China's climate wins and other stories of the week

Akshat Rathi writes the Zero newsletter, which examines the world’s race to cut planet-warming emissions. He is the author of Climate Capitalism.

This week's list of curated climate and energy news. Please send feedback and reply in comments with links to stories that you found interesting.

"Towering mounds of coal are piling up at mines, ports and power plants across China. It’s an energy-transition signal that miners and traders ignore at their peril." As China doubles down on clean tech, its permits for coal power are down 83% for the same period in 223 and its coal stockpiles have grown over 6x since 2021.

China’s oil imports peak for the first time in 19 years. After hitting an all-time high in 2023, China’s oil imports are down 320,000 bpd from the same period last year on the back of increasing EV adoption, softening demand for diesel, and a filled strategic reserve.

Iron ore won the most among commodities since the 1990s. Now China's declining demand means the boom is over and iron ore production is past its peak.

Aviation is less "hard-to-abate" and "not-really-trying-to-abate". Many airlines have promised to source ~10% of their propellant from cleaner sources by 2030, but the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is only at 0.17% in 2023, as per the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Spiraling energy costs mean some in Pakistan are paying more for electricity than rent. The country, facing 12% inflation and where half its people survive on less than USD 4 a day, has seen electricity prices surge 155% since 2021, after the government started hiking industrial and retail rates to boost its changes for loans from the IMF. (It's giving solar a boost.)

Is the world seeing heat records fall more dramatically? Yes! Heat records are breaking the world over this summer following a 13-month streak of hottest-ever monthly global average temperatures.

What is AI's real carbon footprint? You won't find it in the sustainability reports of tech giants. Tech giants leading the AI race have found a way to conceal the climate impact of their growing electricity use: unbundled renewable energy certificates.

Should we change the chemistry of the atmosphere? Are big ships bad for the climate? How exactly do sharks store carbon? If those questions intrigue you, check out this week's episode of The Climate Question podcast from the BBC. I joined a star crew to answer audience questions, feat. Graihagh Jackson , Justin Rowlatt & Prof Tamsin Edwards.

Chart of the Week

Don't forget to catch up on the latest episode of the Zero podcast. This week we look at how the humble refrigerator changed the world and what the cold rush could mean for a warming planet.