Category: Current News

In this article for The Conversation, authors Ehsan Noroozinejad and Seyedali Mirjalili discuss the environmental impact of artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The authors say that AI can help address some global environmental issues but can also lead to serious problems. For example, AI uses huge amounts of energy, particularly during model training and operation, and…

The transition to electric vehicles (EVs) faces significant hurdles that suggest a continued role for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Key issues include inadequate public charging infrastructure, with many consumers expressing concerns about the convenience and availability of charging stations compared to traditional gas stations. A recent report highlights that 29% of current EV owners…

In Alaska, advocates emphasize the need to reduce the prison population as a crucial response to the climate crisis, highlighting the vulnerability of aging correctional facilities to extreme weather events such as floods and thawing permafrost. The Fifth National Climate Assessment warns that climate-related damage poses significant threats to state infrastructure, with projections indicating over…

A new carbon capture facility named Mammoth, located in Iceland and developed by Climeworks, is the world’s largest direct air capture (DAC) plant. It has been operational for two months and is designed to extract carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, sequestering it underground, where it solidifies into rock. The facility currently has twelve units,…

Research into solar geoengineering is facing significant societal resistance. Recent experiments, including a small-scale field test off the California coast, have been met with public outcry and calls for halting such studies. The debate has escalated internationally, with a divide between nations supporting research and those, particularly in the Global South, advocating for a non-use…