纽约气候周:亚马逊的卡拉·赫斯特谈AI数据中心;Earthshot的杰森·诺普夫谈气候乐观主义

内容总结:
纽约气候周期间,尽管AI数据中心扩张带来的环境代价和地缘政治冲突为活动蒙上阴影,企业、非营利组织和政府领袖仍在全市数百场活动中寻求合作希望,探索前行路径。
在曼哈顿中城的“气候承诺”中心,来自全球承诺在2040年前实现净零碳排放的机构高管周四齐聚一堂,围绕可规模化气候解决方案展开对话。
亚马逊首席可持续发展官卡拉·赫斯特表示,可持续发展领域已发生显著变化:“曾经有一段时间,大家觉得‘我们不知道怎么做到这些’,但如今创新呈爆发式增长,投身这些行业的人数惊人,解决方案已经具备。”
与赫斯特同台讨论的还有“地球shot奖”首席执行官杰森·克瑙夫。该奖项由威尔士亲王威廉于2020年发起,为期十年,每年评选15个入围项目,并从中选出5个获奖者,各获得140万美元奖金。
今年入围“地球shot奖”的“着火卫星”公司联合创始人兼首席执行官弗朗科·罗德里格斯·维亚乌作为特邀嘉宾也参与了讨论。
本次座谈由记者主持,内容将在GeekWire播客“Positive Charge”上线并发布视频。以下是对话的五大要点:
AI热潮与气候目标的矛盾
整个气候周期间,与会者对AI数据中心的影响表达了严重担忧——从新建天然气发电厂到建设所用高碳混凝土和钢材,规模巨大。仅亚马逊今年就投入2000亿美元扩展数据中心,而去年公司碳排放上升了16%。
这一激增让许多人质疑2040年净零目标是否仍可实现。赫斯特坦承困难确实存在:“这确实是真正的挑战,但我们在这里就是要迎接挑战。我不会说这很容易,也不会说这是线性的,但我们会全力以赴。”
为抵消影响,亚马逊已在全球投资700个可再生能源项目,发电能力达42吉瓦,并持续增加设施。公司还在采购低碳建筑材料,包括工程木材。
“我们绝对致力于2040年目标,”赫斯特说,“这确实充满挑战。”
聚合力量
与会者表示,应对气候变化和实现碳目标的关键在于建立合作伙伴关系,聚合购买力以投资和采用清洁技术。
赫斯特说:“我们都在尽力加快应对气候挑战的步伐,推动运营脱碳、业务转型和世界变革。这里聚集了一群试图通过创新方案做同样事情的人。我们要做的就是合作、突出这些方案并让它们被看见。”
这包括亚马逊联合发起的“气候承诺”,目前已发展到700多个签署方,以及支持低碳海运的买家联盟“零排放海运买家联盟”。
亚马逊云科技、“地球shot奖”和投资公司Plug and Play最近推出了“Velocity”合作项目,帮助后期气候科技公司寻找客户。该项目聚焦两大领域:时尚废弃物和建筑等行业的材料创新;以及涵盖电池、电网技术和其他基础设施的能源独立。
四家Velocity获胜企业将各获得最高10万美元的AWS积分,其解决方案将向“气候承诺”签署方推广。
除现金奖励外,“地球shot奖”还动员全球网络,帮助其数千个可持续解决方案组合通过投资者和企业客户获得支持,并推动政策支持以促进更广泛采用。
气候变化作为凝聚力
应对气候变化无疑艰难且存在政治分歧,但克瑙夫表示,只关注两极分化会忽略更大的重点。“当今世界最大的故事是,这一系列问题是人类历史上最具凝聚力的使命,”他说。
他补充说,虽然气候影响在地方层面感受深切——无论是孟加拉国孙德尔本斯红树林地区海平面上升,还是迈阿密海滩——但共同威胁可以让人们团结而非分裂。
“保持开放心态。与意见不同的人交流。不要让他们闭嘴。寻找共同点。邀请人们加入,”克瑙夫说。
克瑙夫和赫斯特都强调需要以超越政治的共同价值观来引领。赫斯特说,各政治光谱的人都希望“为子女留下一个健康、宜居的星球,有干净的空气和水”。
