International: United Kingdom
UK heatwave: 40C in June must be wake-up call on climate crisis, scientists warn
Today 11:30am
Scientists are warning that politicians are failing to appreciate the magnitude of the climate crisis after the Met Office forecast that temperatures in the UK could hit 40C for just the second time since records began.
Royals kick off London Climate Action Week
Tue 23 Jun 2026
The week, which runs from 22 to 28 June, brings together world leaders, scientists, entrepreneurs and activists to accelerate action on the climate crisis.
Record-breaking heat expected across UK this week, says Met Office
Mon 22 Jun 2026
The Met Office forecasts that extremely high temperatures could last from Monday until Thursday, leading to health concerns for elderly and vulnerable people.
UK electric car sales target set to be weakened
Fri 19 Jun 2026
The UK government is set to water down its target for how many new cars that are sold need to be electric vehicles.
UK rivers face rising risk of climate 'whiplash'
Thu 18 Jun 2026
Climate change could push UK rivers to dangerous extremes and bring more frequent rapid swings between wet and dry conditions – a phenomenon known as hydroclimatic whiplash – according to research.
Millions of UK homes at risk of sinking as climate crisis worsens
12 Jun 2026
Millions of homes are at risk from climate-related subsidence, according to an analysis by the British Geological Survey.
BP relegates Net Zero division as it pivots back towards oil and gas
11 Jun 2026
BP has pared back its Net Zero division as it pivots back towards oil and gas.
Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions fall slightly as progress slows
10 Jun 2026
Scotland's planet-warming emissions have reduced but progress has continued to slow, new figures show.
Britain sets 87% emissions reduction target by 2040
4 Jun 2026
Britain on Tuesday set a target to cut emissions by around 87% by 2040 from 1990 levels as it increases efforts to meet net zero goals that it says will help to curb energy costs and create jobs, but it has yet to outline how the goal will be met.
How UK’s seventh carbon budget will deliver ‘£865bn’ in economic benefits
4 Jun 2026
The Labour government wants to cut UK greenhouse gas emissions to 87% below 1990 levels by 2040, which it says will deliver £865bn in economic benefits.
Record-breaking heat and dry spring leave parts of England without water
2 Jun 2026
Thousands of households in southeast England were left without water or facing low pressure during a record-breaking heatwave this week, as high demand followed a dry spring to expose the failings in Britain's ageing infrastructure.
London to miss 2030 net-zero target, mayor admits
2 Jun 2026
The mayor of London has conceded that the capital will not reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2030, and has urged ministers to hand him greater control over energy policy.
Britain ‘sleepwalking into a food crisis’ without urgent action, experts say
29 May 2026
Industry figures warn of national security risk and call for ministers to address the impact of extreme weather, inflation and Iran war.
UK temperatures matching May 1944 record not evidence climate change is a hoax
29 May 2026
A single UK high temperature in May matching a record set in 1944 is not evidence that global warming is a deception, climate experts say.
Britain’s green transition should belong to everyone
28 May 2026
Opinion: Tearing up planning and using protest laws to criminalise local people – this isn’t how to build the broad consent needed.
New breed of political prisoner arises in Britain as anti-protest sentences rise
27 May 2026
More people are being jailed in England and Wales as a result of acting to prevent climate breakdown and the war in Gaza, research reveals.
The UK faces growing climate threats – where is the response to match?
19 May 2026
COMMENT: UK voters’ dissatisfaction with business as usual must be harnessed to address public concerns and build a country that is resilient to climate change impacts.
UK halves Green Climate Fund contribution, as it spends more on security
15 May 2026
After promising £1.6 billion to the UN’s flagship climate fund in 2023, the UK government has now said it will only hand over half as much.
Risk of drought in UK grows after unusually dry start to spring
14 May 2026
The risk of drought is rising after an unusually dry start to spring has pushed river flow, groundwater and reservoir stores below normal levels across much of the country, especially in central and southern England.
Renewable energy hub planned for Scottish coal museum
14 May 2026
A former 19th Century coal mining 'super-pit' in Midlothian is to be turned into a renewable energy hub providing green electricity for the local community.
Nature recovery zones inspired by Attenborough
12 May 2026
A wildlife trust has been inspired by Sir David Attenborough's climate change mantra to designate 11 nature recovery zones in honour of the broadcaster's 100th birthday.
Factcheck: What the UK car industry is not saying about EV targets
12 May 2026
For several years, the UK car industry has been claiming that demand is not high enough to meet the government’s targets for sales of “zero emissions vehicles”. However, the car industry has actually beaten the targets under the government’s ZEV mandate.
