Welcome to Carbon Brief’s Cropped.
We handpick and explain the most important stories at the intersection of climate, land, food and nature over the past fortnight.
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Key developments
COP29 skirts nature
BIODIVERSITY BLANK: Despite taking place just days after a major UN biodiversity summit, the COP29 climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, produced few new commitments on food, forests, land and nature. Countries negotiated a new text “reaffirming” the “importance of conserving, protecting and restoring nature”. However, countries failed to adopt this document during COP29’s chaotic final plenary session. The COP29 presidency also organised a “high level” event on a new “Rio trio” initiative, which seeks to strengthen ties between the UN Rio conventions on climate change, biodiversity loss and desertification. But many of the event’s speakers failed to show up, as the event coincided with the start of the endgame in the negotiations.
CARBON MARKETS: Elsewhere at COP29, countries did manage to find agreement on the remaining sections of Article 6 on carbon markets, meaning all elements of the Paris Agreement have now been finalised – nearly 10 years after it was signed. The COP29 presidency hailed the agreement as a “breakthrough” that “achieves full operationalisation of Article 6”, a COP “win” that it pushed from day one of the two-week talks. Observers, however, raised concerns that the agreed rules may not do enough to ensure that past issues with carbon offsets, including human rights violations and a failure to meaningfully cut emissions, are not repeated. Read Carbon Brief’s summary of all the key takeaways for food, land, forests and nature at COP29.
CIAO, COP16: Following an abrupt end in November triggered by negotiators needing to catch flights home, the COP16 biodiversity summit will resume for a three-day session in Rome in February 2025, the Convention on Biological Diversity has confirmed. Countries will aim to agree to the remaining items on COP16’s agenda, which include a monitoring framework for tracking progress on tackling biodiversity loss, a plan for reviewing progress at future COPs and – most contentiously – the issue of developed nations mobilising enough funds to help developing countries protect nature. Carbon Brief has tracked where countries stand on these issues in an interactive grid.
Historic climate case
CLIMATE CASE: A historic legal case on who bears responsibility for climate change has begun at the UN international court of justice (ICJ) at the Hague in the Netherlands. The Guardian reported that the case “is the culmination of years of campaigning by a group of Pacific island law students and diplomacy spearheaded by Vanuatu”, an island nation at risk of losing land from sea level rise. In 2025, it will deliver a verdict on “on what obligations states have to tackle climate change and what the legal consequences could be if they fail to do so”, it added.
‘BIGGEST IN HISTORY’: Over the next two weeks, the court will hear statements from 98 countries, including small island nations and least-developed countries most vulnerable to climate impacts, as well as large historical emitters, the Guardian said. The participation of so many countries means “we can safely say that this is the biggest case in human history”, Margaretha Wewerinke-Singh, legal counsel for Vanuatu’s ICJ case and international lawyer at Blue Ocean Law, told Justice Info, an international-law news site.
‘MORAL WEIGHT’: Justice Info added that ICJ opinions are non-binding, but “do carry legal and moral weight, often taken into account by national courts”. However, “there are difficulties in dealing with states such as China, who never accepted the compulsory jurisdiction of the court, or the US who withdrew from it”, according to the outlet. As part of the advisory opinion process, the court is publishing written statements from countries, which include nations’ views on who should take responsibility for climate change and personal testimonies from those most affected.
Spotlight
‘Land’ COP underway
This week, Carbon Brief looks at what is on the agenda for the “largest ever” UN land conference that is underway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In a “triple COP” year, few expected the desertification COP to receive as much attention as its higher-profile climate and biodiversity cousins. In fact, getting international and regional media to engage with the lesser-known Rio treaty – the 30-year old UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) – is one of the actual objectives of the talks that began in Riyadh on Monday.
The headline numbers are stark.
According to the UNCCD’s own estimates, 1.2 billion people and 1.5bn hectares of land are affected by degradation, with another 100m hectares of land degrading each year.
A new report looking at land use through the lens of “planetary boundaries” found that “a third of humanity now lives in drylands, which include three-quarters of Africa”. It added that unsustainable agricultural practices are the “main culprit” of degradation. And a newly released world drought atlas presents an even starker – but complex – picture of the state of the world’s land.
