Daily Briefing: Europe’s wildfires spread | China ‘to lead’ global climate action | Half of England in drought

30.07.26

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News

Europe: Wildfires spread in Greece and Turkiye as EU chief urges climate action

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera reports that the wildfires affecting various areas across Europe are now spreading in Greece and Turkey. The European Union’s crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib “said the EU must ensure its climate strategy remains in lockstep with realities on the ground, as global warming advances faster than scientists previously projected”, according to the outlet. The Independent reports that temperatures in France and Europe “are set to soar again”, increasing the risk of wildfires. Separately, the Independent says: “Three of the 15 largest wildfires since the European Union began recording data 20 years ago have burned during the past month.” Reuters reports that “climate change is intensifying the hot, dry conditions that allow wildfires to spread faster and burn longer”. The Associated Press reports that “an uncontained wildfire four times the size of Paris threatened to surge again in southwest France on Wednesday”. Euractiv says the fires this year “could rival last year’s [EU] record of more than one million hectares burnt, with the total area affected reaching about 435,000 hectares by Wednesday”. The New York Times quotes climate scientist Johan Rockstrom, who says the fires will “inevitably get worse” as the planet warms.

The Financial Times says wildfires “threaten to inflict lasting damage” on one of the best-known oyster-producing regions in France. The Independent reports that wildfires near Bordeaux are causing concerns for wineries. Time asks: “Could wildfires overshadow Spain’s eclipse?” The Daily Telegraph describes the costs that Spain and France will face with “rebuilding and preparing for similar emergencies” as an “economic thunderbolt”. E&E News reports that the wildfires in Spain “risk becoming a political liability for the center-right People’s Party ahead of a pivotal election next year”, due to “perceived strategic failings” in dealing with the emergency. Politico reports that goats could be used to create firebreaks in the landscape. Separately, Politico says that “frequent, expensive natural disasters are testing Europe’s ability to protect itself against the cost of global warming”.

MORE ON EUROPE

Reuters reports that Spain and the UK have signed an agreement “‘to move forward together’ in the fight against climate change”. The UK and French governments have also signed a similar agreement, as noted by Carbon Brief’s Leo Hickman on social media.
Bloomberg reports on concerns that “persistent drought will prolong constraints on French nuclear generation and leave the region more reliant on limited natural gas supplies”.
Reuters: “Romania will shut down its ‌second nuclear reactor on the Danube river, the energy ministry said on Wednesday, three days after decades-low river levels forced it to shut down the first.”
Euractiv: “An EU state aid probe could help Romania avoid paying an arbitration award worth over €42m to ten European solar energy investors, who sued the government under the Energy Charter Treaty.”
Vox explains why Europe is warming twice as fast as the global average.
Deutsche Welle outlines the impacts of extreme weather on agriculture in Germany.

UK: More than half of England in drought, Environment Agency declares

Mark Poynting, BBC News

The Environment Agency (EA) has declared drought across more than half of England, BBC News reports. The broadcaster says: “There is no single definition of drought, but it usually refers to a period of prolonged unusually dry weather that can have impacts on people, nature and the environment.” It continues: “Today’s announcement means there have been three droughts in the past five years – 2022, 2025 and now 2026. While droughts happen naturally, scientists say that climate change is raising the risks, with higher summer temperatures drying out soils more quickly.” The Guardian reports that the “flash drought” has developed because of unusually low rainfall and high temperatures. It adds: “July has had only 7% of the expected rainfall, falling to 1% across southern England, with no substantial rainfall on the way.” The Times reports that “most of England is on high alert for wildfires” and BBC News says fire services are facing “extreme demand”. Outlets including the Financial Times, Reuters and the Independent also report on the drought.

Meanwhile, BBC News has a feature on “how the UK’s extreme heat is shifting the conversation about air-con”. [See Carbon Brief’s recent article: “Eight facts about air conditioning amid an overheated global debate.”] The Daily Express says: “A major incident has been declared after a huge forest fire broke out near Sizewell B nuclear power station.” The Daily Telegraph claims on its frontpage: “The NHS has been forced to cancel blood tests during the summer heatwaves amid net-zero restrictions on air-conditioning units. The Daily Telegraph also reports that “Waitrose is preparing to roll out Mediterranean-style fridges that can withstand temperatures of up to 48C”. The Guardian covers a new study, which finds that “repeated use of saunas could help people cope better in heatwaves”. BBC News reports on the wildfires that have been burning in the Cairngorms for two weeks, causing “apocalyptic damage”.

MORE ON UK

The Associated Press reports that “Donald Trump has said [new prime minister] Andy Burnham told him that he was going to ‘open up North Sea oil’”.
BBC News reports that “Ofgem has proposed new measures which could see developers of data centres made to pay hundreds of millions of pounds up front”, in an effort to manage “mounting demand for connections to the electricity grid”.
The Financial Times reports on new data from broker Cavendish, which shows that “North Sea operators have committed $18.9bn to international expansion since 2022, compared with $6.47bn on deals at home”.
The Daily Telegraph says the chief executives of the UK’s biggest supermarkets have called for Burnham to set targets to increase domestic fruit and vegetables production, amid “fears that increasing incidents of extreme weather will cripple crop production in countries that help stock Britain’s shelves”.
The Daily Telegraph reports that Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has, via a letter to the newspaper, “defended her vow to scrap the net-zero target, insisting it is the only way to bring down energy prices and grow the economy”.
BBC News reports that “five islands have secured Scottish government funding to help them towards becoming carbon neutral”.

