DW Climate

A new climate club, minus the fossil fuel lobby

DW — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 10:52:19 +0000

After days of talks in the first-ever gathering devoted to ditching the fossil fuels that are heating the planet, ministers, climate advocates and financial experts from more than 50 countries have agreed on a set of outcomes.

Held in the Colombian coastal city of Santa Marta, the conference laid the groundwork for continued cooperation between countries that want to move to a clean-energy future, and created momentum for more talks on an issue that is politically and economically sensitive.

Maina Vakafua Talia, minister for home affairs, climate change and environment in the Pacific state of Tuvalu told delegates at the talks hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands, that they were "making history."

"Multilateralism and international cooperation are not defined by a single process, but rather by recognizing the governance gaps. [...] even our greatest challenges can be overcome, and we can reach new horizons together," he said.

Finding common ground

The issue of how to swap coal, oil and gas — which are driving global temperatures and causing extreme weather such as drought, storms and heat waves — for more electrification and a faster rollout of renewable energy, is complex. And there is no one-size-fits-all to making the shift.

Countries exporting coal, oil and gas face different challenges to those importing fossil fuels.

Colombia is a case in point. Its economy depends on coal exports, including to Germany and other parts of Europe. So if the nation wants to wind down the sector quickly, it will have to create alternative sources of income and employment. Vulnerable groups would be among those most affected.

Simply shuttering the industry altogether would also be difficult for legal reasons, with mining companies potentially suing the state for compensation over lost revenue.

In short, moving away from coal is a structural transformation that requires money, planning and a strategy for managing social consequences.

Some former lignite mines in Germany have already been transformed into lakes, which also have recreational benefitsImage: Patrick Pleul/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa/picture alliance

Germany's Coal Commission could offer one model for how to get there. Established in 2019, the body brought all relevant stakeholders to the table and quickly drew up a plan to transition away from coal in a way it deemed both economically viable and socially fair. Germany plans to phase out coal-fired power generation completely by 2038.

Multilateralism under strain

Unlike the vast annual UN climate conferences which are not only attended by delegates from most countries in the world, but increasingly by fossil fuel lobbyists, the Santa Marta meeting was billed as a "coalition of the willing."

The hosts issued their invitation after last year's COP30 climate summit in Brazil saw the emergence of a broad alliance in favor of a road map to phase out fossil fuels.

The proposal was ultimately blocked by a number of countries. So those attending the talks in Santa Marta welcomed the chance to meet in a different forum.

In light of the energy crisis and high fuel prices, many economists are calling for more independence from fossil fuelsImage: Xu Suhui/Xinhua/picture alliance

Former Irish President Mary Robinson, now a prominent climate justice figure, said the talks felt more collaborative than the annual UN climate conferences.

"COPs are more formal, negotiators have their lines and they will not cross them and it's so different here," she told reporters.

Many ideas and the central question of money

France used the conference to present a detailed plan for how and when it intends to end its use of coal, oil and gas.

It is planning to reduce the share of fossil fuels in final energy consumption to 40% by 2030 and 30% by 2035. Coal is to be phased out by 2027, oil by 2045 and fossil gas by 2050. The French road map brings together existing climate and energy targets but does not contain new commitments.

NGOs have welcomed the plan but say it remains insufficient in light of the climate crisis. Last year, 91% of the planet recorded warmer than average surface air temperatures. Hotter conditions have been linked to prolonged heat waves, wildfires, crop failure and water scarcity.

The talks in Santa Marta also made clear that financing the energy transition remains one of the central challenges, especially for developing countries facing high borrowing costs and limited access to capital.

Small states push fossil fuel treaty amid Iran energy crisis

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Stientje van Veldhoven, the Dutch minister for climate policy and green growth, said affordable financing would be essential if the transition is to be implemented globally. The Netherlands has also called for the reduction in fossil fuel subsidies. Today, fossil fuels receive around $920 billion in subsidies worldwide.

Shoring up energy security in uncertain times

Colombia's left-wing president, Gustavo Petro, also attended the talks and used the opportunity to challenge the global economic model underpinning fossil fuel consumption.

Petro linked current conflicts to energy dependence, saying that "the wars we are seeing are driven by desperate geopolitical strategies around fossil resources."

Underlining the importance of the energy transition for Europe, EU climate chief Wopke Hoekstra said that "in around two months, Europe's fossil fuel import bill increased by over €22 billion, without a single additional unit of energy."

He said a road map to transition away from coal, oil and gas should built on the goals agreed at the UN climate conference to triple renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030. It should also include an end to new extraction and exploration and the decarbonization of transport, aviation and shipping.

Germany did not send a minister but was represented by Jochen Flasbarth, an experienced climate diplomat.

The German government remains divided over its path toward fossil fuel independence. While the Environment Ministry wants to accelerate the expansion of renewable energy, Economy Minister Katherina Reiche is backing policies that would prolong the role of fossil fuels.

A road map will take time

Cristian Retamal, associate researcher at Polytechnic University of Catalonia in Spain, said the spirit of the talks had been "quite constructive with a very positive mood," but that it is too soon to say how things will evolve.

"The real impact of this emerging coalition and envisioned efforts remain to be seen in the coming months and couple of years."

Delegates at what has also been called the TAFF (Transition Away from Fossil Fuels) conference said there will be no defining road map or treaty this year, though some Global South countries would like to see something binding going forward.

"We need a fossil fuel treaty that creates the necessary architecture for a just transition," said Cedric Dzelu, Ghana's technical director of the office of the minister for climate change and sustainability. "Past treaties and agreements too often fall short on policies and pledges, financing and equitable implementation."

Juan Carlos Monterrey, special representative for climate change at Panama's Environment Ministry, said it will be a process.

"We must pave the way for a legal instrument that names what it phases out and how we finance it," he said. "The treaty will take time. We know this."

Still, he struck a determined tone.

"Economies built on fossil fuels are unraveling in real time. Fossil fuels are not just dirty. They are unreliable. They are dangerous. And they must end."

The next meeting is due to take place in 2027 in Tuvalu. Scientists believe the small Pacific island state could disappear by 2100 as a result of rising sea levels.

Edited by: Tamsin Walker

How Iran war energy crisis strengthens case for renewables

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Extreme weather and green energy on the rise in Europe

DW — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 02:00:18 +0000

Virtually no part of Europe was left untouched by extreme weather and hotter temperatures in 2025. The continent endured unprecedented heatwaves, experienced its largest wildfire and recorded its hottest-ever sea surface temperatures.

Those are the key findings of the European State of the Climate 2025 report, published annually by the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organization.

"The pace of climate change demands more urgent action," said Samantha Burgess, Strategic Lead for Climate at the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. "With rising temperatures, and widespread wildfires and drought, the evidence is unequivocal; climate change is not a future threat, it is our present reality."

