Daily Briefing: Hot oceans | Climate damages would ‘obliterate’ North Sea ‘benefits’ | China’s oil demand ‘peak’

25.08.26

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News

World’s oceans hit hottest temperature on record in August

Damian Carrington, The Guardian

There is widespread coverage of the news that the world’s oceans reached their hottest temperature on record on Saturday. The Guardian reports that the average sea surface temperature was 21.1C, according to data from the EU Copernicus Climate Change Service. It adds: “The new ocean heat record being set in August is especially remarkable as global sea temperatures are typically highest in March and April, after the austral summer.” The Associated Press says the record ocean heat is being driven “by a still growing, but already supersized natural El Niño and human-caused climate change”. BBC News reports that “warmer oceans can have wide-reaching consequences, including supercharging extreme weather, raising sea levels and harming marine life”. It quotes Dr Samantha Burgess, deputy director of Copernicus, saying: “This record is another clear signal of an ocean under growing stress. El Niño is adding heat to the system, but it is doing so on top of decades of human-driven warming.” Bloomberg, Scientific American and the San Francisco Chronicle are among those also covering the news.

MORE ON EXTREMES

The Guardian: “At least 35,000 excess deaths recorded in Europe’s back-to-back heatwaves.”
Indonesia has upped its aerial firefighter response to worsening blazes, which are sending smoke into Malaysia, reports the Associated Press.
Reuters: “India faces weakest monsoon in nearly two decades as El Niño strengthens.”
Thousands have been evacuated from a wildfire in Reno, Nevada, says the Associated Press. Scientific American reports that the US has faced 51,000 wildfires this year so far.
The Associated Press speaks to scientists about how the world is “inching towards more catastrophic climate events”.
The Guardian: “No fridge, no fans, just blocks of ice: improvising to survive in Pakistan’s searing heat.”

China’s oil demand ‘very likely’ peaked last year, Sinopec says

Rong Wei Neo, Bloomberg

China’s state-owned oil and gas company Sinopec says the country’s oil demand “probably peaked last year” amid “clean energy development, electrification and low-carbon goals”, reports Bloomberg. Hou Qijun, head of the country’s top refiner, says that oil demand will not “hit last year’s level”, even if the US-Iran conflict “eases up” in 2027, adds the outlet. Sinopec also says that “road fuel demand plummeted in the first half [of 2026] as consumers shied away from higher prices and shifted to electric vehicles”, said Bloomberg. Reuters says that China’s purchases of Iranian oil are “in the spotlight” as the US “threatens heavy economic sanctions on Tehran”. State broadcaster CCTV also covers the story.

Meanwhile, the Communist party-affiliated People’s Daily publishes an article on the first page of its print edition citing an oil industry representative saying by developing multiple “cross-border oil and gas energy corridors”, China has “effectively” reduced supply risks. It also quotes a solar industry representative saying China’s climate policy “consistency” has “safeguarded [the cleantech industry’s] leapfrog development”. The People’s Daily carries a commentary under the byline “Zhong Caiwen” – indicating the party leaders’ views on economic affairs – saying China’s “green” technologies have supported many developing countries’ energy transition. Another People’s Daily commentary by Zhong Caiwen says China’s exports of low-carbon technologies are “reshaping” the global “trade landscape” amid rising trade protectionism through “cutting-edge technology and original innovation”. State-run newspaper Economic Daily publishes an article under the byline “Jin Guanping”, indicating an authoritative view on economic affairs, saying that coal remains an “immediate necessity” for China as the “reliability” of renewables remains in question.

MORE ON CHINA

China’s foreign ministry says that it is not currently “aware” of the information – first reported last Friday by Bloomberg – around a potential bid to host COP33 in 2028, reports Beijing Daily.
Rising floodwaters brought by Typhoon Narra have prompted China to relocate about 54,000 people, reports Reuters. Forecasters have warned about disasters caused by “prolonged heavy rainfall” brought by three consecutive typhoons, says People’s Daily.
The US has launched an investigation into Chinese battery maker EVE Energy over “alleged patent infringement claims”, reports Caixin.
The South China Morning Post: “China boosts coal’s economic value 700% after turning it to liquids: report.”
The EU’s tariffs on Chinese-made EVs will “trap Europe’s automotive industry in a vicious cycle of protectionism”, says an editorial by Global Times.
The China Centre for International Economic Exchange’s Zhang Monan writes in China Daily that China’s advantages in cleantech are due to “industrial competitiveness”, not “market distortion”.

