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Donna Lu, The Guardian
Fossil-fuelled climate change made intense heat in Australia in early January about five times more likely to occur, according to Guardian coverage of a new climate attribution analysis. Earlier this month, Sydney and Melbourne faced temperatures above 40C, while Victoria experienced large bushfires, the newspaper says. It continues: “A report by World Weather Attribution (WWA) suggests that the effect of greenhouse gas emissions outweighed the effects of a weak La Niña, [a natural weather phenomenon] which usually means milder temperatures across most of mainland Australia. The report’s authors suggest that the climate crisis made the extreme heat about 1.6C hotter, while the La Niña likely lowered maximum temperatures by between 0.3 and 0.5C.” Separately, the Guardian reports that Australia is continuing to face intense heat, with “record-shattering” temperatures expected in New South Wales and Victoria in the coming days.
MORE ON EXTREME WEATHER
At least 13 people have been killed in floods in Mozambique, with the death toll expected to rise, says Reuters. At least nine children have been killed in heavy rainfall and landslides in Afghanistan, reports Agence France-Presse. South Africa's Kruger National Park suffered major damage to critical infrastructure in recent flooding, with the cost of repairs estimated to run to $30m, according to Agence France-Presse. The Associated Press explores why Chile’s fires are “spreading faster and burning hotter”. Agence France-Presse examines whether an extreme cold snap due to hit North America imminently could be down to climate change.
Fiona Harvey and Helena Horton, The Guardian
UK MPs have called for the Serious Fraud Office to investigate the home insulation sector, after thousands of homeowners experienced failed works and financial losses from schemes introduced by previous Conservative governments, reports the Guardian. It continues: “More than 30,000 households were left with defects, with about 3,000 dwellings so badly damaged they presented immediate health and safety risks to occupants. Households that had external cladding installed – numbering about 23,000 – bore the worst of the damage, with 98% damaged and in need of repair. The schemes, called Eco4 and the Great British Insulation Scheme, were begun and mostly ran under the last Conservative government. The overarching energy company obligation, of which both schemes were part, has since been scrapped by Labour, and a new initiative – the warm homes plan, announced this week – will take over, funding the installation of solar panels and heat pumps as well as insulation.” BBC News says the Public Accounts Committee called for the "level of non-compliance" by installers to be investigated for fraud and described the government's current response as "not credible". In response, a spokesperson for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero said it was "categorically untrue that there are widespread health and safety risks" from the scheme, the broadcaster adds.
MORE ON UK
The Times has seen a “full, internal version” of a government report on the national security risks posed by biodiversity loss, which was initially suppressed by No 10, before an abridged version was made public earlier this week. A UK court has granted permission for a legal challenge against a large-scale data centre approved by the government, with campaigners raising concerns over its climate impact, says Reuters. Clean-energy businessman Dale Vince has withdrawn funding from a plan for the world’s first electric airline, says the Daily Telegraph. The UK government’s warm homes plan has lowered the suggested spending cap for landlords for improving the energy efficiency of homes, from £15,000 to £10,000, reports the Daily Telegraph. Continuing its regular attacks on energy secretary Ed Miliband, the Daily Telegraph covers a report calling for his department to be dismantled.
Lucy Quaggin, South China Morning Post
Analysts say that the China-Canada deal to cut tariffs on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs) “further cements China’s dominance and suggests the US decline in the global EV market”, reports the South China Morning Post. The Hong Kong-based outlet cites a Canadian government statement saying the agreement could “drive considerable new Chinese joint-venture investment in Canada”. Ontario politician Doug Ford and automotive industry leaders criticised the deal, calling for a “boycott” of Chinese EVs, reports Bloomberg. Liu Yuanling, assistant researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, writes in a commentary for the state-run newspaper China Daily that the meeting between Xi and Carney “sends a positive signal – that cooperation, on climate and energy especially, will be forward-looking, pragmatic and rational”. Meanwhile, a “GT Voice” commentary by the state-supporting Global Times says that as China’s EV sector becomes more advanced and expands globally, cross-border cooperation will “undoubtedly” increase.
MORE ON CHINA
China’s total energy storage rose 85% in 2025, with 66 gigawatts of new capacity added last year, reports Xinhua. China’s storage installations were “more than triple the figure for North America”, says Nikkei Asia. Revenue data shows that the share of energy-intensive manufacturing in total manufacturing fell by 1 percentage point, with industries spending more on “environmental governance”, reports People’s Daily. Xinhua reports that China has allocated 94bn yuan (£10bn) in “ultra-long special treasury bonds” to fund equipment renewal projects across key sectors, such as “renewal of new-energy buses in urban public transport” and other energy projects. China issued almost 3bn green electricity certificates in 2025, says BJX News. Jiemian reports that rising silver prices increased pressure on China’s generally loss-making solar companies. CGTN published an article, likely in response to US president Donald Trump’s Davos speech, titled: “China's windmills do spin: Scale, innovation and global impact.”
Zack Colman, Politico
Newly released records reveal that members of a climate advisory group the Trump administration assembled last year “met in secret and tailored their findings to contradict climate science in order to achieve political aims”, reports Politico. The records – released by the US Department of Energy (DoE) in response to a ruling from a federal judge – concern the widely discredited “critical review” on climate change published last year, the outlet explains. The internal communications show that the working group and Trump officials “held at least 18 meetings without public notice, gatherings that critics alleged violated federal laws governing advisory councils”, the article says. “Some of the messages also undermine energy secretary Chris Wright’s claim that the group he convened pursued an unbiased investigation,” it continues, adding: “The release of the internal dialogue showed the researchers took a political tack in their discussions, a course critics said could complicate the Trump administration’s quest to kill the 2009 endangerment finding, the cornerstone of US climate rules.”
Megan Rowling and Joe Lo, Climate Home News
Climate Home News is continuing its coverage of climate and energy developments at Davos. It reports on an event where a US oil executive said in a conversation with US energy secretary Chris Wright that banks that had previously caused a “burden” by pledging to move away from funding oil and gas projects were now “coming back” to the industry. Elsewhere at Davos, Wright called for the EU to “weaken its environmental regulations on methane – a particularly potent greenhouse gas – to enable American fossil gas to displace Russian supplies”, the article says. Reuters reports that Wright also called for a doubling of global oil production. The Daily Telegraph also covers Wright’s comments at Davos, focusing on his calls for Europe to “reverse” net-zero policies. Separately, Reuters reports that billionaire Elon Musk used his debut at Davos to say that US tariffs “make solar power a challenge”.
Matteo Civillini, Climate Home News
Colombia is planning to launch a new “permanent platform” that would help a “coalition of the willing” move away from fossil fuels at this year’s first global summit on transitioning away from coal, oil and gas, reports Climate Home News. It continues: “The flagship event, due to take place in the Colombian city of Santa Marta on 28-29 April, will bring together countries that recognise the urgency of the fossil fuel transition to build the political and financial means to make it viable, Maria Fernanda Torres Penagos, director of climate change in Colombia’s Environment Ministry, told a briefing.” It quotes Torres Penagos as saying: “Although there is growing consensus to gradually eliminate fossil fuels, there were still no specific spaces or meeting places dedicated to comprehending and addressing the pathways needed to overcome economic, fiscal and social dependence on fossil fuels, especially for producing countries.”
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