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Eric Roston, Bloomberg
Bloomberg reports that “sweeping” changes to federal climate funding announced last week by the Trump administration are expected to “stymie” the field of climate science. It quotes Columbia University’s climate and law expert Michael Gerrard saying that “any kind of climate-related research, or renewable energy related-research” are “vulnerable”. The proposal puts grant decisions, now largely determined by expert review panels, under more direct political control, explains Bloomberg. CNN says researchers are “fighting back” against the proposals, noting that critics say the rule will “codify” the administration’s attempts to “destroy” the scientific research enterprise in the US that has led to, among other things, greater understanding of weather and climate science. It quotes former NASA climate scientist Dr Kate Marvel saying that putting “uninformed political hacks” in charge of the research funding system is “deeply stupid”. The outlet continues that climate scientists say the change could “set the field back for years”. Politico says the administration’s “assault on climate research” is akin to the “move fast and break things” mentality that “built Silicon Valley”.
MORE ON SCIENCE
The Guardian and Associated Press cover research which finds that, since 2015, wildfire smoke has “reversed” US progress on air ozone standards. The Associated Press reports that the EU has announced it will invest $107m in ocean monitoring, shortly after the Trump administration unveiled cuts to its own ocean monitoring programme.
Shawn Pogatchnik, Politico
The European Commission is “taking Ireland to court” over its failure to protect “environmentally crucial” boglands, reports Politico. It says the move – which comes ahead of Ireland taking over the EU Council presidency in July – comes after a “damning report” from Ireland’s Environmental Protection Agency, which documented “widespread flouting of EU laws” on protecting bogs. The Commission has said it is referring Ireland to the Court of Justice of the European Union over its failure to enforce EU requirements, as detailed in a 2019 formal notice and a 2020 “reasoned opinion”, explains Politico. The Irish Times reports that a statement from the Commission notes “significant” peat-cutting taking place in Ireland, “without any planning permission or environmental impact assessment”. BBC News notes peatlands are “considered an important habitat for wildlife” and can help “mitigate the effects of climate change, because they store large amounts of carbon”. It quotes experts who note that peat extraction remains “very profitable” for Ireland’s horticultural industry, with much of the resource exported out of the county. RTE says the legal action follows “years of friction” between the Irish government and the EU on the issue.
MORE ON EUROPE:
The EU has proposed new energy standards for data centres, reports Reuters. The Economist looks at the rise of “negative” electricity prices across Europe as more renewables are “plugged in” to grids. The EU Commission has referred Spain and Poland to the European Court of Justice for failing to implement the bloc’s revised carbon-market rules in time, reports Montel.
Matthew Daly, The Associated Press
There is continuing coverage of Trump’s announcement of $700m to support coal-fired power plants and coal exports in the US, with the Associated Press reporting that he plans to use powers granted under a “Cold War-era national defense law”. The funds will go towards 13 existing coal plants, the construction of the first new plants in the US since 2013 in Alaska and West Virginia and a long-delayed coal export terminal in California, adds the newswire. At the White House yesterday, Trump touted coal as a “great business”, adding that “in terms of power, there’s really nothing like it”. BBC News said the president criticised “failure countries” for investing in renewable energy sources and said his investment would prevent “$50bn” in new energy generation costs that would otherwise have been passed on to bills. The Washington Post counts $800m in total investment and notes the “nationwide revival of coal power” comes as the “highly polluting fuel struggles to stand on its own in the marketplace”. The newspaper says the president intends to draw $350m set aside by Congress during the Biden administration for “ambitious clean-energy technologies” for his plans. This, it notes, raises “questions about the legal validity of the initiative”. The Guardian and Bloomberg also have the story.
MORE ON US ENERGY:
The Guardian: “California and New York weaken climate rules as red states ramp up green energy.” Electricity demand in Texas grew at nearly five times the national average driven by the expansion of data centers and cryptominers, according to Reuters Forbes looks at why China’s critical mineral strategy “leaves the US behind”. Politico focuses on why California senators have rejected governor Gavin Newsom’s proposal to introduce a $200m EV rebate to boost sales. The Financial Times: “Americans lead AI data centre backlash, global poll finds.” In an editorial, the Washington Post notes that Congress’ “unanimous support” for a bill easing permitting for geothermal energy shows how the technology has managed to “escape the nasty politics that has bogged down other industries”. It continues: “If only lawmakers would apply the same desire to cut red tape for every other form of energy development.”
