In the rush to expand the use of coal in the US, the Financial Times reports that this week the US Environmental Protection Agency “rolled back strict controls imposed by former president Joe Biden’s administration on the volume of toxins that coal and oil-fired power plants can release into the atmosphere. The Trump administration has argued the rules imposed an unnecessary burden on fossil fuel power generators and claimed that the rollback would slash costs by hundreds of millions of dollars. . . . Trump has made supporting the coal industry a significant objective of his second term, arguing that ‘beautiful, clean coal’ is needed to meet booming electricity demand and shore up the grid in times of stress like extreme weather.” Unfortunately, at this point, no one is stopping him.
Another Financial Times article this week asks why rivers in the Arctic are turning orange. “Bright orange water is flowing through rivers in quantities visible from outer space. As with wastewater from mines, the rust-orange colour comes from iron that dissolves after exposure to acidic water. But in this case, mining isn’t the culprit, it’s global warming.” There is evidence of this in Alaska, Canada’s north and Siberia. “Beyond the local impact of metal-laden rivers, the phenomenon is a harbinger of a much larger and troubling problem. In many of the affected rivers, scientists have identified thawing permafrost as a key factor. Permafrost, or ground that is frozen for at least two consecutive years, can contain organic materials and minerals. When permafrost thaws, it can set off a chemical reaction that causes metals to leach into water systems. Thawing permafrost can also gradually but continuously release greenhouse gases.” Andreas Kappler from the University of Tübingen, told the FT: “If people say climate change is a hoax, then send them to Abisko, then they can actually follow it with their own eyes.” Abisko is a tiny Swedish village where he has studied permafrost.
The attached briefing, “Corporate climate lawsuits – key cases and moments to watch in 2026,” details the high-stakes litigation currently challenging the industry’s moral immunity. This is from the Global Strategic Communications Council (GSCC).
Many relevant events are coming up – you can see the latest list in a post this week. If you know of an upcoming event that EiD readers should know about, please contact us. Let us know your view.
In planning travel over the upcoming weeks, here are some useful ideas to help you along:
- The Man in Seat Sixty-One explains how to travel comfortably & affordably by train or ferry, rediscovering the pleasure, romance & adventure of the journey.
- Check out the Good Night Train website for the unique way to travel through Europe while you sleep. Check out this video: Sleeper trains — the future of travel? A Berlin startup is developing compact sleeper cabins, designed to make night trains cheaper and greener.
- World Walks provides us with walking holidays in Europe.
- For those who want to combine hiking with food and wine in Europe and Australia, check out the Hedonistic Hiking website.
- Cycling for Softies provides us with the 15 best cycling holidays in Europe in 2026.
Ansel Adams (1902-1984), an American landscape photographer and environmentalist known for his black-and-white images of the American West, expresses the feelings of so many of us these days: “It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment.”
EiD welcomes your views about this week’s selection of posts on the zero-carbon energy transition:
- Reflections on the IEA Ministerial
- New EEA briefing on interlinkages between circular economy and climate change mitigation
- Why Sweden’s homes are warm and Britain’s are not: the policy choices that shaped two nations
- EU industry revival plan hits internal resistance as ‘Made in Europe’ debate intensifies
- There’s no bargain in climate denial — families pay either way
- While football’s global reach is often highlighted as a positive thing that brings the world together, the beautiful game risks having a rather ugly impact on the planet
- Air pollution has become one of the deadliest public health threats in North Macedonia, clouding the country’s EU accession path
- New EEA ‘snapshot’ stories on visualising satellite data
- Does clean energy generate too much waste? Hannah Ritchie checks the data on climate action
- The legal battle over US climate regulation
Please send your comments on any of the posts. Please recommend EiD to your friends and colleagues.
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Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 