Welcome to Carbon Brief’s DeBriefed.
An essential guide to the week’s key developments relating to climate change.
This week
More than halfway to boiling
ASIAN HEAT: Extreme temperatures hit south Asia this week, with Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh reaching 52.2C, according to Bangladesh’s Somoy News, and India’s capital Delhi hitting 52.3C, according to the Times of India. Authorities in India are investigating whether the Delhi record was caused by a faulty sensor in Mungeshpur in the north of the city, as other neighbourhoods consistently recorded deadly temperatures of around 49-50C, the Guardian reported.
LANDSLIDES: Elsewhere in India, at least 25 people were killed in “rain-related incidents and landslides” as cyclonic storm Remal struck four northeastern states, according to Scroll. In Papua New Guinea, more than 2,000 people may have been buried in a landslide triggered by “weeks of heavy rain and other wet conditions in the area”, BBC News reported.
ONGOING EXTREMES: Meanwhile, in North America, more than one million people were left without power in Texas amid severe storms, Le Monde reported. Reuters said that Mexico’s electricity demand hit a new record amid scorching heat in the country. Deutsche Welle had an explainer on how 2024’s widespread extremes are linked to climate change.
Around the world
- OFFSET REFORM: US president Joe Biden’s administration announced first-of-its-kind federal guidelines for the voluntary carbon market, where firms buy credits from carbon-cutting schemes to claim they have reduced their own emissions, the New York Times reported.
- EU VISION: Ahead of European elections, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Olaf Scholz co-wrote in the Financial Times that Europe can be an “industrial and technological leader” and the “first climate-neutral continent” by pursuing “green and digital transitions”.
- MORE 4-BY-4S: Sales of SUVs reached a record last year, accounting for half of all new cars globally, according to International Energy Agency (IEA) data reported on by the Guardian. If SUVs were a country, they would be the fifth largest CO2 emitter.
- ‘V20’ LAUNCH: The Philippines will lead 19 other countries to establish a group to raise funds for the most climate-vulnerable nations, known as the “Vulnerable 20” or “V20”, Reuters reported.
- RIGHTS TRIAL: An ongoing “historic” trial by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights into whether countries should be held culpable over the impact of climate change on human rights this week heard from Indigenous people in the Brazilian Amazon, Common Dreams reported.
- AFRICAN FORECASTING: The African Union Commission and the European Satellite Agency have signed a new deal aimed at improving Africa’s “obsolete” weather forecasting system, the Independent Uganda reported. Carbon Brief analysis found Africa has the lowest density of weather stations globally.
$115.9bn
The amount of climate finance paid by developed nations in 2022 – meeting a target to provide $100bn two years after the deadline, according to OECD data.
$88.9bn
The amount when funding sourced from existing development aid is subtracted, according to new analysis shared with Carbon Brief.
Latest climate research
- By the end of the century, the surface area of lakes on the Tibetan Plateau will increase by more than 50% (around 20,000km2) and water levels will rise by around 10 metres, even under a low-emissions scenario, new Nature Geoscience research found.
- A “policy forum” article in Science argued that “a social-moral norm against new fossil fuel projects has strong potential to contribute to achieving global climate goals”.
- Research in the Journal of Environmental Psychology examined how the public reacts to the term “climate anxiety”, with most viewing it neutrally yet a minority finding it to be “unfounded, irrational or excessive”.
(For more, see Carbon Brief’s in-depth daily summaries of the top climate news stories on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.)
Captured
Spotlight
One year of DeBriefed
This week, DeBriefed’s editor Daisy Dunne reflects on the past year of Carbon Brief’s weekly climate newsletter – and outlines how readers can help shape its future.
One year ago we published the first edition of DeBriefed, Carbon Brief’s weekly newsletter aimed at summarising key climate developments around the world.
We wanted to provide readers with a “one-stop shop” of the latest in climate news, journalistic investigations and scientific research, as well as key dates for the diary and a hand-picked selection of interesting job vacancies.
It was a key aim of ours to try to cover all corners of the globe, including not only the UK and the US, but emerging Asian economies and typically underrepresented regions, such as sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.
Another goal was to showcase the work of Carbon Brief’s brilliant and diverse team of journalists, which have been based in countries including India, Nigeria, Mexico, the US and the UK.
Thanks to this, we have published everything from a first-hand report on the impacts of coal mining in India’s elephant country and an exclusive interview with a Just Stop Oil prisoner through to reports on how Palestine has struggled to access climate funding, the origins of Donald Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” slogan and how K-pop fans are campaigning for climate action in East Asia.
I am pleased that DeBriefed has been able to provide an outlet for original climate reporting that may otherwise have not been published.
As we look forward to our next 12 months, we would like to invite readers to send their thoughts on the newsletter: What do you like and dislike? What would you like to see more of? Do you have any suggestions for where DeBriefed could go next – say with a podcast or webinars, for example? Please email any thoughts to: debriefed@carbonbrief.org
Finally, a small request, if you have enjoyed reading this newsletter, please consider forwarding it on to a friend or colleague who may also be interested in receiving a free climate roundup each week. We would be eternally grateful.
Watch, read, listen
‘NOTHING GROWS FOREVER’: A documentary by Al Jazeera examined how Costa Rica has been able to protect its environment and achieve “high levels of wellbeing that have very little to do with money”.
