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TOP STORY
North American Clean Fuels Markets: Price stability erodes in LCFS
California’s Low Carbon Fuels Standard (LCFS), which started the year on a stable footing, faltered after regulator ARB detailed potential headwinds to the approval of programme updates last week, while the new US administration’s executive action on year-round E15 use also raised questions about impacts on the scheme.
VOLUNTARY
Carbon industry mourns passing of former CIX CEO
Mikkel Larsen, the former CEO of Singapore carbon market trading platform Climate Impact X, passed away suddenly on Thursday, at the age of 50, the company confirmed to Carbon Pulse Friday.
OpenAI working with offset platform to automate voluntary carbon credit purchases
A voluntary carbon offset platform is working with OpenAI to automate access and purchase of credits.
BeZero wants carbon credit rating agencies regulated, soon after topping $100 mln of investment
BeZero Carbon has published a “new blueprint” for governments designing scalable carbon markets, including a future where its fledgling industry becomes regulated to maintain independence and integrity in assessing credits.
Nature conservation ‘sexier’ than hyped-up technological endeavours, project financier says
People are forgetting the urgent need to conserve nature, focusing instead on ‘sexier’ technological endeavours such as artificial intelligence, robotics, free and abundant energy, and space travel, according to the head of financier for nature-based carbon projects, which is planning to work on 40 or more new activities this year.
Study highlights Canada’s seabed sediment as critical carbon sink
A new study published Friday has highlighted the pivotal role of Canada’s seabed sediments as carbon sinks, stressing the urgent need for stronger protections.
ASIA PACIFIC
2024 ACCU issuance hits record high, but short of regulator forecast
Last year saw some 18.78 million Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) issued to projects, a record high, but short of the 20 mln initially expected by the Clean Energy Regulator (CER), highlighting longer-term supply concerns.
INTERVIEW: Environmental plantings ACCU project of choice for Safeguard facilities, CEFC head says
Compliance entities covered under the Safeguard Mechanism were the subject of focus behind the Clean Energy Finance Corporation’s (CEFC) decision to back environmental plantings projects, its head of natural capital told Carbon Pulse.
NZ Market: NZUs hit 13-month high
The price of carbon allowances in the New Zealand emissions trading scheme reached an annual high on Thursday amid large trading volumes.
BRIEFING: Compliance scheme needed soon to deal with low liquidity in Malaysian market -exchange
The federal government of Malaysia must bring in compliance carbon market regulations as reliance on the voluntary market alone means it will take a long time to achieve the desired level of liquidity in the market, a representative from Bursa Carbon Exchange (BCX) said Thursday.
Taiwan proposes 2035 emissions reduction target
Taiwan on Thursday proposed to reduce its emissions by up to 40% by 2035 as its latest Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).
Steel emissions remains challenging for South Korean car giant, report says
South Korea’s car making giant Hyundai may start to lose out to peers with stronger emissions reduction plans as tariffs such as the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) come into effect, penalising automakers whose steel emissions remain high, a think tank said Thursday.
INTERVIEW: Korean securities firm seeks opportunities in international carbon markets
One of South Korea’s largest securities companies is gearing up for expansion in carbon markets both at home and abroad, with a potentially growing international offset project pipeline, a company official told Carbon Pulse.
Indonesia signs MoU with ExxonMobil for CCS at planned plastics plant
Indonesia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ExxonMobil this week to progress carbon capture and storage (CCS) work in tandem with a $10-billion petrochemical plant.
EMEA
Euro Markets: EUAs hit 15-month high, breach technical levels as power drives carbon strength
European carbon prices jumped as much as 3.6% on Thursday and touched a 15-month high as a rise in German power prices pulled gas and EUAs upwards, breaching technical levels for carbon and triggering more discussion about the market’s increasing speculative length.
Nordic countries well positioned to lead on carbon removals and utilisation, but need to focus efforts -report
Nordic countries must increase their efforts in CO2 removal (CDR) and carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) activities, tapping their unique strengths and opportunities, Europe’s largest climate non-profit has said.
EU carbon pricing, CBAM will cut European emissions but economic costs persist -central bank study
A sharp rise in the EU’s carbon price combined with a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) could significantly reduce emissions but also carries economic trade-offs, a new central bank study has found.
