In brief | 17 July '25

Reuters: Low water hinders Rhine river shipping in Germany despite rain 

Cargo vessels are generally only able to sail about half full. But freight is still being delivered, with loads being carried by several vessels instead of one, traders said.

Bloomberg: Dutch government ditches ‘not realistic’ offshore wind goal 

The Netherlands will slash its ambitions by as much as 40% as the government no longer finds it viable to aim for 50 GW of generation capacity by 2040.

Euractiv: Green groups see EU budget bill as death knell for environment funding 

The survival of environmental NGOs is also at risk, as core funding becomes uncertain under the proposed new structure.

ENTSO-E: Spain and Portugal blackout expert panel focusing on generation disconnections and voltage increases as the most probable trigger

Such cascading voltage increases have never before been linked to a blackout in any part of the European power system, transmission system operator association says.

The Guardian: How this summer’s heatwaves are affecting breeding birds

Long periods of very hot, dry weather mean certain species can overheat or struggle to find food.

Financial Times: Catastrophe bond sales hit record as insurers offload climate risks 

Investors attracted by high yields, while recent natural disasters have failed to trigger losses for bondholders.

The Guardian: Tax on AI and crypto could fund climate action, says former Paris accords envoy 

Laurence Tubiana, one of the architects of the Paris agreement, urges governments to consider levies on energy-hungry technology.