Rishi Sunak has “come under fierce attack” for his failure to appoint a new chair of the UK’s Climate Change Committee, after Lord Deben stood down from the role 18 months ago, the Observer reports. In a letter to the prime minister, seen by the newspaper, members of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change condemned the “excessive delay” in finding a replacement. The Guardian quotes economist Lord Stern – chair of the Grantham Institute: “It seems to be yet another signal that the government does not take climate change policy seriously enough. All this is damaging the confidence of other countries and of investors in the UK’s commitment to climate action.” The committee – which advises ministers on emissions targets – currently has Prof Piers Forster acting as interim head, the article notes.

Elsewhere, new analysis into England’s flood defences reveals that “the proportion of critical assets in disrepair has almost trebled in the West Midlands and the east of England since 2018, leaving thousands of homes and businesses more vulnerable to storms”, the Guardian reports. The outlet continues: “The east of England, which spans the Conservative heartlands from Suffolk to Bedfordshire and Essex, has one of the highest proportion of rundown flood defences in England, with nearly one in 11 – more than 850 assets – considered ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ by Environment Agency inspectors. Steve Reed, the shadow environment secretary, said: ‘The Conservatives’ sticking-plaster approach to flooding has left communities devastated and cost the economy billions of pounds.’” The i newspaper reports on the UK’s “abandoned flood victims”. And the Guardian reports that “record levels of overheating and a sharp rise in flooding at England’s hospitals are putting vulnerable patients at risk”. 

The UK’s electricity system had its “greenest year on record” in 2023, the Times reports. According to the paper, fossil-fuel generation fell to an all-time low in 2023, accounting for just 35% of Britain’s electricity. It continues: “Imports surged to account for a record 9% of Britain’s electricity mix, driven by low-carbon nuclear power from France and renewable hydro power from Norway. The trend reversed an unusual year in 2022, when Britain became a net exporter of electricity, helping Europe through the energy crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as safety shutdowns of French nuclear plants.” The paper says Britain’s annual emissions fell to a new record low in 2023, beating the previous record low set in 2020. At the same time, Claire Coutinho – the secretary of state for energy security and net zero – has said the UK is the first G20 country to halve its carbon emissions, the Daily Telegraph reports. The paper continues: “Data compiled by the Global Carbon Project, a research partner of the World Climate Research programme, show that UK CO2 emissions are now down 52% on the peak in the 1970s. According to the data, updated last month, UK emissions from fossil energy production were 319m tonnes in 2022 down from 660m tonnes in 1971.” Using different metrics, the Times says the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions are now 49% lower than the 1990 baseline. The paper adds: “Decarbonisation so far has primarily been driven by the phase-out of coal burning in the UK. Demand for coal fell last year to the lowest level since 1757, according to analysis by Carbon Brief.”

Meanwhile, a Guardian “exclusive” reports that “no applications for new onshore wind projects have been submitted since the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, claimed that the government would overturn the onshore wind ban in September 2023”. The article quotes Carbon Brief analysis showing that “if onshore wind had continued to be built at the same rate it was in 2017 – before the ban started to come into effect – 7GW of onshore wind would have been built. This would have knocked £5.1bn off energy bills, or £182 for each UK household, in the year from July 2022 to June 2023”. In a frontpage article, the i newspaper reports that several key deadlines have not been met for the UK’s plans to accelerate its nuclear output. The article quotes former prime minister Boris Johnson – in a “rare intervention” – who says that “nuclear power must be part of the low carbon baseload. I urge the government to get on with it and deliver on Great British Nuclear”.

