Average global sea surface temperatures have hit a new record high this week, “with dire implications for our planet’s health”, BBC News reports. Temperatures reached 20.96C, according to the EU’s climate change service Copernicus, BBC News says. It adds: “Oceans are a vital climate regulator. They soak up heat, produce half Earth’s oxygen and drive weather patterns. Warmer waters have less ability to absorb CO2, meaning more of that planet-warming gas will stay in the atmosphere. And it can also accelerate the melting of glaciers that flow into the ocean, leading to more sea level rise.”

Chile is among South American countries facing “extraordinary” winter heat, with temperatures reaching 37C in the middle of the cold season, Reuters reports. Dr Raul Cordero, a climatologist at the University of Santiago, tells Reuters: “Having temperatures of 37C in the middle of southern winter is extraordinary. It is a temperature anomaly of almost 15C above typical values ​​and unfortunately it is not a local problem, it is a global problem.” Reuters adds that there are fears for water security next summer as the Andes is not currently being replenished with snow. The New York Times also reports on South America’s unusual winter heatwave, saying: “Residents of Buenos Aires were wearing shorts and fanning themselves as they struggled to cope with unusual heat on Tuesday. By Thursday, they were back in the jackets and scarves that they would normally wear at this time of the year. The sudden change in wardrobe was the result of a heatwave gripping portions of South America, including Argentina, Chile and Paraguay, that are supposed to be experiencing winter.” The New York Times adds that Argentina’s capital city broke an 81-year-old daily temperature record on Tuesday when temperatures reached 30C.

Greenpeace activists have scaled UK prime minister Rishi Sunak’s North Yorkshire home and draped it in black fabric in protest of the government’s decision to expand new oil and gas, leading to several arrests. The stunt features on the frontpages of several newspapers, including the Daily Mail and Daily Express, with the latter saying “heads must roll!” for the incident. The Guardian also carries an image of the protest on its frontpage. BBC News reports that Sunak’s office confirmed neither the prime minister nor his family were present at the time. Speaking to BBC News, deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden said he thought the British people were “sick of these stupid stunts” and Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the incident was “disgraceful”. The protest was also covered by the New York Times. Relatedly, BBC News reports that energy security and net-zero secretary Grant Shapps received a letter from 50 MPs and peers, from all major parties, urging him to rethink the approval of the Rosebank oil and gas field.

It comes as BBC News reports that Sunak is seeking to portray his approach to tackling climate change as “proportionate” and “pragmatic” ahead of the UK general election, “pleasing” climate sceptics within the Conservative Party. [A recent Carbon Brief factcheck explained how the government’s plan to expand new oil and gas flies in the face of scientific evidence.] BBC News reports: “This has become his mantra on the 2050 [net-zero] target since his party’s unexpected win in a by-election last month, when the Conservatives capitalised on a backlash against the contentious expansion of London’s clean-air zone. Lagging behind Labour in the polls, the Tories have backed motorists frustrated by green policies, and approved the licensing of more drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea.” BBC News adds that, in recent days, “some senior Tory MPs have felt sufficiently emboldened to call for an full-scale overhaul of the government’s green agenda”, adding: “Dame Priti Patel has gone as far to suggest the government should pause all of its climate targets, while Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg has claimed ‘we can not afford net-zero as currently planned’.” Climate Home News also reports on Sunak’s shift towards hostility for climate action, quoting one expert saying “the UK’s long-standing relative cross-party consensus on climate change was starting to break down”. The Press Association reports that chancellor Jeremy Hunt has defended new oil and gas as “the right thing to do” for the planet. The Times reports on a recent poll finding that the public are in favour of keeping the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars. The i newspaper also reports on a poll, this one finding the British public would be willing to pay more for “green” goods. An investigation by DeSmog finds that “Policy Exchange, one of Westminster’s most prominent think tanks, engaged in a high-level influencing campaign over the UK’s North Sea oil and gas policies while being funded by fossil fuel interests”.

Many UK publications cover a report from the UK’s first electricity networks commissioner, Nick Winser, who has recommended that the government pay people to have high-voltage power lines near their homes in a bid to speed up projects. The Financial Times reports that, according to Winser, “the offer of lump sum payments to individuals could ease widespread resistance to new installations”. The FT adds: “The report also recommended ‘streamlining’ the planning and regulatory process. These measures would help halve the 14 years it takes on average to build new electricity transmission projects.” Currently windfarms and solar “face a 10- to 15-year wait to connect to the power networks because grid upgrades cannot keep pace”, according to the Guardian. In its coverage, BBC News says: “Ministers are not expected to adopt specific recommendations at this stage, but the BBC has been told the report has been well received within government.” The Daily Telegraph and the Times also cover the news. It comes as deputy prime minister Dowden assured backbenchers that renewable power and pylons “will not blight our countryside”, the Press Association reports. City AM reports that industry bosses warned Shapps at a private meeting that more must be done to the UK’s investment climate for new energy projects.

