Climate Bulletin: Mike Bloomberg Launches Global Methane Emissions Reduction Effort, From Space Detection to Rapid Response (Agence France Presse)
‌

Mike Bloomberg and Bloomberg Philanthropies announced Thursday a $100 million investment in efforts to cut emissions of methane -- a "super pollutant" greenhouse gas that has become an increasing focus of climate change talks.

‌

"Methane emissions are one of the biggest causes of climate change, but also one of our biggest opportunities to make progress quickly," Mike told reporters.
‌

Bloomberg Philanthropies has been supporting satellite operations that monitor for methane leaks from oil, gas and coal operations, and partnering with organizations like Carbon Mapper that publicize these leaks and alert those responsible so they can take action.

The announcement was lauded by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and French President Emmanuel Macron, with the latter saying in a statement that his nation was "ready to work alongside Bloomberg Philanthropies and all partners to deliver concrete results for climate, health, and our shared future."

Paris has pushed to make the issue a top priority ahead of COP30, to be held in the Brazilian city of Belém from November 10 to 21, given that a third of global warming is currently attributed to methane.
‌

Speaking on the same call, Michelle Lujan Grisham, the governor of New Mexico, said her state had put in tough rules requiring fossil fuel operators to capture 98 percent of their produced natural gas and to make flaring -- the process of burning off excess gas, which is often imperfectly executed -- illegal. "I need these investments and these companies and the satellite imagery that allows us to...measure our success," she said.

Read More: Satellite Hunt for Superpollutant Wins $100 Million New Funding (Bloomberg)

View the full press release from Bloomberg Philanthropies here
and watch Mike's video by clicking the photo below. 

Royal Recognition: Prince William Announces Earthshot Prize 2025 Winners in Rio (BBC)

The Earthshot Prize, founded by Prince William in 2020, is a global environmental award that gives £1m to five winners each year to help scale up innovative projects that repair the climate and protect life on Earth.

At Wednesday's ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, winners included re.green in Brazil, Bogotá’s clean air initiative in Colombia, the High Seas Treaty for ocean conservation, Lagos Fashion Week in Nigeria, and Friendship in Bangladesh, recognized for their efforts to restore forests, clean air, revive oceans, reduce waste, and fix the climate.

Read more about the 2025 winners here. 

Next Stop: COP30 Kicks Off in Belem, World Leaders Gather to Tackle Climate Change (UN.org)

The 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) will convene in Belém through Nov. 21, bringing together heads of state, leading scientists, NGOs, and representatives from across civil society.

This landmark gathering will serve as a crucial moment to accelerate climate action on the global stage, focusing on strategies to keep global warming below 1.5°C. Key discussions will include the unveiling of updated national climate action plans (NDCs), evaluations of progress toward emission reduction targets, and accountability for the finance commitments pledged at COP29. As the world faces intensifying climate challenges, COP30 aims to turn promises into measurable progress.

In a Q&A with O Globo, Mike Bloomberg outlined what to expect from COP30, stressing the need for action over ambition. He stated that “for too long, global and national discussions have prioritized setting targets instead of achieving them,” and praised the COP30 presidency for “tackling that disconnect by positioning Belém as the COP of implementation.”

Ahead of UN Climate Talks

Mike Bloomberg: Mobilizing Financing for Clean Energy (Valor Econômico - Opinion)

When heads of state gather in Belém next week at the UN’s COP 30 Climate Conference, we will hear two competing narratives. One will focus on unstable geopolitics and the hesitancy of countries to produce their new country commitments (NDCs), despite the urgency. But the real story that we should pay attention to is one of an energy transition that’s picking up steam, Mike writes. 

The key to moving faster is enabling finance to flow. Brazil’s leadership recognizes that closing the gap requires new investment at an unprecedented scale and speed. Key to that is setting clear policy goals that give confidence to market actors, spurring private investment through smarter use of public finance,  helping developing countries to attract more investment, and unlocking new sources of private finance through carbon markets.

The success of this approach should send a strong message to the heads of state arriving in Belém: Fighting climate change, growing the economy, and improving lives all go hand in hand. If leaders at COP30 heed that message, Mike writes, the conference will be Brazil’s most important climate victory yet. 

