Climate Update
Eine wöchentliche Presseschau zu allen Aspekten der Klimakrise aus der Schweiz und der ganzen Welt zusammen. Die Beiträge sind thematisch sortiert und lassen sich nach Themen und Schlagwörtern filtern. Jede Woche empfehlen wir eine Handvoll besonders interessanter Beiträge.
USA
ANTI-KLIMA
* TRUMP * Trump names oil and gas advocate to lead agency that manages federal lands
Kathleen Sgamma to oversee Bureau of Land Management, agency that manages quarter-billion acres of public land
ANTI-KLIMA
* TRUMPMUSK * Musk’s ‘efficiency’ agency site adds data from controversial rightwing thinktank
Website of ‘Doge’ includes information published by thinktank CEI, which claims to fight ‘climate alarmism’
POLITIK
* TRUMP * Trump Is Freezing Money for Clean Energy. Red States Have the Most to Lose.
About 80 percent of manufacturing investments spurred by a Biden-era climate law have flowed to Republican districts. Efforts to stop federal payments are already causing pain.
ANTI-KLIMA
* TRUMP * Trump Killed a Major Report on Nature. They’re Trying to Publish It Anyway.
The first full draft of the assessment, on the state of America’s land, water and wildlife, was weeks from completion. The project leader called the study “too important to die.”
ANTI-KLIMA
* MUSKTRUMP * Tesla ohne Elon Musk?
Elon Musk unterstützt Rechtspopulisten, die E‑Autos hassen. Welche Strategie verfolgt er damit für Tesla? Steht Tesla am Abgrund? Was können Teslafahrer:innen tun, um Musks Angriffe auf die Demokratie nicht weiter zu unterstützen?
POLITIK
* TRUMP * Move to Freeze E.V. Charger Funding Confounds States
Some have halted work on the Biden-era $5 billion program to build E.V. charging stations. Others plan to keep building. Most are confused.
URSACHEN
Where Coal Is Retiring, and Hanging On, in the U.S.
One of the oldest power plants in the United States, perched on the edge of the nation’s largest coal mine, was slated to close in 2027. But the plant’s operator recently canceled the retirement of the 66-year-old station, according to a draft utility plan published in late December.
ANTI-KLIMA
* MUSKTRUMP * You already know Elon Musk. You need to know Harold Hamm.
The billionaire oil tycoon's fingerprints are all over Trump's high-speed push to crush environmental regulation and renewables.
ANTI-KLIMA
* TRUMP * Billionaire Climate Champions Have Gone Quiet
Since the inauguration, billionaires who funded climate action over the last decade have avoided criticizing Trump’s climate policies.
KLIMAGERECHTIGK.
* TRUMP * U.S. Aid Agency’s Climate Programs Aimed to Curb Migration. Now They’re Gone.
Aid projects were designed to help Central Americans withstand extreme weather at home. Their end could undercut Trump’s goal of reducing migration.
URSACHEN
* TRUMP * Drill, Baby, drill!
Donald Trump macht den Ölkonzernen Hoffnungen auf neue Einnahmequellen. Dabei müsste ein Großteil des Erdöls im Boden bleiben, um den Klimawandel zu stoppen. Wir zeigen, wo man auf keinen Fall bohren sollte.
TECH. & ENERGIE
* TRUMP * Drill, baby drill? Trump policies will hurt climate ― but US green transition is underway
Market forces could undercut the administration’s plans to increase the use of fossil fuels such as oil and petrol.
ANTI-KLIMA
* TRUMP * “We Feel Terrorized”: What EPA Employees Say About the Decision to Stay or Go Under Trump
More than 300 career employees at the Environmental Protection Agency have left. Those who remain face a painful decision: resign or work for an administration that plans to radically reshape the EPA while reversing environmental protections.
ANTI-KLIMA
* TRUMP * The Known Unknowns of President Elon
What we don’t know about Elon Musk’s federal takeover
WISSENSCHAFTEN
* TRUMP * Chaos erupts in US science as Trump’s team declares freeze on federal grants
The freeze’s effect on research is still unclear, but scientists fear ‘incalculable’ damage.