“More extreme weather” is expected in China this month “from typhoons to stifling heat as the nation reels from deadly floods after the heaviest rains to hit Beijing in more than a century”, writes Bloomberg. The outlet says that, according to the China Meteorological Administration, parts of the nation’s north will see “heavier-than-normal rainfall” and “hotter” temperatures as “wild weather sweeps across various regions”. Citing the state news agency Xinhua, the outlet adds that “as many as three typhoons” may affect China in August. The state-backed China News reports that the Chinese ministry of water resource’s preliminary assessment indicates that a “large-scale flood” has occurred in the Haihe River basin. The South China Morning Post reports that more than 850,000 individuals residing within “flood control zones” in north China’s Hebei province have received instructions to relocate. The Guardian quotes Ma Jun, the director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, a Beijing-based NGO, who says that, “while the typhoon had brought the rain, rising ocean temperatures caused by climate change were also contributing to the extreme weather”. An article by China Dialogue says that “immediate climate adaptations are urgently required to address such challenges [such as Typhoon Doksuri]”.

Separately, Chinese online outlet PV-perspective writes that the National Development and Reform Commission and two other government bodies have jointly released a new regulation on “green certificates”, which replaces the old one issued in 2017 which helps to distribute solar projects. Reuters reports that research by Greenpeace shows that “China approved more than 50 gigawatts (GW) of new coal power in the first half of 2023”. It quotes Greenpeace’s Gao Yuhe saying “China’s government has put energy security and energy transition at odds with one another”. State-run newspaper Youth.cn writes that, in the first half of 2023, the production and sales of “new energy” (electric) vehicles have increased 42% and 44%, respectively. 

Finally, China Daily quotes the Chinese foreign ministry “blast[ing] reports [in the Financial Times] accusing [China] of obstructing negotiations at G20 meeting” saying that “during consultation on the outcome document of the G20 environment and climate ministers’ meeting, China worked to coordinate the interests of all parties in order to promote the conclusion of a balanced text”. 

Deutsche Welle reports on a survey carried out by the German Federal Environmental Agency which shows that a total of 91% of respondents said that they were “very or generally in favour of making Germany’s economy greener”, although they were not asked what specific steps they thought should be taken. The outlet adds that 81% said they were worried about rising costs associated with reforming the German economy, such as the cost of electricity, heating and food. Der Spiegel notes that most Germans are becoming “increasingly aware” of possible health risks due to climate change, according to the survey. In 2016, 59% of those surveyed said that the effects of climate change could cause “extreme or severe damage” to their health, while the latest survey shows 85% saying they are already aware “of the very strong or strong effects of climate change, including heat, heavy rain and droughts”.

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that German utility Uniper, following its bailout just a year earlier, has presented plans to invest €8bn up to 2030 on a “green transformation”, tripling the company’s average annual investments of the past three years. Der Spiegel notes that the European Commission only approved the rescue of Uniper under “far-reaching conditions”, namely, that the group must sell its “controversial” coal-fired power plant by the end of 2026 as well as a gas-fired power plant in Hungary. Die Zeit quotes Uniper’s boss Michael Lewis saying: “By 2040, Uniper intends to be CO2-neutral, 10 years earlier than planned.”

Finally, Die Zeit reports that energy consumption in Germany fell by 7.1% in the first half of the year, according to a report by a working group on “energy balances”. According to the assessment, “the energy prices continue to provide an impetus for saving energy”.

The presidents of Amazon nations Brazil, Peru and Colombia are due to meet for a summit on 8-9 August to discuss new measures to protect the rainforest, including cracking down on “narco-deforestation”, Reuters reports. It says: “They will train their sights on a new breed of criminal just as comfortable chopping down the rainforest as shipping drugs overseas…‘Narco-deforestation’, as it was referred to in a UN report last month, represents a new target for law enforcement operating in the Amazon rainforest, where the lines between specialist criminal outfits are increasingly blurred.” The eight member countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) plan to meet in the northeastern Brazilian city of Belem and “are expected to reach an agreement to cooperate on combating such crimes”, according to Reuters. BBC News reports that the rate of deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon has dropped to its lowest in six years, according to space agency data. It says: “In July of this year, 500 sq km (193 sq miles) of rainforest were cleared in Brazil, 66% less than in July of last year, national space agency Inpe said. The drop is a welcome boost for the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who pledged to end deforestation by 2030 when he took office in January.” Amazon deforestation surged under previous right-wing leader Jair Bolsonaro, it adds.

