DeBriefed 10 July 2026: Deadly Europe heat | EU electrification leak | COP31 president interview
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Welcome to Carbon Brief’s DeBriefed. An essential guide to the week’s key developments relating to climate change. This week ‘Catastrophic’ climate impacts RECORD HEAT: Western Europe experienced its hottest June on record – some 3C above average – according to analysis covered by the Guardian. It said the finding came “as the UK enters its third heatwave of […]
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Interview: COP31 president says electrification is ‘surest way to protect citizens’
Last month, COP31 president-designate Murat Kurum launched a target for 35% of the world’s final energy to come from electricity by 2035. In an interview with Carbon Brief, Kurum says that the target was not a political choice, but instead reflects the latest evidence on “what is needed to keep 1.5C within reach”. The ongoing […]
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Eight facts about air conditioning amid an overheated global debate
As successive heatwaves hit Europe, air-conditioning (AC) has emerged as a new front in the international “culture war” over climate action. France, Germany and the UK have experienced record-breaking heat and thousands of heat-related deaths this summer, with June temperatures in many regions passing 40C. This has drawn attention to the relatively low rates of […]
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Tiny robot boats build floating structures
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Most people think of the waterfront as the edge of the city. A team of MIT researchers sees it as a dynamic, Lego-like construction site. Their new system, called “FloatForm,” is a swarm of small square robotic boats that assemble themselves into larger structures on the water, break apart, and reassemble into something new, all […]
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China Briefing 9 July 2026: Guangxi floods | ‘Beautiful China’ plan | New EU-China mechanism
Welcome to Carbon Brief’s China Briefing. China Briefing handpicks and explains the most important climate and energy stories from China over the past fortnight. Subscribe for free here. Key developments Rain, typhoons and heat GUANGXI FLOODS: Severe floods hit south-western China’s Guangxi province after heavy rains, killing 39 people and leaving another nine missing, reported the […]
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Sizewell B wins 20-year reprieve
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Sizewell B nuclear power station (image credit: David Calvert / Shutterstock). The UK government has approved a 20-year extension to the operating life of the Sizewell B nuclear power station in Suffolk, allowing the plant to continue generating electricity until 2055 and reinforcing the role of nuclear power within the country’s long-term decarbonisation strategy.1 Energy […]
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Interview: Dr Sun Yixian on his new database tracking Chinese climate ‘leadership’
The number of global climate initiatives launched or run by China has been growing since 2009, a new study shows. But whether this will translate into China taking up the mantle of climate leadership remains an “open question”, says Dr Sun Yixian, study co-author and professor of sustainability governance at the University of Bath. Sun’s […]
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Scotland weighs data centre moratorium as concerns grow over AI energy demand
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Image credit: Travelling Tourist / Shutterstock The Scottish Government is considering a temporary moratorium on new hyperscale data centre developments, amid growing concern over their potential impact on energy demand, climate targets and local communities.1 The move follows a decision by the SNP National Council to support a pause on new AI data centre applications […]
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Dual-bubble process removes over 90% of wastewater microplastics
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Researchers at Australia’s RMIT University say they have demonstrated a way to remove more than 90% of microplastics from wastewater by combining microscopic and nanoscopic air bubbles within a widely used treatment process. The work centres on an enhanced version of dissolved air flotation (DAF), a technology already employed in many water and wastewater treatment […]
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Tools vs. Subagents: Building Effective AI Agents Without Over-Engineering
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Tools execute code.
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What Does Recent Federal Energy Policy Mean For Americans?
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The post What Does Recent Federal Energy Policy Mean For Americans? appeared first on Energy Innovation.
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New maintenance award joins 2027 Pump Industry Awards
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Finalists and winners from the 2026 Pump Industry Awards Entries have opened for the 2027 Pump Industry Awards, one of the UK’s longest-running pump industry recognition programmes, with nominations sought from companies, organisations and individuals in the sector. A new addition is an award celebrating prowess in pump maintenance and repair. Organised with the support […]
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England launches biggest-ever crayfish recovery effort
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White-clawed crayfish (image credit: Alexander Mustard, 2020VISION) A major new programme to restore and protect England’s rare, white-clawed crayfish is now underway, says conservation charity The Wildlife Trusts, which is leading the initiative, bringing together conservation organisations, researchers and environmental agencies in the largest coordinated recovery effort ever undertaken for the species. (Words: The Wildlife […]
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How novice coders can develop AI programs for military applications
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In today’s world, artificial intelligence chatbots such as ChatGPT and Claude can perform many functions, such as composing work emails and planning travel itineraries. These chatbots are systems built around large vision-language models (VLMs): AI trained on a massive dataset that includes books, websites, code, and images. The AI algorithms are then refined on massive […]
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Cited 7 July 2026: ‘Impossible’ heat | Global ocean record | Climate change and the ozone hole
Welcome to Cited, your essential guide to new climate research. In the news ‘HEAT ALERT’: At least 25 people died as a “heat dome” smothered the eastern half of the US, reported the Guardian, with more than 20 states under “stifling temperatures more than 100F (38C)”. More than 140 million people were under heat alerts, […]
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Jesse Thaler named director of the Laboratory for Nuclear Science
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Professor Jesse Thaler has been named director of the MIT Laboratory for Nuclear Science (LNS), effective Aug. 1. He succeeds Professor Bolek Wyslouch, who directed LNS for the past decade. Thaler is a theoretical particle physicist who combines techniques from quantum field theory and machine learning to address outstanding questions in fundamental physics. “In his […]
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Guest post: France’s June heatwave caused more than 2,700 heat-related deaths
In June 2026, a record-breaking heatwave swept across Europe, with France among the first and hardest hit countries. In a new analysis, we estimate that the extreme conditions caused more than 2,700 heat-related deaths in France. We also show how France’s extreme temperatures in June exceeded projections from climate models. Our findings illustrate the human […]
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Metal sorting moves beyond aluminium alloys
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Mixed metal fractions, including heavy metals, aluminium and stainless steel, that can be separated into higher-value material streams using LIBS-based sorting technology Sensor-based sorting specialist TOMRA Recycling has expanded the capabilities of its AUTOSORT PULSE system, enabling its Dynamic LIBS technology to separate a wider range of recyclable materials, including stainless steel, heavy metals, magnesium […]