According to a new analysis by Carbon Brief, the United Kingdom’s 2024 emissions fell to 409 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e), based on preliminary energy data. That’s a 3.6 percent drop and the lowest level since 1872.

The country’s coal use was also the lowest it’s been since the mid-1600s.

“The largest factor in emissions falling last year… was a massive 54% drop in UK coal demand,” the Carbon Brief analysis said. “The UK used just 2.1Mt of coal in 2024… this is the lowest amount since 1666, when the UK’s capital city was engulfed in the Great Fire of London.”

While UK emissions are currently 54 percent below 1990 levels, the country’s gross domestic product has increased by 84 percent.

Some of the major contributors to the reduction in coal use were the closure of the country’s last coal-fired power plant in Nottinghamshire, as well as Wales’ Port Talbot steelworks, one of the UK’s last blast furnaces.

An almost 40 percent increase in electric vehicles (EV) on UK roads was another contributing factor, along with above-average temperatures and electricity in the UK being the “cleanest ever” last year.

Greenhouse gas emissions within the UK’s borders have fallen in 26 out of the last 35 years.

“Apart from brief rebounds after the global financial crisis and the Covid-19 lockdowns, UK emissions have fallen every year for the past two decades,” the analysis said. “This is the lowest since 1872 and on par with 1926, when there was a general strike… In 1872, Queen Victoria was on the throne.”

The analysis found that coal demand had fallen at power stations, which accounted for a third of the overall reduction in use of the dirty fuel. Two-thirds of the coal consumption drop came from heavy industry using less coal.

In addition to falling coal use, another one-third of the drop in emissions was due to lower demand for oil and gas.

Oil demand fell by 1.4 percent even with an increase in road traffic. This was mostly because of rising EV numbers. The 1.4 million EVs, 76,000 electric vans and 800,000 plug-in hybrids reduced oil-related emissions, which were slightly offset by higher electricity demand.

“The UK’s right-leaning newspapers have been busy finding new driving-related wordplay for what they have misleadingly described as a ‘stalling’ market for EVs, which is apparently ‘going into reverse’,” the analysis said. “The reality is that the number of EVs on the UK’s road rose from 1m in 2023 to 1.4m in 2024, an increase of 39% in just one year. The number of plug-in hybrids was up 28% to 0.8m.”

To reach its 2035 climate goal, as well as its target of net-zero by 2050, the UK’s emissions would need to be cut more each year than they were in 2024.

“The 14MtCO2e drop in emissions in 2024 can be compared with the trajectory needed to reach the UK’s national and international climate pledges for 2035 and 2050,” Carbon Brief said. “If emissions fell by the same amount every year as they did in 2024, then the UK would miss both targets… In other words, annual emissions cuts would need to accelerate in the short- to medium-term, but could start to ease off later on. This is consistent with the cost-effective pathway to net-zero set out last month by the Climate Change Committee in its latest advice to the government.”

The post UK Carbon Emissions Reach Lowest Level Since 1872 appeared first on EcoWatch.

https://www.ecowatch.com/uk-carbon-emissions-2024.html

In a new report, researchers have ranked global cities for flood and drought risks and determined that some of the biggest cities in the world are facing dangerous climate swings between dry and wet periods. Some cities have seen a total change in their climate, moving from typically dry regions to regions prone to flooding and vice versa, according to the study.

The report, conducted by non-governmental organization WaterAid in collaboration with researchers from the University of Bristol and Cardiff University, investigated the climate trends in the 100 most-populated cities globally as well as 12 cities where the NGO operates.

In total, 95% of the observed cities were experiencing a shift toward wetter or dryer climates, as The Guardian reported.

According to the findings, 15% of the cities are experiencing climate “whiplash,” where they face periods of drought almost immediately followed by flooding. As The Guardian reported, the recent wildfires in Los Angeles were an example of such whiplash, with wetter periods both before and after the fires.

The rainy period increased vegetation growth, which fueled larger fires. Now, after the fires, some people in Southern California are being evacuated amid wetter weather because of increased mudslide risks, ABC News reported.

“These are recent burn areas and are especially susceptible to heavy rain,” the Los Angeles Fire Department warned. These extreme back-and-forth patterns are happening to cities globally and could worsen, the new report warned.

About 20% of the cities in the study have shifted from more dry extreme weather to wet extremes, with 13% of these cities moving toward wetter climate extremes and 7% moving toward drier extremes.

WaterAid

“Places that were historically wet are becoming dry and vice versa. Other places are now increasingly battered by both extreme floods and droughts. A deeper understanding of localised climate hazards can support more intelligent and bespoke planning in major cities,” Katerina Michaelides, co-lead scientist on the project and professor of Dryland Hydrology at the University of Bristol, said in a statement.

The cities facing varying climate extremes face risk of infrastructure that cannot keep up with the shifts in wet or dry weather events. As explained by WaterAid, extreme flooding threatens water sanitation and waste systems, which can lead to disease spread. On the other hand, extreme drought puts strain on water resources.

