Matthew Morris

Which countries are banning fossil fuel boilers?

EU governments must plan for a complete phase-out of fossil fuel boilers by 2040.

Many European countries are already well on their way.

Here's our latest overview:

ehpa.org/news-and-res...

Overall totals for delegates from parties, observers and the media for all COPs, as published by the UNFCCC (see this article for more details on the data). Data for COPs 1-29 are the “final” figures, while COP30 data is “provisional”. Chart by Carbon Brief.

NEW – Analysis: Which countries have sent the most delegates to COP30? | @rtmcswee.carbonbrief.org Ho Woo Nam

Read here: buff.ly/I5pUBHu

Illustration of a dart missing the bullseye on a colorful target, symbolizing global temperature goals at risk due to inaction.

New national climate plans have barely moved the needle on limiting global warming. Yet there is hope.

According to UNEP's latest #EmissionsGap Report, accelerated adoption of renewable energy and falling costs mean we have the tools to cut emissions now: www.unep.org/news-and-sto...

As the UK shapes its new Circular Economy Strategy, prevention shouldn’t be an afterthought — it’s where we begin: by designing out waste before it’s created.

Source: DEFRA — UK Statistics on Waste (2010–2016)

Recovery rates looked fine, but something more important slipped — prevention.

Less planning. Less accountability. More extraction, transport, emissions.

Guidance alone doesn’t drive change — policy does.

When Site Waste Management Plans were scrapped in 2013, waste went up — not down.

📊 DEFRA data shows construction & demolition waste rose nearly 20% in just four years.

#CircularEconomy #WastePrevention #NetZero ##CircularEconomyTaskforce

Daily Briefing: Renewables overtake coal | Conservatives’ climate fight | World’s heat records

➡️ Read today's full briefing here: buff.ly/Urxlytb

➡️ Sign up to our email briefings: buff.ly/3kFciAO

A quarter of Europe’s climate losses since 1980 came in the last 3 years.

This summer added €43bn more. Impacts are accelerating faster than our systems — delay just shifts the cost onto people.

Policy and planning need to catch up — the delay just shifts the cost onto people, communities and gov!

World’s oceans fail key health check as acidity crosses critical threshold for marine life Scientists call for renewed global effort to curb fossil fuels as seven of nine planetary boundaries now transgressed

Planetary Boundaries are being breached, as humanity lives beyond Earth's ability to cope

We're already exceeding Climate Change, Land System Change, Freshwater Use, Novel Entities (chemicals, plastics) & others

To that list we can now add Ocean Acidification

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

When considering existing assets, demolition should never be the default. Policy must require justification for taking a building down. From an embodied carbon perspective, keeping buildings in use is almost always the lower-carbon choice.

#CircularEconomy #RetrofitFirst #NetZeroCarbon #policy

Circular economy taskforce ‘fighting some big interests’ says member A member of the circular economy taskforce has said they have been ‘fighting some big interests’ in the process of developing the Circular Economy Strategy for England.

Without central guidance on planning processes, the circular economy risks becoming "a hodgepodge of postcode lottery.”

Libby Peake, senior fellow and head of resources, on how inconsistent policies are holding businesses back in the @endsreport.com 👇

Europe has already lost €790bn to climate disasters since 1980.

Here & now? €43bn lost in one summer (2025), from heatwaves, floods & droughts — with forecasts of €126bn by 2029.

Most damage is uninsured. The cost falls on people, communities & governments.

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

Stakeholder mapping shows how complex the circular built environment really is. Aligning the value network is critical to achieving circularity. Early client and developer decisions carry the most weight and can lock in decades of carbon.

architectscan.org/resource/cir...

#CircularEconomy #netzero

Human connection to nature has declined 60% in 200 years, study finds Prof Miles Richardson says people risk ‘extinction of experience’ in the natural world without new policies

🌳 Losing touch with nature

A new study finds people’s connection to nature has fallen 60% since 1800, risking an 'extinction of experience' without radical change.

