Latest news with #PlanetEarth
Forbes
11 hours ago
- Health
- Forbes
Why ProSocial AI Is ProPlanetary AI. A Promise For Planetary Harmony
Green lungs of planet Earth. 3d rendering of a clean lake in a shape of lungs in the middle of ... More virgin forest. Concept of nature and rainforest protection, nature breathing and natural co2 reduction. We have come to a remarkable moment in human history. On one side, artificial intelligence promises to revolutionize how we understand and interact among each other and with our environment. On the other, we face what scientists call the "Great Acceleration", a period where human activity has pushed six of nine planetary boundaries beyond safe limits, including climate change, biodiversity loss and biogeochemical flows, threatening the very foundations of life on Earth. But what if these two realities aren't opposing forces? What if AI, guided by the right human intentions, could help us write a new chapter where technology and nature exist in harmony rather than conflict? The Planetary Health Imperative A recent commentary in The Lancet makes a compelling case for connecting planetary boundaries with planetary health, the understanding that human wellbeing depends entirely on Earth's natural systems. The authors argue that destabilizing our planet's life-support systems fundamentally threatens human health in ways we're only beginning to understand, with health impacts occurring even before planetary boundaries are transgressed. Four cornerstones are proposed for integration: recognizing that Earth system destabilization threatens human health, centering justice for vulnerable populations, accounting for true costs and benefits of environmental policies, and developing integrated science communication to build broader support for change. Critically, each planetary boundary requires comprehensive health risk assessment, something that demands permanent platforms for transdisciplinary collaboration between Earth system scientists, health researchers and affected communities. Consider the interconnected web, much like the World Wide Web itself, where each strand is linked to another: climate change affects food security, which influences migration patterns, and in turn, impacts mental health and social stability. Novel chemicals alter hormone systems, while biodiversity loss weakens nature's ability to regulate diseases. Ocean acidification threatens protein sources for billions. Each boundary crossed sends a ripple through this vast, complex system, much like how a single change on one webpage can ripple across the entire internet. Within this reality lies an opportunity. The very systems thinking that allows us to trace these connections also points toward solutions. This is where AI's potential becomes truly interesting — it functions as the network's protocol, capable of navigating and optimizing these connections, finding solutions faster and more efficiently – and helping us restore balance to the web that sustains us. Minds Behind Machines The neuralgic feature is that AI is not neutral. It amplifies human values, priorities and ways of thinking. If humankind continues to allow the approach to AI development to be dominated by extractive mindsets, viewing nature as a resource to be optimized and controlled, we'll create systems that perpetuate our current trajectory toward planetary collapse. But if we can find the way to make a conscious effort to ground AI development in what Indigenous wisdom has long understood; that human and planetary health are inseparable, we open possibilities for genuinely transformative technology. This shift requires what the Lancet commentary calls "overcoming the root causes of the intertwined environmental, health, and justice crises" by "changing the mindsets that created them and embracing the interconnectedness of all people and nature." AI As Nature's Ally Imagine AI systems designed with this ecological wisdom at their core. Instead of maximizing short-term profits, they could optimize for long-term planetary health. Instead of treating symptoms, they could address root causes of environmental degradation. We're already seeing glimpses of this potential. AI is helping restore degraded ecosystems by analyzing satellite imagery to identify optimal reforestation sites. It's revolutionizing agriculture by enabling precision farming that uses fewer resources while maintaining yields. Climate models powered by machine learning are providing surprising insights into Earth system dynamics. But the real transformation can happen only when we scale this thinking and recognize the co-benefits that emerge when we align technology with planetary health. The Lancet commentary emphasizes that policies to mitigate Earth system destabilization often have immediate and long-term health benefits, making them more compelling and cost-efficient. Picture AI systems that can: The Shadow Side We Cannot Ignore Still – we must also confront the paradox of using AI to support planetary health: AI's current trajectory is accelerating the very problems it could help solve. Data centers accounted for roughly 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024, and this amount is expected to double by 2030 because of AI use. The numbers are staggering. AI-specific servers in data centers are estimated to have used between 53 and 76 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024, enough to power more than 7.2 million US homes for a year. Water