Skeptical Science New Research for Week #42 2025

Sensitivity of Ocean Carbon Sink Estimates to Rare Observations, Fay et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access 10.1029/2025gl117961

Spatial and temporal variations of gross primary production simulated by land surface model BCC&AVIM2.0, Li et al., Advances in Climate Change Research Open Access 10.1016/j.accre.2023.02.001

Temporal patterns of greenhouse gas emissions from two small thermokarst lakes in Nunavik, Canada, Pouliot et al., Biogeosciences Open Access 10.5194/bg-22-5413-2025

CO2 capture, sequestration science & engineering

Carbon capture and storage as a bridging technology in Germany’s energy transition, Honig et al., Energy Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.enpol.2025.114915

National-scale datasets underestimate vegetation recovery in Australian human-induced native forest regeneration carbon sequestration projects, Moore et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access 10.1038/s43247-025-02725-z

Public Perceptions and Engagement for Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage: Literature Review With a Case Study of Utah, USA, Xiao et al., Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology Open Access 10.1002/ghg.2381

Reviews and syntheses: Potential and limitations of oceanic carbon dioxide storage via reactor-based accelerated weathering of limestone, Huysmans et al., Biogeosciences Open Access 10.5194/bg-22-5557-2025

Decarbonization

Solar Farms as Potential Future Refuges for Bumblebees, Blaydes et al., Global Change Biology Open Access 10.1111/gcb.70537

Survival of the largest: Why regulators fail to develop a heterogeneous wind energy sector, Paz-Sawicki et al., Energy Policy 10.1016/j.enpol.2025.114849

Why support seasonal thermal energy storage? Swiss residents’ preferences for ownership, decision-making and energy costs, Sträter, Energy Research & Social Science Open Access 10.1016/j.erss.2025.104363

Geoengineering climate

A tracer study for the development of in-water monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of ship-based ocean alkalinity enhancement, Subhas et al., Biogeosciences Open Access 10.5194/bg-22-5511-2025

Finalizing Experimental Protocols for the Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP) Contribution to CMIP7, Visioni et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 10.1175/bams-d-25-0191.1

Climate change communications & cognition

Engaged Climate Change Pedagogy: Lessons from 15 Years of Interdisciplinary Climate Change Education, Artiga-Purcell et al., Environmental Communication Open Access 10.1080/17524032.2025.2571949

Generative AI can influence climate beliefs and actions, Sabherwal, Nature Climate Change 10.1038/s41558-025-02438-3

Psychological Time Perspective and Climate Change Interest of Young Polish Adults, Próchniak et al., Weather, Climate, and Society 10.1175/wcas-d-25-0028.1

Using generative AI to increase sceptics’ engagement with climate science, Bago et al., Nature Climate Change 10.1038/s41558-025-02424-9

World Heritage documents reveal persistent gaps between climate awareness and local action, Chen et al., Nature Climate Change 10.1038/s41558-025-02461-4

Agronomy, animal husbundry, food production & climate change

Bridging extreme climate risks, financial precarity, and adaptation gaps: Advancing inclusive adaptation in rainfed agricultural systems, Touch et al., Global Environmental Change Open Access 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2025.103073

Climate Change Drives the Distribution of Insect Vectors for GLRaV-3 on a Global Scale, Niu et al., Ecology and Evolution Open Access 10.1002/ece3.72297

Climate change-induced threats to transhumance pastoral system in Burkina Faso, West Africa, Sanou & Akoba, Environmental Science & Policy 10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104244

Dynamics and drivers of China’s crop production carbon emissions in 2001?2021: A micro?macro data integration study, NIU et al., Advances in Climate Change Research Open Access 10.1016/j.accre.2025.09.006

Escalating risks of anomalously hot–dry growing seasons in arid Northwest China under human influence, Yu et al., Advances in Climate Change Research Open Access 10.1016/j.accre.2025.08.004

Modeling biochar effects on soil organic carbon on croplands in a microbial decomposition model (MIMICS-BC&v1.0), Han et al., Geoscientific Model Development Open Access 10.5194/gmd-17-4871-2024

The impact of climate-smart agriculture practices on household vulnerability to climate change: evidence from Zimbabwe, Okumu et al., Climate and Development 10.1080/17565529.2025.2569770

