英国最后一座燃煤发电厂——诺丁汉郡的索尔河畔拉特克利夫火电厂（Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station）——于10月关闭，标志着英国142年燃煤发电时代的终结。
英国逐步淘汰煤电在国际上意义重大。它是首个实现这一里程碑的主要经济体，也是首个G7成员国。1882年，英国在伦敦霍尔本高架桥（Holborn Viaduct）上建成了世界上第一座燃煤发电厂。
Carbon Brief的分析显示，从1882年到索尔河畔拉特克利夫火电厂关闭，英国的燃煤电厂共燃烧了46亿吨煤炭，排放了104亿吨二氧化碳（CO2），这比大多数国家从所有来源产生的CO2都多。
英国对煤电的逐步淘汰，将有助于推动煤炭总需求达到17世纪以来的最低水平。
逐步淘汰建立在四个关键要素之上：替代电源的可用性、结束新煤炭产能建设、定价外部因素，以及明确和长期的政府政策。
随着英国致力于到2030年实现电力行业的完全脱碳，其在努力为气候行动建立另一个成功范例方面，既面临挑战，又面临机遇。
英国何时开始使用煤电？
长期以来，英国的资源禀赋就包括丰富的煤炭，但几个世纪以来煤炭的使用量一直很少。煤炭用于发电的时间要晚得多。
最早的蒸汽机从1700年左右开始使用。它通过燃煤将水从矿井中抽出，以便开采更深的煤矿。
这些蒸汽机的效率非常低，但詹姆斯·瓦特（James Watt）和乔治·史蒂文森（George Stevenson）等发明家对蒸汽机进行了改进，使煤的使用更加经济，也更广泛。
如下图所示，经历了上述过程，英国的煤炭使用量开始激增，为工业革命、大英帝国以及全球CO2排放量的激增提供了动力。
格拉斯哥大学（University of Glasgow）经济与社会史高级讲师、《煤炭之乡：战后苏格兰去工业化的意义和记忆》（Coal Country: The Meaning and Memory of Deindustrialization in Postwar Scotland）一书作者伊万·吉布斯（Ewan Gibbs）博士在接受Carbon Brief采访时说：“从英国工业革命的发展历程来看，煤炭对英国19世纪的工业经济发展绝对举足轻重。钢铁工业由煤炭提供动力。在18世纪晚期，当然也包括19世纪上半叶，英国成为了煤炭大国。这是世界上第一个以煤炭为动力的经济体。”
1810年，英国开始用煤生产城镇燃气以用于照明。从1830年开始，随着英国扩张其蜿蜒的铁路网，煤炭被用来提供燃料。
1882年，煤第一次被用来发电供公众使用。同年1月，世界上第一座燃煤发电厂在伦敦霍尔本高架桥开始运行。
除了工业能源之外，这些新用途（包括供热、照明和运输）推动了英国煤炭使用量的急剧上升。需求量从1800年的1490万吨增长到1900年的1.726亿吨，增长了十多倍。
在此期间，英国各地纷纷开设了小型燃煤发电厂。
到1920年，英国的燃煤发电量达到4TWh，满足了全国97%的电力需求，其中大部分来自工厂。
在整个20世纪上半叶，英国的煤炭使用量持续增长。到1956年英国煤炭使用量达到2.21亿吨的峰值时，燃煤发电量仍然只占需求量的一小部分。炼钢、工业、城镇燃气、家庭供热和铁路占据了主导地位。
在20世纪下半叶，除电力外，所有这些用途的煤炭使用量都急剧下降。
这一时期英国煤炭使用量下降的原因，包括北海天然气的出现和蒸汽铁路的终结，以及日益加剧的全球化和去工业化。
战后煤炭使用量下降的另一个关键因素是，到1950年代，煤炭燃烧对环境的影响已变得过于显著和危险，不容忽视。
1952年伦敦烟雾事件已知造成约4000人死亡，实际死亡人数可能更多。
为此，英国议会颁布了《1956年清洁空气法令》（1956 Clean Air Act）。这从法律层面禁止了“烟雾滋扰”或“黑烟”，并对新熔炉的排放设定了限制。1968年，有关排放的法律得到进一步加强。
在随后的几十年里，随着更便宜和清洁的替代能源开始取代煤炭，家庭用暖、铁路运输和工业用煤持续减少。
在这些年里，城市的小型燃煤电厂也逐渐转为靠近煤矿的农村大型发电厂。虽然英国也是核电的先驱，但直到1957年，煤炭在年发电量中的占比才首次降至90%以下。
1960至1964年间，中央电力局（Central Electricity Generating Board）公布了兴建10座燃煤电厂的计划，一批新燃煤电厂随之在1966年至1972年间投运。
这些项目的建设使煤电装机容量在1974年攀升至57.5吉瓦（GW）的历史峰值。几年后的1980年，燃煤发电量达到212TWh的峰值。
英国最后一个新建燃煤发电厂位于德拉克斯（Drax），该厂于1975年投运，当时的装机容量为2GW，但在1986年翻番至4GW。
英国是如何停止使用煤电的？
20世纪下半叶，《清洁空气法令》的实施、从使用城镇燃气转向北海天然气、去工业化和全球化等因素共同推动了煤炭使用的减少。
但如上所述，在这一时期的大部分时间里，煤电继续蓬勃发展，因为其他发电来源无法满足不断增长的用电需求。
因此，燃煤发电量直到1980年才达峰，在1990年仍保持在类似水平。
然后，在主宰英国电力供应长达一个世纪之后，煤炭在两个快速但截然不同的阶段逐步淘汰，其间有一个长达十多年的平稳期。
第一阶段是1990年代的“天然气热潮”（Dash for Gas）。第二阶段则经历了可再生能源的发展、能源效率的提高，以及让燃煤电厂为污染买单的政策。
从1950年代开始，核电厂和燃油发电厂的扩张已开始侵蚀煤炭在英国电力结构中的份额。尽管如此，在整个1960年代和1970年代，随着全国各地燃煤发电厂的兴建，燃煤发电量仍在持续增长。
这批发电厂包括英国最后一家在运的燃煤发电厂索尔河畔拉特克利夫火电厂，它于1968年由中央电力局核准。
虽然1960年代在北海发现了天然气，但多年来，人们一直忽视和限制大规模使用天然气发电。