青年主导的突破
罗德里格斯·维亚乌16岁时与两位朋友在阿根廷创立了“着火卫星”公司,起因是家族朋友在野火中失去家园。通过与消防员和护林员交流,他们了解到偏远地区探测缓慢导致火势演变为灾难。
为此,他们构建了一套系统,利用AI每五分钟分析13颗卫星的数据,通过WhatsApp或短信即时向急救人员发送位置警报。
“我们开发的AI如今探测火灾比NASA快数小时,而NASA是全球使用最广泛的野火监测系统,”罗德里格斯·维亚乌说。
这家2020年创立的初创公司已在五大洲21个国家运营,并持续扩展。
积极临界点
历史上,气候领域一直关注消极临界点,如亚马逊雨林退化导致大片茂密丛林变为干旱草原。但“地球shot奖”和英国埃克塞特大学的新研究强调了积极临界点,例如太阳能变得极其廉价从而 adoption 呈指数级增长。
该研究确定了51个可持续发展目标——恢复湿地、防止和堆肥食物浪费、转向电动汽车等——可以触发快速、有利的转变,以应对关键环境挑战。
“有一些积极系统,如果我们真正齐心协力并聚焦未来几年,我们知道可以将它们推入不可逆转的积极轨道,”克瑙夫说。
结语
座谈以一个问题收尾:希望听众带走什么信息或行动?
克瑙夫:“邀请人们加入。让我们壮大这场运动。停止把人推开。用它来相互支持,感受我们是一个更大事业的一部分。”
赫斯特:“当你发现有效的方法时,发表案例研究。当你发现无效的方法时,也要说出来。因为当我们知道解决方案时,我们可以行动得非常快;但当我们知道什么行不通并能避免时,我们可以行动得更快。”
罗德里格斯·维亚乌:“你谈到2040年目标时,我在想,‘我不知道我们是否能实现想要达到的目标,但至少我想感觉自己已经竭尽全力。’”
编者注:气候周座谈及本期“Positive Charge”节目由“气候承诺”和亚马逊赞助。
中文翻译:
订阅《Positive Charge》:Apple播客、Spotify、亚马逊音乐、全部剧集
尽管AI数据中心热潮带来的环境代价和地缘政治冲突笼罩着纽约气候周,商业、非营利组织和政府领袖仍齐聚全市数百场活动,在合作中寻找希望,探索前行之路。
在曼哈顿中城的“气候承诺”中心,来自全球各地承诺到2040年实现净零碳排放的机构高管于周四会面,围绕可规模化推广的气候解决方案展开对话。
“曾经有一段时间,大家的想法是,‘嗯,我们不知道怎么做到其中一些事,’”亚马逊首席可持续发展官卡拉·赫斯特说。可持续发展领域已经发生了演变。“创新呈井喷式增长,”她补充道,“投身这些行业的人数之多令人惊叹,所以解决方案是现成的。”
与赫斯特同台的嘉宾还有杰森·克瑙夫,他是“地球奋斗奖”的首席执行官。该奖项由威尔士亲王威廉王子于2020年发起,为期十年,每年表彰15个入围决赛的环境解决方案项目,并从中选出5个获奖者,各获得140万美元(100万英镑)奖金。
弗朗哥·罗德里格斯·维亚乌也作为特邀嘉宾参与了讨论。他是“着火卫星”公司的首席执行官兼联合创始人,也是今年地球奋斗奖的入围者。
我主持了这场对话,内容已在GeekWire的《Positive Charge》播客中上线,并将以视频形式发布。以下是对话中的五大亮点:
AI热潮与气候目标的博弈
整个气候周期间,与会者对AI数据中心的影响表达了严重担忧——从新建天然气发电厂,到建造数据中心所使用的碳密集型混凝土和钢材。规模极其庞大。仅亚马逊一家公司今年就将在数据中心扩建上花费2000亿美元,而去年该公司的碳排放量上升了16%。
这种激增让许多人质疑2040年净零目标是否仍然可实现。赫斯特承认了其中的难度。
