Mining the ocean floor for critical minerals was already controversial, but a new groundbreaking scientific study has thrown the industry into chaos as countries negotiate its future.
At a meeting of the United Nations’ International Seabed Authority (ISA) in Jamaica, running from July 15 to Aug 2, countries are negotiating rules to govern deep sea mining. The regulations have been under development for years, but the clock has been running out on an agreement.
Towering cranes pierce the sky, contrasting with the rural surroundings. It’s an early morning in June, the air already gauzy and thick, and construction is humming at the Toyota Battery mega-site in Liberty, North Carolina.
Trucks and other heavy machines dart in and out of the complex. A line of food trucks is tucked around the corner, alongside a dozen tour buses used to move workers.
As the first municipality in Canada to reverse a bylaw to build clean energy into new homes, Vancouver is no longer a climate leader — it’s a climate laggard
Last week, as Valemount was opening its homes to thousands of evacuees fleeing the Jasper wildfires, Vancouver was slamming the door on climate progress. In a 6-to-5 vote, city council abruptly reversed the city’s long-standing bylaw preventing natural gas heating in new homes.
Oil and gas exploration has surged to pre-pandemic levels this year, and Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Norway account for two-thirds of the new oil and gas licences since 2020, the International Institute for Sustainable Development revealed today.
Electric Vehicles Strain the Automaker-Big Oil Alliance
In the clean car battle, the oil industry leans on friends—including Donald Trump—to keep gasoline transport alive, while carmakers steer toward an EV future.
Politically Charged: Fourth is a series about how political polarization threatens the EV future.
We are in real trouble. Global carbon dioxide emissions (the main cause of global warming) continue to rise, hitting a new high in 2023. Last year was also the hottest in recorded history and, year by year, more Americans are feeling the consequences. Yet, we have seen only modest attempts to bring emissions down.
The soaring electricity demands of data centers and A.I. are straining the grid in some areas, pushing up emissions and slowing the energy transition.
A few weeks ago, I joined a small group of reporters for a wide-ranging conversation with Bill Gates about climate change, its causes and potential solutions. When the topic turned to the issue of just how much energy artificial intelligence was using, Gates was surprisingly sanguine.