然而，到1980年代末，随着人们对酸雨的担忧日益加剧，欧盟1988年通过了《大型燃烧设备指令》（Large Combustion Plant Directive），要求减少二氧化硫排放。煤电厂是主要的排放源，而抑制此类排放的减排技术大大增加了煤电厂的运行成本。
与此同时，“联合循环”（“combined cycle”，将燃气轮机和蒸汽轮机组合起来的一种发电方式）燃气轮机技术不断进步，天然气价格不断下降，使得天然气不仅更清洁，而且比煤炭更便宜。
在新私有化的电力行业随之发生的“天然气热潮”，推动燃煤发电量在十年间减少了近一半。燃煤发电量从1990年的200TWh（占总发电量的65%）下降到2000年略高于100TWh（占总发电量的32%），而同期天然气发电量则从几乎为零上升到近150TWh。
世纪之交之后，英国的煤电进入了一个停滞期。燃煤发电量随着天然气价格的起伏而上升、下降、再上升。
2000年，英国现已解散的皇家环境污染委员会（Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution）发表了一份关于能源和“不断变化的气候”的报告，呼吁政府采取“快速部署替代能源”来取代化石燃料等方法，到2050年将英国的温室气体排放量减少至2000年水平的60%。
到2003年能源白皮书发布时，“到2050年减排60%”的目标已成为政府政策。“可再生能源义务”也纳入了到2010年可再生能源发电量占比达到10%的目标。
不过，2003年的白皮书也为使用碳捕集与封存技术（CCS）的“清洁煤”敞开了大门。
在英国煤电进入逐步淘汰的第二阶段之前，有十年的平稳期。该时期见证了一系列新政策的出台、一场大规模抗议运动，以及电力需求出现了意想不到却显著的下降。
其中一项政策进展是2005年生效的欧盟排放交易体系（EUETS），这是世界上首个大型碳市场。该体系最初效果不佳，尤其是在2008年金融危机之后出现了碳价格暴跌，但该体系确立了污染发电厂应为其CO2排放买单的原则。
另一项值得注意的政策是2001年欧盟对《大型燃烧设备指令》进行了更新。该政策对发电厂的空气污染设置了更严格的限制，于2008年生效。
当时，英国的许多燃煤发电厂已经老旧，它们选择使用“克减条款”（豁免权），即如果只运行有限的几个小时，就可以继续运行到2015年，而无需投资污染控制设备。
虽然这决定了一大批老旧发电厂的命运，但当时，在英国新建燃煤发电厂仍在议事日程之上。
2007年底，“金斯诺斯六人组”（Kingsnorth six）活动人士爬上了肯特郡一家现有燃煤发电厂的烟囱，以抗议在该地新建发电厂的计划。2008年1月，当地议会批准了该计划，这使其成为英国24年来第一个新建燃煤电厂。
2008年10月，英国通过了《气候变化法案》（Climate Change Act），其中包括一项具有法律约束力的目标，即到2050年将温室气体排放量减少到比1990年低60%的水平。该目标后来被加强至降低80%，并在2019年再次修订，改为实现“净零”排放。
智库E3G的政策顾问肖恩·雷-罗奇（Sean Rai-Roche）告诉Carbon Brief，该法案是第一个由一个国家制定的具有法律约束力的气候目标，是英国发展历程中的“开创性时刻”，其中便包括逐步淘汰煤炭。
到2009年，时任能源和气候大臣、现任能源安全和净零排放国务大臣埃德·米利班德（Ed Miliband）宣布，英国将不会新建任何不配备碳捕集与封存技术的燃煤电厂。
米利班德当时表示：“新建未减排的煤炭（工厂）的时代已经结束。”
2010年，金斯诺斯（Kingsnorth）发电厂被正式取消，英国再也没有新建任何煤炭项目。随着老发电厂的退役，这为更早的淘汰煤电铺平了道路。
由于英国没有新建燃煤电厂，许多旧的煤电厂也将关闭，而非进行成本高昂的升级改造以满足更严苛的空气污染规定，因此，在替代能源出现后，煤电将进入淘汰的第二阶段。
2013年的《能源法案》通过一项排放性能标准（EPS），正式宣告了无减排措施的煤电项目的终结。该标准规定新建发电厂每千瓦时CO2排放量不得超过450克，这约为未减排煤炭排放量的一半。
智库“能源气候情报组织”（Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit）分析总监西蒙·克兰-麦克格里欣博士（Dr Simon Cran-McGreehin）告诉Carbon Brief，空气污染法规、碳捕集与封存技术的成本和碳定价的综合作用，使得目前的燃煤发电“缺乏竞争力”。
“持续的煤电根本不是一个选项，因为它的成本太高……甚至与天然气和核能相比都没有竞争力，更不用说新兴的可再生能源了。”他说。
2013年的《能源法案》恢复了一些新的核电计划，并扩大了对低碳发电的支持。可再生能源发电量在五年内翻了一番，从2013年的约50TWh增至2018年的110TWh。联合政府还在2013年引入了“碳价下限”，为电力行业的CO2排放增加了额外价格，使天然气比煤炭更受青睐。
Ember智库认为，这一额外的碳价格对英国的煤电产生了“重大影响”，并在随后几年里推动了发电量的急剧减少。
英国电力结构中煤电的占比从2012年的近40%，到2015年降至22%。
除了可再生能源的增长，英国煤电得以迅速淘汰的另一个因素，是自2005年以来电力需求的下降。
事实上，英国的电力需求在2018年已降至1994年以来的最低水平，相对于之前的趋势节省了约100TWh。
电力需求的下降得益于能效法规的实施、LED照明的普及和一些高耗能产业的离岸外包。
这一快速的转变使得在2015年，时任能源和气候变化大臣的安伯·拉德（Amber Rudd）宣布了到2025年实现逐步淘汰煤炭的目标。
2016年，在欧盟的《大型燃烧设备指令》导致最后一家发电厂关闭之后，煤电占年发电量的比例骤降至仅9%。