🔗 www.theguardian.com/environment/...

#SciComm 🧪 #Nature

"fossil-fuel companies, and their adjacent organizations, are the primary lobbyists for #CCS subsidies and that these subsidies benefit fossil-fuel companies at the expense of both taxpayers and the future health of our planet"
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Guest post: How the role of carbon storage has been hugely overestimated - Carbon Brief Removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere is widely expected to play a key role in meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement.

NEW – Guest post: How the role of carbon storage has been hugely overestimated | @gidden.bsky.social @joerirogelj.bsky.social

Read here: buff.ly/QY7LyJ8

Climate change kills, Spanish PM tells deniers at launch of plan to tackle crisis Pedro Sánchez says country’s deadly August wildfires show society needs to mobilise and take immediate action

We express our solidarity to all the people affected by the climate crisis: they are paying the heavy toll for a crisis created by profit-hungry big polluters. This is deeply unfair but we can change course, choosing a different path and making polluters, not people, pay.

Analysis: What record global heat means for breaching the 1.5C warming limit | @hausfath.bsky.social #CBarchive

Read here: buff.ly/3zdrjRV

Clinging to fossil fuels won’t deliver energy security or jobs. A planned transition to clean energy will. The North Sea’s future is renewables, not pipe dreams. #justtransition #netzero #energysecurity

Addressing the housing crisis without overshooting our carbon budget isn’t just a challenge — it’s an opportunity to rethink how we build, live, and grow sustainably. Looking forward to the insights from this discussion!

#netzero #climateaction #sustainablehousing #Systemschange

Circular Economy Design Guide * Architects Climate Action Network - ACAN! Free Design Guide for the Circular Economy in the Built Environment that provides a comprehensive overview of how to design for a Circular Economy.

I was asked recently for a resource on making the built environment more sustainable & future-proof. One I’m proud of & had the honour of leading — is ACAN’s Circular Economy Design Guide. Packed with diagrams, checklists & practical steps.

architectscan.org/resource/cir...

#CircularEconomy 🌎

"But what about China?" They just built the world’s biggest solar farm (the size of Chicago). Their solar capacity just passed 1 TW — the equivalent of 1,000 nuclear reactors worth — and they pulled it off while demand kept rising. Time for everyone to respond!

#decarbonisation #greentech

An excellent audit, with a clear and concise message from the public,which must be carried forward into plain, effective policy.

In-depth Q&A: What is ‘climate justice’? - Carbon Brief Climate justice has emerged from the idea that historical responsibility for climate change lies with wealthy and powerful people – and yet it disproportionately impacts the poorest and most vulnerabl...

In-depth Q&A: What is ‘climate justice’? | @joshgabbatiss.bsky.social @ayeshatandon.carbonbrief.org #CBarchive

Read here: j.mp/3jxnFaC

80% of 2050’s building stock already exists. Retrofitting and reusing what’s here is the biggest carbon saving we can make, now! Circular design is future-proof business: lower costs, reduced risks, and resilient assets.

#circulareconomy #reuse #netzerocarbon #retrofitfirst

Record EV uptake in Europe is no accident—the majority of people now say they know about EVs, thanks to clear campaigns & media coverage. We need the same clarity & visibility across all low-carbon choices.

#netzero #ClimateAction #EnergyTransition #EVs

@robertgordonuni.bsky.social found 90% of UK oil & gas workers have skills transferable to offshore wind. The barrier isn’t people—it’s policy. Let’s build on what we have.

www.rgueti.com/wp-content/u...

#GreenJobs #WorkforceTransition #justtransition #netzero

EV policy, shouldn’t depend on your postcode.

The RSA & Zero Waste Scotland identified 6 high-value, cross-sector reuse opportunities from North Sea decommissioning: steel, pipelines, vessels, cables, tanks & modular units. These aren’t waste – they’re materials for a regenerative industrial future.

#reuse #circularity #strandedassets