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More coal and gas, less renewables: what a nuclear power plan for Australia would really mean

Nuclear is far from a reality in Australia. In the interim, Dutton’s plan would prop up coal and gas

Bilanol/ShutterstockOpposition Leader Peter Dutton’s plan for nuclear power in Australia has provoked a great deal of discussion and analysis – most of it critical. Experts point out the Coalition’s long-awaited modelling involves both highly optimistic costings and a massively lower demand for electricity than expected in official projections. In the upcoming federal election campaign, debate over the hypothetical costs and benefits of nuclear power will doubtless play a big role. But this conceals the real issue. As in every election over the last 20 years, at stake will be the question of whether Australia chooses a clean energy future, or prolongs the life of coal and gas – an outcome the nuclear plan relies on. In that sense, nuclear energy is shaping up as an election fig leaf like no other. The 2025 election campaign is likely to feature rival energy visions of nuclear, gas, coal and renewables. Markus Distelrath/Pexels, CC BY-NC-ND Decades until first power Even if the Coalition’s plans go ahead, concrete will not be poured for a nuclear plant before the 2030s – three or more elections away. To see why, it’s worth examining recent international experience. In 2006, the United Arab Emirates and other Persian Gulf states commissioned a study on the peaceful use of nuclear power. It was released in 2008 and the following year, Korean firm KHNP was selected to build four reactors. Final approval was not granted until 2012. The reactors began commercial operation between 2020 and 2024. The UAE has made no further nuclear orders and is, instead, rapidly expanding solar power. In 2020, Czechia began the process of replacing its ageing Soviet-era reactors. This year, it reached an agreement with KNHP, though the contract is yet to be finalised. Authorities expect the reactors to begin producing power commercially in 2038. The Czech deal indicates nuclear is hardly cheap – each reactor will cost A$12.8 billion and produce power at $225 per megawatt hour (mWH). By contrast, CSIRO has priced firmed or “backed up” renewable energy – that is, renewables combined with transmission and storage infrastructure – at between $91 and $131 per mWH. France has long been held up as the poster child for nuclear power, because it relies on nuclear for about 70% of its power, far more than any other nation. In 2022, President Emmanuel Macron announced a desire to go further still by building up to 14 new reactors. Construction of the first is due to start in 2027. These examples suggest five years is a realistic minimum period from decision to construction. But Australia is highly unlikely to achieve this minimum. Czechia and France, for example, already had well-established nuclear regulatory regimes. By contrast, Australia would need to establish and staff a nuclear power authority from scratch. Our existing organisation, ANSTO, is set up only to manage tiny research reactors. The UAE was also starting from scratch. But the UAE is a near-absolute monarchy – so courts, environmental impact studies and public consultation did not slow the process. And plants were built by migrant workers without union representation or rights of any kind. In Czechia and France, the reactors can be located at existing nuclear power plants. Dutton wants to build nuclear on the sites of existing coal plants to take advantage of existing transmission lines, but it’s not that simple. For instance, emergency evacuation systems are needed to deal with the small but real possibility of a catastrophic accident. Then there is the problem of overriding the wishes of the current owners and of state governments opposed to the plan. All this means a Dutton government would need at least two full terms in office before it would be in a position to commit the tens of billions of dollars necessary to fund the proposed publicly owned nuclear industry. Then comes years more of actual construction. Nuclear plants take many years to build, even in nations with existing reactors. kaiser-v/Shutterstock Coal and gas would fill the gap Based on recent experience in developed countries, nuclear power is unlikely to come online before 2045, by which time our existing coal plants would be well past their expected lifespan. Many would break down. How would this energy gap be filled? The answer is already clear. The core of Dutton’s energy policy – the part that would take effect immediately – is to keep coal plants running as long as possible, and then to switch to gas. It would also likely mean suppressing renewable energy in favour of coal and gas. Dutton has already vowed to scrap the offshore windfarm zone planned for the Illawarra region of New South Wales, despite the fact his party passed laws paving the way for offshore wind in 2021. Offshore wind is a missing piece of the puzzle for renewables in Australia, because winds offshore blow strongly and more consistently than on land. But the nascent sector could easily be destroyed at the stroke of a pen, using the Commonwealth’s powers over Australian waters. Queensland’s newly elected LNP government is already showing what that might look like, spending $1.4 billion in propping up coal, while killing off plans for a major pumped-hydro facility. Given Australia’s ageing coal-fired power stations are breaking down more often, going nuclear would mean spending billions on extending their lives while discouraging solar and wind. This could easily produce blackouts, or the threat of blackouts in short order. Here, too, Dutton has a solution: more gas. Only two weeks ago, Australia’s major gas producers paid for front-page stories across many Murdoch newspapers claiming gas-fired electricity would be necessary. There is nothing new here. Under the Morrison Coalition government, a taskforce set up to deal with supply chain problems caused by the COVID pandemic produced, instead, a report advocating a gas-led recovery. Wrong way, go back Australia should not be distracted by nuclear power. The Coalition plan for an Australian electricity supply, based on extended reliance on coal and gas, will rule out any chance this nation meets its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to the global climate effort. It would also result in more expensive and less reliable electricity for Australian households and businesses. John Quiggin is a former Member of the Climate Change Authority

Business
Climate
Energy

The Coalition’s nuclear energy plan takes a sharp turn away from a cheaper, cleaner future | Simon Holmes à Court

After 22 failed energy policies, the Coalition is being guided by a roadmap to higher bills and higher emissionsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOn the front cover of Frontier Economics’ costings of the Coalition’s nuclear policy is a stock photo entitled fork in road, implying that we’re at some kind of juncture where we must decide between a nuclear or renewables path.In 1969 John Gorton’s Liberal government chose the nuclear path with the construction of the Jervis Bay nuclear power plant project. As Gorton later said, “We were interested in this thing because it could provide electricity to everybody and it could, if you decided later on, it could make an atomic bomb.”Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

