Climate & Energy
Where it stands
As of 3 August 2026
AI-driven demand and slow-to-exit fossils are pulling the grid one way while clean power builds fast the other - and the clean side is not yet winning.
Forces in tension
US electricity use rising after decades flat; AI chips doubling roughly every nine months
North Sea approvals, coal plants kept open, a fresh refinery bet
midday-versus-evening mismatch, gas-driven price spikes, new curtailment rules
EU softens its carbon rule; regulator eases data-centre pollution limits
UK solar at a 15-year high; China's coal share below half for the first time
What to watch
Whether new solar, storage, and grid rules can keep pace with electricity demand that is rising for the first time in decades.
This board is the synthesized picture of 9 recent Climate & Energy editions. It describes where things stand — the forces, not a forecast, and never advice on what to do.