Welcome to Carbon Brief’s DeBriefed. An essential guide to the week’s key developments relating to climate change.DEADLY DECADE: UN secretary general António Guterres used his new year’s message to declare that “we have just endured a decade of deadly heat”, the Press Association reported. The news outlet said that all of the top 10 hottest years on record took place in this period, with 2024 emerging as the hottest. Meanwhile, China Daily reported that China reached its hottest annual temperature since records began, while ABC News said Australia saw its second-warmest year.DANGEROUS HEAT: The Associated Press covered research from World Weather Attribution and Climate Central that found people globally experienced “an average of 41 extra days of dangerous heat” last year due to climate change. The analysis also found that climate change intensified 26 of the 29 extreme weather events from last year that the groups studied, according to Euronews.GAS BLOCK: Russian gas flowing into several European countries was stopped on New Year’s Day, after Ukraine refused to renegotiate a transit deal “in the hopes of hurting its invader financially”, NBC News reported. Ending the flow of gas via Ukrainian pipelines will cost the Russian state-backed Gazprom around $5bn a year in gas sales, but will also cost Ukraine around $800m a year in transit fees, according to CNN.EUROPE’S RESPONSE: EU member states prepared for this event by increasing capacity for liquified natural gas (LNG) imports and renewables, according to the Kyiv Independent. LNG from the US and Qatar has also helped the EU move away from Russian gas, Reuters said. However, Euractiv reported on “unease” from negatively affected eastern European countries, with Slovakia “threatening” retaliation against Ukraine, and Moldova – which is not an EU member state – “declaring a state of emergency” amid gas shortages.FIRE WEATHER: “Out of control” bushfires are blazing in Australia, with elevated fire danger warnings issued for many states amid high temperatures, according to the Guardian.
FLOOD DAMAGE: Hundreds of people have been evacuated in north-west England due to flooding, BBC News reported. Meanwhile, the Bank of England warned that climate change-driven floods could “devastate the value” of hundreds of thousands of UK homes, according to the Daily Telegraph.
BANK WITHDRAWAL: Morgan Stanley, Bank of America and Citigroup announced that they were quitting the UN-backed net-zero banking alliance, Bloomberg reported. Financial Times described the departures as “the latest sign corporate America may retreat from climate goals” under incoming president Donald Trump.
ALL ELECTRIC: Norway is “on the brink” of achieving its target for 100% of new car sales to be electric by 2025, with zero-emission cars making up 88% of new sales last year, the National reported. Meanwhile, the Daily Telegraph said Tesla saw its “first ever drop” in annual
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