这一年也见证了自霍尔本高架桥发电厂于1882年投运以来，英国出现首个无煤电小时。随后，英国在2017年迎来了首个无煤电日，2019年迎来了首个无煤电周，2020年迎来了首个无煤电月。
在此之后，煤电淘汰目标在2021年被提前至2024年10月，2020年煤炭发电量仅在电力结构中占到1.8%。
如下图所示，在此期间，继续有燃煤发电厂被关闭。2023年底，英国倒数第二家燃煤发电厂——北爱尔兰的基尔鲁特（Kilroot）——停止了燃煤发电，仅剩下索尔河畔拉特克利夫火电厂。
该电厂于10月1日前关闭，这将结束英国长达142年的煤电历史。与多年来许多误导性的新闻标题相反，英国并没有因此出现停电。
值得注意的是，英国逐步淘汰煤电，以及关闭该国仅存的几个位于威尔士塔尔伯特港（Port Talbot）和林肯郡斯肯索普（Scunthorpe）的高炉，将有助于将2024年的总煤炭需求降至17世纪以来的最低水平。
Carbon Brief的分析显示，在这142年间，英国的燃煤发电厂总共消耗约46亿吨煤炭，产生104亿吨CO2。
如果把英国的燃煤发电厂比作一个国家，那么它们的化石燃料累计排放量将位居世界第28位。这意味着这些燃煤发电厂对当前气候变化的历史责任要大于阿根廷、越南、巴基斯坦或尼日利亚等国家。
英国现在从哪里获得电力？
如今，英国的电力系统与几十年前大不相同，可再生能源在发电组合中日益占据主导地位。
2023年，可再生能源创下新纪录，在全国电力供应的占比达到44%，高于2018年的31%和2010年的7%。Carbon Brief的分析显示，可再生能源今年的发电量将从2023年的约135TWh增加到150TWh以上。
相比之下，化石燃料发电仅占电力供应的三分之一，在电力结构中所占比例达到创纪录低的33%，其中煤电略高于1%。
这一略低于20%的降幅使化石燃料供应量降至104TWh，这是自1957年以来的最低水平，当时95%的电力供应来自煤炭。
下图显示了英国电力结构在一个世纪以来的变化。值得注意的是，虽然石油、核能和天然气都曾在压缩煤电方面发挥了重要作用，但可再生能源现在是（能源转型的）主力。
事实上，所有其他发电来源现在都在衰退：随着英国老化的反应堆即将寿终正寝，核电也在衰退；随着可再生能源的扩张，天然气和煤炭也在下降。
2024年，可再生能源在电力结构中所占的比例将继续增加，Carbon Brief对今年迄今为止的数据进行的分析表明，可再生能源将首次占到电力供应的50%左右。
英国电力的下一步是什么？
在成为第一个逐步淘汰煤炭发电的主要经济体后，英国寻求更进一步，到2030年前实现电力产业完全脱碳。
在保守党政府执政期间，英国的目标是到2035年实现电力部门完全脱碳。新的工党政府将这一目标提前到2030年。
与此同时，随着交通和供暖等行业日益电气化，电力行业将需要开始扩张，以满足这些行业的需求。
前气候变化委员会（CCC）首席执行官、现任政府2030年电力目标“任务控制”负责人克里斯·斯塔克（Chris Stark）于 9 月中旬在伦敦市中心的一次活动中表示，他认为这一目标“可能实现”，但“极具挑战性”。
据CCC称，到2035年，英国的电力需求预计将增长50%。
要满足这一增长需求，英国需要大幅增加可再生能源发电能力，并安全运转靠风能和太阳能发电为主的电网。要实现这一目标，还需要在六年内逐步淘汰未减排天然气发电。目前，天然气的发电占比约为22%。淘汰天然气的速度大约需要是淘汰煤炭速度——从2012年的39%降至2024年的0%——的两倍，如下图所示。
为了实现2030年目标和更广泛的英国气候目标，工党政府已承诺将陆上风电容量增加一倍，太阳能增加三倍，海上风电增加四倍。
政府的“差价合约”（“contracts for difference”）计划继续支持可再生能源的扩张。工党政府还支持新的核项目、碳捕集与封存技术和“天然气发电站战略储备”（“strategic reserve of gas power stations”），以保证电力供应安全。
其他国家可以从英国学到什么？
索尔河畔拉特克利夫火电厂的关闭标志着英国142年煤炭发电时代的结束。
除了象征意义之外，英国的煤炭淘汰在实质上也很重要，因为它表明快速摆脱煤炭发电是可能的。
1990年至2000年间，煤炭在英国发电中的份额减少了一半，随后，煤炭的占比从2012年的五分之二下降到2024年底的零。
这一进展暗示着其他国家——乃至全世界——有可能复制英国的成功，并在此过程中为气候行动做出重大贡献。
有四个关键因素促成了英国的淘汰：
- 建设替代性发电来源，且使其数量足以满足甚至超过电力需求增长。
- 停止建设新的燃煤电厂。
- 通过政策和法规让燃煤电厂承担其产生的空气污染和温室气体排放的成本。
- 发出明确的政治信号，让市场也参与其中。
随着英国开启电力行业的下一个重大挑战——到2030年实现清洁能源——它还可能为世界提供另一个成功的气候研究方案。
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The post Q&A：英国如何成为首个淘汰煤电的G7国家 appeared first on Carbon Brief.
Greenhouse Gases
DeBriefed 15 August 2025: Raging wildfires; Xi’s priorities; Factchecking the Trump climate report
Welcome to Carbon Brief’s DeBriefed.
An essential guide to the week’s key developments relating to climate change.
This week
Blazing heat hits Europe