Climate change mitigation public policy research

Carbon credits are failing to help with climate change — here’s why, Macintosh et al., Nature 10.1038/d41586-025-03313-z

Existing demand-side climate change mitigation policies neglect avoid options, Brad et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access 10.1038/s43247-025-02800-5

Oil and gas industry’s marginal share of global renewable energy, Llavero-Pasquina & Bontempi, Nature Sustainability 10.1038/s41893-025-01647-0

Roadmap toward carbon neutrality in Pakistan: Policy challenges and strategic measures, Shah et al., Energy for Sustainable Development 10.1016/j.esd.2025.101861

Socially preferable and technically feasible: European citizens choose solar power and import independence over lower costs, Tröndle et al., Energy Research & Social Science Open Access 10.1016/j.erss.2025.104364

Climate change adaptation & adaptation public policy research

Bridging equity and resilience: A Systematic review of social sustainability in climate change mitigation and adaptation, Hageer, Environmental Science & Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104243

Building Africa’s climate resilience: understanding the impacts and future strategies in the face of climate change, Ayompe & Epie, Frontiers in Climate Open Access 10.3389/fclim.2025.1619799

Can COP30 put investment in research at the heart of adaptation?, Elouafi, Science 10.1126/science.aeb7893

Editorial: Nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation, Rao et al., Frontiers in Environmental Science Open Access 10.3389/fenvs.2025.1672694

Four propositions to narrow the gap between science and policy for climate change adaptation: Insights and evidence from Aotearoa New Zealand, Halliday et al., Environmental Science & Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104239

Mapping the solution space for local adaptation under global change: An test of concept for the Vietnamese Mekong delta, Dunn et al., Global Environmental Change Open Access 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2025.103071

Urban Adaptation Strategies Alleviate the Exposure of Future Population to Extreme Heat in China, Wu et al., Earth’s Future Open Access 10.1029/2025ef006479

Climate change impacts on human health

A Scoping Review of Mosquito Vector Range Shifts: Widespread Expansions and Evidence Gaps in Climate Attribution, Lyberger et al., Global Change Biology 10.1111/gcb.70551

Interaction between extreme temperature events and ozone on mortality: Evidence from a time-stratified case-crossover study, Zhan et al., Atmospheric Environment 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121580

Modeling the Potential Distribution of Typha domingensis (Pers.) in Niger Under Current and Future Climate Scenarios, Adamou Moumouni et al., Ecology and Evolution Open Access 10.1002/ece3.72265

Systems-level risks of the climate crisis are currently missed: A mental health lens, Mikaelsson et al., PLOS Climate Open Access 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000722

Climate change impacts on human culture

Place-based science from Okinawa: 18th-century climate and geology recorded in Ryukyuan classical music, Higa et al., Geoscience Communication Open Access 10.5194/gc-8-251-2025

Other

Anthropogenic Heat Release, a Potential Factor Impacting the Climate in the Arctic in Boreal Summer, Chen et al., Atmospheric Science Letters Open Access 10.1002/asl.1325

Reparative research for the climate and nature emergency, Stein & Bowness, Climate and Development 10.1080/17565529.2025.2574075

Statistical Characteristics of Dabie-Vortex-Associated Tornadogenesis During an 18-Year Period (2006–2023), Xiao et al., Atmospheric Science Letters Open Access 10.1002/asl.1323

Informed opinion, nudges & major initiatives

China’s supposed leadership on climate change: Action vs. obstruction in an authoritarian state, Harris, PLOS Climate Open Access 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000726

Communicating Antarctica in a Changing Climate – Recommendations Following a National Survey, Hunt et al., Environmental Communication Open Access 10.1080/17524032.2025.2571955

Free global access to climate and weather data must continue, Taalas, Science 10.1126/science.aec8146

Science teachers scramble as U.S. climate resources vanish, Cabico, Science 10.1126/science.aec9021

Book reviews

The race to uncover snow’s many mysteries before it disappears forever, Thompson, Nature 10.1038/d41586-025-03310-2

Articles/Reports from Agencies and Non-Governmental Organizations Addressing Aspects of Climate Change

California Load Management Standard Avoided Distribution Grid Upgrade Study, Kevala, GridLab