Another record year of European heat

At least 95% of Europe saw above-average annual temperatures, with the United Kingdom, Norway and Iceland each measuring their warmest year ever. The continent was hit by several heatwaves, one of which lasted for 25 days and affected multiple countries.

Northern Europe was also impacted, with the sub-Arctic region across Norway, Sweden and Finland sweltering during 21 days of extreme temperatures. Ordinarily, the region would expect no more than two days of heat stress. Spain, meanwhile, endured its most intense heatwave since at least 1975.

As the emissions from burning coal, gas and oil drive changes in Earth's climate, the report found that five of the continent's 10 warmest years have occurred since 2019.

And the trend is not restricted to land. Sea surface temperatures across the European region reached their highest annual average on record for the fourth year in a row. This wreaks havoc on marine biodiversity, causing mass mortality events and throwing food webs out of balance.

Residents drag hoses to fight a wildfire near the village of Larouco in northwestern Spain in AugustImage: Miguel Riopa/AFP/Getty Images

Very hot conditions also come with a real human cost. Heat-related deaths in Europe reached nearly 63,000 in 2024 according to estimates from the Lancet Countdown, a separate annual report that tracks the health impacts of climate change. Researchers also found that mortality connected to high temperatures has increased in almost 100% of regions monitored since 2014.

"Europe is warming twice as fast as the global average, with far-reaching repercussions on socioeconomic wellbeing and on ecosystems and biodiversity," said Celeste Saulo, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization.

A million hectares burned in Europe

In May, more than half of the continent experienced varying degrees of drought. The year also saw the driest soil moisture conditions on record, creating conditions that can lead to lower crop yields and increase wildfire risk.

Overall, 2025 was catastrophic year for wildfires in Europe, with more than 1 million hectares of land burned. Greece witnessed one of its most severe wildfire outbreaks in recent years when 50 fires began in 24 hours.

More than two-thirds of European rivers ran below their average annual flows, driven by drought.

At the same time, the sunny conditions were also a boon to solar energy, which is essential to transitioning away from planet-heating fossil fuels. Every single EU country experienced growth in its solar grid in 2025.

Europe's vanishing snow and ice is raising seas

Rising temperatures trigger a series of cascading effects, including melting once frozen areas. In March, Europe lost snow cover roughly equivalent to the combined size of France, Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The largest losses were in Eastern Europe.

Glaciers receded in almost every European region, particularly in Iceland, which recorded its second greatest annual loss since 1976.

The Greenland Ice Sheet shed around 139 gigatons of ice. Over the past 50 years, ice loss in Greenland and Antarctica has led to three centimeters of sea level rise. Each additional centimeter exposes about 6 million people to coastal flooding.

A glimmer of hope for Europe

Fossil fuels haven't just driven these extreme weather events; they have also proven to be a deeply volatile commodity in a time of geopolitical conflict. Europe has responded by investing in its own homegrown energy sources, with renewables now supplying nearly half of the continent's electricity.

Wind and solar edged out fossil fuels in the EU for the first time in 2025, according to Ember, a global energy think tank.

Solar power set a new record, contributing about 13% of the continent's electricity. This is the fourth year running that solar has grown by more than 20%.

In Hungary, Cyprus, Greece, Spain and the Netherlands, solar represented a fifth of each country's electricity.

"This milestone moment shows just how rapidly the EU is moving towards a power system backed by wind and solar," said Beatrice Petrovich, senior energy analyst at Ember. "As fossil fuel dependencies feed instability on the global stage, the stakes of transitioning to clean energy are clearer than ever."

Edited by: Tamsin Walker

No security without energy security: EU Energy Commissioner

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The country that's turning to solar during war

DW — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:37:42 +0000

In autumn 2024, Russia launched massive aerial assaults on Ukraine, pounding its energy system and raising fears about the safety of its nuclear power plants. Several reactors were disconnected from the grid. One shut down entirely.

"It wasn't that we were scared," said Shaun Burnie, recalling that night. "It was that we were terrified."

For Burnie, a Greenpeace veteran nuclear specialist who has worked in some of the most radioactive places on Earth, the danger lay in what could have followed.

Shaun Burnie has been inside the structure protecting the Chernobyl reactor three times, and says he's not keen to have to make too many return visitsImage: Pavlo Siromenko/Greenpeace

Nuclear plants rely on a constant external power supply to run cooling systems for the reactor core and spent fuel. If the grid buckles and plants disconnect, they switch to diesel generators. In a worst-case scenario, if they can't reconnect, cooling systems fail and reactors overheat.

Ukraine knows what that means. On April 26, 1986, a reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of thousands from the area and contaminating large parts of Europe.

"Chernobyl is part of our collective memory. Everyone has family or community stories about it," said Lena Kondratiuk, a 25-year-old from Rivne in western Ukraine. "And now, during the war, this meaning has become even more real."

Chernobyl at 40: A legacy beyond radioactivity

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A system under pressure

Though Ukraine still depends on nuclear energy for more than half of its electricity and plans to build more reactors, the worst-case scenario hasn't happened. But the threat remains as Russia continues to target energy infrastructure.

More than half of Ukraine's power generation capacity has been damaged or destroyed. UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has called the situation "the world's biggest threat to nuclear safety."

Because large, centralized plants — nuclear, coal or gas — that generate huge amounts of electricity in one place are such easy targets, decentralization is an attractive idea.

And that also means more renewable energy, which is harder to target, cheaper to fix and faster to deploy.

Chris Aylett, an energy specialist at Chatham House, a UK think tank, said that while a single missile can take out a 250-megawatt coal plant, it would require 40 to destroy the same capacity in wind generation. Solar parks are also more resistant.

"If there is damage to that, it doesn't necessarily need to take everything out — you could swap new panels in," Aylett said.

Engineers repairing the grid have helped avert disaster, but some have been killed in Russian 'double tap' strikes in the course of their workImage: Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy/REUTERS

These benefits are driving Ukrainian energy companies and NGOs to push renewables. Rooftop solar now covers hospitals, schools and public buildings. In 2025, the country installed enough to power over a million homes, all while under fire.

Keeping the lights on with renewables

Kondratiuk is part of that effort. She joined the NGO Ecoclub as a volunteer at 18, before taking on a job as renewables analyst there in 2020. After Russia began its full-scale invasion in 2022, the organization shifted from advocacy work and launched the Solar Aid for Ukraine campaign, as power outages became a part of daily life.

At 21, she began managing projects. At first, she was daunted by the responsibility but agreed to it "because of the war, because I understand that, for example, I can die tomorrow."

Lena Kondratiuk travels around the country bringing solar power to communities with NGO Ecoclub Image: Ecoclub

Like many Ukrainians, she has learned to adapt. Her work now takes her all over the country, including south to Mykolaiv, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the front line. On her first trip to the city, it was being shelled and running on diesel generators.

