There is widespread media coverage of the ongoing European heatwave. The “vicious heatwave” has seen temperatures reach a new record high of 46C in Spain, the Guardian reports. The newspaper adds that almost all of mainland France is under heat alerts for the first time in history and more than 50,000 people in Turkey have been evacuated from their homes due to forest fires. In Italy, “hospital admissions in some of the hottest regions – such as Tuscany – are up 20%”, it adds. It continues: “Extreme heat, made stronger by fossil fuel pollution, has for several days scorched Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Greece as southern Europe endures its first major heatwave of the summer.” BBC News reports that both Spain and Portugal had their hottest June days on record over the weekend. It adds: “Many countries have emergency medical services on standby and have warned people to stay inside as much as possible. Nearly 200 schools across France have been closed or partially closed as a result of the heatwave.” The New York Times says: “A nuclear reactor in southern France had to shut down, because discharging its heated water into an already-overheated river would have endangered wildlife.” The Washington Post says record heat has also hit the Alps, where a new June record was set when the “freezing 32-degree line (0 degrees Celsius) rose to 16,850 feet above sea level”. The Hill quotes a tweet from UN secretary general António Guterres, who is currently in Seville, Spain, saying: “Extreme heat is no longer a rare event – it has become the new normal.” The Associated Press says: “As the planet continues to warm, what was once rare has become normal. Meteorologists say that Europe should expect more and hotter heatwaves as a result of climate change.”

In the UK, BBC News reports that temperatures in parts of England reached 33C on Monday. The Independent reports that amber heat alerts have been extended across much of England. The i newspaper warns that in the UK, the extreme heat could cause more than 350 “excess deaths”. Sky News reports that parts of England were set for a “tropical night” into Tuesday, with temperatures staying above 20C. BBC News asks of the UK heat “how unusual is this and how much is climate change to blame?” It says: “In the second half of the 20th Century, one in ten years saw highs of 35C or more, BBC analysis of Met Office data shows. But this heat is becoming more common. Between 2015 and 2024, half of the years saw 35C or above…And as climate change continues apace, heatwaves will keep on getting more likely and could reach even higher temperatures.” It adds: “Temperatures in the mid-thirties are more common in other parts of the world of course. But in many cases the UK’s infrastructure – from roads and railways to hospitals and care homes – is simply poorly designed for such heat.” The Guardian reports that “trains have been forced to run slower in southern Britain because of the heatwave”. Bloomberg says: “Power prices for delivery on Tuesday spiked to the highest level for months as a brutal heatwave drives up demand for cooling and crimps supply from some French nuclear reactors.” Semafor, the Times of India, the Daily Mail, the Independent, Al Jazeera, RTE, the Sun, France24, Bloomberg, Reuters and Le Monde also cover the heatwave. 

Efforts to politicise the heatwave continue, with Politico reporting that far-right politician Marine Le Pen has pledged a rollout of air conditioning. It says she was attempting to turn the matter into a “political issue” and adds: “She accused the government of forcing ordinary people to suffer the heat while the ‘so-called French elites’ benefit from air conditioning.” Similarly, a Daily Telegraph article contradicts itself with a headline claiming “net-zero puts air conditioning out of reach”, above quotes noting that heat pumps will “be able to run in cooling mode” and that there is “no barrier stopping you from getting” air conditioning.