FANNING THE FLAMES: Wildfires “fanned by a heatwave and strong winds” caused havoc across southern Europe, Reuters reported. It added: “Fire has affected nearly 440,000 hectares (1,700 square miles) in the eurozone so far in 2025, double the average for the same period of the year since 2006.” Extreme heat is “breaking temperature records across Europe”, the Guardian said, with several countries reporting readings of around 40C.
HUMAN TOLL: At least three people have died in the wildfires erupting across Spain, Turkey and Albania, France24 said, adding that the fires have “displaced thousands in Greece and Albania”. Le Monde reported that a child in Italy “died of heatstroke”, while thousands were evacuated from Spain and firefighters “battled three large wildfires” in Portugal.
UK WILDFIRE RISK: The UK saw temperatures as high as 33.4C this week as England “entered its fourth heatwave”, BBC News said. The high heat is causing “nationally significant” water shortfalls, it added, “hitting farms, damaging wildlife and increasing wildfires”. The Daily Mirror noted that these conditions “could last until mid-autumn”. Scientists warn the UK faces possible “firewaves” due to climate change, BBC News also reported.
Around the world
- GRID PRESSURES: Iraq suffered a “near nationwide blackout” as elevated power demand – due to extreme temperatures of around 50C – triggered a transmission line failure, Bloomberg reported.
- ‘DIRE’ DOWN UNDER: The Australian government is keeping a climate risk assessment that contains “dire” implications for the continent “under wraps”, the Australian Financial Review said.
- EXTREME RAINFALL: Mexico City is “seeing one of its heaviest rainy seasons in years”, the Washington Post said. Downpours in the Japanese island of Kyushu “caused flooding and mudslides”, according to Politico. In Kashmir, flash floods killed 56 and left “scores missing”, the Associated Press said.
- SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION: China and Brazil agreed to “ensure the success” of COP30 in a recent phone call, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.
- PLASTIC ‘DEADLOCK’: Talks on a plastic pollution treaty have failed again at a summit in Geneva, according to the Guardian, with countries “deadlocked” on whether it should include “curbs on production and toxic chemicals”.
15
The number of times by which the most ethnically-diverse areas in England are more likely to experience extreme heat than its “least diverse” areas, according to new analysis by Carbon Brief.
