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TODAY'S CLIMATE AND ENERGY HEADLINES
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Every weekday morning, in time for your morning coffee, Carbon Brief sends out a free email known as the “Daily Briefing” to thousands of subscribers around the world. The email is a digest of the past 24 hours of media coverage related to climate change and energy, as well as our pick of the key studies published in peer-reviewed journals.
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Today's climate and energy headlines:
- Canada unveils plans for new oil pipeline to break dependence on US
- North-east US heatwave causes 4 July cancellations
- Europe: Spain and France face more heat after scorching June caused 2,000 deaths
- Côte d'Ivoire floods kill 59 as west Africa endures torrential rains
- China warming faster than global average as extreme weather intensifies, report says
- The king of big oil: Exxon's comeback
- Atmospheric anomalies known as “ultra-flash cold events” can temporarily overwhelm background warming, causing sudden temperature drops
- Regional ocean dynamics regulate the efficiency of “ocean alkalinity enhancement” as a means of carbon dioxide removal
- A study calls for more “inclusive and transformative” youth participation in climate assemblies, with involvement currently “consultative in nature”
News.
Canadian prime minister Mark Carney has announced plans for a new oil pipeline that will supply Asia with up to 1m barrels of oil a day, reports the Financial Times. Speaking to reporters late yesterday, Carney said Alberta had submitted plans to the Major Projects Office to build a more than 1,000km pipeline stretching to the western coast of British Columbia by September 2027, says the FT. The news comes as Carney “seeks to make the nation an ‘energy superpower’ and break its dependence on [selling to] the US market”, the newspaper notes. Carney added that Canada would “more than triple” its liquefied natural gas (LNG) production by developing five terminals over the next decade, while Ottawa would spend C$10bn (£5.3bn) upgrading the Vancouver port, says the FT. CBC News says that the west coast pipeline is expected to cost C$35-44bn (£18-23bn) and be completed by 2032-34. The Associated Press adds that “Carney has set a goal for Canada to double its non-US exports in the next decade”. Bloomberg, Reuters and Al Jazeera all have the story.
Dangerous, record-breaking heat could thwart 4 July plans across much of the north-east US this weekend, reports the Associated Press. It says that New York and Boston both hit 100F (37.8C) on Thursday, with this level of heat expected to continue for several days. In many cities, 4 July celebrations have been cancelled or scaled back, the newswire says, including fireworks displays, concerts, parades, parties and picnics. BBC News says that the National Weather Service (NWS) has warned the heat index, a measure of how hot it feels based on temperature and humidity, could hit 115F (46C) in cities such as Washington DC, Philadelphia and New York over the weekend. It says that the extreme heat is “raising concerns as Donald Trump hosts a celebration marking America’s 250th birthday and multiple World cup matches take place outdoors”. Al Jazeera reports on what the extreme heat means for the World cup. CNN reports on a rapid analysis from the World Weather Attribution group finding the current combined heat and humidity would be “virtually impossible” without fossil-fuelled climate change.
Meanwhile, several publications report on how datacentres are adding strain to the electrical grid amid the heatwave. The Associated Press reports: “Hot weather of the kind sweeping the eastern US drives up electricity demand for datacentres, adding to their strain on power grids and worsening air quality for surrounding areas. The impact…underscores why the artificial intelligence industry is feeling so much heat over the fast-sprouting facilities.” Truthout quotes Mishal Thadani, the CEO of AI platform Rhizome, as saying: “Extreme heat stresses datacentres and the grid they rely on at the same time…Datacentres need the most energy exactly when the grid has the least available to give.” The Trump administration has urged datacentres to use their back-up generators amid the heat, reports the New York Times. The Financial Times reports that the heat has sent electricity prices “soaring” and left “many thousands” without power.
MORE ON US HEAT
- Inside Climate News reports on the “politics” of calls to conserve energy during the heatwave.
- The Washington Post runs images of US citizens “weathering” the heatwave.
- The Wall Street Journal presents “what to know” about the heatwave in three charts.
- The New York Times reports on how Jamaica, Queens in New York is particularly vulnerable to the heat.
Spain and France could face temperatures of 44C in the coming days, as figures are released showing that June’s record heat caused more than 2,000 excess deaths across the two nations, says the Guardian. It continues: “Spain’s state meteorological agency, Aemet, said a mass of dry and very hot air would bring persistently high temperatures to much of Spain from Saturday, adding that temperatures in parts of the south-east could hit 42C to 44C on Tuesday.” It adds that France’s public health body has said that the recent heat caused around 1,000 excess deaths over 24-28 June, but warned the figure was likely an underestimate and a final toll is yet to be released. Reuters reports that France’s government is to face a no-confidence vote over its handling of the heatwave. Reuters also reports that the Netherlands has announced 480 excess deaths from last week’s heatwave. The Associated Press reports that wildfires are “raging” in the south of France.