China signals nation is ready to lead global climate action

Bloomberg

China’s new “five-year plan” for its national climate change response signals it will take a “more important role in steering the global campaign to tackle climate change”, reports Bloomberg. “China’s influence, guiding capacity, shaping power and moral appeal in global climate governance will be significantly enhanced” through 2030, says the outlet, citing the document. The plan also calls for implementing the dual control of carbon and expanding non-fossil energy use, according to state news agency Xinhua. China will also continue expanding “green electricity” use and developing zero-carbon factories, industrial parks and computing facilities, says industry news outlet BJX News. “Green development” of the construction and transportation sector will also be supported, it continues. The document also calls for “climate risk assessments and stronger responses” to extreme weather events, says Xinhua. Cumulative turnover in China’s national carbon market had exceeded 62.9bn yuan ($9.3bn), reports state broadcaster CCTV. China Environment News carries the Ministry of Ecology and Environment‘s explanatory note on the plan. [See Carbon Brief’s new Q&A: “What does China’s 15th ‘five-year plan’ for renewables mean for climate change?”]

MORE ON CHINA

Bloomberg reports that “less than half of China’s electricity came from coal in the first six months of the year for the first time, a symbolic milestone in the country’s shift toward cleaner energy”.
China’s market regulator will meet with solar industry representatives on Friday to discuss irrational competition in the sector, reports Reuters.
Environment officials have urged the steel industry to “improve carbon emissions management, strengthen data quality and actively participate in carbon trading, reports China Daily.
China Daily says that coalbed methane will play a “vital role in [the] energy mix”.
The WTO has ruled in China’s favour in a dispute over Turkish restrictions and tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and other vehicle imports, reports Yicai.
China has proposed a series of technical changes to the IMO’s net-zero framework, signalling renewed commitment to shipping decarbonisation efforts, says Lloyd’s List.

Shell reports highest profits since 2022

Malcolm Moore, Financial Times

Shell has reported its highest quarterly profit since 2022, according to the Financial Times. The newspaper says: “The UK oil major reported $9.8bn in adjusted earnings, ahead of a consensus prediction of $8.9bn by analysts and up from $4.3bn in the same quarter last year.” Reuters says: “Higher oil and gas prices, stronger LNG and oil trading and improved chemicals margins helped support the British major’s earnings, offsetting lower sales volumes caused by disruptions to its Qatar ⁠operations.” BBC News adds: “Together with its profits of $6.92bn for the first three months of the year it means Shell has seen a 70% surge in first-half earnings.” The Guardian says: “Shell’s surging profits reignited calls from environmental campaigners for taxes to fund support for the households hardest hit by the rise in energy costs.”

MORE OIL NEWS

The Financial Times reports that “US crude stockpiles fell sharply last week as local oil refineries boosted activity to take advantage of surging fuel prices driven by renewed hostilities with Iran”.
The Wall Street Journal: “Oil prices surged more than 7% after a fresh round of fighting across the Middle East.”

Comment

Wildfires are raging – and the world has junked 45 climate pledges. Disaster looms, and little wonder

Bill McGuire, The Guardian

Bill McGuire, a professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London, writes in the Guardian that “we have become inured; not only to the ever more devastating impacts of climate breakdown, but increasingly to the actions needed to bring global heating to heel”. He continues: “The retreat on climate action is global, but Europe – previously seen as a leader in emissions reductions – is in the vanguard.” McGuire continues: “We need our own lobbyists, too – those qualified and in positions to speak truth to power about the dire straits we are already in, who can add credence to the noisy debate. Cue the world’s climate scientists. At this critical moment, the science has a duty to out-shout and out-shine corporate weasel words and government irresponsibility.” He concludes that scientists “need to wake up now and make themselves heard”.

MORE COMMENT

University of Oxford climate scientist Prof Myles Allen argues in the Financial Times that fossil-fuel drilling in the North Sea can be compatible with the UK’s long-term climate goals, if new energy project licenses are “conditional on carbon dioxide disposal”.
Madeleine Schwartz, the editor-in-chief of the Dial, writes in the New York Times about the wildfires in France, arguing that “the country needs to prepare for the fact that future summers will be far worse than this one”.
Climate-sceptic Times columnist Juliet Samuel claims that the UK’s “reckless lack of gas storage” is “contributing to energy insecurity and our soaring bills”.
Journalists for the Guardian and the Independent share first-hand experience of the wildfires in Spain and France, respectively.
A China Daily editorial says that rising unilateralism and protectionism, along with climate change and energy crises, are undermining countries’ interests.
Allister Heath, the climate-sceptic editor of the Sunday Telegraph, claims in the Daily Telegraph: “Britain can’t stop climate change. Scrap net-zero and embrace Mediterranean life.”

Research

Deploying ocean iron fertilisation at higher latitudes, rather than near the equator, could reduce the negative ecological impacts while still removing CO2 from the atmosphere | Nature
To improve estimations of the effect of aerosols on the climate, more ground-based observations over drylands are needed | Science Advances
Rainfall over lake Chad leads to wetland inundation, driving up methane emissions after a lag time of about seven months | Science Advances