South and southeast Asia and north and east Africa were highlighted as two particularly vulnerable regions to the extreme climate whiplash, with the cities facing the highest risks including Khartoum, Sudan; Faisalabad, Pakistan; Lahore, Pakistan; Baghdad, Iraq; Surabaya, Indonesia; Nairobi, Kenya; and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“As the nature and intensity of natural hazards change, their impacts on urban communities will be significantly shaped by social and infrastructural vulnerabilities,” said Sean Fox, associate professor of global development at University of Bristol who provided research for the report. “In other words, risk isn’t just about the chance of a flood or drought occurring, it’s also about how prepared communities are to deal with these hazards.”

To improve equitable access to water, sanitation and hygiene services and make infrastructure better prepared for changing climate and extreme weather, WaterAid is recommending for governments to prioritize climate and water actions and provide plans for adapting to climate; for developers, banks and the private sector to increase investments in climate-resilient water infrastructure and services; and for all parties involved in water services and infrastructure to prioritize the most vulnerable communities.

“We urge the UK to show leadership and maintain its influential role in tackling global climate and health challenges — essential to creating a secure world free from poverty,” Tim Wainwright, chief executive of WaterAid UK, said in a statement. “Now, we need to turn commitments into action — for leaders to build and invest in systems worldwide that can withstand extreme weather and keep clean water flowing globally.”

The post Dangerous Climate ‘Whiplash’ Is Impacting Cities Globally, Report Finds appeared first on EcoWatch.

https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-whiplash-cities-drought-flooding.html

In a new report, researchers have ranked global cities for flood and drought risks and determined that some of the biggest cities in the world are facing dangerous climate swings between dry and wet periods. Some cities have seen a total change in their climate, moving from typically dry regions to regions prone to flooding and vice versa, according to the study.

The report, conducted by non-governmental organization WaterAid in collaboration with researchers from the University of Bristol and Cardiff University, investigated the climate trends in the 100 most-populated cities globally as well as 12 cities where the NGO operates.

In total, 95% of the observed cities were experiencing a shift toward wetter or dryer climates, as The Guardian reported.

According to the findings, 15% of the cities are experiencing climate “whiplash,” where they face periods of drought almost immediately followed by flooding. As The Guardian reported, the recent wildfires in Los Angeles were an example of such whiplash, with wetter periods both before and after the fires.

The rainy period increased vegetation growth, which fueled larger fires. Now, after the fires, some people in Southern California are being evacuated amid wetter weather because of increased mudslide risks, ABC News reported.

“These are recent burn areas and are especially susceptible to heavy rain,” the Los Angeles Fire Department warned. These extreme back-and-forth patterns are happening to cities globally and could worsen, the new report warned.

About 20% of the cities in the study have shifted from more dry extreme weather to wet extremes, with 13% of these cities moving toward wetter climate extremes and 7% moving toward drier extremes.

WaterAid

“Places that were historically wet are becoming dry and vice versa. Other places are now increasingly battered by both extreme floods and droughts. A deeper understanding of localised climate hazards can support more intelligent and bespoke planning in major cities,” Katerina Michaelides, co-lead scientist on the project and professor of Dryland Hydrology at the University of Bristol, said in a statement.

The cities facing varying climate extremes face risk of infrastructure that cannot keep up with the shifts in wet or dry weather events. As explained by WaterAid, extreme flooding threatens water sanitation and waste systems, which can lead to disease spread. On the other hand, extreme drought puts strain on water resources.

South and southeast Asia and north and east Africa were highlighted as two particularly vulnerable regions to the extreme climate whiplash, with the cities facing the highest risks including Khartoum, Sudan; Faisalabad, Pakistan; Lahore, Pakistan; Baghdad, Iraq; Surabaya, Indonesia; Nairobi, Kenya; and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“As the nature and intensity of natural hazards change, their impacts on urban communities will be significantly shaped by social and infrastructural vulnerabilities,” said Sean Fox, associate professor of global development at University of Bristol who provided research for the report. “In other words, risk isn’t just about the chance of a flood or drought occurring, it’s also about how prepared communities are to deal with these hazards.”

To improve equitable access to water, sanitation and hygiene services and make infrastructure better prepared for changing climate and extreme weather, WaterAid is recommending for governments to prioritize climate and water actions and provide plans for adapting to climate; for developers, banks and the private sector to increase investments in climate-resilient water infrastructure and services; and for all parties involved in water services and infrastructure to prioritize the most vulnerable communities.

“We urge the UK to show leadership and maintain its influential role in tackling global climate and health challenges — essential to creating a secure world free from poverty,” Tim Wainwright, chief executive of WaterAid UK, said in a statement. “Now, we need to turn commitments into action — for leaders to build and invest in systems worldwide that can withstand extreme weather and keep clean water flowing globally.”

The post Dangerous Climate ‘Wiplash’ Is Impacting Cities Globally, Report Finds appeared first on EcoWatch.

https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-whiplash-cities.html