In the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, an AI-powered drone sweeps through the canopy. It is elegant, almost beautiful, in its efficiency. It identifies illegal logging, capturing even slight changes in - vegetation density.
Three thousand miles away, in Arizona's drought-stricken communities, the data centres powering such AI systems drain local aquifers. This is today's climate-tech paradox: Solutions that increasingly resemble the problems they claim to solve.
If 2024 marked humanity's first breach of the 1.5° Celsius threshold, 2025 opens to a perfect storm: a fractured climate diplomacy still reeling from Baku's acrimonious compromise on global climate action; the spectre of a second Donald Trump presidency; and a tech industry whose climate promises have proven hollow.
While the Silicon Valley script remains familiar with carbon-capture breakthroughs, a nuclear renaissance, Al-powered climate solutions Microsoft and Google both reported higher emissions in 2023, driven by AI-linked data centres. Hundreds of others are way off their targets too.
It's a precarious moment: the loudest champions of technological solutions, men such as Elon Musk, Marc Andreessen and David Sacks, are poised to influence a presidency historically hostile to climate action.
Their accelerationist vision, which prioritises unfettered technological development over environmental concerns, threatens to turn climate tech from a tool of mitigation into one that will deepen global inequities.
This story is from the January 01, 2025 edition of Hindustan Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 01, 2025 edition of Hindustan Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
No Matter What I Do, My Son Will Always Be My Priority: Sania Mirza
The former tennis star on being a single mum and feeling a sense of responsibility in the public eye
Tough questions for India after two debacles in a row
A second series loss raises more questions than answers as head coach's performance comes under the lens
Sharvari named first-ever brand ambassador for Godrej Professional
Rising star and fashion icon Sharvari has been named the first-ever brand ambassador for Godrej Professional, a leading brand offering hair colour and care from the house of Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL).
Love lockdown: OYO's new rule for unmarried couples sparks mixed reactions
On Sunday, the hotel booking platform OYO introduced a new policy that prohibits unmarried couples from checking into its partner hotels in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
Gambhir, Sharma face BCCI scrutiny
India have lost six of their last eight Tests; they were saved by the weather in Brisbane while the Perth Test win was the only bright spot.
Fan, Ma Long out of tour events over row with ITTF
These are somewhat turbulent times in world table tennis.
How far are our leagues from introducing VAR?
Could take up to 18 months to implement it, says Trevor Kettle federation's chief refereeing officer
NCLAT to hear Meta's plea against ₹213 cr fine on Jan 16
META ASKED NCLAT TO HEAR THE CASE URGENTLY, NOTING ITS IMPLICATIONS AND THE STAKES INVOLVED
India Eyes Private Capital For $107 Billion Grid Expansion
India is asking states to attract more private capital to accelerate the expansion of its power transmission network, part of a plan to revamp the country's grid and accommodate more clean power.
SC Transfers CCI's E-commerce Probe Cases to K'taka HC
The Supreme Court on Monday centralised all petitions challenging the Competition Commission of India's (CCI) anti-trust probe against e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart to the Karnataka high court, while also urging the high court to decide the matter expeditiously.
