All posts tagged: climate

Republicans Open New Front In Growing Battle Against “Climate Lawfare”

Republicans Open New Front In Growing Battle Against “Climate Lawfare”

Published by Jenni Sidey

Republicans in Congress are taking action to shield U.S. energy producers from “Climate lawfare,” the relentless barrage of frivolous lawsuits orchestrated by radical environmental activists. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced S.4340, a bill that would bar frivolous lawsuits from green activist groups seeking damages, injunctions, or other relief for harms allegedly caused by the end use of energy products. Senators Ted Budd (R- NC), Tom Cotton (R-AR), and Mike Lee (R-UT) are cosponsoring the legislation. The House companion bill, H.R. 8330, was introduced yesterday by Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY). The bill would also void any energy penalty law and preempts any states’ attempts to regulate interstate and global emissions. RELEASE: Sens. Cruz, Cotton, Budd, Lee Introduce Bill to Combat Climate Lawfare and Defend American Energy https://t.co/XN4KgDIhE4 pic.twitter.com/Q3jWNb7J7m — Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) April 20, 2026 “Radical environmental groups have waged a coordinated campaign to weaponize our judicial system against American energy producers, including many in Texas,” Cruz said in a statement. “They’re using meritless lawsuits to bankrupt our energy industry, kill good paying jobs, and …

The robot that can outplay elite table tennis players | Science, Climate & Tech News

The robot that can outplay elite table tennis players | Science, Climate & Tech News

Published by skeptic

A robot has become so good at playing table tennis that at times it defeated elite human players, in what has been hailed as “a longstanding milestone for AI”. The robotic arm, built by Japanese electronics giant Sony, is a paddle-wielding robot by the name of Ace. Ace was pitted against professional athletes and was found to have given them a real challenge with its nine camera eyes positioned around the court. The robot, which also has eight joints that direct its movements, learned how to play the sport using the AI method known as reinforcement learning. “There’s no way to program a robot by hand to play table tennis. You have to learn how to play from experience,” said Sony AI researcher Peter Dürr, co-author of the study published in the science journal Nature. Sony said it is the “first time a robot has achieved human, expert-level play in a commonly played competitive sport in the physical world – a longstanding milestone for AI and robotics research”. Michael Spranger, president of Sony AI, said: …

Why the dangers of Mythos AI may be a myth | Science, Climate & Tech News

Why the dangers of Mythos AI may be a myth | Science, Climate & Tech News

Published by skeptic

👉 Listen to This Is Why on your podcast app 👈 AI giant Anthropic has chosen not to release its latest model, Mythos Preview, to the public. The product was pulled after testing showed its unprecedented strengths in hacking. Instead, Mythos has been made available to a small number of big tech companies, including Amazon and Microsoft, to help protect their software, rather than pick it apart. So, has the day arrived which many have feared – where AI could change the world as we know it? Or are the scare stories around Mythos merely a myth? Niall is joined by Rowland Manthorpe, technology correspondent at Sky News, to discuss the potential dangers as well as how safe the UK is from the threat of AI. Have you got a question for Niall? Email the show – why@sky.uk Source link

Predators have a new business model – and humans, not AI, need to catch them, experts warn | Science, Climate & Tech News

Predators have a new business model – and humans, not AI, need to catch them, experts warn | Science, Climate & Tech News

Published by skeptic

For a long time, images and videos of child abuse were hidden away in the darkest corners of the internet, intentionally hard to find. That’s changing. Now, fully commercial sites are springing up all over the open web. The Internet Watch Foundation, the organisation charged with removing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from the internet, has seen the number of commercial sites double in the past year alone. Image: Child abuse has become a commercial operation. Pic: IWF Some of them are hidden behind apparently innocent website fronts, others are just sitting in the open, just a few clicks away from your social media feeds. The criminals running these sites aren’t selling access to one or two videos of ‘category A’ material – the worst level of designation content assigned by police. They’re encouraging users to download – and pay for – terabytes of content at a time. But like any business, they need a marketing strategy. They’ve chosen word of mouth. Image: The methods predators are using to spread child abuse material have changed. …

New Gas-Powered Data Centers Could Emit More Greenhouse Gases Than Entire Nations

New Gas-Powered Data Centers Could Emit More Greenhouse Gases Than Entire Nations

Published by skeptic

“[Data center operators’] belief is that the value being delivered by the servers is much, much more than the cost of running these inefficient power plants all the time,” Koomey says. Gas projects developed as part of the Stargate Project, a massive, multi-company AI effort originally started to build out infrastructure for OpenAI, also represent a potential emissions bombshell on WIRED’s list. Stargate campuses are being built across multiple states, including Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Permit documents for just three Stargate-affiliated natural gas projects—one to power a data center campus near the project’s headquarters in Abilene, Texas, and two to power Project Jupiter, a campus in New Mexico—show that they have a combined potential to emit more than 24 million tons of greenhouse gases each year. “We are committed to protecting ratepayers while building the infrastructure needed for U.S. AI leadership,” OpenAI spokesperson Aaron McLear said in a statement. “Where near term natural gas is required to ensure reliable power, we work with partners to use modern, efficient generation while helping accelerate clean …

