The Guardian reports on a warning from scientists that “the return of El Niño against the backdrop of the climate crisis will hurt people’s health in many parts of the world”. The article says: “The hot natural weather pattern is back after three years of its cooler sister, La Niña, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed last month. As it grows stronger, scientists fear it will raise the risk in some countries of hunger, drought and malaria. Coupled with hotter global temperatures from burned fossil fuels, the shift could make a host of heat-related dangers worse, from heart disease to suicide.” Prof Gregory Wellenius, head of the centre for climate and health at Boston University, tells the Guardian: “Heat is unambiguously dangerous. Sometimes it leads to hospitalisation, other times it leads to death. Then there’s indirect impacts that follow up on that.” The Press Association also reports on how El Niño could push parts of the world into “uncharted territory”, according to scientists.

It comes as unusual and, in some cases, record-breaking extreme weather continues to grip much of the globe. The Independent reports that wildfires in Hawaii could be the state’s worst disaster in decades, after flames fuelled by hurricane winds killed 36 people and forced residents to flee into the sea. The Independent separately reports that US president Joe Biden has declared the incident a major disaster, allowing the state to use federal funding in recovery efforts. The Guardian reports that coral reefs across Central and North America and the Caribbean are “bleaching and dying en masse from unprecedented levels of heat stress”, prompting fears that the “unfolding tragedy” could “become a global event”. Meanwhile, several Reuters reports detail the impacts of deadly floods in China, North Korea and Norway.

Leaders are failing to connect extreme events with debates about policies to cut CO2 emissions, the new UN climate chief tells the Times. Prof Jim Skea, the UK climate scientist who was recently elected chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), tells the newspaper: “A personal observation. We’ve got two kinds of discourses running. We’ve got a huge amount of attention going to the wildfires and all the extremes. But then you’ve got another conversation about the implementation of the measures that would allow you to get emissions down. It seems like there are two parallel conversations not being connected as much as they could be. That would be the challenge to leaders and others, to try to join these conversations up.” Skea also speaks to the newspaper about the world’s chances of meeting the 1.5C target, what IPCC reports say about new oil and gas development, plus looks ahead to COP28.

China’s carbon dioxide emissions have reached “an all-time high”, “even as surging clean power additions put the nation on a path to hit peak pollution years earlier than expected”, writes Bloomberg, picking up analysis published by Carbon Brief yesterday. The outlet says that, in the second quarter of 2023, China’s emissions saw a “10% increase compared to the pandemic-induced slowdown of the previous year”, adding that a “large” portion of this increase was “due to a surge in coal power generation needed to offset weak hydropower output after a historic drought last summer”. Bloomberg adds that “if low-carbon capacity growth meets forecasts, it would be sufficient to cover expected electricity demand growth and could even put China on track to peak its emissions within two years”. The South China Morning Post also covers the analysis. And Reuters covers it, too, in a wider article titled: “China avoids climate change discussion despite extreme weather.”

Meanwhile, the South China Morning Post writes that, according to the National Energy Administration (NEA), a 2.8 gigawatt pumped hydro project currently under construction in northwestern China could “significantly boost renewable energy production in the Gobi Desert and Tibetan Plateau”. The state broadcaster CGTN reports that a 2,290km power transmission project in west China was launched on Tuesday, which the local officials say is “key” to achieving carbon neutrality. Elsewhere, China Dialogue carries an article by Yuan Yating and Yao Zhe, from Beijing-based thinktank the Institute for Global Decarbonisation Progress, on the prospects for the steel industry to join China’s carbon market, with allowances expected to be allocated to the sector by 2025. Another article by the South China Morning Post says that China has developed new technology to exploit “harder-to-mine deposits of [coal] to ensure energy security”. The website China Briefing has an article focusing on “China’s electric vehicle supply chain and its future prospects”.

In other news, the Washington Post says that recent floods and extreme heat highlight “challenges testing China’s one-party political system”, adding that “the regime’s power may be leaving local authorities unable or reluctant to respond to extreme weather threats on their doorsteps”. Reuters carries an article titled: “What are China’s ‘sponge cities’ and why aren’t they stopping floods?” Hong Kong-based Asia Times carries the views of Zhang Hongzhou of Nanyang Technological University, who says policies encouraging arid northern provinces to increase grain production might make China’s food system “even more vulnerable to climate shocks”.

