Digital-Environment System – Interesting stories

This page provides links to interesting news stories and reports on aspects of the interface between digital technologies and the environment (listed in reverse chronological order), and is regularly updated by members of the coalition.

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Fears grow over surge in electricity demand from data centres, Emily Gosden in The Times, 14 November 2025.

Will farming under solar panels take off?, BBC News, 12 September 2025

Data centres to be expanded across UK as concerns mount, BBC News, 15 Augut 2025

Planned AI data centre would drain local water supply, firm warns, Adam Vaughan in The Sunday Times, 27 July 2025

Could a paint stop ‘motorway of satellites’ in sky?, BBC News, 21 July 2025

How the rise of green tech is feeding another environmental crisis, BBC InDepth, 20 July 2025

Inside the Congolese mine vital to mobile phones, as rebels give BBC rare access, BBC News, 13 July 2025

$88m pollution-tracking satellite missing in space, Esme Stallard, BBC News, 3 July 2025.

Tech sector emissions, energy use grow with rise of AI, ITU Press Release, 5 June 2025

Blow to clean energy drive as major windfarm ditched, BBC News, 7 May 2025.

SpaceX Starship rocket explodes minutes after launch, Financial Times, 7 March 2025

Space tourism threatens tranquillity of moon, scientists fear, The Times, 14 February 2025.

Battle lines drawn over ‘monstrous’ pylons and solar farm ‘wastelands’, BBC News, 3 February 2025.

Endangered heritage list reaches final frontier: the moon, The Times, 15 January 2025.

Tātai Aroraki (Māori Astronomy)

Why Elon Musk’s plan to put a million people on Mars is doomed to fail, Tom Whipple in The Sunday Times, 27 October 2024

What the data centre and AI boom could mean for the energy sector, IEA, 18 October 2024

Google signs nuclear deal to power AI data centres, Louisa Clarence-Smith in The Times, 16 October 2024/

“Nature is the national wealth service”: Natural England Chair calls for new approach in major report, GOV.UK, 9 October 2024

‘Thirsty’ ChatGPT uses four times more water than previously thought, Mark Sellman and Adam Vaughan in The Times, 4 October 2024.

Locals fight back as ‘monstrous’ wind turbines threaten Italy’s medieval charm, Tom Kington in The Times, 24 September 2024.

AI has an environmental problem. Here’s what the world can do about that, UNEP, 21 September 2024.

The new wave of mega data centres coming to a town near you, Jon Yeomans in The Sunday Times, 21 September 2024.

Delays to grid connections ‘are biggest barrier to renewable energy’, Emma Powell in The Times, 20 September 2024.

Musk’s satellites ‘blocking’ view of the universe, BBC News, 19 September 2024. Original publication by Bassa et al. available at https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2024/09/aa51856-24/aa51856-24.html

Data center emissions probably 662% higher than big tech claims. Can it keep up the ruse?, Isabel O’Brien in The Guardian, 15 September 2024.

Thanks to Roger Harris for noticing this report.

Data centres as vital as NHS and power grid, government says, BBC News, 13 September 2024.

New wind farms ‘won’t increase household energy bills’, The Times, 4 September 2024

Nine offshore wind farm projects awarded in UK auction, Dearbail Jordan, BBC News, 3 Seotember 2024.

From bin cameras to fish farms, AI can help save planet, Ben Cooke in The Times, 27 August 2024.

Australia approves plans for ‘largest’ solar farm in the world, in France 24, 21 August 2024.

Take-off approved for Amazon drone delivery trial in UK, Seren Hughes in The Times, 15 August 2024.

Big Tech’s bid to rewrite the rules on net zero, Kenza Bryan, Camilla Hodgson and Jana Tauschinski in the Financial Times, 14 August 2024

Blenheim’s vast solar farm will make a fortune — but for whom?, Glen Keogh and Matilda Davies in The Sunday Times, 4 August 2024

Would you want to live next to one?’ — inside the rural pylon row, Hugh Graham, in The Times, 3 August 2024.