On the front cover of Frontier Economics’ costings of the Coalition’s nuclear policy is a stock photo entitled fork in road, implying that we’re at some kind of juncture where we must decide between a nuclear or renewables path.In 1969 John Gorton’s Liberal government chose the nuclear path with the construction of the Jervis Bay nuclear power plant project. As Gorton later said, “We were interested in this thing because it could provide electricity to everybody and it could, if you decided later on, it could make an atomic bomb.”In 1971 Billy McMahon’s Liberal government cancelled the project after a review deemed it too expensive. The cleared site became a massive car park at Murray’s Beach.No nuclear power station was built in the intervening 27 years before John Howard introduced a federal ban on nuclear power. There were no attempts to overturn the ban during the next 18 years of Liberal government.At the start of the 1970s we were indeed at an energy crossroads, we took the road towards coal, and as one of those who’d like to pass a safe climate on to the next generation, I wish we had taken the road towards nuclear instead. Our emissions would be dramatically lower.In 1997, just before he banned nuclear, Howard took us down a different path – he announced the mandatory renewable energy target, a plan to add a tiny slice of renewable energy to our sliver of hydroelectricity. In 2009, in what was perhaps the last act of bipartisanship on domestic energy, parliament agreed to massively increase the target to 20% renewables by 2020. Today we’re just shy of 40%, and the government’s policy is to double it again by the end of this decade.Howard’s modest renewable energy target was surely more successful than he ever intended, in great contrast to the 22 failed energy policies the Coalition famously held during its last tenure. Its latest energy policy began shortly after the last election, when in August 2022 Peter Dutton tasked Ted O’Brien to “examine the potential for advanced and next-generation nuclear technologies to contribute to Australia’s energy security and reduce power prices”. We had to wait until Friday for the costings, published after many of the country’s journalists had filed their last stories for the year.Here are four reasons why in my opinion the costings, prepared by Frontier Economics, completely undermine the Coalition’s 23rd energy plan:1. The Coalition plans for lower household income and the collapse of heavy industryOf the three scenarios the independent market operator Aemo published in June, the Coalition has chosen what’s known as progressive change, giving Aemo’s preferred scenario, known as step change, to Labor.Under the Coalition’s scenario, large industrial load collapses in 2030, signalling the closure of smelters and presumably datacentres – goodbye AI! By 2050 industrial demand is down by 62%. Over the 25-year modelling period, household disposable income will be down a whopping $2.8tn more compared to Labor’s plan.With a pivot away from electrification, under the Coalition’s plan Australians will burn an additional 273bn litres of petrol and diesel through to 2050 costing $465bn and an additional 1,831 PJ of gas costing at least $36bn. Even if the Coalition’s purported cost savings were credible, this $501bn would mean that Australia’s total energy bill would be considerably higher.Should Australia go nuclear? Why Peter Dutton's plan could be an atomic failure – videoOn top of this, the Coalition’s plan would see a 61% reduction in rooftop solar, meaning that millions fewer Australians would be able to slash their electricity bills.Currently we are paying hundreds of millions to three coal power stations to stay open for a couple of years. The Coalition budgets nothing to coax the other 14 coal power stations on the east coast to extend their lives by a decade or more.Economist Steven Hamilton has calculated that the Coalition’s plan would see the power sector emit about 1,000 million tonnes of carbon dioxide above our current trajectory. The Coalition’s crabwalk away from electrification would add a further 723 MtCO2.The Coalition has chosen an energetically and fiscally poorer Australia with higher energy bills and higher emissions. I’ve long suspected that the Coalition hasn’t bothered to read or understand Aemo’s last seven years of modelling, and this pretty much clinches it.2. The analysis lowballs nuclear’s cost then punts it over the horizonFrontier appears to have made the rookie error of confusing the nuclear industry term nth of a kind (Noak) with next of a kind. The Noak cost is not what we’d pay for the next reactor built, but a cost target we’d theoretically hit eventually if we got really good at building them. If you build, say, eight identical reactors on a site, the last one should cost a lot less – and provided nothing goes wrong, theoretically you’d approach the Noak cost.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Breaking News AustraliaGet the most important news as it breaksPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionIf Australia were to achieve Frontier’s costs, it’d be the cheapest nuclear built in the western world this century, by a wide margin. Frontier’s head, Danny Price, told the ABC on Friday that he wouldn’t put himself in the category of a nuclear expert, so maybe it’s no surprise that the modelling appears to confuse Noak with next-of-a-kind pricing.Frontier are, however, modelling experts, so the next thing they did was with eyes wide open. The modelling pushes the vast majority of the cost of nuclear beyond 2050, so if the program is delayed it would appear cheaper and if the cost triples, it’d barely show in the analysis. Nice work!Next, Frontier assumes that building nuclear reactors will get cheaper every year – what’s known as a positive learning rate. In reality, the US nuclear industry is famous for its negative learning rate – is that a forgetting rate? – meaning that Noak costs are more theory than practice.3. The Coalition’s unrealistic schedule leaves us short of powerAs I told a recent nuclear inquiry – the eighth since 2005 – there’s not a hope in hell that Australia can deliver its first nuclear power reactor producing power before 2040. Even with fantastical assumptions, such as a Coalition that controls both Houses of Parliament, states quickly overturning their bans, the first project sailing through environmental approvals and court challenges and fast build times, it’s almost impossible to achieve the first nuclear kilowatt hour before 2044.Czechia, a country with 66 years of nuclear experience, embarked on a nuclear construction project in 2022. If all goes well the first unit will start commercial operation in 2038. Australia is at least six years behind this project, and we face many more barriers, so 2044 for our first really does seem optimistic.4. Our grid doesn’t have room for these reactorsFrontier’s analysis assumes that Australia builds 13.3GW of nuclear, equivalent to 12 AP-1000 reactors, and that these run flat out when they’re not off for refuelling and maintenance.The problem is that for much of the year Australia uses less power. Our minimum system load (MSL) is already below 10GW and on its way down to 2GW around the end of this decade, thanks to rooftop solar. The inflexible manner in which the Coalition plans to run the reactors would result in masses of excess power and require that we turn off massive amounts of renewables, both utility-scale and rooftop solar. Alternatively we could soak up the excess nuclear energy with gigantic battery farms.Over the weekend I sent a polite text message to Danny Price, the consultant behind the Coalition’s modelling, explaining that I’m not a newcomer to nuclear and outlining three of the above flaws. Price replied:“Thanks for sending me your credentials and your generous offer to set me straight, but I will decline. I’ve got all the help and technical advice I need. I know you are just protecting you (sic) financial interest. I get it, but please don’t contact me again.”Contrary to Coalition belief, I am not a large investor in renewable energy (nor am I a billionaire). This shows the depths of the culture wars we’re in – where impugned motives trump rational discussion. I took the opportunity to reply:“Since you misinterpreted my motives, allow me this: Less than 2% of my investments are in Australian renewables – similar to millions of superannuation accounts I’m advised – and if the renewables transition slows, the value of those investments would likely increase.”If we’re at a crossroads it’s one where the Coalition took a sharp turn, based on what looks like to me some really sloppy advice. Let’s hope that Australians stay on the path to a cheaper, cleaner and more prosperous energy future.

