Climate Update

RECHT

Research shows UK police arrest environmental and climate protesters at three times the average global rate

AUSWIRKUNGEN

Access to balanced diet also affected by inflation and Brexit, hitting most vulnerable households hardest

AUSWIRKUNGEN

Im Kinderspital Birmingham sank die Zahl der Kinder mit Atemproblemen um einen Fünftel. Das Spital liegt in einer «Clean Air Zone».

MILDERUNG & ANPASS.

Legislation will be introduced to restrict licences for new coal mines as UK embraces clean energy future – PRESS RELEASE.

RECHT

Greenpeace and Uplift say Rosebank and Jackdaw licences were granted unlawfully by former Tory government

POLITIK

The prime minister announced more ambitious climate targets, charting a very different course from the United States, which is expected to roll back its energy transition plans.

TECH. & ENERGIE

Cubico project at Scout Moor north of Manchester could power the equivalent of 100,000 homes

TECH. & ENERGIE

A utility sends phone alerts when wind power is cheap. A builder sells “zero bill” houses. They’re among several experiments to redefine how people value electricity.

EMPFOHLEN MILDERUNG & ANPASS.

When a huge tract of land on the Somerset coast was deliberately flooded, the project was slammed as “ridiculous” by a local lawmaker. But the results have been transformative.

BEWEGUNG

A judge said he hoped to deter protests when he handed down lengthy terms for the two activists, who dumped soup on the painting in 2022. Later that day, activists did it again.

EMPFOHLEN TECH. & ENERGIE

The UK’s last coal-fired power plant, Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire, will close this month, ending a 142-year era of burning coal to generate electricity. The UK’s coal-power phaseout is internationally significant.

TECH. & ENERGIE

Wo vor 142 Jahren die Ära der Kohle begann, vollziehen die Briten nun als erster hoch industrialisierter Staat den Ausstieg: Sie schliessen das letzte mit diesem fossilen Brennstoff betriebene Kraftwerk.

AUSWIRKUNGEN

‘Opaque’ recording system means recorded volume of everyday oil pollution over the past decade should be increased by 43%, according to Oceana report

URSACHEN

Landmark research finds 244m tonnes of organic carbon is stored in top 10cm of marine sediment in British waters

MILDERUNG & ANPASS.

As climate change continues unabated, the goal is to examine technologies that could artificially cool the Earth “responsibly and ethically.”

URSACHEN

At the end of this month, Britain’s last coal-fired power station will close.

MILDERUNG & ANPASS.

British Airways has completed a deal to cancel out some of its rising emissions by financing a process that sprinkles crushed-up rocks on the ground to capture and store more planet-warming carbon dioxide.

MILDERUNG & ANPASS.

The British government and Tata of India said they would invest 1.25 billion pounds in a plan to convert the steel mill at Port Talbot in Wales to an electric furnace.

TECH. & ENERGIE

A record number of projects have been secured in the UK’s latest auction for new renewable capacity, following changes introduced by the government.

TECH. & ENERGIE

The successful outcome of the government auction for renewable energy projects may bolster a wind industry battered by rising costs.

POLITIK

Für die Energiewende hat die britische Labour-Regierung in den ersten Wochen schon einiges vollbracht, sagt Energieexpertin Juliet Phillips vom Klima-Thinktank E3G. Andere Bereiche der Klimapolitik bekämen aber weniger Aufmerksamkeit.

POLITIK

A decision by Britain's new labor government may leave an entire oil field untouched

URSACHEN

The UK government decided expansion is compatible with its plan to cut aviation emissions, raising questions about its reliance on unproven techno-fixes over reducing flights

AUSWIRKUNGEN EMPFOHLEN

In 2024, 15 national temperature records have been set as weather extremes grow more frequent, climate historian says

AUSWIRKUNGEN

District councils in low-lying areas say they have cut day-to-day services such as bin collections to fund pumping stations

URSACHEN

The UK government could approve 13 new oil and gas projects in the North Sea, with the fuel produced emitting 350m tonnes of CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e) if burned, Carbon Brief analysis shows.

MILDERUNG & ANPASS.

Cutting emissions from buildings and transport across the UK could yield billions of pounds in economic “co-benefits”, leaving people healthier and better off, a new study finds.

