Energy access and reliability: South Africa’s power strain is hitting small businesses and households directly, with decades of load-shedding and tens of thousands of unplanned outages shaping daily life and pushing people toward costly backup options. Climate impacts on forests and carbon: New research suggests trees can stop growing months before photosynthesis slows, weakening how much long-term carbon forests store; other studies warn carbon removal is still far too small to bend warming. Wildfire pressure in North India: Escalating forest fires are blanketing Himalayan regions in smoke, threatening ecosystems, water sources, and livelihoods as preparedness gaps hamper response. Policy and accountability: Bulgaria keeps enforcement pressure on the Bobov Dol thermal power plant after repeated violations, while the U.S. environmental justice rollback story highlights shrinking protections for communities facing pollution. Clean energy and grids: Hitachi Energy is expanding transformer manufacturing in India to support grid buildout, and Ontario is adding battery storage to strengthen electricity reliability. Water and innovation: A new solar-thermal desalination approach aims to produce drinking water with less waste and even recover materials from salt. Nature under stress: Coral diversity in Fiji’s Mamanuca islands is shrinking as warmer seas disrupt restoration work. Energy transition cooperation: Oil India and Canada’s PTRC signed a clean energy pact focused on carbon management, geothermal, and CCUS research. Local climate resilience: Nepal cleared the way for private investment across transmission, distribution, and trading, aiming to scale hydropower and renewables.