“这确实是一个真正的挑战,”赫斯特说,“我们在这里就是为了应对这一刻。我不是说这会容易,也不是说这会是一条直线。但我们会倾尽全力。”
为了抵消这些影响,亚马逊已在全球投资了700个可再生能源项目,总发电能力达42吉瓦,并持续增设新设施。公司还在采购低碳建筑材料,包括工程木材。
“我们绝对致力于2040年目标,”赫斯特说,“这确实充满挑战。”
团结就是力量
与会嘉宾表示,应对气候变化和实现碳目标的关键在于建立合作伙伴关系,汇聚购买力,共同投资和采用清洁技术。
“我们都在尽最大努力应对这一气候挑战,推动运营脱碳、改变商业模式、改变世界,”赫斯特说,“而这里聚集了一群试图通过创新解决方案做同样事情的人。所以我们要做的就是携手合作,把这些方案凸显出来,让它们被看见。”
这包括“气候承诺”——由亚马逊联合发起,目前已发展到700多个签署方——以及零排放海运买家联盟,这是一个支持低碳海运的买方团体。
亚马逊云科技、地球奋斗奖和投资公司Plug and Play最近共同推出了Velocity项目,旨在帮助后期阶段的气候科技公司找到客户。该计划有两个重点领域:一是材料创新,涵盖时尚废弃物和建筑等行业;二是能源独立,涉及电池、电网技术及其他基础设施。
四位Velocity获胜者将各获得最高10万美元的亚马逊云科技额度,其解决方案将向“气候承诺”签署方推广。
除了现金奖励之外,地球奋斗奖还动员了一个全球网络,帮助其数千个可持续解决方案组合通过投资者和企业客户获得支持,并推动政策支持以实现更广泛的采用。
气候变化作为凝聚力量
应对气候变化无疑困难重重,且在政治上存在分歧,但克瑙夫表示,只关注两极分化就忽略了更大的重点。“当今世界最大的故事是,这一系列问题是人类历史上最具凝聚力的使命,”他说。
他补充道,虽然气候影响在地方层面感受尤为强烈——无论是孟加拉国孙德尔本斯红树林地区海平面上升,还是迈阿密海滩沿岸——但共同的威胁可以让人们团结在一起,而非彼此分裂。
“保持开放的心态。和与你意见不同的人交谈。不要让他们闭嘴。寻找共同点。邀请人们加入,”克瑙夫说。
克瑙夫和赫斯特都强调,需要以超越政治的共同价值观来引领。“无论政治立场如何,人们 ultimately 都想要一个‘健康、宜居的星球,让你的孩子享有清洁的空气和干净的水’,”赫斯特说。
青年引领的突破
罗德里格斯·维亚乌和两个朋友16岁时在阿根廷共同创立了“着火卫星”公司,起因是家族朋友在野火中失去了家园。通过与消防员和护林员交流,他们了解到偏远地区探测速度慢,导致火势演变成灾难。
为此,他们构建了一套系统,利用AI每五分钟分析来自13颗卫星的数据,通过WhatsApp或短信即时向第一响应者发送位置警报。
“我们开发的AI……如今探测火灾的速度比NASA快好几个小时,而NASA是全球使用最广泛的野火监测系统,”罗德里格斯·维亚乌说。
这家初创公司于2020年成立,目前已在五大洲21个国家运营,并持续扩大版图。
积极的临界点
历史上,气候领域一直关注消极的临界点,比如亚马逊雨林退化,大片茂密丛林变成干旱稀树草原。但地球奋斗奖和英国埃克塞特大学的新研究聚焦于积极的临界点,例如太阳能变得极其廉价,采用率呈指数级增长。
该研究确定了51个可持续发展目标——恢复湿地、防止和堆肥食物浪费、转向电动汽车等等——这些目标可以触发快速、有利的转变,以应对关键的环境挑战。
“有一些积极的系统,如果我们真正齐心协力,在未来几年集中精力,我们知道我们可以将它们推向不可逆转的积极方向,”克瑙夫说。
最后的寄语
对话最后以一个提问收尾:希望听众带走什么信息或行动?
