Climate News Now

The UN General Assembly's annual general debate entered its fifth day, with world leaders continuing to address the gathering in New York. UN News is summarizing the day's key moments and speeches. The high-level week draws global attention as heads of state lay out their positions on conflicts, climate and multilateral cooperation.

A Marathi-language news report warns that a possible Super El Nino event, intensified by global warming, could lead to as many as 450,000 deaths. The claim is circulating widely, drawing attention to the risks of extreme heat and climate disruption linked to a strong El Nino pattern, and prompting concern about preparedness and the growing human cost of climate change.

The Trump administration is advancing its critical minerals agenda into a region known as America's 'forgotten wildlife corridor', according to reporting by Inside Climate News. The push for domestic mining of minerals deemed essential to national security and clean energy technologies is raising concerns that expanded extraction could fragment habitat and disrupt wildlife movement in an ecologically significant stretch of the country.

Climate activist Greta Thunberg and the group Aurora have filed a new lawsuit against Sweden, arguing the state has failed to protect children from the consequences of climate change. The legal action follows earlier attempts to hold the Swedish government accountable through the courts, and renews pressure on policymakers over the country's climate commitments.

The Trump administration is seeking to prevent the restoration of climate change and diversity-related information at US historical sites. The move suggests an effort to keep such material removed from exhibits or signage at federally maintained locations. The news has drawn attention amid broader debates over how climate science and diversity topics are handled across government institutions.

President Donald Trump said he approved rolling back fuel economy standards set under the Biden administration, lowering required miles-per-gallon targets for vehicles. The decision, reported widely across US outlets, eases requirements placed on automakers. Supporters frame it as cutting regulatory costs for manufacturers, while critics warn it could increase fuel consumption and emissions, making vehicle-efficiency policy a renewed political flashpoint.

Live news coverage is following weather conditions in Mumbai, with the central question being whether the city is beginning to suffer serious destruction linked to climate change. Reports are being carried under India News' rolling climate coverage, drawing large audiences. The coverage comes as concern grows over extreme weather affecting India's coastal financial capital.

Some television meteorologists are working to connect weather forecasts to climate change, a practice known as climate reporting on-air. Many viewers, and some broadcasters, remain resistant to hearing climate context during routine forecasts. The debate reflects broader tension between scientists' urgency and audience pushback, as local weather presenters become a frontline channel for climate communication.

The Guardian has published an explainer on El Niño, the periodic warming of sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific that can drive droughts, floods and heatwaves across the globe. The piece outlines what causes the phenomenon, how it disrupts weather patterns, and what steps communities and governments can take to reduce the risks it poses.

Flash floods have struck Nepal, and an expert says climate change is to blame. Rising temperatures are believed to intensify monsoon rainfall, making sudden floods more frequent and severe in the Himalayan region. The comments add to a wider debate about how a warming climate is driving extreme weather disasters across South Asia.

Discussion continues around the European Union's goal of strategic autonomy, the ambition to reduce dependence on the United States and other powers in defence, technology and supply chains. The debate divides member states, with critics warning it could weaken NATO ties and supporters arguing the bloc must act independently in an unstable geopolitical climate.

The United States is preparing to finalize vehicle fuel economy standards that are sharply lower than previously planned, according to the Detroit Free Press. The rollback would ease efficiency requirements for automakers, with potential consequences for fuel costs, emissions and the pace of electric vehicle adoption. Details of the final rule and its effective dates have not yet been published.

An editorial in Texas argues the state cannot shield itself from climate change by preventing students from learning about it. The piece, published by the San Antonio Express-News, presses back against efforts to limit or soften climate science in Texas schools, warning that ignorance will not protect the state from rising heat, drought and extreme weather already affecting the region.

EVs are cleaner than gasoline cars over their lifetime, and new figures quantify by exactly how much. The accounting includes manufacturing emissions, notably battery production, as well as electricity generation, and still finds electric vehicles produce substantially less CO2 than comparable gas-powered cars. The numbers are fueling the ongoing debate over whether EVs genuinely deliver environmental benefits, a question that remains central to auto industry and climate policy discussions worldwide.

Heathrow Airport's long-planned third runway may not open until 2039, according to BBC News reporting on the potential delay. The project, one of the most contested infrastructure schemes in Britain, has faced years of legal, environmental and financial setbacks. The revised timeline is prompting renewed debate over UK airport expansion, economic growth pledges and the government's climate commitments.

News coverage is questioning whether river cruising, a popular form of low-impact tourism on waterways like the Danube, Rhine and Mississippi, faces a long-term threat from climate change. The concern centres on how droughts, low water levels and extreme weather could disrupt itineraries or make some routes unusable in the future.

Scientists at a Colorado cold laboratory are working to better understand hail as the damage it causes continues to grow. Hail already causes billions of dollars in losses each year in the United States, and researchers warn that a warming climate could make severe hailstorms more frequent or more destructive. The reporting by Hannah Covington in High Country News highlights how little is still known about how hailstones form and grow inside storms, and why improved forecasting matters for insurers, farmers and homeowners across hail-prone regions.

Burlington County, New Jersey, has been selected to take part in a new climate change study. County officials announced the selection on the county's official website, and local outlet The Trentonian also reported the news. Details about the study's scope, funding and partners were not provided in the coverage available.

Forecasters and news outlets are warning that another round of hot weather is on the way, with rising temperatures expected in the coming days. Coverage is urging residents to prepare for heat conditions, reflecting ongoing concern about repeated heat events this season and their impact on health, infrastructure and daily life.