Hannah Fishburn

UK’s Electricity Generation Was Cleanest Ever in 2024: The UK’s electricity generation was the cleanest ever in 2024. Renewables, such as wind and solar power, generated 45% of the UK’s electricity in 2024, a record high, whilst fossil fuels generated only 29% of the UK’s electricity in 2024, the lowest level on record.

The UK has now phased out coal and is getting less than half as much electricity from burning fossil fuels as it did a decade ago. As a result of this transition to renewable generation, carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions per unit have fallen by more than two-thirds in a decade.

To learn more about the UK’s transition to renewables, we recommend the Energy Dashboard website. You can see how electricity is being generated in the UK today, and in the past, as well as a map of current, planned and in-construction generation sites across the UK. It provides lots of interesting discussion points, including the location of and investment into different types of renewables.

Millions of Children’s Education Disrupted by the Climate Crisis in 2024: A new UNICEF analysis released this month says that at least 242 million students in 85 countries had their education disrupted by extreme climate events in 2024. These extreme climate events, including heatwaves, storms, droughts, floods and tropical cyclones, resulted in either school closures or significant interruption to school timetables.

Heatwaves were the predominant climate hazard shutting schools last year, with over 118 million students affected in April alone. Bangladesh and the Philippines experienced widespread school closures in April, while Cambodia shortened the school day by two hours. In May, temperatures spiked to 47°C in parts of South Asia, placing children at significant risk of heat stroke.

“Children are more vulnerable to the impacts of weather-related crises, including stronger and more frequent heatwaves, storms, droughts and flooding,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Children’s bodies are uniquely vulnerable. They heat up faster, they sweat less efficiently, and cool down more slowly than adults. Children cannot concentrate in classrooms that offer no respite from sweltering heat, and they cannot get to school if the path is flooded, or if schools are washed away.”

Some countries experienced multiple climate hazards. For example, in Afghanistan, in addition to heatwaves, the country experienced severe flash floods that damaged or destroyed over 110 schools in May, disrupting education for thousands of students.

“Education is one of the services most frequently disrupted due to climate hazards. Yet it is often overlooked in policy discussions, despite its role in preparing children for climate adaptation,” said Russell. “Children’s futures must be at the forefront of all climate related plans and actions.”

Scientists Say California Wildfires Made Worse by Climate Change: Climate change was a major factor behind the hot, dry weather that gave rise to the devastating wildfires that tore across Los Angeles (LA) earlier this month. A scientific study, by World Weather Attribution, found that climate change made the hot, dry weather conditions about 35% more likely. The scientists highlighted that whilst wildfires are highly complex with multiple factors playing a role, the LA wildfire season is getting longer and more intense, and rains that normally put the blazes out have reduced.

The lead author, Dr. Clair Barnes (Imperial College London) said “climate change increased the risk of the devastating LA wildfires. Drought conditions are more frequently pushing into winter, increasing the chance a fire will break out during strong Santa Ana winds that can turn small ignitions into deadly wildfires.”

More than 12,000 homes and buildings were destroyed by the fires.

Balcony Solar Panels: Millions of people across Europe have installed solar panels on their balconies, coining the term ‘balcony power plants.’

Installing a couple of panels on the balcony can give a saving of up to 30% on a typical household’s electricity bill. Buying and installing the panels costs on average £300 – £650, so the panels can often pay for themselves within six years.

In Spain, where two-thirds of the population live in apartments, getting permission to install solar panels on a communal roof can be challenging. But installing panels on balconies is a great solution to this problem, as it doesn’t require the permission of all the residents in the building.  

Santiago Vernetta, CEO of Tornasol Energy, says “the beauty of the solar balconies is they are flexible, cheap and plug straight into the domestic network via a converter, so you don’t have to pay for the instillation.”

No Snow in Finland: In early December, Lapland, a region of Finland largely in the Arctic Circle, would typically have 20-30cm of snow on the ground, but, due to unseasonably warm and wet weather conditions, much of the region is entirely snow-free at the moment. Finnish Lapland had its warmest summer on record this year and temperatures have continued to be milder than average in Autumn and Winter. The lack of snow impacts animals and plants, and the local tourism industry, with many tourists cancelling their trips if they cannot take part in snow-based activities.