The authors developed an estimate of the potential avoided cost benefits of achieving California’s Load Management Standard (LMS) goal to double the amount of load shift from 3.5 GW to 7 GW by 2030. The authors analyzed different peak load reduction scenarios leveraging previous work conducted for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Multi-State Transportation Electrification Impact Study. They estimated total avoided distribution system upgrade costs and the marginal cost of service (MCOS) resulting from achieving the LMS goal under a Base Case and three scenarios. Depending on the scenario, LMS allocation reduced estimated distribution capital costs from $3.2 to $11.9 billion, which equates to reductions of $3.7 to $13.7 billion in total present value costs to customers.

The Demand Side Grid Support Program: An Assessment of Scale and Value, The Brattle Group, Sunrun and Tesla Energy

The Demand Side Grid Support (DSGS) program is a taxpayer funded program run by the California Energy Commission (CEC), designed to improve the reliability of the California power system by tapping into the capabilities of behind-the-meter (BTM) resources such as batteries. The authors evaluated the benefits and costs of DSGS Option 3, which is the participation option that accommodates battery storage. DSGS storage capacity has scaled quickly, and continued growth is expected. DSGS can provide significant net cost savings to California, especially in a suddenly inflationary environment. If the DSGS program is continued, opportunities to maximize the value of the program include increasing the flexibility of the event trigger, incorporating the program into resource planning initiatives, and optimizing the dispatch patterns of participating batteries to provide a broader range of grid services.

A review of Malta’s climate action using the ClimateScanner framework, Auditor General, National Audit Office, Malta

The high-level review revealed that overall, Malta registered considerable progress. Such developments included the enactment of a new Climate Action Act and the establishment of the Climate Action Authority (CAA). While registering notable progress, the authors identified areas for improvement, on the three main ClimateScanner Axes of Governance, Public Policies and Finance. This assessment revealed that the key elements for effective governance of climate action are generally in place. These include the regulatory and strategic framework, as well as risk management considerations. The authors found that while the horizontal coordination mechanisms are well-established, that vertical coordination at the local government level, is still evolving. Additionally, monitoring mechanisms characterized by data limitations, may affect local contributions to policymaking. The ClimateScanner initiative is a rapid assessment tool developed by the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts in collaboration with various stakeholders and is primarily intended to facilitate independent high-level reviews of climate action by Supreme Audit Institutions across different countries and regions.

Climate-resilient Investment in Fragile and Conflict-affected Situations: Opportunities for Business?, Katongo Seyuba and Florian Krampe, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute

Climate change exacerbates risk in fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCS), deepening vulnerabilities, disrupting livelihoods and heightening the risk of violent conflict. These dynamics create a vicious circle that undermines resilience, peace and stability, while also affecting business operations and global supply chains. The business sector has a critical but underexplored role in promoting climate resilience and peacebuilding in these contexts. The authors highlight the role of businesses—from local small to medium-sized enterprises to multinationals—in investing in resilience-building initiatives and innovations that strengthen local economies, reduce conflict drivers and open new markets. Businesses, however, face major obstacles in FCS, such as insecurity, weak governance, reputational risk and lack of growth capital. Governments, donors and financial institutions can de-risk fragile markets and build enabling ecosystems for peace-positive investment. At the same time, businesses should embed conflict sensitivity, forge equitable local partnerships and treat resilience as a core business strategy.

What are the top sources of news for Global Warming’s Six Americas?, Carman et al., Yale University and George Mason University

Past research on journalistic coverage of climate change has focused largely on mainstream media, particularly print and TV sources, but in recent years social media has grown as a major news source for Americans while newspaper circulation and traditional TV viewership have declined. Social media news sources, however, have much less regulatory or fact-checking oversight than traditional mainstream media, and recently many social media sites have reduced their voluntary fact-checking practices. In fact, many of the most popular online shows spread climate misinformation. 19% of Americans say that social media, e.g. Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, YouTube, is their single most important source of news — a 7 percentage point increase since the question was last asked in March 2021. Among the Six Americas, the Concerned had the largest changes in their top news source. From 2021 to 2025, social media as the most important source of news nearly doubled among the Concerned (from 11% to 21%), while local TV news declined by 10 percentage points (from 26% to 16%). Local TV news remains a top source of news for many Americans (18% in 2025).