Norwegian developer completes large modular carbon capture plant
A Norway-headquartered carbon project developer has completed the commissioning of a 100,000-tonne-per-year modular carbon capture plant at a waste-to-energy facility in the Netherlands, the company said Thursday.
UK urged to strengthen CCS policies with emitter storage obligations to meet net-zero goals
The UK must adopt a more robust policy framework to accelerate carbon capture and storage (CCS) deployment and meet its legally binding net-zero emissions target by 2050, according to experts.
UK appoints former COP president as chair of the Transition Finance Council
The UK government and the City of London Corporation have appointed a former COP president as chair of the Transition Finance Council, they announced on Thursday.
AMERICAS
WCI Markets: CCAs still shaky over ARB’s bungled rulemaking
Weakness and volatility extended for a second week in California Carbon Allowances (CCA) in the secondary market in the aftermath of ARB’s bungled delay to rulemaking, while traders ratcheted up further dated Washington Carbon Allowance (WCA) purchases.
BRIEFING: US CCS firms optimistic of 45Q tax credit extensions
US carbon capture and storage (CCS) firms are hopeful that the 45Q tax credits underlying their business models will benefit from repeated extensions similar to subsidies for renewables.
Brazilian state announces reforestation partnership with commodity trader
A forest-rich Brazilian state has joined forces with a multinational commodity trader on a reforestation initiative, a top official announced in Switzerland on Thursday.
California Republicans push to shift high-speed rail funding to wildfire prevention
California state legislators introduced two bills that would shift the annual state funding appropriated for the state’s High-Speed Rail Authority to wildfire prevention and water infrastructure projects.
New York awards $1.2 mln to four hydrogen R&D projects
New York awarded on Thursday $1.2 million to four R&D projects to demonstrate new designs for clean hydrogen electrolysers.
US startup raises $26 mln for synthetic gas DAC system
A US-based direct air capture (DAC) firm has raised $26 million to complete the development of its flagship system and deploy it at a desert test site, the company announced this month.
INTERNATIONAL
“There is still hope” for a renewables revolution, despite Trump -experts
The goal of tripling global renewable energy capacity by the end of this decade is still within reach, despite the US likely backtracking on its energy transition in the next four years, renewable energy leaders and governments said on Thursday.
UK investment firm shrugs off Trump-US climate rollback
A London-headquartered investment manager expects recent gutting of US climate policy won’t stop the world from pursuing renewable energy.
Global Energy Transition Forum launched in Davos, in support of UN climate goals
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen launched a new Global Energy Transition Forum on Thursday, with the intention of supporting UN countries’ climate plans.
VOLUNTARY
Carbon industry mourns passing of former CIX CEO
Mikkel Larsen, the former CEO of Singapore carbon market trading platform Climate Impact X, passed away suddenly on Thursday, at the age of 50, the company confirmed to Carbon Pulse Friday.
OpenAI working with offset platform to automate voluntary carbon credit purchases
A voluntary carbon offset platform is working with OpenAI to automate access and purchase of credits.
BeZero wants carbon credit rating agencies regulated, soon after topping $100 mln of investment
BeZero Carbon has published a “new blueprint” for governments designing scalable carbon markets, including a future where its fledgling industry becomes regulated to maintain independence and integrity in assessing credits.
Nature conservation ‘sexier’ than hyped-up technological endeavours, project financier says
People are forgetting the urgent need to conserve nature, focusing instead on ‘sexier’ technological endeavours such as artificial intelligence, robotics, free and abundant energy, and space travel, according to the head of financier for nature-based carbon projects, which is planning to work on 40 or more new activities this year.
Study highlights Canada’s seabed sediment as critical carbon sink
A new study published Friday has highlighted the pivotal role of Canada’s seabed sediments as carbon sinks, stressing the urgent need for stronger protections.
BIODIVERSITY (FREE TO READ)
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Biodiversity Pulse: Thursday January 23, 2025
A twice-weekly summary of our biodiversity news plus bite-sized updates from around the world. All articles in this edition are free to read (no subscription required).
UK plans to stop multiple nature-related legal challenges to development
The UK government plans to reduce the number of biodiversity-related legal challenges allowed for major infrastructure projects from three to one.
