Tag

Fossil Fuels

All articles tagged with #fossil fuels

technology7 days ago•3 min saved

Massive U.S. Data Center Buildout Could Add CO2 Equal to 24 Million Cars

A Financial Times analysis of 60 data centers under construction by Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft finds they could emit about 101.5 million tons of CO2 annually once online—roughly 7% of 2025 US power-sector emissions and the equivalent of 24 million gas-powered cars or 27 coal plants. Despite public emissions pledges, the grid is leaning on gas and coal to power round-the-clock AI demand, with renewable energy credits used to offset the gap, a costly approach likely to draw profitability pressure and renewed activism and policy scrutiny.

via CNET|

#ai-infrastructure #carbon-emissions #data-centers

environment10 days ago•2 min saved

AI's Climate Toll: New Study Warns Growth Could Boost Fossil Emissions

A NPJ Climate Action paper argues AI’s environmental impact may exceed its benefits, showing AI-enabled emissions could be 3–13× higher than avoided emissions from renewables as AI accelerates fossil-fuel production; it cites tech-oil partnerships (e.g., Microsoft–Chevron) and a large new fossil-fuel plant by Amazon, and calls for tighter guardrails on AI deployment to curb climate damage.

via Futurism|

#ai #climate-change #data-centers

environment13 days ago•3 min saved

AI productivity could raise fossil-fuel emissions despite renewables gains, study finds

A new study modeled AI’s impact on the entire power sector across 64 scenarios and found net yearly carbon pollution could rise by 0.47–1.8 gigatonnes CO2 (about 1–5% of energy-emissions) due to productivity gains in fossil fuels outpacing those in clean energy. Emissions only fall if AI-driven gains in renewables outpace fossil-fuel gains by at least fourfold; the research notes its estimates are directional. The analysis did not include datacentre energy use, but real-world deployment of AI in oil and gas has already boosted output and efficiency, according to industry, raising concerns about AI’s net climate impact.

via The Guardian|

#ai #climate-change #emissions

technology13 days ago•7 min saved

AI-Boosted Oil Production May Increase Global Emissions

A study by ex-Microsoft sustainability researchers warns that using AI to boost productivity in the oil and gas sector could raise global energy-related emissions by about 1.2–4.8%, potentially surpassing some national emissions like Mexico’s or Russia’s and outweighing AI’s climate benefits for renewables. The researchers describe an 'enabled emissions' effect where AI-driven productivity accelerates fossil-fuel production, creating a self-reinforcing link between AI adoption and increased fossil-fuel use, with data-center emissions unlikely to offset the impact.

via WIRED|

#artificial-intelligence #climate-change #emissions

environment15 days ago•8 min saved

Planet Heats Up, Oceans Strain, Ice Dim: 2025 Climate Report Signals Escalating Extremes

The 2025 State of the Climate report from the American Meteorological Society and NOAA warns that global warming is intensifying: oceans reached record-high temperatures for a third straight year, marine heatwaves covered about 87% of the world’s oceans, the Greenland Ice Sheet shed roughly 129 gigatons, surface albedo declined as land surfaces darkened and cloudiness fell, oceans absorbed about 90% of the excess heat and continued to acidify and lose oxygen. Fossil-fuel emissions remain the primary driver of warming and extreme weather, underscoring the need for resilience and stronger climate policies.

via Inside Climate News|

#climate-change #environment #fossil-fuels

politics18 days ago•4 min saved

Trump Admin Redirects Billions From Offshore Wind To Fossil Fuels

The Trump administration has reached a $1.22 billion settlement with German energy firm RWE to cancel offshore wind leases near New York, California, and Louisiana, diverting funds to fossil-fuel projects including a 16% stake in an LNG venture and plans for natural gas plants. This marks the fifth deal of its kind, bringing total payouts to about $4 billion to kill green-energy projects and prompting criticism over taxpayer costs and environmental impact.

via Engadget|

#energy-policy #fossil-fuels #lng

climate-and-environment19 days ago•6 min saved

California Offshore Wind Faces Setback as RWE Walks Away in $1.22B Deal

German energy company RWE agreed to abandon offshore wind leases off New York, Louisiana and California’s Humboldt coast in a $1.22 billion deal with the Trump administration, the largest of five such buyouts totaling about $2.7 billion aimed at steering projects away from offshore wind toward fossil fuels; the deal jeopardizes California’s 2045 offshore wind goals, leaving only two West Coast leases, as RWE reallocates funds to an LNG terminal stake and natural gas turbine development, a move critics say undermines clean energy and jobs while California pursues its climate targets.