"I didn't want to come back to the city because I'm scared," she said.

Now Kondratiuk makes the 13-hour trip around once a month, even as Russia targets passenger trains. She loves it there because of the people. "They teach that even during wartime, it's still possible to find happy moments in your life and continue it."

Renewable energy as survival

Despite the risks, Kondratiuk has helped bring nearly 90 solar systems online. In places like Mykolaiv, these systems are more than green energy; they are lifelines.

"Renewable energy in Ukraine is not about the climate and sustainability; it's about surviving now," said Kondratiuk. "It's about the access to basic needs."

These solar and battery systems keep water utilities running during blackouts. They also enable hospitals to operate and children to charge their phones during outages so they can keep in touch with their parents.

Hybrid solar and battery systems have proven to be a lifeline for Ukrainians during blackoutsImage: Anatolii Stepanov/AFP

One project she worked on installed solar panels at a care home for women with mental health and neurological conditions. Before the installation, staff woke at 4 a.m. to prepare meals in advance of power cuts, but patients often went without warm food.

"And after that, they were happy because they had access to everything," she said.

Lessons learned from Ukraine

The priority for Ukrainians is to keep power flowing. Nuclear has been essential to that, and without it, experts say Ukraine would be in a far worse position, given how much fossil fuel capacity has been destroyed during the war. The country still needs baseload power.

Chris Aylett has been looking at what other European countries can learn from Ukraine's experience of operating an energy grid under constant attack.

"They've gone through this terrible experience, they're continuing to go through it, they've shown amazing sort of ingenuity at rebuilding fast, and it's told us a lot about what's vulnerable and what you need to consider," he said.

The hidden cost of nuclear power

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The main lesson is the geographical spread of infrastructure — and that applies regardless of energy source. Diversifying the mix, with more renewables and storage, is another. As is stockpiling the right components that keep a system running — and standardizing them, so that restoration takes weeks rather than months.

Aylett said the war, and the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz, have further made the case for rapid decarbonization and renewables in "fossil-fuel poor" Europe, alongside "tackling climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions."

On nuclear's future, he is pragmatic, saying that in countries such as France, where it is a major energy source, he sees no reason for that to stop. "Ultimately, you just want to build out as much low-carbon as you can, and make it as secure as you can while you're doing it."

Kondratiuk said she's glad she was born long after the Chernobyl accident — even as she lives through a different kind of disaster in Ukraine, one she doesn't expect to end soon. But she's still looking to a time when the war is over.

"I still want to help my country, still want to continue my work at the Ecoclub, and I still think that even after the war and after our victory, there would be even more work compared to now because we have to rebuild the country and rebuild it in a greener and better way," she said.

Edited by: Tamsin Walker

This story was adapted from an episode of DW's Living Planet podcast. Listen to the episode here.

States gather in a new push to ditch coal, oil and gas

DW — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 07:01:18 +0000

Cristian Retamal, Chile's former negotiator at the annual UN climate talks, hopes this week's conference in Colombia will lead to the start of a new global political movement.

Retamal is in Colombia's northern coastal city of Santa Marta, where representatives from more than 50 countries are meeting for the first-ever conference on transitioning away from the fossil fuels that are heating the planet.

They aim to come up with a practical, equitable plan to help the world reduce its dependence on coal, oil and natural gas, and identify which legal, economic and social measures are needed to do so.

The conference, taking place from April 24 to 29, was created amid frustration at last year’s UN climate conference. Despite support from a broad coalition of more than 80 countries, the talks failed to nail a binding mandate to phase out fossil fuels, due to a veto led by petrostates like Russia and Saudi Arabia.

COP30 deal sealed without fossil fuel plan

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Retamal said broad international interest from all levels showed that the world recognized the need to end the fossil fuel era, despite the impasse at COP.

"In the '90s, climate became an issue at the UN level because a few countries decided to start working on that and pushing for the UN system to address the issue," Retamal told DW. He believes the Colombia talks could be a similar catalyst.

Major fossil fuel nations taking part

Colombian Environment Minister Irene Velez Torres, whose country is co-hosting with the Netherlands, has said participants at the unprecedented meeting are not just countries on the front lines of climate change, like Pacific Island developing states.

Major fossil fuel producing nations like Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and Norway are also taking part. Germany, France and a few other EU member nations are also sending delegates, along with the European Commission.

The effects of climate change include more extreme weather around the world, including a major flood in Indonesia in December 2025Image: Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP

The world's biggest coal, oil and gas producers, such as the US, China, Saudi Arabia and Russia, won't be there. But that hasn't stopped major environmental organizations like Greenpeace and the WWF from calling it a "historic" meeting of a new "coalition of the willing."

An end to fossil fuel subsidies?

"It is implementation time, no more discussions on ambitions," a spokesperson for Stientje van Veldhoven-van der Meer, the Dutch minister of climate and green growth, told DW.

"We will start concrete work with a group of countries with shared views on what a transition away from fossil fuels looks like and what is required: decrease supply and demand," he added. Part of that shift would include a plan to "phase out fossil fuel subsidies."

India's 'solar mamas' empower women with sustainable energy

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Renewable energy has seen record growth in recent years. Led by solar power, especially in China and India, clean energy sources exceeded global demand for electricity in 2025, according to the latest analysis from energy think tank Ember.

The share of renewables, including solar, wind, hydropower and other clean energies, made up more than one-third of the world's electricity mix for the first time last year.

But a worldwide phaseout of fossil fuel power, and associated greenhouse gas emissions, is still some years off. Fossil fuels are being subsidized to the tune of around $920 billion (€782 billion) every year, making oil, gas and coal appear better value than they actually are.

Iran war exposes overreliance on fossil fuels

The burning of fossil fuels is a major contributor to global warming, which is causing longer heat waves and droughts, stronger storms and flooding worldwide. These consequences are becoming more extreme and costly, with lasting consequences for people and economies.

The surge in oil and gas prices and supply shortages triggered by the Iran war has highlighted the vulnerability of countries that are reliant on fossil fuels, or the revenue generated by their sale.

How Iran war energy crisis strengthens case for renewables

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"Transitioning away from fossil fuels reduces exposure to both external dependencies and to toxic pollution, enables more stable development and strengthens self-determination and democracy," said Lili Fuhr, director of the Fossil Economy Program at the Center for International Environmental Law.

For years, energy experts have warned of relying too heavily on coal, oil and gas to power the global economy. Retamal said while the conference in Santa Marta wasn't organized in the context of the current energy crisis, it did give delegates a good reason to "seriously discuss […] how to transition away from fossil fuels."

No 'magic wand' to end fossil fuels reliance

Despite the optimism, the talks won't act as "a magic wand" to clear away all the problems and obstacles that have built up over the decades, said Madeleine Wörner, a climate and energy expert at the German aid organization Misereor.

