Report says member states poured $1.34tn into their militaries last year – an increase of $126bn from 2022

As leaders from member countries gather to mark the 75th anniversary of Nato in Washington DC, researchers are warning that their military budgets are eroding the climate, producing an estimated 233m metric tonnes of greenhouse gas, more planet-heating pollution than some entire countries.

“Our research shows that military spending increases greenhouse gas emissions, diverts critical finance from climate action, and consolidates an arms trade that fuels instability during climate breakdown,” says a new report from three international research and advocacy groups, the UK-based Transnational Institute and Tipping Point North South, and the Netherlands’ Stop Wapenhandel.

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© Photograph: Kacper Pempel/Reuters

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© Photograph: Kacper Pempel/Reuters

The new government, widely expected to be led by Labour, has pledged to fast-track a green energy transition. It will face big challenges.

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New computing infrastructure means big tech is likely to miss emissions targets but they can’t afford to get left behind in a winner takes all market

The artificial intelligence boom has driven big tech share prices to fresh highs, but at the cost of the sector’s climate aspirations.

Google admitted on Tuesday that the technology is threatening its environmental targets after revealing that datacentres, a key piece of AI infrastructure, had helped increase its greenhouse gas emissions by 48% since 2019. It said “significant uncertainty” around reaching its target of net zero emissions by 2030 – reducing the overall amount of CO2 emissions it is responsible for to zero – included “the uncertainty around the future environmental impact of AI, which is complex and difficult to predict”.

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© Photograph: Google Handout/EPA

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© Photograph: Google Handout/EPA

A week after it set out, and a hundred miles downriver, the Apollonia at last docked at the One°15 Brooklyn Marina. A morning shower had soaked the deck and in the cabin rain gear was hung to dry. The crew looked tired but happy. What they'd accomplished was not much from a practical standpoint — unloading barrels of barley malt at breweries along the way and picking up assorted goods like grain, flour, beer, whiskey, and preserves to deliver to customers downstream — but from a symbolic perspective it could be seen as epic. The Apollonia is the first sail-powered vessel in decades to run cargo along the US coast, and while the ship and its technology are old, its goal is new and ambitious: to demonstrate effective ways to decarbonize the maritime transport industry by 2050. from The New Age of Sail [Sherwood News]

Tech giant’s goal of reducing climate footprint at risk as it grows increasingly reliant on energy-hungry data centres

Google’s goal of reducing its climate footprint is in jeopardy as it relies on more and more energy-hungry data centres to power its new artificial intelligence products. The tech giant revealed Tuesday that its greenhouse gas emissions have climbed 48% over the past five years.

Google said electricity consumption by data centres and supply chain emissions were the primary cause of the increase. It also revealed in its annual environmental report that its emissions in 2023 had risen 13% compared with the previous year, hitting 14.3m metric tons.

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© Photograph: Google Handout/EPA

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© Photograph: Google Handout/EPA

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The speed of decline in the Juneau Ice Field, an expanse of 1,050 interconnected glaciers, has doubled in recent decades, scientists discovered.

The Tesla chief executive’s polarizing statements have alienated some potential customers and may be partly responsible for a recent slump in sales.

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Technical difficulties blamed for new blow to firm’s sustainable energy plans

Shell has paused the construction of one of Europe’s largest biofuel plants which was expected to convert waste into green jet fuel and biodiesel by the end of the decade.

The oil company said on Tuesday it would “temporarily pause” work on one of its biggest energy transition projects to address the technical difficulties that have delayed its progress so far.

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© Photograph: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters

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© Photograph: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters

In heat waves, chemicals like formaldehyde and ozone can form more readily in the air, according to researchers driving mobile labs in New York City this week.

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People all over the world are facing severe heat, floods and fire, aggravated by the use of fossil fuels. The year isn’t halfway done.

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They’ll be replaced in North America with paper packing, eliminating some 15 billion pillows a year. Plastic film is a major pollutant.

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The founder of the renowned Woods Hole Research Center in Massachusetts, he also helped shape U.S. policies on controlling toxic substances like DDT.

© Woodwell Climate Research Center

The labor and environmental groups are pushing the change so relief funds can be used in more situations.

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The government will look at ways to extend the shelf life of foods and to create more composting and other facilities, as well as urge companies to donate more food.

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Work is starting in Wyoming coal country on a new type of reactor. Its main backer, Bill Gates, says he’s in it for the emissions-free electricity.

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After years of political consensus on the transition to cleaner energy, a ‘greenlash’ began bubbling up as prices rose and right-wing candidates gained ground.

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His comments came as the world body’s weather agency said it expected Earth to soon surpass the record high temperatures experienced in 2023.

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The City Council in Alameda, Calif., voted to stop tests of a device that could one day cool the Earth. Scientists and city staff had previously concluded the tests posed no risk.

Farmers have repeatedly protested over grievances tied to global warming, a major political and economic test given the importance of India’s rural economy.

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The kingdom is trying to juggle its still-vital petroleum industry with alternative energy sources like wind and solar as it faces pressure to lower carbon emissions.

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The new principles aim to define ‘high-integrity’ offsets amid concerns that current practices often don’t cut greenhouse gas emissions as claimed.

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Since last May, the average person experienced 26 more days of abnormal warmth than they would have without global warming, a new analysis found.

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Heat and drought are taking a toll on the tiny soil creatures that help to lock away planet-warming carbon, according to a new analysis.

Students, nonprofit groups and others are fund-raising to cap highly polluting oil and gas wells abandoned by industry.

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The damage was unusual, experts say, because turbines are built to withstand extreme weather. Iowa is a wind powerhouse, with thousands of turbines.

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Technically, it exists. But here’s what to think about when shopping.

Scientists say storms like those that battered Houston could become more intense as the planet warms, though pinning down trends is still challenging.

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Scientists in the United States are reporting “unprecedented patterns” of surface warming, an ominous sign for coral.

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Officials said the decision would lower bills and encourage people to use cars and appliances that did not use fossil fuels, but some experts said it would discourage energy efficiency.

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