Climate News January 2026
UK & EU Climate News
- The European Commission downgraded its 2035 target for zero emission car sales, allowing 90 percent of new vehicles to be zero emission instead of a full phaseout of petrol and diesel models. Vehicle manufacturers claimed that the original goal was unachievable due to the limited demand for electric vehicles and the slow development of charging infrastructure. The revised plan allows 10 percent of sales to include petrol, diesel or hybrid vehicles and encourages manufacturers to use low carbon steel, biofuels and e fuels to offset emissions. UK voices warned that following the EU shift would damage investment confidence and undermine progress already made toward electrification.
- Ofgem approved a five year plan that will add 108 GBP to household energy bills by 2031 to fund 28bn GBP of investment in the UK’s gas and electricity networks. The regulator said the upgrades will strengthen the grid, cut dependence on imported gas and reduce long term costs, leaving households with a net annual rise of about 30 pounds. Funding will be provided to gas and energy networks for new transmission lines, cyber security, pipe replacements and measures to reduce grid restrictions at offshore windfarms during strong winds.
- BP abandoned its hydrogen plant plan at Teesworks in Redcar after a dispute over whether the land should instead host a data centre. The firm withdrew before the government issued a decision, saying the data centre proposal created a material change in circumstances. South Tees Group had already secured approval for the data centre and argued it offered stronger value for the region. BP had pursued a development consent order that would have allowed compulsory purchase of the land and previously highlighted the project’s potential for more than 1,300 construction jobs. The company said it will continue other Teesside projects, including Net Zero Teesside Power and the Northern Endurance Partnership.
Global Climate News
- January 2026 saw devastating wildfires across three continents in Argentina, Australia, and South Africa, fuelled by extreme heat, drought, and strong winds. In Patagonia, flames scorched over 50,000 acres, threatening UNESCO listed forests and forcing thousands to evacuate. Australia’s Victoria declared a State of Disaster as bushfires burned more than 300,000 hectares, destroying homes and infrastructure. South Africa battled over 100,000 hectares of fires, displacing communities and overwhelming emergency services. These events highlight escalating climate driven fire risks, endangering ecosystems, air quality, and public safety, and underscore the urgent need for proactive resilience strategies and coordinated global response
- Canada introduced new methane rules for its oil and gas sector that target a 75 percent reduction below 2014 levels by 2035. The rules take effect in 2028 and ban venting with limited exceptions while requiring regular inspections to identify and fix leaks. Operators will be allowed to design their own control methods so long as they meet strict methane intensity limits. The government said the rules will cut emissions by 304 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent with minimal impact on production. Earlier draft rules faced criticism from industry for being too hard to meet, and the previous 2030 target was pushed back.
- President Donald Trump announced that the United States will withdraw from 66 international organisations, including major climate, clean energy, and sustainable development bodies such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and several renewable energy agencies. The administration described these organisations as advancing global governance, climate orthodoxy, and gender equity initiatives that it views as contrary to U.S. interests. This action follows earlier withdrawals from the Paris Agreement and other UN climate related funds, continuing a broader rollback of U.S. participation in global climate cooperation. Critics, including UN climate leadership, warned that the move will harm U.S. economic and environmental resilience by reducing its influence and undermining international climate action.
- Kenya signed a 311 million dollars agreement with Africa50 and PowerGrid Corporation of India to build two high voltage transmission lines. The partners will design, finance, construct and operate the system over a 30 year concession period. The finance ministry said the project will improve system stability, cut technical losses and reduce load shedding by expanding transmission capacity. The two lines would unlock cleaner, affordable, and more reliable power for millions of Kenyans. Kenya has turned to private partnerships because the debt burden and resistance to new tax hikes has closed off traditional sources of financing for such infrastructure. Critics argue that the strategy exposes the state to additional liabilities through opaque contracts, however, the government has rejected the criticism.
- China has introduced a voluntary trial climate reporting standard aligned with IFRS S2, requiring companies to disclose climate related risks, opportunities, governance, strategy, and emissions, including value chain impacts. The framework aims to improve transparency, combat greenwashing, and support China’s low carbon transition, with plans to expand toward mandatory disclosure over time.
- UN biodiversity treaty entered into force on 17 January, designed to protect biodiversity on the high seas. The treaty on biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction establishes a legally binding framework to address threats such as overfishing and to support the goal of safeguarding 30 percent of the ocean by 2030.
Deadly floods kill more than 1,400 people
Severe floods swept across Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia, killing more than 1,400 people between late November and early December according to the Independent. Indonesia recorded at least 753 deaths, Sri Lanka reported 465, Thailand confirmed 185 and Malaysia reported three. Rescue teams struggled to reach isolated communities as roads, bridges and communication networks collapsed under days of relentless rain. Authorities in Indonesia and Thailand deployed large scale rescue operations, supported by military assets and emergency funds. Sri Lanka faced greater pressure due to limited resources and ongoing economic strain, prompting its government to request international assistance. The floods followed a series of intense storm systems driven by unusual regional weather patterns. Climatologists have linked the heavy rainfall to prolonged La Nina conditions and shifting monsoon behaviour.
How the Climate Crisis is Shaping Politics
The climate crisis is increasingly reshaping global politics by accelerating geopolitical competition in the Arctic, where rapid ice melt is exposing valuable resources and new trade routes. As sea ice recedes, shorter northern shipping pathways are becoming more viable, raising the strategic significance of Greenland, which sits close to emerging trans Arctic corridors. At the same time, the Greenland’s vast deposits of rare earth minerals have become more desirable as countries seek alternatives to China’s dominance in processing these critical materials.
