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Study warns of global warming inertia

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  The amount of baked-in global warming , from carbon pollution already in the air, is enough to blow past international agreed upon goals to limit climate change , a new study finds. But it’s not game over because, while that amount of warming may be inevitable, it can be delayed for centuries if the world quickly stops emitting extra greenhouse gases from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas, the study’s authors say. For decades, scientists have talked about so-called “committed warming” or the increase in future temperature based on past carbon dioxide emissions that stay in the atmosphere for well over a century. It’s like the distance a speeding car travels after the brakes are applied. But Monday’s study in the journal Nature Climate Change calculates that a bit differently and now figures the carbon pollution already put in the air will push global temperatures to about 4.1 degrees Fahrenheit of warming since pre-industrial times. Previous estimates, including those ac...
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Biden’s task to address climate change

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  Not so long ago, the dangers posed by global warming and climate change loomed off in the future, allowing Americans to put of f finding solutions. But tomorrow has arrived, and the new reality is impossible to deny. The years from 2015 through 2020 were the hottest six years on record for the planet. The past year ushered in the countr y’s worst season ever for wildfires, along with a record number of tropical storms in the Atlantic. The Great Lakes are warming, and their water levels are at or close to record highs. Yet Donald Trump’s administration didn’t just fail to take the steps needed to slow warming and mitigate its effects. It implemented policies to make things worse. That leaves President-elect Joe Biden with a formidable task — to undo the damage caused by his predecessor, redouble our national commitment to limit climate change , and to take this action mindful of the economic and financial costs. Americans understand the need for action. A June poll by the Pew Re...
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How to lower your carbon footprint at home

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  Your carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases generated by your actions, such as driving, consuming food and consumer goods, and using energy in your home. Here are some easy ways to reduce your carbon footprint in your home, according to BobVila.com: • Calculate your carbon footprint . Check out free online calculators from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Nature Conservancy and CarbonFootprint.com to help you determine how much your household is contributing to greenhouse gas emissions . • Audit energy usage. “Hire a professional, contact your local utility company or perform a DIY home energy audit to assess and improve your home energy usage. The U.S. Department of Energy has a handy self-assessment that you can use to determine where you can conserve energy in your home.” • Seal and insulate your home. Adding insulation in your ceiling and walls, and around your windows and ductwork can improve the performance and efficiency of your home’s HVAC. ...
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Exporters cannot ignore carbon footprint

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  CALCULATING AN ORGANISATION’S CARBON FOOTPRINT NO LONGER NEEDS TO BE A GUESSING GAME SA’s economic survival in a post-Covid world depends significantly on trade. However, the ability to trade internationally depends on an enterprise’s compliance with worldwide standards and regulations, which often involve various trade tariffs. As part of a global shift towards climate-change action , carbon tariffs on imported goods are in the pipeline for regions such as Japan, Europe and the US, in line with the US Clean Energy Security Act. This imposes a carbon tariff on certain developing countries that do not take mandatory emission reduction measures. This means countries need to track and monitor their carbon emissions to be able to export goods, while calculating their carbon tariff s. This is where trade is headed, from a commerce and consumer choice perspective, so competitiveness will depend on a trade organisation’s ability to quantify its carbon consciousness and provide evidenc...
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Researchers Focus on AI’s Energy Use

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  Goal is to encourage efficiency by creating tools for models that record carbon footprint Developing artificial intelligence can use a lot of energy. Researchers in Canada and the U.S. are developing tools to calculate the carbon footprint of AI models in an effort to help those who create them understand the impact the models are having on the environment. Training AI models to understand human language, for example, requires data center servers and computer chips to process vast amounts of data and perform compute cycles and experiments that can run over days or weeks. Developing a single AI model can have a carbon footprint equivalent to the lifetime emissions of five average U.S. cars, according to a paper published last year by researchers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. That is assuming the model runs in a data center powered by about 60% fossil fuels, combined with renewable and nuclear energy, said Emma Strubell, a lead author on the paper. The new tools ca...
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