UK International Climate Finance results 2025, UK International Climate Finance, Governemnt of the United Kingdom

An estimated 137 million people have been supported to better adapt to the effects of climate change as a result of UK International Climate Finance since 2011. UK International Climate Finance has helped to mobilize an estimated £21 billion in public and private finance combined since 2011 through UK International Climate Finance, an estimated 145 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced or avoided since 2011, and an estimated 12 million hectares of land are managed more sustainably as a result of UK International Climate Finance since 2011

A trillion dollars of climate risk. Banks’ fossil fuel exposures and the cost-effective case for a climate systemic risk buffer, Greg Ford and Julia Symon, Finance Watch

The authors examine fossil fuel exposures among the 60 largest global banks, updating an earlier estimate with 2023 data using revised methods. They consider how the transition risks could be better managed and use the fossil fuel exposure data to simulate the application of a climate systemic risk buffer, based on a loan-to-value mechanism. They also estimate the size of the implicit subsidy that fossil fuel companies enjoy due to the current underpricing of transition risks. The results show that banks have more than USD 1.1 trillion of exposures to coal, oil and gas extraction and fossil fuel-powered electricity production on their balance sheets, or more than USD 1.6 trillion when off-balance sheet exposures are included. The calculations in this report indicate that a climate systemic risk buffer could be implemented to mitigate the systemic risks of these exposures, with limited impact on bank profits and little to no impact on lending.

Financing the Responsible Supply of Energy Transition Minerals for Sustainable Development, Ekins et al., United Nations Environment Program

The finance sector can play a critical role in promoting responsible mining, particularly in the context of the rising demand for energy transition minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements. These minerals are essential for the global shift to sustainable energy systems, and the massive investments required, from exploration and extraction to processing and refining, present a unique opportunity to drive transformative change. The authors focus on how the financing of the extraction of these minerals should be reformed to help bring about their environmentally and socially responsible production, and the equitable distribution of the resulting financial and other economic and social benefits. They explore the scale of the challenge, in terms of both increasing the supply of primary metals, and the need to manage the demand for them through circular economy approaches and resource efficiency policies.

Global Status of CCS 2025, Global CCS Institute

The authors summarize the key milestones in the global adoption of carbon capture and storage (CCS) over the past 12 months. They highlight how CCS is advancing across regions, albeit at varying rates of progress. The authors identify advancements in the deployment of CCS around the world. Japan is covered in its own section for the first time due to its domestic advances and increasing influence in the Asia Pacific region. This authoritative snapshot of the global CCS industry is based on the Institute’s database of CCS facilities (CO?RE) and analysis by the Institute’s global team.

Grid Incident in Spain and Portugal on 28 April 2025, Gabrijel et al., Expert Panel on the Grid Incident on 28 April 2025

The authors describe the system conditions on 28 April 2025 and details the sequence of events that occurred on that day from 9:00 onwards in the electricity systems in Spain, Portugal, and France. The purpose of this report is to provide a technical and objective account of the incident, based on factual evidence. It aims to support transparency, learning, and continuous improvement in system operation across Europe. While this report is based on most reliable data made available to the Expert Panel by a range of data providers. It serves solely as a factual record to transparently inform stakeholders and governance bodies, and to facilitate further discussion and evaluation within the context of the final report referred to hereafter.

Hard to abate: a justification for delay?, Hare et al., Climate Analytics

The iron and steel and cement sectors provide valuable case studies of how the ‘hard-to-abate’ label has shaped both policy and industrial actions, in ways that risk undermining the urgency and effectiveness of global climate mitigation efforts. While the technical and process-related challenges in these sectors are non-trivial, the evidence presented in this report demonstrates that their decarbonization is not only possible but highly achievable with existing and emerging technologies – especially when guided by integrated, whole-of-system approaches and supported by robust policy frameworks. The authors found that while there is no single pathway to decarbonizing the iron and steel and cement sectors, the continued framing of these sectors as inherently hard to abate is both scientifically inaccurate and politically counterproductive. The evidence is clear: many of the most impactful abatement measures are available today, and their deployment is limited primarily by policy, investment, and institutional inertia.

