Climate change

Analysis of the science, politics and economics of the climate

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COP29 UNFCCC Climate Conference In Baku

Half a loaf, at best, from the climate talks

This year’s negotiations made very modest progress

Kazakhstan, the Ustyurt plateau. Caspian sea;

The Caspian Sea is shrinking rapidly

This has big implications for Russia, which has come to rely on Central Asian ports


General manager of Dunhuang Shouhang Energy Saving New Energy Co. Liu Fuguo speaks to reporters next to heliostat mirrors, at the site of Shouhang 100MW Tower Solar Thermal Power Generation Project in Gansu province, China, October 16th 2024

Everything about climate change may seem grim. It isn’t

The fight for a stable climate will be fought using technology


The energy transition will be much cheaper than you think

Most analysts overestimate energy demand and underestimate technological advances

Mega-polluter China believes it is a climate saviour 

It accounts for almost 40% of global investment in clean energy

King coal is dirty, dangerous—and far from dead

Rumours of its rapid demise have been greatly exaggerated

Big oil may be softening its stance on climate-change regulation



Politics

Sheep in pasture, with 42m-long-bladed wind turbines behind them.

How to frame the argument over clean power  

An unlikely political lesson from Ed Miliband, Britain’s energy secretary

The illustration contrasts pollution from fossil fuels on the left with clean renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and water on the right.

“Energy transition” has been profoundly misunderstood

At COP29 there will be plenty of discussion about it. But the idea is more complex than many believe



How Florida should respond to Hurricane Milton

Storms like it raise uncomfortable questions about the state’s future

On energy and climate, Trump and Harris are different by degrees

Green subsidies will probably survive Mr Trump’s re-election, and Big Oil will probably do just fine under Ms Harris

Sport is getting hotter, harder and deadlier

As players vomit and boil, even John McEnroe reckons “it is not humane”



Business and finance

An anti-smog gun sprays water droplets to curb the air pollution.

Can markets reduce pollution in India?

An experiment in Gujarat yields impressive results

Ingots of aluminium ready for export from the Mozal plant.

Europe’s green trade restrictions are infuriating poor countries

Only the poorest can expect help to cushion the blow


Forest restoration workers planting native Amazonian seedlings on degraded pastureland.

Can the voluntary carbon market save the Amazon?

Entrepreneurs in Brazil are betting big on planting trees


The obstacles faced by Turkey’s winemakers

Climate and politicians can hurt the vineyards



Science and data

Display of an image of the world on the Hyperwall at the NASA Ames Research Center

Artificial intelligence is helping improve climate models

More accurate predictions will lead to better policy-making

Members of the public pass-by the sprayed yellow paint on the walls of the Bank of England left by members of the climate change activists group 'Just Stop Oil' .

Why it’s so hard to tell which climate policies actually work

Better tools are needed to analyse their effects



America’s endless summers are good for mosquitoes, too

Outbreaks of EEE and West Nile virus have health officials on the alert

The rise of the truly cruel summer

Deadly heat is increasingly the norm, not an exception to it

Climate change is making the monsoon more dangerous

People in South Asia and India can expect more extreme weather



Latest coverage

International

Half a loaf, at best, from the climate talks

This year’s negotiations made very modest progress

The World Ahead By Invitation: Science & technology in 2025

Casey Handmer says solar power is changing the economics of energy

Large-scale production of synthetic fuel is now feasible, argues the founder of Terraform Industries

The World Ahead Science & technology in 2025

Supercomputers and AI are helping build better climate models

The coming year will be a big one for the advance of climate science

The World Ahead Africa in 2025

Investments in Africa will look greener in 2025

The shift presents opportunities but stokes new tensions

The World Ahead China in 2025

China hopes to dominate the next phase of green innovation

It aims to lead the way on hydrogen, carbon capture and other technologies

The World Ahead United States in 2025

What Donald Trump’s return means for energy policy

Does this spell the end for America’s green-energy push?

The World Ahead Climate change in 2025

A place to talk about cooling the Earth

The secretary-general of the UN is in a unique position to start a conversation about geoengineering

The World Ahead Climate change in 2025

Have global emissions peaked?

It all depends on the latest figures from China, the world’s largest emitter

Business

Big oil may be softening its stance on climate-change regulation

ExxonMobil’s boss wants America to stick with the Paris accord

United States

Climate change and the next administration

There are obstacles to Donald Trump’s attempts to reverse progress

Briefing

The energy transition will be much cheaper than you think

Most analysts overestimate energy demand and underestimate technological advances

Leaders

Everything about climate change may seem grim. It isn’t

The fight for a stable climate will be fought using technology

Finance & economics

How to pay for the poor world to go green

Rich countries need not reinvent the wheel

Podcast Babbage

How to end coal

Our podcast on science and technology. As part of a series of shows across Economist Podcasts for COP29, we travel to South Africa for lessons on how to dethrone king coal

Science & technology

Norway’s Atlantic salmon risks going the way of the panda

Climate change and fish farming are endangering its future

Science & technology

Artificial intelligence is helping improve climate models

More accurate predictions will lead to better policy-making

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