Retamal agreed, saying it will likely take several years before countries can agree to a binding road map or treaty. Delegates won't just be discussing how to phase out fossil fuels, but also the many legal and trade issues that go along with such a monumental transition.

Wörner pointed out that major corporations, for example, could decide to claim compensation for lost profits under investor-state dispute settlement clauses, if their fossil fuel facilities are shut down earlier than planned. Such a far-reaching decision wouldn't just mean potential costs, she added, but could also lead to bilateral disputes.

Millions of people around the world also depend on the fossil fuel industry for their livelihoods. An eventual phaseout would also have to ensure that these people aren't left behind.

Germany not sending top-level politician

Co-hosts Colombia and the Netherlands are both sending their climate ministers to the talks, and Colombian President Gustavo Petro is also expected. Jochen Flasbarth, the secretary of state for the environment, will make the trip for Germany.

"It's a shame that the German government isn't represented at the highest level," said Wörner. Germany's coalition government hasn't presented a united front on climate policy, she said, meaning Germany likely won't play a major role in shaping the discussion in Santa Marta.

The conference is being framed as a dialogue, not a negotiation. Starting Friday, a wide spectrum of civil society groups, academics and representatives from the private sector will talk about potential solutions. Political representatives will join the talks for the final two days.

By then, it should be clearer what this new movement will actually be able to achieve.

This article was originally written in German.

China goes electric, but can it get off coal?

DW — Thu, 14 May 2026 08:30:36 +0000

China is undergoing a renewable energy revolution. In 2025 alone, it added nearly 450 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy capacity, which was more solar and twice as much wind as the rest of the world combined.

Before 2010, China had only limited renewable energy. Today, electricity generated by huge wind and solar farms that stretch out across mountains, deserts, on rooftops and off the coast, account for a quarter of electricity production.

The country achieved the goal of adding 1,200 GW of wind and solar capacity to the grid by 2030 five years ahead of schedule. China also produces over 80% of the world's photovoltaic panels, helping drive down costs and accelerating the clean energy transition globally.

Its quest to rid itself of dependence on foreign oil and gas has been the chief inspiration for the rapid expansion of domestic energy sources and electrification, says Tim Buckley, director of Australian think tank Climate Energy Finance.

Beijing invested early in electric vehicles, and batteries, noted Buckley. Fossil fuel-free vehicles now account for more than half of all car sales in China, compared with about 19% in the European Union.

But the clean energy boom has not displaced coal, the most polluting fossil fuel. The country remains the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide and continues to exploit its own vast coal reserves in pursuit of energy self-reliance. China consumes over 50% of global supply, in part because it's the only fossil fuel it doesn't have to import.

In January and February 2026 alone, China added 20 gigawatts of coal-fired power capacity — nearly half the amount of new renewables added over the same period. This partly explains why the country is not on track to meet its 2060 carbon neutrality goal, according to climate think tank, Carbon Tracker.

The contradiction is at the center of scrutiny over China's latest five year-plan (5YP), a policy blueprint that will shape the economy through 2031 and determine whether the country can meet its climate pledges and help curb planetary heating.

The new 5YP: A coal and renewables balancing act

In 2015, China signed onto the Paris climate agreement, which aims to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) or preferably 1.5C, compared to pre-industrial levels. The country then committed to peak CO2 emissions before 2030, and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.

For Beijing to achieve those goals, Climate Action Tracker says China needs "clear targets for coal consumption reduction" in its new 5YP. However, the economic roadmap released in March was not "explicit about how fossil fuels will be constrained," said China analyst Qi Qin of the Finland-based Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

Though Chinese President Xi Jinping promised in 2021 to detail a reduction in coal energy use in the 2026-31 plan, it contains "no clear phase-down plan, no clear fossil fuel cap," said Qin. "The language is much more conservative than many people expected," she told DW. One reason is the continued influence of the powerful coal lobby on Chinese government policy.

Coal burning for electricity has been a major source of pollution in ChinaImage: Da Qing/dpa/picture alliance

The 5YP calls for China to become an "energy powerhouse," but does not specify the scale of future renewable expansion. At the same time, a 2025 government statement on China's "new energy system" said clean energy, including batteries, is expected to provide primary baseload power in the future, with retrofitted coal plants serving as a flexible back-up.

Despite concerns that China is not yet on track to meet its Paris climate targets, there are signs its emissions growth may be slowing. The country's CO2 emissions fell slightly (0.3%) in 2025, continuing a flat or downward trend since 2024. Clean power sources put China's emissions into reverse "for the first time," according to an analysis commissioned by climate website, Carbon Brief.

Emission declines were recorded across all major sectors, including transport (3%), while coal power generation also dipped slightly as solar power output expanded by 43% between 2024 and 2025.

Low-carbon electricity sources, renewables and nuclear energy have kept up with additional demand for electricity in the country and that will likely continue through 2030, stated the International Energy Agency.

Analysts such as Tim Buckley now believe coal power and emissions may already have peaked and plateaued, although others are more cautious. He says China has traditionally been conservative in its climate commitments, while pursuing a stable "long-term strategy" built around unprecedented clean energy expansion.

"There is a potential for China to accelerate its ambition," Buckley said, even if the government is not explicit about its goals and has been reluctant to become the global leader on climate mitigation — despite the US abrogating its climate role under Donald Trump's fossil-fuel focused US presidency.

Renewed commitment to get off fossil fuels

New Chinese government guidelines on fossil fuels released on April 22 support the view that the country is willing to move away from finite fossil fuels, strengthen energy independence and still achieve its climate targets, says Qin.

"The new central guideline talks about strictly controlling fossil fuel consumption, reducing coal and controlling oil. It still leaves room for flexibility, but these are concrete policy levers," Qin said of the document, which also indicated a desire to increase clean energy consumption.

Could China take over as the world's climate leader?

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While coal has underpinned decades of rapid expansion, China this year set its lowest economic growth target since 1991. Qin says this reflects a recognition that climate targets will be difficult to meet without a relative economic slowdown because emissions remain closely linked to growth.

The April "guiding opinions," which are not binding, also outline how more clean energy can be absorbed into the system as China upgrades its grid to better transmit renewable electricity.

Qin says there was a rush to commission 161 GW of new coal-fired power plants before the guideline was released because of a growing realization that coal power utilization "will definitely go down in the future." China's coal-fired power plants are running at lower capacity, and some are losing money, raising the risk of stranded assets as the energy transition gathers pace.

As China ships its EVs to the world, it is moving quickly to electrify its own roads Image: TANG KE/Avalon/Photoshot/picture alliance

While China's decarbonization trajectory is increasingly being shaped by economic and energy security imperatives, rather than climate goals alone, analysts say the outcome could be the same. Renewable energy expansion is now a core component of China's economic model, the industry having contributed a third of GDP growth in 2025, noted Qin.