Energy
Government
CO2

Beyond almond and oat: How pecan milk is shaking up the plant-based market

With PKN, America's only indigenous commercial tree nut could shake up the non-dairy industry

For decades, soy milk was the only widely available alternative for those seeking a non-dairy option. But in recent years, the plant-based milk market has transformed into a thriving sector filled with innovation, from almond and oat to pistachio and even sesame. According to McKinsey's 2022 Dairy Report, this evolution reflects shifting consumer habits: nearly a quarter of Americans now consume both dairy and plant-based alternatives, driven by factors like health, taste and sustainability. Yet, the market is not without its challenges — rising prices, environmental concerns and the need for differentiation have put pressure on producers to innovate. Enter Laura Shenkar, founder and CEO of PKN, the world’s first pecan milk brand. Shenkar has positioned pecans, America’s only indigenous commercial tree nut, as a sustainable and nutrient-packed alternative in the crowded non-dairy aisle.  Shenkar shared with Salon how PKN aims to disrupt the category, from its ecological focus to its commitment to taste and accessibility. This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.  The market for plant-based milk alternatives is growing crowded, with almond, oat and soy dominating the shelves. What inspired you to champion pecans as the centerpiece of PKN, and how do you see pecan milk carving out its space? We’ve captured the attention of consumers because we are addressing a rare white space in consumer products — with a hero ingredient people always love to fill one of the mainstays of the American diet, milk. As we look toward the evolving water crisis in California, it’s clear that we need to start looking for a new, water-resilient source of nuts.   A 2016 stream revitalization project in San Saba Texas sparked my interest in pecans.  As the only commercial tree nut indigenous to America, they were uniquely resilient and could be independent from the demands for water, for chemicals like pesticides, as well as pollinators that define the current supply of nuts in the US. These nuts are all from California, where almonds alone use more than 10% of its water.   With more than a third of US consumers lactose intolerant, this market will need to double just to address our basic health requirements. Pecans provide the highest level of flavonoids and the highest ratio of antioxidants of any tree-nut to support brain- and heart-health. But most importantly, we believe that next-generation brands need to make food that brings joy and delights our consumers. You should feel the celebration of Thanksgiving pecan pie in every sip. Pecans are native to the U.S., and you’ve highlighted their ecological benefits. How does PKN approach sustainability, and what challenges do you face in scaling a product while staying true to your environmental ethos? We believe that next-generation consumer products need to efficiently use scarce resources, and we’ve built our company from the ground up to minimize food waste and build a robust, carbon-efficient supply chain.  We’ve worked with the most committed pecan shellers to upcycle pecan pieces and capture nut meats to preserve their nutrition. We’ve also developed a waste-free production process that uses dramatically less water and produces less waste than conventional almond milk manufacturing. Finally, we’ve invested to develop our products for shelf-stable packaging with a year-long shelf life. It’s important to note that pecans are truly the only commercial nut that is indigenous to America. Pecans do not require irrigation or chemicals to grow. They’re self-sustaining and also a more pure crop in terms of agriculture.  Every day we all seem to hear about the water scarcity in California and how it impacts the supply of almonds. As this water scarcity limits nut production in California, pecans are emerging as the only sustainable choice. Having pecan milk on shelves as a choice for consumers gives them a delicious alternative that can also be better for sustainability measures and the environment. Your messaging emphasizes health benefits, from antioxidants to omega-3 fats. How do you balance communicating the science behind these benefits with making your brand approachable to the average consumer? Consumers have a lot of options these days, so we’re committed to in-store sampling events that introduce PKN with its wonderful taste and also highlight the nutritional benefits. Flavonoids have been an unsung hero for brain-health, and people are interested to learn that integrating pecans into everyday eating can support longevity and health.  You’ve mentioned that pecans can serve as an anchor for the future of farming. Could you share more about PKN’s relationship with pecan growers and how you’re fostering partnerships that benefit local farming communities? We care about our sourcing and we are very much focused on our farmers. We highlight the hard work our farmers do to grow the pecans that become our milk. It’s important to note that our milk is made of upcycled pecan pieces. To that, we as a company are more sustainable than any other brand on the market. So many farmers were wiped out by the Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and will not recover. We are in touch with them and are doing everything in our power to help them as they move forward.  Taste is king in the food world. What steps did you take to ensure pecan milk delivers on flavor, and how have consumers responded to its distinctive taste compared to more established plant-based milks? We see taste as a primary driver, followed by all the wonderful attributes that pecans offer. With our Barista product in particular, it took us 18 months to get it right. What that means is we failed a lot in order to perfect it, to make the Barista the highest quality it can be, especially when it comes to frothing qualities for making lattes and cappuccinos.  Plant-based foods often face scrutiny over accessibility. How does PKN aim to make pecan milk a viable option for a wider audience, both in terms of price and availability? Much of our product innovation has focused on upcycling pecan pieces, which generates a new revenue stream for farmers, but also reduces the price of our products. As we ramp up production, we’ll be able to reduce costs and introduce new products for each of the grocery market segments. We closely watch the market and see where we fit in, in terms of product offerings and price point. Indeed, accessibility is important to us, and we want to make sure our pecan milk stays as reasonably priced as possible. You’re developing what you’ve called ‘next-generation plant-based foods.’ What’s on the horizon for PKN beyond pecan milk, and how do you see the brand evolving in the coming years? We’re on the hunt for new ingredients to simplify our ingredients.  We’re examining opportunities to integrate other native plants into our pecan milks for both sweetness and spiciness, for protein, and also to add bio-effective, plant-based sources of calcium and key minerals.   We are rolling out new products in 2025, so stay tuned!  We’ve captured the attention of retailer buyers and consumers because we are addressing a rare white space in consumer products — with a hero ingredient people always love to fill one of the mainstays of the American diet: milk. Read more about this topic

Indigenous
Agriculture
Crisis

Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ taint rural California drinking water, far from known sources

PFAS chemicals have unexpectedly turned up in well water in rural farmland, far from any industrial areas, airports, or military bases.

