Countries agree 10% increase for UN climate budget

More than 200 countries have agreed to increase the budget of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to €81.5 million for 2026-27, reported  Reuters . The newswire said the new budget is a 10% increase compared to the UNFCCC’s 2024-25 budget. “The deal includes an increase in China’s contribution, reflecting the country’s economic growth. China, the world’s second-biggest economy, would cover 20% of the new budget, up from 15% previously. Only the US, the world’s biggest economy, was allocated a bigger share, of 22%. The US did not attend the UN climate talks this week in Bonn, Germany where the budget was approved,” the newswire noted. The outlet said UNFCCC “has faced a severe budget shortfall in recent years, as major donors including China and the US had not paid on time, prompting the body to cut costs including by cancelling some events”. 

Nagaland: First payout under extreme-weather insurance triggers relief 

Nagaland’s new extreme-weather insurance scheme called the Disaster Risk Transfer Parametric Insurance Solution (DRTPS), is the first of its kind in the country, which insures the entire state against heavy rainfall, reported Mongabay India. The scheme was relaunched last year after making revisions to its design. So far, payouts worth ₹1.06 crore have been made to residents impacted by heavy rain and other hazards.

Nagaland is the first state in India to insure its entire geography against heavy rainfall.

The scheme was revised to include a more accurate threshold based on localised meteorological data, and triggered a payout of ₹1 crore. Parametric insurance is an innovative way to raise disaster finance, but the rising frequency of extreme weather events could make premiums unaffordable in the future, according to experts.

NGT notice to CPCB, Bihar authorities over rise in lightning deaths due to felling of palm trees

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued notice to the central and Bihar governments after taking suo motu cognizance of a report that linked lightning strike deaths in Bihar with the felling of Asian palmyra palm trees. The court asked both governments to file a reply on the matter, DTE reported.

The outlet said  a tribunal bench took cognisance of the report on June 5, 2025.

The newspaper article, published on May 29, 2025, raised questions as to whether Bihar’s disappearing palm trees were the reason behind increasing deaths due to lightning in the state.

More than 2,000 people have died in lightning strikes in Bihar since 2016, the article noted.

This figure reached 2,446 by April 2025, according to the Economic Survey and Bihar’s state disaster management department. Some 2,937 people lost their lives between 2014 and 2024, according to the Lightning Report 2023-24. Districts like Gaya, Aurangabad, Rohtas, Patna, Nalanda, Kaimur, Bhojpur and Buxar were the most affected during this period.The report indicated that palm trees help in safely transmitting electricity to the ground and their felling has made lightning incidents more deadly, the DTE report said.

Climate misinformation turning crisis into catastrophe: Report

Action on climate change is being “obstructed and delayed by false and misleading information stemming from fossil-fuel companies, rightwing politicians and some nation states,” the Guardian reported saying this was according to a review of some 300 studies by the International Panel on the Information Environment. The newspaper said the researchers found climate denialism has evolved into campaigns focused on discrediting solutions, such as the false claims that renewable energy caused the recent massive blackout in Spain. The report said the researchers found that online bots and trolls hugely amplify false narratives playing a key role in promoting climate lies. 

The outlet noted that political leaders, civil servants and regulatory agencies are increasingly being targeted in order to delay climate action. The IPIE report is a comprehensive assessment of who is producing climate misinformation, how they propagate it, what impact it has and how it can be combated. The newspaper said: ‘Misleading information has undermined public trust in climate science and other key social institutions. This crisis of information integrity is intensifying and exacerbating the climate crisis.’” COP30 host Brazil will “rally nations behind a separate UN initiative to crack down on climate misinformation”, the report said.

EU countries abandon anti-greenwashing talks after Italy pulls out

Negotiations around new EU rules to tackle corporate “greenwashing” can no longer continue after Italy withdrew its support for the bill, Politico reported. The move means a “landmark EU law clamping down on companies making misleading environmental claims is all but dead”, the outlet said.  Italy’s decision follows a “confusing series of announcements from the European Commission” which suggested the commission itself would withdraw its proposal last week, then stated its support for the proposal

Northern Ireland releases new draft Climate Action Plan: 33% emission cuts by ‘37

Northern Ireland’s first draft Climate Action Plan has been published for consultation, reported the BBC. The outlet says the plan sets out how Northern Ireland will meet its target of cutting emissions by 33% by 2023-37, compared to 1990 levels.

The BBC News said Scotland unveiled a new set of climate targets. It says: “Annual targets were abandoned by Scottish ministers last year after they were repeatedly missed but the pledge to reach net-zero by 2045 was retained. The new target states emissions need to fall by an average of 57% over the next five years and by 69% by 2035, when compared with 1990 levels. The targets will be met using a carbon budgeting system and the proposals will be voted on by MSPs in the autumn.

US: Trump administration to end protections for 58m acres of national forests

The Trump administration in the US announced plans to “open up” 58 million acres of national forests to road construction and development, NYT reported. The newspaper said the move eliminates protections that have been in place since 2001 and which till date preserved the wild nature of nearly a third of the land in national forests. The so-called “roadless rule” has meant that mining, logging and roadbuilding could not take place across swathes of forest, the outlet said.

About The Author

Editorial Team

A team of handpicked and dedicated writers committed to fact check each climate-related statement. Go to the roots and intent of each policy implemented, internationally and at home to help you understand climate better

See author's posts