Articles tagged with "climate-science"
Robot survives months in never-seen Antarctic cavity, finds heat beneath glaciers
A robotic Argo float has successfully completed a groundbreaking 300-kilometre journey beneath East Antarctica’s Denman and Shackleton ice shelves, drifting for two-and-a-half years in one of the planet’s most inaccessible regions. Equipped with temperature and salinity sensors, the autonomous probe collected nearly 200 ocean profiles from the seafloor to the ice base, including an unprecedented eight-month period beneath the ice where it lost satellite communication. Scientists reconstructed its path by matching ice-draft measurements recorded by the float with satellite data, enabling the first-ever ocean transect beneath an East Antarctic ice shelf. The data revealed contrasting conditions under the two ice shelves: Shackleton appears relatively stable with no warm water detected, while Denman Glacier—capable of raising global sea levels by 1.5 meters—is already influenced by warm water that could accelerate melting and trigger unstable retreat. The float’s ability to measure the critical 10-meter boundary layer beneath the ice shelf, which controls melt rates, provides valuable
roboticsautonomous-underwater-vehicleAntarctic-explorationoceanographyclimate-scienceice-shelf-monitoringenvironmental-sensorsFormer Google CEO Will Fund Boat Drones to Explore Rough Antarctic Waters
A foundation established by the former Google CEO is funding a five-year project deploying four uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), or drone boats, to explore the challenging waters of the Southern Ocean around Antarctica. This region plays a critical role as one of the world’s largest carbon sinks, absorbing a significant portion of ocean-based carbon dioxide, yet it remains poorly understood due to extreme weather conditions, rough seas, and limited scientific data. The Southern Ocean’s harsh environment, especially in the Drake Passage, makes traditional crewed research difficult, and satellite observations are hindered by persistent cloud cover. The USVs will operate remotely, continuously collecting sophisticated measurements of the partial pressure of CO2 in the water, providing deeper insight into the ocean carbon cycle than previous unmanned efforts. Using machine learning, the drones’ routes will be dynamically adjusted to optimize data collection in areas beyond commercial shipping lanes, including during the winter months when data is especially scarce. The collected data will be publicly available, aiming to improve climate models
robotdroneautonomous-vesselsocean-explorationenvironmental-monitoringclimate-scienceremote-sensingAmericans For Prosperity Comes For Vermont Voters - Part One - CleanTechnica
The article discusses the incursion of Americans for Prosperity (AFP), a Koch-backed conservative advocacy group, into Vermont’s political landscape. Vermont is portrayed as a state known for its natural beauty, pragmatic and tolerant populace, and progressive environmental policies, including early adoption of Superfund-like environmental laws and support for virtual power plant technology. The state’s political makeup is described as balanced, with a Democratic legislature, a Republican governor, and an independent senator. AFP, led in the region by Ross Connolly, views Vermont’s progressive policies negatively and is attempting to influence local politics by promoting a right-wing agenda that opposes affordable healthcare access, reproductive rights, and science-based education. AFP’s efforts in Vermont have so far met with limited success, exemplified by a poorly attended rally and a lack of local operatives actively spreading their message. The group’s opposition to Vermont’s heat pump initiative—an energy efficiency program aimed at reducing reliance on propane and oil heating—is highlighted as a key example of their agenda
energyclean-energyclimate-sciencevirtual-power-plantenvironmental-policyrenewable-energyVermont-energy-policyFactcheck: Trump’s Climate Report Includes More than 100 False or Misleading Claims - CleanTechnica
A fact-check by Carbon Brief reveals that a 140-page climate report commissioned by the Trump administration and published by the US Department of Energy in July 2025 contains over 100 false or misleading claims. The report, intended to justify rolling back US climate regulations, was compiled in just two months by five researchers handpicked by the administration, many of whom lack climate science credentials. Key misleading assertions include the claim that CO2-induced warming may be less economically damaging than commonly believed and that aggressive emissions mitigation policies could cause more harm than good. Experts have criticized the report for factual errors, misrepresentation of research, poor citations, and selective use of data. The report aims to undermine the 2009 Endangerment Finding, which legally supports federal greenhouse gas emissions regulations by recognizing six greenhouse gases as harmful contributors to climate change. The US Environmental Protection Agency indicated that the new report’s “updated studies and information” would challenge the assumptions underlying that finding. Carbon Brief’s extensive review involved consulting many climate scientists
