October News
- Rodrigo Batalha
- Oct 16
- 5 min read
In the month of October, we start seeing the leaves falling, the cod creeping in, and also the start of the storms. Find what has been happening around the world in the month of October, both good and bad - it is good to have a balance.
UK fracking ban to be brought forward as Labour counters Reform promise
"Ed Miliband has announced that the government is to speed up its plans to permanently ban fracking in the UK, in order to counter the Reform party’s promises to bring back the controversial practice.
The energy secretary said he would put forward legislation as part of the North Sea transition plan which is to be published this autumn. This means that in order to allow fracking, a future government would have to repeal the legislation with a parliamentary vote.
This would be very difficult, as it means the government would have to gain the votes of MPs whose constituencies sit on shale gas. Miliband used his speech at the Labour conference to say the party will send campaigners to nearly 200 constituencies to “send the frackers packing”."
Source: Helena Horton/ The Guardian
Heavy rains trigger floods, landslides killing scores in India's Darjeeling, Nepal
"Floods and landslides unleashed by unrelenting rain in India's eastern hill region of Darjeeling and neighbouring Nepal killed more than 70 people after washing away homes, roads and bridges, authorities said.
In Nepal, the death toll in floods and landslides rose to 50, with the eastern district of Ilam bordering India recording 37 deaths, a spokesperson for the Armed Police Force said.
At least 18 people died in Darjeeling and several people were still missing on Monday, as relief and restoration work got underway, said local government officials in India's state of West Bengal, warning that the death toll was likely to rise as details flowed in from remote areas."
Source: Jatindra Dash & Gopal Sharma /Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/heavy-rains-trigger-floods-landslides-killing-18-indias-darjeeling-2025-10-06/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=Sustainable-Switch&utm_term=100725&lctg=6828bbefa21350068102d0d0 )
Saudi Arabia's PIF raises 1.65 billion euros from green bond sale, IFR reports
"Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has sold 1.65 billion euros ($1.9 billion) of a dual-tranche green bond, fixed-income news service IFR reported on Tuesday.
The fund raised 800 million euros in three-year notes at 58 basis points over mid-swaps and 850 million euros for seven-year notes at 90 bps over the same benchmark after combined orders topped 8.7 billion euros, IFR said.
The indicative price for the three-year note was earlier revised to around 65 bps over mid-swaps from an initial 90-95 bps, while guidance for the seven-year tranche had been lowered to around 95 bps over mid-swaps from 125 bps.
Advertisement · Scroll to continue
PIF entered the green-debt market in 2022 and has since issued several U.S. dollar-denominated bonds under its Green Finance Framework, published on its website that same year.
According to the framework, proceeds can be allocated to renewable energy, clean transport and sustainable infrastructure projects, including those undertaken by PIF subsidiaries that align with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 program."
Source: Md Manzer Hussain and Shamsuddin Mohd / Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/saudi-arabias-pif-gets-65-bln-euros-orders-green-bond-ifr-reports-2025-10-07/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=Sustainable-Switch&utm_term=100725&lctg=6828bbefa21350068102d0d0)
EU Parliament plans to cut back sustainability law further
"Lawmaker groups holding a majority in the European Parliament agreed a deal late on Wednesday (Oct, 1) to make deeper cuts to the EU's corporate sustainability law, lawmakers and officials told Reuters.
The European Union's corporate sustainability due diligence directive (CSDDD) was adopted last year and requires companies to fix human rights and environmental issues within their supply chains, or face fines of 5% of global turnover."
Source: Kate Abnett / Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/eu-parliament-plans-cut-back-sustainability-law-further-2025-10-08/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=Sustainable-Switch&utm_term=100925&lctg=6828bbefa21350068102d0d0)
Renewables overtake coal as world's biggest source of electricity
"Renewable energy overtook coal as the world's leading source of electricity in the first half of this year - a historic first, according to new data from the global energy think tank Ember.
Electricity demand is growing around the world but the growth in solar and wind was so strong it met 100% of the extra electricity demand, even helping drive a slight decline in coal and gas use.
However, Ember says the headlines mask a mixed global picture.