There is ongoing coverage of the passage of what Politico calls “president Donald Trump’s megabill”. It reports: “Senate Republican leaders have escalated their assault on wind and solar power – setting off an eleventh-hour intraparty struggle over new financial hurdles for clean energy proposed in their megabill…Lawmakers hope to send a final draft to the House tonight [Monday] or tomorrow [Tuesday].” The outlet adds: “GOP leaders updated [the bill] over the weekend to include a new, unexpected tax on solar and wind projects…A preliminary assessment from the Rhodium Group, an independent consulting firm, said the new tax provision could increase the cost of wind and solar projects by 10 to 20%, and could lead to higher electricity prices.” The Associated Press carries an article titled: “Senate GOP tax bill could crush wind and solar power, advocates say.” Bloomberg reports: “Shares of renewable energy companies fell, while coal miners surged.” Elsewhere, the Los Angeles Times says: “Elon Musk slammed the Senate’s latest version of President Trump’s multi-trillion dollar tax bill, warning that the cuts to electric vehicle and other clean energy credits would be ‘incredibly destructive’ to the country.” Another Associated Press article, published around midnight on the US east coast, says that the outcome of the Senate votes on the bill was “not yet in sight”. It adds: “House speaker Mike Johnson signalled the potential problems the Senate package could face when it is eventually sent back to his chamber for a final round of voting, which was expected later this week, ahead of Trump’s 4 July deadline.” ABC News also says that the fate of the bill “remains uncertain”.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said yesterday that it is delaying plans to cut off its satellite data, the Associated Press reports. The newswire continues: “Meteorologists and scientists warned of severe consequences last week when NOAA said, in the midst of this year’s hurricane season, that it would almost immediately discontinue key data collected by three weather satellites that the agency jointly runs with the Defense Department…The agency now says it’s postponing that until 31 July. Peak hurricane season is usually from mid-August to mid-October.” The Guardian says “the delay comes after an apparent intervention by a top Nasa official – a sign that the Trump administration’s stance towards science may be receiving meaningful internal pushback”. The New York Times says without further explanation: “An announcement from NOAA on Monday cites a ‘significant cybersecurity risk’ as the reason for taking the data offline.” The Hill, the Independent, the Washington Post, CBS News and CNN also cover the news. 

In other US news, New York Times reports that “more than 270 employees of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signed a letter on Monday denouncing what they described as the Trump administration’s efforts to politicise, dismantle and sideline the main federal agency tasked with protecting the environment and public health”. The newspaper calls the letter to EPA administrator Lee Zeldin “a remarkable rebuke of the agency’s political leadership”. The Associated Press reports that 100 people “signed the form anonymously out of fear of retaliation”. It adds: “The letter represents rare public criticism from agency employees who could face blowback for speaking out against a weakening of funding and federal support for climate, environmental and health science.” Reuters says: “The declaration is similar to one sent earlier this month by employees of the National Institutes of Health to its director to protest the politicisation of research and disruption of scientific progress. The EPA employees said their five main concerns are the partisan rhetoric and misinformation shared in EPA communications; disregard for the agency’s own scientific assessments; abandoning environmental justice while slashing funding; dismantling the research office; and creating a culture of fear.”

China’s “nationwide temperatures are poised to climb almost 3C above historical averages” in the first week of July, Bloomberg reports. The outlet adds that high temperatures will also “pile pressure on electricity supplies” due to increasing demand for air conditioners, which has “nearly doubled in the past decade”. Meanwhile, Weather China reports that 13 provinces across China will experience “heavy to torrential rainfall” from Monday to Tuesday, according to the China Meteorological Administration (CMA). 

Elsewhere, business news outlet Yicai reports that China’s fourth “west-east gas pipeline” has become fully operational, representing a “major step” in replacing coal with “cleaner burning natural gas”. State-run newspaper China Daily reports that China’s automobile exports are “experiencing a remarkable surge”, partly driven by the “dominance” of “new-energy vehicles” (NEVs). The newspaper adds that the NEVs have emerged as the “growth engine”, accounting for 43% of China’s total vehicle exports in May.

Finally, Ban Ki-moon, former UN secretary-general, says in an interview with the Shanghai-based news outlet the Paper that the progress of the global climate response has been “far too slow” since the Paris Agreement a decade ago and that China now has potential to play a “bridging role in climate cooperation” with its “long-standing relationships” in Asia, Africa and Latin America, combined with its “growing role in clean energy financing”.