A frontpage “exclusive” in the Guardian features an interview with the joint heads of Greenpeace, who warn that UK prime minister Rishi Sunak’s government will “go down in history” for failing to tackle climate change. It reports: “The charity’s joint executive directors described government briefings against the organisation in the wake of its oil protest at the prime minister’s Yorkshire home as ‘really dark stuff’, which revealed a worrying trend towards exploiting environmental protests as a wedge issue. In an interview with the Guardian, Areeba Hamid and Will McCallum said an ‘unprecedented’ move to block the organisation’s policy experts from advising civil servants could have disastrous consequences for environmental policy.” The government’s briefing against Greenpeace comes after the organisation staged a peaceful protest at the prime minister’s North Yorkshire home, which involved covering the building in black drapes to signify oil. The Guardian says: “The organisation said it planned the protest carefully to coincide with the Sunak family’s trip to California when they knew the house would be empty. They have carried out such targeted environmental stunts before – at Sunak’s home and previously at David Cameron’s and John Prescott’s houses – but said this time the political response was more aggressive. Conservative MPs spoke about the peaceful stunt in the same breath as the murders of the MPs David Amess and Jo Cox.” Meetings between Greenpeace employees and senior civil servants were swiftly cancelled after the incident, the Guardian says. A government spokesperson tells the newspaper: “Greenpeace’s criminal activity last week demonstrates that they are not a serious organisation. We make no apology for taking the right approach to ensure our energy security, using the resources we have here at home so we are never reliant on aggressors like Putin for our energy, and our approach supports 1,000s of British jobs. We have also decarbonised faster than any other G7 country, are investing billions into renewables which now account for 40% of our electricity, and we have the four largest windfarms in the world in the UK.” The Guardian publishes in full an open letter to Sunak from the Greenpeace heads. The Guardian also publishes an analysis from whitehall editor Rowena Mason on how the government’s decision to “cancel” Greenpeace contradicts its free-speech pledge.

Elsewhere, Politico interviews UK energy and net-zero secretary Grant Shapps, who says the country should be “leaning into” the phase-out of petrol and diesel vehicles as a way to boost investment in British battery manufacturing – rather than ditching the target as some climate sceptics in his party have been pushing for. Politico says: “Shapps said the UK’s ‘clear picture’ – including proposals that 22% of new cars sold must be zero emissions vehicles (ZEVs) by 2024 – had been instrumental in securing a recent £4bn gigafactory investment from the Tata Group, to make batteries for Jaguar Land Rover and other manufacturers. Asked whether he would be arguing inside government in favour of the 22%, Shapps claimed personal credit for securing the Tata deal, and pushed back against any suggestion that the electric vehicle transition should be slowed.” He tells Politico: “It took me nine months of negotiation. By the way, it had already gone to Spain. My first call with Tata was ‘Sorry, this production is going to Spain.’ Bringing it here was of major importance to British industry. We couldn’t have done that without a clear picture. Let’s not forget that, by leaning into this, we have some advantages, and we’re starting to see that come through. I predict there will be others as well.” The Independent has an article headlined: “Grant Shapps sparks fresh Tory row over net-zero.”

In addition, the Financial Times interviews the chief executive of the world’s largest offshore wind developer, Orsted, who warns the UK will struggle to attract new offshore wind projects under its current auction round given high prices for developers. CityAM reports that Drax has been given “a fresh boost for its biomass ambitions by the government, but there are set to be strict strings attached relating to the provider’s green credentials”. The Press Association reports that communities in England will be given the chance to “win” funding for local clean energy projects under new government plans. The Press Association also reports on a warning that UK companies are doing “nowhere near enough” to be in line with the country’s climate targets from the Carbon Disclosure Project, a non-profit for companies to voluntarily disclose their climate performance.

A frontpage “exclusive” in the Daily Mirror reports that former Cabinet minister Theresa Villiers owned more than £70,000 worth of “secret” shares in oil giant Shell throughout her time as environment secretary. The newspaper says: “The Mirror can reveal that Villiers last month updated her register of MPs’ interests to reveal that she had owned large shareholdings in a series of firms for up to five years without declaring them. They include stakes worth at least £70,000 – the sum needed to require a declaration – in finance firm Experian, drinks giant Diageo and oil firm Shell. Villiers told the Mirror she ‘deeply regrets her failure’, but insisted she was not ‘influenced by these shareholdings’ while in office.” The revelation is reported widely across UK media, including by the Independent, Guardian and BBC News. In an accompanying editorial, the Daily Mirror says: “If Sunak really wants to restore integrity in politics he should start by tightening rules on outside earnings – because currently they, and the process for monitoring and enforcing them, are clearly not fit for purpose.”

