Yvaine Ye

1 month ago | colorado.edu | Yvaine Ye

The ocean has absorbed about 30% of carbon dioxide emissions from human activities since the Industrial Revolution, significantly slowing the pace of climate change. But as emissions continue to rise, scientists have warned that the ocean could eventually become too saturated with carbon to absorb more. Has the day arrived?

1 month ago | colorado.edu | Yvaine Ye

The electricity needs of data centers, especially those powering artificial intelligence (AI), could double worldwide by 2030, according to a new report released this month from the International Energy Agency (IEA). In the U.S., a major AI powerhouse, the forecast looks particularly stark. The IEA suggests that the country’s AI data centers will consume more power than the production of energy-intensive materials— including aluminum, steel, cement and chemicals combined— in the next five years.

1 month ago | colorado.edu | Yvaine Ye

When Hurricane Helene made landfall in the southeastern U.S. last September, it brought record-breaking rainfall to states including North Carolina, dumping as much as 2 feet of water in some rural communities. It was the hurricane to strike the U.S. mainland since 2005, killing more than 200 people. Despite authorities’ efforts to evacuate residents in the region, many people had no choice but to stay put, some due to a lack of resources or unwillingness to leave their homes or pets behind.

2 months ago | colorado.edu | Yvaine Ye

Imagine walking into a grocery store where every product has a clear carbon label: “The making of a pound of beef produces 130 pounds, or 59 kilograms, of greenhouse gases and could ultimately take 2.3 hours off a human life by exacerbating climate change.”Would these labels drive consumers to purchase food with a smaller carbon footprint and less negative impact on humans? Zia Mehrabi wants to find out.

2 months ago | news.umich.edu | Yvaine Ye

Study: Quantifying disturbance effects on ecosystem services in a changing climate (DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02626-y) How much will strawberry harvests shrink when extreme heat harms pollinators? How much will timber production decline when windstorms flatten forests? How much will recreational value disappear when large wildfires sweep through mountain towns? These are some critical questions that a new computer simulation is helping answer.