France relies on a highly nuclear-dependent grid because it provides the nation with predictability. Most of the country’s electricity comes from its reactor fleet, which represents a bet on carbon-free baseload power that’s paid off for decades. But that same fleet has a weak spot that heat waves keep exposing. Most reactors depend on river … Continue reading Blog by Grace Waters: Why France’s nuclear plants are shutting down during peak summer demand
Category: climate risk
When loving Antarctica means leaving it
In an article on The Conversation website, Zdenka Sokolickova, Postdoctoral Researcher, Arctic Centre, University of Groningen; Christy Hehir, Senior Lecturer in Tourism and Events, University of Surrey; and Elizabeth Cooper, Postdoctoral Researcher, Arctic Centre, University of Groningen explore a moral conflict—what happens when people discover that the work they love is at odds with the … Continue reading When loving Antarctica means leaving it
When heatwaves become legal evidence
In an article on The Conversation website, Sandra Cassotta, Associate Professor in International, Environmental and Energy Law, Aalborg University in Denmark, argues that climate attribution science should become legal evidence for enforcing climate obligations. While most related articles on extreme heat focus on impacts or adaptation, this one makes a more ambitious argument that attribution … Continue reading When heatwaves become legal evidence
Energy in Demand News, July 19-20, 2026
The EU has big plans to electrify. It has set its first-ever electrification target: 46% by 2040. Electrification has hovered just under 24% for more than a decade. Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen told reporters in Brussels on Friday: “With this plan, we are putting Europe on a course to become the world’s first electro-continent.” Check … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, July 19-20, 2026
Building homes for a hotter world
Julia Vergin writes on the Deutsche Welle website about how buildings must adapt to a hotter climate, rather than simply surviving individual heatwaves. The emphasis is on passive cooling, better design, and climate-resilient construction. In Germany, it is time to rethink and rebuild. Many apartments were not designed for heat waves. Fortunately, there are ways … Continue reading Building homes for a hotter world
Heatwaves are testing the resilience of our power grids
Natalie Muller writes on the Deutsche Welle website about the immediate problem and the broader policy challenge of modernising electricity networks for a hotter climate. When extreme heat hits, people turn to AC, but what if the grid fails? From France to the US, heat waves are pushing power systems to the limit, raising blackout … Continue reading Heatwaves are testing the resilience of our power grids
Energy in Demand News, July 12-13, 2026
Eurostar, the international high-speed rail service in Western Europe, will now be building its new generation of trains to withstand 55C summers. The new trains, to be built by Alstom, were originally designed to cope with conditions of up to 45C. But the UK Times website quotes Gwendoline Cazenave, chief executive of Eurostar, saying: “We … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, July 12-13, 2026
When climate change has no image
In an article on The Conversation website, Fionagh Thomson, Visiting Research Fellow, Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy, Institute for Computational Cosmology, Durham University writes less about the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) itself than about why invisible climate systems struggle to gain public attention. Some of the most important climate processes, such as the AMOC, remain … Continue reading When climate change has no image
Climate, conflict and the race to 2030
Sarah Steffen writes on the Deutsche Welle website about the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) falling behind, with climate change, conflict and underinvestment threatening progress. With just under five years left to complete the UN's SDGs, a new report shows what's hampering progress. And what the solutions are. Conflict, climate, no cash: Why poverty … Continue reading Climate, conflict and the race to 2030
Americans are hearing about global warming in the media less frequently
The Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University has released a new report, “Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes, Spring 2026,” based on our latest national survey, conducted April 17-26, 2026. Key Takeaways 65% of Americans say the issue of global warming is personally important to them. 76% of Americans … Continue reading Americans are hearing about global warming in the media less frequently
