Daily Briefing: Global hunger declines | Oil firms ‘knew’ methane risks | India’s deadly floods

22.07.26

News

Global hunger declines across continents but climate, trade risks loom, UN says

Giselda Vagnoni and Oriana Boselli, Reuters

Reuters reports on the UN “state of food security and nutrition” report, which shows that global hunger declined for a third consecutive year in 2025, with improvements recorded “across every continent”. However, “mounting risks from climate ‌shocks and trade disruption” could threaten progress, it warns. The outlet quotes Máximo Torero, chief economist at the Food and Agriculture Organization – one of five UN agencies behind the report – as saying the trend “offered grounds for optimism, but warned that geopolitical tensions and weather disruptions posed significant threats to global food systems”. Among the most “immediate concerns”, he said, were “issues with shipping through the strait of Hormuz”, as well as a “potentially strong El Niño weather pattern” which could disrupt agricultural production in vulnerable regions. The Associated Press says “climate change is adding pressure to food systems and rural livelihoods”. It carries an interview with International Fund for Agricultural Development president Alvaro Lario, who warned that floods, prolonged droughts and extreme heat are “increasingly disrupting agriculture around the world.”

US: Oil firms knew for decades of methane’s danger to planet, documents suggest

Hiroko Tabuchi, The New York Times

The oil and gas industry has known “for decades” that its wells were releasing “far more planet-warming methane than companies acknowledged”, reports the New York Times. The newspaper covers findings released by the not-for-profit Center for Climate Integrity (CCI) that show the industry “publicly underplayed” concerns over methane and ran an “advertising campaign that highlighted gas as a clean fuel”. It says the CCI cites, among other examples, a 1979 report commissioned by the American Gas Association that said that major US gas fields could be releasing “far more planet-warming gases than was being officially reported”. The American Petroleum Institute trade group called the CCI report “the latest in a coordinated campaign” against the fossil fuel industry, according to the newspaper.

MORE ON US

The Hill: “Trump blames Canada for wildfires; scientists point to climate change.”
Utility Dive covers numbers released by the US Energy Information Administration that show US CO2 power emissions rose by 4% last year.
Trump’s order to keep coal plants running costing the state of Wisconsin $117m, reports the Independent.
Eighteen Democratic-led states, Washington DC and New York City have sued the Trump administration over a new ‌federal rule which rolls back deadlines for companies to phase out hydrofluorocarbons in commercial refrigeration equipment, says Reuters.
The Associated Press: “White House admits it used keywords to kill billions worth of California research grants.”
Sales of hybrid cars outpaced EVs in California in the second quarter, in a “stark sign” of shifting US car-buying preferences as “political posturing and the end of federal subsidies have undercut EV demand”, says Bloomberg.

UK: Miatta Fahnbulleh dismisses ‘eco-zealot’ claim amid North Sea fears

Geraldine Scott, The Times

The UK’s newly appointed energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh told Times Radio that she said she would be “pragmatic” on North Sea drilling, but “would not be drawn” on whether she would allow further exploration despite repeated calls from trade unions, reports the Times. The newspaper continues that Fahnbulleh told BBC Radio 4 that she would “not engage in claims she was an eco-zealot”, despite being branded as such by Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice. LBC News reports that Fahnbulleh said on its radio show that the reason why UK households are struggling at the moment was because the UK was “incredibly exposed to global fossil fuel prices”. She said this was why the government was “really committed to making sure that we create homegrown energy, clean energy, that ultimately means that we have far more energy security and that will drive down the cost”.

There is significant coverage of Fahnbulleh’s record on energy and climate issues. The Financial Times notes that, back in 2019, Fahnbulleh advocated for a “global green new deal” with the goal of achieving net-zero “within 10-15 years”. It also reports that, under her leadership, the New Economics Foundation thinktank produced a report calling for a “total end to new drilling” in the North Sea. The Times says [Fahnbulleh’s] “vision for climate action has sometimes appeared, if anything, more ambitious than [her predecessor Ed Miliband’s]”. The Daily Mail also has a full-page profile on Fahnbulleh entitled: “Why net-zero opponents fear we’ve gone from mad Miliband to Miatta, even madder than Miliband.” The Daily Telegraph covers Fahnbulleh’s 2019 call for a phaseout of fossil fuels “within 10 years”. The Daily Express says TalkTV presenter Kevin O’Sullivan described her as “hard left, globalist, climate change zealot” that will make Miliband “look like a moderate”.

