Chloé Farand

Saudi Arabia, which has built its place in the world based on huge oil exports, is now seeking to secure a role in the clean energy economy by becoming a hub for energy transition minerals, while continuing to sell the world its oil.

www.climatechangenews.com/2025/09/10/d...

Polluters on trial: How climate science is rocking the courtroom Attribution science is enabling climate victims to sue the world’s top polluters for damages and the first successful case may not be very far away, writes Chloé Farand.

It now seems inevitable that a major emitter will be held responsible for their contribution to the climate crisis.

Read the full story, written by @chloefarand.bsky.social, and learn what attribution science means for the courts and climate justice.

👉 imperial.ac.uk/stories/polluters-on-trial

Major banks neglect energy transition risks from mining as demand booms Financial institutions are lacking safeguards to prevent harms caused by mining the resources needed for the energy transition, analysis of the sector's financing finds

Meanwhile, a new assessment of the policies of financial institutions on their mining clients out today found that none of 30 major banks and investors had requirements for mining companies to manage the risks associated with storing mining waste.

www.climatechangenews.com/2025/09/03/m...

Victims of Zambian copper mine spill threaten to sue Chinese firm Dozens of families are demanding Sino-Metals Leach Zambia pay billions in compensation to clean up devastating spill or face legal challenges

The Zambian government is being accused of whitewashing the scale of a massive toxic mining waste spill at a copper mine earlier this year. Experts warn of serious health risks for decades. The US and Finland have told their citizens to evacuate the area.

www.climatechangenews.com/2025/09/02/v...

Banks back Pakistan copper mine despite human rights fears Campaigners say the Reko Diq copper mine in Balochistan risks worsening the plight of human rights defenders in a region marred by conflict

A path to development or a recipe for disaster?

Lenders are plans to develop one of the world's largest unexploited copper deposits in Balochistan, Pakistan's largest and poorest province which is blighted by conflict and human rights violations.

www.climatechangenews.com/2025/08/22/a...

‘The state doesn’t want to know’: Doctors raise alarm on children’s health crisis in Chile’s copper heartland Autism and cancer cases are soaring in Chile linked to pollution from copper mining critical for the energy transition, doctors say

Read our previous reporting about doctors in Chile's copper mining region raising the alarm over soaring numbers of children being born with severe autism and neurodivergent conditions in the area. They blame years of continuous air pollution from mining

www.climatechangenews.com/2024/12/17/d...

Campaigners sue Chilean government over copper mining pollution They accuse the state of failing to remediate years of pollution by top copper producer Codelco at the expense of people’s health

💥 After @climatechangenews.com 's reporting on rising concerns over the health impacts of copper mining in northern Chile, campaigners are taking the government to court for failing to address years of continuous air pollution.

www.climatechangenews.com/2025/08/15/c...

Iraq Goes Dark After Searing Heat Wave Triggers Power Grid Failure Iraq was plunged into darkness on Monday as searing heat pushed up power demand, triggering a failure in transmission lines that led to a near nationwide blackout.

Iraq blackout: "Electricity demand jumped, triggering a failure in transmission, as temperatures in parts of the country soared to as high as 50C (122F), with millions of people joining the Arbaeen pilgrimage."

🎁 link
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Great little primer on natural Hydrogen

Lots of caveats,
there seem to be better tech in pipeline or already available

The precious 'white gold' fuel buried in the Earth Naturally occurring "white hydrogen" lies in vast reservoirs beneath our feet – now the gold rush of the clean energy era is beginning.

What if we could tap vast reserves of naturally occurring hydrogen lying beneath our feet?

The race is on to discover the first commercially viable natural hydrogen reservoir. But many experts warn that the reality may not live up to the hype.

My latest for BBC 👇

www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...

Good news is somewhat of a rarity in the climate space, so it's genuinely uplifting to see how advances in climate science are making it possible to hold big emitters to account in the courts.

Great new piece on @granthamicl.bsky.social's climate litigation work by @chloefarand.bsky.social 👇

🚨 Upcoming vote this morning: 🇺🇳 UN #HumanRights Council will consider whether to call for an equitable transition of #FossilFuels to prevent climate harms. 📉 🛢️
👀 We will be watching closely the vote of the 47 States members
📺 live webcast (3 PM CEST): webtv.un.org/en/asset/k16...

Nigeria’s push to cash in on lithium rush gets off to a rocky start Nigeria wants to supply refined lithium to the EV battery industry to diversify its economy away from oil but early processing efforts are facing challenges

Nations rich in minerals want to add value to their resources to reap more benefits from the energy transition.

But in Nigeria, early efforts to refine lithium are facing challenges as mining remains dominated by mostly unregulated informal miners.

@vivianchime.bsky.social reports

bit.ly/3I9RFZw

The true costs of climate disasters Scientists have linked extreme weather to climate change. Now they can quantify its impact on the damage, writes Chloé Farand.

A team of scientists at @granthamicl.bsky.social is developing new methods to pinpoint how much of the impacts of extreme weather events on lives and societies can be attributed to climate change.

The answer is laying bare the costs of climate action.

Story 👇

www.imperial.ac.uk/Stories/true...

