Analysis: Solar overtakes gas power in Asia for first time ever
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Solar has overtaken gas power in Asia to become the continent’s third-largest source of electricity, according to new analysis by Carbon Brief. The rapid expansion of solar power in nations such as China, India and Pakistan has seen its annual output increase nearly fourfold since 2020. Asia accounts for around 60% of the world’s solar-power […]
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DeBriefed 12 June 2026: El Niño begins | COP31 hosts eye electrification | Atlantic current monitoring at risk
Welcome to Carbon Brief’s DeBriefed. An essential guide to the week’s key developments relating to climate change. This week El Niño begins ‘DOMINO WEATHER’: The natural weather phenomenon El Niño, which can raise global heat and “bring domino weather effects across the planet”, is now underway, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared on […]
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Jinhua Zhao named head of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning
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Jinhua Zhao MCP ’04, SM ’04, PhD ’09 has been appointed head of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP), effective July 1. Zhao is the Class of 1941 Professor of Cities and Transportation at MIT. In making the announcement, dean of the MIT School of Architecture and Planning Hashim Sarkis noted that Zhao is a […]
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When it comes to predicting people’s preferences, it pays to consider “the power of three”
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In his 1927 paper, “A law of comparative judgment,” the American psychologist L. L. Thurstone proposed that when people select one option among multiple alternatives, they are picking the one that has the highest value to them, even though they cannot assign a particular number to that choice. Thurstone was a pioneer of “psychometrics” — […]
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MIT affiliates win 2026 Hertz Foundation Fellowships
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The Hertz Foundation announced that it awarded 2026 fellowships to three current MIT students as well as an incoming graduate student. They are: Annika Marschner, Alvin Q. Meng, Zachary S. Siegel, and Matthew Wanta. The prestigious science and technology award provides each recipient with five years of financial support — a stipend and full tuition equivalent — which gives […]
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China Briefing 11 June 2026: Tech clampdown | Extreme weather | Provinces’ energy plans
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 Trade tensions intensify AUTHORITY TO RETALIATE: China has issued “sweeping” new rules that increase “controls over the overseas transfer of domestic technology”, while also giving the […]
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Electrical industry groups warn government against a rushed roll-out of plug-in solar panels
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The groups are calling for clear guidance, technical standards and a mechanism to protect both households and the electricity distribution network Leading electrical industry bodies have warned that plug-in solar photovoltaic (PV) systems should not be rushed into the UK consumer market until safety, regulatory and technical frameworks are fully established, despite government plans to […]
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Guest post: How a record-high ‘energy imbalance’ is driving global warming
The planet is heating up more quickly than ever before. For decades, greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity have been building up in the atmosphere and trapping ever-higher levels of heat. The resulting asymmetry between incoming solar energy and energy radiated back out into space – known as “Earth’s energy imbalance” – provides a […]
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UK Court Recognizes Climate Migration as a Human Right: FA v. the Secretary of State for the Home Department (2025)
In November 2025, one of the first climate-related asylum appeals was reviewed in the UK, by the UK’s First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) and approved on human rights grounds. In FA v Secretary of State for the Home Department (SSHD), the appellant (FA) argued that climate-related hardship, poor mental health relating to the loss […]
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Meteorite which wiped out the dinosaurs also created record-breaking hydrothermal system
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Deep-sea hydrothermal vents in the Mid-Atlantic. The findings suggest that long-lived hydrothermal systems created by asteroid impacts may have provided habitats for early life on Earth and could guide the search for life on other planets. The meteorite which caused the extinction of the dinosaurs also created an underground environment suited to supporting new life, […]
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Biogas AI spinout wins £1m Manchester Prize for boosting efficiency and cutting emissions
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A Guildford startup developing AI software for the biogas sector has picked up the UK government’s Manchester Prize, securing £1 million in funding to accelerate deployment of its technology. BiofuelAi, based at the Surrey Technology Centre in Guildford, was awarded the prize for its AI-powered decision support platform that helps anaerobic digestion operators optimise plant […]
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Startup’s nuclear-inspired cooling system could make data centers more sustainable
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The rise of artificial intelligence is riding on the back of an enormous data center expansion. Data centers are projected to account for anywhere from 9 to 17 percent of total electricity usage in the U.S. by the end of the decade. Today, around a third of data center electricity is devoted to cooling the […]
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The consequences of relying on AI for accurate news
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It’s no secret that the last few years have seen a massive explosion in the use of artificial intelligence for general information-gathering. An even more recent trend, though, is how large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are increasingly being used for verifying and consuming news; reports from the Pew Research Center over the […]
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Behind-The-Meter Data Center Gas Plants Will Raise U.S. Energy Bills
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The post Behind-The-Meter Data Center Gas Plants Will Raise U.S. Energy Bills appeared first on Energy Innovation.
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Cited 9 June 2026: Europe’s ‘exceptional’ heatwave | Warming forecast | AMOC observations ‘at risk’
Welcome to Cited, your essential guide to new climate research. In the news SPRING HEATWAVE: Temperature records for May fell across western Europe as the region baked in an “exceptionally early” heatwave, reported the Associated Press. The outlet noted that temperatures reached 35.1C in the UK and 36C in France at the end of last […]
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Environment Agency appointed lead regulator for Cornwall lithium project in bid to speed approvals
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Drone footage of the former china clay pit in Cornwall being developed by Cornish Lithium (image credit: the Environment Agency). The Environment Agency has been appointed as the lead environmental regulator for Cornish Lithium’s proposed Trelavour Lithium Project in Cornwall, as part of a government pilot aimed at streamlining approvals for major economic development schemes. […]
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New guide published to help highway authorities adapt roads to climate change
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Highway drainage infrastructure plays a critical role in helping road networks cope with increasingly frequent and intense rainfall events, one of the key climate risks addressed in ADEPT’s new guide. A new guide, aimed at local highway authorities, has been published to support resilience planning across road networks as extreme weather events grow in frequency […]
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Rising octopus numbers: UK study examines impacts on coasts and communities
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Divers and snorkellers recorded their observations as part of a survey (image credit: Kirsty Andrews). Scientists have reported a second year of an unprecedented boom in common octopus populations off southwest England, with new research from the Marine Biological Association (MBA) describing the phenomenon as the largest recorded in at least 75 years. The study, […]