative proposals. Climate Home News reports that nations decided to hold three weeks of talks later this year to “get clean shipping measures over the line”. The Financial Times states that “US rearguard action against a world-first decarbonisation framework for shipping has left the initiative in limbo”, ahead of a final decision on the framework later this year.

The Financial Times reports that more than double the volume of gas that has been cut off due to the blockade of the strait of Hormuz is being wasted each year by countries that have failed to deal with methane leaks and unnecessary flaring. BusinessGreen adds that the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) annual stocktake suggests that there was no sign that energy-related methane emissions fell in 2025. It continues that the IEA noted that 70% of methane emissions from fossil fuels could be abated using existing technologies. The Guardian reports that the report shows that methane emissions from Australia’s coal mines are more than double official government estimates.

Reuters reports that the European Commission has drafted plans to give more free emissions permits to industries over the next few years, according to an internal EU document seen by the newswire. It adds that the EU’s carbon market has been under growing political pressure from member states who are “worried about Europe’s faltering economic competitiveness”. The article says that the document seen by Reuters showed that the commission plans to start including companies’ indirect emissions in calculations it uses to determine how many free carbon permits industries receive between 2026 and 2030. Bloomberg notes that the commission is expected to propose €4bn ($4.7bn) more in free emissions permits. 

In other EU news, the Financial Times reports that the European Commission has blocked public funding for Chinese providers of a key solar power technology, citing security concerns. It adds that the commission has said that imported inverters, which are used to control solar-panel installations and other energy technologies, represented one of “the most pressing threats” to the EU’s critical infrastructure. Le Monde reports that the policy will apply to inverters from China, including from notable firms such as Huawei and Sungrow, but also from Russia, Iran and North Korea. Euractiv also has the story. 

MORE ON EU

• The Financial Times covers criticisms by the IMF of EU governments for failing to target fuel-duty cuts and other energy price support at only the most vulnerable. 
• The Financial Times reports that the sales of heat pumps have jumped in major European countries over the first quarter of 2026.
• BBC News reports that Amsterdam has become the “world’s first capital city to ban public advertisements for both meat and fossil-fuel products”.
• Reuters reports that the EU has removed leather from its anti-deforestation law, following pressure from industry.
• The Financial Times reports that Shell is lobbying the EU over rules on “how green its green hydrogen must be”. 
• The Financial Times reports that the European Commission’s spending on energy consultants has increased by 433% to €127m since 2014.

In a story featured on its frontpage, the Financial Times reports that US president Donald Trump’s administration has brought onshore wind development in the nation to a halt, citing national security concerns. It adds that this represents a major escalation in Trump’s “crusade against renewable energy”. The article notes that approvals for around 165 onshore wind projects on private lands are now being stalled by the Department of Defense. The Daily Telegraph adds that in March, it was reported that 30 US windfarms were on hold, as the Trump administration refused to sign off on military approvals. The New York Times adds that companies have said the delays have “worsened significantly in recent weeks”, marking the “latest escalation in President Trump’s efforts to stop wind power, a technology he detests”.

Relatedly, the Associated Press reports that California is investigating the Trump administration’s deal to end an offshore wind project. It adds that the California Energy Commission (CEC) has issued an administrative subpoena to the Golden State Wind project to seek information about its recent agreement to accept a payout in exchange for voluntarily abandoning its lease. Reuters quotes CEC chair David Hochschild, who said in a statement: “Californians deserve immediate answers about the nature of this payout. Taxpayer dollars should be used to ​build a ​sustainable energy ⁠future, not to pay to make projects disappear.”

MORE ON US

• Inside Climate News reports that the Trump administration is pushing “peace pipelines” to boost LNG exports to Europe. Relatedly, Reuters reports that US LNG exports to Asia have “surged”. 
• Politico covers threats made by Trump on social media to raise tariffs on EU automotive imports by 25%. 
• The Guardian reports that solar is “booming” in the midwest amid the energy crisis. 
• Bloomberg reports that the US is now the “oil supplier of last resort” as the disruption caused by the Iran war worsens. 
• The New York Times reports that the Trump administration is suing Minnesota in an effort to block a lawsuit filed against major fossil-fuel companies over their role in climate change.
• Reuters reports that the California Department of Insurance has said insurance company State Farm mishandled claims relating to the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.

Al Jazeera reports that at least 18 people have died in flooding and landslides caused by heavy rain in Kenya. It adds that landslides have now been reported in Tharaka Nithi, Elgeyo-Marakwet and Kiambu counties. The article notes that “experts have long warned that human-induced climate change is exacerbating weather conditions in Kenya and other East African countries”. The Associated Press adds that more than 54,000 households have been affected by the flooding, including 6,000 in the capital, Nairobi. 

MORE ON AFRICA

• The Financial Times covers comments by Eskom chief executive Dan Marokane, saying that South Africa now has surplus power. 
• The Financial Times reports that Liberia is facing the loss of “vital development bank support unless it approves the sale of carbon credits, as rainforest nations come under pressure to sell the credits to airlines”. 

