2026 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #04

Stories we promoted this week, by category:

Climate Change Impacts (7 articles)

• Ocean Damage Nearly Doubles the Cost of Climate Change "Ignoring the blue economy has left a multi-trillion-dollar blind spot in climate finance, according to a study from Scripps Oceanography." Inside Climate News, Johnny Sturgeon, Jan 15, 2026.
• ‘Climate change is here’: Experts warn environmental crisis is decades ahead of forecasts "Drought, heatwaves, hurricanes, and wildfires are arriving sooner than we imagined according to scientists" The Independent, Maria Butt, Jan 17, 2026.
• 2026 will likely be among the hottest on record: Environment Canada "12% chance of exceeding important threshold of 1.5 C this year" CBC, David Thurton, Jan 19, 2026.
• Scientists warn of ‘regime shift’ as seaweed blooms expand worldwide "Study links rapid growth of ocean macroalgae to global heating and nutrient pollution" The Guardian, By Damien Gayle, Jan 19, 2026.
• Era of ‘global water bankruptcy’ is here, UN report says "Overuse and pollution must end urgently as no one knows when whole system might collapse, says expert" The Guardian, Damian Carrington, Jan 20, 2026.
• Australia’s worst heatwave since black summer made five times more likely by global heating, analysis finds Lede: "Extreme heat ‘is getting worse and whether we like it or not … there’s ultimately a limit to what we can actually physically cope with,’ scientist says" The Guardian, Donna Lu, Jan 22, 2026.
• Trump says the big US winter storm is proof of climate hoax – here’s why he’s wrong "US president asks ‘whatever happened to global warming?’ Well, it could be making our winter storms worse" The Guardian, Oliver Milman, Jan 23, 2026.

Climate Policy and Politics (7 articles)

• Trump Wants to Halt Almost All Coal Plant Shutdowns. It Could Get Messy. "Critics accuse leading firms of sabotaging climate action but say data increasingly being used to hold them to account" The New York Times, Claire Brown & Brad Plumer, Jan 16, 2026.
• How Wall Street Turned Its Back on Climate Change "Six years after the financial industry pledged to use trillions to fight climate change and reshape finance, its efforts have largely collapsed."How Wall Street Turned Its Back on Climate Change The New York Times, David Gelles, Jan 17, 2026.
• How Trump’s Withdrawal From Climate Treaties May Ultimately Play Out "In addition to international stakes, states and cities face additionally challenges to acting autonomously this time around." Inside Climate News, Jenni Doering, Jan 18, 2026.
• Analysis: UK newspaper editorial opposition to climate action overtakes support for first time "Nearly 100 UK newspaper editorials opposed climate action in 2025, a record figure that reveals the scale of the backlash against net-zero in the right-leaning press." Carbon Brief, Josh Gabbatiss & Sylvia Hayes, Jan 19, 2026.
• The consequences of Trump’s war on climate in 7 charts "Seven snapshots reveal how climate rollbacks altered the trajectory of U.S. energy, environmental protection, and economic security." Grist, Staff, Jan 21, 2026.
• Records show DOE climate advisors targeted key EPA finding Lede: "The internal dialogue showed the researchers took a political tack in their discussions, a course critics said could complicate the Trump administration’s quest to kill the 2009 endangerment finding." PoliticalPro, Zack Colman, Jan 22, 2026.
• At Davos, Talk of Climate Change Retreats to the Sidelines "The annual gathering of top business leaders and policymakers used to be a center of the global climate movement. Things are much more complicated now." The New York Times, David Gelles, Jan 22, 2026.

Miscellaneous (5 articles)

• Federal Court Allows Dominion Energy in Virginia to Continue Offshore Wind Project "For the third time this week, the Trump administration is blocked from stopping a major renewable energy effort." Inside Climate News, Charles Paullin, Jan 16, 2026.
• 2026 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #03 A listing of 28 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 11, 2026 thru Sat, January 17, 2026. Skeptical Science, Bärbel Winkler, John Hartz & Doug Bostrom, Jan 18, 2026.
• Carbon-sucking fungi and 'forever chemical' crackdowns: Positive environmental stories from 2026 "Eco anxiety is very real, so we share this year's most uplifting stories to prove there’s hope for our climate." EuroNews, Angela Symons, Jan 19, 2026.
• A California Climate Expert Is Working to Restore Climate Risk Scores Deleted by Zillow "The real estate website scrubbed the data under pressure from California’s real estate brokers and agents who were concerned about its impact on home prices. Neil Matouka thinks prospective buyers have a right to know." Inside Climate News, Claire Barber, Jan 20, 2026.
• Half of world’s CO2 emissions come from just 32 fossil fuel firms, study shows "Critics accuse leading firms of sabotaging climate action but say data increasingly being used to hold them to account" The Guardian, Damian Carrington, Jan 21, 2026.

Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation (3 articles)

• Talking About Energy Dominance? Solar Would Like to Have a Word. "We are in the solar-powered century, although some are taking their time to figure this out." Inside Climate News, Dan Gearino, Jan 15, 2026.
• Sea otters are California’s climate heroes "From kelp forests to sea grass meadows, these charismatic predators are quietly holding parts of the coast together." Yale Climate Connections, Daisy Simmons, Jan 20, 2026.
• Wind and solar overtook fossil fuels for EU power generation in 2025, report finds "Researchers say event described as ‘major tipping point’ for clean energy in era of destabilised politics" The Guardian, Ajit Niranjan, Jan 21, 2026.

Climate Science and Research (2 articles)

• The Women Saving America’s Climate Data Time Magazine, Kyla Mandel, Jan 16, 2026.
• Guest post: 10 key climate science ‘insights’ from 2025 "Every year, understanding of climate science grows stronger." Carbon Brief, Prof Kristie Ebi & Prof Sabine Fuss, Jan 22, 2026.

International Climate Conferences and Agreements (2 articles)

• Roadmaps and Colombia conference aim to shift fossil fuel transition into higher gear Lede: "Conferences in Santa Marta and the Pacific will discuss how to transition away from fossil fuels without harming workers or financial systems" Climate Home News, Jo Lo, Jan 16, 2026.
• Power play: Can a defensive Europe stick with decarbonisation in Davos? "With the US doubling down on fossil fuels, maintaining the clean energy transition is central to reducing geopolitical exposure and preserving Europe’s ability to act strategically" Climate Home News, Tsvetelina Kuzmanova, Jan 19, 2026.

Public Misunderstandings about Climate Science (1 article)

• Bloggers claim Met Office fraud! (Let's investigate....) Potholer54 on Youtube, Peter Hadfield, Jan 17, 2026.

Public Misunderstandings about Climate Solutions (1 article)

• Fact brief - Do solar panels release more emissions than burning fossil fuels? Do solar panels release more emissions than burning fossil fuels? Skeptical Science, Sue Bin Park, Jan 20, 2026.

Posted by BaerbelW on Sunday, 25 January, 2026

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