WWF sounds alarm over threats to old forests in Sweden, Finland
Finland and Sweden are failing to protect their primary and old-growth forests, which are increasingly threatened by budget cuts and logging activities, according to a WWF report.
COMMENT
Buying into Carbon Removal – How Procurement Can Secure Europe’s Climate Leadership
The EU must prioritise carbon dioxide removal (CDR) through enhanced policy support, investment, and procurement initiatives to achieve climate goals, drive economic growth, and establish itself as a leader in cleantech innovation and competitiveness, according to Carbon Gap.
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EVENTS
Calyx Webinar: 5 Ways to Minimize Environmental and Social Risk – Jan. 29 – As a carbon credit buyer you want to maximize your impact and minimize your risk. Join sustainable development experts as they share strategies for decreasing environmental and social risks in carbon projects so you can make informed purchasing decisions and investments. Register now!
Carbon Forward Asia – Mar. 4-5, Singapore – Our third annual Asian conference will once again be held in Singapore. Like at our past events, we’re excited to bring together experts from Asia Pacific to talk ASEAN markets, regional opportunities, developments in local and global carbon pricing, and all the topics you need to hear about across a stimulating two days. Register here
North American Carbon World (NACW) – Mar. 25-27, Los Angeles – The annual NACW conference addresses the most pressing issues in climate policy and carbon markets to the largest gathering of climate professionals in North America. NACW 2025 will dive into major new policies and developments that will shape and scale carbon markets and climate solutions with integrity and ambition. In addition to outstanding speakers, discussions, and insights, NACW provides premier networking opportunities with an active and engaged audience of carbon professionals. Join us for the content, community, and connections for successfully navigating the low-carbon landscape and advancing market-based climate solutions. www.nacwconference.com
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ADVERTISING BROCHURE
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BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
INTERNATIONAL
Belem-bound – The Brazilian government is taking significant steps to expand accommodation options for COP30, scheduled to take place in Belem this November. Concerns have been raised about high hotel rates (think $68,000 for 12 nights) and the city’s ability to host the expected 50,000 attendees. Valter Correia, the Extraordinary Secretary for COP30, highlighted ongoing efforts to address these issues, including the creation of over 26,000 new accommodations. These include:
- 4,500 beds on cruise ships docked at the Port of Outeiro
- Over 1,000 new hotel rooms
- Nearly 11,500 beds from seasonal rentals of houses and apartments
- 2,300 beds provided by the Armed Forces
- Over 5,000 beds in adapted schools
The federal government has allocated BRL 172 mln ($29 mln) from the Tourism General Fund for hotel renovations and infrastructure improvements. A central platform will manage accommodations, registering hotels and private properties available for attendees. Infrastructural upgrades are also underway, the government said. The Port of Outeiro is being enhanced – without the use of dredging – to support transatlantic-ships-turned-floating-hotels, with a new bridge planned to reduce travel time to other conference venues. Smaller vessels will dock at the Belem International Waterway Terminal to provide additional accommodation. Rumours have been circulating that, in light of worries that Belem and its local infrastructure won’t be able to handle the influx of visitors, the talks could be held across different locations – for example splitting the Blue and Green Zones between two cities or holding only the summit’s high-level segment in Belem and the rest of the meeting elsewhere.
EMEA
Keep the gas targets alive – The European Commission is looking to extend the bloc’s binding gas-inventory targets to 2027 to help ease supply concerns, Bloomberg reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. The EU set the gas storage goals during the energy crisis in 2022, to ensure adequate supplies. The system is set to end at the end of this year, but the Commission is working on a draft measure to present in a few weeks that would add two years. The proposal will need to be approved by EU countries and the European Parliament in a process that could be finalised by the end of June.
‘Low-carbon’ gas power – Technip Energies has been awarded a front-end engineering and design contract to build Uniper’s Connah’s Quay Low Carbon Power project – a combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant with carbon capture and storage in northwest England, the French engineering company announced on Thursday. The plant would be connected into nearby CO2 transport and storage infrastructure in the UK government-supported HyNet Cluster. Uniper plans to focus on developing the first train of the CCGT plant in order to start commercial operation by the end of 2030, as the government requires for HyNet Track 1 expansion projects. The project, which still needs consent, is expected to provide around 1.3 GW of power in total, developed in two phases.