Juana Valle never imagined she’d be scared to drink water from her tap or eat fresh eggs and walnuts when she bought her 5-acre farm in San Juan Bautista, California, three years ago. Escaping city life and growing her own food was a dream come true for the 52-year-old. Then Valle began to suspect water from her well was making her sick. “Even if everything is organic, it doesn’t matter, if the water underground is not clean,” Valle said. This year, researchers found worrisome levels of chemicals called PFAS in her well water. Exposure to PFAS, a group of thousands of compounds, has been linked to health problems including cancer, decreased response to vaccines, and low birth weight, according to a federally funded report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Valle worries that eating food from her farm and drinking the water, found also to contain arsenic, are to blame for health issues she’s experienced recently. The researchers suspect the toxic chemicals could have made their way into Valle’s water through nearby agricultural operations, which may have used PFAS-laced fertilizers made from dried sludge from wastewater treatment plants, or pesticides found to contain the compounds. The chemicals have unexpectedly turned up in well water in rural farmland far from known contamination sites, like industrial areas, airports, and military bases. Agricultural communities already face the dangers of heavy metals and nitrates contaminating their tap water. Now researchers worry that PFAS could further harm farmworkers and communities of color disproportionately. They have called for more testing. Not long after she moved to her farm in San Juan Bautista, California, Juana Valle started feeling sick. Medical tests revealed her blood had high levels of heavy metals, especially arsenic, she says. She plans to get herself tested for PFAS soon, too. Hannah Norman / KFF Health News “It seems like it’s an even more widespread problem than we realized,” said Clare Pace, a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley who is examining possible exposure from PFAS-contaminated pesticides. Concerns are mounting nationwide about PFAS contamination transferred through the common practice of spreading solid waste from sewage treatment across farm fields. Officials in Maine outlawed spreading “biosolids,” as some sewage byproducts are called, on farms and other land in 2022. A study published in August found higher levels of PFAS in the blood of people in Maine who drank water from wells next to farms where biosolids were spread. Contamination in sewage mostly comes from industrial discharges. But household sludge also contains PFAS, because the chemicals are prevalent in personal care products and other commonly used items, said Sarah Alexander, executive director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. “We found that farms that were spread with sludge in the ’80s are still contaminated today,” Alexander said. The first PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, were invented in the 1940s to prevent stains and sticking in household products. Today, PFAS chemicals are used in everything from cookware to cosmetics to some types of firefighting foam — ending up in landfills and wastewater treatment plants. Known as “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in the environment, PFAS are so toxic that in water they are measured in parts per trillion, equivalent to one drop in 20 Olympic-size swimming pools. The chemicals accumulate in the human body. On Valle’s farm, her well water has PFAS concentrations eight times as high as the safety threshold the Environmental Protection Agency set this year for the PFAS chemical referred to as PFOS, or perfluorooctane sulfonate. It’s unclear whether the new drinking water standards, which are in a five-year implementation phase, will be enforced by the incoming Trump administration. Moving to the 5-acre farm to escape city life and grow her own food was a dream come true for Juana Valle. Then she began to suspect water from her well was making her sick. Hannah Norman / KFF Health News Valle’s farm has a walnut orchard, towering persimmon trees, and roaming chickens. Hannah Norman / KFF Health News Valle’s well is one of 20 sites tested in California’s San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast regions — 10 private domestic wells and 10 public water systems — in the first round of preliminary sampling by UC-Berkeley researchers and the Community Water Center, a clean-water nonprofit. They’re planning community meetings to discuss the findings with residents when the results are finalized. Valle’s results showed 96 parts per trillion of total PFAS in her water, including 32 ppt of PFOS — both considered potentially hazardous amounts. Hailey Shingler, who was part of the team that conducted the water sampling, said the sites’ proximity to farmland suggests agricultural operations could be a contamination source, or that the chemicals have become ubiquitous in the environment. The EPA requires public water systems serving at least 3,300 people to test for 29 types of PFAS. But private wells are unregulated and particularly vulnerable to contamination from groundwater, because they tend to be shallower and construction quality varies, Shingler said. California already faces a drinking water crisis that disproportionately hits farmworkers and communities of color. More than 825,000 people spanning almost 400 water systems across the state don’t have access to clean or reliable drinking water because of contamination from nitrates, heavy metals, and pesticides. California’s Central Valley is one of the nation’s biggest agricultural producers. State data shows the EPA found PFAS contamination above the new safety threshold in public drinking water supplies in some cities there: Fresno, Lathrop, Manteca, and others. Not long after she moved, Valle started feeling sick. Joints in her legs hurt, and there was a burning sensation. Medical tests revealed her blood had high levels of heavy metals, especially arsenic, she said. She plans to get herself tested for PFAS soon, too. “So I stopped eating [or drinking] anything from the farm,” Valle said, “and a week later my numbers went down.” After that, she got a water filter installed for her house, but the system doesn’t remove PFAS, so she and her family continue to drink bottled water, she said. Juana Valle had a water filter installed for her house, but the system doesn’t remove PFAS, so she and her family continue to drink bottled water, she says. Hannah Norman / KFF Health News In recent years, the pesticide industry has increased its use of PFAS for both active and “inert” ingredients, said David Andrews, a senior scientist of the Environmental Working Group, who analyzed pesticide ingredient registrations submitted to the EPA over the past decade as part of a recently published study. “PFAS not only endanger agricultural workers and communities,” Andrews said, “but also jeopardize downstream water sources, where pesticide runoff can contaminate drinking supplies.” California’s most concentrated pesticide use is along the Central Coast, where Valle lives, and in the Central Valley, said Pace, whose research found that possible PFAS contamination from pesticides disproportionately affects communities of color. Juana Valle had a water filter installed for her house, but the system doesn’t remove PFAS, so she and her family continue to drink bottled water, she says. Hannah Norman / KFF Health News “Our results indicate racial and ethnic disparities in potential PFAS threats to community water systems, thus raising environmental justice concerns,” the paper states. Some treatment plants and public water systems have installed filtration systems to catch PFAS, but that can cost millions or even billions of dollars. California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed laws restricting PFAS in textiles, food packaging, and cosmetics, a move the wastewater treatment industry hopes will address the problem at the source. Yet the state, like the EPA, does not regulate PFAS in the solid waste generated by sewage treatment plants, though it does require monitoring. In the past, biosolids were routinely sent to landfills alongside being spread on land. But in 2016, California lawmakers passed a regulation that requested operators to lower their organic waste disposal by 75 percent by 2025 to reduce methane emissions. That squeeze pushed facilities to repurpose more of their wastewater treatment byproducts as fertilizer, compost, and soil topper on farm fields, forests, and other sites. Read Next The EPA is cracking down on PFAS — but not in fertilizer Zoya Teirstein Greg Kester, director of renewable resource programs at the California Association of Sanitation Agencies, said there are benefits to using biosolids as fertilizer, including improved soil health, increased crop yields, reduced irrigation needs, and carbon sequestration. “We have to look at the risk of not applying [it on farmland] as well,” he said. Almost two-thirds of the 776,000 dry metric tons of biosolids California used or disposed of last year was spread this way, most of it hauled from wealthy, populated regions like Los Angeles County and the Bay Area to the Central Valley or out of state. When asked if California would consider banning biosolids from agricultural use, Wendy Linck, a senior engineering geologist at California’s State Water Resources Control Board, said: “I don’t think that is in the future.” Juana Valle’s well is 1 of 20 sites tested by UC-Berkeley researchers and the Community Water Center. The results showed 96 parts per trillion of total PFAS in her water, including 32 ppt of PFOS — both considered potentially hazardous amounts. Hannah Norman / KFF Health News California’s most concentrated pesticide use is along the Central Coast, where Valle lives, and in the Central Valley, said Clare Pace, whose research found that possible PFAS contamination from pesticides disproportionately affects communities of color. Hannah Norman / KFF Health News Average PFAS concentrations found in California’s sampling of biosolids for PFAS collected by wastewater treatment plants are relatively low compared with more industrialized states like Maine, said Rashi Gupta, wastewater practice director at consulting firm Carollo Engineers. Still, according to monitoring done in 2020 and 2022, San Francisco’s two wastewater treatment facilities produced biosolid samples with total PFAS levels of more than 150 parts per billion. Starting in 2019, the water board began testing wells — and finding high levels of PFAS — near known sites of contamination, like airports, landfills, and industry. The agency is now testing roughly 4,000 wells statewide, including those far from known contamination sources — free of charge in disadvantaged communities, according to Dan Newton, assistant deputy director at the state water board’s division of drinking water. The effort will take about two years. Solano County — home to large pastures about an hour northeast of San Francisco — tested soil where biosolids had been applied to its fields, most of which came from the Bay Area. In preliminary results, consultants found PFAS at every location, including places where biosolids had historically not been applied. In recent years, landowners expressed reservations about the county’s biosolids program, and in 2024 no farms participated in the practice, said Trey Strickland, manager of the environmental health services division. “It was probably a ‘not in my backyard’ kind of thing,” Strickland said. “Spread the poop somewhere else, away from us.” Los Angeles County, meanwhile, hauls much of its biosolids to Kern County or out of state. Green Acres, a farm near Bakersfield and owned by the city of Los Angeles, has applied as much as 80,000 dry tons of biosolids annually, fertilizing crops for animal feed like corn and wheat. Concerned about the environmental and health implications, for more than a decade Kern County fought the practice until the legal battle ended in 2017. At the time, Dean Florez, a former state senator, told the Los Angeles Times that “it’s been a David and Goliath battle from day one.” “We probably won’t know the effects of this for many years,” he added. “We do know one thing: If it was healthy and OK, L.A. would do it in L.A. County.” This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ taint rural California drinking water, far from known sources on Dec 15, 2024.