Bloomberg reports that oil and gas giant BP is considering exiting part or all of its operations in the North Sea, as the giant “works to strip assets and pay down debt”. It adds that “BP’s review is ongoing and there’s no certainty that the company will decide to pursue any divestment in the North Sea”. The article notes that BP is one of the last remaining oil majors operating in the UK North Sea and has been shrinking its presence in the region over the last decade. The Daily Telegraph adds that Meg O’Neill, who took over as chief executive in April, is “reportedly mulling a sale of all or part of its offshore operations that would fetch up to £2bn and could pave the way for a move to the US stock market”. Reuters and the Daily Mail also have the story. The Times asks whether “oil giants [could] face another tax on ‘morally wrong’ profits” following criticism by UK energy secretary Ed Miliband. 

MORE ON UK ENERGY

• The Daily Telegraph reports that “Britain is creating a mountain of nuclear waste it doesn’t know what to do with”. 
• The Guardian covers a warning from trade body RenewableUK, that if the Reform UK party is elected, it could “cause Truss-style chaos”.
• The Daily Telegraph reports that new nuclear plant Hinkley Point C is facing fresh delays after Natural England calls for additional protection for nature at the site.
• The Daily Telegraph argues that “the new atomic age threatens to leave Britain lagging behind” as the US looks to develop “mini reactors”. 
• The climate-sceptic Daily Telegraph covers claims by the Conservatives and right-wing thinktank Britain Remade that Miliband “covered up” data on the impact of “locational” power pricing. The i paper also covers the report.

The Financial Times covers comments by oil traders that the market is four weeks away from a “tipping point” that will lead to significantly higher prices, as the blockade of the strait of Hormuz reduces global stockpiles. It adds: “Traders and analysts warned that global stocks of crude, gasoline, diesel and jet fuel will hit critically low levels by the end of May, at which point prices will escalate rapidly.” Bloomberg adds that “every day the waterway remains shut, the world is using up commercial stockpiles, strategic reserves and crude that was stored in vessels before the US and Israel launched the Iran war”, according to America’s biggest oil companies.

MORE ON OIL

• Al Jazeera reports that the UAE’s exit from OPEC signals “closer alignment with US interests”, according to the US. 
• The Guardian reports that Exxon and Chevron saw their quarterly earnings fall due to disruptions caused by the Iran war, however, both are expected to “eventually reap benefits”.
• The Times covers comments by UAE ambassador Mansoor Abulhoul, that quitting OPEC will allow the nation to “help power the world”.
• Relatedly, Bloomberg covers comments by the UAE’s national oil company, that the exit “serves our national interests”.
• Al Jazeera reports that OPEC has announced a symbolic oil output increase, with major producers adding 188,000 barrels per day to their total production quota.
• Inside Climate News looks at how oil “fuels conflict and war”.

The Financial Times reports that investors are “piling into clean-power funds at the fastest pace in five years as the Iran war accelerates a global push for energy security and alternatives to oil and gas, boosting a slew of stocks linked to the transition away from fossil fuels”. It adds that more than £3bn has been invested in global funds linked to renewable energy in April, bringing their total net asset value up to $43bn. It notes that previously, investors were responding to climate change when pushing renewables, whereas now their priorities are being shaped by the conflict in the Middle East, pushing oil prices to a four-year high.

MORE ON IRAN WAR

• The Financial Times covers “Asia’s economic pain” amid the Iran war, as higher energy prices present a “rising threat”.
• The New York Times looks at the countries embracing electric vehicles to avoid oil price shocks. 
• Le Monde reports that amid the “reeling from the effects of the conflict in the Middle East”, Asia is now facing the prospect of a strong El Niño that could “spike energy demand, sap hydropower, and damage crops”. 
• Channel Four News covers analysis by thinktank the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, which finds that food prices in the UK could reach 50% higher than five years ago due to war and climate change.

The Times reports that petrol cars now lose their value up to give times faster than electric vehicles (EVs) as “soaring prices at the pumps force drivers to go green”. It adds that new EVs lost two percentage points in value in the year to March, whereas petrol cars less than a year old lost nine percentage points and those between one and two years old lost 10 percentage points. The article quotes transport secretary Heidi Alexander saying: “These figures are further proof that going electric is the smart choice for British drivers, and [that EVs are] ultimately cheaper to run.” Relatedly, Autocar reports that interest in EVs has “surged” following the spike in fuel prices created by the Iran war. The Guardian reports that Jaguar Land Rover could have shifted its automotive production from the UK, without a £380m battery subsidy. 

MORE ON UK

• The Daily Express covers a new report from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change that suggests Europe risks “falling behind” on energy due to a focus on climate change. The report is also covered by the Sun, the Daily Telegraph, the Independent and others, with most focusing their coverage on the UK. 
• Sky News questions “What’s gone wrong rewiring Britain’s energy system?”, exploring delays to grid reforms and what that means for renewable energy.
• The Times looks at the role plug-and-play battery energy storage could play in the UK amid the energy crisis. 
• The i newspaper reports that the rollout of plug-in solar in the UK could be delayed due to fire safety concerns. 
• The Times reports that the UK is the “most exposed” to jet fuel shortages caused by the Iran war. Relatedly, the Guardian reports that UK airlines have been given the “green light to cancel or consolidate flights to conserve jet fuel”. 
• The Daily Telegraph reports that chancellor Rachel Reeves has been warned by trade bodies that introducing a new EV excise duty risks causing a slump in car sales that could ultimately cost the Treasury £4.8bn. 

