Data centers in Ireland overtake all urban electricity use combined & more environmental news.

[View this email in your browser]( Monday, July 29, 2024 “The proper use of science is not to conquer nature but to live in it.” — Barry Commoner [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [X]( Data Centers in Ireland Overtake All Urban Electricity Use Combined According to official figures, last year [Ireland]( [data centers]( consumed more [electricity]( than all of the country’s urban homes for the first time, reported The Guardian. The expanding number of data centers used 21 percent of the country’s electricity, a fifth more than in 2022, the Central Statistics Office said. In 2023, electricity used by residences in cities and towns made up 18 percent of total power consumption. [Read More]( Related: [AI Energy Demand Drives Google’s Emissions Up 48% in Five Years]( U.S. Federal Government Introduces Measures to Tackle Plastics Crisis, Including Phasing Out Single-Use Plastics by 2035 As part of its strategy to [reduce plastic pollution]( the Biden administration has announced plans to phase out [single-use plastics]( from federal government operations by 2035, a press release from The White House said. The administration also has a goal of phasing out federal procurement of the disposable plastics from food service operations, packaging and events by 2027. [Read More]( Related: [Massachusetts State Senate Passes Plastics Ban]( Tree Bark Can Remove Methane Emissions From the Atmosphere, Study Finds Trees aren’t just important for carbon sequestration. According to a new study, trees can also help remove methane from the atmosphere through their bark. Researchers determined that some tree bark contains microbes that can [take up methane]( from the atmosphere at a rate similar to the sequestration power of soil. The researchers published their findings in the journal Nature. [Read More]( Related: [World’s Carbon Removal Must Increase by 4x to Reach Climate Targets, Research Finds]( Deadly Typhoon Gaemi Lashes Taiwan After Killing 13 in Philippines The outer band of [Typhoon Gaemi]( has brought [heavy rain]( to much of Taiwan, as well as wind gusts of approximately 150 miles per hour, reported BBC News. Gaemi landed near Hualien, killing two people and injuring hundreds more, the country’s officials said. It is expected to be the strongest storm to hit Taiwan in eight years. [Read More]( Related: [Extreme Weather 101: Everything You Need to Know]( Hydrothermal Explosion at Yellowstone’s Biscuit Basin Sends Tourists Running for Safety A hydrothermal explosion at [Yellowstone National Park]( sent tourists fleeing for safety on Tuesday. [Read More]( Related: [Yellowstone National Park Receives $40 Million Donation for Employee Housing]( Hawaiian Electric and Other Defendants Reach Tentative $4 Billion Maui Wildfire Settlement In a lawsuit over the [Maui wildfires]( of August 2023, Hawaiian Electric and other defendants have tentatively agreed to a settlement of more than $4 billion. [Read More]( Related: [Maui Wildfires Kill 36 People, Leave Sudden Onslaught of Devastation]( Do you get this newsletter daily? If not, [sign up here]( or forward to a friend. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Website]( [Instagram]( Copyright © 2024 EcoWatch, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up for EcoWatch Top News of The Day Our mailing address is: EcoWatch 1122 Oberlin RoadRaleigh, NC 27605 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. [Mailchimp Email Marketing](