Zack Polanski has been elected as the new leader of the Green party in a landslide victory and “vowed immediately” to take on Labour from the left, the Financial Times reports. The politician – a member of the London Assembly – won the leadership with 85% of the vote, the newspaper said. After winning the leadership, Polanski pledged to “take the fight to Labour” and told Keir Starmer that the Green Party was “here to replace you”, according to BBC News. Bloomberg notes the election of Polanski signals a move to the “populist left” for the Green party, while an analysis by Peter Walker in the Guardian says the election of a “media-friendly former actor with an eye-catching vision for a mass movement of ‘eco-populism’” amounts to a “step into the unknown” for the Greens. 

The Daily Telegraph reports that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage would be the “biggest beneficiary from a further fracturing of the left in British politics” – and adds the election of Polanski could have a “transformational effect” on the political landscape if the new Green Party leader formed an alliance with Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana’s new political party. But, in comments captured by the Guardian, Polanski reportedly said it was “too early to think about alliances”. And, in a separate Guardian article, Polanski is quoted as saying he would need to “see very strong arguments” before agreeing any electoral pact with Corbyn.

MORE ON UK 

• The Guardian, Reuters, BBC News, Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail cover French energy company EDF’s decision to extend the life of two UK nuclear plants.
• The Daily Mail covers a speech given by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch yesterday, in which she claimed that Labour’s plan to stop new oil and gas licences in the North Sea could cause blackouts.
• The Times reports on a call from UK oil-and-gas trade group Offshore Energies UK for a windfall tax on oil and gas profits to be scrapped. The group claims that half of the UK’s energy needs could be met by domestic oil and gas if the tariff were eliminated. 
• Ineos Energy – which operates a North Sea fossil fuel platform and pipeline system – claims taxpayers could be liable for £11bn of the costs of UK oil and gas decommissioning, according to the Daily Telegraph.
• Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice has “refused to rule out fracking in Lancashire”, according to BBC News.
• In his newsletter, BBC News environment editor Justin Rowlatt writes that “wind has played a small role in this latest [energy bill] price increase, but other factors – especially global gas prices – matter more.”

A group of more than 85 climate experts have released a “scathing review” of the Trump administration’s “climate working group” report on climate science, DeSmog reports. The rebuttal – coordinated by Texas A&M climate scientist Dr Andrew Dessler – notes that the Trump climate report “exhibits pervasive problems with misrepresentation and selective citation of the scientific literature, cherry-picking of data and faulty or absent statistics”, according to DeSmog. [A factcheck of the Trump report published by Carbon Brief last month found more than 100 false or misleading claims]. The rebuttal was formally submitted to the US Department of Energy as part of a public comment period that closed on 2 September, DeSmog says. The Hill reports that the scientists “address each section of the energy department’s 150-page report with a more than 450-page one of their own”. The New York Times notes that the US administration is using the report to “justify its recent announcement that it would repeal limits on greenhouse gas emissions that stem from burning fossil fuels”. Bloomberg and Reuters also cover the story.

China and Russia have signed an agreement to build the “Power of Siberia 2 pipeline”, the Financial Times reports, citing Russian energy company Gazprom. The newspaper adds that the project will deliver as much as 50bn cubic metres of gas a year to China. However, it notes, “Chinese state media did not mention the gas deals” specifically in its own readouts. The two countries have yet to agree on the details of the deal, such as pricing, Reuters says, adding that the “lack of progress on pricing” indicates that China is “demanding steep discounts”. Bloomberg also covers the story, saying it “isn’t clear whether China can buy flexible volumes from the pipeline or if it will have to purchase its full capacity”, and that construction and delivery timelines remain unconfirmed. Another Bloomberg article says discussions around the project have been “stalled for years”, due to “slowing” gas demand growth in China and its reluctance to encourage “excessive dependence on a single supplier”. 

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit also saw member states issue a “declaration on sustainable energy development” that emphasised the need to “safeguard energy security”, “promote a just energy transition” and “ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable modern energy”, state broadcaster CCTV reports. The overarching joint statement issued at the SCO summit noted that leaders adopted a declaration on “green industry cooperation” and advocated for “enhanced energy dialogue with SCO partners”, the Communist party-affiliated People’s Daily says. Industry news outlet BJX News reports that the summit saw the launch of the “China-SCO energy cooperation platform”. The state-supporting newspaper Global Times reports a similar platform for “green industry cooperation” was launched.

