Tech and utility giants are backing a new project that envisions data centers becoming a benefit to power grids, not just a huge source of energy demand.
Why it matters: AI-fueled data center growth risks straining grids and making decarbonization harder.
Climate change exposed people to an average of 50 more days of health-threatening temperatures around the world last year and drove heat-related deaths to record highs, according to an annual report published Wednesday.
Why it matters: The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change represents the most up-to-date assessment of the connection between health and climate change and includes sweeping recommendations for the U.S., including a call for ending fossil fuel expansion specifically because of the health consequences.
Why it matters: Several reports show a world falling far short of Paris Agreement goals — and project where things are headed without course corrections.
In a world where crucial resources — workers, electricity, housing and more — are in short supply, the globe is expected to have an abundance of at least one commodity: oil.
Why it matters: This new reality might keep a lid on consumer energy prices even as geopolitical strife intensifies. It could also wreak havoc on the longstanding economics that underpin oil production.