Exposing biases, moods, personalities, and abstract concepts hidden in large language models
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By now, ChatGPT, Claude, and other large language models have accumulated so much human knowledge that they’re far from simple answer-generators; they can also express abstract concepts, such as certain tones, personalities, biases, and moods. However, it’s not obvious exactly how these models represent abstract concepts to begin with from the knowledge they contain. Now […]
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China Briefing 19 February 2026: CO2 emissions ‘flat or falling’ | First tariff lifted | Ma Jun on carbon data
Welcome to Carbon Brief’s China Briefing. China Briefing handpicks and explains the most important climate and energy stories from China over the past fortnight. Subscribe for free here. Key developments Carbon emissions on the decline ‘FLAT OR FALLING’: China’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have been either “flat or falling” for almost two years, reported Agence France-Presse […]
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Ma Jun: ‘No business interest’ in Chinese coal power due to cheaper renewables
Open and transparent data can accelerate the decarbonisation of China’s industries and boost public interest in climate change, says Ma Jun. Ma – one of China’s most recognisable environmental activists – says that early experiments with publishing real-time air quality data have paved the way for greater openness from the Chinese government towards publishing greenhouse […]
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Data Center Litigation – An Emerging Frontier for Climate Litigation?
The explosive growth of artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and digital services has brought renewed attention to the physical infrastructure underpinning the digital economy: data centers. While critical to the operations of major tech companies, data centers are now among the most energy-intensive forms of industrial infrastructure. Although it is possible to run data centers […]
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Parking-aware navigation system could prevent frustration and emissions
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It happens every day — a motorist heading across town checks a navigation app to see how long the trip will take, but they find no parking spots available when they reach their destination. By the time they finally park and walk to their destination, they’re significantly later than they expected to be. Most popular […]
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The ECtHR’s Climate Jurisprudence in 2025: Grappling with Fossil Fuels, Rejecting Extraterritorial Jurisdiction, and Still no Victim Status
A Year of Climate Rulings Handing down no less than five climate rulings in 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (“the ECtHR”) has been busy deciding the backlog of cases it had adjourned in 2023, while it dealt with three other climate cases pending before the Grand Chamber at that time (Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz […]
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Personalization features can make LLMs more agreeable
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Many of the latest large language models (LLMs) are designed to remember details from past conversations or store user profiles, enabling these models to personalize responses. But researchers from MIT and Penn State University found that, over long conversations, such personalization features often increase the likelihood an LLM will become overly agreeable or begin mirroring […]
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Blending Hydrogen Into Gas Pipelines Would Enrich Utilities And Harm Californians
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The post Blending Hydrogen Into Gas Pipelines Would Enrich Utilities And Harm Californians appeared first on Energy Innovation.
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Chris Stark: The economics of clean energy ‘just get better and better’
The economics of clean energy “just get better and better”, leaving opponents of the transition looking like “King Canute”, says Chris Stark. Stark is head of the UK government’s “mission” to deliver clean power by 2030, having previously been chief executive of the advisory Climate Change Committee (CCC). In a wide-ranging interview with Carbon Brief, […]
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The height of practicality: Measuring PM in the clouds above Delhi
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The drone incorporating the low-cost PM sensor, AE-51 micro-aethalometer, and meteorological sensors (image credit: Ajit Ahlawat, TU Delft / TROPOS). Cost-effective sensors on drones may be an effective tool for better investigating the lowest layers of the atmosphere. If ground-based air quality measurements were supplemented by such drone-based readings, air quality models and mitigation approaches […]
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UK amongst global leaders on circular economy, but residual waste is here to stay
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The UK will still be generating over 17 million tonnes of unrecyclable waste by 2042, even under best-case recycling scenarios, says the UK government (image credit: Richard M Lee / Shutterstock.com) Britain ranks among the better performers on waste management compared with other advanced economies, but — like its peers — will still face substantial […]
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Offshore wind supply chain support programme opens
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The first Fit For Offshore Renewables (F4OR) offshore wind supply chain support programme directed at businesses across Scotland opened for applications on 12 February. F4OR Scotland, delivered by the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, will be supported with industry funding from Crown Estate Scotland and the Energy Transition Zone (ETZ) Ltd. Up to 10 companies […]
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Guest post: The challenges in projecting future global sea levels
It is well understood that human-caused climate change is causing sea levels to rise around the world. Since 1901, global sea levels have risen by at least 20cm – accelerating from around 1mm a year for much of the 20th century to 4mm a year over 2006-18. Sea level rise has significant environmental and social consequences, […]
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Sensors installed across Aberdeen in bid to map geothermal energy
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(Left to right) Technician Iona Copley, researcher Tristan Roberts, University of Aberdeen Principal Professor Peter Edwards, and Dr David Cornwell, AGFP co-lead Researchers exploring Aberdeen’s potential for geothermal heating have begun deploying a city-wide network of seismic nodes that will be used to create a 3D subsurface map. Installed across a mix of public and […]
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Q&A: What does Trump’s repeal of US ‘endangerment finding’ mean for climate action?
On 12 February, US president Donald Trump revoked the “endangerment finding”, the bedrock of federal climate policy. The 2009 finding concluded that six key greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide (CO2), were a threat to human health – triggering a legal requirement to regulate them. It has been key to the rollout of policies such as federal […]
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Project uses plants and worms to regenerate polluted urban soils
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Dr Lorna Anguilano, co-founder of Phyona: “Plants have been regenerating landscapes for millions of years and we’re now just beginning to understand how to work with them.” A team of researchers say they are showing how biological systems can reshape the way cities deal with polluted soils, offering a glimpse into a future where natural […]
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Study upends “plant trees everywhere” strategy for climate action
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Aerial view of a tree canopy in the Amazon Forests are most effective for climate regulation when conserved or restored in their natural or native locations, according to a new study. The importance of natural forests is becoming more apparent, say the researchers, not only for global climate change mitigation, but for local climate adaptation […]
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Repair, resilience and responsibility: why decisions around rotating equipment are changing
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Thomas Marks is Director General at the Association of Electrical and Mechanical Trades (AEMT). Thomas Marks outlines the changing drivers behind repair versus replace decisions and explains how his own Association is evolving to meet them. At the start of a new year, it’s tempting to focus on plans and priorities. But as we move […]