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By Sharon Kimathi, Energy and ESG Editor, Reuters Digital

Hello!

This week concludes with disheartening news from India. The nation has officially declared at least 79 people who were missing after a flood caused by a Himalayan glacial lake outburst two weeks ago as deceased. A senior official made this announcement on Friday, bringing the total death toll from the disaster to 179.

The floods triggered by torrential rain and overflow from the Lhonak Lake were among the region’s worst in more than 50 years, washing away homes and bridges in the northeastern state of Sikkim, wedged between Bhutan, China and Nepal.

The state government has begun the process for such a designation of those still missing, by seeking the federal government’s permission, since the law specifies an interval of seven years before a missing person can be declared dead.

“We have not called off the rescue efforts, but after two weeks it will be a miracle (to find them),” said state official Anil Rai.

Sikkim retrieved at least 40 bodies in the flood aftermath and the neighboring state of West Bengal 60, said officials from the two states who are working to reconcile the official toll and eliminate double counting.

1. Scotland hit by severe flooding as Storm Babet brings ‘exceptional’ rainfall

Parts of eastern Scotland experienced severe flooding on Friday after Storm Babet brought “exceptional” rainfall and winds of more than 70 mph which overwhelmed defenses and left thousands of homes without power.

Britain’s national weather forecaster, the Met Office, issued its first red warning for rain since February 2020, predicting some locations would see as much as 250 millimeters (9.84 inches) of rain.

Emergency services assist in the evacuation of people from their homes in Brechin, amid floods during “Storm Babet”, in Scotland, Britain. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

2. EU climate divisions give foretaste of fight looming at COP28

A hard-won deal on the European Union’s negotiating stance for this year’s U.N. climate talks has revealed regional rifts that anticipate global tensions at the COP28 summit. Diplomats from the 27 EU countries spent weeks debating their COP28 position before their climate ministers agreed to push for deals to phase out CO2-emitting fossil fuels, triple production of renewable energy and halt the building of coal power plants.

3. Scientists test Fukushima fish after nuclear plant water release

A team of international scientists collected fish samples from a port town near Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, seeking to assess the impact of the plant’s recent release of treated radioactive water into the sea.

4. Greenpeace loses legal challenge to UK’s new North Sea oil and gas licenses

Britain’s decision to authorize new licenses for oil and gas exploration in the North Sea was lawful, London’s High Court ruled, dismissing a legal challenge by Greenpeace. The environmental campaign group had argued Britain’s failure to assess the greenhouse gasses produced by consuming oil and gas – so-called end-use or downstream emissions – rendered its offshore energy plan unlawful.

5. El Nino to continue into mid-2024, threatening agriculture

The El Nino weather phenomenon will last at least through the first half of 2024, according to the latest United Nations forecasts, with abnormal rainfall due across Latin America raising fears for the agricultural sector.

In the last 12 months through September, U.S. Customs and Border Protection logged 60 migrant deaths due to heat in the El Paso Sector, triple the same period a year ago. Click here or on the image for the video. Warning: this video contains sensitive footage that may disturb some viewers.

Column: Poland’s incumbent Law and Justice (PiS) have won the most votes for a single party in Sunday’s general election, exit polls showed, but the liberal opposition bloc of parties appeared to secure a parliamentary majority, raising the possibility of an end to eight years of nationalist rule.

But even if the coalition, led by former European Council president Donald Tusk takes over, supporters of a speedy energy transition away from fossil fuels may be disappointed by Poland’s pace of change over the coming years. Click here for more.

68%

With climate warming leading to more air conditioning use worldwide, dozens of countries including China, India and the United States are being asked to commit to a global pledge that would require at least a 68% reduction in cooling-related emissions by 2050, sources told Reuters.

The Global Cooling Pledge – set to be announced at the upcoming United Nations climate summit, COP28 – represents a tough request given the cooling industry is only expected to grow.

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