Chemicals
Water
Crisis

LA tree enthusiast shares her love for the city’s canopy: ‘Something we took for granted’

Stephanie Carrie gives tours and educates Angelenos on the importance of the urban forest – and how to improve itOn a recent Sunday morning, 25 Angelenos gathered under a large rusty leaf fig tree for a walking tree tour in a local Culver City park that was also playing host to an outdoor tai chi class as well as a group of yogis.As we walked past Chinese elm trees, coast live oaks and Brazilian pepper trees, Stephanie Carrie shared the history of the city’s celebrated palm trees with a rapt audience. Many of today’s trees, planted in the 1930s, are approaching the end of their lives – and while they have become symbols of the city, they also guzzle water, fueling calls to replace them with drought-resistant trees. Continue reading...

On a recent Sunday morning, 25 Angelenos gathered under a large rusty leaf fig tree for a walking tree tour in a local Culver City park that was also playing host to an outdoor tai chi class as well as a group of yogis.As we walked past Chinese elm trees, coast live oaks and Brazilian pepper trees, Stephanie Carrie shared the history of the city’s celebrated palm trees with a rapt audience. Many of today’s trees, planted in the 1930s, are approaching the end of their lives – and while they have become symbols of the city, they also guzzle water, fueling calls to replace them with drought-resistant trees.“The most important thing about LA is our natural environment and our community, and the best way to provide for that community is different types of trees that will give back and protect us moving into the future,” said Carrie.She’s not a professional photographer or an arborist, but Carrie and her popular Instagram account, Trees of LA (@treesofla), help people identify some of the 700,000 street trees that make up the world’s most diverse urban forest. Offline, the New Zealand-born, southern California-raised creator hosts a variety of city tree tours that educate attendees about environmental sustainability, canopy inequality and the countless benefits of paying attention to the trees around us.Trees featured on the Trees of LA Instagram account. Photograph: Instagram account, Trees of LA“It’s so joyful to take something that started on a screen and bring it into the real world,” said Carrie, who uses her storytelling background as an actor and screenwriter to engage followers. “Living in urban environments isn’t a natural situation for human beings, so we’re kind of reconnecting to something we took for granted when we did not live in urban environments.”There are nearly 1,000 kinds of street trees in Los Angeles. Some local favorites include the flowering jacaranda, which turn places like Pasadena, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica into seas of purple in the late spring. Saucer magnolia trees in West Los Angeles and Westwood produce large pink and white blossoms in the winter, while gold medallion trees bloom vivid clusters of yellow flowers that are seen throughout the city in late spring and into summer.The trees most associated with LA are, of course, its palms. They were first brought to California in the 18th century by Spanish missionaries who wanted to use the fronds in religious services. Real estate developers later imported more to help sell the city as an exotic tropical paradise. Then, before the 1932 Olympics, 25,000 were planted to beautify streets and an additional 40,000 were added as part of the New Deal’s Works Progress Administration project.The palm trees planted in the 1930s are now considered “senior citizens”; an invasive insect, the red palm weevil, has already killed others. Along with using vast amounts of groundwater, the palms are prone to disease and don’t offer shade. As they die off, environmentalists say other species should take their place, though it would alter the image of a city known for caring deeply about its appearance.While Carrie supports diversifying LA’s canopy – the trees that offer shade across a city – she believes it would be ideal to keep palms in a few locations to celebrate their place in the city’s history.For years, Carrie, like numerous other city residents, suffered from a phenomenon known as “tree blindness”, and hadn’t paid much attention to the urban forest around her. It wasn’t until 2016, when she took maternity leave with her first child, that she started taking regular walks in a local park and had an epiphany.Stephanie Carrie looking up in a canyon live oak in Idyllwild, California. Photograph: Matt Wyatt“When I started to notice and focus my attention on a tree and the details of that tree, my brain was just filled with what felt like incredibly positive chemicals,” said Carrie. “It really felt like a meditation. My anxiety went away and I was truly in the moment.”It’s proven that spending time around trees helps us reduce stress, lower blood pressure and screen out noise pollution. Experts say that looking at trees, or simply watching leaves blow in the wind, helps replenish our cognitive reserve, the brain’s ability to solve problems and deal with challenges (especially important for those of us who stare at screens all day.) Studies have found that hospital patients who can see trees from their beds recover faster than those who can’t see them.Trees are not only good for our mental and physical health, but they often serve as a first line of defense against air pollution and combating heat, making them key to fighting the climate crisis around the globe.City trees reduce energy usage, shade our streets and homes, and minimize the “heat island effect”, common in cities where roads, buildings and other infrastructure absorb and re-emit heat at higher levels compared to forests and bodies of water. Trees clean our air, store carbon, serve as a wildlife habitat and soak up storm water, which reduces runoff and soil erosion.Stephanie Carrie during a tree tour in Carlson Park in Culver City, California. Photograph: Matt WyattBut decades of environmental injustice means that while Los Angeles’ average canopy cover is 21%, South Los Angeles’ is 13% – and only 5% in some parts of the region. The city of Los Angeles’ Green New Deal was designed to increase trees primarily in low-income communities disproportionately affected by the climate crisis. It set out to plant 90,000 trees by the end of 2021, but the pandemic and other challenges slowed planting rates; by 2022, only 65,000 trees had been planted.TreePeople, an environmental non-profit, has identified 28 climate-resilient tree species for Los Angeles’ urban forest and advocates for increasing their presence in the canopy. Trees such as weeping bottle brush, silverleaf oak and rosewood offer serious cooling benefits, use little water, are resistant to major pests and diseases, and reduce air pollution – all key attributes for an environment facing increased heat and long-term drought.A new study authored by the University of Southern California and the South LA Tree Coalition found that while people were aware of the real harms caused by tree inequity and the role trees play in cooling neighborhoods, they were also concerned about the ways tree planting intersects with homelessness and gentrification, since the arrival of new trees can be associated with rising rents. “It’s important to work with communities rather than just coming in and having strangers planting a bunch of trees,” said Carrie.Experts say that messaging about trees being critical infrastructure for communities needs to be clearer, and that people must also plant trees on their own property since residences make up a large majority of plantable space in the city (the narrow planter strips that run along streets are typically occupied by utility lines both above and below ground).By sharing their love of trees, Carrie and other like-minded tree content creators are helping to spread that message to people all over the world, and connecting with one another.When she traveled to Mexico City in 2022, Carrie spent the day looking at trees with Francisco Arjona of Árboles de la CDMX. She’s also met up in real life with Paul Wood, author of London Is a Forest, who runs the Street Tree account, to gaze at trees in London, and is friendly with the creators of Trees of Delhi, Trees of Barcelona and Trees of Cambridge, among many others.“There’s a special bond between people who are trying to photograph trees during the perfect time of day so we can bring the majesty of that day to a tiny square on Instagram and share with people,” said Carrie. “It’s almost like a beautiful language of love.”

