Oil demand is expected to contract by 80 kb/d this year, as the Iran war upends the International Energy Agency's (IEA's) global outlook. This is 730 kb/d less than in last month’s report and a forecast 1.5 mb/d 2Q26 decline would be the sharpest since Covid-19 slashed fuel consumption. Initially, the deepest cuts in oil use have come in the Middle East and Asia Pacific, mainly for naphtha, LPG and jet fuel. However, demand destruction will spread as scarcity and higher prices persist.
Category: Energy
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New approaches needed to address supply chain risks for rare earth elements
Rare earth elements are moving rapidly to the forefront of global policy making for energy, transport, advanced manufacturing and digital technologies as demand continues to expand while supply chains remain highly concentrated, according to a new International Energy |Agency (IEA) report developed to inform G7 discussions this year.
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EIC awards €118m to 30 breakthrough research projects
The European Innovation Council (EIC) has selected 30 new projects under the 2025 EIC Pathfinder Challenges Call for cutting edge research projects delivering breakthroughs in four strategic areas: biotech for climate resilient crops and plant-based biomanufacturing; generative-AI based agents to revolutionise medical diagnosis; robot collectives; and waste-to-value devices - circular production of renewable fuels, chemicals, and materials.
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Verification of Sustainable Aviation Fuel traceability strengthened
Zemo Partnership has launched RFAS Aviation, a new voluntary assurance scheme designed to provide independent verification of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) across the UK supply chain. The scheme responds to a critical industry need for a harmonised approach to verifying SAF traceability in the downstream fuel supply chain.
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New framework links past and future emissions to location-specific damage
One tonne of CO2 emitted in 1990 caused US$180 in discounted global damages by 2020 ($40–530) and will cause an additional $1,840 through 2100 ($500–5,700). Settling debts for past damages will not settle debts for past emissions. The research, Quantifying climate loss and damage consistent with a social cost of carbon, was published in Nature and was carried out by Burke, M., Zahid, M., Diffenbaugh, N.S. et al
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Hormuz shipping disruptions raise risks for energy, fertilizers and economies
UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has released a rapid analysis – Strait of Hormuz disruptions: Implications for global trade and development – examining the implications of recent disruptions to maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical trade corridors.
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Commission to increase EU’s energy independence and affordability
The European Commission has presented its first initiatives to boost investment in homegrown clean energy solutions, increase resilience and reduce energy prices. The prevailing geopolitical context acts as a reminder of the risks related to Europe's reliance on imported fossil fuels. The Commission says that clean energy sources remain the most affordable and safe, and the only mid-term response to reduce our exposure to price volatility.
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Sodium ion battery stores twice the energy and desalinates seawater
Researchers at the University of Surrey in the UK have discovered that keeping water inside a key battery material dramatically boosts performance. The batteries then store nearly twice as much charge, charge faster and remain stable for hundreds of cycles. This makes them among the top-performing sodium batteries ever.
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Spain’s Repsol installs its second 100MW electrolyser
Repsol is making further progress in its industrial decarbonisation strategy through renewable hydrogen and will install its second large-scale electrolyser at its Petronor refinery in Muskiz close to Bilbao in Northern Spain. Last September, the company approved the construction in Cartagena of its first large electrolyser, with a capacity of 100 megawatts (MW).
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$100bn: turning clean fuel ambition into progress by 2030
Global investment in clean fuels will need to quadruple by 2030 to meet global clean fuel ambitions, according to a new World Economic Forum report 'Fuelling the Future: How Business, Finance and Policy can Accelerate the Clean Fuels Market', developed in collaboration with Bain & Company. Highlighting the potential of the sector to stimulate job growth and diversify energy supply, the report sets out policy, business and financing measures that can turn global goals into credible, economically viable projects.
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Growth unlocked through enhanced sustainability data
The UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association’s (UKSIF’s) institutional investor members were surveyed in November 2025 to gauge the investment community’s experience and use of sustainability data from investee companies and wider assets. Sustainability data – specifically the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) information that companies and assets disclose – is increasingly crucial for financial markets.
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Commission takes measures to transition Europe to a circular economy
The European Commission has unveiled a first set of pilot actions to accelerate Europe's transition to a circular economy, with a particular focus on the plastics sector. The Commission says that by optimising the recycling of plastics, these measures will further unlock the potential of the Single Market and enhance the EU's economic security, strategic autonomy, competitiveness and environmental sustainability.
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Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) goes live on 1 January 2026
Those importing more than 50 tonnes of cement, iron and steel, aluminium, fertiliser, as well as all importers of electricity or hydrogen, need to have submitted an application for a CBAM account number or a CBAM application
reference number under the EU CBAM (or received an authorisation at the time of import). Importers who have not already submitted applications need to act fast now to avoid risking disruptions, delays or penalties. Applications must be submitted prior to import and at the latest by 31 March 2026 for all concerned import companies.
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Hashgraph Group launches EcoGuard to empower carbon market
The Hashgraph Group (THG), the Swiss-based Web3 technology engineering company operating within the Hedera ecosystem, has launched EcoGuard, a secure, scalable and sustainable carbon credit workflow platform. Built on Hedera network, the energy-efficient distributed ledger technology (DLT), EcoGuard is redefining carbon market infrastructure by automating and embedding digital trust and data provenance directly into the entire carbon asset lifecycle, ensuring full traceability of every carbon credit from creation and verification to issuance, tracking, and retirement.
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Tata Power, LSE and IGC launch lab to accelerate India’s transition
Tata Power has launched the Energy Insights & Innovation Lab (EIIL) at its Mumbai based headquarters. This strategic research initiative is designed to harness cutting-edge research, data and experimentation to support India's clean energy transition while improving the quality, reliability and affordability of electricity services for consumers across India.