Read Mike's full op-ed here. 
‌

Inside Tuesday's Blue Wave

What Howard Wolfson is Reading: The Democrats Have a New Winning Formula (Substack Newsletter - Derek Thompson)

The affordability message was especially successful at bringing young voters back to the Democratic fold. After the 2024 election, writer Derek Thompson says he was worried that young people were listing to the right.

Tuesday’s election was not the ideal test of that theory, since off-year elections tend to have a smaller and more educated (and, therefore, more naturally anti-Trump) electorate. But it seems as if the rightward wave is now undulating to the left.

The pollster John Della Volpe reported that young voters “anchored the Democratic turnaround in Virginia, where 18-29-year-olds delivered a 35-point margin for Spanberger, the largest for Democrats since 2017, according to Thompson.

New Hope for Dems: Voters Drive Democratic Shift Across Key States After Trump’s Second-Term Setbacks (Politico)

Democrats, knocked down by a Trump tsunami last year, rode a blue wave back to relevance Tuesday night. 

Heading into the 2026 midterms, Democrats showed signs of rebuilding and shoring up their battled coalition following last year’s sweeping setbacks — almost every single county in New Jersey and Virginia trended leftward compared to the 2024 margins, according to Politico.

In New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill’s dominant performance to win the race for governor extended to areas with large Black and Hispanic communities.   

In one of New Jersey's key battleground counties, Passaic — a typically Democratic area with a plurality of Hispanic residents that Trump flipped last year — Sherrill led by 15 points, according to preliminary results. She also mounted a commanding lead in Essex County — home to the state’s most populous city of Newark — which has a plurality of Black voters.

Sherrill will be the first female Democratic governor of the state. New Jersey elected its first female governor, Christine Todd Whitman, in 1993. She won by a 1% margin over incumbent Governor James J. Florio. (Thanks to our readers who noted this yesterday).  

In Virginia, Abigail Spanberger’s strong performance may have been fueled by the large population of federal workers, for whom Trump’s second term has been particularly disruptive due to layoffs under the Department of Government Efficiency, and the more recent government shutdown that has left many federal workers without a paycheck.

Poll Plummet: Trump’s Net Approval Hits -18% Among Key Demographics, Lowest of His Presidency (The Economist)

Once the honeymoon is over, presidents tend to lose popularity quickly. But no recent president has fallen so low so quickly as Donald Trump. At the start of his second term public opinion was nearly evenly divided between those who approved of the president and those who did not, according to The Economist. 

Now his net approval rating—those who approve of the job he is doing less those who do not—is minus 18. That is three percentage points lower than any point in his first term. Trump’s numbers are poor even on the issues at the center of his political platform. Net approval for his handling of immigration is minus 7. On inflation and prices, it is minus 33, according to The Economist. 

The biggest shift away from Trump has been among Americans under 30 years old. His net approval among that group was positive 3 when he returned to the Oval Office. Now it is minus 40.

His ratings among Hispanic and Black Americans, which began negative, have also plummeted. And white Americans, who approved of him on net by 16 points back in January, are now evenly split.

According to analysis by The Economist, every state, save Idaho, has moved against Trump. Ruby red Oklahoma has swung the hardest, from positive 27 net approval to minus 12 approval of Trump among those surveyed. 

Green Momentum: Climate-Friendly Mayors Find Hope in Trump’s Election Setback (Bloomberg)

The big wins by Democrats in Tuesday’s elections across the US turned into a rallying cry at an environmental conference in Rio de Janeiro.

Many mayors, even those from outside the US, looked to the election results as a signal that green initiatives can survive the Trump administration’s attempts to lead a global turn away from climate policies.

Three-quarters of the US economy is still committed to combating climate change, said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. “Our climate mayors did very well on the ballot,” she said. “We want to send this message from the US.”

What I'm Reading

Tariffs in Jeopardy: Supreme Court Signals Trouble for Trump’s Tariffs as Justices Question His Emergency Powers (Bloomberg)
‌

President Trump’s sweeping global tariffs appeared in jeopardy at the Supreme Court, as key justices voiced skepticism about their legality in a case that could undermine one of his signature economic policies.
‌

Hearing arguments in Washington Wednesday, three conservative justices questioned Trump’s use of an emergency-powers law to collect tens of billions of dollars in tariffs each month.

