Aaron Clark

About 200 nations couldn’t agree on a treaty to curb plastic pollution after two years of divisive negotiations, but said they made some progress and would reconvene the talks next year.

Today’s newsletter looks at the latest setback in tackling the global plastic pollution crisis. You can also read and share the full story on Bloomberg. For unlimited access to climate and energy news, please subscribe .

Japan’s insurance giants are selling over $56 billion in shares after getting caught colluding in the wake of costly disasters

From protecting biodiversity to tackling plastic pollution, meeting after meeting this year ended in disappointment.

Protecting the planet is a global endeavor that only works if countries agree to take collective action. Judging by how the most important climate negotiations went this year, things aren't going well.

Plastic production will jump about 60% to 736 million tons a year by 2040. By Leslie Kaufman and Aaron Clark, Bloomberg 11 Jan 2025

One clean energy expert’s annual slide deck on green transition trends prepares us for the next big shocks.

DeepSeek claims it can reduce the power consumption of AI, urging the energy industry to rethink future demand estimates. Clean energy expert Nat Bullard highlights unexpected factors impacting decarbonization forecasts, such as generative AI and diabetes drugs reducing food consumption. Despite record renewable energy growth in 2024, coal and gas demand also increased, resulting in higher CO2 emissions.

Over the weekend President Donald Trump imposed 25% tariffs on imports of goods from Canada and Mexico, while placing a lesser 10% levy on products from China, instigating a trade war that’s set to reshape global supply chains. Read more about how the moves will impact production at automakers across North America, including future plans for electric vehicle manufacturing.