The European Commission has published a roadmap for ending reliance on Russian energy, which includes a ban on all Russian gas imports by the end of 2027, BBC News reports. It continues: “A set of legislative proposals will be tabled in June asking all EU member states to make ‘national plans’ to phase out Russian gas, nuclear fuel and oil imports, according to the European Commission.” The Associated Press notes that the roadmap includes a ban on new gas contracts with Russia by the end of this year, with all existing imports to be phased out by the end of 2027. The newswire continues: “The EU says it has cut gas imports from 45% to 19%, and oil from 27% to 3%, of its prewar levels. But that still makes it Russia’s biggest gas client, with pipelines in operation across the Black Sea, Belarus, and Turkey, according to the Energy and Clean Air think tank.” Euractiv notes the roadmap also includes a phaseout of Russian uranium. The Financial Times notes that, as part of the commission’s plans, EU companies will have to reveal the details of their gas contracts with Russia. Politico says that plans will propose “new powers for private companies to divest from Russia, allowing them to end contracts early and urging them to halt any future deals”. Bloomberg says that the roadmap is viewed as an “overture to Trump, but questions remain over an expansion of liquefied natural gas shipments from the US as Washington threatens trade tariffs”. A second Euractiv story reports that Slovakia and Hungary, which both remain reliant on Russian fossil fuels, have “slam[med]” the plan. Reuters says that the proposals “will require approval from the European Parliament and a qualified majority of member states”, which means “one or two countries cannot block the plans”.

Elsewhere, MLex reports comments by EU climate chief Wopke Hoekstra under the headline: “EU 2040 CO2 target likely to settle at 90%, commissioner says.” It adds that Hoekstra said some “flexible measures” might be needed to secure support for the target. Euractiv says: “Hoekstra defends Europe’s softer 2040 climate target amid criticism.” Separately, Reuters reports that European Parliament has “cleared the way” for approving less-stringent CO2 emissions targets for cars and vans “that will allow automakers more time to comply and should reduce potential fines”. Time magazine reports on research finding phasing out greenhouse gases could save up to 250,000 deaths from air pollution in central and western Europe.

UK ministers are considering introducing a mandate for solar canopies on top of new car parks in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Times reports. The newspaper says that the idea of requiring solar canopies on car parks was first raised in the government’s clean power action plan published last year and a “call for evidence” has now been launched. It continues: “The government estimates that the owner of an 80-space car park could save about £28,000 on electricity bills by covering it with solar panels and using the electricity rather than exporting it to the grid. Officials are also exploring whether electric vehicle drivers could benefit from cheaper charging rates at car parks fitted with solar power. The government is primarily looking at new car parks but is mulling over whether to extend the proposal to existing ones as well. There are estimated to be up to 20,000 private car parking sites across Britain.” Relatedly, the Press Association quotes a Labour energy minister saying he wants to see “much greater development” of solar on homes and industrial buildings.

Elsewhere, the Financial Times is among many UK titles reporting that Downing Street has ruled out reversing cuts to the winter fuel allowance for pensioners, after senior Labour figures publicly said the policy harmed the party in recent local elections. The Guardian has more details on senior Labour politicians that have spoken out against the policy. The Financial Times also reports that new measures for cutting energy bills are due to be the “centrepiece” of the government’s industrial strategy, which is to be published in June. According to the newspaper, the strategy will focus on eight sectors including “advanced manufacturing, clean energy, creative industries, defence, digital and technologies, financial services, life sciences and professional and business services”. Another Financial Times story says that wind developer Ørsted is halting work on its 2.4 gigawatt Hornsea 4 project in the North Sea, in a “blow” to UK clean energy goals. It continues: “The project won a contract from the UK government last year guaranteeing it a fixed electricity price of £58.87 per megawatt hour, but Ørsted said it could not make the proposed windfarm work.” Bloomberg describes the news as the “latest setback for the offshore wind sector that’s struggled to cope with soaring costs in recent years”.