Gaining prominence
With all this daunting research placed before its delegates, the two-week Riyadh COP marks a small series of firsts. According to the UN, it is the largest land conference ever and the first to be held in the Middle East and North Africa region, “which knows first-hand the impacts of desertification”.
Mirroring what has become the norm in other COPs, it is also the first time that the conference has a separate “action agenda” for leaders to announce voluntary commitments on thematic days, in addition to the official, negotiated decisions.
Interestingly, the “land COP” has drawn several leaders and ministers to Riyadh who gave Cali and Baku a miss.
Fresh from steering his party to an election win in the drought-prone state of Maharashtra, India’s climate minister Bhupender Yadav hailed India’s “proactive drought strategy”, reiterated a 26m-hectare land restoration pledge and support for the G20’s trillion trees initiative.
Aside from high-profile ministerial discussions, delegates will have to undertake a midterm review of actions over 2018-30 and agree on what is holding back countries from implementing the drought convention.
Resources required
Finding resources to build drought resilience remains the running theme in Riyadh.
On Monday, the UNCCD’s executive secretary, Ibrahim Thiaw, quantified the cost of “restoring the world’s degraded land and holding back its deserts” for the first time, calling for “at least $2.6tn” in investment by the end of the decade, according to Reuters. Thiaw also drew attention to the fact that the world spends as much on harmful subsidies each year, Earth Negotiations Bulletin reported.
Mohlago Flora Mokgohloa, South Africa’s deputy director general of biodiversity and conservation outlined her delegation’s key negotiation priorities to Carbon Brief. She said:
“The African position is ensuring we come out with an ambitious decision on drought, which is deciding on a drought protocol. This is one convention that does not have a protocol, so it does not have an implementation mechanism.”
A protocol is a legally-binding instrument that interprets a treaty and can establish additional rights and obligations. A drought management protocol, for instance, could set up clear obligations for who should pay for restoration and could link the UNCCD to climate and biodiversity conventions.
Mokgohloa told Carbon Brief:
“We are also saying that a decision on a protocol must also come with a discussion around how it’s going to be financed, because that affects all of us, and we can’t just say ‘let’s decide on the money after’. The 54 countries of Africa are not moving on our position.”
News and views
IRA-TE FARMERS: US farmers “are urging the White House to crack down on Chinese imports of used cooking oil”, the Financial Times reported. The country’s farmers “invested in green fuel crops such as corn, camelina and soybeans” based on an expected surge in demand for low-carbon fuels after the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was passed, the story said. However, it points out that the IRA’s rules “have not been finalised” and the law – which does not limit incentives just to domestic farmers – “may be scrapped by Donald Trump’s incoming administration”. Meanwhile, used cooking oil imports from China “have reached record highs”, driving fears that imports could “undercut” tax credits to US farmers even before they take effect in January, according to the story.
SHOOTS, NOT BOMBS: At the recent G20 summit in Rio, Mexico’s president Dr Claudia Sheinbaum proposed “dedicating 1% of the military annual budgets of the world’s biggest economies” towards global reforestation efforts, Mongabay reported. If successful, the programme could reforest 15m hectares of land “across the globe”, according to the story. Sheinbaum also “plans to continue” the country’s existing Sembrano Vida (planting life) programme, which incentivises farmers to protect trees, it added. While that programme has “reforested 1.1bn trees” since 2018, it is currently mired in “serious allegations of corruption, labour threats and data manipulation”, a column in El Siglo De Durango pointed out.
GAZA FOOD CRISIS: Israel’s attacks on Gaza have killed more than 90% of cattle and destroyed 70% of cropland, a UN analysis of satellite imagery has found, according to the Guardian. More than three-quarters of Gaza’s orchards, known for producing olive oil and fruits, have also been destroyed, the Guardian said. Before the violence started in October last year, 40% of Gaza was covered by farms and food production met around a third of local demand, the newspaper reported. It added that aid officials in Gaza have described the situation in much of Gaza, where more than two-thirds of buildings have been destroyed or damaged, as “apocalyptic”.
