The world's biggest economies are racing to securing supplies of critical minerals. But the cutthroat scramble risks pushing up prices of materials, driving up the costs of the energy transition and delaying the roll out of cleantech, researchers warn. www.climatechangenews.com/2026/06/05/t...

The scramble to stockpile minerals could drive up energy transition costs

Researchers warn that uncoordinated stockpiling could push up prices of minerals needed for clean energy technologies and delay their roll out

climatechangenews.com

🔋 Some inspiring reporting I've done closer to home about @lowcarbonhub.bsky.social's crowdfunding campaign to install battery storage at one of the UK's largest community-owned renewable energy projects. We need more of these to power the energy transition! www.theguardian.com/environment/...

‘A share in the delight’: the people investing in the UK’s first community-owned solar battery

Oxfordshire’s Ray Valley Solar already generates clean energy for 7,000 homes, and is now crowdfunding storage to marry daylight with evening demand

theguardian.com

Pakistan’s rooftop solar boom has significantly reduced demand for gas and has helped to - somewhat - insulate the country against the worst of the energy crisis. Yet, there is a way to go. In 2024, Pakistan spent more than 10% of its GDP on fossil fuel imports. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

How Pakistan’s people-led solar boom is easing impact of Middle East energy crisis

Falling costs and government incentives make solar an attractive option for many, reducing need for gas

theguardian.com

Reduced physical activity due to global heating could lead to 500,000 early deaths a year by 2050 #clmatecrisis Story by @chloefarand.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Reduced physical activity due to global heating will lead to rise in health issues, study says

Researchers project that reduced activity could contribute to half a million additional premature deaths annually by 2050

theguardian.com

Minerals were discussed at COP30 but didn't make it into the final outcome. Now, calls for greater governance and higher standards ruling the supply chains of the resources we need for the clean energy transition are being discussed at the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi. tinyurl.com/yu4wmjmu

Proposal for global minerals deal meets opposition as China looks away

Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia oppose a UN resolution for nations to start discussing options for a global minerals agreement

tinyurl.com

Miners are increasingly looking at huge piles of what was once considered waste as a new mineral source. In South Africa, communities that have borne the brunt of decades of mining want a stake in the new operations as compensation for past harms. @climatechangenews.com tinyurl.com/yn9k7vf8/

South Africa’s platinum mine dumps get a second look as clean energy lifts demand

Companies say mining minerals from tailings is a sustainable way to boost supplies, but communities close to mines say they must benefit

climatechangenews.com

💡Read Imperial’s deep dive into the implications of this pivotal case, and the cutting-edge of climate litigation and attribution science, featuring interviews with Professor @frediotto.bsky.social & Dr Noah-Walker Crawford @granthamlse.bsky.social by @chloefarand.bsky.social: buff.ly/iYthzI0

Polluters on trial: How climate science is rocking the courtroom

Attribution science is enabling climate victims to sue the world’s top polluters for damages and the first successful case may not be very far away, writes Chloé Farand.

imperial.ac.uk

I tracked references to minerals (that are needed for the energy transition) at #COP30. As Melissa Marengo of @nrginstitute.bsky.social put it: "Minerals may not have made it into the text, but they are now firmly on the COP agenda – and the debate will only grow louder." This is what happened 🧵

Chloé Farand@chloefarand.bsky.social · 9mo ago

⛏️ COP30 could be the first to discuss the impacts and opportunities of mining the minerals needed for the energy transition. tinyurl.com/392badee The UN climate talks have never addressed the material dimension of the energy transition before. I'm going to be tracking those discussions here👇

Minerals are out of the draft #COP30 text on just transition published on the last formal day of talks. I cover the latest developments in @climatechangenews.com Read it here👇 tinyurl.com/232w45e5

Countries revolt after Brazil leaves out fossil fuel roadmap

A group of 29 countries - mainly from Europe, Latin America and small islands - say the text is "weak" and they will not accept it

tinyurl.com

Chloé Farand@chloefarand.bsky.social · 9mo ago

On the last (formal) day of #COP30, references to energy-transition minerals have been removed from draft text proposed by the Brazilian presidency on just transition. This comes after strong pushback from China, which dominates global mineral processing. unfccc.int/sites/defaul...

“For the first time, minerals are on the main stage of COP negotiations – no longer a side show,” says Melissa Marengo, a senior policy officer at the @nrginstitute.bsky.social Minerals making their first appearance in draft UN climate text at #COP30 www.climatechangenews.com/2025/11/14/c...

