An array of climate metrics hit fresh records in 2024, a major new report with contributions from hundreds of scientists worldwide shows.

Why it matters: The annual "State of the Climate" is among the most comprehensive looks at global warming's many effects, both worldwide and by region.

Threat level: One takeaway from the peer-reviewed study — published by the American Meteorological Society — is that it's not (just) the heat, but the humidity, with multiple humidity indicators setting new marks.

Stunning stat: "The global average number of high humid heat days ... over land reached a record of 35.6 days more than normal in 2024, surpassing the previous record set in 2023 by 9.5 days," says a summary from the U.K. Met Office meteorological service.

• That metric refers to days when the "wet-bulb temperature" exceeded 90% of normal levels. "Wet bulb" refers to combinations of heat, humidity and other factors that hinder the body's ability to cool itself through sweat.

"Such a dramatic increase in the occurrence of these humid-heat events is bringing more societies into challenging, potentially life-threatening situations," said Kate Willett, a Met Office scientist and co-author of the humidity sections.

The big picture: A few more high-level takeaways...

• Atmospheric concentrations of the major planet-warming gases — CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide — hit new highs. CO2 is now 52% above preindustrial levels.
• 2024 was the hottest year in records dating back to the mid-1800s, beating out 2023, and "[t]he last 10 years (2015–24) are now the warmest 10 in the instrumental record."
• Canada, the U.S. and Mexico all saw their warmest years.

State of play: "The annual sea surface temperature was the highest in the 171-year record, marking the second year in a row that the global ocean set such a record."

• Air temps in the Arctic were the second-highest in 125 years of records, while the maximum reach of Arctic sea ice was the second-smallest in 46 years of satellite observations.

What we're watching: "Unfortunately, it looks like we are seeing yet another year of extreme weather," said Laura Stevens, the climate scientist who edited report sections on North America.

• "So far in 2025, North America has experienced several impactful extreme events, including intense wildfires, record-breaking heat waves, and devastating floods," she said in an interview that AMS published.

Go deeper: I'm just scratching the surface, so here's the whole report.

This graphic via the U.K. Met Office helps show some of the findings about humidity trends.

UN-hosted global talks to produce a treaty on curbing plastic pollution ended today "without consensus on a text of the instrument" despite years of negotiations, the body said.

Why it matters: Plastic is a multi-front environmental problem even as it enables the manufacture and distribution of vital and popular goods.

• Each year, between 19 and 23 million tons of plastic waste leak into aquatic systems, per UN figures.

The big picture: The future of plastic is an energy story because oil and natural gas liquids are major inputs.

• The petrochemical industry "is set to become the dominant source of global oil demand growth from 2026 onwards," the International Energy Agency said in a June report, noting transport and power are diversifying toward other fuels.

Driving the news: "While we did not land the treaty text we hoped for, we at UNEP will continue the work against plastic pollution — pollution that is in our groundwater, in our soil, in our rivers, in our oceans and yes, in our bodies," Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Programme, said in a statement today.

What we're watching: The way forward is unclear amid large differences, AP and other outlets report from the talks in Geneva.

• Nations "remain deadlocked over whether the treaty should reduce exponential growth of plastic production and put global, legally binding controls on toxic chemicals used to make plastics," AP reports.
• Via Bloomberg, most nations favored a cap on plastics production and limits on certain toxic chemicals, while a smaller group led by oil producers wanted the focus on waste collection and recycling.

Sen. Mike Lee has been an enigmatic contrast to past Energy and Natural Resources leaders — but an upcoming effort to overhaul permitting represents his biggest opportunity to show his cards.

Why it matters: Geothermal permitting legislation, which Lee and ranking ENR Democrat Martin Heinrich are sponsoring, could gain traction.

• The energy source has won bipartisan support from Congress and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
• "There is a history of them working together on permitting reform, related to geothermal, to get things done," said Jack Conness, a senior regulatory and policy associate at Fervo Energy.

Driving the news: Oil and gas interests similarly are pressing for a permitting package that quickens environmental reviews and limits judicial review.

Yes, but: Last month's ENR hearing on power grid issues — seen as a public starting gun for permitting talks — focused mostly on partisan leanings.

• Lee repeatedly attacked solar and wind as unreliable to supply data centers, while Heinrich has joined his party in arguing that the GOP stance will raise energy prices for consumers.

The big picture: Lee has a reputation as a culture warrior who blocks legislation on the Senate floor and prefers to make his case through his prolific and politically charged social media presence.

• Previous chairs Joe Manchin and Lisa Murkowski made their energy agendas well known and regularly reached across the aisle to cut deals.

"Without Sen. Manchin, it's going to be more difficult to get things done" on the committee, said Kathleen Sgamma, a longtime Western energy lobbyist whose nomination to lead the BLM was abruptly pulled hours before her ENR hearing.

• On public-lands issues, Heinrich is "interested in the preservation-only agenda, so I think it's a more difficult climb for Sen. Lee with Sen. Heinrich," she added.

Full story

Growing European demand for sustainable aviation fuel helped drive Conestoga's acquisition of Southwest Airlines' biofuel business, Conestoga Energy CEO Tom Willis tells Axios Pro.

Why it matters: While U.S. airlines have been slow to embrace SAF, European mandates are driving the fuel's adoption overseas.

Driving the news: Conestoga Energy and Southwest Airlines announced yesterday that the ethanol producer would buy Southwest's renewable fuel business Saffire.

• Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Willis says that Southwest approached Conestoga looking to sell. Southwest Airlines' loss is Conestoga Energy's gain, says Willis.

Catch up quick: Southwest, through its subsidiary Southwest Airlines Renewable Ventures, only acquired Saffire Renewables a little over a year ago.

• Earlier this year, Southwest reportedly cut jobs in its sustainability teams, including eliminating a team that makes investments in renewable fuel startups, and started looking for a buyer for Saffire.

To read the whole story, and for a daily diet of scoops and smart analysis, talk to our sales team about Axios Pro Deals.

That's the Brent crude oil price as markets await President Trump's meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska today.

Why it matters: The outcome could sway markets.

• Signs of progress toward a ceasefire would raise the prospect of nations easing sanctions on Russian barrels.
• Conversely, Trump has threatened new tariffs on buyers of Russian energy if Putin insists on continuing the invasion of Ukraine (though skepticism abounds on whether he'll follow through).

The bottom line: Traders are watching Alaska today.