Some 59 people have been killed in floods in Côte d’Ivoire since May, a minister has announced, reports the Guardian. It reports: “The deaths are the latest in coastal west Africa, which is enduring relentless, deadly rains that authorities predict could intensify in the coming days. Footage emerged on social media of neighbourhoods submerged in water as residents waded through in search of drier areas…Authorities say the floods have become deadlier as climate breakdown exacerbates the frequency and impact of extreme weather. Despite Africa contributing only minimally to greenhouse gas emissions, the World Meteorological Organization has said the continent is especially vulnerable to extreme weather events.”
A new report finds China is “warming faster” than the global average, with more frequent and intense extreme heat, heavy rainfall and other severe weather events, reports state-run newspaper China Daily. The assessment, published by the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), said that China’s annual average temperature increased by 0.31C per decade from 1961 to 2025, adds the newspaper. Extreme high temperature events in China have increased “significantly” since the early 21st century, reports state broadcaster CCTV, adding that extreme rainfall has also shown an “upward trend”, while the average intensity of landfalling typhoons in China increased. State-run China News Service quotes National Climate Centre’s Yuan Jiashuang saying the frequency and intensity of future heatwaves in China will increase, especially in major urban areas. Wang Yawei with the CMA said that by 2030, China’s meteorological disaster prevention system and capacity will see “significant modernisation progress”, says 21st Century Business Herald. Beijing News and state news agency Xinhua also cover the story.
Meanwhile, Chinese manufacturers are making efforts to “fully ensure supply” of cooling products to the European market, according to an article by Xinhua. The newswire adds that the portrayal of China as a threat by some European politicians, who cite “trade deficit” and “overcapacity”, appears “increasingly hollow” in the face of heatwaves across Europe. The Communist Party-affiliated newspaper People’s Daily carries an opinion article under the byline Chang Yandao, saying that China is working with local partners across the world to turn “green energy” from a “luxury” into a “basic necessity”.
MORE ON CHINA
- Economic Daily says that China’s new policy on renewable energy consumption has shifted industry to a “hard constraint” rather than “soft guidance”. Outlets including CPNN, Xinhua and People’s Daily re-published the article.
- Experts say carbon emission constraints will be embedded across China’s “industry, investment and consumption” over the next five years, says China News Service.
- Financial Times: “How China’s green tech could boost its global finance ambitions.”
- The Associated Press explores how Inner Mongolia in northern China is adding both new clean energy and coal capacity. It quotes Carbon Brief China editor Anika Patel saying that “long-term power contracts” remain a key challenge for reducing coal generation.
- BJX News carries an article by CWEA’s Qin Haiyan on China’s path to “green fuel” development, which centres on “converting green electricity into green hydrogen”.
- The World Bank will “phase out its lending to China by 2031”, says the Financial Times.
Comment.
A big read in the Financial Times explores how the head of Exxon, Darren Woods, became the “industry’s most powerful chief executive for a generation”. It says: “Over the past five years Exxon shares have surged 115%, more than any other US or European oil major. It holds the largest proven oil and gas reserves among publicly traded western oil majors and is now among the industry’s leaders in return on capital employed, a key measure of profitability.” On Woods’s climate stance, the FT says: “Woods is a more conciliatory figure than his predecessors Raymond and Tillerson, who were openly sceptical of climate science. He has said he believes human activity is a major cause of climate change and urged Trump to keep the US in the 2015 Paris agreement to limit global warming to maintain the country’s international influence. At the same time, Woods has leveraged his proximity to the Trump administration to become a fierce opponent of climate legislation, especially in Europe.”
MORE COMMENT
- For Backchannel, Bruce Douglas, CEO of the Global Renewables Alliance, highlights “notable examples and markers of renewable energy deployment and global decarbonisation in action”.
- Guardian environment editor Adam Morton writes on how Trump could have inadvertently exposed the vulnerability of fossil fuels through his war on Iran.
- The Times takes a look at how hot it could get in the next UK heatwave.
- The Independent has a special report on how UK energy secretary Ed Miliband’s “green stance” could “boost his chancellor bid – or cost him the job”. A Sun editorial on defence spending claims Miliband “blocked meaningful cuts to net-zero”.
- Heated covers a new novel that could help stave off climate “doom”.
- The Economist has one editorial on possible energy trades between Turkey and Israel, and a second on why the outlet’s predictions were wrong about oil prices amid the war in Iran.
Research.
This edition of the Daily Briefing was written by Daisy Dunne, with contributions from Henry Zhang and Anika Patel. It was edited by Robert McSweeney.