In a piece featured on its Tuesday frontpage, the Financial Times covers a $1.4bn investment into a US start-up, which plans to use wave energy to fuel “giant fleets of floating data centres”. It adds that Panthalassa has spent a decade developing ocean energy technology, which uses the motion of the waves to force water through a turbine to produce electricity. The article notes that Peter Thiel, the co-founder of Palantir and PayPal, has led the investment into the company. The FT speaks to Panthalassa co-founder and chief executive, Garth Sheldon-Coulson, who said the investment would allow the company to scale up a pilot manufacturing facility, ahead of starting commercial deployments next year.

In the Financial Times, economics writer Tej Parikh says that US president Donald Trump “doesn’t like renewable energy”, yet his actions have “inadvertently raised the long-term appeal of green energy around the world”. Parikh says that European EV sales just had their strongest month on record, while solar installations are also surging. He continues: “Policymakers are reacting, too…Reflecting a bet that the conflict would drive a global push for energy autonomy and sovereignty, investors also piled into clean energy funds at the fastest pace in five years in April.” He concludes: “Trump’s capricious approach to foreign policy and trade has provided a fillip to the global energy transition. For years, the shift to greener sources has been overly reliant on subsidies and moralising over climate change. Now, policymakers and energy consumers see it more as a matter of cost, security and abundance. That could make it far more enduring.”

A comment for the New York Times by Gregory Brew, senior analyst at the Eurasia Group, says that under Trump, the US has “seemingly embraced its status as a petrostate”. But Brew says the country “will pay dearly” for this stance. He adds: “More countries will pursue alternatives, including clean energy technologies where China has a decisive edge. The US could see its export market diminish as demand for oil and gas slows, threatening a trillion-dollar domestic industry and the thousands of jobs it provides. American consumers could also be stuck with polluting fuels prone to price spikes while the rest of the world moves on.” Brew concludes: “The American preoccupation with producing, consuming and controlling oil may ultimately prove a misplaced priority: a scramble to control the energy resources of the 20th century, as the rest of the world embraces the cleaner technologies that will power the 21st century.”

A comment for the Guardian by economics editor Heather Stewart makes a similar argument under the headline: “Trump may not be a fan of clean energy but [the] Iran war is accelerating [the] global shift from oil and gas.” An editorial in the Guardian – citing Carbon Brief analysis – says that the “need to move beyond fossil fuels has never been clearer”. In the Observer, UK prime minister Keir Starmer says that his government is “going to take back control of our energy and our bills”. He adds: “People’s lives and livelihoods should not be at the mercy of foreign dictators and the fossil-fuel rollercoaster.” In the Times, economics editor Mehreen Khan says Spain “continues to benefit from the decision to price power generation based on its solar and wind renewable energy, rather than gas”.

For Reuters, Breakingviews columnist Yawen Chen writes under the headline: “Oil’s price boom foreshadows a post-war bust.” A comment for the Financial Times by Spencer Dale, former chief economist for oil major BP, takes a different view, saying the Iran war “might not spur a faster transition to low-carbon energy”, claiming: “Increased priority on security of power supply might see some countries double down on fossil fuels.” In his Crucial Years Substack, veteran campaigner and author Bill McKibben argues that the recent fossil-fuel phaseout conference in Colombia was a “hinge moment” for the planet, but some “politicians are just standing in the door”. Bloomberg columnist Javier Blas asks: “So when does the energy price shock finally hit Europe?” In the Financial Times, Christof Rühl of Columbia University says: “The longer the strait of Hormuz blockade continues, the more likely a crisis-like adjustment in rich economies becomes.”

MORE COMMENT

• An editorial in the Guardian says the ripple effects of the Iran war show why a “call for resilience must be heeded”.
• The climate-sceptic Daily Telegraph carries two comments about tumble dryers, also tackled by climate-sceptic columnist Rod Liddle in the Sunday Times. [See the thread on these “overblown” reactions by Carbon Brief’s Simon Evans.]
• Another Daily Telegraph comment by columnist Andrew Orlowski calls for an end to net-zero, while a third, by climate-sceptic consultant Kathryn Porter, reflects on the UAE leaving OPEC.
• Editorials in the climate-sceptic Daily Express and Sun call for more North Sea drilling, with the latter continuing its personal attacks against “net-zero zealot” and “fanatic”, UK energy secretary Ed Miliband.
• In the climate-sceptic Daily Express, personal finance editor Harvey Jones, argues Miliband has “screwed up” following news BP is considering leaving the North Sea.
• In the Herald Scotland ahead of this week’s Scottish elections, environment correspondent asks: “Have manifestos gone cold on fighting the climate crisis?”

This edition of the Daily Briefing was written by Molly Lempriere and Simon Evans. It was edited by Simon Evans.

Subscribe for free.