The SEC has proposed repealing a 2024 Biden-era rule requiring public companies to disclose greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risks. The agency argues the rule exceeds its legal authority and imposes unjustified costs on companies and shareholders. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins framed the repeal as preventing government overreach into corporate behavior.
The rule had already been paused amid legal challenges from business groups and Republican state attorneys general. Its repeal is part of a broader wave of environmental rollbacks under the Trump administration, which has weakened or eliminated regulations perceived as climate-friendly, revoked the scientific finding underpinning U.S. greenhouse gas regulation, and canceled billions in Biden-era environmental justice grants — actions EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has described as the largest deregulatory effort in American history.
Critics, including environmental groups and Democratic senators, warn the move leaves investors without crucial data to assess climate-related financial risks. A 60-day public comment period will follow the proposal's publication in the Federal Register.
Australia is quietly leading a global revolution in home battery storage, with nearly 60% of all household-scale battery installations worldwide (excluding China) occurring there this financial year, roughly 415,000 units since July. Driven by a A$7.2bn government subsidy cutting upfront costs by 30%, the rollout has far exceeded forecasts, with over 1,000 batteries installed daily.
The impact is tangible: gas-fired generation fell 24% over one quarter as batteries increasingly absorb evening peak demand, contributing to benchmark electricity price drops of up to 10%. Industrial-scale battery capacity is also surging, with Australia trailing only China and the US.
Critics note the rollout disproportionately benefits wealthier homeowners, largely excluding renters. And despite its renewable energy gains, Australia remains a world-leading fossil fuel exporter, with the Albanese government having approved 36 new polluting developments since taking office, a contradiction that its battery revolution does nothing to resolve.
Climate change is making hailstorms significantly more destructive, with hailstones larger than a marble projected to increase by 38 to 47 percent by century's end depending on emissions trajectories. Warmer air generates more atmospheric energy and stronger updrafts, producing larger stones that fall faster and hit infrastructure harder.
The financial toll is already severe. Hail costs roughly $80 billion annually worldwide, and European hailstorms have increased 267 percent over the past five years, with record losses exceeding 5 billion euros in both 2022 and 2023. Solar panels, vehicles, and roofs are particularly vulnerable, with stones above five centimetres capable of causing widespread structural damage rather than patchable repairs.
While smaller hailstorms may actually decrease in frequency, experts warn that Europe, Canada, and Argentina face the steepest increases in large hail. Growing development in hail-prone areas means future losses will be shaped not just by climate, but by where and how people build.
Despite a bleak political climate, practical money-saving measures are quietly accelerating the green transition in ways that can outlast any election result.
ABN Amro, facing investor pressure to cut emissions, discovered homeowners wanted energy upgrades but were deterred by complexity and unreliable installers. The Dutch bank responded by partnering with 40 energy efficiency companies to offer a streamlined one-stop upgrade service, targeting 50,000 customers. In the UK, innovation charity Nesta tackled heat pump adoption by offering free installations to plumbers in their own homes, with 2,000 installers now enrolled and encouraging early results.
Green mortgages are gaining ground too. In Ireland, their share of new lending nearly tripled between 2020 and 2025, reaching 44 percent nationally and 61 percent at AIB, driven by lower interest rates for energy-efficient homes and reduced default risk for lenders.
Residential heating accounts for roughly 10 percent of global emissions, making these market-driven initiatives a meaningful, durable complement to top-down climate policy.
Soaring fuel prices are driving a surge in used EV sales in the US, with buyers increasingly finding that affordable pre-owned electric vehicles make straightforward financial sense. Used EV sales jumped 17% in the first four months of the year, even as new EV sales fell 27%.
The economics are compelling. Nearly 40% of used EVs on dealer lots are priced below $25,000, and the average used EV now costs only about $1,000 more than a comparable gas car, bringing the two close to price parity. Inventory is abundant, with 1.2 million EVs coming off lease over the next 18 months, many still under their original factory warranty.
The market has also matured beyond Tesla sedans. Available models have tripled since 2022, now exceeding 120, spanning trucks, SUVs, and luxury vehicles. Buyers who once dismissed EVs as too expensive or too niche are reconsidering, and dealerships report a noticeably broader, older demographic than in previous years.
