Global Climate News

The United States hosted a technical program on Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) from March 3-5, 2025, at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, TX. The event featured presentations and discussions on various themes including subsurface storage, site selection, injectivity challenges, and global CCUS implementation. Companies like Net Power, ExxonMobil, and Chevron participated, highlighting advancements in CO2 storage and utilization technologies. The program also included discussions on policy innovations for CCUS in India and a model for developing oil and gas regions globally, such as the Niger Delta.

The World Bank approved a US$250 million program for Morocco to enhance the climate resilience of its agri-food system and improve food safety. A US$5 million grant from the Livable Planet Fund will support smallholder farmers in adopting climate-smart practices. The program aims to benefit 1.36 million people, including farmers and consumers.

Iraq's Besmaya Natural Gas Combined Cycle power plant has demonstrated successful implementation of a solar-assisted carbon capture and utilization system. The plant has achieved a 99% reduction in CO2 emissions through converting captured CO2 to methanol using hydrogen produced from solar-water splitting, reducing annual emissions from 2.1 million tons to just 16,069 tonnes.

UK-based Anemoi Marine Technologies has completed the installation of five Rotor Sails on Vale's 400,000 dwt Very Large Ore Carrier (VLOC) Sohar Max, making it the largest wind propulsion project to date. The project, completed at COSCO Zhoushan shipyard in China, involves 35m tall, 5m diameter Rotor Sails with a folding deployment system. The installation is expected to reduce fuel consumption by 6% and cut carbon emissions by 3,000 tonnes annually.

The Hydrogen Council, a global CEO-led initiative, announced Masdar, Siemens Energy, and Yara Clean Ammonia as its newest board members, effective January 1, 2025. These additions strengthen the council’s leadership in accelerating the clean energy transition through hydrogen. The new board members bring expertise in areas such as electrolyzers and ammonia production, further enhancing the council’s ability to advance hydrogen technologies.

Saudi Arabia hosted the UNCCD COP16 where FAO emphasized the restoration of agricultural lands to transform agrifood systems. FAO launched a $282 million Food Systems Integrated Program funded by the Global Environment Facility to promote sustainable agrifood systems. FAO also introduced the Suitability Crop Platform to provide soil data for sustainable agriculture.

Saudi Arabia, through the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification (NCVC) and the International Carbon Registry (ICR), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop and implement a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Program focused on Nature-Based Solutions (NBS). The program will include initiatives such as afforestation, mangrove restoration, biochar production, and algae cultivation, aiming to mitigate desertification, enhance biodiversity, and establish Saudi Arabia as a leader in global carbon markets.

At COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, countries have agreed on a new climate finance goal to mobilize $1.3 trillion per year by 2035 for developing countries, with developed nations committing to provide at least $300 billion annually. The agreement includes provisions for scaling up UNFCCC climate funds to $5.2 billion by 2030. Key announcements included Indonesia's commitment to phase out coal power 15 years earlier than planned, China's disclosure of $24 billion in climate finance since 2016, and the launch of a Global Energy Storage and Grids Pledge targeting 1,500 GW of storage by 2030.

NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information has reported that November 2024 was the second-warmest November on record globally, with temperatures 1.34°C above the 20th-century average. The January-November 2024 period was the warmest on record at 1.28°C above average. Record warmth covered 10.6% of Earth's surface, with particularly high temperatures across Africa, Europe, Asia and the Arctic region.