Rewind: Artificial Intelligence, Real Climate Impacts
Artificial intelligence can do some pretty amazing things, including for the climate. AI can help optimize the electric grid, make heating and cooling buildings more efficient, and pinpoint exactly where greenhouse gas emissions are coming from all around the world.
On the other hand, the energy use of AI is massive and growing. A recent study estimates that in just a few years, the extra energy needed will equal whole countries the size of Sweden or Argentina. How do we make sure the benefits of AI outweigh its energy costs?
This episode originally aired on April 19, 2024.
Upcoming Event
Leah Stokes: 2024 Stephen Schneider H. Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication December 9, 2024 | 6:00 p.m.
Climate One is delighted to present the 2024 Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication to political scientist Leah Stokes.
Stokes is an expert in climate and energy policy. As both an academic and a mobilizer, she focuses on implementing policies that drive widespread decarbonization. Her rare ability to communicate complex information to both academic audiences and the general public has established her as one of the most influential voices in climate action and clean energy policy. Recognized on the 2022 TIME100 Next and Business Insider's Climate Action 30 lists, she also co-hosts the podcast “A Matter of Degrees.”
Join Climate One for this special in-person conversation with Leah Stokes, policy expert, climate communicator, and the Anton Vonk Associate Professor of Environmental Politics at UC Santa Barbara.
What We’re Reading This Week: World Converges on Colombia for UN Biodiversity Conference
While much of the climate world’s attention has turned toward Baku and the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNCCC) kicking off on November 11, hundreds of diplomats, scientists, and activists have already been in talks for days at the smaller United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Cali, Colombia.
Held every two years instead of annually like the UNCCC, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) focuses on the conservation of all living species. Wildlife populations have declined by as much as 73% since 1970, and the gaps in the food chain pose significant threats to food supplies for humans around the world. During the 2022 CBD, the convention led to a landmark agreement to protect 30% of global habitats from development by 2030, but two years later, many leaders — especially those of Indigenous communities — report that progress toward the 30x30 goal has been far too slow.
While there has been little objection to the pursuit of 30x30 at this year’s convention, debates over who will fund the extensive efforts required to stem biodiversity loss have been a sticking point . Nations have collectively pledged approximately $400 million toward conservation, a far cry from the billions of dollars the UN estimates are needed to secure 30% preservation. With the question of how to fund the world’s pledge to limit global warming to 1.5°C expected to be a major topic of discussion at this year’s UNCCC, the slow pace of financial commitments at CBD is an ominous sign. As always, Climate One will cover the COP29 discussions in Baku, so be sure to subscribe today wherever you find your podcasts .
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PLUS:
Connecting the Dots
You may have heard: There’s an election happening in the U.S. next week!
Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump could not be more different on climate policy. Harris appears poised to continue President Biden’s extensive climate action, while Trump has referred to global warming as a “scam.”?
Climate One went deep on the differences in climate platforms proposed by the Democrats and Republicans ahead of the party’s conventions this summer. The episode makes for perfect listening while waiting in line to vote over the next few days!?
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One More Thing
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Not only will you have a place to hang out with fellow climate nerds, but you’ll also see Climate One staff floating in and out as well, making our Discord server the perfect place for you to share your burning idea for a new episode of Climate One. See you online!