克瑙夫:“邀请人们加入。让我们壮大这场运动。不要再把人推开。用它来互相支持,让我们感到自己是更大事业的一部分。”
赫斯特:“当你发现有效的方法时,写一份案例研究。当你发现无效的方法时,也要说出来。因为当我们知道解决方案是什么时,我们可以行动得非常快;但当我们知道什么行不通、可以避免时,我们能行动得更加非常快。”
罗德里格斯·维亚乌:“你谈到2040年目标时,我在想,‘我不知道我们是否能实现想要达到的目标,但至少我希望感到自己尽了全力。’”
编者按:气候周专题讨论及本期《Positive Charge》节目由“气候承诺”和亚马逊赞助。
来源与参考
采访对象:
- 卡拉·赫斯特,亚马逊首席可持续发展官
- 杰森·克瑙夫,地球奋斗奖首席执行官
- 弗朗哥·罗德里格斯·维亚乌,“着火卫星”公司首席执行官兼联合创始人
其他来源:
英文来源:
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Even as the environmental toll of the AI data center boom and geopolitical strife loomed over Climate Week NYC, business, nonprofit and government leaders gathered at hundreds of events across the city to look for hope in collaboration and chart paths forward.
At The Climate Pledge Hub in Midtown Manhattan, executives from organizations worldwide that have vowed to cut their carbon emissions to net zero by 2040 met Thursday for a conversation on scalable climate solutions.
“There was a period of time where it was like, ‘Well, we don’t know how to do some of this,'” said Kara Hurst, chief sustainability officer for Amazon. The sustainability sectors have evolved. “The innovation has skyrocketed,” she added. “The number of people working on these industries is phenomenal, and so the solutions are available.”
Hurst was joined on the panel by Jason Knauf, CEO of The Earthshot Prize, a 10-year initiative launched in 2020 by Prince William, the Prince of Wales. The effort recognizes 15 finalists each year for their work on environmental solutions and selects five winners who each receive a $1.4 million (1 million British pounds) award.
Franco Rodríguez Viau, CEO and co-founder of Satellites on Fire and an Earthshot finalist this year, also participated as a special guest.
I moderated the session, which is available on GeekWire’s “Positive Charge” podcast and will be released as a video. Here are five highlights from the conversation:
AI boom vs. climate goals
Across Climate Week, attendees discussed serious concerns about the impacts of AI data centers — from the construction of new gas power plants to the carbon-intensive concrete and steel used in building them. The scale is massive. Amazon alone is spending $200 billion this year on data center expansion, and last year the company’s carbon emissions rose 16%.
The surge leaves many wondering whether net-zero goals for 2040 remain achievable. Hurst acknowledged the difficulty.
“So that is a real challenge,” Hurst said, “and we’re here to meet the moment. I’m not saying that it’s going to be easy, and I’m not saying it’s going to be linear. But we’re going to put everything we have behind that.”
To counter those impacts, Amazon has invested in 700 renewable energy projects worldwide that can generate 42 gigawatts of power and continues to add facilities. The company is also procuring lower-carbon building materials, including mass timber.
“We are absolutely committed to our goal of 2040,” Hurst said, “and it is challenging.”
Power in numbers
Panelists said the key to addressing climate change and reaching carbon goals lies in partnerships that aggregate buying power to invest in and adopt clean technologies.
“We’re all trying to go as fast as we can at this climate challenge to decarbonize our operations, to change our businesses, to change the world,” Hurst said. “And here we have a collection of individuals trying to do the same with innovative solutions. So what we’re trying to do is partner up, highlight those and make them visible.”