Capture collab – Spanish gas grid operator Enagas, Swiss-based building materials manufacturer, and energy firm Saggas announced Wednesday an agreement for the joint development of a carbon capture, transmission, and storage project in the Valencian municipality of Sagunto. According to the partners, the project is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 560,000 tonnes annually. The companies aim develop a capture plant at the Holcim factory in Sagunto, from which CO2 will then be transferred through Enagas infrastructure to the Saggas terminal, located in the Port of Sagunto, where a liquefaction process will be carried out. Once in liquid form, the CO2 will be transported in ships to its final geological storage. The biogenic portion of the captured CO2 can also be used to produce e-methanol and other biofuels, the partners added.
ASIA PACIFIC
Change for the better – The J-Credit Steering Committee is seeking comments on a set of proposed revisions to the voluntary programme, according to a notice released this week. The proposed changes include clarifying the definition of ‘programme type’ projects and strengthening rules to prevent double claiming/ accounting of carbon credits. The move partly reflects Japan’s efforts to prepare for its participation in ICAO’s aviation offsetting scheme CORSIA. The committee will accept feedback until the end of January.
Green steel potential – Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has established a study group to assess the potential of developing green steel in the country, government documents showed. The group suggested the Japanese government improve demand for green steel products by providing preferential procurement and incentivising vehicle manufacturers through special subsidies. On the supply side, the country can also consider tax measures or promoting the utilisation of steel scraps. The steel sector accounts for around 10% of Japan’s total GHG emissions.
Learning by doing – Japan Airlines and its partners have obtained J Blue Credit certification for their seaweed cultivation project in Saga prefecture, it announced Thursday. The company has been working with Kyushu University and the government of Karatsu city for the blue carbon initiative, which aims to combine a seaweed cultivation experience programme for children with the local fishery sector, Japan Airlines said.
Entering SAF market – South Korea’s Samsung E&A has won a $955 million contract to build a biorefinery in Johor, Malaysia in order to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to meet the rising demands of the global aviation and transportation industries. With the contract, the engineering major marks its first entry into the SAF market, it announced last month. Samsung has received a Letter of Award (LoA) for the work of biorefinery project from Enilive, on behalf of a joint venture consisting of Petronas’ subsidiary and Enilive, and Euglena. Once completed, the plant will be able to process about 650,000 tonnes per year of raw materials to produce SAF and other biofuels. The EU will mandate the placing on the market of at least 2% SAF blends in aviation fuel from next year onwards. Similarly, Singapore will introduce a 1% or higher SAF blending requirement by 2026. As well, South Korea plans to introduce mandatory SAF blending from 2027, with gradual expansion slated for subsequent years. The contract will be officially signed by the end of Jan. 2025.
CCS difference – One day after Beach Energy told the ASX the Moomba carbon capture and storage (CCS) project had injected 300,000 tonnes of CO2 for the months to the end of December its larger partner Santos told the bourse the project had in fact sequestered 340,000t of CO2e. Moomba, in the depths of the Cooper Basin desert in South Australia, is the only CCS project that can earn Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), thus far. Santos’ quarterly report notes that it does not earn a one-for-one ration but rather 894 ACCUs for every 1,000 tonnes of CO2e sent into the Strezlecki formation. The project sees carbon from onshore gas wells stripped from the gas stream and sequestered, rather than vented as previously. Santos has said the 1.7 million tonne per year project is a proof-of-concept so it can ultimately turn Moomba into a 10-20 Mt/year CCS hub.
Tapping out – Australian agtech company Fertoz has abandoned plans to develop a reforestation project in the Philippines, it told the ASX in a quarterly update. It said that government regulations required the project to have a 60% domestic investment, as planting trees was considered the development of a natural resource. The company said it was unable to attract the necessary local funds to generate carbon credits in-country. As part of a broader overhaul, the company plans to change its name to Canadian Phosphate Limited, with a new market ticker of “CP8”, to align with its new growth strategy.
AMERICAS
Carbon credits and credit cards – The Climate Trust has introduced a platform allowing individuals and small businesses to purchase carbon credits directly online using a credit card. Small businesses can buy up to 250 carbon credits to offset their emissions, verified by third-parties through either the Climate Action Reserve or the American Carbon Registry. Purchased credits will be permanently retired on the relevant registry. The credits are sourced from partnerships with family ranches, land trusts, and public forest managers, supporting carbon storage and environmental stewardship on natural and working lands. Currently, two projects are available on the Climate Trust’s platform that are offering credits for purchase.
