I keep hearing that the rise of the populist right is one of the biggest threats to the climate. Watching Trump’s second term it’s hard to disagree
So @tbij.bsky.social looked at what councils controlled by Reform UK are doing on climate
What we found was pretty shocking
As ever, Private Eye sees through the way the usual-suspect media are happy to swallow wholesale and then amplify the BS from Tufton St lobbyists when it comes to net-zero
And, as ever, @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org made all these points the moment the coverage landed
"China has no wind farms"
These are just a few examples of the reporting we’ve done recently, thanks to your support
We’ve now launched another crowdfunder – and for this week only all donations we receive via the Big Give platform will be doubled at no extra cost to you 👉https://bit.ly/TBIJ-big-give
What are some of the recent investigations we've published thanks to your support?
Last year we raised £20,000 to fund our environment reporting
In the run up to Cop30 this year, we delivered a powerful package of investigations and stories 👇
Kim Rebholz. Image courtesy of TBIJ. Congo.
Kim Rebholz was hired by the Democratic Republic of Congo to safeguard the Mangrove Marine Park.
When he exposed illegal logging, armed men came for him and his family.
Story by RIN Fellow @josephinemoulds.bsky.social and @soniarolley.bsky.social for @tbij.bsky.social.
👉 bit.ly/4oux4OM
Underreported Earth: Tree Tales | Congo's drilling plans and the future of its critical rainforest ecosystem | Josephine Moulds
Check out Episode 2 of the Underreported Earth: “Tree Tales” Series!
In this episode, @josephinemoulds.bsky.social explains how the Congo Basin rainforest is threatened by fossil fuel projects.
This series is produced in partnership with @earthdayorg.bsky.social & @theguardian.com.
👉 bit.ly/47Yh7u1
Le parc national est menacé par les activités de trafiquants, de multinationales, et par une plantation de Joseph Kabila. Ceux qui dénoncent ces abus sont victimes de terribles violences.
Enquête de @soniarolley.bsky.social (@pplaaf.bsky.social) et @josephinemoulds.bsky.social (@tbij.bsky.social)
We spoke to a whistleblower who tried to protect the mangroves at the mouth of the River Congo
He found – at great cost – it would pit him against some of the most dangerous people in the region
bit.ly/47C2wWg
with @soniarolley.bsky.social @pplaaf.bsky.social @theguardian.com @mediapart.fr
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Baby turtles crawling on the beach towards the ocean.
Holding Cop next to the rainforest is symbolic. But emissions from forest fires in the Amazon are greater than its capacity to absorb CO2
It is now the Congo Basin that offers the world’s best hope against climate change
But it too is under threat
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NEW from me: CO2 emissions in China have now been flat or falling for 18 months, the first time that energy demand growth at or above historical averages doesn't drive emissions up, thanks to the clean energy boom. 🧵👇
Banks including HSBC offered to raise $10bn towards Indonesia’s transition
Those same banks have been undermining its transition by funding companies driving the expansion of coal power in Indonesia
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...
With @climatechangenews.com
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Indonesia is a test case for the energy transition
Its coal consumption more than doubled over the past 10 years and it ranks 8th in the world for carbon emissions
So it was a big moment when it launched a $20bn plan to shift from coal to clean energy
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Indonesia committed to phasing out coal in 2022, with $20bn of help from wealthy nations and banks
But, since then, these very same big banks have also been funding companies driving the expansion of coal in the country
📸 Garry Andrew Lotulung / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
@oilchange.bsky.social said this risks opening the door to violations by other countries
The govt is agreeing a new strategy with BII, so it’s an important time to shine a light on when it is not living up to its promise to deliver climate aid
3/
BII is taxpayer-owned and backed with aid money. I found its ‘climate finance’ was supporting
a power company that mainly burns fossil fuels
a luxury carmaker
a subsidiary of international telco Orange
and more
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...
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#COP30 will discuss international climate finance – aid we give developing countries to deal with the climate crisis
The UK is increasingly relying on one organisation to deliver its climate finance – British International Investment. So I looked at what it called climate finance
1/
Revealed❗Money meant to help poor countries tackle the climate crisis is lining the pockets of billionaires. Luxury carmakers, telecoms giants & a firm building gas-fired power are getting UK climate aid via @britishintinv.bsky.social
➡️ Full story: www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...
Taxpayer-funded @britishintinv.bsky.social - tasked with investing money to support poor & marginalised people in society - is instead boosting the profits of huge corporations.
@josephinemoulds.bsky.social's story shows there’s a need to define climate finance and who should benefit from it.
Giovanna Eichner, shareholder advocate at Green Century Capital Management, said: “It's absurd for Chubb to continue to underwrite activities that are causing climate change and then turn around and pay for the claims caused by these activities.”
3/3
So it will come as a shock to the market that Chubb has taken the role of lead reinsurer for a coal-fired power plant in Vietnam.
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...
2/3
Insurers saw the climate crisis coming and reassessed what they would insure. Many pulled cover from homes with wildfire risk – including Chubb.
They also looked at the causes of the climate crisis and many pulled cover from coal projects – including Chubb.
1/3
HSBC helped raise billions last year for companies expanding the production of coal in deals that seem to violate its coal phase-out policy
The bank was ranked the UK’s second largest funder of fossil fuel companies in a recent report by @ran.org
HSBC was slammed at its AGM when we revealed it appeared to have breached its coal policy by funding coal expanders.
Today we reveal that it appears to have broken its coal policy for the second year running. Investors are rightly furious.
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...
my friend played this, built only renewables and his result was "your city is in DANGER, your MONEY is very low!"
And on that site it said the game "aligns with our work to build future talent pipelines and secure permission to operate at a time of sensitivity around fossil fuels, particularly in light of approval for the Rosebank development".
And the promotion of the game appears to admit that it is an attempt to lobby children, saying it "aligns with our work to secure permission to operate at a time of sensitivity around fossil fuels, particularly in light of approval for the Rosebank development".
The company behind Rosebank has funded a computer game aimed at UK school children as young as 7, promoting the idea that fossil fuels can be part of a future energy mix.
I didn't think I could still be shocked by fossil fuel companies' lobbying tactics but this story, first revealed by Malene Emilie Rustad at the Norwegian publication E24, is amazing.
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...
Revealed: European ‘green’ investments hold billions in fossil fuel majors
- Funds with names such as ‘Sustainable Global Stars’ have stakes in some of the world’s biggest polluters
Story by me, Giorgio Michalopoulos, Stefano Valentino
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
