China Briefing 26 June 2025: First UK-China climate dialogue; China-climate conference summary; Oil peak ‘in 2027’
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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 First ministerial China-UK ‘climate dialogue’ UK-CHINA CATCH UP: On 16 June, Huang Runqiu, head of China’s Ministry of Economy and Environment (MEE), met Ed Miliband, the […]
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Make electricity cheaper for consumers, says CCC
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Policies to reduce emissions have improved since last year, concluded the Climate Change Committee (CCC), releasing its first assessment of the new Government’s progress on climate targets on 25 June. The statutory body also appealed to policymakers to “do more to ensure people see the benefits of climate action in their bills”. Interim Chair of […]
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‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ Threatens America’s Trucking Future
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The post ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ Threatens America’s Trucking Future appeared first on Energy Innovation.
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Merging AI and underwater photography to reveal hidden ocean worlds
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In the Northeastern United States, the Gulf of Maine represents one of the most biologically diverse marine ecosystems on the planet — home to whales, sharks, jellyfish, herring, plankton, and hundreds of other species. But even as this ecosystem supports rich biodiversity, it is undergoing rapid environmental change. The Gulf of Maine is warming faster […]
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Net zero planning platform to unlock investment in the West of England
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A new collaborative project aims to deliver real-time, data-driven insights that will expedite the West of England’s transition to net zero Global engineering and consulting firm, Arup, in partnership with spatial analytics and software company Advanced Infrastructure, and consultancy Global City Futures (GCF), has been awarded a significant contract to develop the regional energy planning […]
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Microbes transform plastic waste into paracetamol, in new study
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A PhD student checks the growth of a culture of E. coli in the Wallace Lab (imagec credit: University of Edinburgh) Paracetamol production could be revolutionised by the discovery that a common bacterium can turn everyday plastic waste into the painkiller, a new study seems to show. The new method leaves virtually no carbon emissions […]
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Recycled plastic’s unknown constituents could be toxic
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Recycled plastic pellets from polyethylene (PE) can be used when making a water bottle for instance. But we can never have full knowledge of what chemicals will end up in an item made of recycled plastic. Therefore the item could contain toxic chemicals that can leach out (image credit: Olof Lönnehed). A single pellet of […]
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Microplastics are everywhere, but our methods to track them are all over the place
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A new study suggests citizen science holds untapped potential in measuring microplastic pollution, but chaotic research methods may be clouding the global picture The study from the University of Portsmouth has highlighted the growing role of citizen science in tackling one of the planet’s most pervasive pollution problems: microplastics and mesoplastics. While researchers often warn […]
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New milestone for efficient carbon capture technology
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Nuada co-CEOs Dr Conor Hamill and Dr Jose Casaban. Nuada – the developer of an award-winning carbon capture technology that operates with high efficiency – has successfully completed the trial of its second pilot plant, Nuada Scout, at the Energy Innovation Centre (formerly TERC) at the University of Sheffield. Designed, built and commissioned in under […]
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CCC: UK climate advisers now ‘more optimistic’ net-zero goals can be met
The UK government’s official climate advisers are now “more optimistic” that the country can hit its emissions targets than they were before the Labour government was elected in July 2024. Speaking ahead of the launch of the Climate Change Committee’s 2025 progress report, Prof Piers Forster, the CCC’s interim chair, told journalists it would be […]
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Gas pump handles high pressure and flow in hydrogen, noble gases and other challenging media
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This article contains paid for content produced in collaboration with KNF. The N 680.15 is a new addition to KNF’s N 680 series designed for high maximum pressure and flow rate. Its durable construction allows it to tolerate high media and ambient temperatures, making it an ideal choice for compression and recovery applications. It is […]
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Leeds EfW facility will supply around 390 GWh per year of homegrown power to the region
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UK EfW operator enfinium has signed an agreement to supply around 390 GWh of electricity per year from its Skelton Grange facility in Leeds, providing reliable, homegrown electricity. The three-year power purchase agreement (PPA) has been made with low-carbon energy and services firm ENGIE, and will begin in 2025. ENGIE intends to deliver the energy […]
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LLMs factor in unrelated information when recommending medical treatments
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A large language model (LLM) deployed to make treatment recommendations can be tripped up by nonclinical information in patient messages, like typos, extra white space, missing gender markers, or the use of uncertain, dramatic, and informal language, according to a study by MIT researchers. They found that making stylistic or grammatical changes to messages increases […]
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Guest post: Investigating how volcanic eruptions can affect climate projections
Volcanic eruptions pose a fundamental challenge for scientists and their climate models. It is well known that explosive eruptions can cause sudden cooling at the Earth’s surface and that multiple eruptions shape climate variability over decades and centuries. When sulphur dioxide is injected into the stratosphere during an eruption, it forms aerosols that block sunlight […]
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Why Are Industrial Companies Failing Their Zero Waste Commitments?
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With increasing pressure from consumers, investors, and regulations to reduce their environmental impact, many industrial companies have made bold commitments to achieve zero waste. Yet despite billions invested in sustainability initiatives, a troubling reality is emerging: most are failing spectacularly. Why are industrial companies failing their zero waste commitments? According to recent industry analyses, over […]
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Industry Energy Demand And Costs Keep Growing. Clean Energy Can Help
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The post Industry Energy Demand And Costs Keep Growing. Clean Energy Can Help appeared first on Energy Innovation.
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Guest post: How solar panels and batteries can now run ‘close to 24/365’ in some cities
A few years ago, solar power became the “cheapest electricity in history”, but it still lacked the ability to meet demand 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. Since then, there have been significant improvements in the cost and performance of batteries, making it cheaper than ever to pair solar with energy storage […]
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Researchers present bold ideas for AI at MIT Generative AI Impact Consortium kickoff event
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Launched in February of this year, the MIT Generative AI Impact Consortium (MGAIC), a presidential initiative led by MIT’s Office of Innovation and Strategy and administered by the MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing, issued a call for proposals, inviting researchers from across MIT to submit ideas for innovative projects studying high-impact uses of […]