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AI Technology Behind ChatGPT Was Built With A Lot of Water
September 14th, 2023
Via AP News, a report on the water intensity of ChatGPT: The cost of building an artificial intelligence product like ChatGPT can be hard to measure. But one thing Microsoft-backed OpenAI needed for its technology was plenty of water, pulled from the watershed of the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers in central Iowa to cool […]
Read more »Looming Climate Security Crises in Iran
September 13th, 2023
Via Centre for Climate & Security, a look at how – as water runs dry in Iran – security and climate risks escalate: In Iran, projected climate change impacts through 2040 are on course to combine with poor governance and the impacts of international sanctions to jeopardize stability and regional security. Decades of isolation, corruption, […]
Read more »California: Moving to Outlaw Watering Decorative Grass
September 13th, 2023
Via the Los Angeles Times, a report on California’s move to outlaw watering some grass that’s purely decorative: Outdoor watering accounts for roughly half of total water use in Southern California’s cities and suburbs, and a large portion of that water is sprayed from sprinklers to keep grass green. Under a bill passed by state legislators […]
Read more »As the Colorado River Declines, Some Upstream Look to Use it Before They Lose it
September 13th, 2023
Via Inside Climate News, a look at how – as states negotiate future water cuts – some officials are looking to build new dams and reservoirs in the Upper Basin of the overallocated Colorado River to use more water: The fossil fuel industry once boomed here. Oil pump jacks dot the landscape around the community […]
Read more »Summer of Record Heat Deals Costly Damage to Texas Water Systems
September 13th, 2023
Via Inside Climate News, a look at how Texas’ record hot summer caused dry soils to contract, underground pipes to rupture and cities left to contend with thousands of costly water leaks, frustrating conservation efforts and highlighting the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to a warming climate: The hottest summer on record for many Texas cities has […]
Read more »What Arizona Can Learn From Israel’s Pioneering Water Strategy
September 13th, 2023
Via The Conversation, commentary on what Arizona and other drought-ridden states can learn from Israel’s pioneering water strategy: Arizona is one of the fastest-growing states in the U.S., with an economy that offers many opportunities for workers and businesses. But it faces a daunting challenge: a water crisis that could seriously constrain its economic growth and […]
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