This resource competition helps explain Donald Trump’s renewed push to acquire Greenland, which he has framed as essential to U.S. national security and economic resilience. Trump has also cited the activities of China and Russia in the region as justification for U.S. control, reflecting how climate driven shifts in the Arctic are heightening great power rivalry. His approach has strained relations with Denmark, Greenland’s government, and NATO partners, illustrating how environmental change can escalate diplomatic tensions and reshape alliances.
Meanwhile, Greenland faces economic pressures, including slowing growth and declining public finances, which intersect with climate related challenges and leave the territory more exposed to geopolitical manoeuvring.
Climate Concerns Lose Priority in Latest Global Leadership Survey
The World Economic Forum have revealed that climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss have slipped in the rankings of immediate concerns among prominent business leaders, academics and policymakers. Each August and September, the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Perception Survey asks more than 1,300 experts—primarily from the global north—about the issues that worry them most ahead of the annual Davos meeting. This year, fewer respondents identified environmental challenges as top short term risks, while a growing number highlighted economic threats such as geopolitical tensions, economic slowdown, inflation and the potential collapse of asset bubbles.
Climate Driven Risks to Food and Animal Health
On 6 January, Canada’s Food Inspection Agency issued a warning that climate change is intensifying pressure on food safety efforts. Shifts in temperature, humidity, and precipitation are altering patterns of:
• Avian flu in poultry,
• Shellfish pathogens from harmful algal blooms,
• Livestock diseases like bovine tuberculosis,
• Crop contaminants from flooding events,
• Vector borne pests and invasive species.
Floods, wildfires, and extreme weather events can disrupt refrigeration, damage infrastructure, and challenge public health and agricultural systems. The agency described climate change as a multiplier, increasing frequency, complexity, and costs in operations.
New Research
- A new report shows Africa’s forests have shifted from a carbon sink to a carbon source between 2010 and 2017. Aboveground biomass changes across African biomes were tracked using high resolution satellite data and machine learning. From 2007 to 2010, Africa gained 439 Tg of biomass per year but from 2010 to 2015 biomass declined by 132 Tg per year and from 2015 to 2017 this decline continued with a loss of 41 Tg per year. Gains in savanna biomass, likely from shrub encroachment, only partially offset these losses. The main driver is deforestation in tropical moist broadleaf forests.
- A new study warns that Arctic tourism is increasingly at risk from permafrost degradation, which is accelerating due to climate change. Destinations like the Yukon, West Greenland, and Svalbard face more frequent slope failures during peak summer tourist season, exposing visitors to hazards which puts additional economic and safety burdens on local communities. Current adaptation strategies focus on local communities but overlook tourists, who are a growing and vulnerable group. They recommend integrating tourism into risk communication and adaptation planning to strengthen resilience in Arctic communities.
- A research article finds that heatwave exposure will rise sharply across 18 Asian countries through 2100, driven mainly by climate change. Urban populations will face most of the increase, accounting for 76 percent of exposure growth by 2060 and 90 percent by 2100 with India and China emerging as the hardest hit countries. The article introduces an index to guide adaptation planning, showing that most countries should prioritise urban adaptation, while some, like Mongolia and Nepal, need equal focus on rural areas. Additionally, incorporating age structures reveals that future population aging will narrow the urban–rural adaptation needs for elderly, over 60, adults while widening those for younger adults.
- A new study finds that soil degradation is a growing global threat to food security, climate stability, and ecosystem health. The review assessed both physical and biological indicators, as well as the potential of technologies such as remote sensing, artificial intelligence, and big data analytics for enhanced monitoring and forecasting. Key drivers include unsustainable farming, deforestation, industrial activity, and climate extremes. Impacts range from reduced crop yields and water quality to increased dust storms, migration, and economic losses. The review emphasises the importance of healthy soils in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and suggests future research directions.
- An article reveals that climate mitigation will strand trillions of dollars in fossil fuel power plant assets, with risks concentrated among a few state owned companies. Early retirement or costly retrofits of coal and gas plants are needed to meet climate targets near 2 degrees centigrade. The top 25 companies, mostly in China and India, hold over 770 billion dollars in stranded assets under a 1.5 degrees scenario. Coal operators face 75 percent of total costs, with China responsible for more than half. Ten companies account for nearly a quarter of global stranded asset risk.
- A new research letter reveals that tropical America faces a widespread decline in annual rainfall under global warming, including the Amazon and American monsoon regions. The main driver is amplified equatorial Pacific warming, which weakens atmospheric ascent and suppresses precipitation. Most climate models underestimate this effect due to biases in simulating Pacific temperature gradients. Using an emergent constraint based on observations, the research projects a 46 mm annual rainfall decline per 1 degree of global warming which is around 1.5 times higher than raw model estimates, with 30 percent less uncertainty. Risks of drought, wildfires, and water shortages in the region may be greater than previously thought.
- Meanwhile, a study from the European Severe Storms Laboratory published on 12 of January revealed an increase in very large hail events, which are over 5cm in diameter, globally, with Europe experiencing the fastest rise in frequency and economic loss. This research underscores the growing intensity and diversity of climate hazards, tying directly to concerns raised in focus groups about biodiversity loss, emergency service strain, and infrastructure vulnerability