Latest climate research
- As many as 13 minerals critical for low-carbon energy may face shortages under 2C pathways | Nature Climate Change
- A “scoping review” examined the impact of climate change on poor sexual and reproductive health and rights in sub-Saharan Africa | PLOS One
- A UK university cut the carbon footprint of its weekly canteen menu by 31% “without students noticing” | Nature Food
(For more, see Carbon Brief’s in-depth daily summaries of the top climate news stories on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.)
Captured
Factchecking Trump’s climate report
A report commissioned by the US government to justify rolling back climate regulations contains “at least 100 false or misleading statements”, according to a Carbon Brief factcheck involving dozens of leading climate scientists. The report, compiled in two months by five hand-picked researchers, inaccurately claims that “CO2-induced warming might be less damaging economically than commonly believed” and misleadingly states that “excessively aggressive [emissions] mitigation policies could prove more detrimental than beneficial”80
Spotlight
Does Xi Jinping care about climate change?
This week, Carbon Brief unpacks new research on Chinese president Xi Jinping’s policy priorities.
On this day in 2005, Xi Jinping, a local official in eastern China, made an unplanned speech when touring a small village – a rare occurrence in China’s highly-choreographed political culture.
In it, he observed that “lucid waters and lush mountains are mountains of silver and gold” – that is, the environment cannot be sacrificed for the sake of growth.
(The full text of the speech is not available, although Xi discussed the concept in a brief newspaper column – see below – a few days later.)
In a time where most government officials were laser-focused on delivering economic growth, this message was highly unusual.
Forward-thinking on environment
As a local official in the early 2000s, Xi endorsed the concept of “green GDP”, which integrates the value of natural resources and the environment into GDP calculations.
He also penned a regular newspaper column, 22 of which discussed environmental protection – although “climate change” was never mentioned.
This focus carried over to China’s national agenda when Xi became president.
New research from the Asia Society Policy Institute tracked policies in which Xi is reported by state media to have “personally” taken action.
It found that environmental protection is one of six topics in which he is often said to have directly steered policymaking.
Such policies include guidelines to build a “Beautiful China”, the creation of an environmental protection inspection team and the “three-north shelterbelt” afforestation programme.
“It’s important to know what Xi’s priorities are because the top leader wields outsized influence in the Chinese political system,” Neil Thomas, Asia Society Policy Institute fellow and report co-author, told Carbon Brief.
Local policymakers are “more likely” to invest resources in addressing policies they know have Xi’s attention, to increase their chances for promotion, he added.
What about climate and energy?
However, the research noted, climate and energy policies have not been publicised as bearing Xi’s personal touch.
“I think Xi prioritises environmental protection more than climate change because reducing pollution is an issue of social stability,” Thomas said, noting that “smoggy skies and polluted rivers” were more visible and more likely to trigger civil society pushback than gradual temperature increases.
The paper also said topics might not be linked to Xi personally when they are “too technical” or “politically sensitive”.
For example, Xi’s landmark decision for China to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 is widely reported as having only been made after climate modelling – facilitated by former climate envoy Xie Zhenhua – showed that this goal was achievable.
Prior to this, Xi had never spoken publicly about carbon neutrality.
Prof Alex Wang, a University of California, Los Angeles professor of law not involved in the research, noted that emphasising Xi’s personal attention may signal “top” political priorities, but not necessarily Xi’s “personal interests”.
By not emphasising climate, he said, Xi may be trying to avoid “pushing the system to overprioritise climate to the exclusion of the other priorities”.
There are other ways to know where climate ranks on the policy agenda, Thomas noted:
“Climate watchers should look at what Xi says, what Xi does and what policies Xi authorises in the name of the ‘central committee’. Is Xi talking more about climate? Is Xi establishing institutions and convening meetings that focus on climate? Is climate becoming a more prominent theme in top-level documents?”
Watch, read, listen
TRUMP EFFECT: The Columbia Energy Exchange podcast examined how pressure from US tariffs could affect India’s clean energy transition.
NAMIBIAN ‘DESTRUCTION’: The National Observer investigated the failure to address “human rights abuses and environmental destruction” claims against a Canadian oil company in Namibia.
‘RED AI’: The Network for the Digital Economy and the Environment studied the state of current research on “Red AI”, or the “negative environmental implications of AI”.
Coming up
- 17 August: Bolivian general elections
- 18-29 August: Preparatory talks on the entry into force of the “High Seas Treaty”, New York
- 18-22 August: Y20 Summit, Johannesburg
- 21 August: Advancing the “Africa clean air programme” through Africa-Asia collaboration, Yokohama
Pick of the jobs
- Lancaster Environment Centre, senior research associate: JUST Centre | Salary: £39,355-£45,413. Location: Lancaster, UK
- Environmental Justice Foundation, communications and media officer, Francophone Africa | Salary: XOF600,000-XOF800,000. Location: Dakar, Senegal
- Politico, energy & climate editor | Salary: Unknown. Location: Brussels, Belgium
- EnviroCatalysts, meteorologist | Salary: Unknown. Location: New Delhi, India
DeBriefed is edited by Daisy Dunne. Please send any tips or feedback to debriefed@carbonbrief.org.
This is an online version of Carbon Brief’s weekly DeBriefed email newsletter. Subscribe for free here.
