This weekly round-up brings you key climate news from the past seven days, including new data on the rapid growth of renewables and a controversial panel’s vote to facilitate the Trump administration’s expansion of drilling activity in the Gulf of Mexico.
—
Listen to Earth.Org’s new podcast, Earth Radio. Join our host Rebekah Hendricks every week for a 5-minute, ad-free roundup of the world’s most important climate stories. New episodes available every Saturday at 8am ET | 1pm GMT | 8pm HKT. Subscribe here or find us wherever you get your podcasts.
1. Renewables Hit Nearly Half of Global Power Capacity in 2025
Renewable energy accounted for nearly half of global power capacity by the end of 2025, according to new data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
Last year saw the largest-ever recorded increase in renewable energy capacity – a 15.5% annual increase, or 692 gigawatts (GW) of added renewable capacity, the agency said in a report published on Wednesday. This continues a trend that has seen renewable power additions reaching new records almost every year since the turn of the millennium owing to their “competitiveness and resilience,” said Francesco La Camera, IRENA’s Director-General.
Renewables accounted for 49% of installed power capacity globally and comprised 85.6% of the total global power added in 2025. Driving this growth was solar energy, which alone accounted for nearly three-quarters of all renewable additions – a record 510 GW. Wind came in second, with 159 GW added in one year.
Full story here.
2. Trump Administration Officials Waive Endangered Species Act Rules for Gulf Drilling
A panel comprised of Trump Administration officials on Tuesday approved an exemption from the Endangered Species Act for expanded oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
Last month, the Pentagon requested that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum convenes a meeting with the Endangered Species Committee to discuss an exemption from the Endangered Species Act for “all … oil and gas exploration and development activities” overseen by federal agencies in the Gulf of Mexico over “national security” concerns. Since its inception in 1973, the law, which requires federal agencies to ensure their actions do not jeopardize endangered species or destroy critical habitats, has prevented the extinction of 99% of listed species.
On Tuesday, the committee, also known as the “God squad” for its power to decide whether a species lives or dies, approved the request after a 20-minute, closed-door meeting.
The committee only met three times since Congress established it in 1978, the last time in 1992. It is led by the Interior Secretary and comprises five other federal officials: the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Army, the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Full story here.
3. Health, Environmental Groups Sue US EPA Over Rollback of Mercury Standards for Power Plants
A coalition of US-based health and environmental groups is taking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to court over its recent repeal of standards that limit brain-damaging mercury, lead, and other hazardous air pollution from coal-fired power plants.
The suit addresses the EPA’s repeal of the Biden-era amendments to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), which was finalized in February. The repeal effectively allows coal-fired power plants to emit more brain-damaging mercury and other harmful heavy metals such as nickel, arsenic, and lead.
The lawsuit also challenges the repeal of a requirement for power plants to have systems in place to monitor the amount of pollution they emit in accordance with air pollution standards.
The standards, first issued in 2012 by the Obama administration, were strengthened and updated by the Biden administration in April 2024 to reflect the latest advancements in pollution control technologies. Since 2015, the deadline for their implementation, the standards have delivered a 90% reduction in mercury emissions from power plants over pre-standard levels and other health benefits, including lowered risk of cancer, heart and lung disease, and premature death. According to EPA figures cited in the coalition’s press release announcing the lawsuit, 93% of US coal capacity had already met or were on track to meet those standards by last year.
Full story here.
4. Italy Votes to Delay Shutdown of Coal-Fired Plants By 13 Years As Energy Crunch Deepens Amid Iran War
Italy is set to postpone the shutdown of its remaining coal-fired power plants until 2038, 13 years later than originally planned, as the global energy crisis unleashed by the US-Israeli attacks on Iran intensifies.
On Tuesday, the lower house of parliament voted to extend the life of the country’s four remaining coal-powered plants, which are currently on stand-by. The National Energy and Climate Plan, a ten-year plan provided by the European Union (EU) to member states to meet the EU’s decarbonization goals, had initially envisaged a shutdown by December 2025.
The text, promoted by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government coalition, now goes to the upper house, where it expected to pass.
Supporters of the text, including the right-wing populist League party, said it was “right and responsible” to delay the shutdown amid the “serious international energy crisis” unleashed by the war in Iran. In response to coordinated attacks by the US and Isreael, Iran blocked traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest oil shipping channels. Some 20-25% of global oil supply typically passes through it, and Italy depends on the passage for about 21% of its total oil and gas imports.
But environmentalists say the move will harm climate progress in the country and affect people’s health. Coal, the cheapest and dirtiest fossil fuel, is the single-largest source of global carbon emissions and a major contributor to air pollution.
Full story here.