Developing countries, especially China, led the clean energy charge but richer nations including the US and EU relied more than before on planet-warming fossil fuels for electricity generation.
This divide is likely to get more pronounced, according to a separate report from the International Energy Agency (IEA). It predicts renewables will grow much less strongly than forecast in the US as a result of the policies of President Donald Trump's administration."
Source: Justin Rowlatt / BBC (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2rz08en2po?utm_source=cbnewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=2025-10-31&utm_campaign=DeBriefed+Renewables+power+past+coal+Legacy+of+UK+s+Climate+Change+Act+Fukushima+s+solar+future)
Bonaire residents sue the Netherlands over climate inaction
"A farmer, a prison guard and a teacher were among residents of the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire to speak in a Hague courtroom Tuesday and accuse the Netherlands of not doing enough to protect them from the effects of climate change.
The case, backed by Greenpeace, follows a series of international landmark rulings that found governments have broad obligations to protect their citizens from increasing temperatures and rising sea levels.
Farmer Onnie Emerenciana flew 4,000 miles to tell the judges how warmer temperatures and drought have affected his livelihood and reduced crop yields."
Planet’s first catastrophic climate tipping point reached, report says, with coral reefs facing ‘widespread dieback’
"The earth has reached its first catastrophic tipping point linked to greenhouse gas emissions, with warm water coral reefs now facing a long-term decline and risking the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people, according to a new report.
The report from scientists and conservationists warns the world is also “on the brink” of reaching other tipping points, including the dieback of the Amazon, the collapse of major ocean currents and the loss of ice sheets.
But some experts have questioned the report’s claims about the fate of coral reefs, with one saying while they are in decline there is evidence they could remain viable at higher temperatures than suggested."
Source: Graham Readfearn / The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/13/coral-reefs-ice-sheets-amazon-rainforest-tipping-point-global-heating-scientists-report?utm_source=cbnewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=2025-10-31&utm_campaign=DeBriefed+Earth+s+first+tipping+point+Climate+adviser+interview+How+warming+affects+children+s+health)
At Least 14 Miners Killed In Venezuela Floods
"ADDS quotes from state governor and victims relative, background
At least 14 miners have died in floods caused by heavy rain in eastern Venezuela, rescue workers said Tuesday.
Disaster relief agencies and the military said in a joint statement that they were working to recover the bodies of the workers from a gold mine in the town of El Callao in Bolivar state.
The workers were underground when heavy rain fell on the region which borders both Guyana and Brazil, flooding several mine shafts.
"They were caught by surprise," Bolivar Governor Yulisbeth Garcia said in a statement, adding that the rescue effort was continuing.
Videos posted on social media showed workers bringing up several muddied bodies from the mine.
"What we're experiencing is horrific," Elizabeth Zerpa, who lost two relatives in the disaster -- brothers from the same family -- told AFP."
New Zealand’s Methane Target Sets Bad Precedent, Scientists Warn
"New Zealand’s decision to set a less ambitious methane emissions reduction target sets a worrying precedent that other nations may follow, scientists have warned.
The government yesterday said it will target reducing methane emissions by 14-24% from 2017 levels by 2050, much less than its previous aim of a 24-47% reduction.
The new target represents a “no-additional-warming” approach that seeks to prevent methane from contributing any further to global warming rather than to reduce its impact, said James Renwick, professor of physical geography at Victoria University of Wellington, adding it is “a major step backwards in ambition and in climate action.”"
Source: Tracy Withers / Bloomberg (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-13/new-zealand-s-methane-target-sets-bad-precedent-scientists-warn?utm_source=cbnewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=2025-10-31&utm_campaign=DeBriefed+Earth+s+first+tipping+point+Climate+adviser+interview+How+warming+affects+children+s+health&embedded-checkout=true)
Morocco plans coal power phase-out by 2040
"Morocco plans to abandon coal power entirely by 2040 if it secures international climate finance, the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA) said on Thursday.
Morocco joined the international PPCA, a group of around 60 governments seeking to phase out coal power, in 2023, in a bid to progress natural gas and renewable energy projects.
Even without international support, Morocco would still aim to phase out coal by the 2040s, the PPCA said in a statement."