The government has “set out its plans for accelerating the roll out of solar power across the UK over the remainder of the decade and beyond, including measures to encourage homes and businesses to install more panels on rooftops, balconies, and carparks”, BusinessGreen reports. The outlet continues: “[T]he government’s solar roadmap sets out the steps ministers believe are needed for the public and private sector to deliver 45GW [gigawatts] to 47GW of total UK solar capacity by 2030, delivering a 2.5-fold increase on the just over 18GW installed at present.” The Press Association reports that people living in flats and rented homes could be allowed to install “plug-in” solar panels on roofs and balconies under the new plans. These solar panels typically cut bills by 30% in countries where they are already used, according to the Independent. The Times says: “Balcony solar power panels have boomed in Germany, Spain and other European countries, and Germans can now buy individual panels for less than £200.” The Guardian also covers the news. The Daily Telegraph says: “[Energy secretary Ed] Miliband is hoping to make it more difficult for locals to object to bodies of water being covered in the panels and to the erection of telegraph poles in rural areas.” The Daily Mail says “Miliband wants to carpet an area the size of the West Midlands in solar panels by 2030 as part of Labour’s push for net-zero”. The article notes that this would be equivalent to increasing the area used for solar farms from 0.1% of UK land to 0.4%. An accompanying Daily Mail editorial under the headline “Ed’s green muddle” once again resorts to name-calling Miliband “and his deluded band of eco-fanatics”. Miliband himself appears on the Everything Electric Show podcast.

In other UK news, BusinessGreen reports that “almost all cars manufactured in [the] UK [are] expected to be electric by 2035”. Separately, Reuters reports that “the Crown Estate, which manages King Charles’ public property, reported an annual net profit of £1.15bn on Tuesday, similar to the previous year, with offshore wind leases its biggest source of revenue”. The Guardian says that “King Charles is set to receive official annual income of £132m next year” due to “a boom in the offshore wind sector”. The Press Association says: “Earnings are set to drop back sharply as a short-term boost from offshore wind farms fades.” Elsewhere, the Independent says: “The government has called for an urgent investigation after the group behind one of Britain’s largest oil refineries collapsed into administration, putting hundreds of jobs at risk. State Oil – the parent company of Prax Group, which owns the Lindsey refinery in North Lincolnshire – appointed administrators on Monday.” Sky News reports that the company owns roughly 200 petrol stations. The i newspaper, the Daily Telegraph and BBC News also cover the story. Finally, BusinessGreen says: “The National Audit Office (NAO) today said in its assessment of the UK’s Emissions Trading Scheme that while emissions have fallen in several sectors covered by the flagship ‘cap and trade’ system, there remained risks that any fall in its overall carbon price could undermine its future effectiveness.”

Bloomberg opinion columnist Liam Denning criticises the energy provisions in the Senate’s version of the Republican tax bill. He writes: “The GOP appears to imagine that 19th-century energy sources will underpin US dominance of 21st century fields like artificial intelligence. Far from fostering leadership, it will hamstring America’s efforts.” Denning says that if the current draft is passed, it will likely result in “not enough capacity available to satisfy the additional loads expected”, leading to higher energy bills. He concludes: “For a country supposedly locked in an existential competition with China, it is bizarre to eviscerate the fastest growing source of energy supposedly to save money while simultaneously providing tax breaks to, of all things, metallurgical coal miners, who already export 70% of their output.” Elsewhere, US energy secretary Chris Wright writes in the New York Post that, contrary to the evidence available, he thinks Trump’s “big beautiful bill will lower energy costs, shore up the electric grid – and unleash American prosperity”. Separately, Bloomberg opinion editor Mark Gongloff writes that “climate change is already twice as painful economically as the Great Depression, and it’s only going to worsen”. He says: “Two of the biggest myths about climate change are that 1) it’s a problem for future generations and 2) trying to alleviate it will hurt economic growth. In fact, climate change is not just a challenge already for those of us lucky enough to be alive today, it’s also an economic catastrophe. Ignoring it will be far more costly than fighting it.”

A new study investigates seasonal changes and drivers of soil CO2 emissions in Congo’s Cuvette Centrale, the world’s largest tropical peatlands that was first described by scientists in 2017. The peatlands stretch across an area of central Africa that is larger than the size of England and stores as much as 30bn tonnes of carbon. The researchers measured inflows and outflows of soil CO2 for three years from 2019-22 in a seasonally flooded forest and a perennially flooded forest in Cuvette Centrale. They find that, at the seasonally flooded site, soil CO2 emissions were positively linked with higher soil temperature, moisture and higher water levels.