Image: Siberia’s Summer Chill; Antarctica Drops Below -80C; The High Arctic’s Year Without A Summer?; BBC’s 2,700 Heat Deaths Exist Only In A Model; + Solar Lull Deepens Related: The real greenhouse effect is not [...]
Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Meta are teaming up with a nonprofit investor to accelerate new technologies using data centers as test cases. Why it matters: The initiative, led by Elemental Impact, is among the clearest attempts yet to turn the massive buildout of AI infrastructure into a proving ground for new technologies rather than just a new source of emissions. - Those technologies include advanced cooling, energy storage and low-carbon building materials. "We see data centers as really important customers for entrepreneurs to commercialize technologies that we've been working on for a long time," said Dawn Lippert, CEO and founder of Elemental Impact, the nonprofit investment firm spearheading the initiative. The big picture: The…
Data: Clean Energy Buyers Association ; Chart: Amy Harder/Axios Corporations are poised to buy more clean energy this year than ever before, driven by the AI boom and a rush to secure expiring tax credits, according to a new report shared exclusively with Axios. Why it matters: The surge underscores the enduring influence of corporate demand on the clean energy market — and the resilience of cleantech investment even after President Trump rolled back federal support. Driving the news: Companies contracted 13.4 gigawatts of clean energy capacity in the first quarter of 2026 alone, according to the Clean Energy Buyers Association's annual report . - That exceeds the total contracted during all of 2021. "It's hard to imagine this won't be…
The carbon removal industry is reframing its pitch to win support in the Trump era, by focusing on energy dominance over climate change. Why it matters: Billions of dollars have already flowed into a sector built to fight global warming, and its future may depend on how well it fits President Trump's priorities. Driving the news: The shift was on display when two major Biden-era projects got the green light from Trump's Energy Department to move forward earlier this month. "Carbon removal can be the next prosperous and competitive American industry," said Giana Amador, founding executive director of the Carbon Removal Alliance, a trade group launched in 2023 to represent the nascent sector. - Speaking on the sidelines of San Francisco…
In testimony Wednesday at a fiscal 2027 budget hearing, Wright announced the completion of a monthslong review of about 2,200 projects approved during the Biden presidency, which includes Project Cypress, an initiative with sites at the Port of Caddo-Bossier and in Calcasieu Parish.
Once held up as a key solution to climate change, a field that aims to remove carbon from the atmosphere is struggling to catch on.
Technology that captures carbon emissions from power plants may finally get a breakthrough as deep-pocketed tech companies try to meet climate goals while powering the AI race. Why it matters: It could help make natural gas electricity cleaner, but it's long been too expensive. The AI boom could change that. Driving the news: At least five projects under consideration across the U.S. would capture carbon dioxide emissions from natural gas plants connected to data centers, according to company statements, news coverage and independent reports. - This includes Google's publicly touted project in Illinois, another one Google is reportedly behind in Nebraska, projects by ExxonMobil and Chevron and another by Meta that has the option to…
A pub in California is pulling carbon dioxide from the air to carbonate pints. If the business model works, it could give the broader carbon-capture industry a boost.
Louisiana is cultivating a carbon capture and sequestration industry that has many locals concerned over safety and risks to water. Left-wing climate groups are also fighting the industry out of an opposition to all fossil fuel projects. Now, those locals are being accused of being a front for anti-fossil fuel interests.