#co2 emissions

[hope-for-the-planet]

New study: food banks divert a whopping 1.8 million metric tons of carbon emissions a year

Supporting your local food bank doesn’t just help your community — it helps the planet.

From the article:

Their metrics showed that — in addition to providing over 1.7 billion meals to 40 million people in need globally — food banks also diverted an estimated 1.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. By intercepting unspoiled food destined for the landfill, and redistributing food from local farms and wholesale produce markets, the 2023 report offered evidence that community-led solutions to addressing global hunger can also help protect the globe itself.  “Nearly a third of the world’s food is lost or wasted at the post-harvest, retail, and consumer levels, never reaching the people who need it,” the GFN team wrote in the report. “Food loss and waste proves costly for producers, takes up space in landfills, and emits harmful greenhouse gases, intensifying climate change.”

Reading this was one of those "oh duh!" moments for me. Despite being aware that food systems and food waste are major sources of emissions, I had mentally placed food banks in a "addressing non environmental problems" category. But of course, food banks make our food system more efficient and less wasteful by making the most out of the food we have already produced.

This is just another example of so many of our problems being connected. Donating to a food bank doesn't just address food insecurity, it's also a powerful force for reducing food waste and carbon emissions.

[mintconditioned]

ai is smart, but its carbon footprint is not cute

ai feels invisible because you only see the final answer on your screen, not the giant physical system running underneath it. every prompt relies on servers, cooling systems, power grids, rare metals, and nonstop energy use. ai may feel like vapor, but its environmental impact is very real.

ai uses a lot of resources because modern models are so large. training them can take weeks of nonstop computation. this requires electricity, water, hardware, and maintenance. even everyday use consumes meaningful energy because data centers must stay online at all times to respond to billions of requests.

researchers usually agree that ai’s carbon footprint comes from four main areas.

training is the most energy intensive part because the models need to process enormous amounts of data.

inference is the energy used every time someone asks a question or generates content. it is smaller per use but happens millions of times per day.

data centers generate heat and need huge amounts of water and electricity to stay functional, so cooling is required

chips require mining, metals, manufacturing, and shipping.

the energy impact depends heavily on where data centers are located. regions powered by fossil fuels create higher emissions, while regions with renewable energy lower the impact. water usage matters too because many cooling systems rely on evaporative cooling, which consumes large amounts of water each day. ai is not unique in this; streaming, gaming, and cloud storage also use these systems, but ai is growing fast enough to raise sustainability concerns.

carbon markets come into the picture as a tool governments and companies use to reduce emissions. a carbon market lets organizations buy and sell allowances for the amount of carbon they emit. when ai companies participate, it can push them to reduce energy use or switch to renewable sources in order to stay under emissions limits. carbon markets also raise funding for environmental projects that theoretically offset the emissions produced by training and running models. the challenge is that offsets do not always match real-world reductions, and not all carbon credits are equally effective.

making ai more sustainable is possible. there are several strategies researchers and companies are exploring.

designing smaller and more efficient models that require less computation.

powering data centers with renewable energy instead of fossil fuels.

building data centers in cooler climates to reduce the need for artificial cooling.

improving chip design so each unit uses less power during training and inference.

using liquid cooling systems that conserve water and energy.

requiring transparency reports so users know the environmental cost of the tools they rely on.

ai is not going away, so the goal is not to panic, but to optimize. the more aware people are of resource use, the more pressure there is for companies to choose greener options. sustainability is not just a tech problem but a systems problem. when engineers, policymakers, companies, and users all care about environmental impact, ai has a better chance of growing in a way that benefits people without harming the planet.

[jangillman]

[skorgu]

it's been a really good decade for CO2 reduction in a lot of the world.

[scibbles-stories]

The Climate Crisis: Why Ocean Acidification is the Other CO2 Problem

When we talk about climate change we usually think about the air and how it is getting warmer.. There is another big problem that is happening in the oceans. It is called ocean acidification. It is changing the chemistry of the water.

The oceans are like a sponge that absorbs all the bad things that we put into the air. This is good because it helps to slow down the warming of the planet.. It is also bad because it makes the oceans more acidic. This is a problem for all the living things in the ocean like coral and shellfish.

For websites like enviroforest.com it is really important to understand how all the different parts of the planet are connected. We need to take care of the oceans and the forests and all the other parts of the planet if we want to keep the planet healthy.

1. The Core Science Behind Ocean Acidification

To understand this problem we need to look at the chemistry of the oceans. The oceans cover most of the planet. They absorb a lot of the bad things that we put into the air.

The Chemical Chain Reaction

When we burn fuels we put a lot of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the air. The oceans absorb some of this carbon dioxide (CO2). It makes the water more acidic. This is a problem for all the living things in the ocean.

Here is how it works:

CO2 Dissolution: The carbon dioxide (CO2) dissolves into the water.

Carbonic Acid Formation: The carbon dioxide (CO2) reacts with the water to form an acid.

Hydrogen Ion Release: The weak acid breaks down into bicarbonate and free hydrogen ions ($H^+$).

PH Reduction: The hydrogen ions ($H^+$) make the water more acidic.

Understanding the pH Scale Shift

The pH scale is like a measuring stick that shows how acidic or basic something is. The oceans used to be a bit basic but now they are getting more acidic. This is a problem because it is happening so fast.

2. The Cascading Toll on Marine Life

The problem with ocean acidification is that it hurts all the living things in the ocean. It is especially bad for things like coral and shellfish that have shells made out of calcium carbonate.