MORE ON CHINA

• China Daily reports that “China endured its hottest summer on record this year”, adding that the “sweltering conditions” were due to “unusually strong subtropical and continental high-pressure systems”. The article does not mention climate change.
• China is creating “systematic, smart and people-centered climate-resilient” cities through “spatial planning for climate adaptation”, Outlook Weekly says.
• Global Times quotes an analyst saying China’s development of “green factories” shows that attaining both “environmental and economic benefits” is possible.
• BJX News reports that China’s first gigawatt-scale “lignite coal power plant”, which could reduce emissions by 52,000 tonnes annually compared to traditional lignite units, has started operation.
• Utilisation rates for wind power and solar power stood at 97% and 96.4%, respectively, in July, International Energy Net reports.
• European economists urged the EU to “abandon” its solar sector, as the competition has “already been lost”, SCMP reports.

A federal appeals court has sided with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a legal battle over the agency’s decision to terminate $20bn in Biden-era climate grants, Politico reports. The outlet describes the ruling at the DC circuit court of appeals as a “major victory for the Trump administration’s bid to cancel hundreds of environmental grants and boost fossil fuel production”. The New York Times reports that the court found it “did not have the jurisdiction in the case” and that the Trump administration “acted legally in its attempts to claw back the funds”. The grants were made available through the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and were “committed” before last November’s federal election, the newspaper notes. In its coverage, the Associated Press explains how the grants in question were part of the “greenhouse gas reduction fund”, known as the “green bank”, whose goals “run counter to the Trump administration’s opposition to climate-friendly policies and its embrace of fossil fuels”. It quotes the CEO of Climate United – one of five groups behind the lawsuit – as saying “this is not the end of our road”. The Hill, Washington Post and Reuters also cover the story. 

MORE ON US

• Bloomberg reports on the Trump administration’s plans to reconsider a permit issued to Massachusetts wind farm.
• In its Climate Forward newsletter, the New York Times says that Trump’s attacks on the wind power industry have put “thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of investment” at risk.
• Politico reports on how Trump’s “bid to kill wind power” is “imperilling” some Republican lawmakers whose communities have seen wind as an economic boon.
• US vice-president JD Vance’s hometown is among the places implicated by the US administration’s cuts to clean energy incentives, the Financial Times reports.
• The Hill and Bloomberg cover comments made by US energy secretary Chris Wright on Fox News where he stated that rising electricity prices are what he “worries about most”.

There is continuing coverage of floods in Pakistan’s eastern province of Punjab. ITV News reports that “more than 900,00 residents in Pakistan’s most populous state have fled their homes” and adds that the flood is the “biggest” in the province’s history. The outlet carries a quote from the country director of WaterAid Pakistan, Mian Muhammad Junaid, who said: “We are literally drowning in a crisis we did not create. We need COP30 and world leaders to act – now. No one can adapt to a world without clean water.” There are fears that the floods could worsen into a “possible super flood” of the Indus River, according to the article. Arab News reports on figures from the provincial disaster management agency, which state that the floods have “affected more than 2.4 million people and killed 41” in the last 10 days. Bloomberg looks at the damage to crops in the province, which reportedly accounts for 68% of Pakistan’s grain production. The outlet notes the floods have damaged about 60% of the province’s rice crops and 30% of its sugarcane, while cotton production is expected to decline by 35%. Deutsche Welle and the Guardian also cover the ongoing story. 

Meanwhile, on India’s side of the border, “at least 30 people have died and more than 354,000 have been affected” by flooding, BBC News reports. India has “warned” Pakistan about more cross-border flooding, even as both countries reel from monsoon floods, the Associated Press reports. The latest alert – shared via India’s high commission in Islamabad “rather than the [suspended] Indus Waters Treaty” – warns of “a surge in the Sutlej River, with floodwaters expected to enter Pakistan on Wednesday”, the newswire adds. According to the New York Times, the floods have “added to the tensions” between the two countries, with Pakistan accusing India of “weaponising water” and “worsening” flood impact by “releasing water from dams upstream without providing details on how much or when” those releases would occur. At the same time, Reuters reports that over “10,000 people [have been] evacuated from river banks in capital Delhi” to relief camps on major highways after the “swollen Yamuna [river]” breached its danger mark. 

MORE ON INDIA

• Monday’s meeting between Putin, Xi and Modi “marked a rare display of solidarity – and an opportunity for Putin to engage directly with his country’s top oil buyers”, BBC News writes. 
• While India is under “sustained US pressure to cut its oil trade with Moscow”, Bloomberg reports that Russian oil “is getting even cheaper” for Indian buyers.
• In a meeting with COP30 president-designate André Corrêa do Lago, India discussed “the global south’s rights”, ways to “advance work” on carbon markets and climate finance, Hindustan Times reports. 
• Japan and India have signed an agreement on a “joint credit mechanism” under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, along with a partnership on critical minerals, Down to Earth reports.
• India has announced plans to increase its natural gas import capacity by 27% by 2030, according to the Economic Times.

