Daily Briefing: 50,000 heat deaths | Coral ‘collapse’ | Funds for Nepal

23.10.26

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News

Summer heatwave linked to 50,000 deaths in Europe

Attracta Mooney and Ian Johnston, The Financial Times

There were an estimated 50,000 heat-related deaths in European cities this summer, “making it the most deadly season for heat mortality in modern records”, according to new research covered by the Financial Times. The newspaper explains that “this summer was the region’s hottest on record, with new temperature highs set in several countries amid back-to-back heatwaves”. Politico notes that the new data, based on two peer-reviewed studies, marks the first comprehensive assessment of heat-related deaths during this year’s record-breaking European heatwaves. The Guardian says the “staggering” death toll, which was modelled using historical relationships between heat and health in 854 cities, was around twice as high as the next-deadliest year.

CNN notes that “southern and western Europe were worst affected, but typically cooler northern regions…also experienced thousands of deaths”. The news outlet adds that most of the victims were 85 or older, but more than 800 people between the ages of 20 and 44 also died from heat-related reasons, according to the research. The Associated Press notes that Italy, France, Spain and Germany had the highest death tolls. The Daily Telegraph says the researchers estimate that there were 4,354 heat-related deaths in the UK over the summer.

MORE ON EXTREME WEATHER

The European Investment Bank is to invest at least €30bn this decade on projects for adapting to climate change “as extreme weather costs soar”, according to Euronews.
The UK government will equip military aircraft and helicopters to combat wildfires after a summer of “unrelenting” blazes, reports the Press Association.
The Washington Post: “Hail causes billions in damage – and climate change is making it worse.”
The Times reports that, in England, “potatoes, onions and carrot supplies are set to shrink after dry spells drained reservoirs and left fields topped by ‘eight inches of dust’”.
Reuters reports that “Indonesia remains on high alert for wildfires despite a decline in hotspots”, after “sporadic rainfall [was] still not enough to put them out”.

Almost every shallow-water coral reef on the planet faces ecosystem collapse by 2075, UN advisors say

Graham Readfearn, The Guardian

Almost all of the world’s shallow-water coral reefs are at risk of ecosystem collapse by 2075 because of global warming, according to an assessment by UN nature advisers, covered by the Guardian. The newspaper explains that the assessment, coordinated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), analysed the current status and future threat facing 127 coral reef regions. The Associated Press explains that 96% of shallow-water reef systems, including the Great Barrier Reef, are “already critically endangered and could disappear” over this timeframe. New Scientist adds that IUCN experts say “the remaining ecosystems weren’t evaluated due to lack of data, but are probably just as vulnerable”. The New York Times adds that “scientists involved in the research emphasised that the reefs are not yet lost”, as the “finding is based on the current estimated trajectory of climate change” and “if countries do more to slow warming, the outcome for reefs could improve”.

China’s natural-disaster losses hit $30bn in first nine months of 2026

Reuters

China’s natural-disaster losses reached 199.4bn yuan ($29.9bn) in the first nine months of 2026, driven by “severe typhoons, flooding and landslides”, according to China’s Ministry of Emergency Management, reports Reuters. The newswire says that 1,162 people have died or are missing from China’s natural disasters in the period, up from 742 a ⁠year earlier. It adds that financial losses were down 8% year-on-year. Reuters notes the ministry saying that 26 typhoons formed in the north-west Pacific and South China Sea through September, with seven making landfall along China’s coastline, with both figures exceeding historical averages for the time of year. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports southern China’s industrial heartland, Guangdong province, is “being forced” to use gas, which is costlier to fulfil rising electricity demand, after the “El Niño weather pattern curtailed hydropower and wind output”.

MORE ON CHINA

Bloomberg says China confirmed it will add chemicals and petrochemicals to its carbon market next year. Bloomberg also reports that China has “burned through much of a petrochemicals glut built up by years of overproduction”.
China’s outbound investment in “green and low-carbon industries” grew by more than 20% year on year in the first three-quarters of 2026, reports BJX News.
A China Daily editorial says the “Long March spirit” referred to by president Xi Jinping in a recent speech is “essential for confronting climate change”.
Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), tells Xinhua that China has provided “strong support for the global energy transition”.
Trade groups say China’s new five-year plan for “industrial foundational capabilities” will improve the low-carbon development of petrochemicals and non-ferrous metals, says Xinhua. China issued a 2026-2030 action plan for “dual-control” of carbon in the industrial and information technology sectors, reports Economic Information Daily.
China and Russia pledged to use “various energy sources, such as fossil fuels, renewable energy, hydropower, nuclear and hydrogen” to strengthen energy security, says Xinhua.

UN climate disaster fund moves to provide $20m aid for Nepal

Agence France-Presse

The board of the UN’s fund for responding to loss and damage has agreed to earmark $20m to help Nepal following the deadly “tsunami-like floods triggered by a climate-induced ice and rock avalanche”, according to Agence France-Presse. The article notes that the decision does not mean Nepal will immediately receive funds, as the nation will still have to present a proposal. Inside Climate News describes the move as a “historic step far short of the need”. It notes that the $20m – the maximum amount countries can request in a single application – would “represent less than 1% of the initial economic loss and damages from the flooding”. Climate Home News notes that “while board members were united in approving the $20m, plus $1.6m of administrative costs”, developed-country representatives stressed that Nepal’s case should not set a “precedent” for future fund operations.

