SCOTUS declines to hear oil major’s climate case appeal: The US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) rejected an appeal by oil giants, including Sunoco, ExxonMobil, BP, and Chevron, seeking to dismiss a climate lawsuit by Honolulu, Reuters reported on Monday. The decision upholds the Hawaii Supreme Court ruling to allow the 2020 lawsuit to proceed in the state courts.

The case: The city accuses the companies of knowingly misleading the public about the environmental dangers of their fossil fuel products. It also argues that heatwaves have strained its electrical grid and that rising sea levels will require retrofitting critical infrastructure like wastewater treatment plants at high costs. However, oil companies made a technical argument that the lawsuits overstep state jurisdiction, with such issues falling under federal purview. They also accused local officials of threatening energy security.

Germany’s AfD takes a page out of Trump’s book, vows to take down wind turbines: Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party — now second in German polls ahead of 23 February elections — would “tear down all wind turbines,” should it come into power, Chairwoman Alice Weidel said at a party convention, Bloomberg reported on Monday. Weidel later tried to backtrack on her comments, but AfD’s official election platform still outrightly “rejects the further expansion of wind energy” and calls for slashes in renewable subsidies.

China’s Zijin Mining Group is eyeing shares in Chinese Zangge Mining, potentially leading to a takeover, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing a Hong Kong Exchange announcement. Zangge – mainly a potash producer – is valued at USD 6.4 bn with one-third of its revenues coming from lithium extracted from salt lakes in Qinghai.

Zijin has global lithium ambitions: Zijin — a major global producer of Copper and Gold — wants to become a global Lithium powerhouse and has aggressively pursued acquisitions over the last decade. The company’s most recent high-profile global takeover — the Monano Project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo — is planned to begin operations in 1Q 2026.

OTHER STORIES WORTH KNOWING ABOUT THIS WEEK-

  • Amazon puts in biggest UK electric truck order: Amazon has purchased over 140 electric Mercedes-Benz heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and eight Volvo lorries — to be deployed over the next 18 months. Amazon’s order was partly funded by its GBP 300 mn investment announced in 2022 for green transport in the UK. (The Guardian)
  • China’s largest off-shore solar hydrogen farm is operating now: China’s kicked off operations at its Rudong 400 MW off-shore photovoltaic-hydrogen energy storage in Jiangsu. Once fully operating this year, it will generate 468 GWh annually, which will cut 309k tonnes of CO2 emissions. (Global Times)
  • China launches energy-efficient carbon fiber train: China’s Shandong Province launched on Saturday a new carbon fiber metro train that reduces energy consumption by 7%. The train’s car body and bogie framed weight are also reduced by 25% and 50%, respectively, making it 11% lighter than traditional trains. (Press Release)
  • Google to buy carbon credits from India’s Varaha: Google has signed an agreement to purchase 100k tons of carbon credits from the Indian carbon sequestration company Varaha by 2030. The credits will come from an initiative that converts agricultural waste into biochar, a form of charcoal that sequesters CO2 for hundreds of years and returns it to the soil. (Reuters)
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