Jorge Valero, Bloomberg
EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic met China’s international trade envoy, Li Chenggang, in Paris yesterday, reports Bloomberg, where they discussed “matters including rebalancing the bilateral trade and investment relationship”. The two met on the sidelines of an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) ministerial, ahead of an EU debate over “new restrictive measures to rebalance the economic relationship”, it adds. An OECD report recently stated that Chinese companies receive the largest government subsidies globally, to which the Chinese government responded urging the organisation to avoid “politicising” research, according to China Daily. State-supporting newspaper Global Times says in an unbylined comment piece that, for the EU, climate change and energy transition “all require China-EU cooperation”. The Communist party-affiliated newspaper People’s Daily says Chinese low-carbon technologies are an “important pillar” of the EU’s green transition. Under the EU’s Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), Chinese clean-tech companies will need to “manufacture locally, hire locally and build local supply chains” to sell products on the European market, says Dialogue Earth. Meanwhile, Financial Times reports: “Nissan signs deal with China’s Chery for Sunderland car production.”
MORE ON CHINA
BJX News reports that a solar expo in Shanghai shows the solar industry has moved from “rapid expansion” to a more “pragmatic”, “cautious” landscape. In a lead story ahead of World Environment Day, Xinhua says China implements its climate goals through “concrete” actions, including climate finance and “green technology”. China’s “environmental protection industry” exceeded 2.2 trillion yuan ($0.3tn) during the “14th five-year plan” period, reports Science and Technology Daily. Reuters: “China harvest rains dent some wheat quality, may spur imports.” China’s electric three-wheelers have seen a “surge in demand” in overseas markets amid concerns over fuel costs and energy security, says China Daily. The world’s biggest battery maker, CATL, tells Reuters energy storage is expected to account for half of its global sales by 2030, up from 25% now. Yicai says that China’s solar company Jinko expects its energy storage shipments to double in gigawatt-hours this year.
Neil Lancefield, Press Association
The latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show how a “boost” in electric vehicle (EV) demand drove the “new car market [in the UK] to its strongest May sales performance since before the coronavirus pandemic”, reports the Press Association. Some 160,662 new cars were registered last month, up 7% from May 2025 and marking the best May for registrations since 2019, it says. Registrations of battery electric cars were up 34% to take a market share of 27%, it continues. The Guardian says the boost was “driven, in part, by strong growth from the Chinese manufacturers”. It continues that demand for EVs, an industry “dominated by China”, has risen since the introduction of grants last July and as fuel prices have increased in the wake of the US-Israel war on Iran.
Reuters quotes SMMT CEO Mike Hawes saying consumer uptake [of EVs] ”still lags behind even today's targets, let alone the ambition set out in the latest carbon budget”. [A recent Carbon Brief factcheck shows that repeated car industry claims that the industry is missing its EV targets – amplified by the media – are misleading, given that the industry has actually met targets every year to date.] The Daily Telegraph covers claims from carmakers that the EV pathway set out in the UK’s seventh carbon budget – published earlier this week – are not “credible”. It also says that the proportion of EV car sales in 2026 is “well below” the government’s official 33% EV target for the year. However, it later concedes that, under the UK’s EV mandate rules, car companies are “given various flexibilities that allow them to temporarily undershoot the targets or achieve them through selling more hybrid vehicles instead”. Once these flexibilities are taken into account, it says the “real target” for 2026 is 24.6%, according to New Automotive consultancy.
MORE ON UK
The Guardian covers a report which finds that England’s “poorest areas face deepest cuts to green space under planning law changes”. The government has confirmed the Environment Agency will act as the main regulator for the Trelavour Lithium Project in Cornwall, in a move designed to speed up decisions on major schemes, reports BBC News. The Daily Telegraph reports on the risks associated with a planned prototype nuclear fusion reactor in Nottinghamshire, as detailed in an official “liability” document drawn up by the government. The Daily Telegraph covers a University of Aberdeen “survey” which claims that “untapped” North Sea oil and gas could “fuel” the UK for “four years”. It includes comments from conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who claims the study shows the “madness of the [fossil fuel] stance taken by Keir Starmer and John Swinney”. [See Carbon Brief’s factcheck: “Nine false or misleading myths about North Sea oil and gas.”]
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