POLITIK
* TRUMP * EPA Tells More Than 1,000 They Could Be Fired ‘Immediately’
A spokeswoman for Lee Zeldin, the new head of the agency, said the goal was to create an “effective and efficient” federal work force.
ANTI-KLIMA WISSENSCHAFTEN
Scientists brace ‘for the worst’ as Trump purges climate mentions from websites
Trump administration pulling references online ‘won’t make crisis’ stop affecting Americans’ lives, say experts
ANTI-KLIMA WISSENSCHAFTEN
* TRUMP * Doge staffers enter Noaa headquarters and incite reports of cuts and threats
Members reportedly sought access to IT systems at agency that Project 2025 has called ‘harmful to US prosperity’
POLITIK
* TRUMP * Le retrait des Etats-Unis des Accords de Paris profitera surtout à la Chine
Washington ne participera pas au financement de la transition énergétique des pays les plus pauvres comme prévu, ce qui risque d’avoir des effets en cascade, écrit David Hiler, ancien conseiller d’Etat vert genevois. Sauf pour la Chine…
WISSENSCHAFTEN
* TRUMP * As Trump Administration Purges Climate Data and Web Pages, Research Groups Scramble to Save Information
The Trump administration has directed federal agency staff to remove climate references and scientific data from many web pages. Researchers are rushing to archive it.
URSACHEN
Kentucky’s Mountaintop Mines Are Turned Into Neighborhoods
As the risk of extreme flooding increases with climate change, an effort is underway to relocate hundreds of flood survivors to unique higher ground.
AUSWIRKUNGEN WIRTSCHAFT
The L.A. fires have a shocking price tag — and we’ll all have to pick up the tab
California’s last resort for fire insurance may fail. We should all pay attention to what happens next.
WISSENSCHAFTEN
* TRUMP * ‘Canary in a Coal Mine’: Data Scientists Restore a Climate Justice Tool Taken Down by Trump
As one of its first acts, the Trump administration removed the online data tool used to allocate money to environmental justice communities. In two days, a coalition of data scientists had restored it on an independent internet domain.
MILDERUNG & ANPASS.
Arctic geoengineering experiment shuts down over environmental risks
US-based nonprofit Arctic Ice Project has cancelled tests in Alaska because of potential disruption to the food chain
POLITIK
* USA * Trump rescinded a half-century of environmental rules. Here’s what that could mean.
Trump wants to “unleash American energy.” What does that mean?
ANTI-KLIMA
* USA * The far right is going … green?
Something strange is happening inside the environmental movement.
AUSWIRKUNGEN
* L.A. FIRES * Climate change helped turn L.A. into dry tinderbox before fires, scientists find
Unusually dry winter weather meant fires had lots of fuel to burn through, just as strong winds were blowing to spread the flames
URSACHEN
* USA * Oil Companies Embrace Trump, but Not ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’
Oil and gas executives welcomed President Trump’s early moves on energy policy, but many said they did not plan to increase production unless prices rose significantly.
POLITIK
* USA * Inside Trump’s Renewed Effort to Undo a Major Climate Rule
A rule known as the endangerment finding requires the E.P.A. to regulate greenhouse gases. It has proved resilient against earlier attacks.
WISSENSCHAFTEN
La recherche sur la fonte des glaces se heurte aux troubles géopolitiques
Alors que l'effet du changement climatique sur la fonte des glaces s'accélère, les Nations unies ont décrété mardi une "Année internationale pour la préservation des glaciers" en 2025. Mais la nécessaire recherche scientifique se heurte au contexte géopolitique, aux résistances idéologiques et à l'avidité de certains gouvernements.
AUSWIRKUNGEN
* FEUX EN L.A. * La fréquence des incendies pose des questions sur la pertinence de la reconstruction
Alors que la Californie est touchée par la sécheresse, les vagues de chaleur et les feux à répétition depuis plusieurs années, Los Angeles est-elle condamnée à devenir de moins en moins habitable à cause du changement climatique? Faut-il arrêter d'y construire?
