{"id":62366,"date":"2026-05-15T14:50:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T13:50:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carbonbrief.org\/?p=62366"},"modified":"2026-05-18T09:32:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T08:32:56","slug":"debriefed-15-april-2026-trump-xi-talk-energy-supercharged-el-nino-indias-first-heat-lounges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carbonbrief.org\/debriefed-15-april-2026-trump-xi-talk-energy-supercharged-el-nino-indias-first-heat-lounges\/","title":{"rendered":"DeBriefed 15 May 2026: Trump-Xi talk energy | \u2018Supercharged\u2019 El Ni\u00f1o | India\u2019s first \u2018heat lounges\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to Carbon Brief\u2019s DeBriefed.\u00a0<\/em><\/em>
An essential guide to the week’s key developments relating to climate change.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

US-China meet<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

ENERGY TALKS:<\/strong> Trump administration officials have raised the prospect of China buying more US oil in response to the disruption caused by the Iran war<\/a>, following two days of talks between the leaders of the superpowers in Beijing, said Reuters<\/a>. On Thursday, US treasury secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC<\/a> the nations had discussed China \u201cbuying more US energy\u201d, adding that production from Alaska would be a “natural” \u2060for China. The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post<\/a> reported that Trump and Xi also agreed that the strait of Hormuz must remain open to \u201csupport the free flow of energy\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CLIMATE \u2018COOPERATION\u2019: <\/strong>Ahead of the talks, the Communist party-affiliated People\u2019s Daily<\/a> published an article saying that addressing climate change requires \u201ccoordinated efforts and cooperation\u201d between China and the US. State-run newspaper China Daily<\/a> said that US-China cooperation on energy security and climate governance is \u201cessential\u201d because the two countries have \u201cconsiderable influence over international institutions\u201d. However, an article in Legal Planet<\/a> said that the Trump-Xi meeting had no climate agenda, adding that the two countries are now moving in \u201cradically different directions\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

El Ni\u00f1o extremes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u2018SUPERCHARGED\u2019: <\/strong>From wildfires to heatwaves and flooding, scientists have warned that the El Ni\u00f1o<\/a> weather pattern could \u201camplify climate extremes\u201d in 2026, reported Climate Home News<\/a>. There is an 82% chance of a \u201cvery strong<\/a>\u201d El Ni\u00f1o forming this year, according to the average of four weather forecasters cited by the Times<\/a>. The Independent<\/a> added that the phenomenon could be \u201csupercharged\u201d by another weather pattern \u2013 a positive Indian Ocean Dipole<\/a> \u2013 raising the risks of fire, drought risks and other extreme weather events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WORLD ON FIRE: <\/strong>Global fire outbreaks hit a \u201crecord high\u201d in Africa, Asia and elsewhere this year, reported Reuters<\/a>, with conditions expected to worsen to the \u201chighest in recent history\u201d if a strong El Ni\u00f1o \u201ckicks in\u201d. More than 150m hectares of land were damaged by fires from January to April \u2013 20% more than the previous record \u2013 according to data compiled by the \u200bWorld Weather Attribution (WWA) research group cited by the newswire. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around the world<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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