Bringing Data Center Flexibility into Resource Adequacy Planning. A Case Study of NV Energy, Cox et al., GridLab and Telos Energy

The authors aim to fill a crucial gap in utility planning methods to allow data center flexibility to be considered up front in resource planning. NV Energy of Nevada was used as a case study due to its rising data center load growth, with the intent to create a replicable method for other regions. The authors evaluate the resource adequacy benefits of data center flexibility, including avoided capacity needs and costs. They present and test a framework for incorporating large load flexibility into resource planning by allowing it to count towards a planning reserve margin (PRM) requirement via a demand-side effective load carrying capability (ELCC). The results of this case study highlight significant capacity contributions and cost savings enabled by data center flexibility, as well as an analytical approach that can be incorporated into various planning, procurement, and market processes including integrated resource plans and transmission interconnection.

Are Carbon Offsets Fixable?, Romm et al., Annual Reviews

The authors provides a systematic review of the literature on carbon offsets. A growing number of studies have found that the most widely used offset programs continue to greatly overestimate their probable climate impact often by a factor of five to ten or more. Credit quality has remained a problem since the inception of carbon credits, despite repeated efforts to address the core challenges of additionality, leakage, double counting, environmental injustice, verification, and permanence. Combined, these issues have led many to conclude that over-crediting in carbon offsets is an intractable problem. These challenges helped stall the rapid growth in the voluntary carbon market (VCM) earlier this decade. They warrant renewed focus in the wake of COP29, where 200 nations significantly advanced the effort begun with the Paris Agreement to create the rules governing a global compliance market for carbon credits. But COP29 did not substantially address the quality problem, creating the risk the Paris compliance market will be rife with over-crediting and other problems—and that the VCM could undermine the Paris market. The authors recommend that all stakeholders begin focusing on high-integrity, durable carbon dioxide removal and storage, while recognizing that the recent literature has raised the question of whether durable means 100 years, 1,000 years, or longer. Ultimately, many of the most popular offset project types feature intractable quality problems. Focus should be placed on creating rules to find and fund the relatively few types of high-quality projects while employing alternative finance and strategies such as contribution claims for the critical projects in conservation, renewable energy, and sustainable development.

Homegrown energy How household upgrades can meet 100 percent of data center demand growth, Wyent et al., Rewiring America

Over the next five years, U.S. electricity demand is projected to grow by 128 GW. This is an increase of 16 percent over today’s national peak demand (the most electricity we use in the country at a given time) and marks a sharp departure from more than two decades of flat electricity demand. The primary drivers for this increase are hyperscalers, the tech companies building energy-intensive AI data centers at a rapid pace. The data centers currently planned or already under construction across the country would add a total of 93 GW of electricity demand to the grid by 2029. In response to this new era of demand growth, hyperscalers and utilities are currently looking to centralized, utility-scale solutions, like building fossil fuel or nuclear power plants. However, there is an overlooked solution that has the potential to provide sweeping benefits: investing in the household as energy infrastructure.

Renewable energy: A Gender perspective, Celia García-Baños, The International Renewable Energy Agency

The author provides an updated picture of women’s roles in renewable energy, the barriers they face and the measures needed to enable their full participation. Building on IRENA’s 2019 flagship study, to assess the share of women in the overall renewable energy sector, the author uses a global survey of individuals and organizations, offering insights into both quantitative patterns and lived experiences. The author shows that women hold 32% of full-time jobs in the renewable energy sector. This is higher than in oil and gas (23%) or nuclear energy (25%), demonstrating that renewables are comparatively more inclusive. However, this share still falls far short of women’s global workforce average of 43.4%, meaning that nearly one in nine potential female workers is absent in the renewable energy sector compared to the economy at large.

Bills down, emissions down A practical path to net-zero electricity, Reeve et al., Grattan Institute

Australian household energy bills are set to halve by 2050, leaving ‘policy room’ for the federal government to cut emissions in the electricity sector without hurting households. Modelling for the report shows that cutting greenhouse gas emissions from electricity in line with the net-zero 2050 national target results in average household energy bills of about $3,000 in 2050 – down from an average of about $5,800 today. These savings come about because most households in 2050 will have solar panels on their roof, a battery in the shed, an electric car in the garage, and all-electric appliances in the home. The federal government should consider activating the Safeguard Mechanism to reduce emissions in the electricity sector, to complement policies to reduce emissions in the industrial and transport sectors.