Historic Shift Towards Renewable Energy: For the first time, investment in solar power is higher than investment in oil, marking a historic shift towards renewable energy. As solar panel costs continue to fall, making it a more affordable option, and solar technology becomes more efficient, over $1 billion is being invested in solar power every day. Unlike oil, a fossil fuel, generating electricity from solar does not generate greenhouse gas emissions. Solar power can also be used to help bring electricity to remote communities without having to connect them to a national energy grid.

Climate Literacy of School Leavers Report: Research commissioned by the Department for Education (DfE) in 23/ 24 has been published, assessing the level of climate literacy of school leavers (Year 11) in England. The survey was conducted with a sample of 522 Year 11 pupils and provides evidence of the state of climate awareness of young people and keys gaps in climate education. Some key findings are:

• The 1.5°C / 2°C climate goals are poorly understood. Many young people thought that the climate had already warmed more than this.
• The concept of Net Zero is poorly understood, despite it being used widely by media, schools, politicians and employers.
• Most school leavers are “fairly concerned about climate change.” We should continue to make sure the focus is on making young people “concerned and hopeful” as this will lead to effective individual and collective climate action.  
• Young people have low awareness of climate change in the UK, including projected impacts on the UK and what adaptation and mitigation are already in place or will be needed in the UK.
• A significant proportion of young people do not appreciate that future global warming can still be limited or avoided, highlighting an opportunity for increasing hope and awareness of climate action amongst young people.
• Young people’s awareness of green careers and renewable energy could be increased.
• Young people place high trust in their teacher’s understanding of climate change, highlighting the importance of giving teachers time and support to stay up to date with climate developments.
• There is still a high level of confusion between climate change mitigation strategies and other sustainability issues, such as plastic pollution.

For further reading you can view and download the report on the Gov UK website, or visit the Royal Meteorological Society news page for an excellent overview. Additionally, as part of your ECO₂ Smart Schools support an OASES Officer can visit your school to deliver climate and energy workshops to your pupils or staff training. Please contact us to book in a workshop or training.

Typhoons in the Philippines: The 2024 typhoon season in the Philippines was extraordinary, with 24 named storms, including six typhoons, hitting the country. This is significantly more than the average three storms and one typhoon that the country typically sees during the season. The huge increase in the number of typhoons and storms affected over 13 million people and put a huge strain on resources and infrastructure. Many of these extreme weather events also fell back to back giving little or no time for repairs and preparation. In response to the 2024 typhoon season, the Philippines government is investing in improving emergency responses and adapting infrastructure to prepare for future extreme weather events.

Update on Brazil’s Pledge to End Deforestation by 2030: In June 2023, Brazil’s government, led by President Lula, unveiled an action plan to eliminate illegal deforestation in the Amazon by 2030. The Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Amazon will boost the use of intelligence and satellite imager to track criminal deforestation activity and provide incentives for conservation and sustainable forest management. Degraded forest will be recovered, and more native plants and trees will be planted across the country.

The Amazon rainforest is home to three million species of plants and animals and one million indigenous people. Indigenous leaders have welcomed the plan but have stressed that more areas need full protection from any mining, farming or logging activity. Since setting out the plan in June 2023, the rate of illegal deforestation in the Amazon rainforest has decreased by nearly 50%, a significant step in the right direction.  

Heavy Downpours and Flooding in South-Eastern Spain: At the end of October 2024, South-Eastern Spain was hit by exceptionally heavy rainfall. Hundreds of thousands of people lost access to water and electricity, and over 400 people had to leave their homes. Over 200 people lost their lives as a result of the flooding. Many people in the region felt that they didn’t receive enough warning of the extreme weather forecast and so didn’t have adequate time to prepare or evacuate. They have called for better early warning systems to be put in the place in the region.

Electric Buses in India: The Indian Government announced a $7 billion fund to electrify public transport, providing thousands of emission free buses across the country. India now has the highest population of any country in the world, and so the government hope to make public transport an integral part of the culture of travel to reduce the number of private vehicles and reliance on them.