In other UK news over the past week, the Daily Telegraph reports that by 2030, at least 33,000 jobs in the North Sea will be gone. “For environmental groups, it marks a major victory as they strive to replace jobs in oil and gas with new roles in renewables – especially offshore winds”, the newspaper says. The Daily Mail reports that energy security secretary Claire Coutinho “tore into” Labour leader Keir Starmer, accusing him of “risking 200,000 British jobs over his opposition to new North Sea gas and oilfields”. Separately, the Daily Telegraph reports that “a Chinese state-owned oil company that controls some of Britain’s biggest offshore oil fields has emerged as one of the North Sea’s biggest polluters”. The Financial Times says: “The UK’s advertising regulator has banned Norway’s state-backed energy company Equinor from repeating environmental claims, which it made in the months before gaining approval for a North Sea oilfield project it will operate.” The Daily Mail reports that oil and gas extraction in the North Sea is at its lowest level since the mid-1970s. And three researchers from the University of Birmingham write in the Conversation that the UK is “likely to generate more electricity from wind, solar and hydro than fossil fuels for the first year ever in 2023”. 

Elsewhere, an article in the Guardian describes heat pumps “a powerful tool in Europe’s mission to wean itself off gas heating”, noting that France, Italy and Poland have “witnessed a boom in the number of heat pumps being installed in homes”. However, it says “a sceptical public and a muddled policy landscape have made the UK Europe’s heat pump laggard”. The Guardian also carries a detailed visualisation showing how heat pumps work. The Daily Telegraph reports on complaints that heat pumps are too loud. The Daily Telegraph reports that “poor energy efficiency ratings have forced the Government’s net zero department to move from its headquarters to more eco-friendly premises”. And the Times reports on plans to connect the UK and Denmark with the world’s longest land and subsea electricity cable, allowing Danish wind turbines to power around 1.6m British homes. 

Finally, the Independent says the government has missed a target for installing electric car chargers near motorways. The outlet says: “The Department for Transport (DfT) set an ambition for there to be at least six rapid or ultra-rapid chargers at every motorway service area in England by the end of 2023. But just 46 out of 119 sites (39%) meet the target, according to RAC analysis of data from charger locator service Zapmap.” The Press Association says the number of electric cars that break down because they run out of power has reached a record low. “Ignore the electric car culture war – the industry’s future is bright”, writes Jon Yeomans – deputy business editor of the Sunday Times.

Analysis of the 20 costliest “climate disasters” of 2023 shows that “countries less able to rebuild or who have contributed least to climate crisis suffer worst”, the Guardian reports. The paper continues: “The cost ranges from more than $4,000 (£3,155) per person due to a wildfire in Hawaii to $9 (£7) per person due to flooding in Peru…The analysis published on Wednesday highlights that countries with worse infrastructure and flimsier homes face larger costs after a climate disaster as their inhabited areas are more easily destroyed. In the areas where people have faced the highest costs, many are employed in agriculture, which is vulnerable to extreme weather, and the government is less likely to invest in prevention or rebuilding.” The chief executive of Christian Aid – the charity that carried out the research – said the results reveal a “global postcode lottery”, the Associated Press reports. BusinessGreen and MailOnline also cover the analysis.

Elsewhere, the New York Times reports that “Earth is finishing up its warmest year in the past 174 years, and very likely the past 125,000”. The paper explores the reasons for the unprecedented heat, adding: “One hypothesis, perhaps the most troubling, is that the planet’s warming is accelerating, that the effects of climate change are barreling our way more quickly than before.” The Washington Post says that “in a paper published last month, climate scientist James E. Hansen and a group of colleagues argued that the pace of global warming is poised to increase by 50% in the coming decades, with an accompanying escalation of impacts.” Elsewhere, the Washington Post unpacks some of the hottest temperature anomalies of 2023. Separately, Washington Post analysis says: “Extreme heat far outpaced cold in [the] US during record-warm 2023.” The i newspaper outlines the implications of the record heat in the UK – including higher food prices. BBC News reports that Christmas Eve was the UK’s warmest since 1997. And Scotland saw a white Christmas despite recording its highest daily minimum temperature for Christmas Day on record, the outlet reports separately. The Guardian outlines the impacts of climate change in Antarctica, calling 2023 “ the year rapid, dramatic change hit climate scientists like a ‘punch in the guts’”. And the Daily Telegraph says 2023 was “Armageddon for trees”, saying that across the UK, “barely a week in 2023 seemed to go by without headlines of another much-loved tree being chopped down to cries of local outrage”.