The Guardian reports on a story trailed on its frontpage that the UK could be heading for a drought this summer, with the government today convening the “National Drought Group of water companies, farming groups and other experts to prepare for what is expected to be a dry summer with potential water shortages”. The Guardian also notes that a solitary bee species has colonised England amid warmer temperatures caused by climate change. BBC News reports that campaigners have begun legal action against the government’s decision to expand London Luton airport. Bloomberg reports that, according to the Office for National Statistics, the UK government is currently collecting less money from “green taxes” than at any point since records began 28 years ago. BusinessGreen reports that Green deputy leader Zack Polanski has launched a “surprise” leadership bid. A Guardian comment by columnist Owen Jones says “if the Greens really are to become the Reform-style populists of the left, Polanski could be their man”. Another BusinessGreen story covers industry accusations that the government has a “bias” against long-duration energy storage. The Scotsman reports that Highland Spring water is to build a solar farm to power its facilities and a local primary school.

The climate-sceptic Daily Telegraph has a story noting that, yesterday morning, the southeast of England got around half of its power from European imports amid “low winds”. The Daily Telegraph also reports that a billionaire former Tory party donor is building a solar farm on his 18th century estate.

US Congress has voted to end a Biden-era rule requiring rubber tyre makers to emit fewer greenhouse gases, the Associated Press reports. It explains: “The Environmental Protection Agency finalised rules for the rubber tyre industry, specifically previously unregulated rubber processing, last November through amendments to the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants. Tyres are made of chemicals, compounds and materials that release greenhouse gases, heavy metals and volatile organic compounds, experts say. Republicans…introduced a resolution to undo the rules earlier this year and it advanced through the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to reverse recently adopted federal agency rules with a simple majority vote in each chamber. The vote passed in the House on 5 March and the Senate on Tuesday. The measure heads to the president’s desk for signing next.”

Elsewhere, the Financial Times reports that “the US data centre industry has warned that the Trump administration’s crackdown on renewable energy could slow its growth and undermine Washington’s goal to win the global artificial intelligence race”. Inside Climate News reports on an effort from Trump to boost coal exports from Alabama. A second Inside Climate News story reports on how a researcher examining air pollution and racial inequities has been caught in the National Science Foundation funding freeze. The New York Times Climate Fwd newsletter reports on Trump’s efforts to “pick fights with individual states” over their climate policies.

Record fossil fuel production pushed methane emissions close to an all-time high in 2024, according to the International Energy Agency’s global methane tracker report, covered by AFP. The report also found that “countries are considerably underestimating their energy sector methane pollution, estimating that emissions are around 80% higher than the total reported by governments to the UN”, the newswire says. CBC News notes that, according to the report, “only about 5% of global oil and gas production meets net-zero methane emissions standards”.

For the Financial Times, science journalist Anjana Ahuja reports on rediscovered coffee varieties that could be more resilient to the impacts of climate change. She writes: “Heat, drought and erratic rainfall in key growing countries like Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia spell weak and unpredictable harvests and precarious incomes for smallholder farmers, who grow the bulk of the world’s supply. While one solution is to shift production geographically as the climate changes, [some scientists] think a more sustainable answer is to diversify into climate-resilient choices among the 131 coffee species identified so far.”

New research points to climate change as a cause for the population declines of two species of ringtail possum in Australia’s wet tropics bioregion. The study, which looks at a 30-year period, finds that both possum species have experienced “population collapses” at lower elevations and “low-nutritional sites”. However, it notes that one species saw reduced survival due to overheating, dehydration and “diminished recruitment from limited foraging”, whereas the other was primarily affected by foraging constraints. The authors say the findings demonstrate that climate change “has impacted populations through physiological stress”. The researchers note that the framework they developed to capture “fundamental” physiological constraints on the mammalian herbivores is “broadly applicable”.