Daily Briefing: UK weighs oilfield ‘rejection’ | Trump challenges wind permit | COP31 oil sponsor

22.10.26

Expert analysis direct to your inbox

Every weekday morning, in time for your morning coffee, Carbon Brief sends out a free email known as the “Daily Briefing” to thousands of subscribers around the world. The email is a digest of the past 24 hours of media coverage related to climate change and energy, as well as our pick of the key studies published in peer-reviewed journals.

Article Contents

Expand menu

News

UK: Energy secretary leaning towards rejecting Rosebank oilfield

Kiran Stacey, The Guardian

Energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh is “minded to reject the giant Rosebank”, one of the biggest oilfields in the North Sea, sources tell the Guardian. The story, which features on the newspaper’s frontpage, says the move “would be a blow for the North Sea energy industry and a major victory for climate campaigners”. The article notes that despite Fahnbulleh’s views, she could be overruled by prime minister Andy Burnham. The Independent reports that Rosebank would produce oil mainly for export and emit around seven times the carbon of the Jackdaw gas site. The Times reports: “One source said it would be hard to justify approving Rosebank on climate grounds, while another said Fahnbulleh had been an opponent of the scheme since before she was energy secretary.” The Daily Telegraph adds that Fahnbulleh’s decision over Jackdaw was due to concerns over energy security, but the rationale for Rosebank is different as most of its oil would be exported.

In a story featured on its frontpage, the Daily Express covers comments by US president Donald Trump following the approval of Jackdaw, urging the UK to go “full blast” on drilling in the North Sea. The Times reports that Trump said it was “great news for the wealth and prosperity” of the UK “and the wonderful region of Aberdeen”. BBC News covers comments by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, in which she said the prime minister had been “dithering” on Jackdaw and called for the wider ban on new oil and gas licences to be repealed.

The Guardian covers criticism from climate campaigners and green experts over the “maddening” decision. The Press Association also covers “backlash” to the approval. A separate piece in the Guardian covers the “relief” from those living in Aberdeen over the project’s approval. BBC News looks at whether Jackdaw could cut energy bills. The Times covers “why new North Sea gas won’t fix Britain’s winter energy crisis”. A separate piece in BBC News looks at the “energy wealth fund” announced alongside the approval of Jackdaw.

MORE ON UK

The Financial Times covers plans to scrap fixed daily fees from household gas bills, as part of plans to cut energy bills ahead of winter. This story was also covered by BusinessGreen, the Daily Telegraph and others.
The Guardian looks at the impact of changes to planning permission that will allow electric vehicle drivers without off-street parking to charge at home more easily using a pavement gully.
Sky News covers warnings from MPs that this summer’s record heat and fires have exposed how “woefully unprepared” the UK is for the threat of wildfires.
Inside Climate News looks at Britain’s plans for a “golden age” of nuclear power and proposed reforms to environmental regulation.
BBC News reports that “sharp increases” in petrol and diesel prices have pushed up inflation and government borrowing to their highest point in a year.
The Times reports that almost two-thirds of movers would like a home that is self-sufficient in power generation, with buyers favouring homes that have solar panels and battery storage.

China: NEA to promote integration of coal-fired power with new energy

Yicai

China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) has issued a notice supporting the integrated development of coal-fired power and “new energy”, aiming to strengthen carbon reduction in coal-fired power, promote new energy consumption and reduce wind and solar power curtailment, reports business news outlet Yicai. The notice says the scale of new energy projects under such integration should match the flexibility of renovated and upgraded coal-fired power units, adds the outlet. Industry news outlet BJX News also covers the story, stating that the notice encourages the construction of supporting energy storage and thermal storage systems, so nearby new energy connected to coal-fired power plants can be stored when supply is high and released when demand is high. The outlet adds that the integrated projects aim to reduce annual emissions by more than 5% compared with levels before integration, with a target of more than 10%. China Electric Power News carries the full text of the notice. The NEA said integrated development will focus on reducing emissions from coal-fired power, with coordinated new energy consumption as a key priority, according to state news agency China News Service.

