Covid-19
Forest destruction spiked in Indonesia during coronavirus lockdown
Travel restrictions allowed illegal deforestation to flourish in Indonesia – and government plans to cut environmental protections raise fears for the future
China prioritises employment over GDP growth in coronavirus recovery
Climate watchers are cautiously hopeful Beijing will not turn to polluting infrastructure to rebuild the economy, but specific assurances are lacking
Renewables most resilient to Covid-19 lockdown measures, says IEA
While demand for all sources of energy has been hit by the response to coronavirus, solar and wind generators are best placed to weather the crisis
Merkel: don’t neglect climate finance to the world’s poor
As rich countries spend billions bailing out industries hit by the Covid-19 slump, the German chancellor urged them not to forget their climate commitments
German environment minister defends airline bailout, promises green recovery
The immediate priority is to protect workers, argued Svenja Schulze, resisting calls to impose green conditions on a €10 billion support package for Lufthansa
Coronavirus: which governments are bailing out big polluters?
A round-up of the support countries are extending to aviation, coal, oil and gas businesses as demand is hit by the Covid-19 pandemic
Citizens’ assemblies on climate change seek to shape the post-Covid recovery
French and British initiatives to involve ordinary people in climate policy are adapting their work in light of the coronavirus pandemic
Coronavirus crisis underscores small islands’ climate vulnerability
The pandemic is a new setback for island states already suffering from climate change and storms such as Cyclone Harold and Hurricane Dorian
South Korea to implement Green New Deal after ruling party election win
Seoul is to set a 2050 net zero emissions goal and end coal financing, after the Democratic Party’s landslide victory in one of the world’s first Covid-19 elections
China may delay submitting climate plans amid economic slowdown
Beijing could wait for the results of the US presidential election in November before it announces an update to its climate plan
Airlines urge UN body to ease climate goals for 2020s as traffic collapses
Airlines’ trade association says current plans to offset greenhouse gas emissions from a 2019-2020 baseline would put an ‘inappropriate economic burden on the sector’
One crisis at a time, please – Climate Weekly
Sign up to get our weekly newsletter straight to your inbox, plus breaking news, investigations and extra bulletins from key events
Governments still due to submit tougher climate plans in 2020, despite Cop26 delay
The postponement of a critical climate summit to 2021 does not lessen pressure on governments around the world to submit tougher climate plans to the UN this year
Cop26 climate talks postponed to 2021 amid coronavirus pandemic
Postponement will help clarify US climate policy – Trump is pulling out of the Paris Agreement but Biden or Sanders would rejoin if elected in November
Zoom climate diplomacy: ‘Technology doesn’t help build trust’
The coronavirus pandemic has pushed climate diplomacy online, greening much of UN Climate Change’s operations but virtual meeting bring their own challenges
Green bailouts? – Climate Weekly
Sign up to get our weekly newsletter straight to your inbox, plus breaking news, investigations and extra bulletins from key events
Coronavirus: in Hawaii’s air, scientists seek signs of economic shock on CO2 levels
Ralph Keeling estimates that global fossil fuel use would have to decline by 10% for a full year to clearly impact CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere
From summits to stimulus: Nature-based solutions can help
Nature-based solutions deserve much deeper consideration as governments decide how to design their economic responses to the coronavirus
Coronavirus pandemic shows we need new ways to look after the Earth and each other
Grassroots climate movements are building the resilience and self-determination of communities, making them better equipped to handle the crisis
Governments urged to attach green strings to long-term coronavirus recovery plans
UN says Paris climate agreement and sustainable development goals should guide recovery beyond massive stopgap measures needed to combat coronavirus