China's focus on selling solar panels, wind turbines and electric vehicle batteries to the world has increasingly shifted toward deploying clean technology domestically, wrote Li Shuo, the director of the China Climate Hub at the Asia Society Policy Institute, a policy think tank, in an online post.

"China's clean-technology development — rather than traditional administrative climate controls — is increasingly becoming the primary driver of emissions reductions," Shuo wrote.

Edited by: Jennifer Collins

Why India walked away from its bid to host COP33

DW — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:34:28 +0000

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the stage at the Dubai climate summit in December 2023, he pledged that India would host the climate conference. It was a moment of ambition, a signal that India was ready to lead, particularly as a self-declared voice of the Global South.

The bid to be host from the UN's Asia-Pacific Group was supported by the BRICS group of Brazil, China, India and South Africa in July 2025.

But just 18 months later, India quietly withdrew in a four-paragraph letter dated April 2, according to Climate Home News, which first broke the story.

The annual Conference of the Parties or COP is the United Nations climate summit where 198 parties — 197 countries plus the European Union — gather to measure progress and negotiate responses to climate change. Hosting the conference confers status, agenda-setting power, diplomatic visibility and a platform to shape the global conversation.

A weakened climate consensus

Experts and policy analysts say that India's withdrawal reflects a shift in global priorities, with COP wielding less status than previously amid global instability and the pull of priorities at home. In recent years, the global climate consensus has weakened. The Paris Agreement, the 2015 global pact under which countries set voluntary national targets to limit global warming, has been under increasing strain, particularly with the Trump administration withdrawing the US from the agreement for the second time.

Ten years on: Has the Paris climate deal delivered?

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"One of the key reasons for India's withdrawal appears to be the steadily declining relevance of COP in driving meaningful global climate action," said Chandra Bhushan, head of the Delhi-based International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology.

"The complete erosion of trust among countries at the Belem summit in Brazil, where several nations reneged on previously agreed commitments, seems to have been the tipping point," added Bhushan.

There was low attendance and little high-level political engagement at the summit, including the US, which notably sent no high-level attendees.

Bhushan points out that India has demonstrated its willingness to engage in climate multilateralism: it recently updated its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for the years 2031-35 — the name for countries' climate action plans under the Paris Agreement: India has pledged to cut the emissions intensity of its economy by 47% from 2005 levels by 2035, ensure that 60% of its installed power capacity comes from non-fossil fuel sources, and create an additional carbon sink of 3.5 to 4 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide through increased forest and tree cover.

But there is now a growing consensus within the country that domestic climate action will be central to achieving sustainable development. "This approach is likely to continue until more favourable conditions emerge for genuine and effective multilateral cooperation,” Bhushan explained.

In this environment, hosting a summit carries diminishing returns. While the symbolic value remains, the ability to extract meaningful outcomes or even global attention has become less certain.

India is still committing to renewables energies at home [FILE: October 2024]Image: Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Photo/File/picture alliance

Carrying the financial burden

Abinash Mohanty, global sector head of climate change and sustainability of IPE Global, an international development organisation, views India's withdrawal as pragmatic.

"First, the global system is falling short. Developed countries promised $100 billion (€ 91.4 billion) per year by 2020 in climate finance, but have repeatedly under-delivered. Even newer pledges, like $300 billion (€273 billion) annually by 2035, cover only a fraction of what developing countries need. At the same time, the US has weakened trust by exiting the Paris Agreement twice,” Mohanty told DW.

For countries like India, which have consistently emphasised equity and climate finance, the imbalance becomes harder to ignore, according to Mohanty.

In Mohanty's estimate, India has delivered at home by crossing 50% non-fossil installed capacity, reaching 200GW of installed renewable energy capacity and cutting emissions intensity by over a third since 2005, largely using its own resources rather than external funding.

"Hosting COP33 would come at a cost. It would mean spending significant money and political capital to support a global process that, from India's perspective, has not delivered fairly for the Global South," argues Mohanty.

"Instead, India is shifting strategy, focusing on platforms it can shape more directly, like the International Solar Alliance and similar coalitions," he added.

How coal mining is displacing millions

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Avoiding scrutiny

Hosting COP33 would have placed India at the centre of the next global stocktake cycle. This is the mechanism under the Paris framework that assesses collective progress on emissions reductions and climate goals.

For India, this would mean intensified scrutiny of its coal dependence, emissions trajectory, and timelines for transition. While India has made significant strides in implementing renewable energy, it is still the world's second-largest consumer and producer of coal.

Jayanta Basu, a Kolkata-based environment and climate correspondent, told DW, "As host, India would have faced pressure to show stronger climate action on future targets, timelines for cutting emissions, and its reliance on coal — especially with a global review of progress coming up under the Paris Agreement," he said.

Basu suggests that India's government is recalibrating its priorities ahead of the 2029 general elections. "With multiple demands on the system, the government may have chosen to focus on domestic priorities and other big events instead," Basu said.

Additionally, hosting the conference could amplify pressure from countries and climate advocates alike, potentially constraining policy flexibility at home, which could be bad timing ahead of the elections. "The heightened scrutiny will be not just of India's domestic energy choices but also of India's engagement with dissenting and activist voices, non-state actors, and civil society,” said Lavanya Rajamani, Professor of International Environmental Law at the University of Oxford.

Despite significant strides, India is still the world's 2nd largest producer and consumer of coal [FILE: November 2025]Image: Avijit Ghosh/REUTERS

A missed opportunity?

"I would characterize the global climate consensus as 'biding its time' rather than weakening," Rajamani told DW.

"India's withdrawal is more likely driven by domestic factors, but it comes at a time when international attention is sufficiently diverted that the decision will have fewer political and reputational consequences," said Rajamani. "It is, however, a missed opportunity for India to assume a leadership role in this space," she added.

For now, India appears to be choosing its performances on the world stage more carefully.

Edited by: Kate Martyr

Earth's climate more unbalanced than ever, WMO warns

DW — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 04:00:09 +0000

Every person alive today has grown up in a world of worsening weather extremes. Last year, a 50-year flood swamped Texas, glaciers in Iceland melted at record speed, a hurricane struck Jamaica with near-unprecedented force, and the world sweltered through record heat. The window to change course is narrowing fast, warn scientists.

A report published Monday by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirms the Earth's climate is more out of balance than at any point in observed history — and that the consequences will reverberate for centuries, and potentially millennia.

A melting glacier in Iceland, which experienced exceptional retreat in 2025Image: Michael Piepgras/CHROMORANGE/picture alliance

Key findings in the annual WMO State of the Global Climate 2025 report include:

2015 to 2025 was the hottest decade on record
Oceans reached unprecedented heat for the ninth year running
Glaciers and sea ice continue their retreat
Extreme weather, cascading health risks and mounting human costs
Earth's energy imbalance hits an all-time high, which means more of the sun's energy is entering the planet's systems than is leaving
Global mean sea level is rising at a faster rate since 2012 than in the preceding two decades.