Wind and solar have saved UK from gas imports worth £1.7bn since Iran war began
11 May 2026
The UK has avoided the need for gas imports worth £1.7bn since the start of the Iran war, as a result of record electricity generation from wind and solar, reveals Carbon Brief analysis.
Why is Northern Ireland facing a growing threat from wildfires?
7 May 2026
Figures show that spring drought events are happening more often while there has been a sharp rise in "fire weather" - a mix of warmth, dryness, and wind that allows fires to ignite and spread rapidly. Experts warn this combination, along with climate change, is creating a longer and more volatile wildfire season.
UK scientists to fire salt water into the sky in bid to tackle climate crisis
1 May 2026
Government supporting new geoengineering techniques as race against unregulated companies seeking to capitalise on need for climate cooling tech heats up.
Sail-power offers passengers new crossing between England and France
30 Apr 2026
As governments and travellers look for ways to cut transport-related emissions, a small British startup is offering passengers an alternative way to cross the English Channel: by sail.
Burning wood for power worse for climate than gas equivalent, report finds
21 Apr 2026
Research casts doubt on plans by the UK government to offer subsidies for carbon capture attached to the power source.
UK ‘green’ jet fuel imports linked to illegal Amazon deforestation
14 Apr 2026
A major supplier of ‘green’ airline fuel to the UK has sourced beef fat linked to illegal Amazon deforestation, court documents and shipping data show.
Britain hits renewable power record in 2025, but fossil fuel use also up
8 Apr 2026
Renewable power such as wind and solar provided a record 52.5% of Britain’s electricity generation in 2025, government data showed on Thursday, but fossil fuel use also rose.
The vested interests lobbying for North Sea oil and gas expansion
7 Apr 2026
In the wake of the fossil fuel crisis created by Donald Trump’s war in Iran, a host of influential figures and groups in the UK have been calling not for the rapid rollout of renewable energy, but a growing reliance on oil and gas.
Record wind output helps shield the UK from worst of Iran war fallout
1 Apr 2026
Record output from wind farms has helped boost total clean power supplies in the United Kingdom to new highs so far in 2026, and allowed power firms to pare use of fossil fuels to multi-year lows.
Heat pumps for all new homes and plug-in solar in England green tech drive
25 Mar 2026
Developers will be required to install solar panels and heat pumps in all new homes in England as part of updated planning requirements published by the government.
UK regulator to investigate climate change denial complaints for first time since 2017
25 Mar 2026
Regulator makes U-turn over complaints after claims it let some broadcasters ‘spout dangerous climate lies’.
Analysis: CO2 from UK data centres could be ‘hundreds of times’ higher than thought
24 Mar 2026
Emissions from the new data centres set to drive the UK’s AI “revolution” could be hundreds of times higher than government estimates, according to analysis by Carbon Brief.
UK climate aid cuts ‘short-sighted’ and leave ‘fossil fuel profits untouched’, campaigners say
23 Mar 2026
Campaigners have condemned the UK government's decision to cut its international climate finance as "extremely short-sighted" and a "moral abdication," warning the move threatens national security, abandons communities on the frontlines of climate change, and leaves "windfall profits from fossil fuels untouched".
UK emissions fall 2.4% in 2025 as coal hits 400-year low
9 Mar 2026
The UK’s greenhouse gas emissions fell by 2.4% in 2025 to their lowest level in more than 150 years, according to new analysis.
Nature loss could cost twice as much as the financial crash, leaked report reveals
5 Mar 2026
ITV News has seen a classified government intelligence report which appears to show some of the most worrying potential impacts of nature loss weren't disclosed to the public.
Earth's heat to power 10,000 homes in renewable energy first for UK
4 Mar 2026
The UK's first geothermal power plant has been turned on, providing a completely new type of renewable electricity using hot water from underground.
UK Greens win by-election as anti-data centre protests mount
3 Mar 2026
The Green Party's Hannah Spencer won the contest for the vacant parliamentary seat of Gorton and Denton, with Nigel Farage's populist Reform UK party coming second, and Labour pushed into third place.
‘Tinderbox’ UK may be one shock away from food riots, experts say
25 Feb 2026
A series of issues are making access to food vulnerable in the UK, including the climate crisis, low incomes, poor farming policy and fragile just-in-time supply chains.
Britain strengthens ties with California as new clean energy and climate agreement signed
19 Feb 2026
Britain has forged a deeper alliance with California on clean energy and climate action, as Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new agreement aimed at boosting transatlantic investment and environmental protection.
