Simon Evans

@drsimevans.bsky.social

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Press Gazette energy & environment journalist of the year 2022

Deputy Editor + Senior Policy Editor Carbon Brief

https://bsky.app/profile/carbonbrief.org
carbonbrief.org

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FACTCHECK: Almost everything Reform Party and its leader Richard Tice say about climate and energy is wrong On BBC Breakfast, Tice blamed volcanoes for warming And Reform's manifesto packed 30 false or misleading statements into 500-words on energy/env theguardian.com/environment/...

EROI latest: "Wind and solar found to have higher energy returns than fossil fuels" "A key issue in net energy analysis is the omission of…end-use efficiencies…these effects strongly favour the energy returns of wind and solar" www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Wind power and solar photovoltaics found to have higher energy returns than fossil fuels - Nature Energywww.nature.com A key issue in net energy analysis is the omission of the effects of end-use efficiencies on the energy returns of technologies. Now, an analysis shows that these effects strongly favour the energy re...

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I am a climate scientist + I do not consider myself as an expert on the most effective actions we can take. Instead, I look to the social science to answer that question, based on their analyses, and as you'd imagine, their list is a bit different. #1 is up there, #2 not so much. (see below)

What are the most powerful climate actions you can take? The expert viewwww.theguardian.com Voting tops the list for the world’s leading climate scientists in a year when billions of voters go to the polls

Truly grim reading: How key climate indicators have changed since IPCC AR6 WGI in 2021 🌡️Decadal warming at 1.19C, up from 1.09C 🛰️CO2 at 419ppm, up from 410ppm 🏭Emissions at 54GtCO2e, up from 53 📉Remaining carbon budget 150Gt, down from 500 essd.copernicus.org/preprints/es...

More than three-quarters of climate scientists surveyed by the Guardian think warming will reach at least 2.5C Only 6% think we'll stay below 1.5C www.theguardian.com/environment/...

💥Wind & solar are "fastest-growing electricity sources in history" – new Ember report ⛰️They're growing faster than demand: Peak fossil fuel power in 2024 – then "inevitable" decline 🏭They already shaved 22% off fossil power, saving 4GtCO2/yr www.carbonbrief.org/wind-and-sol...

NEW CHART: How British electricity supplies are shifting decisively away from fossil fuels Super pleased with this very beautiful graphic, by my colleague Tom Pearson and reminiscent of Joy Division's iconic “Unknown Pleasures” album cover www.carbonbrief.org/chart-how-br...

Incredible effort by @daisydunne.bsky.social + @carbonbrief.org colleagues to track, translate & tabulate nature action plans ("NBSAPs") under UN biodiversity rules So far, only 7 nations + EU have updated their NDC for nature, leaving 188 countries to go… www.carbonbrief.org/cop16-tracki...

Nothing to see here, I'm sure everything will be fine carbonbrief.org/state-of-the...

NEW ANALYSIS ⛰️🔥Fossil fuels fell to a record-low 2.4% share of British electricity, for 1hr, earlier this month 📉Until 2022, it'd never been below 5% 📊Record 75 half hrs below 5% in 2024ytd 🎯Grid manager NGESO says its on track for 0% next yr 1/ carbonbrief.org/analysis-fos...

Fossil fuels are now regularly meeting less than 10% of daily British electricity demand, hitting a record-low daily average of 6.4% on April 2024 This illustrates the seismic changes going on in the GB electricity system over the past 10-15yrs 2/ carbonbrief.org/analysis-fos...

Fossil fuel low of 2.4% only lasted an 1hr, but is sign of things to come as NGESO works twd 2025 goal of "zero carbon operation" for at least 30mins NGESO tells me that "groundbreaking and pretty much world leading" moment is likely to come next autumn 3/

Key to running the grid without fossil fuels is a range of technical changes in how NGESO operates, inc whizzy new kit that has already come online for fossil-free "inertia" + other grid stability services 4/ carbonbrief.org/analysis-fos...

While "zero carbon operation" for 30mins will be a big milestone, it's only 1 step twds govt goal of fully decarbonised grid by 2035 Our analysis shows key need for low-carbon subs for gas, which still regularly meets 50+% of demand 5/ends carbonbrief.org/analysis-fos...