Meanwhile, there is ongoing coverage of new prime minister Andy Burnham’s decision to scrap VAT on household electricity bills from 1 October, amid speculation around how the £850 tax cut will be funded. The i newspaper is among a number of outlets to cover the fallout from a social media post by Darren Jones – a cabinet minister under Starmer. Commenting on plans to fund the VAT cut in part by scrapping a digital ID project, Jones noted that the programme was “unfunded”. The Independent reports that a Downing Street spokesperson subsequently “admitted that the savings would need to be found, but said that the measure announced is “fully funded”. The Guardian explains what Burnham’s plan to scrap VAT on energy bills means for households and BBC News looks at why UK electricity prices are so high.

MORE ON UK

Burnham’s government has announced that single bus fares across England will be capped at £2 from January, reports the Guardian. The bulk of the £500m cost will come from “switching investment in international climate finance to loans” and “savings in the budget of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero”, it notes.
The National Drought Group has warned eight areas across southern, central and eastern England are now in the “stage before drought status can be declared”, according to BusinessGreen.
Ed Miliband has vowed to “reinvigorate climate diplomacy” in his new role as foreign secretary, reports the Financial Times.
The Daily Telegraph says the White House is “deeply concerned” over Miliband’s appointment, with one official highlighting the politician’s support for green energy projects as a “point of friction”.
Bloomberg says that a projected surge in UK electricity prices from October will “erode” Burnham’s “bill savings”.
The Guardian: “‘Risking blackouts’? How Great Britain’s grid operator was dragged into a political row.”

Fires in Spain and France, hail in Balkans; Europe’s erratic weather persists

Reuters

Firefighters struggled yesterday to contain Spain’s largest wildfire of the year, while two firefighters were killed battling a fire in south-west France, reports Reuters. The fires come as “an extreme heatwave continues to fuel dangerous conditions across Europe, bringing drought and forecasts of severe hailstorms”, the outlet continues. It adds that in southern France, local authorities have confirmed a separate wildfire in the Var department that burned 500 hectares within hours. Meanwhile, a forest blaze in Spain’s central Guadalajara province “raged uncontrolled for a sixth day, forcing the evacuation of more than 1,200 people”, it says. The newswire explains that “Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent and many scientists say human-driven climate change is increasing the intensity of heatwaves, droughts and wildfires, while also creating conditions for sudden, destructive storms.” Al Jazeera reports that more than 600 Spanish firefighters and troops have been battling a wildfire near Madrid.

MORE ON EUROPE

Europe’s June heatwave wiped “more than €2bn” from the value of its grain crop, with France and Hungary “bearing the brunt” of the damage, according to an analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit covered by the Financial Times.
Euractiv says climate activists have “slammed” Brussels for suspending the enforcement of landmark rules governing methane emissions for three years.
Reuters: “Airlines decry ‘double whammy’ from proposed EU carbon charge on some international flights.”
Time magazine looks at how heatwaves have impacted the Tour de France, including athletes’ health and preparations and recovery from the race.
Euractiv: “‘That’s not true’: Brussels denies electrification target lacks ambition.”

China’s still building wind and solar despite risk of waste

Bloomberg

China had 262 gigawatts (GW) of solar and 251GW of wind under construction in June, “maintaining its renewables pace” even as the “risk increases that some of the power generated will be wasted”, reports Bloomberg, citing a new report from the Global Energy Monitor, a thinktank. Reuters covers the same GEM report, saying “inadequate transmission links” and “continued reliance” on coal-fired power are “limiting” China’s use of its large-scale wind and solar capacity. Wind and solar currently make up 20% of the power sent through China’s transmission network, while coal accounts for 42%, adds the newswire. The report author, Yu Aiqun, says the high proportion of coal is “hard to square with policymakers’ framing of coal as having only a supporting role in China’s power system”. A “key transmission project” for China’s third batch of large-scale wind and solar bases has been put into operation, supporting the 1GW desert clean energy base, reports State Grid News. A total of 3,825 new registered renewable energy generation projects were added in China last month, according to International Energy Net.

MORE ON CHINA

The size of China’s new energy heavy-duty trucks fleet is expected to exceed 1.6m by 2030, with a penetration rate of 40%, reports Xinhua.
Changzhou will build China’s first city-level “green token factory” to produce 60tn tokens annually using green electricity, says Reference News. Gong Ke, with the Chinese Institute for the New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Strategies, writes a comment in Caixin that the world “must compel AI to run on green, renewable energy as much as possible”.
The South China Morning Post: “As Iran war drags on, China keeps tight grip on fuel exports despite eased curbs.”
Tsinghua University’s Zhang Xiliang tells China News Service that China needs to avoid conflicts between market-based and administrative measures when conducting emission reductions.
Experts expect 100GW of new pumped-storage capacity to come online over the next five years, according to China Daily. China’s first demonstration project using “supercritical CO2 in a closed-loop system to extract heat from medium-deep geothermal resources” started operations in Zhengzhou, reports Economic Daily.
Xiamen University’s Sun Chuanwang says China’s five-year plan for building a “Beautiful China” provides a “clear pathway to force transformation” according to Xinhua.