"Every key climate indicator is flashing red," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "Humanity has just endured the 11 hottest years on record. When history repeats itself 11 times, it is no longer a coincidence. It is a call to act."

Rising heat, extreme weather and global instability

Depending on the data set used, last year ranked second or third hottest on record at approximately 1.43 degrees Celsius (2.57 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. That was slightly below the 2024 record of 1.55 C. The dip was due to global weather phenomenon La Nina's temporary cooling influence.

Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, countries agreed to cap warming at 2 C and ideally 1.5 C to avoid the worst impacts of planetary heating.

The key driver of rising temperatures is surging greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, largely caused by burning oil, coal, and gas. Carbon dioxide (CO2) reached its highest atmospheric level in at least 2 million years in 2024, and continued rising in 2025, according to the report.

The findings carry particular urgency for the year ahead. The warming weather pattern El Nino could return later this year, which scientists say could drive another sharp temperature increase, fueling more extreme weather.

In 2025, heatwaves, wildfires, flooding, drought and tropical cyclones caused thousands of deaths and billions in economic losses. The California wildfires in January 2025 alone caused more than $60 billion (€52.4 billion) in damage and were the costliest such event ever recorded.

The report underlined climate change's expanding health toll, including dengue fever — now the world's fastest-growing mosquito-borne disease. Meanwhile, 1.2 billion workers, over a third of the global workforce, are exposed to dangerous heat each year.

Climate change is also driving hunger, migration and water scarcity, increasing competition over dwindling resources. Over the past decade, weather-related disasters have forced 250 million people to leave their homes.

The UN has drawn a direct line between the climate crisis and global instability. At the same time, war and militaries themselves are a significant contributor to planet-warming emissions.

"Our addiction to fossil fuels is destabilizing both the climate and global security," UN Secretary-General Guterres said in a statement.

Guterres added that countries have to act quickly to decarbonize to stop further warming, and accelerate a transition to renewable energy. "Renewables deliver climate security, energy security and national security," he said.

How this small German village got dirt-cheap energy prices

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So Earth's energy is out of whack: What does that actually mean?

Appearing for the first time as an indicator in the WMO report, Earth's energy imbalance — the gap between solar energy entering the atmosphere and heat escaping back into space — reached a record high in 2025. In a stable climate, the sun's incoming and outgoing energy are the same.

In today's climate, much more energy is coming in than is leaving because greenhouse gases act like a blanket around the planet, trapping excess heat across its systems. Around 91% is absorbed by oceans, 5% by land, 3% by ice sheets and glaciers, and 1% heats the atmosphere.

"Human activities are increasingly disrupting the natural equilibrium, and we will live with these consequences for hundreds and thousands of years," said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.

Burning fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas, releases heat-trapping greenhouse gases that are warming the Earth and changing its energy balanceImage: Gerald Herbert/AP Photo/picture alliance

Accelerated warming: The consequences for the oceans

The oceans are the planet's main heat energy sink — and protect life on Earth from the worst impacts of climate change. But ocean heat broke records again in 2025 for the ninth consecutive year, with 90% of the ocean surface experiencing at least one marine heatwave, despite cooling La Nina.

The report's authors said there was no sign of that heat sink weakening, but they said warming was increasing across all ocean layers, including the deep sea. Changes to ocean temperature are now irreversible on timescales of centuries to millennia. Even significant emissions reductions today would not halt ocean warming this century due to the energy imbalance in the Earth system, said the report.

The human cost of ocean warming is vast. Some 3 billion people rely on seafood for protein, yet rising temperatures are bleaching coral, shrinking fish populations and weakening the ocean's ability to absorb CO2. Warmer seas are also fueling more powerful storms and accelerating ice loss at both poles, driving sea-level rise, with cities and coastal areas on the frontline.

Homes perched on Australia's eastern coastal town of Wamberal that are at risk of being swept away following storm surges Image: Peter Parks/AFP

Arctic and Antarctic sea ice were among the lowest levels on record, while glacier mass loss ranked in the five worst years since records began in 1979. Glaciers are crucial for supplying water to two billion people.

The WMO report doesn't make any policy recommendations. But it says its findings should help governments and organizations prepare for and adapt to intensifying extreme weather linked to climate change. For example, weather and climate data could be plugged into health information systems to enable a more proactive response that could help save lives.

"When we observe today, we don't just predict the weather, we protect tomorrow. Tomorrow's people. Tomorrow's planet," said WMO's Celeste Saulo.

Edited by: Tamsin Walker

White hydrogen: The hidden gas that could transform energy

DW — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 11:33:48 +0000

Deep in a forest in the German state of Bavaria, Jürgen Grötsch fights his way through low-hanging branches. He is heading for a secret location hiding a bounty worth millions. If tapped successfully, it could change clean energy generation around the world. The treasure in question is a rare form of hydrogen that flows naturally from the ground.

Grötsch is a geologist. After decades working for the Dutch fossil fuel giant Shell, he is now a researcher at the German University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. With the help of two of his students, he hammers a meter-deep hole into the ground, inserts a gas sensor and waits for its measuring device to display what's down here. He calls it "sniffing" for hydrogen.

Grötsch hopes white hydrogen could be a major renewable energy source in the future Image: Florian Kroker/DW

"This is significant," he says as the numbers on the display keep rising. It stops just above 500 parts per million, meaning 0.05 percent of the gas sample is hydrogen.

"That's 1,000 times more than in the air around us," says Grötsch. For him, it indicates that he's found a hydrogen jackpot in this southern German forest.

The dilemma with today's hydrogen

For years now, company CEOs and politicians such as the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen andAustralia's Anthony Albanese have been hailing hydrogen as a way to decarbonize economies.

The gas can be burned to create the intense heat needed to power ships or heavy industries like steel. And unlike oil, gas or coal, it doesn't create planet-heating emissions. The International Energy Agency says global demand could triple by 2050.

Could green hydrogen offer a way to cleaner transportation?

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But there's a catch. Hydrogen needs to be manufactured. And the process of making it relies heavily on fossil fuels. Less than 1% is currently made from renewable energies, in a costly process called electrolysis.

A solution from deep below?

Grötsch says natural hydrogen, also known as "white hydrogen," could provide a third option. It forms naturally in the Earth's crust, in geological processes billions of years old.

"Much of the Earth's mantle is iron-rich rock," he says. "When it meets with water at temperatures of 200 to 350 degrees Celsius, the iron basically takes the oxygen from the water, leaving behind pure hydrogen."

This reaction, called serpentinization, is the way most natural hydrogen forms.

Around 5.6 trillion tons of hydrogen are believed to sit in the Earth's crust, according to researchers from the US Geological Survey. Most of it is too deep to reach but getting out just 2% would be enough to cover hydrogen demand for 200 years, the scientists wrote in a 2024 study.

