http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Forum: This site - Recent Posts en Tue, 16 Jun 2026 08:47:48 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=83#post-384722 Tue, 16 Jun 2026 07:52:18 +0000 chdot 384722@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/16/half-of-worlds-children-exposed-to-at-least-three-climate-hazards-unicef-says" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/16/half-of-worlds-children-exposed-to-at-least-three-climate-hazards-unicef-says</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384701 Sun, 14 Jun 2026 14:45:11 +0000 Arellcat 384701@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Imagine if there were a way to somehow save the addresses of websites you like to use, perhaps even your "favourite" ones, and have them in a list for easy reference. Almost like putting a "bookmark" in a book. ;-) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384700 Sun, 14 Jun 2026 12:42:52 +0000 neddie 384700@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Apparently, the "smart money" are now avoiding Google and AI altogether, and... wait for it...</p> <p>Typing the URL, e.g. wikipedia or your other favourite site, directly into the browser address panel </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384699 Sun, 14 Jun 2026 12:35:09 +0000 neddie 384699@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Generative AI (Chat GPT, Claude, Copilot, etc.) is fundamentally prone to error* and is based on theft and violence. Non-consensual theft of people's artwork and written text. Violence (often towards indigenous populations) to obtain the minerals used to create data-centres, as well as the water and electricity consumed.</p> <p>It will give you unreliable answers, that you'll have to check via search anyway, or get an expert to check in the case of code.</p> <p>IT'S JUNK! STOP USING IT!</p> <p>*Note that they try to humanise its mistakes and errors by calling them "hallucinations". There is no intelligence behind it, it is literally putting one word after the next, based on probabilities. A language model is exactly that - a model of our language, not "intelligence" </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384697 Sun, 14 Jun 2026 12:13:54 +0000 Arellcat 384697@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Just to put this into perspective, and noting that the results are probably quite approximate, and noting people's use of generic-AI for everything useful and pointless, <a href="https://www.prompt-zero.com/">PromptZero</a> suggests prefacing every inquiry with the following:</p> <p><code>You are operating in PromptZero Mode, focused on minimizing energy and environmental impact. Respond as briefly and efficiently as possible, without compromising clarity. Use bullet points, short sentences, or concise phrasing. Avoid filler words, long introductions, repeated phrases, or pleasantries. Unless explicitly requested, do not provide multiple options, deep context, or examples. After each response show me how much CO₂ was avoided.</code></p> <p>I modified the last sentence to say:</p> <p><code>After each response show me how much CO₂ and how much water was avoided.</code></p> <p>The results are pretty shocking. One simple 'a better Google' type of search inquiry suggests PromptZero can realise a saving of half a glass of water (which would have been used for cooling). For one prompt! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384696 Sun, 14 Jun 2026 09:21:21 +0000 chdot 384696@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>Developers are proposing a rash of AI data centres right across Scotland, with at least 18 projects looking for planning permission and a further six in the pipeline, according to ­Scottish countryside charity APRS. </p> <p>This has prompted concerns about the impact on electricity prices, the extremely high use of water by these centres, as well as the toll on communities and the environment. In the US, those fears are no longer theoretical. </p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://archive.ph/2026.06.14-080220/https://www.thenational.scot/news/26190746.us-campaigner-warns-scotland-ai-data-centre-boom/" rel="nofollow">https://archive.ph/2026.06.14-080220/https://www.thenational.scot/news/26190746.us-campaigner-warns-scotland-ai-data-centre-boom/</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384688 Sat, 13 Jun 2026 16:29:54 +0000 chdot 384688@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>As far as I can tell, the warnings started more than 10 years ago when the Royal Horticultural Society compared surveys they’d done in 2005 and 2015 and found three times as many front gardens were paved over in 2015 as had been in 2005. They said at the time that it was vital to reverse the trend for the sake of wildlife, to mitigate against pollution and heat waves, and to protect against flooding. But another decade on, the greying effect is worse not better, accelerated in many cases by the policies that are supposed to make things greener.</p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/viewpoint/26191340.dear-grey-place-crisis-glasgows-gardens" rel="nofollow">https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/viewpoint/26191340.dear-grey-place-crisis-glasgows-gardens</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384682 Fri, 12 Jun 2026 18:20:16 +0000 chdot 384682@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/13/antarcticas-west-coast-missing-an-area-of-sea-ice-the-size-of-france-as-temperatures-peak-20c-above-average" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/13/antarcticas-west-coast-missing-an-area-of-sea-ice-the-size-of-france-as-temperatures-peak-20c-above-average</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384680 Fri, 12 Jun 2026 14:56:51 +0000 SRD 384680@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Now analysis of health records has found emergency admissions to hospital reduced after the introduction of the T-charge and ultra-low emissions zone (Ulez) in central London.