Climate-friendly catering – Aramark Canada has committed to the Coolfood Pledge, becoming the first Canadian contract catering company to do so. The pledge, which supports the food industry in reducing GHG emissions in alignment with advanced climate science, sets a target to reduce food-related GHG emissions by 25% by 2030, aligning with the World Resources Institute’s Coolfood initiative. Low-carbon Coolfood meals, introduced in Canadian universities in 2022, is expected to expand to additional locations across education, business, and healthcare sectors.
Forest firm hire – Timberland management firm BTG Pactual Investment Group (BTG Pactual TIG) announced Thursday that it has hired Tom Hodgman as a senior portfolio manager, focusing on both the firm’s Latin American reforestation strategy as well as conservation strategies across its global portfolio. Hodgman joins TIG from Goldman Sachs, where he served as vice president and led the nature-based solutions investment programme for institutional and corporate clients. Prior to his tenure at GS, he was deputy managing director at NatureVest, the impact investment arm of The Nature Conservancy. In November, BTG Pactual TIG announced its Latin American reforestation fund had reached $500 mln.
VOLUNTARY
Going double platinum – Global management consultancy Bain & Company has achieved its second consecutive ‘Carbon Integrity Platinum Claim’ from the VCMI, it was announced Thursday. Its carbon credit strategy underscores the importance of using high-quality credits to invest in immediate climate solutions as a complement to rapid and deep internal decarbonisation, according to the organisation. Bain & Company has committed to being ‘net negative’, which means addressing more than 100% of its residual emissions through carbon credits. Since 2019, Bain’s absolute total emissions have fallen by 25% while the company has financed the removal of 390,000 tonnes of CO₂ from the atmosphere, VCMI said. In following VCMI’s Claims Code of Practice and renewing its Platinum Claim, Bain is recognised for the integrity of its climate programme, the organisation added.
Practice makes perfect – Isometric has certified an update to its Enhanced Weathering (EW) Protocol, it announced Thursday. The updated version has gone through a public consultation and received extensive feedback from carbon removal suppliers, EW partners, and the Isometric Science Network, it added. The changes reflect learnings from verifying the world’s first EW credits and provide more flexibility for suppliers by accounting for the unique conditions of every project, Isometric added. The number and type of soil samples required is now tailored to a project’s site.
Woody biomass burial – Utah-based company Woodcache’s first production-scale woody biomass burial (WBB) facility will be completed by the end of Jan. 2025, the firm’s CEO Serge Bushman said on LinkedIn. The facility could sequester over 100,000 tonnes of CO2 using Puro’s Terrestrial Storage of Biomass methodology, with an initial burial of 2,000 tonnes of wood to remove 2,500 tonnes of CO2. WBB is an emerging carbon sequestration method which involves storing wood-based biomass in burial chambers to delay its decay. “One concern about some kinds of CDR and some kinds of renewable energy, is that productive land is taken offline from other uses, including food production,” Bushman said on LinkedIn. “WBB is different. Virtually all the land can be returned to productive use.”
Agri project certification – Certification body SustainCERT has expanded its greenhouse gas validation and verification services to include Agricultural Land Management (ALM) projects accredited under the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB). Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) programme includes the VM0042 Methodology for Improved Agricultural Land Management, which quantifies GHG emission reductions and soil organic carbon (SOC) removals resulting from the adoption of improved ALM practices. These include reduced tillage improved fertiliser application, biomass residue and water management, cash and cover crop planting and harvesting practices, and grazing practices. ALM projects under this programme can now receive certification by SustainCERT, the company announced.
APIs for carbon trading – Puro.earth has launched the MyPuro API and Registry API to enhance efficiency and transparency in carbon credit management and trading. The MyPuro API allows account holders to manage CO2 removal certificates (CORCs), automate trading, and connect with multiple sales channels. The Registry API provides real-time, machine-readable access to project and CORC data from the Public Registry, claiming to increase market transparency and operational optimisation. Future updates will include digital monitoring, reporting, and verification features.