Hydrogen sometimes rises out of the ground and creates fires called eternal flames because they can burn for centuriesImage: Haritonoff/Depositphotos/IMAGO

The lightest of all elements, hydrogen can rise from the Earth's mantle towards the surface through cracks. It sometimes leaks into the above-ground world, but most accumulates in reservoirs of porous stone, like sandstone, trapped beneath layers of more solid rock.

Where in the world is it found?

Dozens of companies around the world are now looking for such reservoirs. But there is only one place, the Bourakebougou village in Mali, where natural hydrogen is already being extracted and used locally to generate electricity.

The well's output is small, at about 49 tons per year. By comparison, a fossil gas well produces hundreds to thousands of tons over the same period. But it makes a case for the viability of extracting natural hydrogen, thereby bypassing the need to manufacture it.

And at the Mali well, the hydrogen flows with the same pressure as when the facility opened 14 years ago. "Technically it's a renewable source because the processes that produce natural hydrogen are constantly ongoing," says Kate Adie, a subsurface analyst with global energy research firm Wood Mackenzie. As long as the rate of extraction doesn't exceed the rate of formation.

In Bavaria, Jürgen Grötsch plans to sell natural hydrogen for $1 (€0.87) per kilo, similar to the price of hydrogen made from fossil fuels.

By 2030, he plans to extract 1,000 tons of white hydrogen annually from a Bavarian reservoir 1,500 meters (4,921 feet) below ground. It would be used by local companies and heat networks, which enable centrally produced heat to be distributed to different buildings.

"From the same reservoirs we also want to produce hot water that can be used to heat homes," says Grötsch. This geothermal energy is the economic safety net in case the hydrogen business doesn't work out.

Some 4000 homes get their energy from white hydrogen in Bourakebougou village in MaliImage: Gold Hydrogen

It's not that easy (yet)

But like many pioneers in the field, Jürgen Grötsch faces a legal problem. Because only a handful of countries officially list white hydrogen as a natural resource, accessing government subsidies and drilling permits is difficult. And that scares investors away.

Apart from a few small exceptions, major oil and gas companies haven't yet invested in the hunt for natural hydrogen. And even Grötsch has yet to secure investment.

"They sit back and allow the startups to be the pioneers and to de-risk the industry," says Kate Adie. "But once one of these startups can produce a commercially significant amount of natural hydrogen, there'll be a land grab for acreage."

We went looking for a hidden gas worth MILLIONS

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Wood Mackenzie's best-case scenario is that 20 million tons of natural hydrogen could be produced per year by 2050. That would be 6.7% of the hydrogen needed by then, according to IEA estimates.

"It is a big adventure," says Grötsch, as he packs up his searching tools in the forest in Bavaria. "We're at a stage where 150 years back, the oil and gas industry was. We are here, starting a new era of the energy industry. Hopefully."

Edited by: Tamsin Walker

Can EU renewables outmuscle US oil and gas?

DW — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 10:47:01 +0000

During a trip to Europe last week, the Donald Trump-appointed US Energy Secretary, Chris Wright, called on the International Energy Agency (IEA) to pivot from clean energy to fossil fuels.

At a meeting at the Paris headquarters of the intergovernmental body dedicated to global energy security, Wright referred to the "destructive illusion" of the IEA's commitment to massively reducing greenhouse gas emissions sourced from fossil fuels.

The US, one of 45 member and associate countries of the IEA that represent 75% of the world's energy demand, is threatening to withdraw from the body if it does not quit its energy transition goals in the next year, the energy head said.

Wright, the founder and former CEO of Liberty Energy, a US oil and gas fracking major, is outspoken on what he calls "climate alarmism." His energy department released a controversial climate report in July 2025 that downplayed the impact of rising temperatures linked to burning fossil fuels.

In February 2025, President Trump, flanked by energy secretary Chris Wright (third left), signed an executive order aimed at accelerating fossil energy productionImage: Samuel Corum/Sipa USA/picture alliance

Climate-fuelled extreme weather racked up $120 (€101) billion in damages in 2025 alone, according to one assessment. Yet the US energy head's report argued that CO2-induced warming was "less damaging economically than commonly believed."

What Wright does believe, however, is that policies to transition away from fossil fuels have damaged both the US and EU economy.

While in Europe, he told reporters that the clean energy transition, or what he called the "climate cult," has "reduced economic opportunities for Europeans."

He has previously said that "climate alarmism" has reduced energy freedom and thereby prosperity and national security across Western Europe.

Have renewables really hurt the EU economy?

Sam Alvis, an associate director covering environment and energy security at the UK-based Institute for Public Policy Research, rejects the idea that renewables uptake has hurt the European economy. Over 25% of energy in the bloc comes from clean sources.

"It couldn't be further from the truth," he told DW. "Onshore solar and wind remain the cheapest form of energy available," he said of a region that has few domestic fossil fuel reserves.

Proliferating solar panels today generate the cheapest energy in EuropeImage: R. Linke/blickwinkel/picture alliance

Solar panel costs have dropped around 90% in a decade as Chinese manufacturing capacity explodes. A recent University of Surrey study confirmed that solar energy has become the cheapest global source of large-scale power generation, beating coal, gas and wind.

Meanwhile, fossil fuel prices have fluctuated heavily. In the months following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia — Europe's biggest gas supplier at the time — electricity and gas prices in Europe hit record highs.

European leaders have recently expressed concern about Europe's dependence on rising imports of liquified natural gas (LNG) from the US after it lost Russian supplies. They are also calling for more investment in domestic renewables.

No security without energy security: EU Energy Commissioner

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"Forward-looking, globally-competitive economies will require ready access to an abundant supply of clean energy," said Julie McNamara, deputy policy director of the Climate and Energy Program at US nonprofit, the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Calls by the US energy secretary to "lock-in more uptake of fossil fuels" is "actively undermining Europe's strong and strategic commitments to the clean energy transition," she told DW.

Spanish energy is cheap and clean

Meanwhile in Spain, the economy has benefited from a rapid shift to wind and solar energy. The southern European nation had the most expensive electricity in the EU in 2019. But a massive renewable energy uptake made power 75% cheaper by 2025, according to Ember, a global energy think tank.

With green energy displacing coal and gas, the percentage of fossil fuels in the Spanish grid is half of Germany's, which is more gas-reliant.

"Spain has broken the ruinous link between power prices and volatile fossil fuels, something its European neighbours are desperate to do," said Ember senior energy analyst, Chris Rosslowe, in a statement.

Electrified economies run better

Speaking at the IEA meeting, Chris Wright also claimed that "a lot of nations" had spoken privately about "wanting to become competitive again, wanting to re-industrialise their countries" by reviving fossil-based energy.