Anger mounts over environmental cost of Google datacentre in Uruguay

Protesters say recently approved tax-free datacentre will ‘provide nothing except toxic waste and greenhouse gases’, The Guardian, 1 August 2024

Thanks to Roger Harris for sharing this

Government sets record budget for green energy auction, Esme Stallard, BBC News, 31 July 2024

‘Green’ Capitalism and Datafication in Colombia, by Philip Seufert in Bot Populi.

Space X’s Falcon rocket grounded after rare in-flight failure, Jacqui Goddard, in The Times, 13 July 2024

This town had a healthy population. Then the bitcoin mine started humming, Samuel Lovett, in The Times, 12 July 2024

Rayner rescues plans for two giant data centres, Construction Enquirer, July 2024

Chancellor Reeves: Two rejected London data center plans could get green light, Matthew Gooding, in Data Centre Construction Channel, 9 July 2024

The Morocco-UK power project, Xlinks, no date

Thanks to Will Cleverly for recommending this.

Sardinia blows up over invasion of wind farms, by Tom Kington in The Times, 8 July 2024

AI drives 48% increase in Google emissions, BBC News, 4 July 2024.

Elon Musk is ruining everything, say rural Texans, Keiran Southern, in The Times, 19 June 2024.

Too much of a good thing? Spain’s green energy can exceed demand, Guy Hedgecoe in BBC News, 16 June 2024

Who owns the Moon? A new space race means it could be up for grabs, BBC News, 9 June 2024 (see also The Outer Space Treaty, 1967)

Musk’s Starship rocket makes breakthrough ocean landing, BBC News, 6 June 2024.

US says Russia likely launched anti-satellite weapon, Jaroslav Lukiv, BBC News, 22 May 2024.

Electricity grids creak as AI demands soar, BBC News, 21 May 2024; for original report see Power Hungry Processing: Watts Driving the Cost of AI Deployment?, by Alexandra Sasha Luccioni, Yacine Jernite, Emma Strubell

AI is poised to drive 160% increase in data center power demand, Goldman Sachs, 14 May 2024

Mapping: England could produce 13 times more clean energy, Friends of the Earth, 9 April 2024

Nasa mission to blast asteroid off course has unintended consequences, Jacqui Goddard in The Times, 3 April 2024

UCL professor’s discovery could halve energy use for data centres, Ben Cooke, in The Times, 1 April 2024

E-waste ‘drawers of doom’ growing, say campaigners, Harriet Bradshaw, BBC News, 28 March 2024

Data centre power use ‘to surge six-fold in 10 years’, BBC News, 26 March 2024

Global warming making wine more alcoholic (but not better), Adam Vaughan, in The Times, 26 March 2024.

Hill fort site at risk under plans for giant wind farm, Mike Wade in The Times, 19 March 2024

Slow progress tackling UK ‘e-waste tsunami’ – MPs, BBC News, 12 March 2024

When wind turbine blades get old what’s next?, BBC News, 12 March 2024

‘White-gold rush’ in Italy’s lakes as lithium prospectors gather, The Times, 11 March 2023

The Portuguese village that helped to bring down a PM: A British firm’s attempt to mine lithium ignited a backlash that led to Sunday’s general election, Christina Lamb in The Times, 9 March 2024

Which? Report on the environmental cost of wearable tech, 7 March 2024

Number of artificial intelligence (AI) tool users globally from 2020 to 2030, Statista, February 2024

Future data centres may have built-in nuclear reactors, Michael Dempsey in BBC News, 15 February 2024

Google joins mission to map methane from space, BBC News, 14 February 2024

Rethinking concerns aboiut AI’s energy use, Daniel Castro in Center for Data Innovation, 29 January 2024

Norway to approve controversial deep-sea mining, BBC News, 9 January 2024

How space debris could put online banking at risk, by Andrew Ellson, The Times, 1 January 2024.