MORE ON CHINA

China’s electricity consumption rose 1.2% year on year to 899,700 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in September, reports Xinhua. Meanwhile, the MEE said that China has made significant progress in addressing climate change and the low-carbon transition of the energy and industrial sectors, according to CEPN.
Bloomberg says surging hybrid vehicle exports are set to boost Chinese automakers’ third-quarter earnings amid import curbs in Europe and domestic export tax changes.
People’s Daily publishes an article under the byline Jin Sheping, used to signal the party leadership’s thinking on economic matters, saying traditional industries are being upgraded through “green transformation”.
A Global Times editorial says the Chinese and European auto industries have become an “indispensable link in each other’s supply chains”.
Shi Xiaoming, deputy director of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Paper that climate change’s impact on human health is now an “immediate” public health challenge.
The South China Morning Post reports that China’s rare earth magnet exports to the EU and the US in September rose 20.5% and 18% month-on-month, respectively.

US: Trump administration aims to reconsider offshore wind permit

Jennifer McDermott and Matthew Daly, The Associated Press

The Associated Press covers a request from the Trump administration to a federal judge, asking them to reconsider a major federal permit granted for an offshore wind farm. It notes that this marks the fourth wind project the Republican leadership has targeted in recent months. The article says the Interior Department wants the approval of the “construction and operations plan” for the New England Wind project off of Massachusetts – issued in 2024 under the Biden administration – to be reconsidered. The news outlet adds that a filing from the Justice Department says the court should send the permit back to the Interior Department, as it was approved despite major adverse impacts. The article adds: “The Trump administration is using executive orders, agency actions and the courts to try to stop the development of offshore wind, a technology that president Donald Trump has attacked as ‘ugly’ and unreliable compared to fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas.”

MORE ON US

The Financial Times reports that households in the US north-east are “wrestling with soaring costs” for heating oil, leaving them to turn to alternative sources such as firewood as “fallout from the Iran war spills into elections just weeks away”.
The Financial Times covers comments by former California governor and clean energy advocate Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has called for a major expansion of nuclear power in the state in order to “terminate pollution”.
The Guardian looks at how US extreme weather survivors are pushing for urgent action.

El Niño ‘wrecking ball’ could cause record Pacific temperature rise, UN says

Reuters

Reuters reports that UN officials have warned the El Niño weather pattern could cause a record rise in temperatures in the Pacific. It adds that the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) seasonal outlook has predicted that temperatures could rise about 3.8C above normal between November and January, peaking in December in the Pacific. The article quotes WMO secretary-general Celeste Saulo, who said: “We have not seen in ⁠our records 3.8C. We have seen around 3C in some record El Niños before, with very substantive impacts across the world. So we are beyond that limit.”

Turkish giant sponsoring COP31 cut climate goals then cashed in on oil boom

Matteo Civillini, Climate Home News

Climate Home News reports that COP31 sponsor Koç Holding’s subsidiary is Turkey’s largest oil refiner Tüpraş, which plans to keep running its refineries “at maximum potential”. The article states that “COP31 sponsors should be screened for ‘climate integrity’”. However, it notes that both Koç Holding and Tüpraş have already rolled back their 2030 climate targets to a level that they have already nearly achieved. It adds: “The decision to hand Koç Holding a prominent role at COP31…has reignited a long-running controversy over the platforming of fossil-fuel interests at the annual UN climate conference.”

Kenya seals $160m conservation finance deal

Marc Jones, Reuters

Reuters reports that Kenya’s government and a group of donors have signed off on a $160m conservation programme, designed to protect 173,000 square km (17.3m hectares) of natural environment. It continues that the Thamani Asili initiative – which translates to the “value of nature” in Kiswahili – will focus on biodiversity hotspots from the Great Rift Valley to the Maasai Mara. The article notes that $80m from dozens of donors will be combined with government funding over the next 10 years under a “project finance for permanence” (PFP) model, which binds funding to government policy changes.