UK: Climate damage would obliterate any economic benefits of new North Sea fields, analysis shows

Damian Carrington, The Guardian

The Guardian reports on preliminary research finding that the “climate damage caused by developing the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields under consideration by the UK government would destroy their economic benefits many times over”. The newspaper continues: “It estimates the economic damage caused by the carbon pollution from the oil and gas produced would be between £119bn and £336bn in the coming decades, compared with the £28.7bn in value to the UK estimated by Adura, the fossil fuel company promoting the new fields…The figures are likely to be underestimates, as they do not include losses from amplified extreme weather, sea level rise or climate deaths. The analysis has been submitted to the Rosebank consultation and to an academic journal.” Elsewhere, BusinessGreen reports that a group of more than 100 scientists and academics have urged the government to impose a “carbon storage obligation” on any new North Sea drilling projects.

MORE ON UK

BusinessGreen reports on a new company scheme to allow homeowners to spread the cost of installing solar panels.
CBC News: “London is famous for its great trees. More than 70% are at risk due to climate change, research finds.”
The climate-sceptic Daily Telegraph speaks to an soon-to-retire oil company executive who says “we’ll never” invest in the UK again because of its “crazy politics”.

Norway asks supreme court to overturn environmental verdict against oilfields

Terje Solsvik and Gwladys Fouche, Reuters

Norway’s government yesterday asked the nation’s supreme court to overturn a lower-court ruling that revoked permits for three oil projects, in a “closely watched case that could reshape how the country approves new petroleum projects”, says Reuters. The newswire continues: “The case pits environmental groups against Norway’s oil industry, provider of half the country’s export revenue, as well as the government whose policy is to prolong the extraction of crude and natural gas for decades to come. Two lower courts have ruled in favour of ⁠Greenpeace and Young Friends of the Earth since the two groups first brought the case to trial in 2023, finding that Norway failed to properly assess the environmental impact from the three fields.” It comes after a Norwegian minister said the country planned to expand new oil drilling in the Arctic despite the European Union seeking to ban activity in the region, says Al Jazeera. Reuters also reports that three oil companies are “teaming up to drill wells in less explored areas of Norway’s continental shelf, aiming to make major new oil and gas discoveries after years of smaller finds”.

Comment

Our climate is changing rapidly – and our politicians sound increasingly surreal

Zoe Williams, The Guardian

Guardian columnist Zoe Williams writes about her experience on a recent radio panel show, where a Conservative MP left audience members with their heads in their hands with his comments about net-zero. She writes: “The Conservative MP, Nigel Huddleston, came in. When detached from the phrase ‘net-zero’, he seems like a reasonable, personable guy. But they’re not allowed to detach. Conservatives are tribally required to say that transforming to a carbon-neutral future is too expensive at this time. Even while they can see the impact of fossil fuels all around them, even when sitting in front of 200 people who palpably believe that there is no such thing as too expensive, when the prize is a beautiful planet that you can live on, Tories have to hold the line.”

MORE COMMENT

Michael Jacobs, a political professor and former adviser to prime minister Gordon Brown, writes in the Guardian that the UK government should approve new drilling projects, if they commit to using carbon capture and storage. [See Carbon Brief’s recent Q&A: “Does the world need ‘carbon capture and storage’ to reach net-zero?”]
The Financial Times interviews outgoing UN executive secretary António Guterres, noting that “he is especially proud of his record in championing the fight against climate change in the face of populist leaders playing down the issue”. [See Carbon Brief’s recent Q&A: “Where do the UN secretary general candidates stand on climate change?]
A Lex opinion in the Financial Times claims “China could rescue the oil market again”.
The climate-sceptic Daily Mail has a fullpage comment piece by Scotland sketch writer Stephen Daisley titled: “Rather than drill our way to prosperity, Burnham will bend the knee to the job-killing, wealth-squelching dogma of net-zero.”
An editorial in the climate-sceptic Sun says that the UK’s “dash for net-zero has made our country worse than the economic basket case of Venezuela”, quoting an oil executive saying [see above] the country is “uninvestable”.

Research

Climate-fuelled severe water scarcity events can lead to “marked increase[s] in wheat prices” | Earth’s Future
River fish face “thermal shocks and accelerated freshwater habitat fragmentation” as emissions rise | Nature Climate Change
Droughts can lead to fewer breeding spots for agile frogs | Climatic Change