Earth news

11 October 2026

1. 1

   El Niño sets record sea temperature in key Pacific zone as it intensifies

   The EU's Copernicus service said sea temperatures in a key El Niño zone of the Pacific surpassed the peaks of the 1982/1983, 1997/1998 and 2015/2016 events. Copernicus has adopted a new index that accounts for warming tropical oceans, yet its September values point to an already exceptionally strong event that has not yet peaked. Japan's weather agency, using a different scale, has taken a bolder view. El Niño raises tropical Pacific sea temperatures, which can increase drought and flood risk. Copernicus director Carlo Buontempo said the world is in a new run of months above 1.5C, likely to last into 2027, and that crossing the Paris Agreement's long-term limit is only a matter of time.

   Key facts

   • Copernicus said Nino3.4 sea surface temperature hit an all-time high of 29.70C in September.
   • Copernicus said it cannot yet say the current El Niño is the strongest ever recorded.
   • Japan's weather agency said on Friday El Niño had reached its strongest intensity on record, 4C above normal.
   • Global average sea surface temperature hit a record 21.05C for September, above the 2023 high of 20.92C.
   • September was the world's second hottest on record, 1.63C above the pre-industrial average.

   Commentary

   The record is less decisive than the yardstick it is measured against, since warming oceans shift the benchmarks used to rank El Niño, so the strongest-ever verdict may hinge on method as much as on the Pacific. Forecasters who wait for the peak will judge a moving target.

   Sources: France 24, The Hindu, WIRED, World Socialist Web Site

2. 2

   Tens of thousands march in Brussels urging stronger EU climate action

   Tens of thousands marched through Brussels on Sunday, urging EU leaders to take stronger climate action after record heatwaves across Europe this summer. Green Party president Aimen Horch said climate demands are unchanged but urgency has never been greater, citing the heat and wildfires in the High Fens nature reserve, and saying the government did nothing. Demonstrators voiced frustration at politicians' inaction as climate goals lose priority. The march precedes a UN climate summit in Turkey where expectations are low, as the United States under Donald Trump steps back and high energy prices strengthen oil and gas producers. The EU, which says it leads global climate action, has recently watered down some environmental policies.

   Key facts

   • Police estimated 45,000 people took part; organisers put attendance at around 60,000.
   • Climate Coalition organised the march with other groups, including NGOs, trade unions and youth movements.
   • Organisers' five demands include phasing out fossil fuel subsidies and taxing the fossil fuel sector.
   • Belgium has seen an unprecedented rise in excess deaths during the extreme heatwaves.
   • The European Commission proposed delaying a methane emissions law by one year, from 2027 to 2028.

   Commentary

   The crowd is the predictable part; the telling detail is Brussels arguing for clean energy as an energy security answer at COP31, which suggests it now frames climate policy through competitiveness and supply. That tilt may please industry, but it widens the gap with protesters who say governments are not acting.

   Sources: Euronews.com, France 24

3. 3

   Iran's foreign minister calls for accountability over environmental damage from US-Israeli attacks

   Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told a Tehran conference on ecocide on Sunday that the environment can no longer be considered a silent victim of war. He said US and Israeli attacks on Iranian oil, refinery and energy facilities pose serious environmental risks, and he called for international accountability and compensation for those responsible. Iran's environment department head Shina Ansari said Asaluyeh strikes caused massive air pollution and put 1.5m tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, undermining efforts to cut emissions. Araghchi also cited Gaza and Lebanon and called COP31 an opportunity to raise the issue. NewsCord alone reported that the attacks also hit nuclear facilities and that Araghchi called such attacks a crime under international law.

   Key facts

   • UNEP's March 2026 assessment found fires at oil facilities in urban areas, including Tehran, released hazardous compounds.
   • IRNA, quoting Shina Ansari, said Asaluyeh strikes released 904 tonnes of particulate matter.
   • Asaluyeh strikes also released 4,700 tonnes of volatile compounds and more than 13,000 tonnes of sulphur oxides.
   • Iran supports legal and expert discussions, including on recognizing ecocide as an international crime.
   • Araghchi proposed three priorities, including impartial science-based mechanisms to document wartime environmental damage.

   Commentary

   The notable move is Tehran framing wartime pollution as legal liability, with the emissions figures serving that argument. Tying the strikes to complaints about restricted access to financing and clean technology suggests Iran wants the debate to examine who is held to environmental rules and who is not. Any accountability push will hit ecocide's unresolved legal definition.

   Sources: Middle East Eye, Tehran Times, تسنیم, Yahoo, NewsCord

4. 4

   UN biodiversity chief says world must course-correct as nature goals fall short

   Ahead of the COP17 summit in Yerevan, Armenia, UN biodiversity chief Astrid Schomaker said the 2030 goals are still reachable, but only with significant change. A draft UN review finds the world off track on the 23 targets set under the 2022 Paris Agreement for Nature, which include conserving 30% of land and oceans. Asked whether the world is moving in the right direction, she said: "Yes, but way too slowly." Greenpeace International urged governments to move beyond restating promises. Money is a major barrier to success. Schomaker said the summit will focus on how the private sector can help close a $700 billion annual funding shortfall for the 2030 goals.

   Key facts

   • Pledges would cover 27% of land and inland waters and 12% of oceans by 2030 if fully enacted.
   • Nations are lagging on a pledge to raise $200 billion a year for biodiversity by 2030.
   • The Cali Fund, launched in February 2025, has raised just $6,000 of its $1 billion annual corporate target.
   • Governments spend $2.6 trillion a year on environmentally harmful subsidies, according to the UN.
   • The United States, which is not a party to the biodiversity convention, is not involved in the talks.

   Commentary

   The weakest point is not the targets but where money already flows, a challenge Schomaker places beyond finding new funds. That makes the summit a test of whether governments will reduce incentives for politically sensitive industries, a step that fresh pledges cannot substitute for, leaving the 2030 goals dependent on that choice.

   Sources: The Straits Times, Bangkok Post, tanahair.net

5. 5

   New South Wales approves Hunter Valley coal mine extension to 2045

   The New South Wales Independent Planning Commission approved the Hunter Valley Operations Continuation Project, letting the coal mine run until 2045 and extract an estimated 429 million tonnes across its North and South sites. The commission said the mine would add to climate change impacts but that these were outweighed by benefits including economic activity. Premier Chris Minns and Natural Resources Minister Courtney Houssos backed the project. Climate groups and unions criticised the assessment, and Lock the Gate Alliance's Georgina Woods called the approval a catastrophic failure of the state's planning system. Campaigners say it conflicts with Australia's Paris commitments, and the mine still needs federal environmental approval, expected by year's end.

   Key facts

   • The Hunter Valley is expected to generate 809 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over 19 years.
   • Hunter Valley Operations is thought to contribute over $1 billion annually to the economy.
   • The Independent Planning Commission received over 10,000 public submissions, around 60 per cent in favour.
   • About 1,500 people in the Hunter Valley are employed by the coal industry.
   • Australia, co-hosting COP31 with Turkey in November, has been criticised for supporting new coal development.

   Commentary

   The real dispute is who absorbs the cost, since the mine's benefits are regional while, as a Climate Council member puts it, its climate harm does not stop at the border. Approval therefore rests on a transition critics say has not been prepared.

   Sources: Crude Oil Prices Today | OilPrice.com