Modernizing American Energy Innovation. Five Ways to Re-energize the Department of Energy, Kizer et al., EFI Foundation

The authors analyze challenges and opportunities at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as it increases end-to-end support for energy innovation. As their analysis shows, large spending policies are critical, yet inadequate, for accelerating American innovation. The tools that have worked for past R&D programs have proven inadequate for demonstration and deployment of clean energy technologies. For the United States to compete in the rapidly modernizing global energy system, the U.S. must sharpen its’ innovation tools. Success depends on implementation.

Global Tipping Points Report 2025, Lenton et al., University of Exeter et al

The world has entered a new reality. Global warming will soon exceed 1.5°C. This puts humanity in the danger zone where multiple climate tipping points pose catastrophic risks to billions of people. Already warm-water coral reefs are crossing their thermal tipping point and experiencing unprecedented dieback, threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of millions who depend on them. Polar ice sheets are approaching tipping points, committing the world to several meters of irreversible sea-level rise that will affect hundreds of millions. These climate tipping point risks are interconnected and most of the interactions between them are destabilizing, meaning tipping one system makes tipping another more likely. The resulting impacts would cascade through the ecological and social systems we depend upon, creating escalating damages. Humanity faces a potentially catastrophic, irreversible outcome. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights recognizes the right of humans to a safe climate, hence preventing irreversible harm to the climate system is a legal imperative.

Innovation Opportunities for a Resilient L.A, Pierce et al., The Luskin Center for Innovation, University of California, Los Angeles

The authors identify four areas critical to strengthening water and power infrastructure in order to reduce risks and improve reliability as climate-related disasters intensify. The innovation areas — undergrounding utility lines, water distribution systems, advanced metering technology, and wildfire risk assessment — resulted from a LADWP-commissioned workshop in June 2025, developed and hosted by UCLA. More than 100 utility representatives, technology innovators, academic researchers, public sector leaders, and consultants identified a mix of potential implementation strategies and barriers. Many of the ideas developed at the workshop are already informing LADWP requests for proposals and pilot projects.

Short-Term Assessment of Reliability: 2025 Quarter 3, New York Independent System Operator

The authors studies electric system reliability over a five-year period from July 15, 2025, through July 15, 2030, and identifies reliability violations in New York City and Long Island beginning in the summer of 2026. The violations are driven by generator deactivations, increasing consumer demand, and transmission limitations.

2025-2034 Comprehensive Reliability Plan, New York Independent System Operator

The authors present the plan to maintain a reliable electric grid over a ten-year planning period. The authors warn that the New York State electric system faces an era of profound reliability challenges driven by the convergence of three structural trends: the aging of the existing generation fleet; the rapid growth of large loads, e.g., data centers and semiconductor manufacturing; and the increasing difficulty of developing new supply resources due to public policies, supply chain constraints and rising costs for equipment.

Outlook for Energy Storage in PJM, Sheilendranath et al., The US. Energy Storage Coalition

The authors warn that PJM must deploy at least 16 GW of energy storage–enough to power 12 million homes–by 2032 and 23 GW by 2040 to ensure system reliability. Without this buildout, the region, which serves 65 million customers from Chicago to New Jersey, risks severe power shortages, forced load shedding of up to 15 GW during extreme weather, and sharp increases in electricity costs. They emphasize that energy storage not only strengthens grid resilience but also delivers major economic benefits, including lower energy costs, billions in new investment, and thousands of local jobs. However, regulatory and market barriers threaten to delay urgently needed projects already in PJM’s queue. To meet demand, the authors call on PJM and state policymakers to streamline interconnection, reform market rules to properly value storage, clarify transmission charges, and modernize permitting standards. Without decisive action, millions of homes and businesses could face costly and dangerous reliability risks within the next decade.

