The Guardian Climate Change

Ministers avoid internal party row by promising potential rebels they will have input into environmental legislation

Ministers have seen off a bill that would have made the UK’s climate and environment targets legally binding, after promising Labour backbenchers that they would have input into environmental legislation.

The deal avoids an internal row over the bill, which was introduced by the Liberal Democrat MP Roz Savage but had support from dozens of Labour MPs.

A London council is introducing electric buggies to cut emissions on its roads, but are they a practical solution?

“Is that thing road legal?” scoffs the driver of a white van as I complete a careful loop of Hammersmith roundabout, to the sound of loud guffaws from his front-seat passenger.

I assure him it is, though honestly, you can see his point. The Yo-Go – a bright yellow electric buggy with two seats, one gear and no side panels – does not look entirely at home on one of the capital’s most notoriously congested junctions, squeezed between buses, delivery vans and construction lorries many times its size.

Forecast rain will aid firefighting efforts in Los Angeles but could cause mudslides and toxic ash runoff

Southern California was preparing for some long-awaited rain this weekend, bringing some respite after enormous wildfires have raged for weeks, but with the potential to cause mudslides, flooding and toxic ash runoff.

Rain is forecast for much of Los Angeles from Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service said. It said there was a “5-10%” chance of significant debris in burn scars, but officials have begun preparations for potential debris flows.

From Europe to Africa and South America, countries reaffirm commitment to tackle crisis

World leaders, senior ministers and key figures in climate diplomacy have, one by one, reaffirmed their commitment to the Paris agreement this week, in response to the order by Donald Trump to withdraw the US from the pact.

The prospect of the world keeping temperatures to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, as the treaty calls for, was damaged by the incoming US president’s move. Hopes of meeting the target were already fast receding, and last year was the first to consistently breach the 1.5C limit, but the goal will be measured over years or even decades and stringent cuts to emissions now could still make a difference.

Fridays for Future organiser warns conspiracy theories are increasingly taking hold despite effects of global heating

The rise in extreme weather is not generating political support for climate action, Germany’s best-known climate activist has warned, as conspiracy theories increasingly circle after disasters made worse by global heating.

“Like many, I did buy into the idea that big catastrophes would do something to politics,” said Luisa Neubauer from Fridays for Future Germany. “I bought into that – and I’m glad about it – because I was naively believing there was a democratic responsibility that would live through coalition changes and climate changes.”

President claims to be ‘putting people over fish’ but critics say order could derail years of carefully crafted water policy

It didn’t take long for Donald Trump to reignite the California water wars he waged in his first term.

On his first day in office, Trump directed the secretary of commerce and the secretary of the interior to develop a new plan that will “route more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta to other parts of the state for use by the people there who desperately need a reliable water supply”.

Exclusive: Supporters of bill say Labour has already insisted on removal of clauses requiring UK to meet targets agreed at Cop and other summits

A landmark bill that would make the UK’s climate and environment targets legally binding seems doomed after government whips ordered Labour MPs to oppose it following a breakdown in negotiations.

Supporters of the climate and nature bill, introduced by the Liberal Democrat MP Roz Savage, say Labour insisted on the removal of clauses that would require the UK to meet the targets it agreed to at Cop and other international summits.

Downing Street says EU’s suggestion of UK joining agreement would not cross its ‘red lines’ for closer ties

• What is the pan-Europe customs area?

Here is Downing Street news release on the government’s plans to limit the extent to which judicial review can be used to hold up infrastructure projects. The plans will cover England and Wales.

The RSPB, which describes itself as the UK’s largest nature conversation charity, has accused Labour of going back on its pre-election promises to protect nature. Beccy Speight, the RSPB chief executive, said:

The PM claims to ‘clear a path’ for building, but this move runs the risk of bulldozing through our chances for a future where nature, people, and the economy all thrive. We know people want bold action on the climate and nature crises, which was Labour’s election platform, and this rhetoric has them veering wildly off course.

We all know that nature underpins economic growth - that is why government and the environment sector has been actively working together, to try and unlock better outcomes for both planning and nature - yet this rhetoric flies in the face of that collaborative spirit.

If we want to grow the economy and fund vital public services, then we have to better balance environmental and community interests with the benefits of development, and do so in a clear and timely way. Reducing the scope for vexatious and unmerited legal challenges, whilst retaining a right to appeal, is a very positive step in achieving this.

Hughes fire near Castaic Lake broke out on Wednesday and led to evacuation orders or warnings for more than 50,000

Firefighters fought to maintain the upper hand on a huge and rapidly moving wildfire that swept through rugged mountains north of Los Angeles and resulted in more than 50,000 people being put under evacuation orders or warnings.

The Hughes fire broke out late Wednesday morning and in less than a day had charred nearly 16 sq miles (41 sq km) of trees and brush near Castaic Lake, a popular recreation area about 40 miles (64km) from the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires that are burning for a third week.

While the global PR firm blames ‘economic fears’ for this ‘age of grievance’, the executive class doesn’t seem very fearful

High up in the Swiss Alps this week, an influential public relations executive issued a stark warning to the world’s corporate and political elite. Public trust is “plummeting”, Richard Edelman declared, prompting a global “descent into grievance”.

