Google uses artificial intelligence to cut data centre energy bills
Google has found a new use for its DeepMind artificial intelligence unit – managing power usage in parts of its data centres. The result is a 40 percent reduction in the amount of electricity needed for cooling, which Google describes as a “phenomenal step forward.” DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis said that the specially designed neural networks control “about 120 variables in the data centres, including fans and cooling systems. The AI worked out the most efficient methods of cooling by analysing data from sensors among the server racks. The “general purpose” nature of the algorithm means it can be applied to other efficiency challenges, such as power plants and manufacturing facilities. (The Verge)
Report: global brands getting creative to lower their carbon footprints
Global name-brand companies are increasingly looking for ways to lower or offset their carbon footprint. According to a new report by the NGO Forest Trends, nearly 20 per cent of the companies that publicly disclosed their 2014 emissions data to CDP last year were engaged in the purchase or sale of carbon credits . Altogether, these companies purchased offsets equivalent to 39.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, and originated carbon credits equivalent to another 102.4 million tonnes through reduction initiatives in their own operations or supply chains. Forest Trends found that companies engaging in offset-inclusive carbon management are reducing their emissions at a much higher rate than companies that don’t. (Eco-Business)
Employees
Sports Direct’s business model treats workers like commodities and “without dignity”
UK retailer Sports Direct is founded on a business model that enables the majority of workers to be treated “without dignity or respect”, according to report from a committee of MPs, which follows recent allegations over the company’s ‘Dickensian’ employment practices. The committee found that Sports Direct appears to exert a strong grip over its employment agencies, who provide workers with poor terms and conditions, and paying them rates which at times have fallen below the minimum wage. The report also raises concern about the legality and fairness of voluntary schemes employed by these agencies. (Personnel Today)
Human Rights
Human Rights absent from new World Bank new policy
The World Bank has refused to acknowledge its human rights obligations in the final draft of its new policy framework, according to NGO Human Rights Watch. The new framework includes some important reforms, including commitments to avoid discrimination and protect labour standards. It also requires governments borrowing from the bank to obtain the free, prior, and informed consent of indigenous peoples affected by a proposed project. However, World Bank management reportedly opposed language that would require the bank itself to respect human rights throughout its operations. The World Bank’s own research shows it remains a laggard in human rights policies and practices compared to many development agencies and commercial banks, Human Rights Watch said. (Human Right Watch)
UN expert: How to stop deforestation? Give indigenous people rights to land
Indigenous people are better than governments at preventing forests from being cut and should be seen as a solution, not a barrier to protecting them, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous People has said. Indigenous peoples and communities have claims to two thirds of the world’s land but are legally recognised as holding only 10 percent, according to think thank World Resources Institute. “Society thinks that indigenous peoples are claiming land that they shouldn’t be having because it should be used for expanded food production,” said UN Special Rapporteur Victoria Tauli-Corpuz. But giving indigenous peoples rights to land was a guarantee that forests, which store carbon and contribute to food security would continue to exist, she said. (Thomson Reuters Foundation)
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