This Week in Climate News (March 2026, Week 4)

This weekly round-up brings you key climate news from the past seven days, including a new UN report on the state of the climate and a controversial $1 billion deal between the Trump administrator and oil giant TotalEnergies. — Listen to Earth.Org’s new podcast, Earth Radio. Join our host Rebekah Hendricks every week for a 5-minute, ad-free roundup of the world’s most important climate stories. New episodes available every Saturday at 8am ET | 1pm GMT | 8pm HKT. Subscribe here or find us wherever you get your podcasts. 1. UN Confirms Hottest Decade on Record, Says Earth Is ‘Being Pushed Beyond Its Limits’ A new World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report found that the Earth’s climate is more out of balance than at any time in recorded history, with rapid and large-scale changes occurring within just a few decades but having implications for hundreds if not thousands of years. In its latest edition of the State of the Global Climate report, the UN agency confirmed that the past 11 years (2015–2025) were the hottest on record. “When history repeats itself eleven times, it is no longer a coincidence. It is a call to act,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Just like the atmosphere, oceans, which absorb approximately 90% of excess heat from greenhouse gases, are also warming at record speed. According to the WMO report, each of the past nine years has set a new record for ocean heat content, with the warming rate of the past two decades (2005–2025) being twice that observed over the period 1960–2005. It added that nearly 90% of the ocean experienced at least one heatwave last year. Full story here. 2. US to Pay TotalEnergies $1bn in Taxpayer Money to Drop Wind Projects, Redirect Investments to Oil and Gas In an unusual move, the Interior Department announced on Monday that it will reimburse TotalEnergies $928 million, the sum the multinational paid the Biden administration for leases in federal waters to build offshore wind farms off New York and North Carolina. TotalEnergies, one of the world’s top six “supermajor” oil companies and one of the 20 largest historical emitters of planet-warming greenhouse gases, promised in turn to reinvest that money in oil and gas projects in the US, including in Texas. “They don’t like us to develop this offshore wind concession because they have some national security concerns. Not up to me to decide yes or no,” TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné told CNBC. The Trump administration cited undisclosed national security concerns when it ordered five other wind farms along the East Coast to halt construction in December. Federal judges have since weighed in, dismissing the administration’s national security claims and ordering construction to resume. One judge called the suspension “arbitrary and capricious.” The controversial deal comes as US-Israeli attacks on Iran, which unleashed a wider conflict in the Middle East, triggered the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market, fueling the world’s worst global energy crisis. Full story here. 3. Iran War: Work From Home, Increase Car Sharing, Fly Less to Ease Energy Crisis, Says IEA The International Energy Agency (IEA) is calling on consumers to do their part to ease the energy crisis unleashed by the US-Israel war on Iran. The conflict, which has quickly spread to other countries in the Middle East, has triggered the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market, the IEA said in a report on Friday. Iran has effectively blocked traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest oil shipping channels. Some 20-25% of global oil supply typically passes through it, making it a critical global energy chokepoint. But, the agency said, “supply-side measures alone cannot fully offset the scale of the disruption,” calling on consumers to play their part. In the report, the IEA identifies 10 measures that governments, businesses, and households can implement, addressing road transport, air travel, and industry. These include working remotely where possible, cutting highway speed by at least 10 km/h, switching from stove to electric cooking, carrying out vehicle maintenance and optimizing load to cut vehicle diesel needs as well as opting for alternatives to air travel, if available. Immediate actions to reduce demand recommended by the IEA (click to view) 1. Work from home where possible Displaces oil use from commuting, particularly where jobs are suitable for remote work. 2. Reduce highway speed limits by at least 10 km/h Lower speeds reduce fuel use for passenger cars, vans and trucks. 3. Encourage public transport A shift from private cars to buses and trains can quickly reduce oil demand. 4. Alternate private car access to roads in large cities on different days Number-plate rotation schemes can reduce congestion and fuel-intensive driving. 5. Increase car sharing and adopt efficient driving practices Higher car occupancy and eco-driving can lower fuel consumption quickly. 6. Efficient driving for road commercial vehicles and delivery of goods Better driving practices, vehicle maintenance and load optimisation can cut diesel use. 7. Divert LPG use from transport Shifting bi-fuel and converted vehicles from LPG to gasoline can preserve LPG for cooking and other essential needs. 8. Avoid air travel where alternative options exist Reducing business flights can quickly ease pressure on jet fuel markets. 9. Where possible, switch to other modern cooking solutions Encouraging electric cooking and other modern options can reduce reliance on LPG. 10. Leverage flexibility with petrochemical feedstocks and implement short-term efficiency and maintenance measures Industry can help free up LPG for essential uses while reducing oil consumption through quick operational improvements. Full story here. 4. Poor Countries Face 10 Times More Heat-Related Deaths than Wealthy Nations by 2050, Report Warns Researchers at the Climate Impact Lab estimate that 10 times more people are projected to die each year in lower-income countries (about 391,000 people) than in higher-income countries (about 39,000 people) due to shifting temperatures. This is because lower-income countries are less positioned than developed countries to confront the growing threats posed by climate change. By mid-century, heat-related deaths could see increases of 60 or more deaths a year per 100,000 people in countries in Africa’s Sahel region like Niger and Burkina Faso – a rate higher than the current one for malaria in the continent. Southeastern Bolivia may see an increase in heat-related deaths of 30 people per 100,000 – equaling the death rate from diabetes. And in Pakistan, mortality is projected to increase by 51 deaths per 100,000 people, comparable to the loss of life due to tuberculosis and stroke in the country today. Hotter regions like Northern Africa, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia are projected to see more deaths, according to the study. Differences will also be stark within countries with highly-varied climates such as the US and Bolivia. Meanwhile, some cold climates like Alaska, Canada, and Greenland will see a drop in heat-related deaths. Full story here. 5. ‘He Has Betrayed the Agency’: More than 160 Environmental Groups Call For Firing of EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin The US Environmental Protection Agency‘s Administrator Lee Zeldin has “betrayed” the agency’s core mission and set a “dangerous” agenda that is hurting public health and the environment, according to an open letter calling for Zeldin’s firing. The letter, signed by 163 local and national environmental and health organizations, says Zeldin must be held accountable for his actions. Since taking office in January 2025 following Donald Trump’s return to the White House, Zeldin has taken significant and often controversial steps that go against the agency’s stated mission to “protect human health and the environment,” the letter said. “No EPA administrator in history—Democratic or Republican—has so brazenly betrayed the agency’s core mission. EPA’s foremost purpose is to protect human health and the environment. With Administrator Lee Zeldin at the helm, EPA has abandoned its mission, creating damage that will take decades to address,” the organizations, which include the Sierra Club, Earthjustice, Public Citizen and the US Climate Action Network, said in the letter. Full story here. One-time Show your support. A one-time donation is a powerful way to show your appreciation for our work and commitment to protecting the planet. Every contribution helps us continue raising awareness and inspiring change. Monthly Make a lasting impact. Monthly donations sustain and expand our efforts. By becoming a recurring supporter, you help us grow our website, reach more people, and amplify our mission for a better planet.