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
Climate Change
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
Climate Change
New York Already Denied Permits to These Gas Pipelines. Under Trump, They Could Get Greenlit
The specter of a “gas-for-wind” compromise between the governor and the White House is drawing the ire of residents as a deadline looms.
Hundreds of New Yorkers rallied against new natural gas pipelines in their state as a deadline loomed for the public to comment on a revived proposal to expand the gas pipeline that supplies downstate New York.
New York Already Denied Permits to These Gas Pipelines. Under Trump, They Could Get Greenlit
A “critical assessment” report commissioned by the Trump administration to justify a rollback of US climate regulations contains at least 100 false or misleading statements, according to a Carbon Brief factcheck involving dozens of leading climate scientists.
The report – “A critical review of impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on the US climate” – was published by the US Department of Energy (DoE) on 23 July, just days before the government laid out plans to revoke a scientific finding used as the legal basis for emissions regulation.
The executive summary of the controversial report inaccurately claims that “CO2-induced warming might be less damaging economically than commonly believed”.
It also states misleadingly that “excessively aggressive [emissions] mitigation policies could prove more detrimental than beneficial”.
Compiled in just two months by five “independent” researchers hand-selected by the climate-sceptic US secretary of energy Chris Wright, the document has sparked fierce criticism from climate scientists, who have pointed to factual errors, misrepresentation of research, messy citations and the cherry-picking of data.
Experts have also noted the authors’ track record of promoting views at odds with the mainstream understanding of climate science.
Wright’s department claims the report – which is currently open to public comment as part of a 30-day review – underwent an “internal peer-review period amongst [the] DoE’s scientific research community”.
The report is designed to provide a scientific underpinning to one flank of the Trump administration’s plans to rescind a finding that serves as the legal prerequisite for federal emissions regulation. (The second flank is about legal authority to regulate emissions.)
The “endangerment finding” – enacted by the Obama administration in 2009 – states that six greenhouse gases are contributing to the net-negative impacts of climate change and, thus, put the public in danger.
In a press release on 29 July, the US Environmental Protection Agency said “updated studies and information” set out in the new report would “challenge the assumptions” of the 2009 finding.
Carbon Brief asked a wide range of climate scientists, including those cited in the “critical review” itself, to factcheck the report’s various claims and statements.
The post Factcheck: Trump’s climate report includes more than 100 false or misleading claims appeared first on Carbon Brief.
https://www.carbonbrief.org/factcheck-trumps-climate-report-includes-more-than-100-false-or-misleading-claims/
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