India: 21 dead in 24 hours as floods worsen sharply in Upper Assam

Sukrita Baruah, The Indian Express

According to disaster authorities, “21 people los[t] their lives in 24 hours” yesterday as the “flood situation deteriorated significantly” in the north-east Indian state of Assam, reports the Indian Express. Since Sunday, “multiple rivers have been flowing well over their danger levels…flooding large swathes of upper Assam with levels not seen in recent year[s]”, it adds. As of yesterday evening, floods in the state had affected over 560,000 people and the death toll has risen to 31 lives, per the Hindustan Times.

Separately, UN Climate Change executive secretary Simon Stiell “praised” India’s clean energy growth at a press conference in New Delhi yesterday, reports the Hindu, with Stiell “noting that fossil-fuel-free sources now make up half of its installed power capacity – a milestone reached five years early”. It adds that Stiell emphasised the “electrification” agenda – “a plan to ensure at least 35% of the total energy used globally is sourced from electricity” by 2035 – while also “flagg[ing] substantial work” ahead of COP31. In their first “in-person interaction since COP30”, Stiell and India’s climate minister Bhupender Yadav discussed “key agenda items” including “adaptation, technology transfer, climate finance, global stocktake and just transition”, per the Economic Times.

MORE ON SOUTH ASIA

At least 12 people were killed and 25 personnel trapped inside after an explosion in an under-construction tunnel for the Teesta Stage VI hydropower project “near the border with China”, reports Time Magazine.
Renewable shares might be increasing, but thermal power “continues to remain the mainstay” of India’s energy mix, writes the Times of india, with coal power accounting for 70% of the electricity consumed in the summer months between April to June.
The Independent: “Desperate search for survivors after flash floods ‘like an earthquake’ kill 23 people in Afghanistan.”
Climate Home News reports on research from the International Institute for Environment and Development which finds that extreme heat is “costing India’s poorest workers 2% of GDP”.

Comment

UK: Andy Burnham has already shown he recognises the struggles families face

Editorial, The Daily Mirror

There is widespread commentary around Burnham’s proposed VAT cut on household electricity bills and how this will be funded. A Daily Mirror editorial says that “scrapping VAT on electricity bills is welcome news, but it is far from a perfect fix”. An average saving of £45 from the cut “will help” households, it says, but the “biggest winners will be bigger, better-off homes with more rooms to heat and more gadgets plugged in”. It concludes that Burnham has “made a promising start and shown he understands the pressure facing ordinary families. But good intentions must now become sustained action.”

The Sun says the “numbers” on Burnham’s energy tax cut “just don’t add up” after the funding plans were “brutally exposed by Darren Jones”. It continues that “Labour still refuses to tackle the policies making energy so costly in the first place”. The Daily Express says that Burnham “must come clean and tell us how he plans to fund” the tax cut. The Daily Mail says the “funding of an £850m cut in energy bills started to unravel within hours of being announced”. Later in the article, the newspaper argues that Burnham “may well live to regret his outlandish decision to nominate Ed Miliband as foreign secretary”. However, it adds that “it is a welcome development that this eco-zealot will no longer be pursuing his demented green agenda”. The Daily Telegraph says Burnham’s “new politics” is “already unravelling”.

Meanwhile, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch writes in the Sun that cutting VAT does “nothing to reduce the underlying cost of producing energy”. She incorrectly blames “green levies, the carbon taxes, the endless regulation and the ideological obsession with net-zero” for driving prices “ever higher”. [Carbon Brief has shown it is the price of gas, not net-zero policies, that keeps UK bills high.]

MORE COMMENT

A separate Sun editorial argues that Fahnbulleh is “possibly even more of a climate fanatic than her former boss.”
Climate-sceptic Daily Telegraph columnist Alison Pearson says “VAT on electricity bills is not the problem. Net-zero is the problem.”
For Backchannel, Climate Analytics CEO Bill Hare says COP31 co-host Australia needs to “lead by example” on climate.
On the Substack Heated, Emily Atkin argues that Republican politicians in the US are “ignoring the climate aspect” of the ongoing wildfires and directing blame elsewhere because they are “completely bought and paid for by the fossil fuel industry”.

Research

A survey of climate COP attendees shows “broad support” for reforms to “enhance transparency” and focus more on implementation at the negotiations | Nature Climate Change
Access to climate adaptation for smallholder farmers in southern Africa and India is not just shaped by “climatic exposure”, but also other factors such as finance and institutional support | Frontiers in Climate
Marine spatial planning in northern Europe “contributes” to plans for ocean conservation, but “remains underutilised” | npj Ocean Sustainability