The post DeBriefed 15 August 2025: Raging wildfires; Xi’s priorities; Factchecking the Trump climate report appeared first on Carbon Brief.
DeBriefed 15 August 2025: Raging wildfires; Xi’s priorities; Factchecking the Trump climate report
Greenhouse Gases
Cropped 13 August 2025: Fossil-fuelled bird decline; ‘Deadly’ wildfires; Empty nature fund
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
‘Deadly’ wildfires
WINE BRAKE: France experienced its “largest wildfire in decades”, which scorched more than 16,000 hectares in the country’s southern Aude region, the Associated Press said. “Gusting winds” fanned the flames, Reuters reported, but local winemakers and mayors also “blam[ed] the loss of vineyards”, which can act as a “natural, moisture-filled brake against wildfires”, for the fire’s rapid spread. It added that thousands of hectares of vineyards were removed in Aude over the past year. Meanwhile, thousands of people were evacuated from “deadly” wildfires in Spain, the Guardian said, with blazes ongoing in other parts of Europe.
MAJOR FIRES: Canada is experiencing its second-worst wildfire season on record, CBC News reported. More than 7.3m hectares burned in 2025, “more than double the 10-year average for this time of year”, the broadcaster said. The past three fire seasons were “among the 10 worst on record”, CBC News added. Dr Mike Flannigan from Thompson Rivers University told the Guardian: “This is our new reality…The warmer it gets, the more fires we see.” Elsewhere, the UK is experiencing a record year for wildfires, with more than 40,000 hectares of land burned so far in 2025, according to Carbon Brief.
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WESTERN US: The US state of Colorado has recorded one of its largest wildfires in history in recent days, the Guardian said. The fire “charred” more than 43,300 hectares of land and led to the temporary evacuation of 179 inmates from a prison, the newspaper said. In California, a fire broke out “during a heatwave” and burned more than 2,000 hectares before it was contained, the Los Angeles Times reported. BBC News noted: “Wildfires have become more frequent in California, with experts citing climate change as a key factor. Hotter, drier conditions have made fire seasons longer and more destructive.”
FIRE FUNDING: “Worsening fires” in the Brazilian Amazon threaten new rainforest funding proposals due to be announced at the COP30 climate summit later this year, experts told Climate Home News. The new initiatives include the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, which the outlet said “aims to generate a flow of international investment to pay countries annually in proportion to their preserved tropical forests”. The outlet added: “If fires in the Amazon continue to worsen in the years to come, eligibility for funding could be jeopardised, Brazil’s environment ministry acknowledged.”
Farming impacts
OUT OF ORBIT: US president Donald Trump moved to “shut down” two space missions which monitor carbon dioxide and plant health, the Associated Press reported. Ending these NASA missions would “potentially shu[t] off an important source of data for scientists, policymakers and farmers”, the outlet said. Dr David Crisp, a retired NASA scientist, said the missions can detect the “glow” of plant growth, which the outlet noted “helps monitor drought and predict food shortages that can lead to civil unrest and famine”.
FARM EXTREMES: Elsewhere, Reuters said that some farmers are considering “abandoning” a “drought-hit” agricultural area in Hungary as “climate change cuts crop yields and reduces groundwater levels”. Scientists warned that rising temperatures and low rainfall threaten the region’s “agricultural viability”, the newswire added. Meanwhile, the Premium Times in Nigeria said that some farmers are “harvest[ing] crops prematurely” due to flooding fears. A community in the south-eastern state of Imo “has endured recurrent floods, which wash away crops and incomes alike” over the past decade, the newspaper noted.
SECURITY RISKS: Food supply chains in the UK face “escalating threats from climate impacts and the migration they are triggering”, according to a report covered by Business Green. The outlet said that £3bn worth of UK food imports originated from the 20 countries “with the highest numbers of climate-driven displacements” in 2024, based on analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit. The analysis highlighted that “climate impacts on food imports pose a threat to UK food security”. Elsewhere, an opinion piece in Dialogue Earth explored how the “role of gender equity in food security remains critically unaddressed”.
Spotlight
Fossil-fuelled bird decline
This week, Carbon Brief covers a new study tracing the impact of fossil-fuelled climate change on tropical birds.
Over the past few years, biologists have recorded sharp declines in bird numbers across tropical rainforests – even in areas untouched by humans – with the cause remaining a mystery.
A new study published this week in Nature Ecology and Evolution could help to shed light on this alarming phenomenon.
The research combined ecological and climate attribution techniques for the first time to trace the fingerprint of fossil-fuelled climate change on declining bird populations.
It found that an increase in heat extremes driven by climate change has caused tropical bird populations to decline by 25-38% in the period 1950-2020, when compared to a world without warming.
In their paper, the authors noted that birds in the tropics could be living close to their “thermal limits”.
Study lead author Dr Maximilian Kotz, a climate scientist at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center in Spain, explained to Carbon Brief:
“High temperature extremes can induce direct mortality in bird populations due to hyperthermia and dehydration. Even when they don’t [kill birds immediately], there’s evidence that this can then affect body condition which, in turn, affects breeding behaviour and success.”
