The Trump administration has suspended leases on all large offshore wind projects in the US, citing national security concerns, reports the Financial Times. The US government is immediately pausing leases on five offshore wind farms currently under construction, saying they were “expensive, unreliable, heavily subsidised projects”, the article adds. The New York Times states that the move “injected uncertainty” into $25bn worth of projects, which were expected to power more than 2.5m homes and businesses and collectively create about 10,000 jobs. It adds that the suspension “essentially gut[s] the country’s nascent offshore wind industry in a sharp escalation of President Trump’s crusade against the renewable energy source”. 

The Guardian reports that Trump’s Department of the Interior stated that it was stopping the wind farms due to “national security risks” created by the turbine towers creating radar interference called “clutter”, which it claimed could hamper the US military. Reuters adds that the decision was made in response to complaints by the Pentagon, according to government statements. It continues that the pause in offshore wind development will give federal agencies “time to work with leaseholders and state partners to assess the possibility of mitigating the national security risks posed by these projects”, the Department of the Interior said in a statement. This story was also covered by the Washington Post, Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, Bloomberg, BBC News and others.

MORE ON US

• The New York Times takes a look at how Trump’s first year in office reshaped US energy and climate policy.
• E&E News reports that Trump has invited “a small group of climate contrarians” to help author the next National Climate Assessment in the US.

This year is expected to be the UK’s hottest on record, according to the Met Office, as “climate change continues to drive temperatures to new heights”, reports BBC News. Sky News adds that the average annual temperature is currently tracking at 10.05C, an increase from 10.03C set in 2022. The Guardian notes that, while the UK is “more likely than not” to break the record after a “summer of heatwaves and drought followed by a mild autumn”, a colder spell over the Christmas period still makes it too close to call for the whole year. The Independent quotes Mike Kendon, a senior scientist in the Met Office, who said a new record would not be surprising, adding: “In terms of our climate, we are living in extraordinary times. The changes we are seeing are unprecedented in observational records back to the 19th century.” This story is also covered by the Daily Mail, Agence France-Presse and others.

MORE ON UK

• BusinessGreen reports that the UK is on track to hit its electric vehicle target for 2025. 
• BBC News covers the annual marine review from the Wildlife Trust, which finds that there were record numbers of octopuses spotted in UK waters due to warmer seas.
• BusinessGreen covers new analysis from thinktank ECIU that shows an increasing number of articles focus on net-zero without mentioning climate change.

Gas exporters in eastern states of Australia will have to hold back supply for domestic customers, as part of a push by the Albanese government to drive down energy bills and prevent shortfalls, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. The reservation policy is the first of its kind on the eastern seaboard, the publication notes, and will apply to operators of three “giant” LNG export terminals in Queensland. The Guardian quotes Chris Bowen, the climate change and energy minister, who said the “historic” export permit scheme would apply from 2027, and would be reflected in new contracts with gas companies between now and then. The article quotes Bowen as adding: “Australia gas for Australian users, that’s the first priority.”. This story was also covered by the Australian Financial Review, ABC News and others. 

MORE ON AUSTRALIA

• The Guardian reports that Victoria is set to get its first publicly owned windfarm, following the government’s electricity commissioning spending $650m on a 33-turbine project in the Latrobe Valley.

The dismantling of the National Center for Atmospheric Research is the latest in the “relentless purge of climate researchers who refuse to be co-opted by the fossil fuel industry”, write US climate scientist Prof Michael Mann and Grantham Institute’s Bob Ward in the Guardian. The article draws a parallel with Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin’s adoption of the work of Trofim Denisovitch Lysenko and the approach of the Trump administration to climate researchers. They write: “Six years ago, we warned…of the dangers of climate Lysenkoism during Trump’s first presidential term. Little did we know that there would be a second term and an even more extreme war against scientific reality.” The article continues to detail the rollbacks and cuts to climate institutions over the last year, the investment of at least $75m from oil and gas interests in Trump’s election campaign, but also the pushback from both the climate sector and beyond. The article concludes that “the Trump administration continues to act as if the story of the ransacking of the library of Alexandria is a playbook instead of a cautionary tale”.

MORE COMMENT

• An editorial in the New York Times argues that the US must “end China’s rare earth dominance”. 
• In the Financial Times, Ian Harnett, co-founder and chief investment strategist at Absolute Strategy Research, looks at how the US’s “risky bet on hydrocarbons” could hamper its AI ambition.
• A Lex opinion piece in the Financial Times looks at the “brainteaser” that is nuclear fusion, following Trump Media & Technology Group’s merger with TAE Technologies.

An editorial in the Washington Post argues that the need for “tech-neutral permitting reform has never been clearer”, following the news that the Trump administration has suspended offshore wind permits due to “bogus” security risks. It continues that the decision “injects a fresh dose of turmoil” for the projects, but also marks a “blow to important efforts on Capitol Hill” to address the bureaucracy slowing down infrastructure projects. The article states that “a truly technology neutral permitting reform bill – that is, one which treats traditional carbon-based energy the same as renewable sources – might be able to pass the Senate, thereby unleashing the electricity needed to bring down energy costs”. It continues to explore the proposed reforms in the “SPEED Act”, which would “make it faster and less costly for new projects to break ground and connect to the grid” and “facilitate competition between different technologies in the energy market”.

This edition of the Daily Briefing was written by Molly Lempriere. It was edited by Daisy Dunne.