In brief | 9 March '26

FT: Germany seeks to emulate Japan in shoring up critical minerals

BMW and Rheinmetall push for joint purchasing of raw materials to reduce reliance on China.

DW: Energy bottleneck in Middle East is damaging German economy

Expensive energy, rising prices and disrupted supply chains are all bad news for economic growth. The German government is alarmed by events in the Middle East.

Reuters: Oil prices hit highest since 2022 at more than $119 a barrel on Iran war

Oil prices surged to more than 119 US dollars a barrel on 9 March 2026, hitting levels not seen since mid-2022, as some major ​producers cut supplies and fears of prolonged shipping disruptions gripped the market due to the expanding US-Israeli war with Iran.

Carbon Brief: Pace of global warming has nearly doubled since 2015, reveals study

An acceleration in human-caused global warming could see the Paris Agreement’s 1.5C limit breached before 2030, a new study suggests.

Forbes: On International Women’s Day, make climate data for everyone – editorial 

Climate resilience increasingly runs on data. Ensuring that women help build those systems may be one of the most practical steps toward stronger climate adaptation.