Conservation implications
The findings have “potential ramifications” for commonly proposed conservation strategies, such as increasing the amount of land in the tropics that is protected for nature, the authors said. In their paper, they continued:
“While we do not disagree that these strategies are necessary for abating tropical habitat loss…our research shows there is now an additional urgent need to investigate strategies that can allow for the persistence of tropical species that are vulnerable to heat extremes.”
In some parts of the world, scientists and conservationists are looking into how to protect wildlife from more intense and frequent climate extremes, Kotz said.
He referenced one project in Australia which is working to protect threatened wildlife following periods of extreme heat, drought and bushfires.
Prof Alex Pigot, a biodiversity scientist at University College London (UCL), who was not involved in the research, said the findings reinforced the need to systematically monitor the impact of extreme weather on wildlife. He told Carbon Brief:
“We urgently need to develop early warning systems to be able to anticipate in advance where and when extreme heatwaves and droughts are likely to impact populations – and also rapidly scale up our monitoring of species and ecosystems so that we can reliably detect these effects.”
There is further coverage of this research on Carbon Brief’s website.
News and views
EMPTY CALI FUND: A major voluntary fund for biodiversity remains empty more than five months after its launch, Carbon Brief revealed. The Cali Fund, agreed at the COP16 biodiversity negotiations last year, was set up for companies who rely on nature’s resources to share some of their earnings with the countries where many of these resources originate. Big pharmaceutical companies did not take up on opportunities to commit to contributing to the fund or be involved in its launch in February 2025, emails released to Carbon Brief showed. Just one US biotechnology firm has pledged to contribute to the fund in the future.
LOSING HOPE: Western Australia’s Ningaloo reef – long considered a “hope spot” among the country’s coral reefs for evading major bleaching events – is facing its “worst-ever coral bleaching”, Australia’s ABC News reported. The ocean around Ningaloo has been “abnormally” warm since December, resulting in “unprecedented” bleaching and mortality, a research scientist told the outlet. According to marine ecologist Dr Damian Thomson, “up to 50% of the examined coral was dead in May”, the Sydney Morning Herald said. Thomson told the newspaper: “You realise your children are probably never going to see Ningaloo the way you saw it.”
‘DEVASTATION BILL’: Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, signed a “contentious” environmental bill into law, but “partially vetoed” some of the widely criticised elements, the Financial Times reported. Critics, who dubbed it the “devastation bill”, said it “risked fuelling deforestation and would harm Brazil’s ecological credentials” just months before hosting the COP30 climate summit. The newspaper said: “The leftist leader struck down or altered 63 of 400 provisions in the legislation, which was designed to speed up and modernise environmental licensing for new business and infrastructure developments.” The vetoes need to be approved by congress, “where Lula lacks a majority”, the newspaper noted.
RAINFOREST DRILLING: The EU has advised the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) against allowing oil drilling in a vast stretch of rainforest and peatland that was jointly designated a “green corridor” earlier this year, Climate Home News reported. In May, the DRC announced that it planned to open the conservation area for drilling, the publication said. A spokesperson for the European Commission told Climate Home News that the bloc “fully acknowledges and respects the DRC’s sovereign right to utilise its diverse resources for economic development”, but that it “highlights the fact that green alternatives have facilitated the protection of certain areas”.
NEW PLAN FOR WETLANDS: During the 15th meeting of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, held in Zimbabwe from 23 to 31 July, countries agreed on the adoption of a new 10-year strategic plan for conserving and sustainably using the world’s wetlands. Down to Earth reported that 13 resolutions were adopted, including “enhancing monitoring and reporting, capacity building and mobilisation of resources”. During the talks, Zimbabwe’s environment minister announced plans to restore 250,000 hectares of degraded wetlands by 2030 and Saudi Arabia entered the Convention on Wetlands. Panamá will host the next COP on wetlands in July 2028.
MEAT MADNESS: DeSmog covered the details of a 2021 public relations document that revealed how the meat industry is trying to “make beef seem climate-friendly”. The industry “may have enlisted environmental groups to persuade people to ‘feel better’ about eating beef”, the outlet said, based on this document. The strategy was created by a communications agency, MHP Group, and addressed to the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. One of the key messages of the plan was to communicate the “growing momentum in the beef industry to protect and nurture the Earth’s natural resources”. MHP Group did not respond to a request for comment, according to DeSmog.
Watch, read, listen
MAKING WAVES: A livestream of deep-sea “crustaceans, sponges and sea cucumbers” has “captivated” people in Argentina, the New York Times outlined.
BAFFLING BIRDS: The Times explored the backstory to the tens of thousands of “exotic-looking” parakeets found in parks across Britain.
PLANT-BASED POWER: In the Conversation, Prof Paul Behrens outlined how switching to a plant-based diet could help the UK meet its climate and health targets.
MARINE DISCRIMINATION: Nature spoke to a US-based graduate student who co-founded Minorities in Shark Science about her experiences of racism and sexism in the research field.
New science
- Applying biochar – a type of charcoal – to soils each year over a long period of time can have “sustained benefits for crop yield and greenhouse gas mitigation”, according to a Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study.