EPP teams up with far right to win parliament vote delaying EU methane law

Ben Munster, Politico

In the European parliament, the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) has “joined forces with far-right lawmakers” to push through a vote on delaying “a key EU climate law governing the methane emissions of oil and gas companies”, according to Politico. The news outlet describes this as the “latest example” of the EPP “ignoring old taboos and working with the far right to pass legislation weakening environmental rules”. Reuters explains that the rule will require foreign oil and gas suppliers to the EU to monitor and report on methane emissions. The newswire notes that the three-year delay called for by the parliament vote would be a “longer-than-expected delay after pressure from governments including France and the US”. The Brussels Times explains that parliament will now start negotiations with EU member-state governments on when the methane rule should take effect.

UK: Prepare for supply chain disruption from cyber or climate emergencies, Streeting warns

Tara Mewawalla, BBC News

UK defence secretary Wes Streeting has said that members of the public and businesses need to prepare for natural disasters, cyber attacks and state-sponsored terrorism, reports BBC News. The news outlet says the government is launching a “national resilience conversation” to raise awareness, including “advice for households like stocking up on food, bottled water and first aid supplies”. It notes that Streeting specifically mentioned “wildfires burning this summer and…flooding expected this winter”. The Guardian’s frontpage coverage highlights concern about the “super El-Nino”, which could lead to 2027 being the hottest year on record. The Financial Times also has the story, which appears on the frontpages of the Daily Telegraph and the Times. A Daily Telegraph editorial says “it is time we got serious about resilience”, but fails to mention climate change or extreme weather.

MORE ON UK

Various outlets, including Reuters and Bloomberg, cover the UK’s energy regulator Ofgem moving to preserve the nation’s ability to import gas from Europe in a crisis, in order to avoid shortages this winter.
BBC News reports that UK energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh has insisted that she – rather than the prime minister or chancellor – will make the final decision over whether to approve the controversial Rosebank oil field.
The Daily Telegraph reports that the New Economics Foundation (NEF) thinktank, which Fahnbulleh used to lead, has “criticised her plans for a North Sea wealth fund”.
ChargeUK, the trade body for EV charging providers, has warned that taxpayers will foot the bill for new charging infrastructure if the UK weakens its transition to electric vehicles, according to the Times.
BusinessGreen: “How a weakened zero emission vehicle mandate would risk ‘slamming the brakes’ on the electric vehicle transition.”
The Times reports that the Dogger Bank project – the “world’s largest offshore windfarm” – is struggling with construction problems that “threaten to further delay promised cheap power for consumers”.
The Press Association: “Scottish Labour has called on first minister John Swinney to publish his government’s energy strategy after more than 1,380 days of waiting.”

Comment

We will make the net-zero transition work for Britain – approving the Jackdaw gasfield is part of the plan

Andy Burnham, The Guardian

UK prime minister Andy Burnham has penned an article for the Guardian, laying out how this week’s decision to approve the Jackdaw gasfield “fits with Britain’s climate commitments”. He argues that the site will help with energy security and provide jobs, noting that the nation will rely on oil and gas for years to come “as a bridge to [a] clean-energy future”. Nevertheless, he says “our determination is unwavering” on the UK’s net-zero target. Burnham says that his government has chosen to transition to clean energy “by creating good jobs, backing British industry, keeping bills as low as possible, strengthening our energy security and giving communities a greater say over their future”. He concludes: “We can have secure energy, strong industries and a cleaner future. And we can make net-zero mean jobs, opportunity and prosperity. That is how we bring back hope.”

The Guardian also has an accompanying news story about Burnham’s comment piece. It describes his comments as “the prime minister’s most forthright yet on net-zero, after many MPs have privately cast doubt on the authenticity of his commitment”.

MORE COMMENT

An editorial in the Wall Street Journal praises the UK government for approving Jackdaw, in what it describes as a “ceasefire in the war on gas”.
A Washington Post editorial says “painfully high gas prices” due to the Iran war are “diversifying production, opening new routes and increasing investments in renewables” – pointing to the UK’s decision on Jackdaw as an example.
Writing in his Crucial Years substack, climate activist Bill McKibben also reacts to the Jackdaw decision, stating that the government “appear[s] to be thinking about saying no to the larger new Rosebank oil field”.

Research

Evidence from the Laurentide ice sheet suggests that a new glacial period began around 2,000 years ago, but the glaciation ended around 1960 due to human-caused climate change | Science
Increasing forest fragmentation can “significantly intensify extreme temperatures” on a local level, particularly in the Congo basin | Environmental Research Letters
High-resolution satellite measurements show that methane emissions from the south-western US’s Permian basin are 2.4 times greater than reported by the Environmental Protection Agency | Geophysical Research Letters