Elsewhere, the Guardian reports that “a growing number of climate analysts believe that 2023 may be recorded as the year in which annual emissions reached a pinnacle before the global fossil fuel economy begins a terminal decline”. Separately, former Nasa scientist James Hansen told the Guardian that 2023 would be remembered as the moment when humanity’s inability to tackle the climate crisis became apparent. DeSmog says 2023 was “momentous” for climate litigation, listing major wins and new cases. However, it also notes that many oil majors brought new lawsuits against climate activists. Forbes lists “climate change victories of 2023 and hopes for 2024”. Climate Home News lists the “six takeaways from 2023’s climate change news”, including the COP28 agreement, slow progress on climate finance, and just energy transition partnerships. Unearthed unpacks the “best environmental journalism of 2023”, including the Carbon Brief article “Colonial rule nearly doubles UK’s historical contribution to climate change”. And the Independent lists “the best climate books of 2023 – and the titles we’re excited for in 2024”.

Looking ahead to the coming year, Yale Environment 360 reports that 2024 is “likely to surpass 2023 as the hottest year ever”, due to a combination of climate change and El Niño. Similarly, the New Scientist says: “2024 will break the extreme temperature records set in 2023.” The Financial Times adds: “The torrential rain that affected many regions around the globe over the last week of December is expected to be followed by further turbulence into January, as the El Niño weather pattern remains a major influence.” The New Scientist says this year could see greenhouse gas emissions begin to decline. Separately, the outlet says “we might officially enter the Anthropocene epoch in 2024”. Climate Home News lists 10 important climate questions for 2024, including the outcome of the US election, negotiations on a new global finance target and whether governments will get rid of fossil fuel subsidies.

The US government has proposed a new framework that would allow energy companies to access billions of dollars in tax credits for producing low-carbon hydrogen, Reuters reports. According to the newswire, credits “will be based on the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions from the power source used in hydrogen production”. However, it says there is uncertainty over how nuclear power producers could benefit. The Associated Press adds: “The proposal – which is part of Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act passed last year – outlines a tiered system to determine which hydrogen producers get the most credits, with cleaner energy projects receiving more, and smaller, but still meaningful credits going to those that use fossil fuel to produce hydrogen. Administration officials estimate the hydrogen production credits will deliver $140bn in revenue and 700,000 jobs by 2030 – and will help the US produce 50m metric tons of hydrogen by 2050.” Separately, Bloomberg reports that nuclear reactors will not benefit from the law, but says a “carve-out for the nuclear industry could be added in the future”. The New York Times adds: “Without safeguards, several studies suggested, the tax credits could inadvertently lead to hundreds of millions of tons of extra carbon dioxide being emitted. To avoid that outcome, the Treasury Department proposed several restrictions.” However, it says that some hydrogen companies say the rules could be difficult to follow. Axios also covers the news. However, an editorial in the Wall Street Journal says the new rule is causing a “brawl between green groups”, adding: “Biden’s climate policy contradictions keep piling up.”

In other US news, Inside Climate News reports that Biden has proposed to end the commercial logging of old-growth trees in all 128 National forests in the US. The outlet adds: “It would be the first nationwide amendment to forest plans in the 118-year history of the Forest Service, where local rangers typically have the final word on how to balance forests’ role in watershed, wildlife and recreation with the agency’s mandate to maintain a ‘sustained yield’ of timber.” However, an editorial in the Wall Street Journal says the plan will backfire, arguing that “a logging ban on 25m acres will lead to more uncontrolled fires – and won’t help the climate”.