- New research, published in PLOS Climate, found that nearly one-third of highly migratory fish species in the US waters of the Atlantic Ocean have “high” or “very high” vulnerability to climate change, but the majority of species have “some level of resilience and adaptability”.
- A study in Communications Earth & Environment found a “notable greening trend” in China’s wetlands over 2000-23, with an increasing amount of carbon being stored in the plants growing there.
In the diary
- 18-29 August: Second meeting of the preparatory commission for the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction | New York
- 24-28 August: World Water Week | Online and Stockholm, Sweden
- 26-29 August: Sixth forum of ministers and environment authorities of Asia Pacific | Nadi, Fiji
Cropped is researched and written by Dr Giuliana Viglione, Aruna Chandrasekhar, Daisy Dunne, Orla Dwyer and Yanine Quiroz. Please send tips and feedback to cropped@carbonbrief.org
The post Cropped 13 August 2025: Fossil-fuelled bird decline; ‘Deadly’ wildfires; Empty nature fund appeared first on Carbon Brief.
Cropped 13 August 2025: Fossil-fuelled bird decline; ‘Deadly’ wildfires; Empty nature fund
CCL submits a formal comment on EPA’s proposed endangerment finding rollback
By Dana Nuccitelli, CCL Research Manager
On July 29, the EPA proposed to rescind its 2009 endangerment finding that forms the basis of all federal climate pollution regulations.
Without the endangerment finding, the EPA may not be allowed or able to regulate greenhouse gas pollution from sources like power plants or vehicle tailpipes, as they have done for years. News coverage has framed this as a “radical transformation” and a “bid to scrap almost all pollution regulations,” so it has appropriately alarmed many folks in the climate and environment space.
At CCL, we focus our efforts on working with Congress to implement durable climate policies, and so we don’t normally take actions on issues like this that relate to federal agencies or the courts. Other organizations focus their efforts on those branches of the government and are better equipped to spearhead this type of moment, and we appreciate those allies.
But in this case, we did see an opportunity for CCL’s voice — and our focus on Congress — to play a role here. We decided to submit a formal comment on this EPA action for two reasons.
First, this decision could have an immense impact by eliminating every federal regulation of climate pollutants in a worst case scenario. Second, this move relates to our work because the EPA is misinterpreting the text and intent of laws passed by Congress. Our representatives have done their jobs by passing legislation over the past many decades that supports and further codifies the EPA’s mandate to regulate climate pollution. That includes the Clean Air Act, and more recently, the Inflation Reduction Act. We at CCL wanted to support our members of Congress by making these points in a formal comment.
There has been a tremendous public response to this action. In just over one week, the EPA already received over 44,000 public comments on its decision, and the public comment period will remain open for another five weeks, until September 15.
To understand more about the details and potential outcomes of the EPA’s actions, read my article on the subject at Yale Climate Connections, our discussion on CCL Community, and CCL’s formal comment, which represents our entire organization. As our comment concludes,
“In its justifications for rescinding the 2009 endangerment finding, the Reconsideration has misinterpreted the text of the Clean Air Act, Congress’ decadeslong support for the EPA’s mandate to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles and other major sources, and the vast body of peer-reviewed climate science research that documents the increasingly dangerous threats that those emissions pose to Americans’ health and welfare. Because the bases of these justifications are fundamentally flawed, CCL urges the EPA to withdraw its ill-conceived Reconsideration of the 2009 endangerment finding. The EPA has both the authority and the responsibility to act. Americans cannot afford a retreat from science, law, and common sense in the face of a rapidly accelerating climate crisis.”
After the EPA responds to the public comment record and finalizes its decision, this issue will ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court several years from now.
In the meantime, CCL will continue to focus our efforts on areas where we can make the biggest difference in preserving a livable climate. Right now, that involves contacting our members of Congress to urge them to fully fund key climate and energy programs and protect critical work at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Department of Energy. We’ve set an ambitious goal of sending 10,000 messages to our members of Congress, so let’s all do what CCL does best and make our voices heard on this critical issue.
This action by the EPA also reminds us that federal regulations are fragile. They tend to change with each new administration coming into the White House. Legislation passed by Congress – especially when done on a bipartisan basis – is much more durable. That’s why CCL’s work, as one of very few organizations engaging in nonpartisan advocacy for long-lasting climate legislation, is so critical.
That’s especially true right now when we’re seeing the Trump administration slam shut every executive branch door to addressing climate change. We need Congress to step up now more than ever to implement durable solutions like funding key climate and energy programs, negotiating a new bipartisan comprehensive permitting reform bill, implementing healthy forest solutions like the Fix Our Forests Act, and advancing conversations about policies to put a price on carbon pollution. Those are the kinds of effective, durable, bipartisan climate solutions that CCL is uniquely poised to help become law and make a real difference in preserving a livable climate.
For other examples of how CCL is using our grassroots power to help ensure that Congress stays effective on climate in this political landscape, see our full “Holding the Line on Climate” blog series.
The post Holding the line on climate: EPA appeared first on Citizens' Climate Lobby.
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