Earth news

17 October 2026

1. 1

   Most countries off track on nature targets as COP17 opens in Yerevan

   Delegates gathered in Yerevan, Armenia, for COP17, the UN biodiversity summit, where governments will conduct the first global review of progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework agreed in Montreal in 2022. A Convention on Biological Diversity assessment published Thursday found that countries have made real progress on national plans, but most remain well off pace for the framework's 2030 goals. UN Secretary-General António Guterres told a leaders' summit that the moment called for "more action, more speed, and more will," and described Yerevan as "our moment of accountability." Progress is uneven: protected areas are expanding and restoration is advancing, while subsidy reform, finance and monitoring lag behind.

   Key facts

   • Fewer than half of national targets assessed by governments are on track for 2030.
   • Protected areas cover about 18.4% of land and inland waters and 23.2% of national marine areas.
   • Governments reported 193 million hectares under restoration, but fewer than one-fifth of parties have matching targets.
   • Only 27% of parties have national targets addressing the $500 billion-a-year cut in harmful subsidies.
   • Biodiversity financing is less than half the $200 billion annual target, according to Guterres citing an OECD report.

   Commentary

   The predictable part is that most countries are behind; the less discussed part is where. Finance and harmful subsidies trail, and the report says the drivers of loss sit in agriculture, fisheries, trade and finance, outside the environment ministries that hold most biodiversity policy. Unless those departments take ownership, the four years left will be spent on targets that already exist on paper.

   Sources: news - Mongabay, Macau Business, Belga Share, Mirage News, International Union for Conservation of Nature

2. 2

   EPA moves to repeal most greenhouse gas limits on power plants

   The US Environmental Protection Agency is repealing most greenhouse gas limits on coal and natural gas power plants set under the Biden administration, and is proposing to eliminate all remaining power-sector limits. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the Clean Air Act does not let the agency force technologies that are not proven to work onto power plants, and that the rules provided virtually no benefit. Environmental groups and Senator Maria Cantwell criticized the decision. The Natural Resources Defense Council and Sierra Club have said they will challenge it, and the move follows broader Trump administration rollbacks, including its effort to eliminate the Endangerment Finding.

   Key facts

   • EPA is repealing most greenhouse gas limits for coal and natural gas power plants set under Biden.
   • EPA says repealing the Biden-era standards will save $310 billion.
   • EPA says eliminating the remaining power-sector greenhouse gas standards would save $370 million more.
   • EPA's own data show the power industry is the second-largest US greenhouse gas source, at 24%.
   • EPA will hold a public hearing and allow a 45-day public comment period on the proposed rule.

   Commentary

   The administration's case rests on legal authority rather than on disputing that power plants pollute, so the repeal will likely stand or fall in court. Its emphasis on electricity prices and jobs suggests it is betting that cheaper power outweighs the health and climate costs critics cite.

   Sources: ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos

3. 3

   Brazil reports Amazon deforestation at lowest level since 1988

   Brazil's government said Friday that Amazon deforestation over the past year fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. It credited the drop to President Lula da Silva's revived plan to curb clearing, which had been shelved under Jair Bolsonaro, whose presidency saw a surge in deforestation. Observatório do Clima, a civil society network, said the results showed ending deforestation was possible. Greenpeace Brazil warned the gains could be reversed depending on the October 25 runoff between Flávio Bolsonaro and Lula. Meanwhile, fire counts have tripled since Oct. 4, and authorities are investigating whether some fires were deliberately set for political reasons.

   Key facts

   • Amazon lost 1,300 square miles from August 2025 to July 2026, according to official satellite data.
   • Inpe recorded 3,335 square kilometres of Amazon deforestation in 2026, a 41.81% drop from last year.
   • Cerrado deforestation fell to a record low of 5,516 square kilometres, down 23.76%.
   • Amazon lost 24,648 square kilometres during Lula's third term, 46% less than Bolsonaro's 45,586.
   • Efforts over four years prevented at least 2.238 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases, Observatório do Clima said.

   Commentary

   The satellite drop is the predictable part; what is unsettled is whether the enforcement tools behind it outlast the election. Sanctions and the proposed loan bar depend on the next administration, while agribusiness kept expanding alongside the cut, so the test is whether the policy holds when production and politics press against it.

   Sources: The Weather Channel, The Climate Watch

4. 4

   UN climate panel fails to agree date for global warming update

   After a week of talks in Addis Ababa, the UN's IPCC climate panel failed to agree on when to release its next global warming report, French envoy Benoit Faraco said on Friday. Many countries, including European nations, wanted the seventh assessment report out in 2028 to review progress on cutting emissions. Saudi Arabia, India and China, according to the article, back postponing it to 2029 so developing countries have more time to absorb its findings. Faraco said a broad coalition resisted pressure from a few countries seeking to slow the process. Climate Action Network said it was deeply disappointed and called for talks to be reconvened as early as possible.

   Key facts

   • IPCC talks in Addis Ababa failed to agree a release date for the seventh assessment report after a week.
   • Many countries wanted the report published in 2028; Saudi Arabia, India and China favour 2029.
   • French envoy Benoit Faraco said a few countries pressed to delay publication.
   • Ministers from more than 30 nations signed a letter criticising entrenched interests blocking emissions cuts.
   • IPCC reports are normally released every five to seven years; the sixth came out in 2021.

   Commentary

   The deadlock matters less for the date itself than for what it shows: a minority of states is willing to trade scientific timelines for negotiating room, while the countries most exposed to rising seas are paying the cost of delay. Expect pressure to reconvene, since the signatories of the letter and the Climate Action Network have already made clear they will not accept the stalemate as final.

   Sources: The New Indian Express

5. 5

   UN warns millions in South Asia may be displaced by climate change

   Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), warned that climate change is threatening livelihoods and forcing people from their homes across South Asia. Speaking to AFP during a visit to New Delhi, she said rising seas, flooding and drought are damaging homes and farmland. In a worst-case scenario, up to 40.5 million people in the region may be forced to move by 2050, according to IOM. Pope also said climate change is accelerating urbanisation in India as people seek shelter from heat. She argued that technology and government action could limit the damage, but warned that funding for resilience remains inadequate and that migrants risk exploitation unless safe, legal routes to work keep pace with demand.

   Key facts

   • Nepal's August 26 disaster saw a mountain and glacier collapse trigger deadly flooding.
   • IOM sent humanitarian aid to help after the Nepal flooding.
   • Pope said AI forecasting can identify communities at high risk of displacement before disasters strike.
   • Proposed responses include improved farming, job training and repeated relocation of flood- or drought-hit communities.
   • Pope said no government can meet the scale of the challenge alone.

   Commentary

   What shifts the story is Pope's framing of migration as an adaptation tool, but only when safe routes exist. Early identification could limit displacement, yet unfunded prevention leaves vulnerable communities and workers exposed to traffickers.

   Sources: The Daily Star