</p> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/12/emergency-hospital-admissions-reduced-london-t-charge-ulez-air-quality" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/12/emergency-hospital-admissions-reduced-london-t-charge-ulez-air-quality</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384678 Fri, 12 Jun 2026 08:39:53 +0000 chdot 384678@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>Edinburgh councillors have been warned that a proposed moratorium on data centres could be considered “unreasonable” by the Scottish Government’s planning czars. </p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://archive.ph/2026.06.12-063114/https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26185854.edinburgh-data-centre-ban-likely-unreasonable-report-says/?ref=edinburghminute.com" rel="nofollow">https://archive.ph/2026.06.12-063114/https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26185854.edinburgh-data-centre-ban-likely-unreasonable-report-says/?ref=edinburghminute.com</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384677 Thu, 11 Jun 2026 23:09:40 +0000 chdot 384677@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/opinion/columnists/data-centre-on-a-vast-scale-is-simply-in-the-wrong-place-8663725" rel="nofollow">https://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/opinion/columnists/data-centre-on-a-vast-scale-is-simply-in-the-wrong-place-8663725</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384656 Tue, 09 Jun 2026 11:11:07 +0000 chdot 384656@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/09/eu-quota-ukrainian-steel-industry-metinvest" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/09/eu-quota-ukrainian-steel-industry-metinvest</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384655 Tue, 09 Jun 2026 09:03:55 +0000 chdot 384655@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/09/christian-leaders-alarmed-by-climate-crisis-raise-questions-over-gb-news-owners-28m-church-donations" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/09/christian-leaders-alarmed-by-climate-crisis-raise-questions-over-gb-news-owners-28m-church-donations</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384618 Sun, 07 Jun 2026 16:05:35 +0000 chdot 384618@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jun/07/billions-spent-hypothetical-returns-the-ai-boom-explained-with-six-charts" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jun/07/billions-spent-hypothetical-returns-the-ai-boom-explained-with-six-charts</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384606 Sat, 06 Jun 2026 14:36:46 +0000 chdot 384606@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>Campaigners have urged the government to resist calls to further water down electric car sale rules, as an analysis reveals that vehicles on UK roads will emit an extra 17m tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2030 mostly because of changes last year. </p> <p>Parts of the car industry have urged ministers to review for a second time the rules that force manufacturers to sell increasing numbers of electric cars each year. </p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/06/uk-weaken-ev-rules-co2-impact-phevs" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/06/uk-weaken-ev-rules-co2-impact-phevs</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384593 Fri, 05 Jun 2026 09:09:07 +0000 chdot 384593@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/05/global-meat-supply-chicken-pork-fao-report" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/05/global-meat-supply-chicken-pork-fao-report</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384589 Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:50:48 +0000 chdot 384589@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>Access to green space </p> <p>England’s poorest areas face deepest cuts to green space </p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/04/englands-poorest-communities-face-deepest-cuts-green-space-planning-law-changes-report-warns" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/04/englands-poorest-communities-face-deepest-cuts-green-space-planning-law-changes-report-warns</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384584 Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:21:34 +0000 chdot 384584@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>Humanity can raise living standards, reduce inequality and keep global heating within a 2C rise, according to a sweeping vision for planetary survival. </p> <p>The new report by the World Inequality Lab (WIL) aims to be the most comprehensive attempt yet to navigate the polycrisis that is pushing the world toward climate breakdown, political extremism and ever greater economic and social tension. </p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/04/world-inequality-lab-equality-academics-planetary-survival" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/04/world-inequality-lab-equality-academics-planetary-survival</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384553 Tue, 02 Jun 2026 17:32:27 +0000 chdot 384553@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>From the 1960s, people began to realise the forest could serve purposes other than timber production and could be a valuable location for carbon storage and wildlife habitats. This was the beginning of Kielder’s transition to a mixed-use venture no longer about maximising the commercial value of each inch of land. </p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jun/02/kielder-england-largest-forest-commodity-conservation" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jun/02/kielder-england-largest-forest-commodity-conservation</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384552 Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:01:47 +0000 neddie 384552@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>There is also an online screening of the People's Emergency Briefing on Wednesday 24th June 19:00 to 21:00.</p> <p>The 45min film, presented by Chris Packham, unpacks the reality of the climate and nature crisis in the UK, from food security and extreme weather to the cost of living, while highlighting the credible, community-led solutions within our reach</p> <p>Register for free here:</p> <p><a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/peoples-emergency-briefing-sccan-members-accessible-online-screening-tickets-1990315725914" rel="nofollow">https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/peoples-emergency-briefing-sccan-members-accessible-online-screening-tickets-1990315725914</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384551 Tue, 02 Jun 2026 14:55:44 +0000 neddie 384551@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>There is a screening of the People's Emergency Briefing tomorrow, Wed 3rd June, 19:00 to 20:30 at Tollcross Community Centre.