It’s the weekend! Kick back and catch up with these must-read articles from around the web.
Ikea, Fortescue, Lendlease: The ‘real zero’ leaders leaving net zero behind (Forbes Australia) Climate Integrity and UTS have named three companies as global decarbonisation leaders. They have surpassed net-zero sustainability commitments – and are achieving ‘real zero’ ones.
Trump seeks tighter restrictions on wind and solar with executive order (Utility Dive) President Donald Trump issued an executive order Monday instructing the Secretary of the Treasury to publish guidance within 45 days “to ensure that policies concerning the ‘beginning of construction’ are not circumvented” by wind and solar projects that saw their eligibility for the 45Y and 48E clean energy tax credits slashed by budget legislation signed into law on July 4. “It is unclear how the Treasury will amend the ‘beginning of construction’ language while also keeping in mind that a ‘substantial portion of the subject facility has been built,’” Jefferies analysts said in a Tuesday note. This “could be an attempt to pivot back to the House version of the OBBB which had narrowed credit eligibility with ‘begin construction’ AND ‘placed in service’ language.”
Photos: The scale of China’s solar power (Yahoo News) As the Trump administration’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” eliminates many clean-energy incentives in the U.S., China continues huge investments in wind and solar power, reportedly accounting for 74 percent of all projects now under construction worldwide.
California has an idea to counter Trump’s megabill: Roll back environmental laws (Politico) California lawmakers reeling from President Donald Trump’s assault on clean energy are considering a controversial strategy to keep projects on track — slashing environmental permitting further. That plan could intensify a fight between clean energy advocates and environmentalists over the trade-offs between building fast and environmental protection that’s already playing out at home.
Are governments better positioned to respond to energy security risks today than in the past? (IEA) Amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and renewed volatility in energy markets, energy security has once again become a top priority for governments. Since the oil crises of the 1970s, many more countries have installed policies and emergency response measures that can buffer the impacts of potential supply disruptions, while also taking steps to diversify their energy mixes and improve energy efficiency. At the same time, the world’s energy system has grown increasingly complex and interconnected – calling for an expanded set of policy tools and updated approach to emergency preparedness, as discussed at the Summit on the Future of Energy Security in April 2025.