Welcome to Carbon Brief’s DeBriefed.
An essential guide to the week’s key developments relating to climate change.
This week
Trump ‘SOS’
‘CHAOS’ GRIPS: More than 1,900 scientists from US national academies of sciences, engineering and medicine wrote an “SOS letter” warning of the risks to science imposed by the current administration’s grant cuts and mass layoffs, reported the Guardian. The Guardian also said a “sense of chaos has gripped” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, after Trump-sanctioned layoffs have affected 20% of staff.
WEAKER STANDARDS: Trump is weighing returning to weaker car emissions standards from 2020, saying pollution limits introduced by Joe Biden are “too onerous” for motor companies, Bloomberg reported. The US transportation sector is the country’s leading source of greenhouse gas emissions.
TARIFFS TURMOIL: The New York Times said that the renewable energy industry in the US is “bracing for particularly large effects” from Trump’s ongoing tariffs war with the rest of the world. It noted that the turmoil is “expected to drive up the costs of nearly every component of clean-energy production in the US, from the steel in wind turbines to the batteries in electric vehicles”.
Around the world
- SOFTENING GOALS: EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra is considering softening the bloc’s 2040 climate goal amid a “backlash” from some quarters, Politico said. A second Politico story reported that the release of the goal will be delayed while Hoekstra “struggles” to rally support.
- COAL STICKS: The world’s total coal-fired power “inched up” by 18.8 gigawatts in 2024, the lowest rise in two decades, with new additions in China and India continuing to offset closures elsewhere, according to Reuters coverage of a new Global Energy Monitor report.
- ASIA HEAT: Large swathes of India will experience intense heatwaves this summer with above normal temperatures expected across much of the country, the nation’s meteorological office has warned, according to BBC News.
- RENEWABLE AFRICA: Africa increased its renewable energy capacity by 6.7% last year, equivalent to 4.2GW, according to an International Renewable Energy Agency report covered by Energy Capital and Power. Egypt, Ethiopia and South Africa were among countries to build the most clean power.
40%
The percentage by which the “average person would become poorer” if the world warmed by 4C, according to an Environmental Research Letters study covered by the Guardian.
Latest climate research
- An “extraordinary” heatwave in Central Asia in March was made up to 10C hotter by human-caused climate change, a new World Weather Attribution analysis found.
- A Proceedings of the National Academy of Science study found that the limits of human heat tolerance are lower than previous estimates.
- Climate change has played a dominant role in destabilising communities of plankton, microorganisms that form the basis of the food web for marine wildlife, a new study in Communications Earth and Environment found.
(For more, see Carbon Brief’s in-depth daily summaries of the top climate news stories on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.)
Captured
China’s exports of solar panels to the global south have doubled in the past two years, overtaking global-north sales for the first time since 2018, according to data from the thinktank Ember explained in a new Carbon Brief guest post. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were among the top importers of Chinese solar panels in 2024.
Spotlight
Deep-sea mining talks
Carbon Brief explains the outcomes of the latest deep-sea mining talks held last week in Jamaica.
The deep sea has emerged as a new mining frontier in the global race towards energy security, with countries vying to explore and exploit its reserves of metals, such as nickel, copper, cobalt and manganese.
These minerals – critical to the energy transition – are held in the deep ocean’s nodules, hydrothermal vents and crusts, but the impacts of mining these deposits are still far from being fully understood.
In 2021, the Pacific island state of Nauru triggered a legal process for countries to agree rules around mining the seabed, or – in their absence – allow commercial mining of the deep sea to begin by 2025.
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is an international treaty that provides a framework to regulate the use of the world’s seas and oceans.
Among other bodies and orders, UNCLOS established the International Seabed Authority (ISA), which is based in Kingston, Jamaica, and oversees all resource extraction in the deep sea.
From 17-28 March this year, the ISA held the first part of its 30th annual session, with the aim of making progress on draft rules to govern commercial deep-sea mining.
Jamaica talks
The ISA said that there was “significant progress” on various aspects at the meeting and other areas that “require further deliberation”.
Some of this progress is the agreement to use the term “harmful effects” rather than “serious harm” to the marine environment, which aligns with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Earth Negotiations Bulletin noted.
However, it added that there were “major issues unresolved”, related to “regulations” crucial for the protection of the marine environment, such as environmental impact assessments and the rights and interests of coastal states.
Duncan Currie, the international legal advisor to the Deep-Sea Conservation Coalition, said parties did not agree on any of the 55 reviewed regulations, but rather just discussed their positions on those regulations.
He also pointed out the lack of discussion over financial matters, liability, the royalties that are paid and the benefit sharing from deep-sea mining, telling Carbon Brief:
“There are 80 standards and guidelines that can’t be developed until [countries] have developed the regulations. I think most people think that they’re quite a long way away from being adopted.”
Current and future outlook
So far, 32 ISA member states are in favour of a moratorium on deep-sea mining, while other countries are seeking to exploit minerals in the seafloor “as soon as possible”.
Among those promoting the deep-sea mining industry are India, China and Norway, while countries such as Palau, Fiji and Samoa are promoting a “pause on deep-sea mining until its ecological impacts are better understood”, Carbon Brief previously reported.
In a surprise move that sent “alarm bells ringing” in the ISA and beyond, the US subsidiary of the Metals Company announced on 27 March that it is moving ahead with applying for deep-sea exploration permits under existing US legislation in the second quarter of 2025.
The announcement came on the last day of the ISA talks, where it dominated discussions at the end of the meeting.