‘FRANKENCHICKENS’: Fast food chain KFC has ditched a pledge in the UK to improve its animal welfare by sourcing chicken from slower-growing breeds by 2026, the publication Restaurant reported. Back in 2019, KFC committed to transition away from using so-called “Frankenchickens”, which are bred at an accelerated rate that is linked to a range of health issues, including higher mortality rates, lameness and muscle disease, the publication said. However, speaking at the UK’s egg and poultry industry conference in November, a representative of the fried-chicken giant said the UK’s poultry industry is not yet in a “commercial or operational position” to allow the delivery of such a pledge, according to Restaurant.
AMAZON AT RISK: Several Brazilian states “are trying to rid themselves of rainforest protections, bowing to pressure from cattle ranchers and soybean growers to cut down trees and expand agriculture”, the Associated Press reported. It said that the Acre state unanimously passed a new law allowing the privatisation of almost 900km2 of protected forest, an area the size of New York City. In neighbouring Rondonia state, lawmakers are seeking to annul 11 “conservation units” covering thousands of square kilometres of pristine rainforest, the publication reported. Another Amazonian state, Pará, is pushing a similar initiative, it added. Brazil is the world’s fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, with deforestation accounting for more emissions than any other driver, AP noted.
MISSING MAU: Kenya’s Mau forest, which plays a key role in capturing water for millions of people, experienced a sharp rise in deforestation this year, according to satellite data reported on by Mongabay. The ecosystem, which is one of the largest forests in east Africa and is home to endangered African bush elephants, African golden cats and bongo antelopes, lost a quarter of its tree cover between 1984 and 2020. Forest loss slowed over 2021-22, but has since increased dramatically, according to Global Forest Watch data seen by Mongabay. Separately, Mongabay covered how the Kenyan government has spent years evicting Indigenous Ogiek communities from Mau forest over unfounded claims that they are to blame for deforestation.
Watch, read, listen
‘THE GREAT ABANDONMENT’: A long read in the Guardian looked at “what happens to the land left behind” when people and development are displaced by climate change.
REIMAGINING BRETTON WOODS: A talk by Dr Nicola Ranger for the Leverhume Centre for Nature Recovery explored how the global financial system can be reformed to address biodiversity loss and climate change.
COLD TURKEY: From meat-free days to making plant-based foods “taste at least as good”, Bloomberg listed strategies to “shift diets at scale away from meat-centric meals”.
‘TOXIC TRADE’: An investigation by SourceMaterial and Data Desk uncovered evidence of European companies shipping high-sulphur car fuels to west Africa, with catastrophic impacts for local people.
New science
- China’s forests increased in size by 4m hectares a year over 2000-15 and by 2m hectares a year over 2015-22, according to a new Geophysical Research Letters study. The research used high-resolution satellite data to examine how tree cover has changed in the world’s fastest “greening” nation.
- A Science Advances study uncovered “compelling evidence” that temperature can affect the immune performance of wild capuchin monkeys. The results “offer insight into how climate change will affect the immune system of wild mammals”.
- Reducing deforestation pressure and forest fires in the Amazon region “leads to a reduction” in hospitalisation and deaths arising from respiratory health problems, a new study in Communications Earth & Environment found. Researchers estimated a decrease of 678 deaths and almost $6m in savings from hospitalisation costs each year.
In the diary
- 2-13 December: UN Desertification Conference, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- 2-13 December: International court of justice hearings on the obligations of states in respect of climate change, The Hague, Netherlands
- 9-16 December: Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Plenary, Windhoek, Namibia
Cropped is researched and written by Dr Giuliana Viglione, Aruna Chandrasekhar, Daisy Dunne, Orla Dwyer and Yanine Quiroz. Please send tips and feedback to cropped@carbonbrief.org
The post Cropped 4 December 2024: Climate talks omit nature; Land COP underway; ‘Frankenchickens’ appeared first on Carbon Brief.
