European policymakers are easing climate regulations under the guise of competitiveness, sparking concerns over the long-term impact on innovation and sustainability, with industry leaders questioning whether this shift heralds a broader retreat from climate commitments. In February, Emmanuel Macron warned that Europe faced a “geopolitical and geoeconomic emergency”, a language that captured the mood in Brussels ahead of a summit dominated by competitiveness. The French president argued that the continent needed to remove barriers to growth and invest more aggressively if it was not to be overtaken by American technology and Chinese imports. That urgency has helped push climate policy…

California regulators have delayed the final decision on key amendments to the state’s cap-and-invest system and greenhouse gas reporting rules, allowing more time for stakeholders to submit feedback amid growing influence of the programme on regional and global emissions strategies. California regulators have given industry, lawmakers and other stakeholders a few extra days to weigh in on proposed changes to the state’s cap-and-invest system and its greenhouse gas reporting rules, extending the public comment deadline to 4 May 2026. The California Air Resources Board said the extension applies to the modified text for the proposed amendments to both the California…

A new report reveals India’s leading steel producers are failing to translate net-zero targets into tangible progress, risking long-term emissions lock-in amid rapid sector growth. India’s steel industry has embraced the language of transition, but not yet the pace of change, according to an Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis assessment that finds a widening gap between long-term climate commitments and the practical steps needed to deliver them. The study, which examined seven major domestic producers including JSW Steel, Tata Steel, Steel Authority of India Limited, Jindal Steel, Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited, Jindal Stainless and Godawari Power and Ispat,…

China introduces a rigorous accountability framework to ensure local governments and state enterprises deliver on the nation’s ambitious carbon peaking and neutrality targets from 2026, signalling a significant escalation in its climate commitments. China has moved to hard-wire its carbon peaking and carbon neutrality targets into the machinery of local government oversight, in a step that sharpens pressure on provincial leaders to deliver emissions cuts alongside economic growth. The new “Comprehensive Evaluation and Assessment Measures for Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality” were approved by the Politburo Standing Committee on 26 February, issued jointly by the Communist Party’s Central Office and…

Over 60 multinational corporations, including Apple and Amazon, oppose proposed revisions to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, arguing that stricter emissions reporting rules could hinder renewable investment and complicate corporate climate strategies. Apple and Amazon are among more than 60 multinational companies resisting proposed changes to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the main framework used for corporate emissions accounting, in a dispute that could reshape how businesses report electricity-related carbon emissions. According to Bloomberg, the companies want any new Scope 2 requirements to remain optional rather than mandatory, arguing that stricter rules could raise power costs, reduce participation in voluntary clean energy…

Brussels campaigns for a unified stance among EU member states as the International Maritime Organization resumes talks on its contentious net-zero shipping framework amid geopolitical and industry pushback. Brussels is pushing EU governments to stand firm in London this week as the International Maritime Organization resumes talks on its long-delayed net-zero shipping framework, a package seen as central to the sector’s decarbonisation but now facing renewed political resistance. According to a letter seen by Euronews, member states have been told to act in concert and to oppose any move that would strip out the IMO’s net-zero framework. The instruction underlines…

Microsoft’s strategic approach to carbon removal is not only advancing its sustainability goals but also nurturing a broader ecosystem that could redefine industrial decarbonisation, with early investments paving the way for new technologies and market shifts. The debate over Microsoft’s latest move in carbon dioxide removal may dominate the headlines, but its wider significance is easy to miss. According to Microsoft’s own earlier research and programme documents, the company has consistently framed its carbon removal strategy not simply as a way to balance its emissions, but as a means of helping build a market that was too immature to scale…

A coalition of European investors and companies calls on EU policymakers to accelerate the continent’s transition to clean, domestically produced electricity, aiming for over half of final energy consumption from renewables by 2040 to enhance competitiveness and energy security. A coalition of European investors, companies and growth-stage startups has stepped up pressure on EU policymakers to make the bloc the world’s first “electro-continent”, arguing that Europe should aim for more than half of final energy consumption to come from clean, domestically produced electricity by 2040. The open letter, coordinated by Norrsken and backed by the Corporate Leaders Group Europe, H&M,…

A new paper by Turver and Monteith challenges Britain’s net zero strategy, arguing it has weakened the industrial base by increasing dependence on imports and discouraging domestic energy production, calling for a major policy rethink to balance decarbonisation with industrial competitiveness. A new paper by David Turver and Brian Monteith argues that Britain’s net zero strategy has helped hollow out its industrial base, and that reversing course would require a sweeping rethink of energy, taxation and regulation. In a summary published by ThinkScotland, the authors claim the UK has become too dependent on imported energy and too willing to penalise…

New UK tariffs on steel imports aimed at protecting domestic production may inadvertently raise costs across manufacturing sectors and diminish trade relationships, according to recent research. The measures arrive as the UK renegotiates its relationship with the EU and navigates global trade tensions. The UK’s new steel trade barrier is intended to defend domestic production, but fresh analysis suggests it may also expose how expensive unilateral trade defence can become. From 1 July 2026, tariff-free quotas on steel imports will be cut by 60%, while shipments above those limits will face a 50% levy. The government says the measure is…