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In the triptych of inspiring advisory opinions by international courts and tribunals (see here, here, and here), the third iteration by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) did not disappoint. Its unanimous advisory opinion on climate change constitutes a landmark decision that will be with us for many years. This blog reflects on the ICJ’s […]
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DeBriefed 15 August 2025: Raging wildfires; Xi’s priorities; Factchecking the Trump climate report
Welcome to Carbon Brief’s DeBriefed. An essential guide to the week’s key developments relating to climate change. This week Blazing heat hits Europe FANNING THE FLAMES: Wildfires “fanned by a heatwave and strong winds” caused havoc across southern Europe, Reuters reported. It added: “Fire has affected nearly 440,000 hectares (1,700 square miles) in the eurozone so […]
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Glasgow air pollution drops by a third following LEZ enforcement, reports city council
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Air pollution in Glasgow city centre has dropped by a third since enforcement of the Low Emission Zone, according to an announcement from the city council on 12 August. New data for 2024 appears to show a 34% reduction in levels of nitrogen dioxide within the LEZ area compared to 2022 – the last full […]
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Establishing the tray-to-tray recycling market: technology, scale and challenges
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PET trays often feature complex designs and composition which complicate sorting and decontamination. Tray-to-tray recycling is becoming a recognised approach for advancing circularity in plastic packaging – especially for food-grade applications. Valerio Sama, Business Development Manager – Packaging at TOMRA Recycling, examines the latest developments in tray-to-tray recycling, detailing the challenges, technologies and market trends […]
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How AI could speed the development of RNA vaccines and other RNA therapies
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Using artificial intelligence, MIT researchers have come up with a new way to design nanoparticles that can more efficiently deliver RNA vaccines and other types of RNA therapies. After training a machine-learning model to analyze thousands of existing delivery particles, the researchers used it to predict new materials that would work even better. The model […]
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Factcheck: Trump’s climate report includes more than 100 false or misleading claims
A “critical assessment” report commissioned by the Trump administration to justify a rollback of US climate regulations contains at least 100 false or misleading statements, according to a Carbon Brief factcheck involving dozens of leading climate scientists. The report – “A critical review of impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on the US climate” – was […]
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Using generative AI, researchers design compounds that can kill drug-resistant bacteria
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With help from artificial intelligence, MIT researchers have designed novel antibiotics that can combat two hard-to-treat infections: drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae and multi-drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Using generative AI algorithms, the research team designed more than 36 million possible compounds and computationally screened them for antimicrobial properties. The top candidates they discovered are structurally distinct from any […]
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A new way to test how well AI systems classify text
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Is this movie review a rave or a pan? Is this news story about business or technology? Is this online chatbot conversation veering off into giving financial advice? Is this online medical information site giving out misinformation? These kinds of automated conversations, whether they involve seeking a movie or restaurant review or getting information about […]
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MIT gears up to transform manufacturing
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“Manufacturing is the engine of society, and it is the backbone of robust, resilient economies,” says John Hart, head of MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering (MechE) and faculty co-director of the MIT Initiative for New Manufacturing (INM). “With manufacturing a lively topic in today’s news, there’s a renewed appreciation and understanding of the importance of […]
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A Panoply of Consequences? Remedies and Reparations in the ICJ’s Climate Opinion
The International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s recent advisory opinion on climate change represents a pivotal moment in the evolution of international climate law. By affirming that States can incur legal responsibility for failing to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the ICJ brought long-standing principles of State responsibility into sharper focus within the climate context. Among […]
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Cropped 13 August 2025: Fossil-fuelled bird decline; ‘Deadly’ wildfires; Empty nature fund
We handpick and explain the most important stories at the intersection of climate, land, food and nature over the past fortnight. This is an online version of Carbon Brief’s fortnightly Cropped email newsletter. Subscribe for free here. Key developments ‘Deadly’ wildfires WINE BRAKE: France experienced its “largest wildfire in decades”, which scorched more than 16,000 hectares […]
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London’s ‘Wet Wipe Island’ is the first such mass to be removed by mechanical means
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Hammersmith Bridge (image credit: Alex.muller, CC BY-SA 3.0 license). Work has begun on the mass excavation of a 180-ton mass on an area of the Thames’ shore near Hammersmith Bridge, in a first-of-its-kind river clean-up project. The effort is being led and organised by the Port of London Authority with collaboration from Thames Water, in […]
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Tyres now the biggest source of emissions from vehicles, suggests testing company CEO
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Nick Molden is CEO of independent testing firm Emission Analytics. As CEO of a company specialising in vehicle emissions, Nick Molden believes that in many countries tyres are becoming the biggest source of emissions from in-use vehicles. Speaking in a new interview on the Emissions Analytics’ YouTube page, Nick says: “Tyres are the great unappreciated […]
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Road pollution ‘stressing’ ocean life with complex chemical cocktails
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Chemicals released from car tyres as they wear down are washing into rivers, estuaries and the sea and they could be disrupting life at the base of the marine food web, according to a new study. Researchers found that just four days of exposure to three common tyre-derived chemicals significantly slowed the growth of tiny […]
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SuDS role grows under new water rules
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SUDS system components installed in a primary school in England. Publication of the Independent Water Commission’s Final Report, alongside new legislation and updated national standards, marks a major turning point in the wider adoption of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) by water companies and developers, writes Alex Stephenson, director, SuDSPlanter The report, released on 21 July […]
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Direct Li-ion recycling advances poised to reshape the battery materials market
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Conrad Nichols, a senior energy storage technology analyst at market intelligence firm IDTechEx, previews some of the key findings from a new report. The Li-ion battery (LIB) recycling market has continued to grow rapidly through players establishing new partnerships, securing supply deals, and gathering large volumes of funding. Key players have also persisted with constructing […]
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How synthetic turf is supplying fresh water in South Africa
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The installation has been undertaken by the Cruyff Foundation, which has a declared aim of supporting sporting endeavours for children and young people with special needs. A project in South Africa is using a form of synthetic turf to enable freshwater recycling, in what seems a novel attempt to solve two problems at once: drought […]
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How to Interpret Your XGBoost Model: A Practical Guide to Feature Importance
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One of the most widespread machine learning techniques is XGBoost (Extreme Gradient Boosting).
Carbon Neutral Regulation in AI Training