World’s tallest wooden wind turbine starts turning, BBC News, 28 December 2023

Tech industry boosts climate commitment through Green Digital Action at COP28, ITU Press Release, 9 December 2023

The Hidden Environmental Cost of Starlink and Other Mega-Constellations, 21 November 2023, Ava Technology

Electric car minerals need not cost us the Earth, Max Kendix in The Times, 18 October 2023

Climate change: Pope Francis warns world ‘may be nearing breaking point‘, BBC News, 4 October 2023

US issues first ever fine for space junk to Dish Network, BBC News, 3 October 2023

Some experts see AI as a tool against climate change. Others say its own carbon footprint could be a problem, CBS News, 26 August 2023.

Would you like to live next to a large solar farm?, The Times, 13 August 2023.

Prototype ‘Brain-like’ chip promises greener AI, says tech giant, Shiona McCallum & Chris Vallance, BBC News, 10 August 2023.

AI already had a terrible carbon footprint. Now it’s way worse, Irina Raicu in San Francisco Chronicle, 9 August 2023

Climate change: China’s green power surge offers hope on warming, BBC News, 29 June 2023.

Cartografía del daño en el altiplano andino en torno a la minería de litio, by Débora Cerutti in (En)clave Comahue. Revista Patagónica De Estudios Sociales, 29(28 Dossier).

Solar panels – an eco-disaster waiting to happen?, BBC News, 4 June 2023

ChatGPT: What is the carbon footprint of generative AI models?, Euronews, 24 May 2023

France’s attractions tell the tourist hordes: We’re full, Charles Bremner, in The Times, 24 May 2023 – an unusual example of the impact of social media on the physical environment!

A Computer Scientist Breaks Down Generative AI’s Hefty Carbon Footprint, Kate Saenko, in Scientific American, 25 May 2023.

Global warming set to break key 1.5C limit for first time, BBC News, 17 May 2023.

Wind is main source of UK electricity for first time, BBC News, 11 May 2023

Starlink initiates its Somalian expansion process in Ecofin Agency, 10 May 2023

From the Andes to EVs — how and where will we mine enough lithium?, Tom Whipple and Henry Bird in The Times, 10 May 2023.

ChatGPT is not environment friendly, here’s why?, Ground Report, 6 May 2023

The Environmental Impact of ChatGPT: A Call for Sustainable Practices In AI Development, Earth.Org, 28 April 2023

Green colonialism: indigenous world leader s warn over west’s climate strategy, Jenni Monet in The Guardian, 23 April 2023

Strip council powers to block onshore wind farms, ministers urged, Chris Smyth in The Times, 18 April 2023.

Stop AI research before it wipes out life on Earth, warns expert, Mark Sellman in The Times, 31 March 2023

Virgin Orbit: Sir Richard Branson’s rocket company cuts 85% of workforce, BBC News, 31 March 2023

Elon Musk among experts urging a halt to AI training, BBC News, 30 March 2023

The £20bn plans to store carbon under the sea, by Ben Spencer and Harry Yorke in The Sunday Times, 26 March 2023.

OneWeb launch completes space internet project, BBC News, 26 March 2023

SYNTHESIS REPORT
2 OF THE IPCC SIXTH ASSESSMENT REPORT (AR6), 19 March 2023

SpaceX’s Starlink devices found in illegal mining sites in the Amazon, Julia Jones, CNN, 16 March 2023.

OneWeb company close to taking the internet global, BBC News, 11 March 2023

There Are Now 100 Trillion Bits Of ‘Space Junk’ Circling Our Planet—And It’s About To Get A Lot Worse, Jamie Carter in Forbes, 9 March 2023

Scientists call for global action to clean up space junk, Tom Whipple in The Times, 9 March 2023

Climate change: New idea for sucking up CO2 from air shows promise, BBC News, 9 March 2023

Regular updates from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory at NASA JPL CalTech.

