AI may develop a huge carbon footprint, but it could also be a critical ally in the fight against climate change

AI needs careful monitoring and the right policies to ensure it can benefit the fight against climate change.

Alina Vaduva, Director of the Business Advice Centre for Post Graduate Students at UEL, Ambassador of the Centre for Innovation, Management and Enterprise, University of East London • conversation
April 4, 2024 ~6 min

As the US begins to build offshore wind farms, scientists say many questions remain about impacts on the oceans and marine life

A recent study focusing on how offshore wind farms in Massachusetts waters could affect endangered right whales does not call for slowing the projects, but says monitoring will be critical.

Josh Kohut, Professor of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University • conversation
Nov. 15, 2023 ~10 min


Offshore wind: a perfect storm of inflation and policy uncertainty risks derailing the UK's main hope for a low-carbon future

The government wants offshore wind to form the backbone of the UK’s future electricity system – but a key auction has delivered no new projects.

Phil McNally, Research Fellow in Electricity Markets, UCL • conversation
Sept. 25, 2023 ~7 min

How California's ambitious new climate plan could help speed energy transformation around the world

California is one of the world’s largest economies, and it’s aiming for net-zero emissions by 2045. A transportation expert involved in the plan explains why it just might succeed.

Daniel Sperling, Distinguished Blue Planet Prize Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Founding Director, Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis • conversation
Jan. 26, 2023 ~13 min

How do floating wind turbines work? 5 companies just won the first US leases for building them off California's coast

Some of the most powerful offshore wind is over water too deep for a standard wind turbine. Engineers found a way around the problem.

Matthew Lackner, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, UMass Amherst • conversation
Dec. 8, 2022 ~7 min

How do floating wind turbines work? With 5 companies winning the first US leases to build wind farms off California's coast, let's take a look

Some of the most powerful offshore wind is over water too deep for a standard wind turbine. Engineers found a way around the problem.

Matthew Lackner, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, UMass Amherst • conversation
Dec. 8, 2022 ~7 min

Big new incentives for clean energy aren't enough – the Inflation Reduction Act was just the first step, now the hard work begins

To put the $370 billion in subsidies to work, the US needs to build new infrastructure and manage a lot of regulatory hurdles.

Daniel Cohan, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University • conversation
Aug. 19, 2022 ~9 min

Who benefits from renewable energy subsidies? In Texas, it's often fossil fuel companies that are fighting clean energy elsewhere

While Congress considers new renewable energy incentives, Texas’ sprawling wind farms tell a story about renewable energy ownership in the US – and who benefits from subsidies.

Isabella Steinhauer, Master of Public Affairs Candidate and Graduate Research Assistant, The University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts • conversation
Aug. 4, 2022 ~9 min


3 reasons US coal power is disappearing – and a Supreme Court ruling won’t save it

An economist explains coal power’s rise and fall in charts.

Rebecca J. Davis, Assistant Professor of Economics and Finance, Stephen F. Austin State University • conversation
July 26, 2022 ~7 min

How not to solve the climate change problem

The costs of three frequently touted solutions – tree planting, carbon capture and geoengineering – would be astronomical to make even a tiny dent in the carbon accumulated in the atmosphere.

Kevin Trenberth, Distinguished Scholar, NCAR; Affiliated Faculty, University of Auckland • conversation
July 20, 2022 ~10 min

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