The German government has agreed to provide €58bn for “environmentally friendly” investments through the “climate and transformation fund” next year, reports Table.Climate. The outlet notes that this amount represents a 60% increase compared to 2023. In total, the fund will amount to €211.8bn between 2024 and 2027 and will be used for investments “to mitigate and adapt to climate change, including decarbonising industry, improving rail transport and greening buildings”, reports the Local. It quotes German finance minister Christian Lindner saying: “We are creating the basis for decarbonisation and digitalisation, which will create opportunities for the future.” Der Spiegel adds that around €4bn will be available in 2024 to promote semiconductor production and around €3.8bn to develop the hydrogen industry. The outlet adds that the fund will accumulate money from revenues raised from the “CO2 pricing” of petrol, diesel and gas, which is set to increase to €40 per tonne of CO2 in 2024, up by €10. The outlet notes that MPs will discuss the economic plan at the beginning of September. 

Meanwhile, Manager Magazin reports that Germany’s largest energy supplier Eon has confirmed its intention to lower electricity and gas prices. The article notes that “in the Netherlands and England, this has already happened for almost all customers, while, in Germany, the first big wave [of reductions] is coming in September”. In addition, another German energy giant, RWE, has confirmed that it is constructing 70 renewable energy projects across Europe that will more than double its current portfolio, reports Business Green.

Finally, Clean Energy Wire covers the analysis by German climate and energy thinktank Agora Energiewende, which finds that Germany experienced a 9% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions during the first half of the year, “due to a weakened economy leading to decreased energy consumption”. According to Agora’s estimate, emissions totalled around 340m tonnes of CO2, down from 374m tonnes in the same period the previous year. 

Writing for Time magazine, COP28 president-designate and oil and gas chief Sultan Al Jaber says the world must unite and commit to “corrective action” on climate change. He writes: “First, we need to fast-track the transformation of the world’s energy system through a just and orderly transition, with a rapid phase-up of renewable energy as we build towards an energy system free of all unabated fossil fuels. Between now and 2030, that means tripling global renewable capacity to 11,000GW, more than eight times the total generating capacity of the US. Oil and gas companies must align around net-zero, eradicating methane emissions by 2030 and aligning themselves to net-zero emissions by or before 2050. The phasing down of fossil fuels is inevitable, essential and it must be responsible.” Second, he says, developed countries and multilateral banks must “upgrade our climate-finance architecture to unlock the public and private capital required for the transition – the developing world alone requires trillions of dollars of annual investment”. He adds: “I am confident, as I continue speaking to colleagues across the globe, that we can make good on the historic $100bn of financing commitments to developing countries this year.” He continues: “Third, we need to rethink the way we produce and consume food. Currently, our entire food system – from plant to platter – is responsible for a third of greenhouse gas emissions. We need to switch to farming that works with nature, not against it, that stores carbon, not emits it, that regenerates soil, not degrades it. And all while providing enough for all of us to eat.”

In the Guardian, Sam Hall, director of the Conservative Environment Network, argues that most Conservatives back the country’s net-zero goal and efforts to tackle climate change. He says: “Overwhelmingly, Conservative voters back environmental action. A recent poll revealed that 73% back the net-zero target – a higher proportion than among voters overall. YouGov’s tracker poll consistently shows they rank the environment as the fourth most important issue facing the country. Nearly nine in 10 support solar power and offshore wind. Almost two-thirds think the ban on onshore wind in England must end…Conservative voters want to see environmental action. It needn’t be at odds with personal freedom or at great cost to the individual. There will be trade-offs, which will initially require a more active state than some are comfortable with. But they pale in comparison to the costs and demand for government intervention unchecked climate change would bring.”

Elsewhere in the Guardian, columnist Andy Beckett argues: “It’s time for a new climate populism, to show how the super rich got us – and the planet – into this mess.” In the Independent, sketch writer Tom Peck says that the news that Lord Zac Goldsmith is “tempted” to join Labour should make the Labour Party “panic”. And in the Times, columnist Emma Duncan says: “We can’t let China corner the green energy market.” 

A new study finds that people with first-hand experience of the impacts of climate change are more likely to vote in a pro-environmental way. Using high-resolution maps of flooding and building damage in Germany following severe flooding in July 2021 and voting data, researchers determine the effects of experiencing the flood on votes for the Green Party. They note that the “destructiveness” of the flood and the short timeframe between the flooding and the election – 10 weeks – meant “that media and politicians paid significant attention to the flood, drawing a connection to climate change”. They conclude that “first-hand experiences of extreme weather events that are attributed to climate change affect political preferences”.