POLITIK

The new budget comes after the previous government failed to award a single new offshore wind contract in 2023

MILDERUNG & ANPASS.

Pour une série de reportages à venir sur le réensauvagement de notre planète, notre journaliste découvre le nouveau modèle agricole anglais. Une chose est sûre, même si politiquement incorrecte: le Brexit a libéré la créativité des paysans britanniques et des responsables de la ruralité.

RECHT

Britain’s top court ruled that emissions from burning a fossil fuel – not just producing it – should be considered in decisions on new extraction projects

TECH. & ENERGIE

Regulators approve Meatly pet product, cultivated chicken made from growing cells

MILDERUNG & ANPASS. POLITIK

Environment experts call for bold action as party attempts to revamp creaking infrastructure to hit net zero

POLITIK

Following a “landslide” Labour win in the UK general election, attention is turning to the new government’s next steps. Climate and energy were key parts of Labour’s election campaign and manifesto, with a range of policies it will now look to enact.

POLITIK

Analysts warn that the Labour Party’s proposals are unlikely to be cheap and could come at the cost of jobs in the oil and gas industry.

POLITIK

Labour’s victory, alongside strong Green party performance, gives next PM mandate to act boldly on net zero, say campaigners

POLITIK

The new government, widely expected to be led by Labour, has pledged to fast-track a green energy transition. It will face big challenges.

POLITIK

Sunak vs Starmer: Is this the UK's climate election?

POLITIK

Labour’s shadow foreign minister says cost-of-living crisis means some climate finance must come from outside rich governments’ budgets

RECHT

UK campaigner who fronted lawsuit on future impact of fossil fuel projects says she fears for future despite ruling

EMPFOHLEN RECHT

Previously, local council and planning groups in Britain had to weigh only the planet-warming emissions from their own operations.

POLITIK

On 4 July, the UK will head to the polls to elect new members of parliament in the general election.

POLITIK

Many hoped he would show global leadership – instead he pitched himself as ‘pragmatic’ and slowed the journey to net zero

URSACHEN

Government told Net Zero Teesside gas scheme will be massive polluter despite its carbon capture claims

POLITIK

Die Labour Party führt in den Umfragen für die kommenden Wahlen in Großbritannien. Anders als die konservativen Tories hat sie ein relativ ambitioniertes Klimaprogramm. Das könnte wahlentscheidend sein.

MILDERUNG & ANPASS. WIRTSCHAFT

Retailer works on changing diet with aim of cutting 11,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year

BEWEGUNG RECHT

The British State this week overthrew a key legal defence protecting climate activists. The belief in consent defence has seen juries acquitting activists in criminal damage cases, much to the fury of the establishment and, on Monday, the Court of Appeal ruled that evidence presented by defendants about the effects of climate change would be “inadmissible” in the future.

BEWEGUNG RECHT

Court of appeal’s removal of ‘consent’ defence means defendants on trial for criminal damage can no longer use it in England and Wales

POLITIK

Climate Change Committee finds Scottish government has repeatedly failed to make cuts required by law

TECH. & ENERGIE

Dès 2030, sept millions de foyers britanniques devraient être alimentés par de l'électricité renouvelable produite au Maroc, acheminée via des milliers de kilomètres de câbles sous-marins. Imaginé par la start-up britannique Xlinks, ce projet pharaonique est ambitieux, mais aussi critiqué.

ANTI-KLIMA

Green MP Caroline Lucas says call for investment in gas-fired power plants is election ploy that will jeopardise UK’s net zero target

WIRTSCHAFT

Green businesses and jobs are booming – in stark contrast to the national economy – but political U-turns risk future growth

URSACHEN

Critics say the Energy Charter Treaty allows fossil fuel companies to sue governments over green policies.

RECHT

Attorney general’s attempt to end climate protesters’ use of consent defence is slippery slope, says KC

EMPFOHLEN POLITIK

The Energy Charter Treaty dating from the 1990s lets fossil fuel giants sue governments over climate policies.

POLITIK

Der frühere britische Premierminister Boris Johnson liebte bombastische Ankündigungen in Bezug auf den Klimaschutz. Doch seine Nachfolger sind vorsichtiger. Der inflationsgeplagten Bevölkerung soll nicht zu viel zugemutet werden.