KLIMAGERECHTIGK.
* USA * After Trump’s pullback, Bloomberg promises to fill US funding gap to UN climate body
The announcement comes after Trump said the US should “immediately cease or revoke” any financial commitment made under the UNFCCC
MILDERUNG & ANPASS.
* USA * Trump May Thwart Federal Climate Action, but Opportunities for Progress Remain
With President Trump’s recent election victory, the United States faces a shifting policy landscape. The potential negative repercussions for climate and environmental action are gargantuan.
POLITIK
* USA * Trump Wants to Unleash Energy, as Long as It’s Not Wind or Solar
Legal experts said the president was testing the boundaries of executive power with aggressive orders designed to stop the country from transitioning to renewable energy.
TECH. & ENERGIE
* USA * Trump’s Retreat From Clean Energy Puts the U.S. Out of Step With the World
Most major economies are investing in ever-cheaper solar and wind power. The United States risks further ceding a global market to China.
POLITIK
* WEF * Leaders at Davos Economic Forum Vow to ‘Stay the Course’ on Climate Action
Officials and business executives at the annual gathering in Switzerland said the fight against global climate change would continue with or without the United States.
TECH. & ENERGIE
* USA * Wind Power Faces Huge Challenges After Trump Orders a Crackdown
In a sweeping order, President Trump halted federal approvals for new wind farms, in a move that could affect projects on land and in the ocean.
ANTI-KLIMA
* USA * Trump Stocks E.P.A. With Oil, Gas and Chemical Lobbyists
Top political appointees are already at the E.P.A. preparing to erase the agency’s climate rules and pollution controls. Many of them have tried it before.
EMPFOHLEN POLITIK
* USA * Trump unravels US climate agenda as he promises to ‘drill, baby, drill’
From declaring a “national energy emergency” to exiting the Paris Agreement, here is everything climate-related Trump did on Day 1.
WIRTSCHAFT
Buckle Up for a ‘Weird Moment’ in the U.S. Electric Vehicle Market, Even as Global Sales Have Soared
EV sales slowed in the United States in 2024 and Donald Trump may further disrupt the industry by cutting incentives.
AUSWIRKUNGEN
* L.A. FIRES * Are Southern California Fires Outpacing Wildlife’s Ability to Adapt?
The increased frequency and size of conflagrations like those burning in LA threaten even species that evolved with wildfires, including the region’s struggling mountain lions.
MEDIEN & ÖFF. MEINUNG
* L.A. FIRES * Media reaction: The 2025 Los Angeles wildfires and the role of climate change
More than a dozen wildfires have been sweeping through Los Angeles in California, consuming tens of thousands of acres of land and devastating some of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in the US.
POLITIK
* TRUMP * How states will keep fighting for climate progress under Trump
“This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here.” This coverage is made possible in part through a partnership with Grist and Interlochen Public Radio in northern Michigan.
POLITIK
* TRUMP * Trump vows to ‘unleash’ oil and gas drilling as he rolls back climate rules
President declares energy emergency, reiterates Paris withdrawal plan and overturns emissions standards
POLITIK
* BIDEN / TRUMP * Als Trump das Käppi hochging
Noch-US-Präsident Joe Biden hat große Ozeanflächen unter Schutz gestellt. Er poliert damit sein Bild vor der Geschichte auf. Bleiben wird von den Last-Minute-Dekreten wohl wenig.
POLITIK
* TRUMP * Trump unravels US climate agenda as he promises to ‘drill, baby, drill’
From declaring a “national energy emergency” to exiting the Paris Agreement, here is everything climate-related Trump did on Day 1.
POLITIK
* TRUMP * De retour à la Maison Blanche, Donald Trump signe une rafale de décrets
Tout juste investi, Donald Trump a signé une pluie décrets présidentiels lundi dont le retrait des États-Unis de l'OMS et de l'accord de Paris sur le climat
AUSWIRKUNGEN
* BRÄNDE IN L.A. * Waldbrände und das Klima haben eine Wechselwirkung
Die schweren Waldbrände im Süden des US-Bundesstaats Kalifornien halten an. Die kurzfristigen Folgen dieser Katastrophe sind nicht zu übersehen. Doch auch langfristig haben solche Feuer Auswirkungen auf den Klimawandel. Ein Wissenschaftler schätzt ein. – Interview mit Geoforscher Manuel Helbig.
