Your questions answered: The value of trees, "black" oxygen, AI's carbon footprint
Oct 21, 2024
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Join Justin Rowlatt, BBC Climate Editor, Akshat Rathi, Senior Climate Reporter at Bloomberg, and Caroline Steel, Presenter for the BBC World Service. They tackle the critical role of sequoia trees and the consequences of deforestation. Discover the astonishing 'black' oxygen found in the depths of the ocean and its links to deep-sea mining. The conversation also highlights the carbon footprint of generative AI, revealing surprising truths about its environmental impact. Get ready for an engaging discussion on climate questions from listeners!
Deforestation significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and disrupts local climates, posing challenges in mitigating its adverse effects.
Generative AI has a massive carbon footprint due to data center energy demands, yet it also offers potential solutions for climate change.
Deep dives
Dangers of Deforestation
Deforestation poses significant threats to the environment, contributing between 12% to 20% of total greenhouse gas emissions. When forests are cut down, the carbon previously stored in trees is released back into the atmosphere, often through the burning of the remaining wood or the degradation of soil. Moreover, deforestation leads to adverse local climatic effects, such as increased temperatures and reduced rainfall in certain regions, like the Amazon. Addressing deforestation remains an ongoing challenge, as efforts to halt it have not yet yielded the desired results.
The Real Cost of Generative AI
Generative AI technologies, such as chatbots, demand extensive energy resources, potentially costing tech companies around $200 billion annually to maintain data centers necessary for their operation. While these companies claim to be transitioning to renewable energy sources, the construction and maintenance of these massive data centers contribute significantly to carbon emissions. As they invest heavily in low-carbon energy solutions, there are concerns that promises may not be met, as recent assessments indicate that companies are lagging in achieving their climate goals. The dual nature of AI is evident; while it has a substantial environmental footprint, other AI applications can help mitigate climate change, demonstrating the need for careful management of these technologies.
The Discovery of Dark Oxygen
Dark oxygen, found at the ocean's depths, presents a fascinating and unexpected discovery, potentially generated through chemical reactions involving unique rocks at the ocean floor. This oxygen remains crucial for deep-sea life, emphasizing the complexity of oceanic ecosystems and raising questions about their interdependence. The concept of dark oxygen also poses potential implications for deep-sea mining, which targets these valuable metal-rich rocks due to their use in renewable technologies. However, the lack of comprehensive understanding regarding the ecological impact of mining in such pristine environments necessitates further research before any decisive actions are taken.
Navigating Climate Funding Aims
The upcoming COP29 climate conference highlights the urgent need for developing countries to secure funding from wealthier nations to address climate challenges effectively. New agreements may involve increasing the annual funding from hundreds of billions of dollars in addition to previous commitments, drawing attention to the complexity of negotiating these financial targets. Scrutiny of these commitments will be essential, especially as uncertainty exists regarding the actual fulfillment of financial pledges. This developing discourse underscores the broader issues of accountability in climate financing and the pressures on nations to meet their climate action goals.
Climate Question listeners take over the programme again with their head-scratchers. Graihagh Jackson and her panel: Justin Rowlatt, BBC climate editor,
Akshat Rathi, senior climate reporter for Bloomberg News and host of Bloomberg's Zero podcast and Caroline Steel, presenter of BBC Crowdscience,
ponder the impact of deforestation and marvel at the beauty of sequoia trees, which can live for more than 1000 years.
There are also questions on the carbon cost of generative AI, the discovery of "black" oxygen in our oceans and deep-sea mining.
Plus, which animal has the biggest carbon footprint?
If you've got a query, email us at theclimatequestion@bbc.com or leave a Whatsapp message on +44 8000 321 721
Producer: Osman Iqbal
Sound mix: Gareth Jones and Tom Brignell
Editor: Simon Watts
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