Cropped 4 December 2024: Climate talks omit nature; Land COP underway; ‘Frankenchickens’
The UN body that regulates mining in international waters has defended its authority over ocean governance after two subsidiaries of deep-sea mining firm The Metals Company (TMC) launched legal action to halt an investigation into their conduct.
Speaking at the International Seabed Authority’s (ISA) annual meeting in Kingston on Monday, secretary-general Leticia Carvalho said the regulator’s role “matters more than ever” as governments grapple with growing pressure to exploit the deep seabed for minerals needed for the energy transition.
“The deep seabed belongs to no single country and no corporation; it belongs to all of us,” Carvalho said, describing its resources as “the common heritage of humankind”.
“If we lose sight of this,” she added, “we risk repeating on the ocean floor the same injustices and destruction we still strive to remedy on land.”
The conflict stems from TMC’s attempt to bypass the UN process by applying for US-sponsored ocean mining permits offered last year by the Trump administration. The Canadian firm aims to become the first company to mine the seabed for minerals like nickel, rare earths and manganese used in the production of both clean energy technologies and military equipment.
Several governments, including China, condemned the move as a “violation of international law”. In response, ISA member states agreed to open an inquiry into its licence-holders – among them two of TMC’s subsidiaries – to make sure they have complied with international law. If they are ultimately found to have breached those obligations, their exploration contracts could be revoked.
In June, the two TMC subsidiaries – Tonga Offshore Mining Ltd (TOML) and Nauru Ocean Resources Inc (NORI) – filed claims against the ISA at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), asking the court to suspend the inquiry while the case proceeds. The companies argue they are being targeted “without lawful procedural basis”, “in breach of due process”, and without “good faith”.
Environmental groups have accused The Metals Company of using legal tactics to block the investigation into its subsidiaries.
“We find ourselves in this Orwellian situation where these companies are trying to effectively get an injunction against the ISA from continuing its inquiry,” said Louisa Casson, who leads Greenpeace’s global campaign against deep-sea mining.
“The stakes are so high and that’s why we’re seeing this pretty extraordinary move to try to get an injunction against the ISA,” she added.
-
Trump throws lifeline to Canadian deep-sea miner, setting scene for international clash
US president’s executive order looks like a victory for Vancouver-based The Metals Company (TMC) and other industry advocates, but fierce environmental and international opposition still stands in the way of ocean floor mining -
UK government faces legal challenge over deep sea mining permits to “opaque” firm
Greenpeace says UK may have acted unlawfully by transferring deep-sea mining licences to firm with US ties -
Loss and damage fund delays first project approvals as needs dwarf resources
The new Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage faces an overwhelming number of initial requests for its limited pot of money and board members decided to take more time to choose which to back first
Mining the deep ocean floor
The ISA has been negotiating a mining code for the deep ocean floor for over 12 years without success. Nearly 40 governments, including the UK, France and Germany, have called for a moratorium or precautionary pause on deep-sea mining until there is sufficient scientific evidence that it can proceed without causing serious harm to marine ecosystems.
Rather than wait for the UN process, industry frontrunner, The Metals Company, decided to apply for US permits offered by the Trump administration last year. In May, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) certified TMC’s application to explore 120,000 square kilometers of sea floor.
The firm wants to mine an area in the Pacific known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, which holds critical minerals inside potato-sized rocks found in the deep ocean floor known as polymetallic nodules. The minerals like manganese, nickel and rare earths are used in clean energy technologies like batteries and wind turbines.
But the area is also a little-understood ecosystem inhabited by thousands of unnamed species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world’s largest environmental network, says mining this area would threaten the existence of over half of all molluscs reliant on deep-sea vents.
Governments launch inquiry
Seeking to discourage companies from bypassing the UN process, the ISA’s member states unanimously agreed to open an inquiry into whether holders of its exploration licences complied with their contractual obligations under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
“The stage we’re at now is countries grappling with what they can do about this. What tools do they have to constrain this pathway that would go against international law,” Casson said.
Both NORI and TOML continue to hold ISA exploration contracts in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. NORI’s license, however, expires later this month on July 21st and is up for review.