COP30 draft text includes energy transition minerals in UN climate first

A draft negotiating text on defining principles for a just transition to clean energy systems recognises the social and environmental risks associated with mining critical minerals

climatechangenews.com

COP30 TEXT: Belém has 1st negotiating text on "UAE dialogue" on "global stocktake" (that mentioned fossil-fuel transition) Over 3pp, it has 14 "options" & 50 sq brackets, indicating disputed areas of text In short, there is a lot of disagreement 🧵 unfccc.int/sites/def... 1/6

Row over definition of ‘gender’ hangs over #COP30 plans to support women - Advocates say conservative states’ push to define gender as ‘biological sex’ would backslide on decade-old language within the UN Story by @chloefarand.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Row over definition of ‘gender’ hangs over Cop30 plans to support women

Advocates say conservative states’ push to define gender as ‘biological sex’ would backslide on decade-old language within the UN

theguardian.com

I'm tracking how minerals needed for the energy transition are finally making it into the UN climate talks at #COP30 in Belém. This is mostly happening under negotiations to ensure that the shift from fossil fuels to clean energy is fair, sustainable and doesn't foster new social injustices. 🧵

Chloé Farand@chloefarand.bsky.social · 9mo ago

⛏️ COP30 could be the first to discuss the impacts and opportunities of mining the minerals needed for the energy transition. tinyurl.com/392badee The UN climate talks have never addressed the material dimension of the energy transition before. I'm going to be tracking those discussions here👇

🚨Colombia just supported in #COP30 plenary the fossil fuel roadmap idea. That brings the number of countries supporting it out loud in negotiations to 8 (that I have heard)

A crucial dimension to address in efforts to secure a just transition away from fossil fuels. #COP30

Chloé Farand@chloefarand.bsky.social · 9mo ago

⛏️ COP30 could be the first to discuss the impacts and opportunities of mining the minerals needed for the energy transition. tinyurl.com/392badee The UN climate talks have never addressed the material dimension of the energy transition before. I'm going to be tracking those discussions here👇

⛏️ COP30 could be the first to discuss the impacts and opportunities of mining the minerals needed for the energy transition. tinyurl.com/392badee The UN climate talks have never addressed the material dimension of the energy transition before. I'm going to be tracking those discussions here👇

COP30 could confront "glaring gap" in clean energy agenda: mining

Resource-rich developing countries want the impacts and benefits of mineral extraction to be part of climate talks

climatechangenews.com

Jordan has seen the number of EVs on its roads boom in recent years. To deal with a growing wave of end-of-life EV batteries, mechanics in Amman are coming up with innovation solutions. The latest for @climatechangenews.com's Clean Energy Frontier series. www.climatechangenews.com/2025/11/03/s...

Self-taught mechanics give second life to Jordan’s glut of spent EV batteries

As EV sales boom in Jordan, a lack of formal infrastructure for dealing with end-of-life batteries is leading to some innovative solutions

climatechangenews.com

🔜Next Tuesday: our webinar on #COP30 Journalists will get tips on how to cover the Belém climate talks in Brazil and from afar 🤝In collaboration with @n-ost.bsky.social Speakers: 🇧🇷 Daniela Chiaretti 🇹🇯 Timur Idrisov 🇬🇧 @chloefarand.bsky.social Sign up: www.cleanenergywire.org/webinars/cli...

Climate talks in the Amazon – Reporting on COP30

cleanenergywire.org

“Voluntary initiatives won’t cut it.” In @climatechangenews.com, NRGI’s Juliana Peña Niño explains why UNEA7 must give Colombia’s minerals proposal real ambition and a binding path forward. Reporting by @chloefarand.bsky.social 👉 www.climatechangenews.com/2025/10/03/c...

Colombia proposes expert group to advance talks on minerals agreement

A draft resolution aimed at identifying options for a global minerals agreement will be discussed at a major UN environment meeting later this year

climatechangenews.com

Climate Home News@climatechangenews.com · 10mo ago

At UNEA-7 in December, countries will debate Colombia’s proposal to create an expert group on minerals governance. buff.ly/Hm1BWvf

Saudi Arabia, which has built its place in the world based on huge oil exports, is now seeking to secure a role in the clean energy economy by becoming a hub for energy transition minerals, while continuing to sell the world its oil. www.climatechangenews.com/2025/09/10/d...