MORE ON AFRICA

The Financial Times covers a $1.5bn investment by Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest industrialist, into a Kenyan pipeline network that transports diesel, petrol and jet fuel.
Reuters reports that Tunisia is planning to target an increased share of renewables in its energy mix, up to 16% in 2027 from 12% this year, driven by plans to develop 1,600 megawatts of renewable capacity.

Comment

The Guardian view on drilling in Jackdaw: a truly pragmatic approach would focus on Britain’s green transition

Editorial, The Guardian

An editorial in the Guardian criticises the approval of the Jackdaw North Sea gas project, stating that it will deliver minimal benefits and send a “dismal signal” ahead of the upcoming COP climate summit. It adds that despite UK prime minister Andy Burnham’s claim that the decision was a “pragmatic move”, the “pragmatic arguments don’t stack up” – noting the lack of impact on bills, jobs and tax revenues it will have. An editorial in the Times argues that “Jackdaw is a start, but Andy Burnham must now approve Rosebank”. An editorial in the Independent says the approval of Jackdaw “offers the nation a drop of hope”. In the Sun, an editorial argues Jackdaw is “a welcome outbreak of common sense in Downing Street”. An editorial in the Daily Express, not yet online, welcomes Jackdaw as a “good step”. In the Daily Mail, an editorial bemoans the lack of progress on the Rosebank oilfield, despite the approval of Jackdaw. An editorial in the Daily Record argues that Jackdaw can “fuel a better and brighter future”. In the Scotsman, an editorial sets out why Jackdaw is “not ‘drill, baby, drill’ climate vandalism”.

Elsewhere, columnists waded in to both support and criticise the decision on Jackdaw. Guardian columnist Zoe Williams argues that the “foolish decision” on Jackdaw has “imperilled” climate action. Alistair Osborne, chief business commentator in the Times, writes that the Jackdaw decision was a “no-brainer” and urges development of the “politically trickier” Rosebank oilfield. In the Daily Telegraph, former cabinet minister David Frost writes that the approval of Jackdaw exposes the “muddle” of Labour’s economic thinking, as it does not change the “real problem” of net-zero. In the Independent, entrepreneur Dale Vince writes that “he can see a convincing economic case for future offshore operations”. In the Scotsman, David Whitehouse, chief executive of the oil and gas trade association Offshore Energies UK, urges the government to “seize £50bn North Sea prize with both hands”. In the Independent, associate editor Sean O’Grady writes that Burnham’s “North Sea gas gamble is greener than you think”. In the Financial Times, political editor George Parker argues that Burnham’s North Sea “pragmatism” follows on from former prime minister Keir Starmer’s approach. Guardian financial editor Nils Pratley argues that the Jackdaw approval is a “step towards a grownup North Sea policy”. Daily Telegraph business editor Ambrose Evans-Pritchard sets out the “green case” for oil drilling in the North Sea, arguing “mankind is rising to the challenges posed by climate change, even if it does not feel like it yet”.

MORE COMMENT

In the Guardian, columnist George Monbiot argues that “if Flávio Bolsonaro is elected, Brazil’s ecosystems will face collapse”.
In Climate Home News, June Rubis, a steering group committee member for the Cali Fund, argues that COP17 “must settle who decides how Cali Fund money is disbursed”.
An editorial in the climate sceptic Daily Telegraph argues that the UK is “sacrificing too much as a country that only contributes less than 1% of global emissions”.

Research

The frequency and “cumulative intensity” of diurnal temperature range extremes have increased “markedly” across “most” global land areas since the early 1980s | Weather and Climate Extremes
Adoption of plant-based meat alternatives could “substantially” reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and land expansion | Nature Food
Climate-change disinformation is a “layered, structurally sustained phenomenon” where “political-economic, rhetorical and platform-mechanical processes” reinforce each other | Climatic Change