Writing for his Substack, the Climate Brink, US climate scientist Prof Andrew Dessler explains his decision to coordinate a scientific rebuttal to the recent misleading climate report from the Department of Energy (see above). He writes: “I did not go into science to make money, nor did I go in to push a ‘liberal agenda’. I went into science because I love science. I love the rigor, I love the discipline, I love looking at data and seeing how the world operates. Most importantly, I respect science. When I read the DOE report, I saw a document that does not respect science. In fact, I saw a document that makes a mockery of science. And I thought to myself, I cannot let this go without a response. So that’s why I’ve spent a huge amount of time over the last month (when I should have been working on my classes for the fall semester) putting this comment together.”

MORE US COMMENT

• Bloomberg columnist David Fickling writes that Trump’s attack on wind power is “hand[ing] an industry to China”.

Writing in the Guardian, new Green Party leader Zack Polanski sets out his plan to win over the UK electorate ahead of the next general election. He says: “Most people know one thing about the Greens: that we care about the environment. And this won’t change. But increasingly, and in every corner of this country, people are voting for us because we’re the only party talking about everyday solutions and pointing the finger at those who are causing the real problems we face…We know that the ongoing climate crisis will be devastating for our communities, but we’re here to harness the imagination, the hope and the vision of what an alternative looks like: new jobs in public services, communities that people love and a council housing programme that makes sure no one is left sleeping rough. I disagree with Reform UK and [Nigel] Farage on almost everything. But they’re correct to point at our politics and say it has failed. What they refuse to admit is that it’s their wealthy backers, including fossil-fuel finance, who have fanned the flames of the crises we face now.

There is much reaction in UK titles to Polanski’s victory. An editorial in the Guardian says that “a mass politics of anti-austerity, identity and climate is emerging from the left’s margins” that prime minister Keir Starmer “cannot afford to ignore”. Guardian columnist George Monbiot celebrates Polanski’s victory, saying: “By caving to the hard right and corporate greed, Labour has left a gaping hole the new Green party leader is best placed to fill.” Guardian parliamentary sketch writer John Crace covers the moment Polanski was elected leader. In the Independent, former Green Party leader and MP Caroline Lucas says “Polanski will need all his skill and genuine charm if he’s to chart a course that allows the party both to broaden its grassroots appeal and to keep the laser focus that has delivered recent electoral gains”. An editorial in the Times leads with the fact that Polanski worked as a hypnotist in 2013, adding that he is “more focused on economic inequality than traditional ecological concerns”. Times parliamentary sketchwriter Tom Peck also covers Polanski’s victory, while Times diary writer Charlotte Alt notes that his “TikTok-heavy strategy…seems to have worked”. The climate-sceptic Daily Telegraph has one column leading on Polanski being a vegan and another calling his victory a “dark day for British democracy”. In the Daily Mail, parliamentary sketchwriter Quentin Letts makes personal remarks about Polanski’s appearance, also noting he is a vegan and once worked as a hypnotist.

In a column trailed on the Daily Telegraph’s frontpage, world economy editor Ambrose Evans-Pritchard calls out Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch’s claims [see her Daily Mail article] about how new drilling in the North Sea is a “cornerstone of Britain’s future”. He writes: “If the Conservative Party must sacrifice a climate pawn to appease the zeitgeist and maintain electoral viability, going for broke on North Sea oil and gas is the least important one to give up. Kemi Badenoch’s plan to extract every last hydrocarbon from UK waters would not raise this country’s long-term output of oil and gas by more than homeopathic amounts. And even if it did, it would not move the needle on UK energy prices.” He warns that Badenoch should “watch [her] rhetoric”, continuing: “There is also a price to pay for throwing away British leadership on global climate policy. It is not a huge price, but it is not negligible either. The value of soft power is hard to measure. It spills over into the collective credibility of the UK’s flourishing clean-tech companies. But more than that it matters how the country positions itself in the global contest of forward-looking modernity.”

MORE UK COMMENT

• Guardian financial editor Nils Pratley says Labour should “rethink” its North Sea stance and be more open to new drilling.
• In the Times, Jack Airey, director of housing and infrastructure at the public policy research agency Public First, says the UK’s planning system should give a voice to the “quiet yimbys” who support new infrastructure.
• In the Daily Mail, notorious climate-sceptic writer Ross Clark claims that batteries used to store renewable energy “have a nasty habit of catching fire”. [Carbon Brief recently explained why this is false, reporting: “In the UK, there are now 1,659 battery storage projects in operation, with just two fires having been reported for the sector in the past five years.”]

This edition of the Daily Briefing was written by Cecilia Keating, with contributions from Daisy Dunne, Anika Patel and Henry Zhang. It was edited by Robert McSweeney.

Subscribe for free.