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On January 9, 2023, Chile and Colombia requested an advisory opinion from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) regarding the human rights obligations of States in the context of climate change. In response to the Court’s request for amici curiae briefs, three academic researchers and I, on behalf of McGill University’s Faculty of Law […]
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Cap-and-trade preferable to landfill bans, says report by European waste NGO
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A new policy briefing from Zero Waste Europe (ZWE)1 urges the EU to move beyond narrow landfill bans and adopt a cap-and-trade system to cut residual waste under the upcoming Circular Economy Act (CEA). The report, Cap-and-trade on residuals: Proposals for a Circular Economy Act, warns that focusing solely on landfill restrictions risks shifting waste […]
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Northumbrian Water appoints installation partner for smart metering programme
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United Infrastructure and NW Smart Metering personnel. Northumbrian Water has appointed United Infrastructure as its installation partner for a major smart meter transformation programme across the North East of England. Under a three-year contract, with an option to extend for five years, United Infrastructure will help Northumbrian Water install 750,000 smart meters, moving toward a […]
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Pathways to a circular plastic future: RECOUP conference explores options
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The RECOUP Conference was held at the KingsGate Conference Centre in Peterborough on 25 September. The annual conference held by recycling charity RECOUP brought together a range of voices from packaging, recycling, finance, and policy to examine how groups in the UK, and beyond, can move closer to true plastic circularity. (Words: RECOUP). Opening the […]
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Largest UK Dieselgate case begins as campaigners say public no longer trust car makers
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The biggest ever class action in the UK begins today (13 October), issuing a call for diesel cars across the industry to be investigated and recalled because of fears they are cheating diesel emissions tests. It is being brought by law firm Leigh Day, with support from parents and campaign groups, including Mums for Lungs, […]
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Flooding victims need single trusted line to expert help and clear accountability, MPs recommend
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A flooded river bank in Windsor during winter floods in 2014. The Government must set up a single national flood reporting and information service to prevent homes and livelihoods being exposed, a cross-party Committee of MPs has warned. In its report published on 13 October, the cross-party Environmental Audit Committee warns many communities still do […]
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How Thin Film Technologies Power the Semiconductor Industry
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Semiconductors help to keep the modern world running. They sit inside almost all products that we use, starting from phones and laptops to cars, solar panels, and medical devices. They also help to power data centers, AI tools, and all the connected gadgets that make life easier. But the real thing doesn’t just happen in […]
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DeBriefed 10 October 2025: Renewables power past coal; Legacy of UK’s Climate Change Act; Fukushima’s solar future
Welcome to Carbon Brief’s DeBriefed. An essential guide to the week’s key developments relating to climate change. This week Renewables overtake coal ‘HISTORIC FIRST’: Renewables have overtaken coal to become the world’s leading source of electricity for the first six months of this year in a “historic first”, BBC News said. The analysis, from the thinktank […]
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Climate Governance under the London Convention and Protocol: Lessons from Sub-Seabed Carbon Sequestration
At the Sabin Center, we have been writing about international legal guidelines that should guide governance discussions of marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) under the London Convention and Protocol. We published a white paper, and followed that up with two blogs (see here and here) summarizing the findings of that paper. In this, the third […]
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Guest post: How Caribbean states are shifting climate legislation
The Caribbean region is among the most vulnerable to climate change, despite historically contributing less than half of one percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Rising sea levels, extreme heat and more frequent and intense storms – such as the 2024 Hurricane Beryl, which made landfall in Grenada – pose urgent and growing threats to […]
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UK drone technology firm secures £3.65 million investment
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The firm has secured a contract with National Grid to inspect and monitor the UK’s electricity transmission network. A UK firm developing autonomous aerial solutions, sees.ai, has raised £3.65 million in a funding round. The group said the investment will accelerate its delivery of AI-ready insights that transform the management of critical national infrastructure. The […]
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Build an Inference Cache to Save Costs in High-Traffic LLM Apps
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Large language models (LLMs) are widely used in applications like chatbots, customer support, code assistants, and more.
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Waste profiling system selected by TIME as one of the best inventions of 2025
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An AI-powered camera system that profiles waste streams within recycling facilities has been included among a selection of Best Inventions by TIME. To compile this year’s list, the news and current affairs magazine solicited nominations from across the globe with a special focus on emerging fields such as AI. Inventions were evaluated on several key […]
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Report details staggering extent of water leaks problem, and how real-time monitoring can help
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European properties are losing millions of euros annually due to water leakages, according to the latest Annual Water Report from Smartvatten, a firm that provides data about the sector. The document highlights the critical role of real-time water monitoring in mitigating both financial and environmental risks. The report analysed water usage across 5,370 properties in […]
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Ray Kurzweil ’70 reinforces his optimism in tech progress
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Innovator, futurist, and author Ray Kurzweil ’70 emphasized his optimism about artificial intelligence, and technological progress generally, in a lecture on Wednesday while accepting MIT’s Robert A. Muh Alumni Award from the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS). Kurzweil offered his signature high-profile forecasts about how AI and computing will entirely blend with human […]
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Systems-thinking study identifies agricultural practices that threaten soil health and global food supply
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The global food system faces growing risks as modern farming practices undermine the resilience of the world’s soils, according to new research. Soil resilience is the ability of soils to withstand, adapt to, and recover from disturbances, ranging from everyday management practices to more severe shocks such as extreme weather events. A major review of […]
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IEA: Renewables have cut fossil-fuel imports for more than 100 countries
More than 100 countries have cut their dependence on fossil-fuel imports and saved hundreds of billions of dollars by continuing to invest in renewables, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). It says nations such as the UK, Germany and Chile have reduced their need for imported coal and gas by around a third since […]
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New carbon standard risks killing nature projects before they start, warns ndustry
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The Project Developer Forum (PD Forum)1 has issued a strong warning to the UN body overseeing carbon market rules under the Paris Agreement, saying a proposed standard for ensuring the permanence of emissions reductions could cripple the emerging market for nature-based climate solutions. In a formal submission to the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body (SB), the […]
Carbon Neutral Regulation in AI Training