He says he had the best. He tried to roll back more than 100 environmental protections while in office. Is that what he’s bragging about in the debate?
Environment




Data centers already use a lot of water and electricity, and adding AI overviews to Google Search only makes those problems bigger.
AI uses “orders of magnitude more energy” than traditional search engines, Hugging Face researcher Sasha Luccioni tells Scientific American.
Correction: Apple’s AI emoji are generated on device, not in data centers.
[Scientific American]






Offsets are supposed to allow companies and consumers to cancel out some of their CO2 emissions — but are notorious for failing. Plant a tree to capture carbon, for example, and that tree could eventually release all the CO2 if it doesn’t survive for hundreds of years.
The Biden administration laid out new guidelines today aimed at making offsets work, although many environmental advocates are still skeptical.
Some teabags made with plastic alternatives (typically within the sealed edges) can potentially harm terrestrial species and don’t degrade in soil, according to a new study from the University of Plymouth.
If you’re in doubt, Which recommends ripping used teabags open to compost the leaves, and bin the bag separately. Otherwise, there’s always loose leaf...
The railway company reached a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency that includes $235 million for cleanup, $30 million to monitor water quality, $25 million for a community health program, and a $15 million civil penalty. Norfolk Southern has also agreed to a $600 million settlement with residents after the disaster released hazardous chemicals including carcinogen vinyl chloride.


KCCI reporter Zane Satre saw at least three 250-foot towers snapped by tornadoes, leaving some buckled and on fire. The Des Moines Register reports more than 35,000 people are without power, and the National Weather Service has a tornado watch in effect across most of the state until 9PM CT.


AI, EVs, and Joe Biden’s push for domestic manufacturing are putting more pressure on aging power grids. The nation also needs double the transmission capacity to meet Biden’s goal of 100 percent carbon pollution-free electricity.
To get more transmission lines up, FERC just overhauled rules for new projects — including a mandate that grid operators start anticipating energy needs at least 20 years in advance.
More residents across the US are asking that question about carbon dioxide, The Washington Post reports, as technologies that capture CO2 from smokestacks become more popular with companies that want to claim they’re fighting climate change. All that captured carbon dioxide has to go somewhere, and concerns are growing about the safety of new CO2 pipelines and underground storage wells.
[The Washington Post]
The group of 800 demonstrators accused Tesla of environmental harm, citing mining lithium for EV batteries. The group is said to want to stop the factory’s expansion. CEO Elon Musk said it’s “fishy,” and called them dumb. In March, the factory shut down temporarily after an arson attack.











































