Google falling short of important climate target, cites electricity needs of AI

Associated Press

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) — Google falling short of important climate target, cites electricity needs of AI.

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  • Watch as Florida gator drags massive python across pond

    Large Burmese pythons are known to eat alligators in Florida’s Everglades region. But sometimes the opposite is true. The accompanying footage, captured Nov. 28, shows a large gator swimming across a pond with a giant python in its

  • Work begins on one of world's biggest batteries in Cardiff, creating 1,200 jobs

    Plans for the energy park, along with an eight-storey data centre, were approved by Cardiff Council's planning committee in October, 2024

  • Three dead and dozens hospitalised after eating endangered sea turtle

    Turtle may have grown toxic from consuming contaminated algae

  • Couple turning £25k water tower into dream home in Grand Designs-esque makeover receive devastating news

    Mary and Sean Davies bought the former RAF hospital site for just £25,000 back in 2018

  • Meet the aging hunters battling bears in rural Japan

    STORY: In rural Japan a gunshot rings out. A bear slumps in a cage."This brown bear got too close to a human community. It wasn't right here but over that way in the middle of the town and on the roads close by. In this kind of situation, we have no choice other than to trap them." Bears are making their way closer to homes, and putting people’s lives at risk. Keeping the townspeople safe often falls on the shoulders of a dwindling band of aging hunters, like 75-year-old Haruo Ikegami. "I'm often the first one that gets there when they're caught like this, and I always say, 'oh come on, you're already in there?' I can't bear it."Once a common sight among the trees, hunters like Ikegami are now older, and fewer in number than before. :: RUNNING OUT OF TIMEJapan’s population is both aging and shrinking.As of 2020, about 60% of gun license-holders, like Ikegami, are over 60. And in areas where bears roam, some residents wonder what will happen when these hunters can no longer do their job. In the town of Naie, Tatsuhito Yamagishi has accused the local government of taking hunters for granted."They say we should train new hunters, but there's nothing specific on how we should do this. Who's going to hold the training sessions and the workshops? In a few years' time when we (hunters) are all over 70 years old, will there even be anybody left who could teach people how to hunt bears, even if they wanted to?"Naie’s local government declined to comment on the dispute with Yamagishi, but said officials were taking steps to address the bear problem.Japan’s environment ministry says it subsidizes local governments to train officials and conduct bear drills.But the country’s reliance on recreational bear hunters could become unsustainable, according to the hunters themselves, officials, residents and experts Reuters spoke to. :: BOLDER BEARSBoth black and brown bears’ habitats have been expanding, in part because of depopulation in rural areas, experts say.Some believe this, and less managed farmland, may be making bears more daring.And the animals appear to be raising cubs closer to human settlements, causing them to fear people less than before.All this has contributed to an increase in human-bear incidents.In the twelve months through March 2024, 219 people were attacked. Six fatally. More than 9,000 black and brown bears were trapped and culled over that period, according to Japan’s environment ministry.84-year-old Katsuo Harada carries scars from over 20 years ago, when a bear sank its teeth into his skull.'It was like it was gnawing on a raw radish, scraping and crunching. I passed out at the sound and I don't know what happened beyond that."Harada is now part of a group that helps keep problematic wildlife at bay."I feel that I have to protect the people living here. Whenever I set a trap, you saw today there are four locations, I'm driven forwards by the thought that if I hadn't laid the traps, somebody could have been killed." One common way to trap bears is by using a large cage with bait, like a deer carcass, salmon or honey. The trap is designed so that the creature steps on a metal plate when it goes near the bait, triggering the door to close. The local authorities then make a call on what to do with the animal and may involve licensed hunters to kill it. The trapped bear is looked after and fed until it is culled.As an alternative solution, some companies are turning to technology.This “Monster Wolf” robot growls, barks and emits threats. Costing about $2,500, it is triggered by a sensor and powered by solar energy.It has shown some success, but Yamagishi explains that it takes years for humans to learn how to trap bears and insists their expertise will remain indispensable. :: DWINDLING FRONT LINEResponding to the increase in attacks, the Japanese government this year proposed relaxing rules around gun use to make it easier to shoot bears in urban areas.But hunters say it’s hard to find new recruits because the job is expensive, unappealing, and exhausting.Some get 8,000 yen, or about $50 from local governments for a bear cull. This might cover expenses and fuel, Ikegami says, but little else. A system is needed, they suggest, where hunters are paid enough to support a family. Because if the younger generation doesn’t take up the torch, the last line of defence will soon be gone.

