In brief | 13 August ‘25

Ariadne: Report: A cost-efficient energy transition: Scenarios for climate neutrality 2045

Ambitious climate action more than halves expected climate damages, and the economic benefits clearly outweigh the costs.

Ember: Heat and power: Impacts of the 2025 heatwave in Europe

June–July heatwave caused stress for European power systems, driving electricity demand and doubling daily power prices. Yet, grids remained stable, fuelled by record volumes of solar power.

 Reuters: E.ON calls for higher grid returns in Germany as H1 core profit rises

Europe's largest energy grid operator calls on Germany's energy regulator to raise future returns on grid investments, warning Europe's top economy risked falling behind in its efforts to build out power infrastructure.

Bloomberg: The next big energy trade is mega-batteries for Europe’s excess power

Traders hope that the investments will help them profit from the wild price swings in power that are often far bigger and more frequent than in other commodity markets, especially as batteries become cheaper and better.

The Guardian: Temperature records broken as extreme heat grips parts of Europe

Unprecedented temperatures causing difficulties in south-west France, Croatia, Italy and Spain, with wildfire destruction across Europe up 87 percent.

Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health: Extreme weather events in the European Region are a health emergency not just a climate one

“The European Region is experiencing record-breaking heatwaves, growing more frequent, more intense and more deadly. These events are not merely inconvenient – they are silent killers,” writes the Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health in an open letter.

RIFS: Social questions around climate adaptation measures

A team of researchers used a real-world lab near Germany's Ahr Valley, which was affected by heavy flooding in July 2021, to investigate the extent to which ethical and social issues play a role in adaptation processes.