Climate Crisis AM Edition 2/23/24 Fake Snow
Amazon.com is pushing its “green” initiative via its cloud computing AWS division. AWS is the largest cloud computing company in the world. To showcase its expertise, it introduced several start-ups using generative AI to help fight the climate crisis. As it published the list, AWS management wrote, “They’re using generative AI to fight climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enabling the world to transition to a zero-carbon economy.” The three companies–BrainBox AI, Pendulum, and VIA–have something in common. Each uses AWS. The announcement is more a marketing pitch than an actual endorsement.
Climate Change —Where Is It Worst Around The World
Air Pollution —Where Is It Hitting Hardest
One solution to climate change is part of the European effort to slow greenhouse gas emissions. This is the use of heat pumps in residential buildings. According to Bloomberg, these efforts are being undermined by political debates. The fight is as much about the future of fossil fuels as it is about alternative energy. Bloomberg reports, “It hasn’t helped that heat pumps have become politically toxic in parts of Europe.” Fossil fuel companies still have political allies. Although heat pump businesses can be profitable, their start-up costs are considerable. Political headwinds make the risk of those startup costs substantial.
Very Small Green Investments
In an indication of how tiny government assistance for climate change initiatives can be, the Biden Administration announced $3.9 million in aid for small businesses to improve climate resilience in communities across the country. The plan announced by the NOAA and Department of Commerce is part of the Ocean-based Climate Resilience Accelerators program. It is, in turn, a small part of the multi-billion Investing in America plans. “… 16 awardees in 11 states to develop and advance new technologies for gathering coastal, ocean and Great Lakes data and observations — essential information to build tools, products, and services that address climate resilience needs and create a climate-ready nation. “ It probably cost more to run the program than the level of the dollars awarded.
As the world’s temperature warms, one victim is winter sports, which includes ski resorts. Snowmaking is among the few solutions. And greener snowmaking combines saving the resort industry with saving the environment. According to The Guardian, new technology to produce snow is much more energy efficient than ones used for decades. One of these programs is based on help from the government. “The state-backed Efficiency Vermont program urges resorts to swap in as many more efficient devices as possible.” Many states must provide much more financial support to handle the capital costs of replacing older machines.