Criminal probe launched into ChatGPT over Florida university shooting | Science, Climate & Tech News

Criminal probe launched into ChatGPT over Florida university shooting | Science, Climate & Tech News

Published by skeptic

Florida’s attorney general is launching a criminal probe into ChatGPT and its parent company OpenAI over whether the artificial intelligence app aided in a deadly university shooting that killed two people last year. A gunman killed two people and wounded six others at Florida State University in April last year before he was shot and hospitalised. The suspect has been charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder. Florida’s attorney general James Uthmeier said prosecutors had done an initial review of chat logs between ChatGPT and the alleged gunman to determine if the app aided, abetted or advised the commission of a crime. Image: Florida State University students waiting for news after the shooting. Pics: AP/Kate Payne “The chatbot advised the shooter on what ​type of gun to use, on which ammo went with which gun, on whether or not a gun would be useful at ​short range,” he said. “If ⁠it was a person on ⁠the other end of that screen, we would be charging them with murder.” The attorney general’s office said …

The future of fashion is made by hand – shaped by craft, community and climate

The future of fashion is made by hand – shaped by craft, community and climate

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Central Saint Martins is the holy grail of fashion schools that counts Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Mary Katrantzou, Phoebe Philo, and Gareth Pugh as ex-pupils. So, when they launch a new initiative it’s wise to sit up and take note – and their Makers Camp is, as ever, on the money with its push for fashion to truly shift its mindset and launch a new generation of designers who not only rethink how clothes are made, but learn by a set of new rules that put the planet first. MA fashion students have been signing up to the “Makers Camp: The West Africa Project”, which gives young designers all the information they need about fashion’s excessive extraction, pollution and waste. Berni Yates (knowledge exchange …

Climate change extends hay fever season by weeks bringing more misery for sufferers

Climate change extends hay fever season by weeks bringing more misery for sufferers

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Hay fever sufferers are now enduring symptoms for up to two weeks longer than they did in the 1990s, a new review has revealed, directly attributing the extended misery to the escalating climate crisis. The Lancet Countdown in Europe 2026 report highlights that climate change has “prolonged the pollen season”, significantly increasing the duration of exposure to allergens for millions. The report, published in The Lancet Public Health, details how shifting weather patterns are altering the flowering seasons of plants that release allergenic pollen. Researchers observed an earlier start to the season by one to two weeks for birch, alder, and olive pollen between 2015 and 2024, when compared with the period of 1991 to 2000. Hay fever, an allergic reaction to pollen from trees, grass, and weeds, typically worsens in warm, humid, and windy conditions when pollen counts are highest, …

10 Hopeful Climate Books for Kids

10 Hopeful Climate Books for Kids

Published by Jenni Sidey

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Earth Day is coming up on 22nd April, and this year, the theme is Our Power, Our Planet—a call for everyone around the world to stand together and fight for the environment. Many kids are enthusiastic about saving the planet and protecting nature, and there will be plenty of school activities coinciding with Earth Day. Luckily, there are some great books about the environment out there to provide inspiration for young readers who want to take action to do something positive for nature. Confronting the reality of the climate crisis can be a frightening thing for adults, let alone for children and young people. Climate anxiety is increasingly reported amongst people of all ages, and its prevalence amongst young people has prompted medical research. While the problems that the planet faces can seem overwhelming, these books offer suggestions and solutions for taking a positive, proactive stance with a hopeful rather than pessimistic outlook. With everything from board books …

‘Heat’ Climate Change Doc Film Trailer, Interview: Visions du Réel

‘Heat’ Climate Change Doc Film Trailer, Interview: Visions du Réel

Published by Daniella Wilson

The heat is on! Just watch the work of Swiss documentary filmmaker Jacqueline Zünd (Where We Belong, Almost There, Goodnight Nobody). She premiered her fiction feature debut, Don’t Let the Sun, at the Locarno Film Festival last year, bringing us a near-future-set cinematic contemplation of how external factors, namely climate change, affect and shape our inner worlds. Now, Zünd is getting ready to world premiere a film that dives into the same themes in a different, namely documentary, and very provocative form. The new film, aptly called Heat, will debut at the 57th edition of the Visions du Réel (VdR) doc festival in Nyon, Switzerland, on April 20. It will screen in the international feature film competition of the fest, which opens on Friday, April 17, and runs through April 26. Featuring highly stylized imagery and sound to bring the heat to viewers in all its intensity, the doc is set in the Persian Gulf, “one of the hottest regions in the world,” with temperatures crossing the 50 degrees Celsius/120 degrees Fahrenheit mark, and a place where “the …