consumption is equally concerning: Google's water consumption jumped 20% in 2024, while data centers in the United States use about 7,100 liters of water for each megawatt-hour of energy they consume – that's enough to run 70 loads of laundry in an average washing machine The land footprint is expanding rapidly too. Companies have leased nearly 3 gigawatts of data-center capacity in North America in the first half of 2024, which is up from 1.4 gigawatts in the first half of 2023. Combined investments from Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Meta, and Apple alone will exceed $450 billion in 2025. Types of energy production that had been discontinued in many places, from coal to nuclear energy are being brought back to satisfy the gigantic energy appetite of our growing artificial treasure chest. This isn't sustainable. If we continue on this path, AI will become a major driver of environmental degradation rather than a solution to it. And here we have answers already. We urgently need to steer AI development deliberately, not only toward efficiency but people and planet-oriented responsibility. This means investing in renewable energy to power data centers, building AI models that require less energy and water, and enforcing stricter corporate environmental performance standards that preserve livelihoods and ecosystems. ProSocial AI is proplanetary AI and vice-versa. But none of this will happen without serious governance reforms. Governments, regulators, and international bodies must step in to set clear environmental limits on AI development and hold tech companies accountable. With the right rules and incentives in place, AI can reduce its own footprint while accelerating solutions for planetary health—instead of becoming a driver of further harm. The Justice Imperative Justice is central to the planetary health approach. Environmental changes impact everyone, but they disproportionately weigh on future generations, Indigenous peoples and already marginalized communities. Differently put – those who contributed least to the problems are the ones who bear the biggest burden. It is time to address this lack of justice – and absence of logic. The same lack of fairness applies to AI development. We cannot create prosocial AI – AI systems that are tailored, trained, tested and targeted to bring out the best in and for people and planet, without including the voices and needs of those most affected by both environmental degradation and technological change. This means involving diverse communities in AI governance, ensuring equitable access to AI benefits and designing systems that strengthen rather than undermine local autonomy and traditional knowledge. A Planetary Framework For Transformation Moving forward requires a holistic understanding of humanity's relationship with nature, and the planet. It is time for a large-scale approach to cultivate individual and institutional understanding of what's at stake – and mobilize action. In this endeavor we also need a new narrative that positions AI not as humanity's replacement but as our partner in planetary healing. The path forward can be summarized in the acronym PLANET: Prioritize regenerative design, Build AI systems that restore rather than deplete natural systems, starting with dramatically reducing the energy and resource footprint of AI infrastructure itself. Lead with justice, Center equity and community voice in AI development, ensuring that technological solutions strengthen rather than undermine local autonomy and traditional knowledge. Align with nature's wisdom, Design AI systems that mimic natural processes: circular, adaptive, resilient, and focused on long-term stability rather than short-term optimization. Navigate complexity, Use AI's pattern recognition capabilities to understand and work with Earth's interconnected systems rather than trying to control them. Engage communities, Make AI development a participatory process that includes diverse voices, especially those most affected by environmental and technological change. Transform systems, Use AI to enable fundamental shifts in how we organize food, energy, transportation and economic systems around planetary health principles. The Triple Promise Of Prosocial AI We stand at a threshold where AI could become humanity's most loyal ally in planetary healing, but only if we understand what "prosocial AI" truly means. It's not just about making AI more helpful or ethical. It's about creating technology that is simultaneously pro-people, pro-planet, and pro-potential. Pro-people means AI that strengthens communities rather than displacing them, that amplifies human wisdom rather than replacing it, and that ensures the benefits of technological advancement flow to those who need them most, not just those who can afford them. Pro-planet means AI systems designed within ecological limits, that regenerate rather than degrade natural systems, and that treat Earth's boundaries not as constraints to overcome but as the fundamental parameters for sustainable innovation. Pro-potential means AI that unlocks humanity's capacity for collective intelligence, creativity, and cooperation — helping us imagine and build futures we couldn't create alone. A commitment to prosocial AI could awaken our collective potential as Earth's conscious participants rather than its unconscious destroyers. A Regenerative Future Awaits Imagine waking up fifty years from now in a world where AI has helped deliver