The true costs of climate disasters Scientists have linked extreme weather to climate change. Now they can quantify its impact on the damage, writes Chloé Farand.

A team of scientists at @granthamicl.bsky.social is developing new methods to pinpoint how much of the impacts of extreme weather events on lives and societies can be attributed to climate change.

The answer is laying bare the costs of climate action.

Story 👇

www.imperial.ac.uk/Stories/true...

The true costs of climate disasters Scientists have linked extreme weather to climate change. Now they can quantify its impact on the damage, writes Chloé Farand.

🚨 Human influence on our climate is cranking up the intensity of #ExtremeWeather around the world.

@granthamicl.bsky.social is pioneering tools to uncover the economic and human costs of this influence on individual events.

New from @chloefarand.bsky.social 👇 www.imperial.ac.uk/Stories/true...

Learn more about the cutting-edge methods behind impact attribution science and what comes next for counting the cost of climate change, written by @chloefarand.bsky.social‬: ow.ly/rgcv50WcaE3

One week to go until our #LCAW2025 event on how to make energy transition mineral production build shared prosperity for people & planet.

Get your ticket to attend in London or sign up to follow online: www.eventbrite.com/e/breaking-w...

@climatechangenews.com @business-humanrights.org

Events - London Climate Action Week Discover climate summits, forums, workshops, and more during London Climate Action Week — a city-wide celebration of climate action and awareness.

🚨 Save the date 🚨

I'm chairing a #LCAW2025 event on how to rebuild trust in energy transition mineral supply chains, featuring UN special rapporteur Elisa Morgera among a stellar lineup of speakers.

24th June at 2pm in London & online.

Join us!

www.londonclimateactionweek.org/event/breaki...

Events - London Climate Action Week Discover climate summits, forums, workshops, and more during London Climate Action Week — a city-wide celebration of climate action and awareness.

🚨 Save the date 🚨

I'm chairing a #LCAW2025 event on how to rebuild trust in energy transition mineral supply chains, featuring UN special rapporteur Elisa Morgera among a stellar lineup of speakers.

24th June at 2pm in London & online.

Join us!

www.londonclimateactionweek.org/event/breaki...

Does the world need a global treaty on energy transition minerals? As governments rush to secure supplies of the transition minerals needed, activists want a treaty with stronger governance rules

Good article by @chloefarand.bsky.social regarding momentum towards international governance of minerals. Stay tuned for our article this Thursday in the journal Science from @aaas.org on the prospects for a Minerals Trust for the green transition! www.climatechangenews.com/2025/05/26/d...

Yet, the world needs copper to accelerate renewable energy rollout and address climate change. There is no choice but to get mining right, boost recycling and look close and hard at what we're planning to use this copper for and where demand could be reduced.

7/7

An acid spill in Zambia tests the country's plans to boost production Four mining companies have been accused of causing an acid spill in the watershed the most important river in Zambia

Recent "catastrophic" acid leaks at copper mines in Zambia show the consequences of ramping up copper production without robust regulations, environmental standards and accountability mechanisms in place.

6/7

www.climatechangenews.com/2025/03/28/c...

In Zambia, we've explored how communities dependent on illegal mining for their livelihood want a better deal for their work as the government plans to massively scale copper production.

5/7
www.climatechangenews.com/2025/02/18/e...

‘The state doesn’t want to know’: Doctors raise alarm on children’s health crisis in Chile’s copper heartland Autism and cancer cases are soaring in Chile linked to pollution from copper mining critical for the energy transition, doctors say

As part of @climatechangenews.com Clean Energy Frontier series, we've reported on doctors in Chile blaming extensive copper mining pollution for soaring numbers of cancer and autism cases.

4/7

www.climatechangenews.com/2024/12/17/d...

But the world's scramble to get more copper out of the ground has led to growing instances of conflict with communities and environmental destruction.

‪‪BHRRC recorded 513 allegations of human rights abuses associated with copper mining in 2010-24.

3/7
www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-ne...

The IEA's Critical Minerals Outlook out today emphasises the looming gap between copper demand and supply.

Copper is at the cornerstone of the energy transition. It's used to make EV motors, batteries, solar, cables for energy storage and distribution networks.

2/7

www.iea.org/reports/glob...

“Copper is going to be a headache for the energy sector in the years to come," says @iea.org boss Fatih Birol as the agency forecasts a 30% copper supply shortfall by 2035.

Yet, copper mining is also linked to record numbers of allegations of human rights abuses warns @business-humanrights.org

🧵

a bit early to call but makes sense. clean technology is a big driver of growth for China and as US puts up trade barriers it needs to diversify export markets. why wouldn't Xi want to go?

Rising copper demand fuels concern over pollution and rights abuses The UN has dubbed copper the “new strategic raw material” for the green digital economy - but will more mining come at a high cost to communities? Will more copper mining come at a high cost to local ...

“Copper is no longer just a commodity – it’s a strategic asset,” says @unctad.bsky.social amid a boom driven by construction & electronics.

A strategic asset for the energy transition, it's also linked to 513 allegations of human rights abuses in 2010/24.

www.climatechangenews.com/2025/05/11/r...