The International Energy Agency’s annual World Energy Outlook sets out signs of a “clear transition” from coal towards clean energy, says the Guardian. The IEA predicts a coal industry in crisis, reports Business Green. Carbon Pulse reports the IEA’s call for Paris to set a clear path on clean energy. The IEA expects oil prices to rise only gradually, reports Reuters, though its columnist John Kemp warns of the difficultly of forecasting oil prices. Climate Home reports on the IEA’s suggestion that persistent low oil prices could challenge investments in energy efficiency and clean energy. The Washington Post explains why the IEA thinks India is about to move “centre stage” of world energy. A second Guardian article says renewable energy investment is predicted to “surge”. EnergyDesk also covers the IEA outlook. The Middle East’s share of oil exports could rise to 1970s levels if low prices persist says the Telegraph, which has four charts showing what this means.

The World Energy Council has downgraded the UK’s energy policy rating from AAA to AAB after the early closure of renewable energy subsidy schemes. Investors need “more predictability…[and] transparency”, says the leader of the work. The rating change also cites a jump in power’s share of household spending, says the Independent. The Daily Mail and Press Association also have the story.

The UK lacks the policies it needs to meet its legally-binding renewable energy target, energy and climate change secretary Amber Rudd told MPs yesterday. Rudd said transport and heat were particular problems, reports Business Green. Rudd said the UK government remains committed to meeting the targets, reports the BBC. In a second article it the BBC carries accusations from opposition MPs that Rudd misled parliament over progress on the targets. The Guardian also has the story.

French foreign minister Laurent Fabius says an ambitious deal is in sight, speaking after a meeting of ministers ahead of the UN climate summit in Paris this December. France is eying growing consensus on key areas, reports Climate Home.

Saudi Arabia is preparing to reshape its economy to minimise the impact of climate action, reports the Financial Times. Its pledge to the UN climate process also promises an “ambitious” renewables programme, reports Climate Home. Its submission expects to avoid 130 million tonnes of CO2 in 2030 but does not set out details, says Associated Press. Business Green, Reuters, Carbon Pulse and the Guardian also have the story.

Some 46% of people in the UK think climate change will harm them personally in their lifetime, below a global average of 72% reports the Times. It says British people are less concerned than any other nationality surveyed, but notes that 78% still support emissions controls. Three-quarters of Brits support renewable energy says Business Green, reporting on the Department for Energy and Climate Change’s latest quarterly public attitude tracker.

Christiana Figueres is described by Politico, in the latest of a recent rash of articles profiling the UN’s climate chief. The world can expect a “blend of tact, emotion and a bit of bullying” from Figueres in Paris next month, Politico writes, saying she is trying to “shame and prod” the world towards deep emissions cuts.

It is time for ExxonMobil to “come clean about the war it waged against climate scientists and their work”, says Bob Ward for the Hill, citing the firm’s requests for the removal of leading members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In a separate article, Inside Climate News explains how it investigated what — and when — ExxonMobil knew about climate science.

Australia is “almost alone” in trying to keep the world on a coal-fired track, says Bill McKibben in the Guardian. It is trying to block agreement by the OECD on phasing out export credit agency support for coal projects, he says, despite agreement on the move from Japan, China and the US among others. Australia has said it is open for renewable energy investments, says a separate article for the Financial Times.

Wildfires on Arctic tundra can contribute to widespread permafrost thaw much like blazes in high latitude forested areas, according to a study. Researchers examined the effects of the massive Anaktuvuk River fire, which burned roughly 1,000 square kilometers of tundra on Alaska’s North Slope in 2007. Using aerial data, the researchers detected permafrost thaw in about a third of the fire’s footprint, compared to less than 1% in undisturbed areas.

The melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet could be slowed by two factors that are currently overlooked, a new study says. The first is that as the ice sheet melts, the reduction in its mass would reduce the gravitational pull on the surrounding water, thus lowering the sea level near the ice. The second is that the West Antarctic sits atop a region where the mantle flows more easily than in other parts of the Earth. So the land there will pop up more quickly when ice melts away. Both factors make water along the ice sheet edge shallower, which slows the retreat of the ice sheet, the researchers say.