energyclimate-changeemissions-regulationUS-Department-of-Energygreenhouse-gasesenvironmental-policyclimate-scienceIt's So Easy To Fool People — Misinformation & Myths Abound - CleanTechnica
The article from CleanTechnica highlights the pervasive challenge of misinformation and myths surrounding electric vehicles (EVs), renewable energy, and climate science. Drawing on the author's extensive experience covering these topics for over a decade, it emphasizes how easily people are misled by repeated falsehoods, especially when presented by seemingly authoritative sources or amplified by media outlets like Fox News and social media platforms. The piece notes that misinformation has led to widespread misconceptions, such as the false belief that EVs are worse for the environment than fossil-fueled cars, denial of global heating caused by CO2 emissions, and other unrelated conspiracy theories like election fraud or vaccine skepticism. The author argues for the need to regularly debunk these myths and proposes creating a centralized resource page that compiles common misinformation alongside clear, refined responses to help educate the public. They invite readers to contribute examples of prevalent myths and effective ways to counter them in a friendly and inclusive manner, aiming to reduce misinformation without alienating those who have been misled.
energyrenewable-energyelectric-vehiclesclean-technologymisinformationclimate-sciencecleantech-mythsScientists Say New Government Climate Report Twists Their Work
A recent Department of Energy (DOE) report challenges the mainstream scientific consensus on climate change, claiming that CO2-induced warming is less economically damaging than commonly believed and that aggressive mitigation efforts might cause more harm than good. However, nine scientists from various disciplines criticized the report for misrepresenting their work through cherry-picked data, misinterpretations, and omission of relevant context. The report’s authors, four scientists and one economist known for contrarian views on climate science, were recently hired by the DOE, raising concerns among mainstream researchers about the report’s credibility and motivations. The release of the DOE report coincided with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement to seek a rollback of the 2009 endangerment finding, which underpins the agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases. The EPA cited the DOE report as part of its scientific review to challenge this foundational ruling. DOE Secretary Chris Wright and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin framed the report as an effort to restore “common sense” and rational
energyclimate-changeDepartment-of-Energyenvironmental-policygreenhouse-gasesEPAclimate-scienceProof - Why People Deny Climate Change Is Real - CleanTechnica
The article from CleanTechnica discusses the complexities behind climate change denial and the scientific efforts to attribute extreme weather events to global warming. It references a recent piece by Weston Wilson on the website We Don’t Have Time, which highlights how climate change acts as an accelerant for extreme weather, such as the record rainfall and flooding in Texas and the deadly heat dome in Europe. Wilson explains that warmer air holds more moisture—about 7% more per degree Celsius increase—leading to more intense rainfall. While it is challenging to attribute any single event solely to climate change due to local factors like terrain and infrastructure, studies are increasingly able to quantify climate change’s role in worsening such disasters. A key example is a rapid attribution study by the Grantham Institute at the London School of Economics, which linked approximately 65% of 2,300 heat-related deaths in 12 European cities during a 2023 heatwave directly to human-caused climate change. This study demonstrated that climate change nearly tripled the
energyclimate-changeglobal-warmingextreme-weatherenvironmental-impactsustainabilityclimate-scienceTrump’s Harvard Ban Echoes USSR’s Historic Mistake To China's Long-Term Gain - CleanTechnica
energyclean-technologysolar-energyelectric-vehiclesgeopolitical-influenceclimate-scienceenergy-storage