This weekly round-up brings you key climate news from the past seven days, including an analysis of the world’s most polluting fossil fuel companies and reactions to the landmark High Seas Treaty coming into force.
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1. 32 Fossil Fuel Companies Responsible for Half of Global CO2 Emissions in 2024: Report
32 companies, mostly state-owned, generated half of all planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions in 2024, according to a new analysis. The number is down from 36 five years earlier.
State-controlled companies were responsible for 57% of global fossil CO2 emissions. CO2, a byproduct of burning fossil fuels, biomass, land-use changes, and industrial processses such as cement production, is the principal human-made greenhouse has in the atmosphere, responsible for about three-quarters of planet-warming emissions.
The database also shows that 17 of the top-20 emitters are controlled by governments that opposed a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels at COP30 last November: Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Iraq, Qatar, and India. The roadmap, supported by a coalition of over 80 countries, ultimately failed to materialize.
The remaining three emitters in the top-20 were UK-based Shell and US-based Chevron and ExxonMobil.
Full story here.
2. Governments, Green Groups Welcome Historic High Seas Treaty With Celebration, Calls To Action
The UN High Seas Treaty, the world’s first treaty to protect and conserve marine biodiversity in international waters adopted in 2022, entered into force last Saturday.
Formally known as the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, or BBNJ Agreement, the treaty is centered around the creation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) on the high seas to preserve marine biodiversity. The text, two decades in the making, is essential to achieving a global goal to protect 30% of the world’s oceans, also known as the “30 by 30” target. Currently, only 1% of the high seas are protected, leaving marine life vulnerable.
For the first time, this legally binding agreement establishes a framework to protect biodiversity in international waters, which cover roughly two-thirds of the ocean. “Protecting our planet hinges on binding protections of international waters – without them, global 30×30 targets slip beyond reach,” said Jennifer Morris, CEO of The Nature Conservancy.
However, while many environmental organizations around the world celebrated the occasion, some called for measures that will make the treaty’s promises into reality.
Full story here.
3. UN Report Finds Harmful Investments Outpace Money for Nature 30 to 1
Investments in projects deemed harmful for nature far outpaced the money invested in nature-based solutions, according to a new analysis.
The report, released today by the UN Environment Programme, looks at global financial data on the imbalance, and explores ways to address the gap in nature based financing. In 2023, the latest year for which data are available, more than $7.3 trillion was invested in “nature-negative finance flows” – in other words, projects that directly damage nature.
GRID-Arendal/Flickr.
By contrast, nature-based financing is on the rise but still amounted only to $220 billion. Nature-based solutions encompass biodiversity and landscape protection, but can also include broader areas such as food systems, utilities, construction, infrastructure, extractives, chemicals, and other “real economy” sectors.
Full story here.
4. Early January Australian Heatwave Made 5 Times More Likely By Human-Caused Climate Change, Analysis Finds
Human-caused climate change made the intense heatwave that hit parts of Australia earlier this month five times more likely, an analysis has concluded.
The country just recorded its most severe heatwave since 2019, when extreme weather conditions fueled what have become known as the Australian Black Summer fires. Maximum temperatures across southeastern Australia were consistently above 40C between January 7-9, topping 44.4C in Melbourne on January 9.
A team of 15 researchers with the World Weather Attribution group analyzed weather data and ran computer model simulations to compare today’s climate, which has warmed 1.3C since the late 1800s, with the past. They concluded that climate change made this month’s heatwave hotter, adding about 1.6C to the temperatures recorded.
This is despite the heatwave happening against the backdrop of La Niña, a recurring weather pattern typically associated with mild temperatures across the region. Study author Ben Clarke called this finding “striking”.
Full story here.
5. Media Shied Away From Climate Coverage in 2025 Despite Increased Reader Interest
The drop occurred despite increasing reader interest in the topic, while greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations continued to hit new historic highs.
According to a year-end analysis by the Media and Climate Change Observatory (MeCCO), climate-related issues, events, and developments in 2025 garnered less frequent coverage around the world, down 14% in 2025 compared to the previous year 2024, and 38% lower than the highest year of coverage in 2021. In fact, last year’s coverage ranked just 10th in the past 22 years of tracking global coverage of climate change or global warming.
A separate analysis, by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, confirmed a previously identified trend of “climate perception inertia” – a stagnation in public views, attitudes, and engagement with climate information over time. The report found that the use of climate news and information is in decline in France, Germany, Japan, the UK, and the US, but stable in Brazil, India, and Pakistan. However, the reduction in use of climate news is not for lack of consumer interest. According to the report, “Interest in climate news and information remains high and stable in most countries, suggesting that declines in climate news use are partly driven by reduced supply (especially on TV).”
This finding of continued interest is consistent with what editorial boards observe. Lyndsey Layton, Climate Editor of US-based media The New York Times, told Earth.Org in an email that the Times’ readers “care deeply about the social and environmental impacts of climate change, and the underlying policies and potential solutions.”
Full story here.