A decision against Trump could force more than $100 billion in refunds, remove a major burden on the US importers that are paying the tariffs, and blunt an all-purpose cudgel the president has wielded against trading partners. More broadly, it would be by far the Supreme Court’s most significant pushback against Trump’s assertions of powers that go well beyond those claimed by his White House predecessors.

A ruling could come as quickly as the end of the year, given the ultra-expedited schedule the Supreme Court has set so far.

Shutdown Turbulence: US Cutting Capacity by 10% at Multiple Airports While Shutdown Persists (Bloomberg)

The US said it will cut flight capacity by 10% at 40 high-volume markets across the country, as travelers continue to face flight disruptions due to an uptick in air traffic controller absences during the government shutdown. The reduction stands to impact thousands of flights nationwide, according to the Associated Press. 
‌

The changes will take effect on Friday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said during a press briefing alongside the leader of the Federal Aviation Administration, Bryan Bedford. The agency will release the markets impacted today. 

Capital Push: Point72 Gears Up to Raise at Least $1 Billion for Private Credit (Bloomberg)

Volatility Boom: Wall Street Bonuses Projected to Jump for Second Straight Year (Bloomberg)

Wall Street bonuses are projected to jump for the second year in a row as market volatility fuels trading demand and dealmaking makes its long-awaited comeback.

Investment bankers, traders and wealth-management professionals are all poised to see increases in their year-end incentive pay, according to a report Wednesday from compensation consultant Johnson Associates Inc. Equity traders who help investors position their stock bets may see the biggest gains, with payouts set to rise as much as 25%, fueled by market swings.

🎧 New Episode Alert! Stay informed with AI-powered insights into today’s top stories — now streaming on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Tech Scoop: Apple Nears Deal to Pay Google Roughly $1 Billion a Year for Siri AI Model (Bloomberg)

Apple Inc. is planning to pay about $1 billion a year for an ultra-powerful 1.2 trillion parameter artificial intelligence model developed by Alphabet Inc.’s Google that would help run its long-promised overhaul of the Siri voice assistant. Following an extensive evaluation period, the two companies are now finalizing an agreement that would give Apple access to Google’s technology.

Nobel, Who? FIFA to Award New ‘Peace Prize’ in Washington Next Month (Financial Times) 

FIFA will award a “peace prize” next month in Washington, the latest foray into geopolitics by football’s global governing body under its president Gianni Infantino, a close ally of Donald Trump, as reported by the Financial Times.  

The new accolade will be awarded to individuals who “through their unwavering commitment and their special actions, have helped to unite people all over the world in peace and consequently deserve a special and unique recognition”, FIFA said on Wednesday.   

The “FIFA peace prize” will be presented by Infantino on Dec. 5 as part of the World Cup draw at the John F Kennedy Center, fueling speculation that the US president may become its first recipient. 

This Week in the UK: London’s Christmas Markets Kick Off as Light Displays Illuminate the City (Time Out - London)

It’s November and officially acceptable to start getting excited about the festive period. If you’re the type to savor the holiday period (rather than panic about present-buying), there’s a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks.

Some of London’s biggest and best festive markets start welcoming visitors at the start of November (find a full list of markets and opening dates here), and soon the capital’s iconic neighborhoods will sparkle with Christmas-themed displays. 

‌

Best of Late Night

On this week’s blue wave across the US:

“The only other way for Democrats to be this happy is if they opened up a Trader Joe’s inside a Whole Foods.” 
-- Jimmy Fallon

“Democrats are walking around with a spring in their step like a divorced mom in her 40s whose new haircut just got her carded at two different bars.”
-- Stephen Colbert

“It was the best day for Democrats since they put ‘Hamilton’ on Disney+.”
-- Seth Meyers

On Secretary Pete Hegseth responding "Yes, sir." to President Trump's recent post on Truth Social that the Defense Department will prepare for possible action in Nigeria:

"Gross. You guys are like those couples who wish each other happy anniversary on Facebook. It's like, don't you live together? Why are you dragging us into it?"
-- Seth Meyers 

And from The Daily Show: With the eyes of the world on the New York City mayoral race, Grace Kuhlenschmidt conducted her own Times Square exit poll to ask non-New Yorkers which candidate they endorsed for an election they couldn't vote in. Click the photo below to watch. 
‌