Forests
Water
Climate

White US neighborhoods have more EPA air quality monitors, study finds

Disproportionate placement of devices leaves communities of color less protected from dangerous pollutantsThe Environmental Protection Agency’s air quality monitors are disproportionately positioned in whiter neighborhoods in the US, leaving communities of color less protected from dangerous pollutants like particulate matter, ozone, nitrous dioxide and lead, among others, new research finds.Policy and actions the EPA takes to reduce pollution are developed from the monitors’ readings, and communities of color are broadly more likely to be near major polluters. The findings raise questions about whether the agency has enough monitors installed, is properly placing them, and whether conclusions about the safety of the air in some areas are sound. Continue reading...

The Environmental Protection Agency’s air quality monitors are disproportionately positioned in whiter neighborhoods in the US, leaving communities of color less protected from dangerous pollutants like particulate matter, ozone, nitrous dioxide and lead, among others, new research finds.Policy and actions the EPA takes to reduce pollution are developed from the monitors’ readings, and communities of color are broadly more likely to be near major polluters. The findings raise questions about whether the agency has enough monitors installed, is properly placing them, and whether conclusions about the safety of the air in some areas are sound.“It seems like an obvious problem, but we don’t see much about … how there’s a measurement error in the gold standard for data collection,” said Brenna Kelly, a University of Utah doctoral student and study co-author. “It’s how we establish thresholds for safety, and who’s going to be susceptible to exposure to air pollution.”The researchers checked the position of nearly 8,000 EPA monitors nationwide and compared their locations with census block data.The study consistently found a lower average of monitors for particulate matter, ozone, nitrous dioxide and lead across all non-white groups. The chemicals are linked to a range of health effects like asthma, chest pain, cardiovascular disease, neurotoxicity in developing children, and cancer.It found the highest disparity in monitors for sulfur dioxide in Native American and Pacific Islander groups. Sulfur dioxide is a common emission during natural gas and petroleum extraction, oil refining and metal processing. It can cause difficulty breathing and exacerbate other respiratory issues.EPA’s monitors’ positions are determined by federal, state and local authorities, the study noted, though Kelly said there was not a clear process in place for determining where to locate a monitor. Variables such as population density and concentration of polluters factor into the decision.However, the process “can get pretty political”, Kelly added. Communities with more resources and political power may be able to sway the process, which may partly explain the disparity. The issue is also probably part of “institutionalized racism” in the decision-making process – marginalized groups typically receive fewer resources, Kelly added.The EPA’s monitors work by measuring a single point that is meant to be a representative sample of a larger region around it. The agency estimates broader regional air quality by using some form of interpolation, but this approach can leave significant gaps. The spaces and gaps seem to generally be inhabited by communities of color.skip past newsletter promotionThe planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essentialPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionMonitoring could be improved by using satellite imagery, the study notes. It can capture pollution across a region, but it also has limitations and would need to be deployed along with air monitors near the ground.“That’s the big question: ‘How do we get better data?’” Kelly said. “The dream is that we understand air pollution in every area at all times, how people move throughout their environment and how that changes what they’re exposed to.”

Pollution
Chemicals
Health

A year of triumph: South Africa’s historic firsts in 2024

The past year has been memorable in terms of accomplishments. Here is a look back at some of South Africa’s firsts in 2024. The post A year of triumph: South Africa’s historic firsts in 2024 appeared first on SA People.