A UK climate security report backed by the intelligence services was quietly buried – a pattern we’ve seen many times before
5 Feb 2026
Last autumn, a UK government report warned that climate-driven ecosystem collapse could lead to food shortages, mass migration, political extremism and even nuclear conflict. The report was never officially launched.
Greenpeace set to take UK Government to court over deep-sea mining licences
5 Feb 2026
Environmental NGO Greenpeace has kick-started a legal challenge against the UK Government’s decision to approve the transfer of two seabed exploration licences to a newly-formed mining company with US links.
Wales council to buy and demolish homes prone to flooding
4 Feb 2026
A row of homes in a village in south Wales is to be bought by a local authority and demolished as they can no longer be protected from flooding caused by the climate crisis.
UK to join major wind farm project with nine European countries
27 Jan 2026
The UK is set to back a vast new fleet of offshore wind projects in the North Sea alongside nine other European countries including Norway, Germany and the Netherlands.
UK Govt accused of 'suppressing' report warning of catastrophic climate risks
26 Jan 2026
An official government report this week warning that "global ecosystem degradation and collapse threatens UK national security and prosperity" was abridged to remove references to some of the potentially catastrophic climate-related risks.
Net-zero scenario is ‘cheapest option’ for UK, says energy system operator
15 Dec 2025
A scenario that meets the “net-zero by 2050” goal would be the “cheapest” option for the UK, according to modelling by the National Energy System Operator (NESO).
UK soars past wind power generation record for second time in two months
10 Dec 2025
Great Britain’s maximum wind generation record was broken on Friday, 5 December, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) has confirmed.
UK farmers lose £800m after heat and drought cause one of worst harvests on record
5 Dec 2025
Many now concerned about ability to make living in fast-changing climate after one of worst grain harvests recorded.
Hello, foreign oligarchs and corporations! Please come and sue the UK for billions
3 Dec 2025
COMMENT: The case of a planned Cumbrian coalmine shows how governments around the world are being threatened by litigation in shadowy offshore courts.
Australia opens first carbon refinery, making new products from captured CO2
Today 11:30am
Australia’s first carbon refinery opened in New South Wales, capturing carbon dioxide from explosives giant Orica's ammonia-making operations on Kooragang Island and turning it into products such as concrete, paper and glass.
US defence spending on critical minerals surges in the last decade
Mon 22 Jun 2026
Members of communities affected by some of these projects said that U.S. state backing has meant projects are being fast-tracked without the necessary social and environmental checks or meaningful consultation.
China to raise power prices for energy-intensive sectors in green transition push
Fri 19 Jun 2026
Beijing’s latest road map aims to cut carbon emissions by 200 million tonnes by 2028 – but analysts say implementation may vary across regions.
Half of France under red heat alert as alcohol banned at street music festival
Tue 23 Jun 2026
France has issued red heatwave alerts for around half the country including Paris for Monday as a heatwave pushes temperatures towards record levels.
Canada signs landmark LNG energy deal with Germany
29 May 2026
Canada has announced a landmark energy agreement with Germany that will see the first-ever long-term shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Canada to Europe in the coming years.
Asia warming nearly twice as fast as before
Fri 19 Jun 2026
A new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) highlights record ocean heat, accelerating glacier loss and a series of extreme weather events causing significant human and economic losses across Asia.
‘Those blocking climate science are not our friends': Pacific leaders warn at Bonn talks
Tue 23 Jun 2026
Pacific nations and civil society groups have united at UN climate talks, pushing back against efforts to weaken agreed language on global temperature limits as negotiations continue behind closed doors.
Antarctica’s west coast missing an area of sea ice the size of France as temperatures peak 20C above average
16 Jun 2026
A vast area of the Bellingshausen Sea should be covered by sea ice by now, with one expert calling the loss of ice ‘depressing’.
Mombasa ocean summit drives progress on marine protection, but threats persist
Tue 23 Jun 2026
At the 11th Our Ocean conference in Kenya, its founder John Kerry says the ocean must become central to climate solutions and needs to be looked after.
Colombia’s climate crossroads: Trumpism casts shadow over presidential battle
26 May 2026
Colombia is a global leader in climate activism. Could US influence drag country to a future of mining and fracking?
Bonn climate talks end in “gridlock” on adaptation and emissions-cutting
Mon 22 Jun 2026
After two weeks of climate negotiations riven by arguments over finance and science, the UN climate chief expressed disappointment and denounced governments for “cherry-picking” commitments they have already made and waiting for others to move first.
