Welcome to Carbon Brief’s DeBriefed.
An essential guide to the week’s key developments relating to climate change.
This week
Record temperatures
RECORD LEVELS: The Copernicus Climate Change Service has warned that extreme weather across the globe is set to continue, following April marking the 11th month in a row where global average temperatures were at record highs, reported the Financial Times. April was 0.67C above the 1991-2020 average for the month and 1.58C above pre-industrial levels, it added.
SURGING SEA TEMPERATURES: Analysis of the Copernicus data by BBC News found that the world’s oceans have broken temperature records every single day over the past year and, on some days, this has been by a “huge margin”. In February and March 2024, sea surface temperatures reached a new global average daily high of 21.09C, according to the analysis.
Climate scientists speak out
PAST 1.5C: A survey by the Guardian has found that the majority of the world’s leading climate scientists expect global temperature to rise to at least 2.5C above pre-industrial levels by 2100, given the current level of action by countries. The survey of 380 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scientists found that almost half anticipate 3C of warming, while only 6% thought the internationally agreed 1.5C limit will be met.
EXHAUSTED EXPERTS: In an accompanying piece in the Guardian, the experts shared their views. One scientist from Mexico told the newspaper she felt “hopeless and broken” by the pace of rising climate impacts, while another expert said thinking of the future was “infuriating, distressing, overwhelming”. A separate piece spoke to the female scientists surveyed, a fifth of whom have decided not to have children or to have fewer.
AVOIDING DESPAIR: The Guardian published an editorial alongside the above articles, urging readers not to despair. Although the “future can feel overwhelming and unfixable”, it notes, we need to “build collective awareness, a sense that change is possible and momentum for wider systemic progress”. Additionally, an opinion article by former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres similarly argues that “stubborn optimism may be our only hope”.
Around the world
- BRAZIL FLOODS: Record-breaking floods in southern Brazil have killed more than 105 people and affected more than 1.7 million, with more rain expected, reported O Globo.
- EU AND CHINA TALK TRADE: EU commissioner Ursula von der Leyen has restated readiness to launch a trade war with China over imports of clean energy technologies during a meeting with president Xi Jinping, reported the Guardian. Elsewhere, the South China Morning Post reported that the new climate envoys from China and the US have met for the first time.
- SOUTH ASIA HEATWAVES: Governments across south and south-east Asia have issued health warnings as schools shut and crops fail, as extreme heat continues to grip the region, the Guardian reported. In the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, five people have been killed by forest fires, reported the Hindustan Times.
- AUSTRALIAN GAS: Australia’s government has announced plans to ramp up the extraction and use of gas to “2050 and beyond”, BBC News reported. The prime minister is now facing an internal revolt from his party, the Guardian added.
- KENYA DAY OF MOURNING: Kenya’s president William Ruto has declared a public day of mourning following the deaths of 238 people due to ongoing flooding, which will be marked by tree-planting, reported the Associated Press.
- LONDON MAYOR: Labour’s Sadiq Khan has pledged further “world-leading green action” after winning a historic third term as London Mayor, reported Bloomberg. Khan’s victory came despite speculation his ambitious air pollution and climate measures could turn off voters.
30%
The proportion of global electricity that came from renewables last year – a new record, according to analysis covered by Carbon Brief.
Latest climate research
- Fewer cooler days due to climate change could make existing varieties of lychee “unsuitable for cultivation in production areas in southern Taiwan”, a new study in Climate Services said.
- Tornado-producing tropical storms may increase “substantially” in the US by 2050 as climate change worsens, new research in Weather and Climate Extremes found.
- New research published in Nature Climate Change found that the transport of ocean heat through the Bering Strait has a more substantial influence on Arctic warming than previously recognised.
(For more, see Carbon Brief’s in-depth daily summaries of the top climate news stories on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.)