Tokenised carbon markets – India’s registry and voluntary standard Universal Carbon Registry (UCR) has announced a partnership with blockchain-based market infrastructure provider KlimaDAO to integrate UCR carbon credits into the real-world asset (RWA) market. The transfer of UCR credits to the KlimaDAO ecosystem entails a cancellation in the UCR registry and re-issuance within their blockchain-enabled infrastructure, preventing double-counting of the original offset. “Our collaboration with UCR marks a pivotal step in advancing the tokenisation of verified carbon credits,” said Juned Khan, global Head of Growth at Klima Foundation. “By bridging traditional carbon markets with decentralised finance, we are delivering sustainable, efficient, secure, and scalable solutions tailored to the needs of climate-conscious investors and institutions,” he said.
Ukraine farm credits – eAgronom, an agriculture-focused climate tech company, has announced a partnership with Credit Agricole Ukraine and Agrosem LLC to launch a new programme generating carbon credits from sustainable agriculture practices. The ACA Program provides agribusinesses with a suite of services, including expert consultations on sustainable production techniques, selection of land plots to maximise the effectiveness of green initiatives, and the development of detailed transition plans complete with capital investment calculations. Participants will also benefit from tailored financial solutions from Credit Agricole Ukraine, which are fully integrated into the transition strategy. By generating carbon credits, participants can benefit from an additional revenue stream, making sustainability not only achievable but profitable, the three companies said in a statement.
FEG for more – PA Consulting has signed an agreement with Future Energy Global (FEG), a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) accelerator, to help compensate for carbon emissions related to the consultancy’s business travel, the companies said Thursday. Under the agreement, FEG has retired a tranche of Scope 3 credits derived from airlines’ use of SAF to compensate for a share of PA’s 2024 carbon emissions related to its business travel.
New hire – Standard-setter Verra has appointed Candace Vinke as Chief Program Development and Innovation Officer starting on Feb. 21, the company announced on Thursday. In her new role, Vinke will lead Verra’s Program Development and Innovation Department (PDID), driving Verra’s high-integrity standards programs, and overseeing the development of new standards programmes and methodologies. Vinke joined Verra in 2020 as director of nature-based innovation, and spearheaded the development of Verra’s Scope 3 Standard Program. Vinke succeeds Toby Janson-Smith, who will step down after almost 12 years of service to the organisation.
New hire and new data – Ratings agency Sylvera has announced the hire of Aaron Tam as Product Director to lead its market data team and strengthen the company’s data proposition for customers. The company also announced a strategic investment into its data capabilities, with the acquisition of the exclusive rights to an unnamed, “market-leading” pricing dataset for the voluntary carbon market. “Sylvera already provides extensive project pricing data for clients, including historical pricing trends across vintages through several partnerships with external providers to enable customers to invest with confidence,” it said. “Through the application of its proprietary modelling and machine learning technology to one of the most extensive datasets of carbon credit prices on the market, Sylvera will be able to provide even more comprehensive pricing data and richer insights for customers.”
SCIENCE & TECH
Post-growth – A new review by leading experts in the sustainability science field published in Lancet Planetary Health is challenging the assumption that economic growth is needed for social progress. The new study presents a case for prioritising human wellbeing and ecological sustainability over endless economic expansion. The authors argue that continued economic growth in high-income countries is not only not environmentally sustainable but also may not be socially beneficial or economically achievable. They linked GDP growth and environmental damage, and the declining benefits of income on wellbeing if the natural environment is destroyed
AND FINALLY…
Bad robot – Generative AI chatbot fail to adequately reflect fossil fuel companies’ complicity in the climate crisis, a Global Witness investigation has found. Generative AI tool are increasingly being used to search for information, but the investigation revealed that there was a high amount of greenwashing when the chatbots were asked about climate change, oil and gas companies, and COP. OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Meta’s MetaAI, X’s Grok, and Google’s Gemini provided in many cases uncritically positive narratives about oil and gas companies and false equivalence, presenting narratives about oil and gas companies’ efforts to protect the climate with the same weight as criticisms for their contribution to climate change. When asked about the 2023 emissions of fossil fuel companies, for example, Meta AI said of each company that their emissions figures showed their progress, efforts, or their commitment to sustainability, including where the data wasn’t available or the chatbot itself reported that some kinds of emissions had increased.
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