Global Climate News

The Government of Canada announced a federal investment of over **$8 million** through the Sustainable Jobs Training Fund to support the **Sustainable North: Our Workforce** project led by the Mine Training Society. - **Main action:** The Government of Canada is providing **over $8 million** via the Sustainable Jobs Training Fund to the Sustainable North: Our Workforce project to deliver **in-person skills training** to **nearly 1,850** mid-career and new workers, including **Indigenous people in remote communities** across the Northwest Territories; the project will **establish an advisory committee** of employers, industry stakeholders and community service agencies and is being delivered in partnership with **DeBeers Canada** and **Burgundy Diamond Mines**. - **Background and details:** This project is **one of eight initiatives** funded through the Sustainable Jobs Training Fund, which will support **more than 10,000 Canadian workers**; the call for proposals for the 2024 application period ran **March 8, 2024 to May 15, 2024** via the **Grants and Contributions Online Services (GCOS)** portal; the announcement references Canada's interim **Sustainable Jobs Plan 2023 to 2025**, and includes statistics such as **~1.3 million expected retirements** across sectors over the next three years and an RBC estimate of **~400,000 new jobs** demanded by the net-zero transition between 2021-2030.

The European Union notified its decision to appeal the panel report in DS618 concerning countervailing duties on biodiesel imports from Indonesia. - **EU appeal notified** at the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) meeting on **26 September**; the **panel report** was circulated on **22 August 2025**; **no Appellate Body Division available** at present to hear the appeal; further information will be provided in **WT/DS618/5** within the next few days. - **Background and related developments:** **Indonesia** expressed regret at the EU appeal and the **EU** invited Indonesia to join the **MPIA**; **China** reported it had fully complied with the MPIA arbitration award in **DS611** while calling aspects of the award "deeply concerning"; **Colombia (on behalf of 130 members)** reintroduced for the **90th** time a proposal to start selection processes to fill Appellate Body vacancies; the **United States** does not support that proposed decision and cited a **lack of effective outcomes** (delays, non-compliance); next regular DSB meeting: **24 October 2025**; DSB Chair **Ambassador Clare Kelly** and General Council Chair **Ambassador Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel** plan formal joint consultations after the October General Council meeting.

The Environment Agency prosecuted five organisations after discovering large-scale illegal stockpiling of construction waste at two Suffolk farms; courts fined the firms and ordered Nicholls Ltd to pay a proceeds of crime order. - **Main action:** **Five organisations pleaded guilty** to illegal waste activities after investigators found **~121,000 tonnes** of waste dumped at **Hill Farm** and **The Anchorage** in Iken between **2016 and 2018**; the court imposed combined fines and orders including **£70,666 in fines**, a **£425,000 proceeds of crime order** against Nicholls Ltd, and Environment Agency costs of **£102,250**. - **Background and details:** **Nicholls Ltd** transported the waste on behalf of **East Suffolk Water Management Board** without permits; the waste (wood, plastic, concrete, brick) was wrongly described as soil and breached two registered waste exemptions. Fines breakdown: **Nicholls Ltd £26,666** (plus **£425,000** proceeds order), **Howard Construction £18,000**, **Barconn Ltd £14,000**, **Landex £8,000**, **East Suffolk Water Management Board £4,000**. Costs ordered: **Nicholls £62,000**, **Water Management Board £15,500**, **Howard Construction £7,750**, **Barconn £7,500**, **Landex £7,500**; **victim surcharges totalling £850**.

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) has extended intermittent alternating lane closures on the J.C. Van Horne Bridge and Salmon Boulevard by one month to carry out additional maintenance work. - **Extended schedule:** The closures originally scheduled from **Tuesday, September 9 to Tuesday, September 30** have been extended by **1 month**; the updated period is **Tuesday, September 9 to Friday, October 31**. During this period, **daytime or nighttime lane closures with alternating traffic** may occur and motorists should expect **short delays**. - **Pedestrian access & operational details:** **One sidewalk** will remain open at all times; road users must **obey signage and instructions from flag persons on site**. The **schedule may change depending on weather conditions**. Contact: Real Property Services, Public Services and Procurement Canada; follow PSPC on **X (Twitter)** and **Facebook**.

KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) has announced the third KIT Science Week 2025 themed **"City of the Future"**, running from **14–19 October 2025**, combining a scientific congress with participatory public events and the InnovationFestival @karlsruhe.digital. - Main announcement and format details: **KIT Science Week 2025** is a week-long, participative event mixing a top-level scientific conference and public programming focused on **sustainable architecture, smart mobility, urban planning, digital innovations, and AI**; **InnovationFestival @karlsruhe.digital** will take part to showcase digital solutions and startups. More than **half of the events target children, adolescents, families, and school classes**; KIT is presented as **The Research University in the Helmholtz Association** with about **10,000 employees** and **22,800 students** (institutional background). - Event highlights, dates, times, locations and agenda/subject (verifiable facts): - **Official Opening / Keynote** — Tuesday, 14 Oct 2025, **19:30 hrs**, KIT Audimax, Straße am Forum 1, 76131 Karlsruhe; keynote by **Sabine Knierbein** (TU Vienna); exhibition opens 18:00 hrs. - **Scientific Conference: "Urban Transformation"** — Wed 15 Oct to Fri 17 Oct 2025; researchers present and discuss urban-space research; public "Keynote in Dialogue" on Wed 15 Oct at 18:30 hrs. - **Science on the Rocks** — Wed 15 Oct 2025, starting **18:00 hrs**, Karlsruhe Oststadt (three bars: Gazebo 18:00–19:00, Maschinenhaus 19:30–20:30, Gottesauer Eck 21:00–22:00); topics include **AI, nutrition, mobility, architecture**. - **Autonomous Driving debate ("13 Questions")** — Thu 16 Oct 2025, **19:00–21:00 hrs**, TOLLHAUS cultural center, Alter Schlachthof 35; interactive debate on autonomous local transport. - **InnovationFestival @karlsruhe.digital** — Fri 17 Oct 2025, **14:00–19:00 hrs**, ZKM Media Theater and via Live Stream; spotlight on digital sovereignty, AI in cities, mobility, energy supply, and urban infrastructure. - **Lecture: Christian Ude — "Nachhaltigkeit ist mehr – Städte in Zeiten des Klimawandels"** — Fri 17 Oct 2025, **17:00–18:30 hrs**, KIT Audimax; admission free, no prior registration required. - **Dialogue with citizens: "Turbulenzen global, mitgestalten lokal"** — Sat 18 Oct 2025, **14:00–18:00 hrs**, TRIANGEL Transfer | Kultur | Raum, Kaiserstraße 93; prior registration required. - **Nerds at Work (MAITHINK X-Science podcast recording)** — Sat 18 Oct 2025, **20:00–22:30 hrs**, Kulturzentrum TOLLHAUS; presenters Dr. Jens Foell and Dr. Christian Scharun; prior registration required.

HM Revenue & Customs has published guidance on how businesses can apply to use the Freeport customs special procedure. - **Main action:** Guidance explains how to **apply for Freeport customs special procedure authorisation (form FPT2)**; applicants must have a **provisional agreement with the local customs site operator**, and provide **EORI number, business information (address, company registration number, contact details), PAYE Scheme Reference (if any), and Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR)**. The FPT2 form is provided as a **PDF (476 KB, 10 pages)**; application steps: **download**, open with the **latest free Adobe Reader**, complete on-screen, and submit by **email or post**. Contact: **freeportbusinessapplications@hmrc.gov.uk** or post to **Freeport Authorisations, HM Revenue and Customs, BX9 2AA**. Applicants must comply with authorisation conditions (e.g., **paying Customs Duty**, keeping records, security and control of goods) and may be required to move goods out if they pose a **threat to humans, animals, plant health or the environment**. - **Background and other details:** The page was **published 20 September 2021** and **last updated 26 September 2025** (notable updates: **26 Sep 2025** Section A12 updated to include Welsh and Scottish Freeports; **3 Feb 2025** added information about the post-application letter). The guidance distinguishes requirements for **storage activity** (commodity codes, descriptions, quantities, values; excise classes; hazardous or perishable goods) and **processing activity** (goods details and how they will be processed; separate excise production regime needed for producing excise goods). Accessibility assistance is available via **different.format@hmrc.gov.uk**.