That includes The Climate Pledge, which Amazon co-launched and has grown to more than 700 signatories, as well as the Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA), a buyer group supporting low-carbon maritime shipping.
Amazon Web Services, Earthshot and investment firm Plug and Play recently launched Velocity, a collaboration helping late-stage climate tech companies find customers. The program has two focus areas: materials innovation in sectors including fashion waste and construction; and energy independence spanning batteries, grid technology and other infrastructure.
Four Velocity winners will each receive up to $100,000 in AWS credits and their solutions will be promoted to Climate Pledge signatories.
And beyond its cash awards, Earthshot mobilizes a global network to help its portfolio of thousands of sustainable solutions find support through investors and corporate customers, as well as policy support for wider adoption.
Climate change as a unifying force
Addressing climate change is undeniably difficult and politically divisive, but Knauf said focusing solely on polarization misses the larger point. “The biggest story in the world right now is that this set of issues is the unifying mission in human history,” he said.
While climate impacts are felt acutely at the local level — whether from rising sea levels in Bangladesh’s Sundarbans mangrove region or along the beaches of Miami — the shared threat can bring people together rather than pull them apart, he added.
“Be open-minded. Talk to people who disagree with you. Don’t shut them down. Find common ground. Invite people in,” Knauf said.
Both Knauf and Hurst emphasized the need to lead with shared values that transcend politics. People across the political spectrum ultimately want a “healthy, livable planet for your children with clean air and clean water,” Hurst said.
Youth-led breakthroughs
Rodríguez Viau and two friends co-founded Satellites on Fire in Argentina at age 16 after family friends lost their homes to wildfires. Through interviews with firefighters and forest rangers, they learned that slow detection in remote areas was allowing blazes to turn catastrophic.
In response, they built a system using AI to analyze data from 13 satellites every five minutes, instantly sending location alerts to first responders via WhatsApp or text message.
“AI that we developed …. is nowadays detecting fires hours faster than NASA, which is the most used system globally for wildfires,” Rodríguez Viau said.
The startup, which launched in 2020, is operating in 21 countries on five continents and continues to expand its footprint.
Positive tipping points
Historically, the climate sector has focused on negative tipping points, such as the Amazon rainforest degrading until swaths of lush jungle turn into dry savanna. But new research from Earthshot and the University of Exeter in England highlights positive tipping points, such as solar power becoming so cheap that adoption grows exponentially.
The study identifies 51 sustainability objectives — restoring wetlands, preventing and composting food waste, and shifting to electric vehicles, to name a few — that can trigger rapid, favorable shifts to address critical environmental challenges.
“There’s some positive systems that if we actually put all of our efforts together and focus over the next few years, we know we can tip them into irreversible positivity,” Knauf said.
The final word
The session closed with a question asking what message or action should listeners take with them.
Knauf: “Invite people in. Let’s grow this movement. Let’s stop pushing people away. And use it to support each other and feel like we’re part of something bigger.”
Hurst: “When you find something that works, publish a case study. And when you find something that doesn’t work, talk about it also. Because we can move really fast when we know what the solutions are, but we can move really, really fast when we know what doesn’t work and we can avoid it.”
Rodríguez Viau: “I was listening when you were speaking about the 2040 goal, and I was thinking, ‘I don’t know if we will reach the goals that we want to reach or not, but at least I want to feel that I did everything I could.'”
Editor’s note: The Climate Week panel and this episode of Positive Charge were sponsored by The Climate Pledge and Amazon.
Sources and references
Interviews:
- Kara Hurst, chief sustainability officer for Amazon
- Jason Knauf, CEO of The Earthshot Prize
- Franco Rodríguez Viau, CEO and co-founder of Satellites on Fire
Additional sources:
文章标题:纽约气候周:亚马逊的卡拉·赫斯特谈AI数据中心;Earthshot的杰森·诺普夫谈气候乐观主义
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