Environmental regulation system “not working as well as it should”, warns Public Accounts Committee
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The UK’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has raised serious concerns over the ability of environmental regulators and government to meet their existing responsibilities while delivering a programme of major reforms. In a newly published report, MPs conclude that the current regulatory system requires “substantial changes” and is failing to effectively support either nature recovery or […]
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Guest post: How declining cloudiness is accelerating global warming
For the past two decades, low-level cloud cover has been declining, increasing the amount of sunlight absorbed by Earth and amplifying global warming. As global temperatures have reached record highs in recent years, there has been concern that the decline in cloudiness may be enhancing warming more than previously expected. In a new study, published […]
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AI system learns to keep warehouse robot traffic running smoothly
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Inside a giant autonomous warehouse, hundreds of robots dart down aisles as they collect and distribute items to fulfill a steady stream of customer orders. In this busy environment, even small traffic jams or minor collisions can snowball into massive slowdowns. To avoid such an avalanche of inefficiencies, researchers from MIT and the tech firm […]
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Analysis: India’s CO2 emissions in 2025 grew at slowest rate in two decades
India’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions grew by 0.5% in the second half of 2025 and by just 0.7% in the year as a whole, the slowest rate in more than two decades. This is a sharp slowdown from the growth of 4-11% in the preceding four years and marks the lowest rate of increase since […]
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Augmenting citizen science with computer vision for fish monitoring
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Each spring, river herring populations migrate from Massachusetts coastal waters to begin their annual journey up rivers and streams to freshwater spawning habitat. River herring have faced severe population declines over the past several decades, and their migration is extensively monitored across the region, primarily through traditional visual counting and volunteer-based programs. Monitoring fish movement and […]
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Limiting global warming to 2C would not ‘rule out’ extreme impacts
Limiting warming to 2C above pre-industrial temperatures may not be enough to prevent “extreme global climate outcomes”, according to research published in Nature. The authors simulate climate extremes – such as drought in breadbasket regions and flooding in populated areas – under a 2C warming scenario using a range of different global climate models. They […]
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Factcheck: Nine false or misleading myths about North Sea oil and gas
The Iran war has triggered another fossil-fuel energy crisis, with surging global prices and increasing concerns over energy security. In the UK, many newspapers, opposition politicians and other public figures have used the crisis to argue in favour of issuing more licences for oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. These arguments have also […]
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What Is Surplus Interconnection? And Why It Could Unlock the U.S. Power Grid
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The United States’ power grid is facing a new era of electricity demand growth as data centers come online and factories, electric vehicles, and buildings switch to affordable electric technologies. But we’re still stuck in yesterday’s approach to connecting new electricity generation resources to our power grid. On average, a power plant that wants to […]
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Cropped 25 March 2026: Seabed mining talks stall | ‘Blueprint’ for land use | India feels Iran war impacts
We handpick and explain the most important stories at the intersection of climate, land, food and nature over the past fortnight. This is an online version of Carbon Brief’s fortnightly Cropped email newsletter. Subscribe for free here. Key developments Seabed mining talks stall UNFINISHED BUSINESS: The International Seabed Authority (ISA) ended a two-week meeting in Kingston, […]
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Royal Mail and Loganair launch UK’s first electric mail flights across Scotland
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Royal Mail, Loganair and US electric aerospace company BETA Technologies have begun the UK’s first live demonstration of electric aircraft on operational postal routes, marking a significant step in the decarbonisation of regional aviation. The initial flight took place on 20 March between Glasgow and Dundee, with additional demonstration routes planned across Scotland’s regional airport […]
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Wristband enables wearers to control a robotic hand with their own movements
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The next time you’re scrolling your phone, take a moment to appreciate the feat: The seemingly mundane act is possible thanks to the coordination of 34 muscles, 27 joints, and over 100 tendons and ligaments in your hand. Indeed, our hands are the most nimble parts of our bodies. Mimicking their many nuanced gestures has […]
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Are Refurbished iPhones a More Sustainable Option Than Buying New?
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The answer’s yes, in most cases a refurbished iPhone is a more sustainable option than buying a brand-new one. The main reason is a pretty simple one: if you re-use a existing phone, you avoid most of the negative environmental impact that comes from having to manufacture a whole new device from scratch. And that […]
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How to create “humble” AI
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Artificial intelligence holds promise for helping doctors diagnose patients and personalize treatment options. However, an international group of scientists led by MIT cautions that AI systems, as currently designed, carry the risk of steering doctors in the wrong direction because they may overconfidently make incorrect decisions. One way to prevent these mistakes is to program […]
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Advancing international trade research and finding community
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The sense of support and community was palpable when Sojun Park, a postdoc at the MIT Center for International Studies (CIS), delivered a recent presentation on The Global Diffusion of AI Technologies and Its Political Drivers. The event, part of the CIS Global Research and Policy Seminar, filled the venue with audience members from across MIT. “My […]
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On algorithms, life, and learning
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From enhancing international business logistics to freeing up more hospital beds to helping farmers, MIT Professor Dimitris Bertsimas SM ’87, PhD ’88 summarized how his work in operations research has helped drive real-world improvements, while delivering the 54th annual James R. Killian Faculty Achievement Award Lecture at MIT on Thursday, March 19. Bertsimas also described […]
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Lighting expert appoints Environmental Metrics Manager
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Flavie Lowres. Lighting circularity expert Recolight has appointed Flavie Lowres as Environmental Metrics Manager. The group said she will play a pivotal role in supporting the lighting industry in the adoption of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). Flavie joins Recolight with a distinguished track record in Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), EPDs, and the circular economy of […]
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Transatlantic link-up reflects global interest in marine renewables research
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A speaker from the 2023 event. Two international marine science conferences will create a keynote talk with a difference by simultaneously involving speakers on either side of the Atlantic Ocean. The Environmental Interactions of Marine Renewables (EIMR2026) conference in Oban, Scotland and the Pan American Marine Energy Conference (PAMEC) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will […]
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Analysis: CO2 from UK data centres could be ‘hundreds of times’ higher than thought
Emissions from the new data centres set to drive the UK’s AI “revolution” could be hundreds of times higher than government estimates, according to analysis by Carbon Brief. There are dozens of data centres being developed across the country, potentially driving a surge in electricity demand. Amid uncertainty about the scale and pace of this […]