POLITIK
* TRUMP * What Trump’s second term means for climate action in the US and beyond
The new president is expected to exit the Paris Agreement, slash climate finance and wage war on science – but clean energy may get an easier ride
WISSENSCHAFTEN
* TRUMP * He Targeted Scientists in His First Term. This Time, They’re Prepared.
Agencies and unions have put in place new guardrails designed to limit political interference in government research.
AUSWIRKUNGEN
* L.A. FIRES * More Americans Than Ever Are Living in Wildfire Areas. L.A. Is No Exception.
The growth of homes in areas primed to burn played a major role in the disaster.
POLITIK
* TRUMP * Motherfrackers
Trump’s presidency is a reversion to autocratic tyranny. Only concerted resistance can stop it from spreading.
KULTUR & BILDUNG
* L.A. FIRES * Le fascinant destin d’Octavia Butler, l’auteure qui a prédit les incendies de Los Angeles
L’ouvrage de science-fiction «Parable of the Sower» de l’Afro-Américaine Octavia Butler résonne terriblement avec les incendies de Los Angeles et la très prochaine investiture de Donald Trump. A Altadena où elle est enterrée, sa clairvoyance et son intelligence continuent d’inspirer
WIRTSCHAFT
* TRUMP * Net-Zero-Banking nach Trump: Die US-Finanzriesen steigen aus
Die US-Bankriesen treten aus der Net-Zero Banking Alliance aus. Denn Donald Trump hat nichts für diesen «Schwindel» übrig.
TECH. & ENERGIE
* TRUMP * 14 New LNG Export Facilities Will Cause U.S. Energy Bills to Rise, Emissions to Skyrocket
New report finds Big Oil, Saudis, and Chinese companies will be main beneficiaries of Trump’s methane export boom
RECHT
* L.A. FIRES * Fire Survivors Call for Accountability for Big Oil’s Role in Causing Infernos in Los Angeles
Victims of the fires raging across Los Angeles today demanded justice and accountability from the actors most responsible for the climate change that exacerbated suffering and losses: the Big Oil companies that created the climate conditions driving the fires.
AUSWIRKUNGEN
* L.A. FIRES * Los Angeles is a climate disaster. The fires will change nothing
Los Angeles is burning. Fossil fuel companies laid the kindling. Soon the world will stop caring.
ANTI-KLIMA
* TRUMP & L.A. FIRES * Los Angeles wildfires have become perfect fuel for Trump and climate denial
Misinformation is spreading rapidly as experts say climate change is the likely accelerant for California's crisis
WIRTSCHAFT
* L.A. FIRES * California overhauled its insurance system. Then Los Angeles caught fire.
Several fires in California could cause billions in damage, further straining the state’s fragile insurance market.
AUSWIRKUNGEN
* L.A. FIRES * The unusually strong force behind the apocalyptic fires in Los Angeles
“This is not a typical Santa Ana.”
URSACHEN
US emissions ‘unchanged’ in 2024 despite coal power at lowest level since 1967
Despite coal-power output in the US falling to its lowest level in nearly 60 years, the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions fell by just 0.2% in 2024, according to new research from the Rhodium Group.
AUSWIRKUNGEN
* L.A. FIRES * The chronicle of a fire foretold
The current fires in Los Angeles are reminders of the costs of forgetting, Rebecca Solnit writes.
TECH. & ENERGIE
* USA * After Fierce Lobbying, Treasury Sets Rules for Billions in Hydrogen Subsidies
With a lucrative tax credit, the Biden administration is hoping to establish a new industry that might help fight climate change.
RECHT
Exxon Sues California Official, Claiming He Defamed the Company
The lawsuit, an unusual strategy for the oil giant, comes after California’s attorney general sued Exxon last year alleging it misled the public about plastics recycling.