The inquiry is currently ongoing, but Casson said that if governments decide to cancel NORI’s license, other firms could apply for the ISA permit and compete for mining rights in the area.
“If that happens, it could really put into jeopardy TMC USA’s application (for US permits) because then suddenly that area could be open for a competing claim,” she explained. “At the moment, TMC is trying to kind of play both sides and shore up the area so that there will be no competition.”
Deep-sea mining firms push back
The cases before ITLOS are the first contentious disputes over deep-sea mining to reach the court designed for maritime disputes and the first brought directly by private contractors against the ISA. Among the companies’ legal advisers is former ISA secretary-general Michael Lodge.
Both NORI and TOML claimed that, unless the inquiry is suspended, there is a “real
and imminent risk of prejudice” that “may have significant legal and practical consequences” for
their activities.
The claim was backed by the Pacific island nation of Nauru, which has sponsored TMC’s push to mine the Clarion-Clipperton Zone and would benefit from the economic activity. The country raised “concerns on the adherence of due process with respect to the treatment of NORI”.
The mining companies allege that the ISA has singled them out among other applicants by requesting additional documentation, and that the UN auditors did not give them an opportunity to “meaningfully respond” to their concerns.
The ISA rejected those allegations as “wholly unsupported assertions”. It added that, given TMC’s application for US mining permits, it had done “what any reasonable regulator would do”: with the unanimous support of member states, it opened an inquiry simply to establish the facts.
Delay tactics
A decision from the maritime court is now expected by July 18, which has added to a “climate of significant regulatory uncertainty”, according to global law firm HSF Kramer.
As ISA countries meet in Kingston this week, the court’s president asked them “not to act in any way that could hinder any order” the court may make.
At the hearing representing the ISA, renowned human rights lawyer Philippe Sands said the deep-sea mining firms were engaging in “strategic litigation” meant to delay the inquiry and send the ISA into a years-long legal process.
“It’s a delaying tactic, and nothing would make them happier than for you to kick this into the long grass for two years while you sort out the merits. That is what they want this Tribunal, the Chamber, to do. You are being instrumentalized in this process,” Sands told the judges.
The post UN seabed regulator defends authority as mining firms seek to halt inquiry appeared first on Climate Home News.
UN seabed regulator defends authority as mining firms seek to halt inquiry
The UK’s incoming prime minister Andy Burnham has remained tight-lipped on his views on climate change during his leadership campaign.
When asked his views on reversing Labour’s manifesto pledge to stop new North Sea drilling in June – a move that the oil-and-gas industry and right-wing media have pushed for in recent months – he said he had “something of an open mind” on the issue.
But a trawl of Burnham’s past comments about climate change, net-zero and fossil fuels reveals a different picture.
Just a year ago in June 2025, Burnham, while mayor of Greater Manchester, gave his support to the fossil fuel treaty – a proposed international pact on phasing out coal, oil and gas – calling it a “lifeline” that “all governments” should join.
In a video message endorsing the treaty, he also said that “there should be no turning away from net-zero”.
During his last bid to be Labour leader in 2015, he used similar language, saying:
“Labour under my leadership will never turn our back on either our duty to tackle climate change or the prospects offered by the green economy.”
Burnham has spoken about the threat of climate change since at least 2008, noting in 2021 that accelerated action could “create thousands of good jobs”, but also warning that net-zero risked becoming the “next Brexit”.
Burnham is yet to appoint his cabinet, but there is much speculation that he will select current net-zero secretary Ed Miliband as his chancellor – with their ally Miatta Fahnbulleh having a “strong chance” of taking Miliband’s former position.
Below, Carbon Brief recounts 28 things that Burnham has said about climate change, net-zero, fossil fuels, energy and transport.
Climate change
“Tackling climate change isn’t just about protecting the planet – it’s a powerful opportunity to build a fairer, greener future for our communities and businesses.”
Calling for local councils to be given more power and money for climate action, 29 November 2025
“There is little doubt that Greater Manchester’s biodiversity has taken a hit over the years, with habitats being lost, destroyed and becoming less diverse due to the impact of development, climate change, pollution and invasive species…We are committed to delivering a city-region for all residents to enjoy – a fairer, greener and more prosperous place for everyone.”