ANTI-KLIMA

Meeting took place days after BP reported record profits while households were squeezed by high energy bills

URSACHEN

The move to grant 17 companies the right to drill for fossil fuels is ‘a pipe dream’ that will do little for energy security, say environmentalists

EMPFOHLEN MEDIEN & ÖFF. MEINUNG

Terms such as ‘green’, ‘sustainable’ and ‘environmentally friendly’ understood only by minority, says study

MEDIEN & ÖFF. MEINUNG

YouTube criticised for amplifying lies about the climate with disinformation videos watched by young people

ANTI-KLIMA

Who funds the ex-PM cashing in on the death of democracy?

ANTI-KLIMA

Last year saw a record number of UK newspaper editorials opposing climate action – almost exclusively from right-leaning titles – new Carbon Brief analysis shows. The analysis is based on hundreds of UK national newspaper editorials, which are the formal “voice” of the publications.

TECH. & ENERGIE

Der chinesische Atomkonzern GCN beendet seine Zahlungen für das britische AKW-Neubauprojekt. Die Kosten für Hinkley Point C explodieren. Das trifft wohl am Ende die britische und französische Bevölkerung.

BEWEGUNG

Liberty condemns ‘staggering and shocking’ statistic as anti-protest legislation is enacted

URSACHEN

New UK offshore licences for the multinational oil giants Shell and Eni are among those sitting within sensitive conservation sites

URSACHEN

The UK is responsible for nearly twice as much global warming as previously thought, due to its colonial history, Carbon Brief analysis shows.

POLITIK

The UK’s decision to open a new coalmine in Cumbria was a “disaster” that encouraged other countries to press ahead with fossil fuels, and the continued expansion of North Sea oil and gas is likely to continue the harm, a former chief adviser to the government has said.

RECHT

Greta Thunberg has pleaded not guilty to breaching a public order act after blocking the entrance to a hotel hosting a conference described by activists as the “Oscars of oil”.

URSACHEN

The UK government has granted 27 oil and gas licences for projects in the North Sea. The licences have been issued for projects in central and northern areas of the North Sea and west of Shetland to allow oil and gas resources to be explored and developed.

POLITIK

Oil and gas are “not the problem” for the climate, but the carbon emissions arising from them are, the UK’s net zero minister has told MPs.

RECHT

When Kevin Jordan bought his seaside home in Hemsby, Norfolk, he was told it would be safe for a century. In the decade since, 17 of his neighbours’ homes have had to be demolished, or have been swept away into the waters of the North Sea.

WIRTSCHAFT

Two hulking towers nearly 300 feet high rise from the steel-making complex that dominates the shoreline of the faded industrial city of Port Talbot in Wales.

MILDERUNG & ANPASS.

A little-known government scheme designed to encourage businesses to reduce emissions allowed one company to make £32m on the carbon market after closing a factory and causing hundreds of job losses.

AUSWIRKUNGEN

Potato and cereal crops are likely to have been heavily damaged by the recent devastating floods across the UK, farmers have warned. Entire fields have been submerged in water after Storm Babet swept across the country, with crops ruined.

URSACHEN

Die britische Regierung erlaubt, dass das letzte grosse Ölfeld in der Nordsee angebohrt wird. Das ist auch Wahlkampftaktik. 100 Kilometer nordwestlich der Shetlandinseln darf eine norwegische Firma nach Öl bohren.

URSACHEN

Britain has given the go-ahead for the Oslo-listed energy company Equinor to develop the Rosebank oil and gas field in the North Sea, the government’s oil and gas regulator has announced.

POLITIK

A series of U-turns in climate policy announced by prime minister Rishi Sunak could put the UK’s legally binding emissions targets in jeopardy, Carbon Brief analysis shows.

POLITIK

Scientists and environmental groups have expressed anger and dismay at the U-turn on net zero expected by the prime minister. “Reports that the government is planning to drop essential climate policies send the wrong signals to businesses looking to invest in the new growth story of the future.

POLITIK

Broadly the way Conservative MPs have responded to the news that Rishi Suank is about to water down net zero targets in predictable ways, with rightwingers sceptical about climate measures delighted, and green Tories alarmed. But last night there was an interesting intervention from Simon Clarke.

POLITIK

Al Gore, the former US vice-president, has described the decision by the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, to water down key climate policies as “shocking and disappointing” and “not what the world needs from the United Kingdom”.

