Experts: What to expect in China’s climate pledge for 2035
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The next round of “nationally determined contributions” (NDC) to the Paris Agreement, outlining countries’ climate goals to 2035, are due by February 2025. They are also set to be an important agenda item at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan later this month. China, as the world’s current largest emitter, has not yet confirmed when it will […]
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Guest post: How COP29 host Azerbaijan could boost growth through climate action
Azerbaijan’s economy is highly dependent on fossil-fuel exports, making its economic prospects vulnerable to rising emissions-cutting ambition around the world. As decarbonisation reduces global fossil-fuel demand and prices, the country will not be able to earn as much money from its oil and gas resources. In a recent study, we looked at the policy solutions […]
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Out of Iowa
There’s a joke you’ll hear while driving through Iowa in the late spring. When someone sniffs something pungent wafting up from the fields, they’ll turn to you with a grin on their face. Then comes the joke: Smells like money! Heh, I used to say in response, but no more than that, for it’s not […]
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Why AI Developers Are Buzzing About Claude 3.5’s Computer Use Feature
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Anthropic has just released Claude 3.5, a powerful new version of its LLM series. While this model brings improved reasoning and coding skills, the real excitement centers around a new feature called “Computer Use.” This capability lets developers guide Claude to interact with the computer like a person—navigating screens, moving cursors, clicking, and typing. Unlike […]
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Amy Brown, Chief Executive Officer, Authenticx – Interview Series
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Amy Brown, a former healthcare executive, founded Authenticx in 2018 to help healthcare organizations unlock the potential of customer interaction data. With two decades of experience in the healthcare and insurance industries, she saw the missed opportunities in using customer conversations to drive business growth and improve profitability. Authenticx addresses this gap by utilizing AI […]
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China Briefing 31 October 2024: Q3 emissions; EU’s EV tariff in effect; NDC expectations
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 China’s emissions flat in Q3 Q3 ANALYSIS: Citing official and commercial data, analysis for Carbon Brief by Lauri Myllyvirta at the Centre for Research on Energy […]
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Acquisition alters UK stack emissions testing landscape
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The move combines teams with long-standing expertise in stack emissions testing. UK stack emissions testing and occupational hygiene consultancy Envirocare has acquired Atesta, a specialist in stack emissions testing. Envirocare said the move consolidates the resources and expertise of the two firms, with the potential to support further improvements in quality of service, responsiveness and […]
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Platform Engineering: Streamlining Modern Software Development
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As we accelerate ahead of Industry 4.0, digital transformation reshapes businesses at an unprecedented level. Today, organizations face high pressures to deliver software faster, more reliably, and at scale. The growing complexities of the cloud environment and heightened demand for frictionless customer experiences have further complicated software development. Since delivering a seamless customer experience is […]
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UK autumn budget 2024: Key climate and energy announcements
UK chancellor Rachel Reeves has delivered Labour’s first budget since 2009, promising to “fix the foundations” of the economy through increased investment in areas including clean energy. Announcing the budget in parliament, Reeves became the UK’s first-ever female chancellor to lift the “red box”. The “historic” budget confirms new “fiscal rules” that Reeves says will […]
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Cropped 30 October 2024: The state of play at COP16
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. On Monday 4 November 2024, Carbon Brief will be hosting two webinars – one in […]
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Optimizing Company Workflows with AI Agents: Myth or Reality?
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A Problem As more large companies invest in AI agents, viewing them as the future of operational efficiency, a growing wave of skepticism is emerging. While there’s excitement about the potential of these technologies, many organizations are finding that the reality often falls short of the hype. This disappointment can largely be attributed to two […]
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Upmetrics Review: Generating an AI Business Plan in Seconds
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Starting a business is no small feat! Did you know 23.2% of new businesses fail in their first year? That’s why having a clear, well-structured plan can make all the difference in crossing that daunting threshold. I recently came across Upmetrics. It’s a cloud-based business planning tool that guides you through every stage of your […]
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Disney Research Offers Improved AI-Based Image Compression – But It May Hallucinate Details
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Disney’s Research arm is offering a new method of compressing images, leveraging the open source Stable Diffusion V1.2 model to produce more realistic images at lower bitrates than competing methods. The Disney compression method compared to prior approaches. The authors claim improved recovery of detail, while offering a model that does not require hundreds of […]
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Household waste in Scotland hits lowest ever level as recycling rates continue climb
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The total amount of household waste generated in Scotland in 2023 was 2.3 million tonnes, a drop of 1.1% from 2022, according to Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) statistics published on 29 October. This is also the lowest amount of household waste generated since the start of the current recording period in 2011. Of this, 43.5% […]
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More than half a trillion hours of work lost in 2023 due to ‘heat exposure’
A record 512bn of work hours were lost around the world in 2023 because of the risk of heat exposure, says a new report from the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change. Agricultural workers in low-income countries were disproportionately affected, the authors say, costing countries around 8% of their GDP in 2023. The findings […]
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Guest Blog: Powering Data Centers with Clean Energy: Google’s Clean Transition Tariff
The rising interest in artificial intelligence and data centers has sparked discussions on how to meet the immense power demand from data centers in a carbon-responsible manner. Many data center operators have 100% clean energy pledges, but regulatory barriers can make meeting these goals challenging. This is particularly true in states restricting the ability […]
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MIT Schwarzman College of Computing launches postdoctoral program to advance AI across disciplines
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The MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing has announced the launch of a new program to support postdocs conducting research at the intersection of artificial intelligence and particular disciplines. The Tayebati Postdoctoral Fellowship Program will focus on AI for addressing the most challenging problems in select scientific research areas, and on AI for music […]
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GMI Cloud Secures $82M in Series A Funding to Drive Global AI Infrastructure Expansion with Advanced GPU Solutions
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In a strategic move to address the growing demands for advanced AI infrastructure, GMI Cloud, a Silicon Valley-based GPU cloud provider, has raised $82 million in Series A funding. Led by Headline Asia and supported by notable partners like Banpu Next and Wistron Corporation, this round brings GMI’s total capital to over $93 million. The […]