the greatest regeneration in human history. Cities breathe like forests. Oceans teem with life. The climate has stabilized. Communities thrive in diversity and dignity. Technology serves life, not the other way around. This isn't utopian fantasy — it's entirely possible with the tools we have today, guided by the wisdom we've always had. The question isn't whether we can build this future, but whether we'll choose to. Every line of code written, every algorithm trained, every AI system deployed is a vote for the kind of world we want to create. We can continue down the path of extraction and acceleration, or we can choose regeneration and wisdom. The Earth is waiting. The technology is ready. The only question left is: are we? The future isn't something that happens to us — it's something we co-create, one choice after another. And right now, we have the chance to get it right. Not just for the planet. Not just for people. But for the boundless potential that emerges when technology and nature move together in planetary harmony.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
BBC's Tony Soper left wife eye-watering sum as will revealed year after his death
Tony Soper who worked for the BBC as an acclaimed wildlife TV presenter left his family a whopping six-figure sum of money following his death last year aged 95 BBC TV presenter Tony Soper left his family £628,000 in his will following his death last year at the age of 95. Tony, who specialised in presenting wildlife TV shows, had instructed his legal team to leave the six-figure sum to his wife, Hilary, with whom he shared a home in Devon. Tony first launched his career with the broadcaster in 1947 when he landed a job as a trainee engineer. He then progressed to starting to navigate his way within radio and producing. Through determination, Tony's first break into the world of wildlife presenting came when he stepped in as an assistant floor manager for Wild Geese in Winter, in 1954. But he finally made his debut as a TV presenter when he landed a slot on Animal Magic alongside Johnny Morris during the sixties. Tony then became a co-founder of the broadcaster's Natural History Unit which was launched in 1957 and went on produced a host of wildlife TV shows. The unit was responsible for creating shows including Planet Earth, which was narrated by the iconic Sir David Attenborough. The Sun reported that according to Tony's website he worked as a freelancer from 1963 in order to be close to the sea in Devon, where he lived until his death. Tony's career took on many avenues as he not only became a film producer, led wildlife cruises to the Artic and Antartica, but was also an author. Following his death last year, a string of celebrities and friend rushed to social media to pay their respects. Lorraine Kelly posted a message on her social media that read: "On one of my very first shows presenting on TVam, this wonderful kind man came on to talk about his book on owls." She added: "He was a joy and a delight." Wildlife TV presenter wrote: "Very sad news - Tony Soper was a huge influence on generations of birders and broadcasters." He went on to add: "I had the huge privilege of working with Tony and getting to know him. "The last person who was there at the start of the BBC Natural History Unit - a lovely man." Tony has left behind his wife and two sons Tim and Jack, along with his five grandchildren.
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
BBC presenter & film producer left six-figure sum for his wife after death aged 95
A FORMER BBC presenter and film producer left a six-figure sum for his wife following his death last year, aged 95. Tony Soper, the former BBC wildlife presenter, died in September 2024 and left a £628k fortune to his family. 4 Wildlife presenter Tony Soper died last year, aged 95 Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd 4 He left a £628k fortune to his family following his death Credit: Getty 4 Tony Soper Date: 19/06/69 Photo: Salmon Neg No: W6104 Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd Soper left instructions in his will for his estate to pass to his wife Hilary, who he had lived with in a home in Slapton, Devon. He was born in Southampton in 1929 and brought up in Plymouth. It was there that he began his long career at the BBC as a trainee engineer in 1947 before progressing onto radio and producing. His TV break came when he filled in as unofficial assistant floor manager for Wild Geese in Winter in 1954. Read more Showbiz news And his debut as a presenter was on Animal Magic with Johnny Morris in the 1960s. He was the co-founder of the BBC's Natural History Unit which began in 1957 in Bristol and has produced countless wildlife programmes around the globe. The unit has become world renowned and produced the Planet Earth series narrated by another wildlife icon, Sir David Attenborough. According to his , he started working as a freelancer in 1963 so he could live closer to the sea in Devon. Most read in Showbiz As well as a wildlife camera operator, Soper was also a film producer and went on to present a number of TV shows. His skill in front of the camera earned him the nickname 'One-take Tony'. BBC presenter Tony Soper introduces Birdwatch He presented Birdwatch, Birdspot, Discovering Birds, Discovering Animals, Beside the Sea, Wildtrack and Nature. Soper later pursued a career in leading wildlife cruises to the He also penned a string of books about wildlife in the UK and further afield. Following his sad passing last September, former colleagues flocked to social media to Lorraine Kelly said at the time: "On one of my very first shows presenting on TVam, this wonderful kind man came on to talk about his book on owls. "He was a joy and a delight." Wildlife presenter Stephen Moss said: "Very sad news - Tony Soper was a huge influence on generations of birders and broadcasters. "I had the huge privilege of working with Tony and getting to know him. "The last person who was there at the start of the BBC Natural History Unit - a lovely man." Soper is survived by his wife Hilary, his two sons Tim and Jack and his five grandchildren. 4 Soper began his career at the BBC as a trainee engineer in 1947 Credit: Collect