NASA Space Mission Takes Stock of Carbon Dioxide Emissions by Countries, NASA JPL CalTech, 7 March 2023

How slimmed-down websites can cut their carbon emissions, BBC News, 7 March 2023

Ocean treaty: Historic agreement reached after decade of talks, Esme Stallard, BBC News, 5 March 2023.

Humanity is sleepwalking into a neurotech disaster, by Camilla Cavendish in the Financial Times, 4 March 2023

Apocalypse then: lessons from history in tackling climate shocks, Peter Francopan in Financial Times, 3 March 2023

AI’s energy use isn’t sustainable. Enter TinyML, Cognizant, 9 February 2023

Smart appliances could stop working after two years, says Which?, BBC News, 13 January 2023

The start-ups seeking a cure for old age, Hannah Kuchler in Financial Times, 2 January 2023

Are we ready for space-based advertising? Roger J. Cochetti in The Hill, 3 December 2022

FCC Partially Grants SpaceX Gen2 Broadband Satellite Application, US Federal Communication Commission, 1 December 2022 (full text of Order and Authorization)

Climate tech 2.0 still has a one per cent problem, Pilita Clark in Financial Times, 15 November 2022

Soundproof holes to help otters flee rocket noise at UK spaceport, Kaya Burgess in The Times, 14 November 2022

Analysis: Which countries are historically responsible for climate change?, CarbonBrief, 5 October 2021

Asteroid struck by Nasa probe leaves 10,000km trail, BBC News, 5 October 2022

Dimorphos: Nasa flies spacecraft into asteroid in direct hit, Jonathan Amos, BBC News, 27 September 2022

Is this necessarily a “good” thing – or is it actually a form of environmental harm? By what “rights” is NASA permitted to “harm” an asteroid?

Ethereum ‘Merge’ concludes in key moment for crypto market, Joshua Oliver in the Financial Times, 15 September 2022

‘Meteor’ that lit up night sky was space debris, experts say, David McCann in The Times, 15 September 2022

Ethereum Merge: How one big cryptocurrency is going green, BBC News, 14 September 2022

Jeff Bezos rocket malfunctions on trip to space, Jonathan Amos, BBC News, 12 September 2022 – how do we measure the environmental impact of this?

Crypto mining could hinder U.S. ability to battle climate change, White House says, CNN, 8 September 2022 – link to White House Report

STFC celebrates £100 million raised by space tech start-ups: Investment success for space tech start-ups tackling climate change, UKRI, 8 September 2022

SpaceX capsule confirmed as source of space debris that crashed on farm in Australia, Natasha May, The Guardian, 4 August 2022.

Starlink: Why is Elon Musk launching thousands of satellites? BBC News, 1 August 2022.

Energy use from US cryptomining firms is contributing to rising utility bills, Dani Anguiano, The Guardian, 16 July 2022

Thanks to Roger Harris for recommending this

China deploys deorbiting ‘drag sail’ to aid fight against space junk, Andrew Jones Space, 11 July 2022

Stop deep-sea mining, says Macron, in call for new laws to protect ecosystems, The Guardian, 1 July 2022

Spotting minuscule space junk that can sink satellites, Ben Spencer, The Sunday Times, 19 June 2022

SpaceX Starship Super Heavy Project at the Boca Chica Launch Site, USA Federal Aviation Administration, 13 June 2022

Reading this report provides clear evidence why we need a completely new way of understanding the environmental impact of satellites and rockets.

EU to require single charger for all smartphones to combat electronic waste, France 24, 7 June 2022.

See also European Parliament News: Common charger: MEPs agree on proposal to reduce electronic waste, 20 April 2022

‘Unsustainable’: how satellite swarms pose a rising threat to astronomy, Alexandra Witze, in Nature News, 26 May 2022.

Royal Society of Chemists: new campaign highlights need for more sustainable electronics, May 2022

Thanks to Roger Harris for recommending this

New Dutch offshore auctions focus heavily on non-price criteria, WInd Europe, 9 May 2022.

Thanks to Will Cleverly for recommending this.

