Carbon Emissions from the US-Canada-Mexico World Cup May Set a Historic High; China Makes Major Progress in Integrated Space-Air-Ground Carbon Monitoring Technology
（2026/06/08—2026/06/14）
Author：Hao-Wang
International Energy News
1. Carbon Emissions from the US-Canada-Mexico World Cup May Set a Historic High
The carbon footprint of this year's US-Canada-Mexico World Cup is expected to reach 7.8 to 9 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, nearly double the average of previous tournaments held between 2010 and 2022, with a worst-case projection of up to 15 million tonnes. Fan travel, dominated by air transport, accounts for about 87 percent of the event's total emissions, with aviation alone responsible for more than 7.7 million tonnes, representing an increase of 160 to 325 percent compared with previous World Cups.
Although the tournament makes extensive use of existing venues across North America and has promoted green initiatives such as solar power generation and jerseys made from recycled polyester, sustainable aviation fuel currently accounts for only 0.6 percent of global jet fuel consumption, making it difficult to ease the pressure from aviation emissions. FIFA plans to achieve accounting-level carbon neutrality by purchasing carbon credits, but actual emissions are rising sharply against its 2030 target of halving emissions.
2.Brazilian Telecom Operator Expects 2026 Energy Management Savings to Quadruple from 2025
A Brazilian telecom operator, combining distributed renewable power generation with AI analytics tools, expects its energy management savings in 2026 to be four times those of 2025. The company currently generates about 70 percent of its operational electricity from 136 solar, hydro and biogas plants distributed across 23 states and the Federal District, powering more than 20,000 telecom towers with annual output of approximately 474 GWh. Since 2021, the company has relied entirely on renewable electricity, supplemented through purchases on the free market and international renewable energy certificates.
In 2025, the company launched an AI-based energy management application that analyzes billing data to identify abnormal consumption and consumption levels below expectations, helping detect possible metering faults or energy losses. The system now covers all of the company's electricity accounts, and by correcting discrepancies between consumption and billing, it indirectly reduces the need to purchase power and renewable energy certificates on the market, improving energy management efficiency and strengthening preventive capabilities.
3. Morocco’s Renewable Energy Capacity Continues to Grow Rapidly
Morocco's installed renewable energy capacity has surpassed 4.8 GW, driven mainly by solar and wind projects, with the country aiming to raise the share of renewables in its power generation capacity to 52 percent by 2030. While thermal power, particularly coal and gas plants, still plays a major role in electricity supply, the shares of solar, wind and hydropower are rising rapidly. With about 90 percent of its energy needs met through imports, Morocco views renewable expansion as a key path to lowering long-term costs and improving the predictability of electricity prices.
To address the variability of renewable energy, Morocco is accelerating the deployment of energy storage systems and pumped-storage hydropower plants while strengthening grid interconnections, and in 2025 secured international financing to upgrade hundreds of kilometers of transmission lines. At the same time, the country is leveraging the abundant solar and wind resources of the Sahara Desert to develop green hydrogen and green ammonia industries, gradually becoming an important player in the global low-carbon fuel production sector.
Domestic Energy News
1. China Makes Major Progress in Integrated Space-Air-Ground Carbon Monitoring Technology
China has achieved a breakthrough in core technologies for high-resolution domestic satellite retrieval of CO2 and CH4 column concentrations and emissions, breaking foreign monopolies in mesoscale CO2 flux detection using lidar concentration and wind field synchronous measurement. The research team has developed mesoscale lidar monitoring facilities, on-site measurement and metering IoT devices, as well as inversion and verification algorithms for regional and sector-level greenhouse gas emission inventories, enabling high-precision, rapid monitoring and metering of greenhouse gas emissions at the national, provincial, industrial, energy, transport and residential levels.
The team has also led the drafting of two meteorological industry technical standards and three internationally advanced group standards, and has been approved for Fujian Province's first major equipment project in the energy sector. The technology is now being applied by national and provincial meteorological and environmental protection departments, as well as by enterprises in the steel, coal and flat glass industries, providing crucial technical support for accurately accounting for carbon budgets and scientifically evaluating emission reduction outcomes.
2. Domestically Developed High-Temperature Superconducting Magnet Completes Low-Temperature Excitation Test, Laying the Foundation for Fusion Reactor Development
A full-scale high-temperature superconducting toroidal field magnet, independently developed by a Chinese company, has recently completed an excitation test at 20 K, successfully reaching 4.5 kA. It is the world's first full-scale high-temperature superconducting toroidal field magnet designed for a spherical tokamak fusion reactor. Standing about 4 meters tall and 2 meters wide, with dimensions matching the actual fusion device, the magnet achieved an engineering current density (including the coil case) exceeding 40 A per square millimeter, a winding current density of 375 A per square millimeter, a current-carrying ratio of over 60 percent, an equivalent central magnetic field of 3.06 tesla, and a maximum field of 11.1 tesla, with all indicators meeting expectations.
From tape acceptance and coil winding to the cooling and control systems, almost all stages of the magnet's development were completed independently, with the entire cooldown and testing process fully automated and running stably. The successful test lays the groundwork for the development of the next-generation spherical tokamak device and represents an important milestone in China's progress toward self-reliance in fusion energy technology.
3. China Completes Its First "Ship-to-Grid" Interaction Test
China recently completed its first "ship-to-grid" interaction test in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, in which a fully electric tugboat fed power back to the grid through a port microgrid, marking the country's first realization of two-way interaction between new-energy electric vessels and the power grid. The test lasted seven hours, with a discharge power of 80 kW and a total discharge of 560 kWh, overcoming the challenge of stable high-power charging and discharging control in the high-humidity, high-salinity marine environment.
The Port of Lianyungang currently operates four fully electric tugboats, which together can form a 20,000 kWh mobile energy storage cluster, equivalent to a small mobile energy storage station capable of supporting the simultaneous operation of five large quay cranes. The test marks a key step in extending the energy internet from land-based "vehicle-to-grid" applications to marine scenarios, offering a new technical pathway for the green and low-carbon transformation of ports.
(Main news sources: CCTVNEWS APP, International Energy Network, China Energy Network, National Energy Administration, China Energy News)