On 31 March, Reuters reported that the Trump administration is “weighing an executive order” that could let miners bypass the ISA, its safeguards and “fast-track” permits. The US is not a party to UNCLOS.
Both developments signal that the ISA is “at a crossroads”, according to the Earth News Bulletin, and its next session in July will be closely watched for how the body responds to a potential unilateral action to allow deep sea-mining.
Watch, read, listen
NOT WITH SPORTS: A Discovery+ documentary explored how extreme weather is already affecting sport events.
STRENGTHENING MENTAL HEALTH: A psychologist writing in the Revelator offered strategies to reduce the effects of climate change on mental health.
FOSSIL LOBBY: Former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres and political strategist Tom Rivett-Carnac addressed the fossil fuel lobby within COPs on their Outrage and Optimism podcast.
Coming up
- 2-5 April: Global Youth Climate Summit, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- 7 April: International Mother Earth Day
- 7-11 April: International Maritime Organization Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting (MEPC 83), London
Pick of the jobs
- Sky News, senior news editor – science, climate and technology | Salary: Unknown. Location: London
- Australian National University, postdoctoral research fellow in climate systems | Salary: AU$85,010-$131,227. Location: Canberra, Australia
- Dialogue Earth, social media officer | Salary: £36,035 per annum. Location: London
- Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, policy officer (adaptation policy and governance) | Salary: from £42,679-£54,730. Location: London
DeBriefed is edited by Daisy Dunne. Please send any tips or feedback to debriefed@carbonbrief.org.
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The post DeBriefed 4 April 2025: Scientists issue Trump ‘SOS’; EU climate goal in jeopardy; Deep-sea mining talks appeared first on Carbon Brief.
Prepared by a coalition of nine Western Australian union, industry, conservation, and community organisations—including UnionsWA, the Conservation Council WA, and the Smart Energy Council—the WA Clean Energy, Jobs & Industry Plan provides a practical roadmap to transform Western Australia into a clean energy powerhouse while creating thousands of secure local jobs.
Western Australia stands at a pivotal crossroads: lead the global clean energy economy or watch investment, future industries, and secure jobs go elsewhere. The WA Clean Energy, Jobs & Industry Plan outlines a transformative blueprint to harness the state’s world-class solar and wind resources. Discover how legislated renewable targets, green iron manufacturing, and a dedicated regional training strategy can generate tens of thousands of local jobs, lower household bills, and build a resilient, net-zero future for all Western Australians.
WA needs a clear and forward-thinking plan if it is going to become a competitive renewable energy powerhouse and maintain its economic strength through the energy transition.
“Western Australians know a faster renewable energy transition will lower their household expenses and prevent harmful climate pollution. But the community also needs clear direction to ensure this transition will create jobs, lower costs and not cause undue environmental harm.
“Here, sectors representing a broad range of interests have laid the groundwork for those outcomes, clearly outlining what is needed to create a future for WA that is good for the environment, for the climate, for workers and for the economy.
Summary
The WA Clean Energy, Jobs & Industry Plan sets out a strategic roadmap to position Western Australia as a global clean energy superpower while creating thousands of secure local jobs.
The report establishes three overarching goals:
- Creating local employment.
- Maintaining industrial competitiveness.
- Lowering household energy costs
To realize this vision, the framework details actionable measures to follow on from the recent WA Government announcement of a 75% Renewable Energy Target by 2031 for the South West Interconnected System. This includes developing a statewide Renewable Energy Target, coordinating statewide workforce and training pipelines, strategically planning regional infrastructure to safeguard high-value biodiversity and cultural heritage, and ensuring equitable benefit-sharing through household electrification incentives and First Nations equity partnerships. Ultimately, the plan highlights that establishing clear policy and regulatory certainty will unlock lower energy bills, boost power reliability, and secure the state’s global competitiveness in emerging green commodity export markets.
Key Findings
- Statewide Renewable Energy Target and Emissions Reduction Targets: The report calls for a statewide RET and 1.5°C aligned emission reduction targets to remove policy risk, lower capital costs, and attract clean energy investment.
- Transformative Job Creation: Accelerating the transition offers massive employment prospects, including up to 8,800 solar and battery jobs by 2050, as well as 24,000 ongoing and 11,000 construction jobs in a commercial green iron industry.
- Industrial Electrification & Competitiveness: Requiring large gas users to adopt binding electrification timetables and providing concessional financing will protect existing energy-intensive manufacturers from rising energy costs and impending domestic gas shortfalls.
- Green Commodity Export Leadership: Western Australia can build new export markets in green iron, green ammonia, and offshore oil/gas decommissioning by constructing shared common-user infrastructure and setting dedicated Green Commodity Export Targets.
- Coordinated Workforce & Training Pipeline: To address critical skill shortages the plan recommends establishing a WA Clean Energy Jobs Plan 2050, three regional training hubs, and dedicated pathways for female and under-represented apprentices.
- Environmental Safeguards & Community Benefits: Fast-tracked development must be paired with State Planning Policies that avoid high-biodiversity and cultural heritage lands, mandate new data centres to run on additional renewable power, and deliver household electrification rebates and First Nations equity partnerships.
What you can do
WA has an opportunity to lead on sustainable, clean energy and associated industries. You can help by:
- Sending an email to Environment Minister Murray Watt and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, calling on them to reject Browse.
- Sharing this story to help more Australians understand what’s at stake.
- Encouraging your friends and family to take action.