The Department for Transport has published guidance specifying the road condition monitoring standard PAS 2161 and how local authorities must report road condition data. - **Publication:** PAS 2161:2024 guidance published by the **Department for Transport** on **28 May 2025**, specifying how **local authorities** must fulfil **road condition data reporting requirements** and outlining which **survey technologies** can be used. **Applies to England.** - **Updates & supporting documents:** The guidance was **last updated 26 September 2025** to add a **list of approved road condition monitoring technologies**; supporting documents include the main PAS 2161 guidance (gov.uk), an approved technologies list hosted on **UKRLG/CIHT**, and a **2021 position paper** that informed development.

The Western Cape Government completed a benchmarking engagement with São Paulo ahead of the 12th Regional Leaders’ Summit (RLS). - **Main action:** The Western Cape conducted a benchmarking visit to **São Paulo (population ~20 million)** to study advanced **infrastructure and logistics** (road networks, port management, urban planning) and to gather lessons to adapt for the Western Cape in preparation for the **12th RLS in November 2025**. - **Background & focus areas:** Engagement covered **economic development and tourism**, **innovation and technology (including artificial intelligence and digitalisation)**, **climate change and sustainability**, and **safety and security** (including study of **São Paulo’s State Military Police model**). - 12th Regional Leaders’ Summit (RLS): - Date: **November 2025** - Location: **Cape Town, South Africa** - Theme/Agenda: **"Growth through Economic Resilience"**

Svebio held Fuel Market Day 2025 in Stockholm and online on September 25, 2025. - **Event details and main action:** Svebio hosted **Fuel Market Day 2025** (25 September 2025) under the theme **“Navigating a changing world – Bioenergy as Europe’s growth and innovation engine”**; the session **“Between Policy and Practice: Navigating EU rules shaping bioenergy markets”** featured Jérémie Geelen (Market Intelligence Director, Bioenergy Europe) who addressed **implementation of REDIII**, the **Ecodesign Directive**, **LULUCF**, and **EUDR**, with practical focus on **traceability**, **timing**, and **compliance risks**. - **Background and topics covered:** The conference highlighted that **bioenergy supplies 54% of renewable energy** in the EU and **avoids 300 million tonnes of CO₂ annually**; discussions covered **market outlooks**, **sourcing trends**, **technology innovations**, and **resilience of Europe’s biomass supply**. - Date: **25 September 2025** - Location: **Stockholm** and **online** - Agenda / subject: Bioenergy market outlook, EU policy implementation (REDIII, Ecodesign, LULUCF, EUDR), traceability and compliance

CPC Corporation, Taiwan has announced emergency fuel-response measures after overflow from the Mataian Creek landslide lake caused severe flooding in Guangfu, Hualien. - **Main action:** CPC immediately **activated emergency fuel-response measures**, partnered with **Taiwan Sugar Corporation** to use **Dajin Gas Station** (Taiwan Sugar Dajin station at No. 232, Sec. 1, Zhongshan Rd., Guangfu Township) as an **alternative fueling site**, completed cross-district dispatch to maintain public fuel supply; **route change effective Sept 24** (now via Provincial Highway 11 → Yuchang Highway → Provincial Highway 9, ~166 km) and unified dispatch from **Hualien Fuel Supply Center Beipu Depot**. - **Additional details/background:** CPC reported the original tanker route via Provincial Highway 9 (~51.5 km) was interrupted due to Mataian Creek bridge washout; **Taitung dispatched 100 empty small containers** (50 gasoline 10 L, 50 diesel 20 L) for emergency refueling of machinery/equipment/vehicles; CPC will rapidly complete **dredging and restoration of two directly operated stations** and will coordinate with the **Central Emergency Operation Center "Hualien Mataian Creek Landslide Lake Disaster Forward Coordination Office"**. Station hours for Taiwan Sugar Dajin station: **06:30–21:30**, Tel: **03-8705800**.

Stony Brook-led researchers launched GOTHAAM, an NSF-funded airborne campaign led by John Mak (SoMAS) to measure precursors to smog over the New York metropolitan area using the NSF/NCAR C-130 aircraft. - **Campaign details:** GOTHAAM is the largest airborne campaign in the area, conducted over **six weeks** from a base at **MacArthur Airport**, performing **over 20 research flights** (each 6–8 hours) aboard the **NSF/NCAR C-130** (capable of carrying **13,000 pounds** of instruments); the team includes researchers from **more than seven universities**, NCAR, and Stony Brook scientists Daniel Knopf, Paul Shepson, and Christine Gilbert. - **Scientific focus and timeline:** The project targets **VOCs**, daytime and **nighttime chemistry** (including nitrate radicals and chlorine from sea salt), and uses instruments such as **mass spectrometers, particle analyzers, and laser sensors** to detect hundreds of compounds in real time; data processing will take **months**, with results expected to begin emerging within a year; background context notes **2021 ozone exceedances** in the region (7 of 11 stations above federal standards).