via Los Angeles Times|

#california #climate-and-environment #fossil-fuels

politics19 days ago•2 min saved

Trump admin pays $1.22B to drop offshore wind leases, steering funds to fossil fuels

The Trump administration struck a $1.22 billion deal with German firm RWE to relinquish offshore wind leases off New York, California, and Louisiana and redirect resources toward fossil-fuel projects, including a $900 million LNG stake and a $300 million pipeline of gas peaker plants. Critics say the settlement is part of a pattern of payouts to kill renewables, wasting taxpayer money while expanding fossil fuel infrastructure, with total government spend on canceled offshore wind projects approaching $4 billion.

via The Guardian|

#fossil-fuels #offshore-wind #politics

world25 days ago•2 min saved

El Niño to push global heat toward record highs, UN warns

A rapidly intensifying El Niño is forecast to dominate global weather, boosting heatwaves, droughts and floods worldwide as Pacific temperatures soar and climate change amplifies impacts; the UN and WMO warn of near-universal warming and urge an immediate halt to new coal, oil and gas projects, calling on governments and aid agencies to turn warnings into action to protect vulnerable communities.

via Al Jazeera|

#climate-change #el-nino #fossil-fuels

technology1 month ago•8 min saved

Musk quietly acquires $1B gas-turbine fleet to power Grok AI

Elon Musk quietly bought APR Energy for about $1 billion to deploy mobile gas turbines that power Grok, the AI compute behind xAI, a move designed to accelerate capacity without grid interconnections but relying on fossil-fuel generation in communities already facing pollution concerns and drawing criticism for a pivot away from Musk’s renewable-energy branding.

via Electrek|

#apr-energy #elon-musk #fossil-fuels

news1 month ago•25 min saved

Trump Shrinks Utah Monuments, Sparking Backlash Over Public Lands

President Donald Trump issued proclamations dramatically downsizing Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah, reducing protections by roughly 3 million acres and potentially opening the lands to industry. Trump framed the move as advancing energy/resource independence, but tribes, Democratic lawmakers, and conservationists condemned it as unlawful and pledged legal challenges. Biden had restored protections in 2021, and critics argue the Antiquities Act does not authorize downsizing existing monuments.

via Common Dreams|

#donald-trump #environment #fossil-fuels

world1 month ago•7 min saved

Fossil fuels still dominate global energy amid a renewables boom

Despite record growth in wind and solar, fossil fuels accounted for about 86% of global energy in 2025. The US is pushing to expand oil and gas production to lower prices and boost security, while geopolitical tensions around Iran and the Strait of Hormuz highlight ongoing vulnerabilities in energy supply and the global reliance on oil."

via Fox News|

#energy-security #fossil-fuels #renewable-energy

environment1 month ago•14 min saved

Texas AI Boom Ignites Hidden Fossil-Fuel Grid, Sparking Pollution Fears

An investigative report shows Texas data centers are quietly driving a fossil-fuel build-out through 'permits by rule,' enabling thousands of backup diesel generators and gas turbines—forming a 'shadow grid' that could emit hundreds of millions of tons of greenhouse gases yearly and expose nearby residents to pollution with little public input.

via WIRED|

#air-pollution #data-centers #environment

politics1 month ago•8 min saved

Billion-dollar wind-to-gas swaps spark accusations of illegality and higher bills

The Interior Department is accused of orchestrating nearly $3 billion in taxpayer funds to fossil-fuel projects by canceling offshore wind leases with TotalEnergies, Invenergy, and Duke Energy in favor of gas, arguing the actions are illegal and would raise Americans' energy costs; lawsuits are expected as courts review the moves.

via Electrek|

#energy-policy #energy-security #fossil-fuels

world2 months ago•8 min saved

Australian group petitions UN over fossil-fuel exports citing human rights harms

A coalition including Indigenous activist Anne Poelina has filed a case with the United Nations Human Rights Committee claiming Australia’s continued coal and gas exports violate residents’ human rights by fueling climate harms such as extreme weather, floods and displacement. The suit follows the 2025 ICJ ruling that countries can be sued over climate change, though UN determinations are non-binding and Australia is expected to respond. The claim argues the government’s support for fossil-fuel companies amounts to a failure to protect people from dangerous climate impacts.

via BBC|

#australia #climate-change #fossil-fuels