Mine e-waste, not the Earth, say scientists, Victoria Gill, BBC News, 8 May 2022

‘Nature doesn’t fix itself fast’: Greenland weighs up economy v climate crisis, Laura Paddison, The Guardian, 7 May 2022

Thanks to Roger Harris for recommending this

‘Deep-sea gold rush’ for rare metals could cause irreversible harm, Rupert Neate, The Guardian, 29 April 2022

Thanks to Roger Harris for recommending this

US bans anti-satellite missile tests, Shiona McCallum, BBC News, 19 April 2022

Offshore wind – best practice advice to facilitate sustainable development, Gov.UK, 13 April 2022

Thansk to Will Cleverly for recommending this.

The Future of Fast Online Delivery, From Drones to Robots Carrying Takeout, by Will Parker, The Wall Street Journal, 7 April 2022

Amazon to Spend Billions on Space Launches as SpaceX Ramps Up Satellite-Internet Service, by Micah Maidenberg, The Wall Street Journal, 5 April 2022

_carbolytics, an analysis of the carbon costs of online tracking, by Fernando Cucchietti, Joana Moll, Marta Esteban, Patricio Reyes, Carlos García Calatrava, 16 February 2022

Elon Musk: Starship rocket close to going orbital, Jonathan Amos in BBC News, 11 February 2022

See also detais of the US FAA environmental review.

SpaceX: Elon Musk loses 40 satellites and $25m, David Charter in The Times, 10 February 2022

Selection of new IAU Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Interference, International Astronomical Union, 3 February 2022

Satellite rescue service to become ‘AA of the skies’, Tom Whipple in The Times, 3 February 2022

How the game industry is fighting its carbon footprint, Polygon, 3 February 2020

Thanks to Michael Oghia for highlighting this story.

International Space Station will crash and burn in January 2031, Nasa declares, 2 February 2022, Jacqui Goddard in The Times

Chinese Satellite Reportedly Grappled, Moved Another Spacecraft Away From Orbit, 29 January 2022, Sputnik International

Elon Musk SpaceX rocket on collision course with moon, BBC News 26 January 2022

ScotWind offshore auction raises £700m, BBC News, 17 January 2022.

Battery costs rise as lithium demand outstrips supply, Rurika Imahashi, Financial Times, 11 January 2022

To be clean and green (and hit net zero), we first need to get dirty, by Ed Conway, The Sunday Times, 9 January 2022

eBario timeline history, a reflection on an environmentally conscious digital intervention developed in collaboration with indigenous peoples

Outcry over energy-sucking Facebook data centre that threatens Dutch green targets, by Bruno Waterfield, The Times, 2 January 2022

To survive and thrive, James Crabbe and Yue Xiaoguang, China Daily, 30 December 2021

China will continue to adopt initiatives to promote clean energy and international initiatives to foster better global environmental governance

Elon Musk criticised after China space complaint to UN, BBC News, 28 December 2021

Italy’s wind turbing refuseniks given blunt message, by Ben Hall and Davide Ghilione, Financial Times, 19 December 2021

Inmarsat launch seeks to bolster market position, Jonathan Amos in BBC News, 22 December 2021.

Russia’s anti-satellite test is a wake-up call to mankind, by Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Financial Times, 2 December 2021

Embracing quantum technologies for climate change, by Christopher Payne-Dwyer, UKRI News, 25 November 2021

What would it take to make AI ‘greener’?, by Sarah Khatry & Edward Kwartler & Kay Firth-Butterfield & Mark Caine, GreenBiz, 24 November 2021

Thanks to Hari G. Harindranath for recommending this

Russian anti-satellite missile test draws condemnation, BBC News, 16 November 2021

OneWeb founder wants to flood space with 300,000 satellites from Rwanda, SamfordCrimson, 7 November 2021

Thanks to Steve Song for recommending this

Climate change: How technology is helping cities tackle climate disasters, BBC News, 24 October 2021