Captured
“Residual emissions” are those that remain once a nation has gone as far as it thinks is possible to cut its emissions. These emissions tend to come from sectors that are considered hard to decarbonise, such as livestock farming and heavy industry. The concept is closely tied with net-zero targets. That is, a country must remove CO2 from the atmosphere that is equivalent in volume to its residual emissions, in order to say it has reached net-zero. A new study covered by Carbon Brief explored national strategies for managing residual emissions. Of the 71 countries examined, just 26 have long-term plans to tackle these emissions. These nations could have residual emissions of up to 2.9bn tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2050, equal to around 5% of total global emissions. Countries include major emitters such as the US, Canada and Australia (as shown in the above chart). The chart shows residual emissions (red) as a share of each nation’s peak emissions (blue) – or its most recent annual emissions, if its emissions have not yet peaked.
Spotlight
The Thames Barrier at 40
Carbon Brief visits London’s Thames Barrier, the second-largest flood defence barrier in the world, as it turns 40-years-old.
With sea levels rising and flood risks increasing, the UK’s Environment Agency (EA) is working to develop the next era of protections for London and the wider Thames Estuary.
On 25 April, Carbon Brief visited the Thames Barrier to discuss its origins and look forward to its next 40 years.
History
In 1953, London and the east coast of England were devastated by the North Sea Flood, which killed more than 300 people and caused an estimated £50m in damage (approximately £5bn in today’s money) in the region.
While, previously, the UK government had broadly taken a reactive approach to floods, progressively raising the walls and banks of the Thames river, this flood made it clear that such an approach was not sustainable.
In response, one of the first ever “rising sector gates” was built across a 520m-long stretch of the River Thames near Woolwich.
The Thames Barrier was designed by Charles Draper of the London-based Rendel, Palmer and Tritton architectural company, who took inspiration from a gas tap on his cooker. He built a working model in 1969, ahead of construction five years later. The barrier started being used in 1982.
On 8 May 1984, the Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the £535m (£2.4bn in today’s money) Thames Barrier, which remains the second-largest flood defence barrier in the world.
Operation
Now, 40 years on, the Thames Barrier continues to protect 1.4 million people and £321bn of property from tidal flooding.
The Thames Barrier includes 10 steel gates positioned across the width of the river that can be rotated to rise out of the water. Once raised, each 3,300-tonne main gate stands as high as a five-story building and is as wide as the opening of London’s iconic Tower Bridge.
Over the past four decades, it has been closed 221 times for flood defence purposes, including a particular spike in 2013-2014 when it was closed 50 times in 13 weeks.
Andy Batchelor, Thames tidal defences operations manager, who started work at the barrier the day the Queen opened it, said in a statement:
“Having witnessed and worked on the Thames Barrier’s opening, I am immensely proud of the protection it has provided London for the past 40 years and will continue to provide for years to come.
“Its reliability and effectiveness demonstrate the sophistication of its design by a very talented group of engineers and the continued maintenance and operation carried out by the barrier team.”
The next 40 years
The Thames Barrier was only designed to last until 2030. However, the EA, which operates and maintains the site, is confident it will continue to run until 2070.
However, sea levels are predicted to rise 1.5m by the end of the century, increasing the potential for a significant tidal flood. Additionally, with England becoming increasingly wet, the barrier is expected to be called on increasingly – about half of the closures to date have been for river flood protection.
If closing the barrier 50 times in a year becomes the norm, it could fail, the EA has warned, as this does not provide the necessary time for workers to maintain it.
As such, the agency is working on preparing for the next era of flood protection.
The agency is planning to work with partners to continuously review the best available options, including building a new barrier or developing more flood storage, and decide on an end-of-century option by 2040.
Meanwhile, from 2021-27, the government is set to invest £5.6bn in creating new flood and coastal defences to protect hundreds of thousands of properties.
Watch, read, listen
THE $9TN QUESTION: A “big read” in the Financial Times explored how governments worldwide are looking to foot the “immense” bill for the green transition.
BIG BRANDS GREEN CLAIMS: BBC Panorama looked at the “green claims” made by the world’s biggest brands, exposing serious flaws and side-effects of their reliance on carbon offsetting.
