Countries that pump out large amounts of greenhouse gases could “retain or expand” their fossil fuel industries while treating such emissions as “inevitable” in their net-zero accounting, according to a new study. Some sectors, such as livestock farming and heavy industry, are viewed as particularly hard to decarbonise. This is due, in part, to a perceived lack of cheap technological solutions. Any “residual emissions” from these practices will have to be balanced by removals from the atmosphere, if nations want to claim they have achieved their net-zero goals.  The new study, published i ..read more

China’s climate and energy policies present something of a paradox: while expanding clean energy at breakneck speed, China has also been building new coal power plants. In 2023 alone, 70 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-fired power capacity was constructed in China, up four-fold since 2019 and accounts for 95% of the world’s new coal power construction activity in that year. This surge of coal capacity raises concerns about China’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and climate goals, as well as the risk of stranded assets down the line. Coal is being pitched by the Chinese government as the means to gu ..read more

Welcome to Carbon Brief’s Cropped.  We handpick and explain the most important stories at the intersection of climate, land, food and nature over the past fortnight. This is an online version of Carbon Brief’s fortnightly Cropped email newsletter. Subscribe for free here. Key developments Weather drives food price spike BITTER TRUTHS: Cocoa futures contracts being traded on the New York commodities exchange “hit an all-time high above $12,000 per tonne in April”, but fell below $9,000 this week “on the news of rains arriving in west Africa”, the Financial Times reported. The “wild sw ..read more

Wind and solar are growing faster than any other sources of electricity in history, according to new analysis from thinktank Ember. It says they are now growing fast enough to exceed rising demand, meaning there will be a peak in fossil fuel electricity generation – and emissions – from this year. As a result, Ember says in its latest annual review of global electricity data that a “new era of falling fossil fuel generation is imminent”. Renewables met a record 30% of global electricity demand in 2023 and emissions from the sector would already have peaked if not for a record fall in hydropowe ..read more

Welcome to Carbon Brief’s DeBriefed.  An essential guide to the week’s key developments relating to climate change. This week G7 sets end date for coal CUTTING COAL: The US, UK, Germany and other Group of Seven (G7) countries committed to phase out coal power by 2035, the Associated Press reported, noting that it “puts a timeline” on global pledges to “phase down” coal. G7 countries agreed two years ago to decarbonise their power sectors by 2035 and Climate Home News noted that most nations in the group already have coal phase-out plans.  LEEWAY: However, the G7 pact also included an ..read more

Plans to “draw down” CO2 from the atmosphere – known as carbon dioxide removal (CDR) – “fall short” of the quantities needed to limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, new research warns. Keeping global temperatures below the limit set in the 2015 Paris Agreement requires rapid cuts in greenhouse emissions. However, scenarios consistent with the Paris limit also assume heavy reliance on CDR, particularly in the second half of the 21st century. The study, published in Nature Climate Change, quantifies the “CDR gap” – the difference between the amount of CDR included in nationa ..read more

Carbon Brief analysis recently showed that fossil fuels supplied a record-low 2.4% of electricity on the island of Great Britain, for one hour on Monday 15 April. The analysis illustrated how National Grid Electricity System Operator (NGESO), which runs the island’s grid, is closing in on its target of “zero carbon operation” for short periods by 2025. Yet, despite there being increasingly frequent periods with hardly any electricity coming from fossil fuels, there are still times when gas power remains essential for the GB grid. Indeed, the analysis noted that for a few hours this January, fo ..read more

Welcome to Carbon Brief’s China Briefing. China Briefing handpicks and explains the most important climate and energy stories from China over the past fortnight. Subscribe for free here. Key developments China released draft of long-awaited Energy Law FULL TEXT: The latest draft of China’s long-awaited Energy Law has been issued for public comment following approval by China’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC), economic newswire Jiemian reported, in an analysis of the text. The law, which was initially drafted in 2005, will likely be “consider ..read more

Carbon Brief is offering an exciting opportunity for students, or recent graduates, to work with the team for three weeks this summer. This journalism internship will be paid the London Living Wage, with an additional travel bursary. Job description Carbon Brief’s award-winning journalism and analysis is respected by scientists, journalists, policymakers and campaigners around the world. We write articles and create data visualisations, infographics and videos to explain the latest climate science and related policy issues. You’ll spend time shadowing members of staff and helping out with the ..read more

At the COP15 biodiversity summit in December 2022, nearly every country in the world committed to a new global agreement to “halt and reverse” biodiversity loss by 2030 and “restore harmony with nature” by 2050. Under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), countries pledged to release new national plans for how they will achieve a range of goals and targets. These plans are known as national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs). The GBF requires countries to submit new NBSAPs ahead of COP16, the next global biodiversity summit being held in Cali, Colombia in Oct ..read more