Statement after Greater Manchester declared a “biodiversity emergency”, 25 March 2022
“Over the next decade, if we accelerate our response to the climate crisis, we can create thousands of good jobs, improve homes, overhaul our transport system and make [Manchester] an even better place to live.”
Greater Manchester Green Summit, 18 October 2021
“The environment has never been higher on the national and international agenda.”
Statement after visiting a peat bog restoration project in England, 9 January 2020
“I think climate change [action] will be driven more quickly from the bottom up, if I’m honest. It’s the will of evolution if you wait for the government to act…When governments aren’t listening you get out and get your voice heard…so I think [climate protesters] deserve our encouragement, not our criticism.”
Speaking to Manchester Evening News at a student climate protest in Manchester, 24 May 2019
“Labour under my leadership will never turn our back on either our duty to tackle climate change or the prospects offered by the green economy.”
Labour leadership candidate speech, 15 July 2015
“Climate change can seem a distant, impersonal threat – in fact the associated costs to health are a very real and present danger…We need well-designed climate change policies that drive health benefits.”
Speaking to the Guardian about a study on climate and health, 25 November 2009
“The Stern report on the economics of climate change has changed the debate, in this country and around the world. It made it clear that the people who could suffer most from a failure to tackle climate change, or from a lack of ambition in our approach to it, are those living in the developing countries. They are the most vulnerable…[and] Stern said that the cost of not acting would be large. That is why the government took various measures in the recent spending review to ensure that we are prepared to face the challenges posed by climate change.”
Speaking in the UK parliament on the economic impacts of climate change on his final day as chief secretary to the Treasury, 24 January 2008
Net-zero
“There should be no turning away from net-zero.”
Speaking after giving his support to the fossil fuel treaty – a proposed global pact to introduce laws to phase out coal, oil and gas – on behalf of Manchester, 6 June 2025
“An opportunity is opening up for Britain as other countries move away from net-zero. We should seize that…We can make Britain a green leader. This is not the time to tiptoe, it is the time to commit to this path.”
Speaking at Innovation Zero World Congress in London, 29 April 2025
“[We] need a government that fully buys into the 2038 vision because the UK will not get to 2050 unless places like Greater Manchester are freed up to go faster – and we’re ready to go faster.”
Speaking about Greater Manchester’s aim to reach net-zero by 2038, 19 October 2022
“In Greater Manchester we have plans to build 30,000 net-zero social rented homes because we recognise that a successful city region needs good quality, affordable accommodation for everyone.”
Speech on the future of cities, 24 June 2022
“By building a broad consensus behind the drive to net-zero, we can ensure that the transition is a fair one that delivers social justice as well as climate justice. This is an opportunity for all of us to show how cutting carbon emissions in our cities can make a real difference to our communities – away from the abstractions and rooted in the real world.”
Panel discussion in Glasgow during the COP26 climate summit, 12 November 2021
“To the extent that people have picked up anything from COP26, it’s a sense that the drive to net-zero will mean cost and inconvenience for ordinary people and offsetting for the wealthy and entitled. All of a sudden, you can feel how net-zero could become the new Brexit – a debate that gets very divided on class grounds…This has got to be a wake-up call. We cannot let this happen. We need to act now to build a broad social consensus behind the drive to net-zero. How to do that? It starts with taking control of the climate narrative from those steering it in the wrong direction and turning it around…We must show how, if done in the right way, the drive to net-zero is actually an opportunity to reduce the cost of living; to make people’s lives better and society fairer.”
Writing for the London Standard, 5 November 2021
“The drive to net-zero is a chance to re-industrialise the north of England, this time in a clean way. Create really good jobs, future-facing jobs for people, better public transport, improve people’s homes…If we go quickly towards net-zero, it’s the quickest way to level up the country.”