But Sam Alvis counters that "electrified technologies are four times more efficient than burning fossil fuels." When transport or energy is electrified, it provides "an instant productivity boost," he adds.

"The reduced economic opportunities in Europe have come from being too slow to recognise this," said Alvis in response to Wright's fossil fuel boosterism. The result is that "slow-moving fossil fuel-based companies" such as carmakers are being "leapfrogged" by more innovative technologies abroad — a prime example being China's dominant EV industry.

For Bob Ward, policy and communications director at the London-based Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, the US energy chief's attempt to minimize the impact of burning fossil fuels and the economic efficacy of renewables boils down to "his administration's stated goal of American Energy Dominance."

"[The government] is attempting to achieve this primarily through creating greater dependence around the world on supplies of fossil fuels from the United States," he told DW. "Domestic and international climate policy is obviously regarded as a major obstacle to this goal."

Edited by: Tamsin Walker

How this small German village got dirt-cheap energy prices

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Trump drops key US climate rule, swaps health for cheap cars

DW — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 09:41:16 +0000

In what the White House has described as the "largest deregulatory action in American history," President Donald Trump has undone a key scientific finding that has been the cornerstone of United States efforts to fight climate change for more than 16 years.

Speaking at the White House on Thursday, the president officially rescinded a 2009 Obama-era government declaration known as the endangerment finding. It has served as a key part of the green policies later introduced by former Democratic presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

"This determination had no basis in fact, had none whatsoever, and no basis in law," Trump said, calling it a "giant scam" that had "severely damaged the auto industry."

He dismissed concerns that the repeal could cost lives by worsening climate change, instead insisting it will "help bring car prices tumbling down dramatically."

"You're going to get a better car, you're going to get a car that starts easier, a car that works better, for a lot less money," said Trump.

What is the 2009 endangerment finding?

The landmark scientific finding, issued by the Environmental Protection Agency in December 2009, was the legal framework that allowed the EPA to regulate planet-warming emissions seen as a threat to "public health and welfare of current and future generations."

A previous ruling by the Supreme Court, the 2007 case known as Massachusetts v. EPA, gave the agency the authority to enact policies that targeted heat-trapping emissions — carbon dioxide, methane and other pollutants.

The policies first targeted car and truck exhaust, and later expanded to include emissions from coal and gas-fired power plants and the oil and gas industry.

Trump was open about his plans to drill for more oil during his second term in officeImage: AP Photo/Alex Brandon/picture alliance

The Trump administration has questioned the science behind the 2009 decision, arguing that the effects of emissions on human health are indirect and that US regulation is insufficient to tackle a global problem.

But scientists and environment experts have widely backed the finding, with the nonprofit American Geophysical Union saying it is "grounded in decades of rigorous, peer-reviewed climate science."

Trump and his administration have argued that the EPA's finding gave the federal government too much power, holding back businesses and innovation and raising prices.

US is giving up on climate — others are cashing in

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"Many stakeholders have told me that the Obama and Biden EPAs twisted the law, ignored precedent, and warped science to achieve their preferred ends," said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in July 2025. He said the costs related to greenhouse gas regulations for cars and trucks had been a "real threat to Americans' livelihoods."

The White House has said undoing the environmental regulation will expand access to affordable, reliable energy. Trump added Thursday that the move would save Americans more than $1.3 trillion by removing regulatory requirements related to vehicle emissions standards, and other related programs.

Environmental analysts have pointed out the savings don't take into account the increasing costs associated with the impact of climate change on human health, biodiversity loss and extreme weather events.

What does this mean for US climate efforts?

With the endangerment finding eliminated, the EPA will lose its ability to use the 1963 Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gases.

"It represents a complete US step away from renewable energy and energy efficiency in favor of full embrace of expanded production and use of fossil fuels, including coal, oil and natural gas," Barry Rabe, environmental and public policy professor at the University of Michigan, told DW in July 2025.

The repeal of the endangerment finding will slow efforts to require the US auto industry to sell less-polluting cars and trucks, while curtailing federal support for the growing electric vehicle sector. The previous Biden administration had set a nonbinding goal to have EVs (electric vehicles) make up at least 50% of new car sales by 2030.

"The transportation sector is the single largest source of US global heat-trapping emissions," said Gretchen Goldman, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit science advocacy organization, in a statement on Thursday. "Ramming through this unlawful, destructive action at the behest of polluters is an obvious example of what happens when a corrupt administration and fossil fuel interests are allowed to run amok."

Scientists are clear on the link between rising temperatures and extreme weather events, such as the flooding caused by Hurricane Milton in Florida in October 2024Image: BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP

Environment groups have said the move also risks being extended to a rollback of limits on carbon emissions and other pollutants from power plants and the fossil fuel industry, invalidating nearly all climate regulations. As a result, increased pollutants could worsen air quality and further contribute to the hazardous effects of climate change — deadly heat waves, destructive flood and extreme storms.

The move to loosen EPA oversight comes as an international team of researchers issued an urgent warning this week, saying that the destabilization of Earth's feedback loops could amplify the consequences of global warming after millions of years of a stable climate.

"We're now moving away from that stability and could be entering a period of unprecedented climate change," said William Ripple, ecology professor at Oregon State University in the US, adding that it put Earth at increased risk of a "hothouse" trajectory.

Trump's move to scrap the endangerment finding is just the latest attack on US climate and environmental regulations.

Since beginning his second term in January 2025, the president has withdrawn the US from international climate commitments, including the 2015 Paris Agreement, slashed environmental protections, suppressed climate research and boosted the fossil fuel industry.

Just this week, Trump ordered US military bases and facilities to buy their electricity from power plants fueled by "beautiful clean coal," citing the unreliability of renewable energy.

Could this decision be challenged in court?

Critics of Trump's decision, including the Environmental Defense Fund and the nonprofit environmental law firm Earthjustice, have said they plan to challenge the move in court, potentially taking the case all the way to the Supreme Court. But that could take years, and until then the endangerment finding — and all the policies it created — will no longer apply.

Trump has made no secret of his disdain for wind powerImage: picture-alliance / Rolf Richardson / Spectrum

"People nationwide will pay the price for this illegal action," said Manish Bapna, head of the Natural Resources Defense Council advocacy group, calling out Trump for giving a "free pass to oil billionaires."

"With no protections in place, climate change will worsen — that means more air pollution, more health problems, higher energy bills, and more extreme storms. Science and the law won't allow it to stand."

While they have welcomed EPA's move, some power companies are worried that rescinding the finding will expose them to a surge of "public nuisance" lawsuits targeting activities that unreasonably interfere with the health and safety of a community.

"This may be another classic case where overreach by the Trump administration comes back to bite it," Robert Percival, a University of Maryland environmental law professor, told the Reuters news agency earlier this week.

Edited by: Tamsin Walker

This article has been updated with reactions to the EPA decision on February 12, 2026.