Finally, the Washington Post reports that US oil production hit a record high under Biden’s presidency. The Guardian reports that “a climate protest group backed by a cadre of Hollywood film-makers is preparing to take action against ‘cowards’ and ‘criminals’ of all political stripes as the 2024 election approaches”. And the Energy Mix says: “A landmark youth climate lawsuit, Juliana v. US, is finally going to trial, after a 29 December ruling by District Court Judge Aiken that rejects the US government’s latest bid to have the case dismissed.”

Labour is considering scaling back its plans to borrow £28bn per year to invest in green jobs and industry ahead of the next general election, “amid fears the Conservatives will use the policy as a central line of attack in the general election campaigns”, the Guardian reports. The paper continues: “Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves will discuss the party’s flagship economic policy next month, with senior Labour figures pushing to drop the £28bn commitment entirely while others want to retain key elements of the plan. Labour officials say they intend to keep central parts of their green policy, but want to recast them in a way that allows them to stop talking so much about what they cost, focusing instead on what the policies will achieve.” The newspaper says that many Labour officials are “irritated that they have to defend the £28bn figure without being able to say how the money will be spent”. It adds: “Labour has said it will take into account money already committed to green projects by the Conservative government, which is around £8bn, leaving the party with a further £20bn to find if it wants to retain the original pledge.” Joss Garman – executive director of the European Climate Foundation [which funds Carbon Brief] – writes in his Substack that such “a big green flip-flop” from the Labour party “would be both substantive and symbolic”. He explains: “A signal of that size to investors and international partners that the potentially incoming administration lack commitment to investment in this area would only risk worsening Britain’s economic troubles. It would also raise to the fore the question of what will fill the hole left by what was once the centrepiece of Labour’s plan for growth and industrial strategy.”

Elsewhere, the National Trust and Wildlife Trusts “warn droughts, wildfires and big seasonal shifts are threatening the UK’s natural world”, the i newspaper warns. BBC News, Sky News and the Daily Mail also carry the story. The Guardian covers predictions from the Royal Horticultural Society, which say fruits that thrive in hotter weather are likely to be used in gardens in 2024. Separately, the Guardian reports that “hundreds of students from leading UK universities have launched a “career boycott” of Barclays over its climate policies”. And the Financial Times reports on the benefits of climate change for winemakers in England.

The new heating law, debated in Germany for months, comes into force at the beginning of the year, reports Die Zeit. The Building Energy Act (GEG) stipulates that from 2024, every newly installed heating system must be powered by 65% renewable energy, explains the outlet. It adds that the new regulations apply from January, primarily for new buildings in a new development area, with transition periods for existing buildings. Therefore, functioning oil and gas heaters are allowed to continue their operation, and in the event of a need for a complete replacement due to irreparable issues, transition periods spanning several years are in place, says Die Zeit. However, from 2029 onwards, citizens will have to use a growing proportion of renewables such as biogas or hydrogen. According to the ministry, if a municipality already has a heating plan, installing heating systems with 65% renewable energy is mandatory. WirtschaftsWoche notes that the German government proposed a subsidy of up to €21,000 for the replacement of heating systems. The maximum subsidy, however, should only apply to households with an annual taxable income not exceeding €40,000, which primarily includes retirees, notes the outlet. A separate WirtschaftsWoche article quotes German building minister Klara Geywitz, advising consumers to replace their gas heating systems more quickly and avoid installing new ones: “It makes sense to inform people that a gas heating system will become expensive, solely because the CO2 price is increasing”. However, she does not plan to replace her heating system until it becomes “unrepairable”, says the article. Meanwhile, Handelsblatt reports that the German ruling coalition has agreed to increase the CO2 price from €30 to €45. 

Finally, Deutsche Welle reports about floods that “have devastated” several regions of northern Germany throughout the past few days, particularly affecting the states of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and North Rhine-Westphalia. The German chancellor Olaf Scholz urged people to “stick together” while visiting flooded areas of Verden in northern Germany, adds DW.