In 2024, Mzansi made a remarkable impact, receiving numerous accolades in diverse fields, including sports, tourism, and hospitality. In addition to receiving multiple awards and prizes, it was also a year in which South Africa experienced many firsts. Here is a look back at some of South Africa’s firsts in 2024. First SA UFC middleweight champion At UFC 297, Dricus du Plessis made history by becoming the first UFC middleweight champion from South Africa. Since his UFC debut in October 2020, he has fought six times, defeating tough opponents like Darren Till, Derek Brunson, Robert Whittaker, and this year, Sean Strickland. Source: facebook/dricusduplessisefc South Africa’s first slow hiking trail CapeNature launched South Africa’s first slow hiking trail, the Damara Trail. It is located at the De Mond Nature Reserve, near the coastal town of Arniston. Unlike other strenuous hikes, the Damara Trail is a hike that spans over two days and is suited for people of ages eight and older. It is also suitable for all fitness levels as the route features a gentle slope, smooth terrain, and rest stops situated along the way. The country’s first TV museum Cape Town proudly opened South Africa’s first TV museum, offering a fascinating journey through the history of television. The exhibition includes TVs ranging from the classic wooden box sets to the brand-new 110-inch UX display set. The exhibits are interactive, featuring numerous screens connected to popular gaming consoles, including the latest Xbox Series X. Breakthrough in Muslim marriages The Department of Home Affairs made history by issuing the first-ever South African marriage certificates that officially recognise the type of marriage as Muslim. The first batch of these types of marriage certificates comprised a total of 33 marriage certificates. Source: x.com/Leon_Schreib South Africa’s first dog museum Museum of Dogs, South Africa’s very first museum of its kind, opened in Cape Town’s city centre. The museum is essentially a dedication to celebrating dogs and their roles in our society as companions, comforters, and friends. Included in the experience when visiting the museum will be interactive displays. Additionally, visitors will be able to listen to stories by dog owners about their dogs. Furthermore, the museum features a brief overview of the history of dogs in South Africa, including short films about dogs from around the world. First deaf Miss SA Mia le Roux made history in August when she was crowned as the first deaf Miss South Africa. The event took place at the Sun Bet Arena at Time Square in Menlyn, Pretoria. It marked a significant moment of inclusivity and representation. Welcoming Prince William for event The Earthshot Prize, an initiative started by Prince William and The Royal Foundation, hosted its fourth award ceremony in Cape Town in November 2024. It was the first time that South Africa hosted this prestigious event that Prince William attended. The Earthshot Prize recognises innovative solutions to environmental challenges, and hosting the event underscores South Africa’s commitment to sustainability. Prince William meets President Ramaphosa. Image by x.com/KensingtonRoyal The post A year of triumph: South Africa’s historic firsts in 2024 appeared first on SA People.

Nature

A life-changing device for diabetics

Read the winning essay from the Young Science Writer of the Year 2024 award

I am a teenager whose mother and grandmother both have type 1 diabetes.It is a disease which cannot be cured, only managed - an autoimmune condition, meaning that the body’s defence system attacks cells in the pancreas. These cells are then damaged and cannot produce insulin - the hormone which helps keep blood sugar levels within a safe range.In people without diabetes, insulin is released when we eat, preventing our blood sugar levels from going too high. That does not happen to diabetics. Without treatment, their blood sugar can spike - dangerously. Glucose monitors, healthy dietary choices, scheduled exercise, and most importantly insulin injections, are all used to control it.Insulin injections can be painful. They can cause bruising and a build-up of scar tissue, fat, and protein, which is called lipohypertrophy. As I have seen, these injections can be upsetting and restricting. Diabetics have to have their insulin with them and, for those who have problems with their eyesight, or with their mobility, it can be a struggle to inject.This is why I believe there is a better, more efficient way to deliver insulin.The insulin pump is a small device - around the size of a deck of cards - which supplies a continuous flow of longer-acting insulin through a cannula underneath the skin. This device comes in two forms, tubed and tubeless. Tubed pumps last for multiple years, with the insulin supply getting replaced every two to three days.Tubeless pumps are worn once and a new pump is applied every two to three days. They are changed often to stop the insulin supply running out and to prevent infection.An advantage of the insulin pump is that it allows increased flexibility for people with unpredictable schedules or who require smaller doses of insulin. This means that people with changing work shifts, who don’t necessarily eat and exercise at set times each day can still have set doses of insulin.A report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare in 2011 says that 86% of survey respondents cited that the insulin pump fits in with their lifestyle much better than injections.It is also more convenient to change an insulin supply or pump every two or three days, than it is to inject, on average, four times a day.However, there are disadvantages with pumps, as they are not for everyone. It may be difficult for people with eyesight or mobility problems to change their pump, but this issue is also related to insulin injections. Cannulas can also bend, restricting the flow of insulin, and the pump can sometimes become disconnected from the tubing without the user noticing.The NHS only offers insulin pumps to those who experience frequent episodes of dangerously low or high blood sugar without warning. These are known as “hypos” or “hypers”. This means that many people choose to self-fund an insulin pump, which typically costs £2,000-£3,000. On top of that, the cost of the equipment needed costs just over £1,000 per year. That is not affordable for many diabetics.Dr Iain MacLeod., who works as a GP at Prestonpans Group Practice in Scotland told me that insulin pumps had been “life-changing for many patients”.“I think [they] have been an excellent addition to the range of options available for managing diabetes,” he said.Dr MacLeod also expressed that pumps “allow more flexibility”, but that they ”are a lot more expensive than standard insulin therapy so, in these times of huge financial pressures within the NHS, it is probably not realistic for all diabetic patients to get the more expensive treatment options.“If the pump is the best option for a patient, then I would gladly recommend it,” he added.Insulin pumps are becoming more accessible - and even more fashionable - with companies selling accessories and pouches to protect pumps. I think this is making it easier to live with and accept the reality of the device, which is often life-changing.I believe it is important for diabetics to have access to whatever treatment options they need to not just manage their condition, but thrive.Jasmin is from Musselburgh Grammar School, East Lothian and the judges called her essay an “outstanding piece that presented a compelling message about the accessibility of healthcare".Runners up were Anna Joby, for her essay on light pollution and Lissie Marsh for a piece on the unseen environmental consequences of the overuse of tyres.The Young Science Writer of the Year Award is organised by the Association of British Science Writers in collaboration with the Royal Institution and with the support of BBC News. Details about how to enter the 2025 competition will be announced in the coming weeks.

Science
Health
Pollution

UN Talks Fail to Reach Agreement on Dealing With Rising Risk of Global Drought

Despite two weeks of U.N.-sponsored talks in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh, the participating 197 nations failed to agree on a plan to deal with global droughts, made longer and more severe by a warming climate