  • Receiver asks for another $55M to continue work dealing with failure at Yukon's Eagle mine site

    The firm in charge of Victoria Gold's Eagle Gold mine site in the Yukon has requested an additional $55 million to fund its work through to the end of March — money that would come out of the company's posted security, intended for mine reclamation and closure. In a report late last month, PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) says the $50 million initially provided by the Yukon government to fund the first 90 days of the receivership is expected to run out by this Friday.The requested increase, which wo

  • Ukrainians find new energy sources to beat blackouts as winter arrives

    Standing on the rooftop of a 16-storey residential apartment building in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, Valerii Pyndyk pointed to several rows of solar panels. Pyndyk hopes the installation - one of the first of its kind by residents in Kyiv - will help about 1,000 families living in the building get through what could prove Ukraine's most difficult winter since the start of Russia's invasion. The two previous winters of the war were already challenging, but Russia has now intensified its attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, with at least 11 major missile and drone strikes since March.

  • Horrifying moment deer is chased and killed by out-of-control dog in Richmond Park

    Police warn owners to ensure pets are under close control at all times

  • Farmer ordered to pay more than £6k after polluting stream

    A farmer has been ordered to pay more than £6,500 after ignoring the opportunity to avoid a criminal conviction.

  • Worms could be the answer to plastic waste crisis

    Worms could be the answer to the plastic waste crisis after scientists found they can munch through a face mask in about four months with no apparent ill effects.

  • Garden centre shop closing after 30 years of business

    A shop in an Oxfordshire garden centre is closing after 30 years of trading.

  • Nearly all Arctic sea ice could melt by the summer of 2027, scientists warn

    For the first time, a group of international scientists used climate models to predict when the Arctic might see its first ‘ice-free’ day

  • 'Is He Okay?': Andean Bear Takes a Tumble After Bouncing On and Breaking Enclosure Structure

    A resident Andean bear gave spectators at fright at San Diego Zoo on November 27, as it repeatedly jumped on a branch in its enclosure, broke it, and fell to the ground.Video from Brittani Mezzanares shows the bear bouncing on the structure, causing it to emit loud cracking sounds before it eventually gave way and caused the bear to fall.“The crowd was scared but relieved when he got right back up and walked over to his cave to rest,” Mezzanares told Storyful. Credit: Brittani Mezzanares via Storyful

  • Qatar to invest $1.3 billion in climate technology in Britain

    Qatar will invest 1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion) in climate technology in the United Kingdom, with engineering company Rolls-Royce set to benefit from some of the cash to support its energy transition, the British government said on Wednesday. The announcement was made during a two-day state visit to Britain by Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who is expected to meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday. Britain is seeking deeper ties with the wealthy Gulf state, and Starmer hopes to use the visit to secure "tangible benefits" for the country on security and the economy, his spokesperson said.

  • Wolves to lose 'strictly protected' status in Europe

    Wolves in Europe will be less protected from hunting from 2025, after a majority of European countries on Tuesday accepted a proposal to downgrade their status due to their growing number and their impact on agriculture and farming livestock. Wolves' status will be lowered as of March 7 to "protected" from "strictly protected" under the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, in a move condemned by animal welfare groups.

  • Prince Albert drives £1.2 million eco race car through streets of Monaco

    Prince Albert of Monaco went behind the wheel of Extreme H’s hydrogen-powered racing car to highlight how zero-emission fuel is the future of racing

  • Washed-up detritus from Valencia floods puts Albufera wetland in jeopardy

    One of Europe's most biodiverse coastal wetland reserves has been inundated with tons of plastic waste, wrecked cars and pharmaceutical products by the flash floods that ravaged southeastern Spain last month. The Albufera lagoon just south of Valencia, home to at least 372 species of birds as well as endangered freshwater fish such as the Valencia toothcarp, is now awash with refrigerators, petrol cans, footballs and other wreckage. "It's dramatic to see first-hand how an area of such scenic, cultural and economic value and beauty has been turned into a toxic waste dump," said Eva Saldana, executive director of Greenpeace Spain.

  • Creating new kicks from old soles: How a Dutch recycling company is tackling footwear waste

    The company recycles entire shoes back into raw materials for reuse in commercial products.

  • Stunning photos chronicle forest through the seasons

    A professional photographer is staging a six-week long public exhibition of snaps of Ashdown Forest

  • Wolves to lose protection as EU secures support for status downgrade

    Change in status under Bern Convention on nature protection could expose burgeoning wolf populations to culling and hunting for sport.View on euronews