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Climate Focus

By Sharon Kimathi, Energy and ESG Editor, Reuters Digital

Hello,

This week ends with yet another unfortunate fire in California, United States, where firefighters worked tirelessly through the night to contain it.

The new wildfire north of Los Angeles spread rapidly on Thursday, as California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a $2.5 billion relief package for the fire-devastated region.

Powerful winds and bone-dry conditions posed a challenge to firefighters battling new wildfires in southern California this week and forced tens of thousands of evacuations north of Los Angeles.

Containment, a measure of the perimeter that is under control, grew to 24%, up from 14% earlier in the day, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said on its website.

"Dangerous fire weather conditions will persist through Friday as fuels remain extremely dry and ready to burn, with Thursday the period of greatest concern," the National Weather Service said in an advisory. "Any fire that starts can grow fast and out of control."

About 31,000 people were evacuated on Wednesday as the fire sent huge flames and plumes of smoke over a hilly terrain in the Castaic Lake area near Santa Clarita.

Southern California has gone without significant rain for nine months, contributing to hazardous conditions, but some rain was forecast from Saturday through Monday, possibly giving firefighters much-needed relief.

The rain could cause mudslides, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass warned during a press conference on Wednesday, saying that the city was taking "aggressive action" by installing barriers, removing fire debris and diverting stormwater.

Climate Buzz

1. Trump's climate withdrawal creates rare discord with Big Oil

U.S. President Donald Trump's declaration of a national energy emergency to boost drilling and speed up pipeline construction should withstand court challenges but will not allow oil and gas producers to skirt all environmental laws, according to legal experts.

Additionally, in spite of U.S. oil and gas producers being thrilled that Trump wants to encourage domestic energy development, they say his decision to withdraw the United States from international climate cooperation will not help their investment plans in the global transition to cleaner energy. Click here for the full analysis.

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a speech during a tour of the Double Eagle Energy Oil Rig in Midland, Texas, U.S. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo

2. Southeast Asian cities among world's most polluted, as Balkan air pollution crisis threatens public health

Southeast Asian cities were among five most polluted in the world on Friday according to air-monitoring organisation IQAir, with Ho Chi Minh City ranked second-most polluted, followed by Phnom Penh and Bangkok fourth and fifth, respectively.

Elsewhere, pollution in Western Balkan countries remains stubbornly high due to household heating, outdated coal plants, old cars, and a lack of money to tackle the problem. Relatively small cities such as Serbia's capital Belgrade and Bosnia's capital Sarajevo have frequently topped daily global pollution charts, according to websites that track air quality worldwide. Click here for the full Reuters story.

3. Deep freeze blankets much of the US, winter storm targets South

An historic January storm dumped more deep snow along the U.S. Gulf Coast after bringing Houston and New Orleans to a near standstill this week. Another 4 inches (10 cm) of snow, combined with sleet and freezing rain, piled up in some spots in northern Florida, southern Georgia and southeast South Carolina as the storm crawled through the region, the National Weather Service said.

4. Solar power overtook coal in EU's electricity mix in 2024, while China's solar, wind power installations broke records

Solar generation provided 11% of the EU's electricity mix in 2024, up from 9.3% in 2023 and overtaking coal which fell to less than 10% for the first time since energy think tank Ember began collating the figures in 2011, the data showed.

5. Michael Bloomberg steps in to help fund UN climate body after Trump withdrawal

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's philanthropy arm said it will provide funding to help cover the U.S. contribution to the U.N. climate body's budget, after President Donald Trump announced that he would withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement and end the country's international climate funding.

What to Watch

UAE-based Circa Biotech is breeding thousands of black soldier flies, which they say could help recycle and reduce food waste, as well as create an alternative and sustainable source of power. Click here or the image for the full video.

Climate Commentary

It may take more than a Sharpie pen and White House cheerleading to change natural gas output levels in the United States, writes Reuters global energy transition columnist Gavin Maguire. Click here for more.
U.N. Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Ocean, Peter Thomson, writes about the vanishing coral reefs and what is needed to save them for the Ethical Corp Magazine.
While leaders from the White House to Wall Street order workers back into their offices, one Boston CEO uses carrots rather than sticks to lure his employees to work. Click here to find out who it is in a column by Reuters U.S. sustainable business correspondent Ross Kerber.

Climate Lens

The United Nations will appeal for $910 million to help tackle a humanitarian crisis in northeastern Nigeria this week after the region was hit by flooding last year and has been in the grip of a militant Boko Haram Islamist insurgency since 2009, a document seen by Reuters showed.

The UN has previously said Nigeria's northeast risks becoming a forgotten crisis as the humanitarian focus has shifted to crises elsewhere.

Number of the Week

$1.5 billion

The amount raised by a carbon markets investor backed by Swiss-trading house Mercuria and two non-profits to help protect the Amazon, by working with Brazilian states, farmers and local communities.

Sustainable Switch Climate Focus was edited by Emelia Sithole-Matarise.

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