SMALL ISLANDS: Amid the fourth International Conference for Small Island Developing States, Maldives president Mohamed Muizzu called in the Guardian for climate finance to be “unlocked”, adding that small islands seek “not charity but equity and justice”.
ETHIOPIAN DAM: A feature in African Arguments examined how a dam mega-project in Ethiopia affected the ability of Indigenous people to grow food and herd animals.
Coming up
- 1 June: Final phase of India’s election
- 2 June: Mexico’s election
- 3-13 June: Bonn UN climate change conference, Germany
- 6-9 June: European elections
- 7-8 June: High-level event on ocean action, San Jose, Costa Rica
Pick of the jobs
- Guardian Australia, climate and environment reporter. Salary: Unknown. Location: Australia
- Conservative Environment Network, climate programme manager. Salary: £30,000-£39,000. Location: London Bridge
- WaterAid, climate and environment lead. Salary: £56,249-£59,602. Location: One of the following countries: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, UK or Zambia
- Friends of the Earth Ireland, climate policy campaigner. Salary: €37,857-€46,588. Location: Dublin
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 31 May 2024: 52C in South Asia; Biden’s carbon offsets overhaul; Tell us what you think appeared first on Carbon Brief.
DeBriefed 31 May 2024: 52C in South Asia; Biden’s carbon offsets overhaul; Tell us what you think
The conference is one of the largest aimed at preparing for hurricane season, which begins June 1. A task force report on potential reforms to the agency also remains on hold.
ORLANDO, Fla.—A major conference to help communities prepare for hurricane season kicked off Monday without the agency that coordinates federal disaster response.
Right now, Greenpeace activists are standing up to Big Gas at a major gas conference in Sydney.
Inside the Sheraton Grand Hotel, executives from fossil fuel companies have gathered alongside lobbyists, investors and political allies to plan the future of gas in Australia – and how to maximise their profits.
So Greenpeace has stepped in to call it out. Activists have dropped a banner inside the venue with a clear message: Gas Execs Profit. We Pay The Price.
We need your help to spread the message that we won’t stand by and let this happen.
What’s really going on
Gas corporations are making billions in windfall profits from global conflicts – from Ukraine to Iran – while Australians pay the price with higher energy bills and climate damage.
And they want more.
More drilling. More exports. More profit.
Why Greenpeace took action today
This conference is where it all comes together. Behind closed doors, gas executives, lobbyists, investors and political allies are meeting to push for more gas expansion, no doubt using global instability as their justification.
That’s why Greenpeace couldn’t let this gathering go uninterrupted.
Big Gas is counting on people not paying attention. Let’s prove them wrong.
Share the video to call out Big Gas.
What needs to happen now
Gas is expensive. It’s volatile. And it ties our energy system to global instability.
But there is a better way. Renewable energy is already cheaper, more reliable, and made right here in Australia. It’s the fastest path to lower bills, real energy security and a safer climate.
To get there, we need to:
- properly tax the gas industry and its exports
- stop expanding gas
- and speed up the transition to homegrown renewable energy.
Share this video far and wide to show just how much support there is to tax Big Gas properly and speed up the transition to renewable energy.
This is just the beginning
This action is part of a growing movement to stand up to Big Gas and challenge the power it holds over our government and society. The Federal Government has a role to play – starting by taxing gas corporations properly and then accelerating the transition to homegrown renewable energy.
Together, we can show just how much support there is for change and make it impossible for decision-makers to ignore.
What you can do
- Follow along on our social channels.
- Share the video far and wide to show how much support there is.
- Sign the petition to tell Albo to stand up to Big Gas – because if we can, he can.
BREAKING: Greenpeace activists disrupt major gas conference in Sydney
SYDNEY, Tuesday 31 March 2026 — Two Greenpeace Australia Pacific activists have been arrested following a peaceful protest at the Australian Domestic Gas Outlook conference in Sydney, where they dropped a banner that said — “Gas Execs Profit. We Pay The Price” and held banners saying “Tax Gas Profits”.
Photos and B Roll video of the protest and arrests are available here
Live updates on Greenpeace Instagram
The two activists were arrested by police around 9:00am AEDT and taken to Day Street Police Station. Information on this morning’s gas conference disruption can be found here.
Solaye Snider, Campaigner at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said: “Greenpeace activists have taken a strong stand today against profit hungry gas corporations and lobbyists, who see horrific global wars as an opportunity to price gouge and profiteer, while everyday people pay the price.
“Australians have had enough of gas corporations like Santos and ConocoPhillips ripping us off, leaving us with nothing but empty pockets and climate damage. The gas industry is aggressively lobbying against being fairly taxed and pushing to drill for more gas. Change requires showing up and speaking out, and that’s what these activists have done today.
“Greenpeace Australia Pacific stands by our activists, and stands with all communities who are peacefully fighting for a safe and clean energy future. The right to peaceful protest is a fundamental pillar of a healthy democracy and a basic right of all Australians.”
-ENDS-
Media contacts:
Lucy Keller: +61 491 135 308 or lkeller@greenpeace.org or Kate O’Callaghan: +61 406 231 892 or kate.ocallaghan@greenpeace.org
Greenpeace activists arrested after disrupting major gas conference in Sydney
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