Governor Gavin Newsom announced two new international climate partnerships with Brazil and Kenya at Climate Week in New York. - **Main announcement:** Governor Newsom launched new partnerships **between California and Brazil** and **between California and Kenya** to scale cooperation on **climate action, clean energy, cutting pollution, and boosting trade**, announced on the sidelines of Climate Week/UN General Assembly in New York; the Brazil partnership is positioned ahead of **COP30 in November 2025** and the Kenya partnership included a bilateral meeting with **Kenyan President William Ruto**. - **Background & additional facts:** California reported **nearly 23% of new medium- and heavy-duty truck sales were ZEVs in 2024**, **201,180 fully public and shared EV charging ports** statewide, **more than 11.5 million households** will automatically receive **electric bill refunds in October** via the **California Climate Credit**, and the historic legislation signed last week anticipates **up to $60 billion** for the electric Climate Credit through **2045**; Governor Newsom also met delegations led by **Ambassador Kevin Rudd and Chris Bowen (Australia)**, **Ed Miliband (UK)**, and **Wopke Hoekstra (EU Commissioner)**, and highlighted state metrics including **20% GHG reductions since 2000**, **~15,000 MW battery storage**, and **over 25,000 MW of new resources** added to the grid.

The Government of Canada announced $2.8 million in funding through the Quiet Vessel Initiative to support seven Indigenous communities along the Trans Mountain Expansion Project marine shipping route to measure and reduce underwater vessel noise. - **Main announcement:** The Honourable Steven MacKinnon announced **$2.8 million** in funding under the **Quiet Vessel Initiative** for **seven Indigenous communities** (Tsartlip First Nation, Malahat Nation, Penelakut Tribe, Stz’uminus First Nation, Snuneymuxw First Nation, T’Sou-ke First Nation, Halalt First Nation) to **build and improve scientific capacity** to measure and monitor local impacts of underwater vessel noise affecting endangered marine mammals such as **Southern Resident killer whales**. - **Background and program details:** The Quiet Vessel Initiative was **launched in 2019** and funds technologies, vessel designs, retrofits and operational practices to make ships quieter; this initiative is listed among accommodation measures related to communities adjacent to the **Trans Mountain Expansion marine shipping route**.

Transport Canada announced funding under its Quiet Vessel Initiative to support Indigenous-led monitoring of underwater vessel noise along the Trans Mountain Expansion Project marine shipping route (September 25, 2025). - **Main action:** Transport Canada’s Quiet Vessel Initiative will fund **seven Indigenous communities** (T’Sou-ke, Tsartlip, Malahat, Penelakut, Stz'uminus, Snuneymuxw, Halalt) with individual grants ranging from **$397,375 to $400,000** to build scientific capacity to **measure and monitor underwater vessel noise** and assess impacts on marine mammals, including the **Southern Resident killer whale**. - **Project details & background:** Projects include deployment of **shore-based and vessel-mounted hydrophones**, integration of **Automatic Identification System (AIS)** and camera data, use of **autonomous surface vessels**, dashboards for real-time noise/whale localization, community training, IT procurement, and multi-year community-based monitoring in locations such as **Saanich Inlet** (no implementation timeline beyond the announcement provided).

Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Research have launched a second international funding call to back renewable hydrogen and derivative projects in non-European countries. - **Main announcement:** The ministries announced a **second international funding call** (building on **2021 funding guidelines**) to support projects **outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland**; **Module 1** (run by the economics ministry) will fund **construction of renewable hydrogen and derivative production facilities** and preparatory scientific studies, while **dedicated support for storage and transport infrastructure has been dropped** (but can be included within generation projects). - **Additional details:** **Module 2** (overseen by the research ministry) will fund **research, industrial trials, and training programmes** that **must link directly to a Module 1 initiative abroad**; the scheme is framed to expand opportunities for **German firms** to lead global hydrogen supply chains.