This terrifying new study from @pik-potsdam.bsky.social shows the world is "committed" to losing 19% of average incomes by 2050, as a result of climate change Crucially though, it says we can avoid far higher losses by 2100 if we take strong climate action www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Reform voters are not like other people, when it comes to net-zero Fascinating insights in this latest Climate Barometer newsletter us21.campaign-archive.com?u=3936cf3cf7...

NEW: Fantastic in-depth Q&A by my colleague @ayeshatandon.bsky.social on a big but complex question: How does climate change drive human migration? interactive.carbonbrief.org/climate-migr...

Startling Global Energy Monitor chart showing China was responsible for 95% of new coal construction in 2023 70.2GW of new capacity started in China… …3.7GW in the rest of the world, a record low www.carbonbrief.org/china-respon...

Reuters: Top corporate stds group SBTi "in turmoil" after board greenlights offsets for "scope 3" emissions "staff accused leadership of acting without sound scientific basis, throwing the group…[a] leading arbiter of how companies set climate targets…into turmoil" www.reuters.com/sustainabili...

Climate target group in turmoil over carbon offsetting planwww.reuters.com Staff at the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) on Wednesday called for the ouster of the global nonprofit's chief executive and the reversal of a plan to allow companies to use carbon credits to offset greenhouse gas emissions from their value chain.

View of the Sizewell nuclear site, from my morning run up the Suffolk Coastal Path on Easter break Left to right: Sizewell A (grey, retired) Sizewell B (blue/white, operational) Sizewell C? (large, heavily fortified patch of mud) Was surprised how close you can get (!)

OFFICIAL: UK greenhouse gas emissions fell 5.4% to 384MtCO2e in 2023, according to govt figures This confirms @carbonbrief.org analysis, published earlier this month, of a 5.7% reduction to 383MtCO2e carbonbrief.org/analysis-uk-...

Hugely important findings for heat electrification: Hourly gas data proves peak heat demand is far lower than previously thought "domestic peak heat demand in GB can be up to 149GW, which is up to 53% less than previously widely cited values" www.cell.com/iscience/ful...

Many will have seen this chart suggesting peak heat demand is 5-6x peak power demand… Now we know for sure that it's wrong carbonbrief.org/in-depth-qa-...

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MEGA FACTCHECK: Heat pumps are central for the transition to sustainable heating. But heat pumps face relentless hostile media coverage. I comprehensively debunked 18 heat pump myths in Carbon Brief. Find it here 👉https://www.carbonbrief.org/factcheck-18-misleading-myths-about-heat-pumps/

MEGA FACTCHECK 18 persistent myths about heat pumps, busted TL;DR heat pumps cut CO2 by 77+% vs gas; they're the key tech for net-zero heat; and if you think they won't keep you warm, just ask the Norwegians Many thanks @janrosenow.bsky.social for writing www.carbonbrief.org/factcheck-18...

BREAKING UK govt consults on delaying Clean Heat Market Mechanism by 1yr, with start date of 1 April 2025 Comes after media reports suggested govt might ditch policy altogether No change to 6%-of-sales heat pump goal for 2025/26 or other details www.gov.uk/government/c...

EV sales are "bombing" latest 1.9m EVs sold globally in 2024 to date, up from 1.5m last year +32% increase in global sales +34% China +33% US/Canada +21% EU/EFTA/UK …according to Rho Motion

This terrifying FT chart paints my lifetime in the inexorably rising colours of global warming Eyeballing, it looks like, what, 0.75C of warming since the 1980s? And just look at the way the coolest months in the 2020s are mostly hotter than the hottest of the 1980s!

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Analysis: Trump election win could add 4bn tonnes to US emissions by 2030 | @drsimevans.bsky.social @vernerviisas.bsky.social Read here: bit.ly/3P5GqSk

The £800m pot for the UK's next offshore wind auction would only be enough for 3GW of new capacity at the price cap of £73/MWh (2012 prices), but could secure nealry 6GW at £50/MWh More in our budget summary carbonbrief.org/uk-spring-bu...