CrOP30 Why burning food for land-hungry biofuels is fueling the climate crisis, Ceruology, Transport and Environment

Biofuels are promoted as a climate-friendly fix for transport decarbonization, but at what cost? The authors assess the consequences of the global biofuels boom, analyzing projected volumes, land use, and emissions in key regions. There are serious risks of current international biofuels policies. For example, backed by government support, global biofuels use has grown seven-fold over two decades, reaching 4% of transport energy demand in 2023. Over 75% of production comes from the U.S., Brazil, and Europe, mainly for road transport as biodiesel, hydro-processed oils, or ethanol. Demand is set to rise 40% by 2030. On top of this, new IMO rules and sustainable aviation fuel targets will fuel further growth, with shipping alone potentially doubling today’s global biofuels use in the 2030s.

Not This Way: Why Coal Transition Offsets are a Dead End, Patrick McCully, Reclaim Finance and the Center for Energy, Ecology and Development

Nearly 40 years of experience with offsetting shows that the great majority of credits do not represent emissions reductions, and that repeated efforts to reform offsetting have failed. Offsets are not intended to reduce emissions but to move them between locations. But because offsets are bogus their impact is to increase emissions at the global level. Coal offsets would likely repeat the failures of the offset market. Because most coal offsets would likely be bogus, their overall impact would likely be to increase emissions. Many of the players involved in designing the coal offsets market are the same companies and others who run the existing offsets market. Their core interest remains generating and trading offsets, not cutting emissions.

Building Electrification in Maryland: Implementation of Zero-Emission Heating Equipment Standards for Low-Income Households, Christopher Stix and Bryan Dunning, Sierra Club Maryland Chapter and Center for Progressive Reform

Maryland has committed to an equitable approach to achieving its ambitious climate goals while minimizing harms or costs placed on historically disadvantaged communities. One of the programs critical to achieving the state’s climate and energy goals is zero-emission heating equipment standards (ZEHES). Equitable implementation of ZEHES requires low-income households to be able to fully benefit from clean, efficient heating under the program. ZEHES is projected to require replacements starting in 2029 and will require yearly replacements until all eligible building and water heating systems have been replaced. Based on the expected lifespan of legacy fossil fuel systems, water heating replacement should be achieved, in whole or substantial part, by 2039, and building heating replacement by 2059 for a ZEHES policy with the effective year of 2029. In the context of replacements for low-income households, modeling projects a yearly total cost of close to $300 million, with an additional cost, depending on implementation policy, of an additional $80 million for building weatherization.

La Evaluación de Riesgos e Impactos derivados del Cambio Climático en España (The Assessment of Risks and Impacts derived from Climate Change in Spain), Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge Ministry, Government of Spain

(The report) el primer análisis integral a escala nacional que identifica y caracteriza los riesgos asociados al cambio climático en nuestro país. Sus resultados servirán de base para orientar las políticas de adaptación en España, integrando las dimensiones sociales, económicas y ambientales (The Assessment of Risks and Impacts derived from Climate Change in Spain (ERICC-2025) is the first comprehensive analysis on a national scale that identifies and characterizes the risks associated with climate change in our country. Its results will serve as a basis for guiding adaptation policies in Spain, integrating the social, economic and environmental dimensions).

People and Planet Consumer Insights and Trends 2025, INGKA and GlobalScan

The authors asked 30,000+ adults in 30 countries for their thoughts on climate, inequality, and unsustainable consumption – and how businesses and government can help. The research reveals that people still care deeply enough to act on climate change and inequality – but they need more knowledge and support to make a meaningful difference. Concern remains high regarding climate and inequality. A large majority of people take some climate action but many are held back by cost, uncertainty about the impact of their efforts, and insufficient support from government and businesses. Despite the context of geopolitical and economic instability across the world, many people are still concerned about climate change – even if there is a downward trend.

Climate Obstruction: A Global Assessment, Multiple, Brown University’s global Climate Social Science Network

People burning fossil fuels causes climate change, a scientific fact that has been clear for decades. And climate policy is broadly popular, with as many as 89% of people around the world wanting more climate action from their leaders. So why haven’t those leaders taken appropriate action? Because at every step, the fossil fuel, agriculture, and other high-carbon industries and their enablers have made it “exponentially more difficult” to enact policies to keep the climate, and the public, safe, the authors of a groundbreaking new assessment of climate obstruction write. A team of more than 100 scholars explore who’s blocking action on climate change and how they’re doing it.

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