BENGALURU, India (AP) — Despite two weeks of U.N.-sponsored talks in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh, the participating 197 nations failed to agree early Saturday on a plan to deal with global droughts, made longer and more severe by a warming climate.The biennial talks, known as COP 16 and organized by a UN body that deals with combating desertification and droughts, attempted to create strong global mandates to legally bind and require nations to fund early warning systems and build resilient infrastructure in poorer countries, particularly Africa, which is worst affected by the changes.The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification released a report earlier this week warning that if global warming trends continue, nearly five billion people — including in most of Europe, parts of the western U.S., Brazil, eastern Asia and central Africa — will be affected by the drying of Earth’s lands by the end of the century, up from a quarter of the world’s population today. The report also said farming was particularly at risk, which can lead to food insecurity for communities worldwide. This is the fourth time UN talks aimed at getting countries to agree to make more headway on tackling biodiversity loss, climate change and plastic pollution have either failed to reach a consensus or delivered disappointing results this year, worrying many nations, particularly the most vulnerable.Nations participating in the Riyadh discussions decided to push the can down the road to the 2026 talks, hosted by Mongolia. “Parties need more time to agree on what’s the best way forward to address the critical issue of drought,” said Ibrahim Thiaw, the UNCCD chief, speaking at the end of the Riyadh talks. Thiaw said the conference was “like no other” in the talks' 30-year history. “We have elevated the land and drought agenda beyond sector-specific discussions, establishing it as a cornerstone of global efforts to address inter-connected challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, food insecurity, migration and global security.” Longer-lasting solutions to drought — such as the curbing of climate change — were not a talking point. Host Saudi Arabia has been criticized in the past for stalling progress on curbing emissions from fossil fuels at other negotiations. The Gulf nation is one of the world’s largest oil producers and exporters with the second-largest global oil reserves. Earlier in the conference, hosts Saudi Arabia, a few other countries and international banks pledged $2.15 billion for drought resilience. And the Arab Coordination Group, made up of 10 development banks based in the Middle East, committed $10 billion by 2030 to address degrading land, desertification and drought. The funds are expected to support 80 of the most vulnerable countries prepare for worsening drought conditions.But the U.N. estimates that between 2007 and 2017, droughts will cost $125 billion worldwide.Erika Gomez, lead negotiator from Panama said while a decision on dealing with drought was not reached, significant progress was made in other key issues. “We have achieved several key milestones, particularly in the growing traction of civil society engagement and the gender decision,” Gomez said. “Until the very end, parties could not agree on whether or not the new instrument to respond to drought should be legally binding or not,” said Jes Weigelt of European climate think-tank TMG Research who has been tracking the talks. “I fear, the UNCCD COP 16 has suffered the same fate as the biodiversity and climate COPs this year. It failed to deliver,” he said. The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Photos You Should See - Sept. 2024

Climate
Food
Pollution

MIT affiliates named 2024 Schmidt Futures AI2050 Fellows

Five MIT faculty members and two additional alumni are honored with fellowships to advance research on beneficial AI.

Five MIT faculty members and two additional alumni were recently named to the 2024 cohort of AI2050 Fellows. The honor is announced annually by Schmidt Futures, Eric and Wendy Schmidt’s philanthropic initiative that aims to accelerate scientific innovation. Conceived and co-chaired by Eric Schmidt and James Manyika, AI2050 is a philanthropic initiative aimed at helping to solve hard problems in AI. Within their research, each fellow will contend with the central motivating question of AI2050: “It’s 2050. AI has turned out to be hugely beneficial to society. What happened? What are the most important problems we solved and the opportunities and possibilities we realized to ensure this outcome?”This year’s MIT-affiliated AI2050 Fellows include:David Autor, the Daniel (1972) and Gail Rubinfeld Professor in the MIT Department of Economics, and co-director of the MIT Shaping the Future of Work Initiative and the National Bureau of Economic Research’s Labor Studies Program, has been named a 2024 AI2050 senior fellow. His scholarship explores the labor-market impacts of technological change and globalization on job polarization, skill demands, earnings levels and inequality, and electoral outcomes. Autor’s AI2050 project will leverage real-time data on AI adoption to clarify how new tools interact with human capabilities in shaping employment and earnings. The work will provide an accessible framework for entrepreneurs, technologists, and policymakers seeking to understand, tangibly, how AI can complement human expertise. Autor has received numerous awards and honors, including a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship, an Andrew Carnegie Fellowship, and the Heinz 25th Special Recognition Award from the Heinz Family Foundation for his work “transforming our understanding of how globalization and technological change are impacting jobs and earning prospects for American workers.” In 2023, Autor was one of two researchers across all scientific fields selected as a NOMIS Distinguished Scientist.Sara Beery, an assistant professor in the Department of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) and a principal investigator in the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), has been named an early career fellow. Beery’s work focuses on building computer vision methods that enable global-scale environmental and biodiversity monitoring across data modalities and tackling real-world challenges, including strong spatiotemporal correlations, imperfect data quality, fine-grained categories, and long-tailed distributions. She collaborates with nongovernmental organizations and government agencies to deploy her methods worldwide and works toward increasing the diversity and accessibility of academic research in artificial intelligence through interdisciplinary capacity-building and education. Beery earned a BS in electrical engineering and mathematics from Seattle University and a PhD in computing and mathematical sciences from Caltech, where she was honored with the Amori Prize for her outstanding dissertation.Gabriele Farina, an assistant professor in EECS and a principal investigator in the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS), has been named an early career fellow. Farina’s work lies at the intersection of artificial intelligence, computer science, operations research, and economics. Specifically, he focuses on learning and optimization methods for sequential decisio­­­n-making and convex-concave saddle point problems, with applications to equilibrium finding in games. Farina also studies computational game theory and recently served as co-author on a Science study about combining language models with strategic reasoning. He is a recipient of a NeurIPS Best Paper Award and was a Facebook Fellow in economics and computer science. His dissertation was recognized with the 2023 ACM SIGecom Doctoral Dissertation Award and one of the two 2023 ACM Dissertation Award Honorable Mentions, among others.Marzyeh Ghassemi PhD ’17, an associate professor in EECS and the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, principal investigator at CSAIL and LIDS, and affiliate of the Abdul Latif Jameel Clinic for Machine Learning in Health and the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, has been named an early career fellow. Ghassemi’s research in the Healthy ML Group creates a rigorous quantitative framework in which to design, develop, and place ML models in a way that is robust and fair, focusing on health settings. Her contributions range from socially aware model construction to improving subgroup- and shift-robust learning methods to identifying important insights in model deployment scenarios that have implications in policy, health practice, and equity. Among other awards, Ghassemi has been named one of MIT Technology Review’s 35 Innovators Under 35; and has been awarded the 2018 Seth J. Teller Award, the 2023 MIT Prize for Open Data, a 2024 NSF CAREER Award, and the Google Research Scholar Award. She founded the nonprofit Association for Health, Inference and Learning (AHLI) and her work has been featured in popular press such as Forbes, Fortune, MIT News, and The Huffington Post.Yoon Kim, an assistant professor in EECS and a principal investigator in CSAIL, has been named an early career fellow. Kim’s work straddles the intersection between natural language processing and machine learning, and touches upon efficient training and deployment of large-scale models, learning from small data, neuro-symbolic approaches, grounded language learning, and connections between computational and human language processing. Affiliated with CSAIL, Kim earned his PhD in computer science at Harvard University; his MS in data science from New York University; his MA in statistics from Columbia University; and his BA in both math and economics from Cornell University. Additional alumni Roger Grosse PhD ’14, a computer science associate professor at the University of Toronto, and David Rolnick ’12, PhD ’18, assistant professor at Mila-Quebec AI Institute, were also named senior and early career fellows, respectively.

Education
Government
Health

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