Demystifying President Trump’s “National Energy Emergency” and the Scope of Emergency Authority
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It has been just a few weeks since President Donald J. Trump returned to the White House and, wow, what a whirlwind it has been. In the midst of the constitutional extreme event brought on by the administration, this blog post seeks to do one thing: review the emergency authorities invoked in Executive Order 14156, […]
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DeBriefed 14 February 2025: Nearly 95% of countries miss UN climate deadline; 1.5C on horizon; Behind-the-scenes of CB analysis
Welcome to Carbon Brief’s DeBriefed. An essential guide to the week’s key developments relating to climate change. This week 1.5C looms 1.5C EXAMINED: The run of record heat last year suggests the world is close to exceeding the Paris Agreement’s target of limiting global temperatures to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, according to two new studies covered […]
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Consistent cutting: Macerator for wastewater and biogas
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Borger has launched a new cutting-basket macerator that helps protect wastewater/biogas pumps and downstream equipment by consistently mashing solids. Designed with pivoted cutting blades that adjust automatically, the OrbitGrinder operates at an even cutting speed, with its cutting basket’s blades arranged in a special star shape to maximise shredding. Not only is flow through the […]
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Mapped: How extreme weather is destroying crops around the world
Extreme weather can harm food production in many different ways. Drought leaving rice fields cracked and dry. Heavy rainfall flooding orange groves. Tropical cyclones tearing down banana plants and coconut trees. Carbon Brief has analysed global media coverage over the past two years to identify reporting on extreme weather events damaging crops. Various impacts were […]
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AI model deciphers the code in proteins that tells them where to go
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Proteins are the workhorses that keep our cells running, and there are many thousands of types of proteins in our cells, each performing a specialized function. Researchers have long known that the structure of a protein determines what it can do. More recently, researchers are coming to appreciate that a protein’s localization is also critical […]
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“Fully recyclable” solar cells showcase using water as a solvent
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The researchers Feng Gao and Xun Xiao of Linköping University (image credit: Thor Balkhed). In a study published in Nature, researchers have developed a method that they say is able to recycle all parts of a solar cell repeatedly without environmentally hazardous solvents. The recycled solar cell is said to have the same efficiency as […]
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Top AI Models are Getting Lost in Long Documents
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A new study from researchers at LMU Munich, the Munich Center for Machine Learning, and Adobe Research has exposed a weakness in AI language models: they struggle to understand long documents in ways that might surprise you. The research team’s findings show that even the most advanced AI models have trouble connecting information when they […]
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Ganesh Shankar, CEO & Co-Founder of Responsive – Interview Series
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Ganesh Shankar, CEO and Co-Founder of Responsive, is an experienced product manager with a background in leading product development and software implementations for Fortune 500 enterprises. During his time in product management, he observed inefficiencies in the Request for Proposal (RFP) process—formal documents organizations use to solicit bids from vendors, often requiring extensive, detailed responses. […]
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Electrification Loves Grid Reliability
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In this valentine to the electric grid, Electrify This! host Sara Baldwin speaks with grid expert, Ric O’Connell of GridLab, about a topic front of mind for more people, utilities, and policymakers around the world: grid reliability. Demand for electricity is on the rise after decades of relatively flat load growth as more end-uses seek […]
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EA research cites new evidence of natural flood management benefits
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Managed realignment at Steart Marshes in Somerset created 250 hectares of saltmarsh, a landscape feature with carbon storage capabilities that compare favourably with woodland. Nature can play a major role in improving the nation’s resilience to flooding and coastal erosion, updated research from the Environment Agency appears to underline. The EA has published a new […]
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The rise of green steel in Europe: Technologies, key players and other matters
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Europe is at the forefront of the global push towards sustainability, and the steel industry is no exception. As part of the broader effort to reduce carbon emissions and fight climate change, the concept of “green steel” is rapidly gaining traction. The European steel sector, traditionally one of the most carbon-intensive industries, is embracing innovative […]
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China’s construction of new coal-power plants ‘reached 10-year high’ in 2024
A “resurgence” in construction of new coal-fired power plants in China is “undermining the country’s clean-energy progress”, says a new joint report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and Global Energy Monitor (GEM). The country began building 94.5 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-power capacity and resumed 3.3GW of suspended projects […]
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Just 17% of world’s peatlands are protected, new study warns
There is a “mismatch” between the importance of peatlands and their current level of protection, a new study warns. The paper, published in Conservation Letters, combines maps showing global peatlands, protected areas and human impact in the year 2020, to provide a snapshot of the current level of global peatland protection. The authors stress that […]
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Cropped 12 February 2025: Trump chaos; COP16 leadership in question; How global trade harms forest species
Welcome to Carbon Brief’s Cropped. 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 Trump chaos TRUMP TARIFFS: US president Donald Trump’s escalating trade war with the […]
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Artificial Super Intelligence: Preparing for the Future of Human-Technology Collaboration
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is advancing faster than ever, and now, the idea of Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) is moving from science fiction into a possible future. ASI is a form of intelligence that outperforms human abilities in almost every field, from scientific discovery to social interactions. Unlike today’s AI systems, which are designed for specific […]
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Raphael de Thoury, CEO of Pasqal Canada – Interview Series
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Raphaël de Thoury is a deep tech entrepreneur with 20+ years of experience in innovation, startups, and industrial R&D. As CEO of Pasqal Canada, he leads the company’s North American expansion, fostering quantum computing advancements in energy, finance, mobility, and materials. Before joining Pasqal, he founded and exited Particlever, a nanotech company, and has held […]
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Bridging philosophy and AI to explore computing ethics
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During a meeting of class 6.C40/24.C40 (Ethics of Computing), Professor Armando Solar-Lezama poses the same impossible question to his students that he often asks himself in the research he leads with the Computer Assisted Programming Group at MIT: “How do we make sure that a machine does what we want, and only what we want?” At […]
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Gift from Sebastian Man ’79, SM ’80 supports MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing building
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The MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing has received substantial support for its striking new headquarters on Vassar Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A major gift from Sebastian Man ’79, SM ’80 will be recognized with the naming of a key space in the building, enriching the academic and research activities of the MIT Schwarzman […]