It now seems inevitable that a major emitter will be held responsible for their contribution to the climate crisis. Read the full story, written by @chloefarand.bsky.social, and learn what attribution science means for the courts and climate justice. 👉 imperial.ac.uk/stories/polluters-on-trial

Polluters on trial: How climate science is rocking the courtroom

Attribution science is enabling climate victims to sue the world’s top polluters for damages and the first successful case may not be very far away, writes Chloé Farand.

imperial.ac.uk

The Zambian government is being accused of whitewashing the scale of a massive toxic mining waste spill at a copper mine earlier this year. Experts warn of serious health risks for decades. The US and Finland have told their citizens to evacuate the area. www.climatechangenews.com/2025/09/02/v...

Victims of Zambian copper mine spill threaten to sue Chinese firm

Dozens of families are demanding Sino-Metals Leach Zambia pay billions in compensation to clean up devastating spill or face legal challenges

climatechangenews.com

A path to development or a recipe for disaster? Lenders are plans to develop one of the world's largest unexploited copper deposits in Balochistan, Pakistan's largest and poorest province which is blighted by conflict and human rights violations. www.climatechangenews.com/2025/08/22/a...

Banks back Pakistan copper mine despite human rights fears

Campaigners say the Reko Diq copper mine in Balochistan risks worsening the plight of human rights defenders in a region marred by conflict

climatechangenews.com

💥 After @climatechangenews.com 's reporting on rising concerns over the health impacts of copper mining in northern Chile, campaigners are taking the government to court for failing to address years of continuous air pollution. www.climatechangenews.com/2025/08/15/c...

Campaigners sue Chilean government over copper mining pollution

They accuse the state of failing to remediate years of pollution by top copper producer Codelco at the expense of people’s health

climatechangenews.com

Iraq blackout: "Electricity demand jumped, triggering a failure in transmission, as temperatures in parts of the country soared to as high as 50C (122F), with millions of people joining the Arbaeen pilgrimage." 🎁 link www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Iraq Goes Dark After Searing Heat Wave Triggers Power Grid Failure

Iraq was plunged into darkness on Monday as searing heat pushed up power demand, triggering a failure in transmission lines that led to a near nationwide blackout.

bloomberg.com

Great little primer on natural Hydrogen Lots of caveats, there seem to be better tech in pipeline or already available

Chloé Farand@chloefarand.bsky.social · last yr.

What if we could tap vast reserves of naturally occurring hydrogen lying beneath our feet? The race is on to discover the first commercially viable natural hydrogen reservoir. But many experts warn that the reality may not live up to the hype. My latest for BBC 👇 www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...

What if we could tap vast reserves of naturally occurring hydrogen lying beneath our feet? The race is on to discover the first commercially viable natural hydrogen reservoir. But many experts warn that the reality may not live up to the hype. My latest for BBC 👇 www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...

The precious 'white gold' fuel buried in the Earth

Naturally occurring "white hydrogen" lies in vast reservoirs beneath our feet – now the gold rush of the clean energy era is beginning.

bbc.co.uk

Good news is somewhat of a rarity in the climate space, so it's genuinely uplifting to see how advances in climate science are making it possible to hold big emitters to account in the courts. Great new piece on @granthamicl.bsky.social's climate litigation work by @chloefarand.bsky.social 👇

Grantham Institute - Climate Change and the Environment@granthamicl.bsky.social · last yr.

⚖️Climate litigation is entering a new era 🌏 Thanks to attribution science, courts now have the tools to link climate impacts, such as floods, wildfires and extreme heat to major polluters — and assign legal responsibility. 🧵 📒 imperial.ac.uk/stories/polluters-on-trial

🚨 Upcoming vote this morning: 🇺🇳 UN #HumanRights Council will consider whether to call for an equitable transition of #FossilFuels to prevent climate harms. 📉 🛢️ 👀 We will be watching closely the vote of the 47 States members 📺 live webcast (3 PM CEST): webtv.un.org/en/asset/k16...

Nations rich in minerals want to add value to their resources to reap more benefits from the energy transition. But in Nigeria, early efforts to refine lithium are facing challenges as mining remains dominated by mostly unregulated informal miners. @vivianchime.bsky.social reports bit.ly/3I9RFZw

Nigeria’s push to cash in on lithium rush gets off to a rocky start

Nigeria wants to supply refined lithium to the EV battery industry to diversify its economy away from oil but early processing efforts are facing challenges

climatechangenews.com