ITV interview at COP26, 1 November 2021
“If we really embrace the drive to net-zero, that is the route to level up the country…But it needs substantial investment, upfront, now, of the kind that Rachel Reeves, shadow chancellor [and chancellor under Keir Starmer’s government], has been talking about. We need long-term predictable funding.”
Interview with GB News at COP26, 1 November 2021
“I would have preferred to hear slightly less about carbonated wine and much more about a decarbonised economy.”
Referencing a UK budget, which included tax cuts for sparkling wine and other drinks, 28 October 2021
“Decarbonising is not just about lowering costs on to people. It’s the route to get better, cheaper public transport. It’s the route to getting homes that are cheap to run. It’s actually the way we can create thousands of good jobs for the people who live in Greater Manchester. This is the route to levelling up the country by going further and faster on decarbonisation.”
Speaking to Manchester Confidential, 20 October 2021
“[I am] asking people to stop seeing the environmental agenda as a cost and a burden agenda. I think this is a barrier that we’ve got to get over. Already in the media interviews I’ve done today, people are saying ‘can you afford it?’, ‘can it be achievable when times are tough?’.
“My answer to that is, at some point in the 21st century, all homes will be zero-carbon. At some point in this century, all buildings of any kind will be zero-carbon…All cars will be zero-carbon, all public transport will be zero-carbon…The question is: when? And surely the places that embrace those things first are putting themselves in a position of economic strength when it comes to facing up to the future. Rather than seeing the whole agenda as a burden, we’ve got to see it for the benefits that it can bring.
“There may be a greater upfront cost in a zero-carbon home, but let’s stop thinking, as we tend to do in Britain, of the short-term, the short-termist approach to life. Surely let’s start talking to the public about the lifetime cost.”
Greater Manchester Green Summit, 21 March 2018
Fossil fuels
“I’ve got something of an open mind, you know. I don’t have a sort of fixed position.”
Speaking on the issue of new North Sea oil and gas in a New Statesman interview, 3 June 2026
“We would fight this in GM [Greater Manchester]…Communities across the north would face all the danger and disruption while big oil and gas walk away with all the profits.”
In response to Reform’s call for fracking, on X, 25 August 2025
“I am proud to endorse the fossil-fuel treaty proposal today on behalf of Greater Manchester. It’s not just a plan – it’s a lifeline. It’s a call to end coal, oil and gas, hold polluters accountable…I urge all governments, nationals and subnationals to join this fight.”
Statement upon endorsing the fossil-fuel treaty, 5 June 2025
“Fracking is the past, it is not the future.”
Speech at London climate protest, 20 September 2019
“I have called for a moratorium on fracking. Far too many potential risks and unanswered questions.”
On X, 22 June 2015
Energy and transport
“What I would do, if successful, is lay out a plan for more public control over water, energy, transport, so that over the period we can get those bills down, fares down, and give people and give businesses breathing space.”
LBC interview, 2 July 2026
“I am all in favour of tough decisions at a national level. I don’t believe there should be a third runway at Heathrow, for instance. But I think those are decisions for national government.”
Guardian interview, 13 June 2019
“There is a debate to be had about aviation, isn’t there? There are changing public attitudes about aviation. Rather than just saying no to people flying, don’t we need to accelerate research into low and zero-carbon forms of aviation?”
Guardian interview, 13 June 2019
“Today, I stand alongside the mayors of some of the greatest cities in the world. I’m committed to a cleaner, greener and healthier future for Greater Manchester. Around a third of greenhouse gas emissions in our city-region come from transport.”
When signing the C40 Fossil-Fuel-Free Streets Declaration, which includes support for zero-emissions vehicles and walking and cycling, on behalf of Manchester, 14 September 2018
The post 28 quotes from next UK leader Andy Burnham on climate, net-zero and fossil fuels appeared first on Carbon Brief.
28 quotes from next UK leader Andy Burnham on climate, net-zero and fossil fuels
Suresanathan Murugesu is the country director of Action Against Hunger in the Philippines
The Philippines is caught in an extreme weather trap. Here, forecasts for a strong El Niño in the months ahead do not just indicate a period of drought – they also point to torrential rain and flooding.