Interconnected: sustainability on the agenda, Michael J. Oghia, in Branch 2

Climate change: construction companies told to stop knocking down buildings, BBC News, 24 September 2021

Bitcoin mining produces tonnes of waste, BBC News, 20th September 2021

Tesla co-founder tackles EV’s biggest problem, Financial Times, 15 September 2021

Computer emissions ‘twice the level caused by airlines’, The Times, 11 September 2021; original paper by Freitag et al. here

WHC is proud to partner with IBM for the Chicago Metro IBM EdTech Youth Challenge (Registration by 1 October 2021)

Tech’s modular future, Chris Nuttall, Financial Times, 2 September 2021

Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Accelerate the Energy Transition, World Economic Forum, 1 September 2021

Ten years for electric car to pay for itself in fuel savings, Emma Yeomans, The Times, 2 August 2021

Tokyo’s Olympic medals were made from 78,985 tons of recycled electronic devices, including cell phones, in Business Insider, 27 July 2021 (Thanks to Hitoshi Mitomo for sharing information about this Japanese initiative)

Judges reject Viasat’s plea to stop SpaceX Starlink satellite launches, Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 22 July 2021

The environmental impact of electric cars, Graeme Paton, The Times, 22 July 2021

Climate change: technology boosts efforts to curb tree loss in Amazon, BBC News, 13 July 2021

Apple founder Steve Wozniak backs right-to-repair movement, BBC News, 8 July 2021

Offshore wind farms ‘should pay compensation to communities’, Ben Webster, The Times, 8 July 2021

Deep sea mining may be step closer to reality, David Shukman, BBC News, 2 July 2021

Here are some of the most exciting green Technology Pioneers of 2021, Sean Fleming, World Economic Forum, 15 June 2021

The environmental impact of our devices: revealing what many companies hide, The Restart Project, 10 June 2021

G7: ‘Mount Recyclemore’ of leaders made from electronic waste in Cornwall, BBC News, 9 June 2021

Air pollution from reentering megaconstellation satellites could cause ozone hole 2.0, Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 7 June 2021

How to protect birds and bats from wind turbines, Chris Baraniuk, BBC News, 4 June 2021

UK National circular economy research programme launches, UKRI, 28 May 2021

Carbon Prices now Apply to Over a Fifth of Global Greenhouse Gases, World Bank, 25 May 2021

Move to net zero ‘inevitably means more mining’, by Jonathan Amos, BBC News, 25 May 2021

Introduction: The Final Frontier? The Enclosure of a Commons of Outer Space, in Society and Space, by Rachael Squire, Oli Mould and Peter Adey, 14 May 2021

Bitcoin Miners Are Giving New Life to Old Fossil-Fuel Power Plants, by Biran Spegele and Caitlin Ostroff, Wall Street Journal, 21 May 2021

Wall Street Journal Energy Report, material from November 2019 and May 2021

The big space clean-up – and why it matters, World Economic Forum, 20 May 2021, by Katharine Rooney

Höghastighetsbanor ger ingen positiv klimateffekt, Dagens Nyheter, 13 May 2021

(High speed railways don’t have a positive climate effect)

Electric cars: What will happen to all the dead batteries?, BBC News, 27 April 2021

Space junk map tracks 200 ‘ticking time bombs’, BBC News, Science and Environment, 26 April 2021

Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Facebook and Microsoft grant free patent access for low-carbon innovators, 22 April 2021

Do We Need To Worry That Zoom Calls Use Too Much Energy?, Peter Suciu in Forbes, 16 April 2021

Space Junk Removal Is Not Going Smoothly, Leonard David in Scientific American, 14 April 2021

Bitcoin mining in China will exceed energy consumption of 181 countries by 2024, study warns, Independent, 6 April 2021

Africa Data Centres to build 10MW Lagos facility, TechCentral, 6 April 2021, aiming to use solar energy

Companies back moratorium on deep sea mining, BBC News, 4 April 2021 – significant impact of mining the ocean floor for rare earth minerals to support digital technology and renewable energy