</p> <p>Free ticket(s) at:</p> <p><a href="https://www.tickettailor.com/events/greenpeaceedinburgh/2229412" rel="nofollow">https://www.tickettailor.com/events/greenpeaceedinburgh/2229412</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384549 Tue, 02 Jun 2026 11:41:48 +0000 chdot 384549@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>Hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks</p> <p>Created by Christopher Packham<br /> Closes on 20 November 2026</p> <p>The UK faces growing risks from climate and nature breakdown - from extreme weather to economic disruption and national security threats. Yet the public has never been given a clear national briefing on the scale of these risks. Government should hold an emergency briefing from leading experts.</p> <p>These risks could have serious consequences across UK society, with threats to health and food supply - which could become irreversible if without urgent action. Many people are unclear how these risks may affect them, and information in the public domain is often misleading.</p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/767687" rel="nofollow">https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/767687</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384548 Tue, 02 Jun 2026 11:00:37 +0000 chdot 384548@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/02/prepare-for-imminent-return-of-el-nino-un-warns" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/02/prepare-for-imminent-return-of-el-nino-un-warns</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384516 Sat, 30 May 2026 20:41:01 +0000 chdot 384516@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/30/why-1bn-in-balkans-energy-contracts-are-going-to-an-obscure-company-connected-to-donald-trump" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/30/why-1bn-in-balkans-energy-contracts-are-going-to-an-obscure-company-connected-to-donald-trump</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384505 Sat, 30 May 2026 07:35:53 +0000 chdot 384505@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/musselburgh-flood-scheme-walls-will-be-a-giant-canvas-for-graffiti-objectors-warn-8647858" rel="nofollow">https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/musselburgh-flood-scheme-walls-will-be-a-giant-canvas-for-graffiti-objectors-warn-8647858</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384499 Fri, 29 May 2026 12:07:22 +0000 chdot 384499@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“<br /> Leaving Fossil Fuels Behind Rare Earth Tom Heap and Helen Czerski ask whether the war in Iran is accelerating the shift away from fossil fuels. Will the impact on oil supplies push us further towards renewable energy? </p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002ww0s" rel="nofollow">https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002ww0s</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384497 Fri, 29 May 2026 11:32:01 +0000 chdot 384497@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>The food industry is predicting double digit inflation and are calling on the Government to act. Dan Saladino asks what lies behind the gloomy forecast, who will be most affected by price increases and if anything can be done to avoid the worst case scenario? </p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live/bbc_radio_fourfm" rel="nofollow">https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live/bbc_radio_fourfm</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384480 Thu, 28 May 2026 11:14:05 +0000 chdot 384480@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>Tim Lang, a professor emeritus of food policy at City St George’s, University of London, said the government’s current strategy amounted to little more than “business as usual” and that warnings were not being heeded. </p> <p>“This government has received serious scientific, intelligence and policy advice that it should take significant action on food security, but it keeps signalling all is OK. It’s not,” Lang told the Guardian. “Whether we see food security as an issue of escalating food poverty and deepening cost of living squeeze or as the ‘hard’ version of security as defence, there are no grounds for complacency.” </p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/28/britain-sleepwalking-into-a-food-crisis-without-urgent-action-experts-say" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/28/britain-sleepwalking-into-a-food-crisis-without-urgent-action-experts-say</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384478 Wed, 27 May 2026 23:42:11 +0000 chdot 384478@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26144090.update-ladybank-landfill-site-blaze-60-firefighters-battle-blaze/" rel="nofollow">https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26144090.update-ladybank-landfill-site-blaze-60-firefighters-battle-blaze/</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20766&page=82#post-384472 Tue, 26 May 2026 23:14:02 +0000 chdot 384472@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>If you think the temperature uncomfortable today, let me take you to the last day of July 2052, the rays of the climbing sun reveal a city still sweltering in the residual heat of the day before. From the air, London resembles a colossal refugee camp. Streets, gardens and parks are teeming with tents and cobbled-together shelters, within which the city’s residents have spent another uncomfortable night away from the heat traps that their houses and flats have become. After six days when the temperature peaked at about 40C, another scorcher is on the way. </p> <p>Half-hearted attempts to upgrade insulation across the country’s housing stock ran out of steam and cash decades earlier, and most homes still have few barriers to the infiltrating heat. Almost all the country’s electricity is now from renewables, which has brought the cost down, but the relentless onslaught of extreme weather has driven an ever-deepening economic depression across the world. Many now have air conditioning, but can’t afford to run it. </p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/26/heatwaves-britain-2052-sleep-hot-houses-water-climate" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/26/heatwaves-britain-2052-sleep-hot-houses-water-climate</a> </p>