It could hardly come at a worse time, threatening communities that are still struggling to recover from previous typhoons, such as last year’s Typhoon Tino, as well as two strong earthquakes – in Cebu in September 2025 and last month’s 7.8-magnitude quake in Mindanao.
Forecasts point to the arrival of one of the most intense El Niños in recent history this year and into 2027, with the United Nations warning that it could be the strongest in decades around the world.
The peak of the El Niño is expected towards the end of the year, but the weather phenomenon is already estimated to have caused agricultural losses of nearly €30 million (£25.9 million), potentially affecting the livelihoods of 4 million farmers.
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Scientists warn El Niño could intensify climate extremes in 2026
Climatologists say a particularly powerful weather pattern could amplify wildfire risk, heatwaves and flooding worldwide as global temperatures continue to rise -
WHO issues new guidance on heat-health action plans, as El Niño sets in
Amid warnings of “unprecedented” weather extremes this year, the World Health Organization urges governments to strengthen protections for vulnerable groups -
Philippines storm victims to seek damages from Shell in “unprecedented” climate claim
The case is the first civil claim to directly link an oil firm’s climate impact to deaths and personal injury in the Global South, its backers say
On the climate frontline
For many, El Niño is a figure in a report or a distant headline, but for those of us who live and work on the ground, it is a reality that is already hitting the most vulnerable families.
When I travel through the communities of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region – in the south – or speak with families on the island of Siargao or in the Zamboanga region, I do not see data or graphs.
I see a father looking at his cracked rice field, wondering how he will pay off the debts from a harvest that is already lost before it has even begun. I see a mother walking under a relentless sun because her village’s well has dried up, carrying the water that sustains the health of her children and her entire community.
And what we are seeing today – 26 provinces experiencing drought and millions of dollars in agricultural losses – is only the beginning.
Loss and damage fund delays first project approvals as needs dwarf resources
Many Filipino families are still trying to rebuild and recover after last year’s typhoons and the two earthquakes. In Mindanao, where the recent magnitude 7.8 earthquake displaced more than 90,000 people and destroyed over 19,000 houses, uncertainty remains about when the people will be able to fully recover and return home.
Today, they are trying to protect the meagre possessions they have and, if they are lucky enough to have their home unscathed by typhoons and earthquakes, their homes from flooding; tomorrow, they will have to survive the hardship and impact of drought.
The effects of El Niño threaten to exacerbate their troubles.
Struggle for basic needs
Many low-income Filipino families already face significant challenges to meet their basic needs.
In our daily visits, we see how life is becoming increasingly difficult for millions of people. Rising fuel and transport costs are driving up the price of basic foodstuffs, making them unaffordable for many families. At the same time, crop failures and income losses are leaving households without livelihoods, while disasters contribute to further suffering.
But we are not just talking about hunger. We are talking about health, safety and dignity. Water shortages are forcing many people to resort to unsafe sources, increasing the risk of disease. And, as is the case in so many crises, it is the most vulnerable who bear the heaviest burden: walking long distances every day to fetch water or food, enduring enormous physical strain and facing risks of violence and insecurity.
Building resilience
Faced with this reality, our response is based on a simple idea: to be there before the crisis reaches its most critical point. At Action Against Hunger, we work alongside communities to anticipate the situation, assessing the impact of the drought and activating early response mechanisms to protect their livelihoods and access to water.
We translate climate forecasts into concrete action plans: from support for farmers to programmes ensuring safe water. All of this is done in coordination with local authorities and international partners, because we know that what we do today will make the difference tomorrow.
The hardest months are yet to come. But the question is not just what will happen, but what we are doing now to prevent it. How many tables will remain empty and how many children will see their health compromised will depend on our ability to act in time.
We cannot stop El Niño. But we can prevent it from becoming a crisis of human dignity. We cannot afford to look the other way whilst the earth cracks and opportunities disappear. Because behind every statistic, there is a family struggling to get by. And that is a reality we cannot ignore.
The post A strong El Niño spells more climate pain for the Philippines appeared first on Climate Home News.
A strong El Niño spells more climate pain for the Philippines
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