World:
¶ “Sweeping Victory For Europe As Fifteen Nations Top Climate Scoreboard” • Europe dominated global sustainability rankings, but experts warn that all nations are “still far from critical goals” to tackle climate change. The report warns that China and the US look likely to “fall far short” of the global target of net-zero GHG emissions by 2050. [Euronews]
¶ “French Government Activates New ‘Extreme Heat’ Orsec Plan As Temperatures Rise” • The French government has taken the unprecedented step of activating an “Orsec extreme heat plan” for nine departments in the west of France. The departments were placed on red alert for extreme heat in a renewed heatwave forecast to stretch into next week. [Euronews]
¶ “Global Oil Demand Set For First Annual Drop Since 2020” • Global oil demand will fall by one million barrels per day in 2026, the IEA said. The change is the first annual contraction since COVID lockdowns grounded aviation and shuttered industry, underlining how much closing the Strait of Hormuz damaged the global economy. [Euronews]
¶ “Island-Wide Blackout Strikes Cuba For Second Time This Week As Grid Crumbles” • An island-wide blackout struck Cuba for the second time this week as the nation of nearly 10 million people grapples with a crumbling power grid and fuel shortages stemming from a US energy blockade. Authorities reported that they have already begun restoring power. [ABC News]
¶ “World Bank Funds More Rooftop Solar In India, Clean Energy In Pakistan” • The World Bank made announcements of support for clean energy in both India and Pakistan on the same day. We might assume it’s no coincidence. Anyway, the good news is that the World Bank is backing more clean energy deployments in both major countries. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Volkswagen May Discontinue Up To Half Its Current Models” • Volkswagen is in trouble. Two weeks ago, Germany’s Manager Magazin reported that CEO Oliver Blume had floated an idea to close four factories and eliminate 100,000 workers, both in Germany and around the world, by 2030. The plan has now been released. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “1.1-GW Baltic Power Delivers First Power” • Northland and ORLEN have delivered first power from the 1.1-GW Baltic Power offshore wind farm off Poland. Northland said installation and commissioning continue before commercial operations later this year. It said 54 of the project’s 76 Vestas 15-MW turbines have already been installed. [reNews]
¶ “Europe’s Nuclear Plants Can’t Beat The Heat” • Extreme heat is not only deadly to humans, it is also a threat to the ecosystem. Rivers are growing hotter, and one of the impacts of that change is that their waters are no longer as effective for cooling down nuclear power plants. Plant generating output has to be cut just when it is needed most for cooling. [OilPrice.com]
¶ “In Portugal, 75% Of Electricity From Renewables In H1” • Renewable energy sources accounted for 75.6% of the electricity produced in mainland Portugal in the first six months of the year, according to the June 2026 Renewable Electricity Bulletin by the Portuguese Renewable Energy Association. Costs were among the EU’s lowest. [Essential Business]
US:
¶ “Sierra Club Wisconsin And MEA File Lawsuit After State Regulators Abandon Required Environmental Review” • Midwest Environmental Advocates filed a lawsuit on behalf of Sierra Club Wisconsin contesting a Wisconsin DNR decision to issue permits for a massive data center without fully evaluating the project’s environmental impacts. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Trump Administration Attempts To Eliminate Protections For Endangered Species” • The Trump group has announced that it finalized a decision to eliminate regulatory language regarding habitat protections for endangered species in the US. During the public comment period, more than 150,000 Americans spoke out against the changes. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “California School District Jumps Into Solar, Storage, And Electric Buses” • The rural Porterville Unified School District in California, which sits between Los Angeles and San Francisco, has decided to go all-in on cleantech. It is getting solar, battery energy storage, and also electric school buses. The project is supported by a US EPA grant. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Clean Energy Helped The Grid Avoid Heat-Wave Failure” • Last week brought soaring temperatures to much of the US, forcing Americans to switch on their air conditioners. To meet demand, the US power grid delivered more electricity than ever, a feat that would have been impossible without clean energy’s massive growth in recent years. [Canary Media]
¶ “Trump Administration Stopping Four Minnesota Wind Power Developments” • The Trump administration’s de facto freeze on wind energy puts 1,200 construction jobs, 4,400 “indirect and induced” jobs and more than $168 million in economic impact at risk for Minnesota, according to a new report from a progressive think tank based in St Paul. [Minnesota Reformer]
¶ “America’s First Nuclear Plant Restart May Be Near The Finish Line” • Last week, Holtec International, the nuclear industry’s undertaker-turned-doula, announced that it had arrived at a “watershed moment” when it completed all major renovations to reconstruct the Palisades plant’s single 800-MW reactor, on the west coast of Michigan. [Canary Media]
Have an inexhaustibly enjoyable day.
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