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IN TODAY’S RADIO REPORT: Crunch time in the UN COP30 climate summit in Brazil, as coalition proposes roadmap to phase out fossil fuels; Iran faces historic, unprecedented water shortages; PLUS: The developing world is turning to China for clean energy technology… All that and more in today’s Green News Report!

Green News Report with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen 11/20/2025

‘Green News Report’ – November 20, 2025  |  With Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen...   · · · · ·   ‘Green News Report’ – November 20, 2025  |  With Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen...

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IN ‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (see links below): Trump’s anti-green agenda could lead to 1.3 million more climate deaths; Trump administration makes major changes to a report it commissioned on FEMA reforms; Keeping promises on renewables, energy efficiency and methane ‘would avoid nearly 1C of global heating’; Energy Dept. loans $1 billion to restart Three Mile Island nuclear reactor; AI boom threatens to entrench fossil fuels and compromise climate goals; Sodium-ion battery storage for ultra-low temperatures; How to lower energy costs: break up the electrical-grid cabal… PLUS: Rare GM EV1 saved from the crusher is going to be driveable again… and much, MUCH more! …

STORIES DISCUSSED ON TODAY’S ‘GREEN NEWS REPORT’…

• Crunch time in final days of COP30 climate summit in Brazil:
• More than 80 countries back push for ‘road map’ to quit fossil fuels at COP30 (Financial Times, no paywall):
  A concerted push to shift away from fossil fuels has become the main flashpoint at the UN COP30 climate summit in Brazil, after almost 20 ministers and more than 80 countries stood behind a proposal for national plans on how to quit oil, gas and coal.
• Explainer: COP30 host Brazil pushes for progress on big issues (AP):
  Although the conference is scheduled to run through Friday, the Brazilian presidency is pushing for an interconnected decision sooner on four issues that weren’t originally on the agenda. Meanwhile, dozens of nations — rich and poor — banded together in a concerted call to deliver a detailed road map for the world to phase out or transition away from fossil fuels.
• Have courage to create fossil fuel phaseout roadmap at Cop30, Brazilian minister urgest (Guardian)
• Fossil fuel lobbyists outnumber all Cop30 delegations except Brazil, report says (Guardian)
• COP 30 Puts Truth on the Table: Global Deal Targets Climate Disinformation (Climate Fact Checks)
• Paris Agreement has curbed deadly heating, but not by enough (DW News)
• World on track for 2.5C temperature rise without faster emissions cuts:
• New climate pledges do little to correct global warming projection, UN warns (UN News)
• Emissions Gap Report 2025 (UN Environment Programme):
  The sixteenth edition of the Emissions Gap Report finds that global warming projections over this century, based on full implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), are now 2.3-2.5°C, while those based on current policies are 2.8°C. This compares to 2.6-2.8°C and 3.1°C in last year’s report.
• World’s climate plans fall drastically short of action needed, analysis shows (Guardian)
• VIDEO: Tim MacPherson, IPCC — Pressure mounts at COP30 (TRT World)
• VIDEO: Johann Rockstom, “You’re actually 4 million years back to find a planet with an equivalent heat level on planet earth” (We Don’t Have Time/Youtube)
• The world will blow past U.N. climate goals in four years, report finds (Washington Post)
• Missing 1.5C climate target is a moral failure, UN chief tells Cop30 summit (Guardian)
• Climate change is accelerating, scientists find in ‘grim’ report (Yale Climate Connections)
• Background on COP30:
• Live updates from COP30 in Belem, Brazil (Guardian)
• VIDEO: Daily coverage at COP30 by Democracy Now (Democracy Now)
• What is COP30, why does it matter and who will be at this year’s UN climate talks? (EuroNews)
• Six issues that will dominate COP30 (UNEP)
• At UN climate talks in Brazil, the only sign of the United States is an empty chair (AP)
• Built to Fail: Rules at UN climate talks favor status quo, not progress (Inside Climate News)
• Iran faces historic, unprecedented water crisis:
• As the dams feeding Tehran run dry, Iran struggles with a dire water crisis (Al Jazeera):
  Iran spends 90 percent of its water on low-yield agriculture in a pursuit of self-sufficiency that exacerbates drought.
• VIDEO: How did Tehran end up in the world’s worst water crisis? (Al Jazeera)
• As Aquifers Dry Up, Tehran Rations Water and Calls for Rain Prayers (NY Times):L
  Iran’s water problems go beyond low precipitation levels. Studies show that decades of mismanagement, including excessive dam construction, illegal well drilling and unsustainable agriculture, have contributed to the depletion of water reserves. Climate change and rising temperatures have exacerbated the crisis.
• What policies can help solve Iran’s climate-driven water shortage? (Informed Comment)
• Trump EPA proposes curtailing scope of Clean Water Act:
• EPA moves to llimit scope of Clean Water Act to reduce wetlands it covers (AP)
• EPA Proposes Scaled-Back Definition of Protected US Waters (Bloomberg Law, no paywall)
• E.P.A. Rule Would Drastically Curb Protections for Wetlands (NY Times):
  The proposed rule could strip federal protections from millions of acres of wetlands and streams, potentially threatening sources of clean drinking water for millions of Americans. It was a victory for a range of business interests that have lobbied to scale back the Clean Water Act of 1972, including farmers, home builders, real estate developers, oil drillers and petrochemical manufacturers.
• PA Gov. Josh Shapiro withdraws from R.G.G.I.:
• Pennsylvania to Leave RGGI as Part of an Overdue Budget Deal (Inside Climate News):
  A years-long fight over its membership in the emissions-cutting initiative prevented Pennsylvania from ever participating. Advocates say it’s a “huge blow” to climate action in the state.
• Shapiro Advisors Endorse Emissions Curbs to Fight Climate Change but Don’t Embrace RGGI Membership (Inside Climate News, 9/30/2023)
• China is selling clean energy technology to the developing world:
• A Flood of Green Tech From China Is Upending Global Climate Politics (NY Times):
  At this year’s climate summit, the United States is out and Europe is struggling. But emerging countries are embracing renewable energy thanks to a glut of cheap equipment…Countries like Brazil, India and Vietnam are rapidly expanding solar and wind power. Poorer countries like Ethiopia and Nepal are leapfrogging over gasoline-burning cars to battery-powered ones. Nigeria, a petrostate, plans to build its first solar-panel manufacturing plant. Morocco is creating a battery hub to supply European automakers. Santiago, the capital of Chile, has electrified more than half of its bus fleet in recent years.
• China’s Green Triumph: China is equipping other countries to fight climate change. It’s a role reversal. (NY Times):
  And China is investing heavily “” nearly a quarter trillion dollars since 2011, they report, with most of that money going to what’s known as the global south. Adjusted for inflation, that is more money than the U.S. put into the Marshall Plan after World War II.
• VIDEO: Developing World Looking to Electrify (This Is Not Cool)
• Great Leap Forward: China Moving to Global Energy Leadership at COP (This Is Not Cool)
• As China becomes the global leader in renewable energy, the U.S. is falling behind (NPR)
• VIDEO: Climate Analystics: China is setting achievable climate targets (CNBC)

‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (Stuff we didn’t have time for in today’s audio report)…

For a comprehensive roundup of daily environmental news you can trust, see the Society of Environmental Journalists’ Daily Headlines page

• Trump’s anti-green agenda could lead to 1.3 million more climate deaths (Pro Publica)
• Trump administration makes major changes to a report it commissioned on FEMA reforms, AP sources say (AP)
• Keeping promises on renewables, energy efficiency and methane ‘would avoid nearly 1C of global heating’ (Guardian)
• Department of Energy loaning $1 billion to help restart Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island nuclear reactor (CBS News)
• “Data Crunch”: AI boom threatens to entrench fossil fuels and compromise climate goals (Democracy Now)
• Taxpayer-backed funds pump millions into Scottish ‘floating’ wind farm that will power 70,000 homes (The Scotsman)
• Sodium-ion battery storage for ultra-low temperatures (PV Magazine)
• A rare GM EV1 saved from the crusher is going to be driveable again (Electrek)
• “Literally insane”: Josh Shapiro dumps RGGI, reports from COP30, seismic shifts in the climate movement (Hill Heat)
• How to lower energy costs: break up the electrical-grid cabal (The New Republic)
• Disaster and insurance costs are rising. The middle class is struggling to hang on (NPR)
• New reforms, same old Florida home insurance market (The American Prospect)
• Spread of data centers raises risk of winter outages, grid monitor warns (E&E News)
• California farms applies millions of pounds of PFAS to key crops, study finds (Guardian)
• There’s a $10 trillion antidote to Trump’s climate backlash (Bloomberg)
• Climate change is accelerating, scientists find in ‘grim’ report (Yale Climate Connections)
• How Trump’s War on Climate Science impacts all Americans (Bloomberg)
• Solar Is Liberation (Rolling Stone)
• Governments legally required to address climate change, global court says (Inside Climate News)
• David Attenborough’s ‘Ocean’ is a brutal, beautiful wake-up call from the sea (AP)
• Wall Street Journal: Clean energy transition is unstoppable (This Is Not Cool blog)
• Can we avoid the enshittification of clean-energy tech? (David Roberts, Volts)
• Stop emissions, stop warming: A climate reality check (Dr. Andrew Dessler, Climate Brink)
• Who Will Care for Americans Left Behind by Climate Migration? (Pro Publica)
• Is the Atlantic Overturning Circulation Approaching a Tipping Point? (The Oceanography Society)
• How Oil Companies Manipulate Journalists (Drilled)
• How To Spot 5 Of The Fossil Fuel Industry’s Biggest Disinformation Tactics (Guardian)
• The Oceans We Knew Are Already Gone (The Atlantic)
• How to electrify your life when you rent (The Verge)
• Complete Series: Farmers Under Attack for Supporting Clean Energy (This Is Not Cool blog)
• Feeling Overwhelmed About Going All-Electric at Home? Here’s How to Get Started (Inside Climate News)
• Feeling Hopeless About the Climate? Try Our 30-Day Action Plan (The Revelator)
• Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration (Pro Publica)
• Exxon’s Snake Oil: 100 years of deception (Columbia Journalism Review)
• Project Drawdown: 100 Solutions to Reverse Global Warming (Drawdown.org)