ASIAN HEATWAVES: On Himal South Asian’s podcast, environmental social scientist and Carbon Brief contributing editor Dr Chandni Singh discussed why the extreme heat facing the subcontinent this summer is unlike the “heat of the past”.
Coming up
- 13 May: Fourth phase of India’s election
- 14 May: International Energy Agency (IEA) conference on clean cooking in Africa, Paris, France
- 15-17 May: UN Environment Programme: Accelerating urban nature-based solutions: A Latin American-European collaboration, Barcelona, Spain
- 15 May-1 June: IEA-COP29 high-level dialogues, Paris, France
Pick of the jobs
- Carbon Brief, journalist internship | Salary: £13.50 per hour and £100 travel expenses. Location: London
- Conservation International, director of African natural climate solutions roadmap | Salary: Unknown. Location: Nairobi, Kenya
- UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, environmental manager | Salary: £69,485-£76,525. Location: Aberdeen, Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh or Salford
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 10 May 2024: 11 months of record heat; Climate scientists ‘hopeless and broken’; 40 years of the Thames Barrier appeared first on Carbon Brief.
Climate Change
States Say They Need More Help Replacing Lead Pipes. Congress May Cut the Funding Instead.
The U.S. House voted to cut millions promised for the work this year. The Senate will vote this week, as advocates and some lawmakers push back.
The Senate is taking up a spending package passed by the House of Representatives that would cut $125 million in funding promised this year to replace toxic lead pipes.
States Say They Need More Help Replacing Lead Pipes. Congress May Cut the Funding Instead.
Here are 6 inspiring books discussing oceans, critiques of capitalism, the Indigenous fight for environmental justice, and hope—for your upcoming reading list this year.
The Deepest Map: The High-Stakes Race to Chart the World’s Oceans
by Laura Trethewey (2023)
This book reminds me of the statement saying that people hear more about the moon and other planets in space than what lies beneath Earth’s oceans, which are often cited as ‘scary’ and ‘harsh’. Through investigative and in-depth reportage, ocean journalist and writer Laura Trethewey tackles important aspects of ocean mapping.
The mapping and exploration can be very useful to understand more about the oceans and to learn how we can protect them. On the other hand, thanks to neoliberal capitalism, it can potentially lead to commercial exploitation and mass industrialisation of this most mysterious ecosystem of our world.
The Deepest Map is not as intimidating as it sounds. Instead, it’s more exciting than I anticipated as it shows us more discoveries we may little know of: interrelated issues between seafloor mapping, geopolitical implications, ocean exploitation due to commercial interest, and climate change.
The Code of Capital: How the Law Creates Wealth and Inequality
by Katharina Pistor (2019)
Through The Code of Capital, Katharina Pistor talks about the correlation between law and the creation of wealth and inequality. She noted that though the wealthy love to claim hard work and skills as reasons why they easily significantly generate their fortunes, their accumulation of wealth would not last long without legal coding.
“The law is a powerful tool for social ordering and, if used wisely, has the potential to serve a broad range of social objectives: yet, for reasons and with implications that I attempt to explain, the law has been placed firmly in the service of capital,” she stated.
The book does not only show interesting takes on looking at inequality and the distribution of wealth, but also how those people in power manage to hoard their wealth with certain codes and laws, such as turning land into private property, while lots of people are struggling under the unjust system.
The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet
by Leah Thomas (2022)
Arguing that capitalism, racism, and other systems of oppression are the drivers of exploitation, activist Leah Thomas focuses on addressing the application of intersectionality to environmental justice through The Intersectional Environmentalist. Marginalised people all over the world are already on the front lines of the worsening climate crisis yet struggling to get justice they deserve.
I echo what she says, as a woman born and raised in Indonesia where clean air and drinkable water are considered luxury in various regions, where the extreme weather events exacerbated by the climate crisis hit the most vulnerable communities (without real mitigation and implementations by the government while oligarchies hijack our resources).
