37 h. ago What the datacenter boom means for America’s environment – and electricity bills

In this week’s newsletter: from Google to Amazon to OpenAI, the economic and climate cost of datacenters continues to grow• Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereThe headlong rush to build huge new datacenters, in order to support the growth of AI, is raising a number of concerns in the US – around the impact upon the climate crisis, water use and electricity bills. It’s also set to reshape American politics in potentially unusual ways.Companies such as Microsoft, Google, OpenAI, Amazon and Meta are pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into new datacenters that will form the backbone to the surging use of AI by businesses and the public.Bird migration is changing. What does this reveal about our planet? – visualisedTowns may have to be abandoned due to floods with millions more homes in Great Britain at riskThe plastic inside us: how microplastics may be reshaping our bodies and mindsDatacenter emissions probably 662% higher than big tech claims. Can it kee...

Science

68 h. ago Supermarkets warned over animal feed products from deforested land

WWF is calling on UK food companies to enhance visibility and traceability for deforestation and land conversion-free sourcing.

Events

68 h. ago Electric bills 'could soar 20 per cent in the next five years', UK's top energy supplier warns

Rachel Fletcher, regulations director at Octopus, said the costs of Whitehall policies, including green levies to expand renewable power and nuclear, were increasing energy bills.

Events

3 d. ago ‘The city that draws the line’: one Arizona community’s fight against a huge datacenter

Questions grow over water and energy costs of warehouse of computers in Sonoran desert – but will Project Blue be stopped?A company’s opaque plan to build a huge datacenter outside Tucson, Arizona has roiled the desert city over the past few months, the latest US community to push back as tech companies aggressively seek to build out infrastructure for cloud computing and to power the AI boom.The proposed datacenter, known as Project Blue, would span 290 acres in Pima county, and become the biggest development ever in the county, or anywhere in the southern part of the state. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago GM to take a $1.6 billion hit as tax incentives for EVs are cut and emission rules ease

General Motors will book a negative impact of $1.6 billon in its next quarter after tax incentives for electric vehicles were slashed by the U.S. and rules governing emissions are relaxed

Economics

6 d. ago Bari Weiss’s ascent at CBS News was 50 years in the making | David Sirota and Jared Jacang Maher

A half-century ago, CBS’s own president was boasting of his support for an antidemocratic political project. Our new book uses never-before-reported documents to tell the story of a scheme to undermine accountability journalismIf you only just started paying attention to the inner workings of the media industry, you might think America’s information environment transformed overnight.In the past few months, a president extracted settlements from media giants as his apparatchiks vowed state retribution against his opponents – all as they defunded public media at a time when the president’s biggest boosters own the algorithms that decide what information is amplified and suppressed. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Kaieteur Kitchen: Council offers evicted Castle Square restaurant owners a lifeline amid electricity row

Southwark Council are offering Castle Square businesses a payment plan to settle their arrears

Politics

8 d. ago Fridge magnets impact on electricity bills as statement issued by Whirlpool

A number of companies have weighed in on the debate over whether fridge magnets can increase your electricity bills - and the results may surprise you

Science

8 d. ago Majority of world’s bird species in decline as nature crisis deepens – experts

Three Arctic seal species have also moved closer to extinction as global warming destroys their icy home.

Events

9 d. ago Brits issued winter energy supply warning with ‘tight days’ ahead

Neso added that imports will be available when needed to help cover demand

Events

2 w. ago Advocates raise alarm over Pfas pollution from datacenters amid AI boom

Tech companies’ use of Pfas gas at facilities may mean datacenters’ climate impact is worse than previously thoughtDatacenters’ electricity demands have been accused of delaying the US’s transition to clean energy and requiring fossil fuel plants to stay online, while their high level of water consumption has also raised alarm. Now public health advocates fear another environmental problem could be linked to them – Pfas “forever chemical” pollution.Big tech companies like Google, Microsoft and Amazon often need datacenters to store servers and networking equipment that process the world’s digital traffic, and the artificial intelligence boom is driving demand for more facilities. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago The Guardian view on climate policy: Britain needs clean power, not culture wars | Editorial

Kemi Badenoch’s plan to scrap the Climate Change Act is reckless. Ed Miliband offers a bolder, fairer vision. The future must be built on renewablesLet’s scrap Britain’s successful climate law so we can burn more gas, lose investment and have higher bills. Crazy as it might seem, that is the message of Kemi Badenoch’s new energy strategy. The Conservative leader proposes to repeal the 2008 Climate Change Act in favour of a plan to “maximise oil and gas extraction”, and remove all legally binding carbon targets. It’s pitched as pragmatism. But it’s a lurch into ideological self-harm.Britain’s energy problem isn’t its climate legislation, which is admired globally, backed by industry and supported by the public. It’s that this country remains too dependent on volatile fossil fuels. Emissions targets are not the reason for high bills. It is gas prices, which skyrocketed after Russia invaded Ukraine. They set UK electricity prices. In Europe, they don’t – that’s why bills are lower...

Events

2 w. ago Energy saving: 9 tips and hacks to save on gas and electricity bills prices and run a more efficient home

Small changes at home can make a big difference to your bills 💡

Economics

2 w. ago Energy Price Cap: new October 2025 Ofgem increase brings higher UK gas and electricity bills – take this step

Bills are climbing as the cold sets in, but one quick check could stop you paying more than necessary ❄️

Science

2 w. ago Energy Price Cap predictions: new Ofgem increase may add £100 to UK gas and electricity bills in April 2026

Rising infrastructure and policy costs mean households could face even higher energy bills next spring 💡

Economics

2 w. ago How much will your energy bill go up by today? Calculator reveals price rise facing 35million UK households thanks to latest price cap hike

The energy price cap increased by 2 per cent from today for a typical household in England, Scotland and Wales, just as cooler temperatures see many switching on their central heating.

Economics

2 w. ago Energy experts say take action on October 1 to 'make sure you pay less'

Gas and electricity bills are going up for millions of people from Wednesday

Science

2 w. ago Trump administration opens more land for coal mining, offers $625M to boost coal

The Trump administration said it will open 13 million acres of federal lands for coal mining and provide $625 million to recommission or modernize coal-fired power plants

Politics

2 w. ago Dunelm shoppers 'save on energy bills' with 'perfect' £40 electric throw

Dunelm shoppers are loving the electric throw, which they claim helps them "save on energy bills"

Economics

2 w. ago Everyone with an electric blanket urged to do three things before using device

With living costs on the rise and temperatures plummeting, some Scots are shunning their central heating in favour of electric blankets to keep bills lower this autumn

Politics