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
BBC presenter & film producer left six-figure sum for his wife after death aged 95
The wildlife icon passed away in September 2024 STAR'S ESTATE BBC presenter & film producer left six-figure sum for his wife after death aged 95 Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A FORMER BBC presenter and film producer left a six-figure sum for his wife following his death last year, aged 95. Tony Soper, the former BBC wildlife presenter, died in September 2024 and left a £628k fortune to his family. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 4 Wildlife presenter Tony Soper died last year, aged 95 Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd 4 He left a £628k fortune to his family following his death Credit: Getty 4 Tony Soper Date: 19/06/69 Photo: Salmon Neg No: W6104 Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd Soper left instructions in his will for his estate to pass to his wife Hilary, who he had lived with in a home in Slapton, Devon. He was born in Southampton in 1929 and brought up in Plymouth. It was there that he began his long career at the BBC as a trainee engineer in 1947 before progressing onto radio and producing. His TV break came when he filled in as unofficial assistant floor manager for Wild Geese in Winter in 1954. And his debut as a presenter was on Animal Magic with Johnny Morris in the 1960s. He was the co-founder of the BBC's Natural History Unit which began in 1957 in Bristol and has produced countless wildlife programmes around the globe. The unit has become world renowned and produced the Planet Earth series narrated by another wildlife icon, Sir David Attenborough. According to his website, he started working as a freelancer in 1963 so he could live closer to the sea in Devon. As well as a wildlife camera operator, Soper was also a film producer and went on to present a number of TV shows. His skill in front of the camera earned him the nickname 'One-take Tony'. BBC presenter Tony Soper introduces Birdwatch He presented Birdwatch, Birdspot, Discovering Birds, Discovering Animals, Beside the Sea, Wildtrack and Nature. Soper later pursued a career in leading wildlife cruises to the Arctic and Antartica. He also penned a string of books about wildlife in the UK and further afield. Following his sad passing last September, former colleagues flocked to social media to pay their tributes. Lorraine Kelly said at the time: "On one of my very first shows presenting on TVam, this wonderful kind man came on to talk about his book on owls. "He was a joy and a delight." Wildlife presenter Stephen Moss said: "Very sad news - Tony Soper was a huge influence on generations of birders and broadcasters. "I had the huge privilege of working with Tony and getting to know him. "The last person who was there at the start of the BBC Natural History Unit - a lovely man." Soper is survived by his wife Hilary, his two sons Tim and Jack and his five grandchildren.
Buzz Feed
6 days ago
- Science
- Buzz Feed
Sorry, What – David Attenborough Is The Reason Tennis Balls Are Yellow
You think you've just about got the planet figured out, then boom ― a fact comes along that changes the fabric of your reality. First, came the news that in most cases, it doesn't matter too much whether you choose white or brown rice. And now, in another bit of chromatic trivia, it turns out that tennis balls used to be black or white until the '70s (and Wimbledon held out until 1986). Their colour was dictated by the colour of the court (a light ball for a dark court and vice versa, so spectators can see it). 'Twas ever thus ― until a certain David Attenborough came along. What? Why? The Planet Earth presenter started working at the BBC in 1952 (having only watched one TV show). In an article with RadioTimes, David revealed that he was responsible for bringing colour to BBC2 for the first time in 1968. And he decided to focus on Wimbledon for the crowning episode of the transformation. 'We had been asking the government over and over again and they wouldn't allow us, until suddenly they said, 'Yes, OK, you can have [the colour TV technology], and what's more you're going to have it in nine months' time,' or whatever it was,' he told RadioTimes. He added that he wanted to beat West Germany to full-colour broadcast ― the US and Japan had already done it by that time. But, according to the book 2,024 QI Facts To Stop You In Your Tracks, at some point, David Attenborough noticed that the tennis balls weren't vibrant and visible enough on screen. So, in 1972, the International Tennis Federation made optic yellow tennis balls ― side note, they're officially optic yellow and not green (though in my mind, they're definitely lime).