The UK has launched a programme called “Propcom+” aimed at supporting climate-resilient and sustainable agriculture and forestry in Nigeria, the Nigerian newspaper Daily Trust reports. It says: “The programme has initial focal states in Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna, Edo and Cross River where it will deliver climate-smart agricultural interventions to help the poor and climate vulnerable. It will also work in some Southern Nigerian states to address issues around deforestation, to foster sustainable land-use management.” See Carbon Brief’s Nigeria profile for more on its climate, energy and nature policies.

There is continuing comment in the UK media surrounding the government’s shift towards fossil fuel expansion. In the Conversation, Dr Jacob Ainscough, a researcher of environmental governance at Lancaster University, explains that, according to polls conducted for his research, “the public consistently identifies the government as the key player in leading the transition to net-zero”. He adds: “Yet even before its recent shift in rhetoric, people did not think the government was stepping up to this role. This made people pessimistic about the country’s climate targets being met, frustrated with the heavier burden placed on individuals and less willing to make more expensive or difficult choices to reduce emissions.” In Politico, former Conservative health secretary Matt Hancock says “now is the time to double down on green pledges not back down”. He says: “As the impact of climate change becomes more apparent and the competition for green investment intensifies, it is clear that voters will not forgive politicians who slow down. They will reward those who double down and deliver the fair, affordable and ambitious environmental action we need to see.” In a blog post, Grantham Institute on Climate Change policy and communications director, Bob Ward, responds to recent claims that net-zero is too costly from climate-sceptic Conservative MPs. Bloomberg examines the claim that Rishi Sunak’s push for oil and gas will boost energy security. In the Conversation, Dr Marc Hudson, a researcher of the politics of industrial decarbonisation, explains how Sunak’s “green backtracking contrasts strongly with previous prime ministers”.

Elsewhere, there is much ire in the right-leaning press in response to Greenpeace’s stunt at Sunak’s house (see above). A front-page editorial in the Daily Mail opens with: “In America, they would have been shot on sight.” It urges harsher terms for climate protesters. A front-page editorial in the Daily Express says “heads must roll” for the “shocking security blunder”. A Daily Telegraph editorial calls the protesters “childish fanatics”. An editorial in the Sun asks: “How on Earth did police let Greenpeace activists stroll up to Sunak’s family home?” A Daily Express column by journalist Leo McKinstry calls them “snivelling hypocrites”. A separate Daily Express column by writer and broadcaster Esther Krakue calls net-zero “economic suicide”. The Daily Telegraph carries a comment from Conservative peer David Frost titled: “The eco-cultists’ war against the car is built on fantasy and delusion.” Separately, the Daily Telegraph carries a piece from chief city commentator urging the government to back Rolls-Royce’s nuclear ambitions.

For progressive news outlet Truthout, climate researcher Dr Farhana Sultana writes on the need to “decolonise” the COP28 climate summit in Dubai this November. She says: “Climate change is not a universal burden. Its impacts are unevenly distributed, with the most vulnerable communities bearing the brunt of its devastating effects. Meanwhile, the power to determine climate change responses and solutions has been concentrated in the hands of wealthy nations and corporations. This is the essence of what is called climate coloniality. It refers to the various ways legacies of colonialism haunt the climate emergency, how colonial and imperial era’s exploitative and discriminatory ideologies and institutions not only shape who is disproportionately impacted by climate change globally but also who has the power to determine policies, solutions and financing.” She adds: “Climate coloniality weighs heavily on us all, but we can lift this burden and pave the way for a more equitable and sustainable world through collective action, solidarity and a commitment to justice. Let’s ensure that the legacy of climate coloniality is not our future but a historical lesson that guides us toward a better tomorrow.”

A “promising biocontrol technology” to reduce the prevalence of mosquito–borne diseases, in which wild mosquitoes are replaced with those carrying a virus-blocking bacterium, is “generally robust to near-term climate change,” according to a new study. The authors combine a model of mosquito population dynamics with data on how temperature affects the bacteria in a laboratory setting. They then model future heatwave conditions in Cairns, Australia and Nha Trang City, Vietnam, where successful field trials had been carried out. The technology is “generally robust” to climate change until the 2030s, but “accelerated warming may challenge this in the 2050s and beyond”, they find.