TECH. & ENERGIE
* USA * Trump Promises to End New Wind Farms
Wind energy is one of the fastest growing and cheapest forms of electricity in the United States. The president-elect calls it “garbage.”
POLITIK
* USA | TRUMP * A Key Part of Biden’s Climate Law Was Built to Survive Trump. Now, the Test.
A lucrative tax credit for renewable energy could be hard to kill because it applies to a technologies favored by Republicans, not just wind and solar.
ANTI-KLIMA
* L.A. FIRES * Scientists Say Musk Wrongly Downplays Climate Role
Posting on the social media site he owns, Mr. Musk blamed the fires on government. Scientists said a warming planet set the conditions.
TECH. & ENERGIE
* USA | TRUMP * Trump Wants Oil Drilling in Alaska. A Lease Sale There Just Flopped.
No companies bid for the chance to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It was the second auction in four years that failed to draw strong interest.
POLITIK
* ÉTATS-UNIS * Joe Biden fait un dernier geste pour l’environnement et contre Donald Trump
Avant de céder le pouvoir, le président américain a annoncé ce lundi l'interdiction des nouveaux forages d'hydrocarbures sur une vaste zone maritime. La décision vise à freiner son rival républicain, grand défenseur des énergies fossiles
AUSWIRKUNGEN
* L.A. FIRES * The L.A. Fires and the Big Bang
The human quest for knowledge, and the descent into willful blindness
POLITIK
* USA | TRUMP * The Carter/Reagan moment and the Biden/Trump moment
We can't let momentum disappear again.
KULTUR & BILDUNG
* USA * «Jimmy Carter fut le président américain le plus environnementaliste de l’histoire»
Le biographe de Jimmy Carter, Jonathan Alter, révèle au «Temps» des aspects méconnus du 39e président des Etats-Unis décédé le 29 décembre à l'âge de 100 ans.
KULTUR & BILDUNG
* USA * What Happened to Carter’s White House Solar Panels? They Lived On.
The panels, removed under Ronald Reagan, found new homes from Maine to China. And their legacy still reverberates.
POLITIK
* USA * Will Trump Cut Short the Biden Clean-Energy Boom? Investors Are Nervous.
President-elect Donald J. Trump is expected to roll back many of the rules and subsidies that have attracted billions of dollars from the private sector to renewable energy and electric vehicles.
RECHT
* NEW YORK * Hochul Signs Law That Penalizes Companies for Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The measure will seek to raise funds to pay for some of the damage caused by extreme weather events, which are becoming more frequent because of the combustion of fossil fuels.
POLITIK
* USA * Biden Expected to Permanently Ban Oil Drilling in Some Federal Waters
The move, expected as early as Monday, relies on a 70-year-old law that could make it difficult for the Trump administration to reverse it.
POLITIK
* USA * Trump Wants Greenland and the Panama Canal. It’s About Climate.
Global warming is making both places more important to global shipping and trade.
ANTI-KLIMA
* USA * How Elon Musk Backed Away From His Climate Crusade
Once one of America’s most outspoken voices on the threat of climate change, Elon Musk now argues these existential risks have been overstated. This shifting stance could influence Trump and help the Tesla CEO’s businesses.
ANTI-KLIMA
* USA * Die Transformation des Elon Musk
Vor einigen Wochen schaltete sich Elon Musk in den vorweihnachtlichen Bundestags-Wahlkampf ein. Auf seiner Social-Media-Plattform X ließ er seine 208 Millionen Follower:innen wissen: "Nur die AfD kann Deutschland noch retten."
RECHT
New York to charge fossil fuel companies for damage from climate change
Large fossil fuel companies would have to pay fees to help New York fight the effects of climate change under a bill signed by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul
TECH. & ENERGIE WIRTSCHAFT
Inside the Race to the Top
The race for cleantech among Chinese provinces, US states, and European countries
TECH. & ENERGIE
* 2024 * Chart: Wind and solar overtook coal on the US grid in 2024
The renewable energy sources together generated more electricity than coal-fired power plants from January to November of this year.