POLITIK

Rishi Sunak has pledged to “max out” the UK’s oil and gas reserves as he unveiled a new round of intensive North Sea drilling, which experts warned could be catastrophic for the climate.

POLITIK

Um ihre Klimaziele zu erreichen, bezahlt die Schweiz ärmere Länder dafür, in ihrem Namen Emissionen zu reduzieren. Doch ist die Gefahr gross, dass die Millionen aus der Schweiz ohne Nutzen für Menschen und Umwelt verpuffen.

POLITIK

Konservative wittern eine Ökodiktatur, doch auch Linke sind skeptisch: Eine Umweltabgabe wird zum nationalen Politikum in Grossbritannien. Londons Bürgermeister Sadiq Khan gerät massiv unter Druck.

POLITIK

The UK government led by Rishi Sunak has gone from indifference to hostile to climate measures in recent weeks, re-iterating its backing for oil production and polluting vehicles after previously cutting climate finance.

POLITIK

The British government said Monday that it would issue “hundreds” of new licenses for oil and natural gas exploration in the North Sea, as concerns about energy security and jobs at least momentarily outweigh efforts to address climate change.

POLITIK

La raison de la volte-face du gouvernement de Rishi Sunak dont les commentateurs disent qu’il n’a aucune conviction idéologique sinon celle de conquérir le pouvoir coûte que coûte? Il serait ébranlé par une défaite surprenante des Travaillistes dans une élection locale de la banlieue de

URSACHEN

New oil and gas fields in the North Sea would produce only enough gas to satisfy the UK’s needs for a few weeks a year, with a minimal impact on energy security, analysis has found.

The government is drawing up plans to drop the UK’s flagship £11.6bn climate funding pledge, the Guardian can reveal, as the prime minster is accused of betraying populations most vulnerable to global heating.

POLITIK

LONDON — The U.K. has “lost its clear global leadership position” on climate change and is at serious risk of missing legally-binding emissions targets, according to a damning new report from the government’s official climate adviser.

MILDERUNG & ANPASS.

The government’s plans to hit net zero have been comprehensively criticised in a withering report by its own advisers that warns targets are being missed on nearly every front.

URSACHEN

National Grid has asked a coal-fired power station in the east Midlands to warm up to cope with extra electricity demand for air conditioning as much of Britain swelters in the hot conditions.

WIRTSCHAFT

Adverts that claim products are carbon neutral using offsets are to be banned by the UK’s advertising watchdog unless companies can prove they really work, the Guardian can reveal, as Gucci becomes the latest company to struggle with a high-profile environmental commitment based on offsetting.

POLITIK

The UK’s new energy plan unveiled on Thursday is a missed opportunity full of “half-baked, half-hearted” policies that do not go far enough to power Britain’s climate goals, according to green business groups and academics.

POLITIK

An energy security strategy will be launched “shortly”, Rishi Sunak has promised, with a focus on ramping up carbon capture and small modular reactors to develop homegrown energy and meet net zero commitments.

AUSWIRKUNGEN

The government risks sleepwalking into a catastrophic drought, experts have said, after England experienced an extremely dry February with very little rain forecast for spring.

TECH. & ENERGIE

The interactive map is based on six separate data sources processed and then combined using bespoke Python code. While all attempts have been made to capture as complete a picture as possible of the UK electricity system, the overlapping and often incomplete data sources make this challenging.

WIRTSCHAFT

The United States is out of the blocks. The European Union is hurrying along the track. China is competing too. Here in dear old blighty, we are not even at the starting line. While others are dashing towards the horizon, the UK still hasn’t tied its laces.

BEWEGUNG

Greenpeace protesters have boarded a Shell floating oil platform which is being transported over 12,000 nautical miles to the Shetland Islands with signs demanding that the fossil fuel giant “Stop drilling – start paying”.

MILDERUNG & ANPASS.

Dr James Milner is assistant professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, specialising in understanding the effects of environmental policies on population health.

URSACHEN

The new coalmine in Cumbria is likely to prevent the UK from meeting its internationally agreed commitment to reduce emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas methane, analysis has suggested.

EMPFOHLEN WIRTSCHAFT

Net-zero is “the economic opportunity of the 21st century”, according to an independent review commissioned by the UK government.