DeBriefed 29 May 2026: Europe’s ‘mind-boggling’ May | Indian heat deaths | Nigeria’s solar mini-grids
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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 UK, Europe and India battle heatwaves ‘MIND-BOGGLING’ MAY: The UK and continental Europe have set “mind-boggingly crazy” temperature records for May amid a deadly heatwave, reported the Financial Times. According to the Associated Press, the UK “smashed […]
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AI boom means US is now ‘investing more’ in fossil-fuel power than China
The “data-centre boom” is driving a surge in gas investment in the US, pushing its fossil-power spending ahead of China, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). A rapid expansion of data centres across the nation is at the heart of the US tech sector’s plans to continue “dominat[ing]” the global artificial intelligence (AI) industry. […]
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A tale of fire and folly: Vape recycling lottery leaves millions of devices uncollected
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One year on from the 1st June 2025 ban on the sale of disposable vapes, electricals recycling not-for-profit Material Focus warns that a ”retailer recycling lottery” is undermining the environmental intentions behind the ban as recycling a vape is still not as easy as it is to buy one. New research reveals that while the […]
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EM-DAT: Trump aid cuts could close database storing ‘world’s memory of disasters’
The world’s most comprehensive disaster database – relied on by thousands of climate scientists and policymakers – is at risk of closing as a result of cuts to US foreign aid by the Trump administration. The “emergency events” database (EM-DAT) has for 30 years provided free-to-use information on the size and impact of extreme weather […]
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Building a Context Pruning Pipeline for Long-Running Agents
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Modern AI agents built on top of large language models (LLMs) are designed to run continuously.
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Brighton approves city-wide smoke control zone in crackdown on wood-burning pollution
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Image credit: cktravels.com / Shutterstock.com Brighton & Hove City Council has approved the creation of a single city-wide Smoke Control Area (SCA) as part of efforts to reduce particulate pollution linked to domestic wood burning. The council’s cabinet approved the measure on 14 May, with the decision formally published the following day. The move will […]
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Community Benefits Agreements and Data Center Development
Data center development and its climate, environmental, and energy impacts have emerged as a central and hotly debated issue facing local governments in 2026. Various studies have explored, among other things, the large amounts of land required for data centers; their immense use of energy and water ; their greenhouse gas emissions and other contributions to […]
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China Briefing 28 May 2026: Deadly rains | China pushes back | Examining China’s carbon intensity metric
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 Several dead as record rainfall hit several provinces DEADLY DOWNPOUR: Multiple rounds of heavy rainfall have hit central and eastern China, with Agence France-Presse reporting that […]
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Media Advisory: MIT to establish regional quantum hub
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MIT and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts announced plans to establish the Quantum Systems Laboratory (QSL) at MIT, which will be open to researchers across the region. With the new funding from the state, which will match federal funding for quantum research already underway at MIT, the Institute aims to begin construction on the QSL facility this […]
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Europe’s waste streams could supply more than half of critical material demand by 2050, report finds
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Europe could meet more than half of its future demand for critical raw materials through recycling and recovery from waste streams by 2050, according to what researchers describe as the most comprehensive assessment yet of the continent’s “urban mine”. Experts involved in the EU-funded FutuRaM project said improved recovery systems and circular economy policies could […]
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Closed-loop paper towel recycling service expands across UK commercial buildings
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Essity’s mill in Stubbins, Lancashire, where used paper towels are recycled into new tissue products. A closed-loop recycling scheme that converts used paper hand towels into new tissue products has expanded significantly across UK workplaces, as businesses seek more measurable ways to reduce waste and support circular economy targets. Hygiene and health company Essity said […]
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Media reaction: UK and Europe’s ‘mind-boggling’ May heat and climate change
Europe has been hit by a searing heatwave, which has shattered temperature records across France, Spain and the UK. In London, for example, the mercury hit a record high for May of 35.1C at Kew Gardens on Tuesday 26 May, breaking the former record-high May temperature by more than 2C. Multiple people have died as […]
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The Legal Framework for Direct Ocean Carbon Capture and Storage
Interest in marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) has risen in the last decade as the deadlines to meet global climate temperature goals draw closer. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) tells us that the 1.5°C and 2°C temperature targets outlined in the Paris Agreement require net zero emissions, which in turn requires some use […]
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Local Moratoria Against Data Center Construction: Considerations for Municipal Governments
Rapid data center development is challenging local governments’ ability to manage the environmental challenges these facilities raise. Cities, towns, and counties are facing both uncertainty about the scope of those impacts and growing opposition to data centers from residents. In response, many are turning to temporary moratoria to pause data center development while they figure […]
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Next decade will be decisive for Congo basin, warns report
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Image credit: CIFOR-ICRAF, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license. A landmark scientific assessment of the Congo Basin has warned that the next decade will be critical in determining the future of the world’s largest tropical forest carbon sink, amid mounting pressures from climate change, unsustainable resource use and governance failures. The 2025 Congo Basin Assessment Report – […]
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Q&A: Can China turn hydrogen into its next clean-energy industry?
China has said that hydrogen is a key “future industry”, important to both its energy transition and its industrial policy. Hydrogen frequently goes through hype cycles, most recently driven by rising oil and gas prices due to the conflict in the Middle East. Yet, even in China, the world’s largest producer and consumer of the […]
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Chemical upcycling technique offers new route for plastic waste
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Scientists have unveiled a new chemical upcycling technique aimed at improving the degradability of existing plastics, as efforts intensify to develop more sustainable alternatives to landfill and incineration. Applying this new process to upcycle existing plastics – such as those used for food packaging and in 3D printing – could contribute to tackling global plastic […]
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EU-funded mobile treatment to recycle Montpellier’s urban wastewater
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The Place de la Comedie, in Montpellier (image credit: travelview / Shutterstock) Montpellier is testing a mobile wastewater recycling system designed to turn treated urban wastewater into a reusable resource for applications ranging from irrigation and street cleaning to firefighting and industrial use. Developed under the European-funded LIFE ReWa programme, the mobile treatment unit combines […]