The Carbonate Ion Deficit

When the water gets more acidic it is harder for these living things to build their shells. It is like trying to build a house out of blocks. The blocks are all broken.

Vulnerable Species Highlighted

Pteropods (Sea Butterflies): These are animals that are an important food source for a lot of other animals.

Coral Reef Ecosystems: Coral reefs are like cities for fish and other animals. They provide a home and a place to hide.

Commercial Shellfish: Shellfish like oysters and mussels are a food source for people.

3. Beyond Shells: Disrupting Fish Behavior and Physiology

Ocean acidification is not a problem for things with shells. It also hurts fish and other animals that live in the ocean.

Altered Sensory Perceptions

When the water gets more acidic it can hurt the way fish think and behave. It is like they are swimming around in a fog and they cannot find their way.

Impaired Navigation

Fish need to be able to navigate to find food and avoid predators.. When the water is more acidic it is harder for them to do this.

4. Socioeconomic Impacts: The Human Element

Ocean acidification is not a problem for the environment. It is also a problem for people.

The Threat to Global Food Security

A lot of people rely on the ocean for food.. If the ocean is getting more acidic it can hurt the animals that people eat.

Economic Losses in the Seafood Industry

The seafood industry is a business.. If the ocean is getting more acidic it can hurt the animals that people harvest.

Loss of Coastal Protection

reefs are like a big shield that protects the coast from big waves and storms.. If the ocean is getting more acidic it can hurt the coral reefs and make the coast more vulnerable.

5. Strategic. Forward-Looking Solutions

We need to do something to stop ocean acidification. We can do this by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that we put into the air.

Global Carbon Emission Reductions

We need to stop burning fossil fuels and start using energy sources.

Protecting Natural Blue Carbon Sinks

We need to protect the places where the ocean can absorb carbon dioxide (CO2).

Localized Adaptation Strategies

We need to help the animals that are hurt by ocean acidification. We can do this by monitoring the water and making it less acidic.

6. Connection Points: The Global Ecosystem Link

The planet is, like a web. Everything is connected. When we hurt one part of the planet it can hurt all the parts.

How Healthy Landscapes Protect Our Oceans

We need to take care of the planet not just the oceans. We need to plant trees and protect the forests. This will help to keep the planet healthy.

Terrestrial forests are really good for the earth because they absorb a lot of stuff from the air. This bad stuff is what we call greenhouse gases. When we plant trees and take care of the land we are helping to keep our oceans clean.

We can make a difference by making choices every day. For example we can choose to buy things that are made in a way that does not hurt the earth. We can also use things that're friendly to the environment. If we do these things we can reduce the things we put into the air. This will help our oceans and the creatures that live in them.

Summary of Core Architectural Insights

Here are the points to remember about the oceans:

The oceans are getting more acidic because of the things people are putting into the air.

When the oceans get more acidic it is like a problem that gets worse really fast.

The creatures that live in the oceans like shellfish and corals need things to build their homes.. The acidic water is taking these things away.

The bad things in the water are also confusing the fish. Making it hard for them to survive.

If we do not take care of the oceans it will be bad for people too. We will not have much food and the oceans will not be able to protect us from big storms.

*. There are things we can do to help. We can protect the things in the oceans like the seagrass meadows and we can use clean energy.

The Path Forward

The oceans are, in trouble but we can still help them. The fact that the oceans are getting more acidic shows us that what we do matters. Our choices can. Help the earth.

If we want to take care of the earth we need to think about the big picture. We need to use bad stuff plant more trees and take care of the oceans. We need to make choices every day so that the oceans and the creatures that live in them can survive. Ocean acidification is a problem but if we work together we can make a difference.

for more visit:

https://enviroforest.com/

[thoughtportal]

Turning Farmland Back to Peatland: Can It Slow CO2 Emissions?

Farmers have long drained peatlands for agriculture, but the dried-out soils release vast quantities of CO2. To halt this process, new initi

[wachinyeya]

Analysis: India’s power-sector CO2 falls for only second time in half a century - Carbon Brief

India’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from its power sector fell by 1% year-on-year in the first half of 2025 and by 2% over the past 12 mo

India’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from its power sector fell by 1% year-on-year in the first half of 2025 and by 0.2% over the past 12 months, only the second drop in almost half a century.

As a result, India’s CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and cement grew at their slowest rate in the first half of the year since 2001 – excluding Covid – according to new analysis for Carbon Brief.

The analysis is the first of a regular new series covering India’s CO2 emissions, based on monthly data for fuel use, industrial production and power output, compiled from numerous official sources.

Other key findings on India for the first six months of 2025 include:

The growth in clean-energy capacity reached a record 25.1 gigawatts (GW), up 69% year-on-year from what had, itself, been a record figure.

This new clean-energy capacity is expected to generate nearly 50 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity per year, nearly sufficient to meet the average increase in demand overall.

Slower economic expansion meant there was zero growth in demand for oil products, a marked fall from annual rates of 6% in 2023 and 4% in 2024.

Government infrastructure spending helped accelerate CO2 emissions growth from steel and cement production, by 7% and 10%, respectively. 

The analysis also shows that emissions from India’s power sector could peak before 2030, if clean-energy capacity and electricity demand grow as expected.

The future of CO2 emissions in India is a key indicator for the world, with the country – the world’s most populous – having contributed nearly two-fifths of the rise in global energy-sector emissions growth since 2019.

[toscanoirriverente]