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What are the environmental impacts of artificial intelligence? 

Union of Concerned Scientists

One growing conversation in the use or non-use of GenAI is the environmental implications of the technology in every step of its life cycle. The communities breathing polluted air near data centers or those experiencing increased energy costs are the ones at the frontline of the technology’s impacts and often last its benefits.

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How Can Distributed Energy Resources Support Energy Justice?

Union of Concerned Scientists

The growth in DER technologies by type over time. Access to clean energy is critical due to the generational harm caused by air pollution from power plants which is over-concentrated in historically marginalized communities. But achieving this requires more than just technological innovation. Source: U.S.

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What’s Happening with California’s Gasoline Supply?

Union of Concerned Scientists

In the next few years, California should modernize its gasoline regulations to reflect changes in vehicle emissions technology and the latest science, which can make the gasoline market more flexible and competitive while protecting air quality and public health.

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Environmental Defense Fund Blog: Another Study Identifies Health Risks During Unconventional Oil & Gas Production Even For Those Living Within 1,000 Feet Or More Of Wells

PA Environment Daily

By Meagan Weisner, PhD , Senior Scientist, Healthy Communities and Paige Varner, PhD , Scientist, Healthy Communities A new study from Environmental Defense Fund finds that even oil and gas production that uses the most stringent emissions reductions technologies poses health risks to nearby residents.

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Viewpoint: India’s electric railway revolution

A Greener Life

First of all, electric trains are quieter and less polluting. There are immediate gains for air pollution, especially as they pass through urban areas. Technological improvements have gone hand in hand with more clean energy in the generation mix, and with every passing year, theres more renewable energy coming online.

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Beyond the Cloud: What’s AI’s True Environmental Cost? Part 2

Enviromental Defense

In 2023 alone, Google consumed 23 billion litres of water in its data centres, which is equivalent to the yearly water use of 280,00 people in Canada for one entire year. . #1 Water Data centres generate enormous heat. Microsoft similarly withdrew 12.9 billion litres of water across its operations in the same year. . #3

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Ask a Scientist: What’s the Future for Trucks?

Union of Concerned Scientists

As crucial as these vehicles are, and as important as the goods and services they supply are, they also bring high levels of air pollution that endanger peoples health and contribute to climate change. The technology to enable widescale electrification has grown at impressive rates over a short amount of time, as our new report shows.