I think this powerful book is aligned with what Greenpeace has been speaking up about for years as well, that social justice and climate justice are deeply intertwined so it’s crucial to fight for both at the same time to help achieve a sustainable future for all.
As Long As Grass Grows
by Dina Gilio-Whitaker (2019)
Starting with the question “what does environmental justice look like when Indigenous people are at the centre?” Dina Gilio-Whitaker takes us to see the complexities of environmental justice and the endless efforts of Indigenous people in Indian country (the lands and communities of Native American tribes) to restore their traditional cultures while healing from the legacy of trauma caused by hundreds of years of Western colonisation.
She emphasizes that what distinguishes Indigenous peoples from colonisers is their unbroken spiritual relationship to their ancestral homelands. “The origin of environmental justice for Indigenous people is dispossession of land in all its forms; injustice is continually reproduced in what is inherently a culturally genocidal structure that systematically erases Indigenous people’s relationships and responsibilities to their ancestral places,” said Gilio-Whitaker.
I believe that the realm of today’s modern environmentalism should include Indigenous communities and learn their history: the resistance, the time-tested climate knowledge systems, their harmony with nature, and most importantly, their crucial role in preserving our planet’s biodiversity.
The Book of Hope
by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams with Gail Hudson (2021)
The Book of Hope is a marvelous glimpse into primatologist and global figure Jane Goodall’s life and work. The collaborator of the book, journalist Douglas Abrams, makes this reading experience even more enjoyable by sharing the reflective conversations between them, such as the definition of hope, and how to keep it alive amid difficult times.
Sadly, as we all know, Jane passed away this year. We have lost an incredible human being in the era when we need more someone like her who has inspired millions to care about nature, someone whose wisdom radiated warmth and compassion. Though she’s no longer with us, her legacy to spread hope stays.
Ocean: Earth’s Last Wilderness
by David Attenborough and Colin Butfield (2025)
“I could only have dreamed of recording in the early stages of my career, and we have changed the ocean so profoundly that the next hundred years could either witness a mass extinction of ocean life or a spectacular recovery.”
The legend David Attenborough highlights how much humans have yet to understand the ocean in his latest book with Colin Butfield. The first part of it begins with what has happened in a blue whale’s lifetime. Later it takes us to coral reefs, the deep of the ocean, kelp forest, mangroves, even Arctic, Oceanic seamounts, and Southern Ocean. The book contains powerful stories and scientific facts that will inspire ocean lovers, those who love to learn more about this ecosystem, and those who are willing to help protect our Earth.
To me, this book is not only about the wonder of the ocean, but also about hope to protect our planet. Just like what Attenborough believes: the more people understand nature, the greater our hope of saving it.
Kezia Rynita is a Content Editor for Greenpeace International, based in Indonesia.
The Whanganui River is officially a living being and legal person. Māori leaders explain how Indigenous knowledge and persistence made it happen.
Ned Tapa has spent his life along New Zealand’s Whanganui River. For Tapa, a Māori leader, the river is not a resource to be managed or a commodity to be owned. It is an ancestor. A living being. A life force.
‘I Am the River’: How Indigenous Knowledge Reshaped New Zealand’s Law
-
Climate Change5 months ago
Guest post: Why China is still building new coal – and when it might stop
-
Greenhouse Gases5 months ago
Guest post: Why China is still building new coal – and when it might stop
-
Greenhouse Gases2 years ago嘉宾来稿：满足中国增长的用电需求 光伏加储能“比新建煤电更实惠”
-
Climate Change2 years ago
Spanish-language misinformation on renewable energy spreads online, report shows
-
Climate Change Videos2 years ago
The toxic gas flares fuelling Nigeria’s climate change – BBC News
-
Climate Change2 years ago嘉宾来稿：满足中国增长的用电需求 光伏加储能“比新建煤电更实惠”
-
Climate Change2 years ago
Bill Discounting Climate Change in Florida’s Energy Policy Awaits DeSantis’ Approval
-
Carbon Footprint2 years agoUS SEC’s Climate Disclosure Rules Spur Renewed Interest in Carbon Credits