Brief Author Note

In a world full of AI hiring sprees and fundraising, here is some good news for your email inbox! 🫠 

The Tucson city council voted unanimously on Wednesday against bringing the massive and water-devouring Project Blue data center, tied to tech giant Amazon into city limits. 

The No Desert Data Center coalition, a group of concerned Tuscon citizens and organizations, fought back fiercely against the proposed construction of Amazon’s Project Blue data center.

There is an irony with the naming sense of the project since it was going to devour millions of gallons of water in a desert environment. 🚿 

You can’t make this stuff up! 😂 

Chau,

Nate

Quick Links!

• Podcast Episodes

• Scientific Papers

• Policy Documents

• Multimedia

• Organizations

• Tools

• Fellowships Corner

• Submit Resources

Controlling Nature's Data (AI & Environment): Could AI cure cancer using nature's DNA? A London tech firm, Basecamp Research, harvests genetic information from organisms and microbes around the world. Its genome database - the world's biggest - will help supercomputers to create new products, from detergents to medicines. It's a bewildering new frontier, and it comes with big questions - who should own this valuable information? Who should benefit? And what could it unleash?

Accelerating AI in Renewable Tech (AI & Energy): Maggie Welsh and Michael Silliman discuss the synergistic relationship between AI and clean tech. Michael covers how AI drives both energy demand and solutions for climate change, and why AI innovation is slower in clean tech compared to other sectors. They also delve into challenges such as data interoperability, regulatory complexity, and venture funding.

Laura Hoffman: Microsoft AI for Good (AI & Environment): Want to understand AI? When we think about the future of technology, it’s easy to picture flashy gadgets or complex code. But today’s guest reminds us that behind every innovation, there are people, thoughtful, passionate people, who are shaping the way we move forward. Laura Hoffman is one of those people along with her own podcast episode.

Contextual Memory Reweaving in Large Language Models Using Layered Latent State Reconstruction (AI & Data Centers/Hardware): This paper introduces the Contextual Memory Reweaving framework, which reconstructs layered latent states to strengthen token representations over long sequences, improving recall accuracy, continuity, and reasoning consistency in language models without relying on external memory modules.

Indigenous-Led BioKulture Engineering: Planetary Stewardship in the Age of Complexity (AI & Environment): This article proposes a complexity-informed framework called biokulture engineering, integrating Indigenous governance, AI, and relational verification systems to replace extractive sustainability models with a regenerative, adaptive, and sovereignty-centered approach to planetary stewardship.

TESSERA: Temporal Embeddings of Surface Spectra for Earth Representation and Analysis (AI & Climate Science): This paper introduces TESSERA, an open global remote sensing foundation model that fuses optical and radar satellite time series using Transformer-based encoders to produce ready-to-use 10 m embeddings, outperforming or matching state-of-the-art models across diverse ecological and agricultural tasks.

Environmental Report of the Digital World, Third Edition 2025 (AI & Sustainability): All over the world, digital uses are gaining ground. But what are the impacts of the digital Summary environment, on a global scale, today? This study assesses the environmental impacts of digital technology on a global scale.

Intersection Between Large-Scale Digitalization and Environmental Sustainability: An Overview of Use and Impact of Data Centres (AI & Sustainability): The document urges redefining the performance criteria for data centres, moving beyond uptime and throughput to embedding sustainability at the core of design, operation, and governance, to prevent compromising climate targets and broader resource management efforts.

Renewable Energy Transitions and Health in Rural America (AI & Energy): This white paper examines the barriers and opportunities of rural renewable energy transitions through a health lens. It aims to help organizations refine their research, funding, and policy strategies to advance clean energy. While health considerations are often overlooked in energy debates, the rising health costs of fossil fuel pollution and climate change make it clear: health should be a central consideration in future energy decisions.

AI Consumes A Lot of Water But Why? (AI & Water/Ocean Resources): We know that AI models require a lot of compute power and thus consume a lot of electricity, but have you ever considered the massive amounts of water consumption that AI requires? Check out this fascinating Ted Talk with Dr. Shaolei Ren.

Debriefing the Trump Administration's New AI Action Plan (AI Policy & Governance): Integrity Institute members Soribel Feliz, Theodora Skeadas, Leah Ferentinos, and David Evan Harris discussed the Trump Administration's new AI Action Plan. The new policy has sweeping implications for the way that AI systems are regulated and procured by the federal government.

The Future of Clean Energy Procurement (AI & Energy): This webinar covers the latest updates in global standards and regulations shaping the clean energy market. EnergyTag is uniquely placed as the only organization directly involved in the updates of the main standards (GHG Protocol Scope 2, SBTi Net Zero, ISO) and leadership initiatives (e.g., Climate Group 24/7) that set the rules for clean power procurement.

Biota (AI & Social/Economic Impacts): Nature & climate risk analysis for high impact commodities.

RegenIntel (AI & Environment): Global advisory consulting & education platform leveraging regenerative climate solutions for a planet-positive future.

GroundUp Conservation (AI & Conservation Science): Empower communities and conserve biodiversity by connecting people and nature.

Visualize AlphaEarth Satellite Embeddings in 3D Exercise (AI & Geospatial Analysis): Google DeepMind has released a new satellite embedding dataset called AlphaEarth. This dataset contains annual satellite embeddings from 2017 to 2024, with each pixel representing a 10x10 meter area. The dataset is available on Google Earth Engine, and can be used to train machine learning models to classify satellite imagery. Try out this exercise to learn more about how to use AlphaEarth!

The Open Direct Air Capture 2025 (ODAC25) Dataset and Models (AI & Sustainability): Developed by Meta FAIR, Georgia Institute of Technology, and CuspAI, this release enables rapid, accurate screening of carbon capture materials and can help accelerate climate solutions using AI. Check out the dataset and tools on Hugging Face.

CoralSense (AI & Ocean Conservation): Our mission is to use machine learning to monitor and model global coral reef health, providing accessible tools and insights to protect these vital ecosystems. By empowering communities and policymakers with actionable data, we aim to ensure a sustainable future for coral reefs and our oceans.

The Radical AI Founders Masterclass (Open to global applications since it’s virtual): The Radical AI Founders Masterclass is an exclusive annual program designed to equip AI researchers and technical entrepreneurs with the inspiration and practical knowledge to build AI products and businesses. Over four weeks, we host virtual, free sessions with world-leading AI pioneers, successful entrepreneurs, and leaders from top AI companies, complemented by tactical sessions covering AI product development, business integration strategies, and other essential areas that AI founders need to master. 🗓️ Deadline: End of September 2025.

Tarbell Grants (Open to journalists and media creators from around the world): We welcome submission from all experienced journalists and media creators: both staff writers/editors/producers and freelancers are welcome to apply. Journalists with an investigative background are particularly encouraged to apply. A background in reporting on AI and/or technology is desirable, but not mandatory. 🗓️ Deadline: September 14, 2025.

2026 Fast Forward Accelerator (Open to non-profits): If you're building a tech or AI-powered solution for social impact, this is for you. The hybrid program offers $25K, expert training, and a community ready to back you. 🗓️ Deadline: September 8, 2025.

If you have resources that you wish to submit to the AI & Environment Resource Hub, fill out the Google Form! Thank you for suggesting resources to add to the Resource Hub. 🙃 

That’s it for this week.

Thanks for reading the 12th issue of The Climate Code! It means a lot to me and we have more coming in the future, so definitely stick around! 🏃‍♂️💛

Nate

P.S.

New here? Check out the AI & Environment Resource Hub if you have no idea what it is. 😆