POLITIK
* USA * Biden Pulled Off a $370 Billion Miracle for the Climate. Where Did the Money Go?
Turns out, it’s surprisingly hard to spend government cash.
WIRTSCHAFT
Insurers Are Deserting Homeowners as Climate Shocks Worsen
Without insurance, it’s impossible to get a mortgage; without a mortgage, most Americans can’t buy a home.
WIRTSCHAFT
‘Unfettered’ Gas Exports Would Harm U.S. Economy, Energy Secretary Warns
Jennifer Granholm said a new analysis showed that the continued pace of exports was “neither sustainable nor advisable.”
WISSENSCHAFTEN
* BEFORE TRUMP * Dread and determination: how climate scientists are preparing for Trump 2.0
Anxiety, uncertainty and a renewed sense of purpose are surging in the community.
WIRTSCHAFT
US-LNG-Gas hat Europa gerettet, aber der Preis ist hoch
Seit dem Ukrainekrieg muss Europa den Gasbedarf mit teuren Importen decken, auch aus den USA. Trump droht sonst mit Zöllen.
POLITIK
* BEFORE TRUMP * Biden, Headed to the Exit, Sets an Aggressive Climate Goal for the U.S.
The promise of deeper emissions cuts will very likely be ignored by the Trump administration, but officials hoped it would send a signal to the world.
RECHT
Montana supreme court upholds right to ‘stable climate system’ for youngsters
Court rules in favor of 16 young people who said their health and prospects were being imperiled by climate crisis
WISSENSCHAFTEN
* TRUMP * A Washington, les scientifiques du climat sont effrayés par le retour de Donald Trump
La conférence de l’American Geophyscial Union, le plus grand rassemblement mondial de scientifiques du climat, s’est achevée vendredi. Entre peurs et impuissance face à une future administration prête à débrider l’exploitation des énergies fossiles, les spécialistes cherchent des stratégies pour limiter les dégâts
MILDERUNG & ANPASS.
Indigenous Knowledge Is Key to Better Ocean Management
Communities like the Makahs, Yakamas and Puyallup lived in harmony with the rivers and coasts of the U.S. Pacific Northwest for generations. They revered the salmon, relying on it for food, livelihoods and cultural traditions. Waterways and salmon populations thrived — and so did native communities. But beginning in the mid-1800s, everything changed.
AUSWIRKUNGEN
Ocean Heat Wiped Out Half These Seabirds Around Alaska
About four million common murres were killed by a domino effect of ecosystem changes, and the population is showing no signs of recovery, according to new research.
ANTI-KLIMA
* TRUMP * Trump’s Choice to Run Energy Says Fossil Fuels Are Virtuous
Chris Wright, Donald Trump’s pick for energy secretary, says oil, gas and coal are key to solving global poverty. Some call that misleading.
BEWEGUNG
* UNDER TRUMP * As Teenagers, They Protested Trump’s Climate Policy. Now What?
Some young climate activists who were galvanized under Donald Trump’s first presidency are taking a different approach to his second.
POLITIK
What could a US-China trade war mean for the energy transition?
Ahead of Donald Trump’s second term as US president, a rerun of his first trade war with China is firmly on the cards – and minerals key to the energy transition may end up in the crossfire.
ANTI-KLIMA
* TRUMP * What Trump’s Cabinet Picks and Advisers Say About Climate Change
President-elect Donald Trump’s chief advisers would include one person who calls global warming an “existential” threat and some who don’t accept it as a problem at all.
POLITIK
* BEFORE TRUMP * A $400 Billion Clean Energy Program Is Racing to Get Money Out the Door
Some fear Donald Trump could freeze the Energy Department’s loan office, which supports electric vehicles, geothermal, nuclear and other novel technologies.
RECHT
* ICJ HEARINGS * U.S. Defends Climate Accord as Nations Call for Stronger Global Action
In a landmark international hearing on climate change, a U.S. representative backed the Paris Agreement, but left unanswered questions about U.S. commitments in a Trump presidency.