The new year has brought with it a number of comment articles looking at both the positives and the negatives of the world today. Writing in the Guardian, former UK prime minister Gordon Brown says that “hope can come alive when and where there is inspired leadership”. Among several examples of “turning points [that] give me reason to hope”, Brown cites the “environmental breakthroughs in the 1980s, when far-sighted Russian and American scientists came together and finally addressed the hole in the ozone layer”. He continues: “Environmental activism led to the 2015 Paris climate accord, a pact achieved at a time when protectionism was the order of the day. I recall 2008 when, during the biggest financial crisis since the 1930s, China and India were prepared to join in a solution, and the 20 richest countries, now known as the G20, underpinned the world economy with $1tn, the biggest international rescue package in history.” Brown notes that “none of these advances could have happened unless leaders, recognising the gravity of the crisis, were prepared to rally to a common cause”.

In Bloomberg, columnist David Fickling has articles on both “the positive climate news you may have missed” in 2023 and “the year’s worst climate news you haven’t heard about”. The latter includes the “questionable accounting” of carbon offsetting, “the growing evidence that India is failing to hit its ambitious targets for clean energy” and “the seas have been taking up a smaller share of our emissions with each passing decade”. The Conversation has four “good news” climate stories from 2023, while Clive Cookson – Financial Times senior science writer – writes that “Anthropocene” summarises 2023 in a single word.

An editorial in the Daily Telegraph on 28 December warns that “food resilience is something the government needs to take far more seriously”. The newspaper says that, rather than home-grown, seasonal produce, “nowadays a lunch in the dark days of January has probably been imported from the likes of Peru, Egypt and Mexico”. This “comes at a price to the environment”, the editorial says: “Our food is transported by air and sea making it a major contributor to greenhouse emissions. Ironically, land here that could be used for cultivation is being ‘rewilded’ in the name of the environment.” The editorial points to an earlier comment article in the same newspaper by the Countess of Carnarvon, who farms at Highclere Castle, the setting for the TV series Downton Abbey. She writes that “rewilding is part of the countryside story but we cannot eat the trees that politicians propose we plant”. Carnarvon also says: “Sheep, cows, goats, pigs and chickens are all variously blamed for their contribution towards climate change. Those who are against eating meat are vocal in their insistence on this issue, but the data does not necessarily support their argument.” [Food systems are responsible for one-third of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.] Also in the Daily Telegraph, Agnes Kalibata, president of the NGO AGRA and former UN special envoy for the UN Food Systems Summit, and David Nabarro, strategic director of the 4SD Foundation, write that “climate change provokes urgent action on food systems everywhere”.

In other UK comment, an editorial in the Scotsman warns that “Storm Gerrit has provided Scotland with the latest wake-up call about the dangers of extreme weather, focusing attention on the state of our flood defences”. Dr Ran Boydell – associate professor in sustainable development at Heriot-Watt University – writes in the Conversation that a “UK ban on boilers in new homes rules out hydrogen as a heating source”. And Guardian columnist Owen Jones says that “2023 was the year governments looked at the climate crisis – and decided to persecute the activists”. 

The genes of an Antarctic octopus provide “empirical evidence” that the West Antarctic ice sheet (WAIS) previously “collapsed when the global mean temperature was similar to that of today”, says a new study suggesting “the tipping point of future WAIS collapse is close”. The researchers collected 96 specimens of the Turquet’s octopus (Pareledone turqueti) from populations in the Weddell, Amundsen and Ross seas, which are geographically isolated and separated by the ice sheet. Analysing their genetic history, the researchers find “persistent, historic signals of gene flow” between the populations that is “only possible with complete WAIS collapse” during the last interglacial period around 129,000 to 116,000 years ago when temperatures were about 1C warmer than pre-industrial levels. This complete past collapse “would have opened the trans–west Antarctic seaways” linking the three seas, the study explains.