For the 25th year, the PR agency Edelman released its annual “trust barometer” at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The survey asks respondents in dozens of countries if they trust governments, NGOs, media outlets and corporations.

The simple truth is that Trump ignored almost every major issue facing this country’s working families in his first speech

I was at the Trump inauguration on Monday, and needless to say, I disagree with almost everything he had to say.

What really struck me, however, is not what he said, which was not surprising given his general rhetoric – but what he didn’t say. The simple truth is that Donald Trump gave a major speech, the first speech of his second presidency, and ignored almost every significant issue facing the working families of this country.

Exclusive: Treasury analysis shows ticket prices expected to go up across board with no plans for frequent flyers to shoulder more of the cost

Rachel Reeves’s bid to expand Heathrow airport could add £40 to the cost of an airline ticket, according to the Treasury’s own analysis.

The chancellor’s proposal to minimise the carbon emissions of a bigger Heathrow include the use of sustainable aviation fuels, which experts say are expensive and unlikely to reach the scale needed for aviation expansion.

Hughes fire ignites north of Los Angeles late Wednesday morning as Eaton and Palisades fires burn for third week

Additional evacuations were ordered for residents near a large fast-moving wildfire north of Los Angeles, as parched southern California endured another round of dangerous winds ahead of possible rain over the weekend.

The Hughes fire broke out late on Wednesday morning and quickly ripped through nearly 5,000 acres of trees and brush, sending up an enormous plume of dark smoke near Castaic Lake, a popular recreation area about 40 miles (64 km) from the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires that are burning for a third week.

Report reveals solar power generated 11% of Europe’s electricity, surpassing coal at 10%

Europe made more electricity from sunshine than coal last year, a report has found, in what analysts called a “milestone” for the clean energy transition.

Solar panels generated 11% of the EU’s electricity in 2024, while coal-burning power plants generated 10%, according to data from climate thinktank Ember. The role of fossil gas fell for the fifth year in a row to cover 16% of the electricity mix.

Chancellor hints in Davos she intends to reaffirm backing of airport expansion despite climate concerns

Economic growth is more important to the UK government than net zero, Rachel Reeves has said, dropping a heavy hint that she intends to shrug off climate concerns and reaffirm her backing for a third runway at Heathrow.

The chancellor is expected to give her firm support to the expansion of Britain’s busiest airport – as well as bringing a second runway at Gatwick into full-time use and increasing the capacity of Luton – in a speech later this month.

As the climate crisis turbocharges wildfires, adding resources alone won’t be enough to stop the destruction – our relationship with the land must be remade

When Edward Kelly, the president of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), toured the wildfire destruction zones in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods of Los Angeles last week, he saw thousands of homes burned to the ground. “The level of devastation is apocalyptic,” he said.

Propelled by hurricane-force winds, the flames that tore through Los Angeles earlier this month left little more than ashes in their wake, destroying more than 12,000 structures and killing at least 25 people.

The UN secretary general, António Guterres, told leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos that the world’s addiction to fossil fuels was a 'Frankenstein’s monster sparing nothing and no one'. Guterres said: 'All around us, we see clear signs that the monster has become master.' He issued a stark warning that the extreme weather events that had taken place were 'a preview of the horror movie to come'

• World’s addiction to fossil fuels is ‘Frankenstein’s monster’, says UN chief

Representatives of Heartland Institute linking up with MEPs to campaign against environmental policies

Climate science deniers from a US-based thinktank have been working with rightwing politicians in Europe to campaign against environmental policies, the Guardian can reveal.

MEPs have been accused of “rolling out the red carpet for climate deniers” to give them a platform in the European parliament, amid warnings of a “revival of grotesque climate denialism”.

Climate crisis is making it harder for insurance companies to operate, with many pausing or withdrawing policies

Homeowners in the United States are facing an enormous financial crunch due to the climate crisis, with many struggling to find insurance or even dropping premiums that are soaring due to a mounting toll of wildfires, hurricanes and other disasters, new federal government data shows.

The figures, the most comprehensive numbers ever released by the US treasury department on the issue, show insurance premiums are increasing quickly across the country, with people living amid the greatest climate-driven risks experiencing the steepest rises of all. In the four years to 2022, people living in the top 20% riskiest places for such perils paid, on average, 82% more than those in the 20% lowest climate risk zip codes.

António Guterres issues warning at Davos, days after Donald Trump pulled US out of Paris climate agreement

• Davos day two live – latest updates

The world’s addiction to fossil fuels is a “Frankenstein’s monster sparing nothing and no one”, the UN secretary general, António Guterres, told leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday.

“Our fossil fuel addiction is a Frankenstein’s monster, sparing nothing and no one. All around us, we see clear signs that the monster has become master,” Guterres said in a speech days after 2024 was revealed to have been the hottest year on record and Donald Trump began his second term as US president by pulling the country out of the Paris climate agreement and pledging to “drill, baby, drill” for more oil and gas. The fossil fuel industry gave $75m (£60m) to Trump’s campaign.