Renewables Now

A Russian strike hit the building of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv, with emergency crews working to extinguish a fire and search for anyone trapped inside. President Volodymyr Zelensky said all services have been deployed and that a pharmaceutical company in the city was also hit. The attack is part of a wider wave of strikes on the Ukrainian capital, drawing renewed concern over damage to civilian and scientific infrastructure.

Rising sea levels driven by climate change are redrawing coastlines and putting coastal cities at growing risk, with the story drawing heavy attention after coverage by Al Jazeera Arabic. The report highlights how erosion, flooding and land loss are becoming urgent problems for densely populated shorelines, prompting renewed debate over adaptation and defenses.

Insurers and health systems are turning to artificial intelligence to help determine whether patients get approved for care, from prior authorizations to coverage decisions. Critics warn the algorithms can deny or delay treatment with little human oversight and limited transparency for patients. The debate centers on whether AI tools make coverage decisions faster and cheaper at the cost of patient safety and fairness.

Politico reports that Russian tech surveillance company has infiltrated Europe's law enforcement agencies. The same technology used by Western police was allegedly being developed in Russia and sold to Russian security services, raising questions about how deeply Russian-made surveillance tools have penetrated European policing.

A global review has found that cigarette butts account for roughly 12% of all litter in aquatic environments, making them one of the most common pollutants in oceans and waterways. The findings highlight how plastic filters, discarded by smokers worldwide, accumulate in the environment and persist for years, prompting renewed calls for stricter regulation of cigarette waste.

A commentary argues the United States faces a pervasive health disadvantage, with mortality rates rising across many causes of death. The author calls for attention to systemic factors, citing a broken healthcare system, a very high poverty rate, and a lax regulatory environment as key drivers of the country's worsening health outcomes relative to other wealthy nations.

A report from The Beacon news outlet highlights that Missouri does not require doctors to screen pregnant patients for mental health conditions, even as new mothers continue to die in the state. The story links gaps in perinatal mental health screening to maternal deaths, renewing debate over whether Missouri should mandate such screenings for expectant and new mothers.

New analysis warns global renewable energy deployment is on track to fall 0.9 terawatts short of what is needed by 2030, while carbon dioxide removal capacity is set to lag by 1.2 billion tons per year by 2035. Commenters are flagging the figures as evidence that current pledges and policies leave a substantial gap to stated climate targets, with supply chain and deployment pace among the cited concerns.

Coastal parts of California are eroding into the Pacific, with cliffs and shorelines retreating as waves, storms and rising seas wear away the land. The Atlantic is highlighting the problem, which threatens homes, roads and communities along the state's coast. Officials have long warned that sea-level rise is accelerating erosion in vulnerable areas.

Politico reports on a coordinated campaign of harassment and intimidation directed at climate scientists. The piece details how researchers studying climate change have faced personal attacks, disinformation efforts and pressure campaigns aimed at discrediting their work and discouraging them from speaking publicly. The reporting raises concerns about the chilling effect on scientific research and public debate over climate policy.

Chinese equities fell sharply, with the CSI 300 down around 2.2% and the Shanghai Composite off roughly 1.7%, as investors reacted to renewed economic and geopolitical uncertainty. Attention also turned to China's holdings of U.S. debt, with traders weighing what the market turmoil means for broader global sentiment.

Commenters are drawing a direct parallel between bottom trawling and proposed deep-sea mining, arguing both destroy marine ecosystems that operate on geological timescales. The argument notes corals grow only millimeters a year and deep currents take centuries to settle sediment, meaning damage from industrial seafloor extraction or trawling cannot be recovered on human timescales. The comparison is fueling renewed criticism of both practices as commercial interest in deep-sea mining advances.

An analysis of fossil fuel industry messaging argues that climate denial tactics have evolved as renewable energy outperforms past predictions. It highlights a 2013 Australian Senate debate in which Barnaby Joyce dismissed a 5% solar target as impossible, contrasting that claim with how far solar has since grown. The piece frames this as a pattern of moving goalposts rather than engaging with evidence.

Russian strikes across Ukraine have killed at least seven people, including a woman who died at Kyiv's National Academy of Sciences. The attacks add to a steady toll of civilian casualties from ongoing Russian air assaults on Ukrainian cities. Authorities continue to report damage and deaths as the war grinds on, with strikes hitting the capital and other populated areas.

Leading AI researchers often described as the field's godfathers are warning that rapid progress could produce an 'intelligence explosion', where AI systems improve themselves beyond human control. The renewed warning from prominent figures in the field is drawing attention to safety concerns just as AI capabilities and investment continue to accelerate worldwide.

A Russian strike hit the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv, setting the historic scientific institution on fire. The attack adds to a series of strikes on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, drawing condemnation and renewed attention to the toll of the war on Ukraine's cultural and scientific institutions.