GTG 54 – UK exits coal, Swedes get a new carbon calc tool, solar panels in unexpected places, and gaming w/ clean power

Grab your favourite beverage, pull up a chair, and get comfy because we've got almost a whole month's worth of links for you today.

Things found amongst the rubble in Lebanon

CleanPlay wants to sign gamers up for renewable electricity plans

Rich Hillerman and David Helgasson have announced a new project – CleanPlay. That sure is one possible way we get end-user emissions down. Here's hoping that they gain some traction.

CleanPlay

CleanPlay connects gaming to clean energy solutions. Unlock exclusive perks and thrilling events, and be a part of something bigger. With CleanPlay, every game you play helps contribute to a sustainable world. Ready to make a difference? Join CleanPlay today!

Swiss game developers have a new tool for CO2 emissions reporting

Play, Create, Calculate — Dataspelsbranschen

<p>Sveriges branschorganisation för dataspelsföretag // Swedish Games Industry Association</p>

Dataspelsbranschen

Keza McDonald asks the million dollar question about game consoles

Pushing Buttons: Is there even any point in making more powerful games consoles?

In this week’s newsletter: With players caring less about advanced graphics and high-spec systems, the industry battleground is shifting away from hardware

The GuardianKeza MacDonald

More deets on EA's efficient 'Known Version Patching' tech reducing downloads

“One of the greatest reductions in our carbon footprint through [Known Version Patching] was instead of millions of player devices running the pre-calculation for these patches from their local machines, this is now all being done from EA’s servers,” says Hans. “The amount of energy output is orders of magnitude different.”

That’s a major reduction in energy consumption and heat production from millions of devices each time a game is patched through the EA app. And it’s one that contributes greatly to EA’s own green initiatives.

Interesting! Sounds like it's an overall reduction in energy consumption from the update process, but it's also shifting the location of energy consumption from EA's as-yet undisclosed Scope 3 Cat 11 emissions onto (my best guess is) Scope 2 emissions from their own data centres, so this could actually show up as a small increase in emissions in their inventory – a bit of a perverse outcome. All the more reason for having a full, transparent measurement methodologies that cover the entire game value chain, don't you think? Anyone know anybody working on something like that? 😉

Game Changer: Breakthrough Game Patching Tech Created by EA Employee

Hans van Veenendaal of EA has created breakthrough game patching tech which reduces patch times, saves costs, and supports sustainability.

Electronic ArtsElectronic Arts

UK exits the coal power era

Adam Curtis on climate politics

Adam Curtis: The Map No Longer Matches the Terrain

In this extended Q&A, author Nathalie Olah speaks with BAFTA Award-winning filmmaker Adam Curtis about climate change, and how nostalgia and doomerism are affecting our ability to organise for, and imagine, a better tomorrow.

Crack MagazineNathalie Olah

OpenAI’s growth plans are "unsustainable"

The insatiable hunger of (Open)AI • Wim Vanderbauwhede

The energy and compute resource needs of AI are entirely unsustainable.

Wim Vanderbauwhede

Huge potential power saving for data centres is sitting around un-used 

DCs are wasting watts and cash on superfluous server power

Activate OS-level governors and power profiles, cut energy use by ’25 – 50 percent’

The RegisterTobias Mann

Cool new research on eWaste

From Mining to E-waste: The Environmental and Climate Justice Implications of the Electronics Hardware Life Cycle

The goal of this case study is to explore the impacts of the global electronics hardware life cycle using environmental justice and climate justice as key frameworks.

MIT Case Studies in Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing

A new book on Videogames and the Environmental Humanities was published this week

Video Games and Environmental Humanities

This edited collection investigates topics related to environmental humanities through their inclusion, exploration or critique in contemporary video games

Springer International PublishingKelly I. Aliano

You may need to ask an academic friend to get you a PDF of specific chapters, if you don't have a University library to access them (or you can usually email the authors directly). Here's a couple of interesting looking chapters:

Playing to Understand the Environment: From Superficial Skins to Truly Ecological Gameplays

How do video games teach about ecology and climate change through their aesthetics and mechanics? From the recent The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD, 2023) to Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital, 2019), Endling: Extinction is forever (Herobeat Studios,…

Springer International PublishingRuth García Martín

“It’s Time to Go on a Low-Carbon Diet”: Carbon Footprints, Solar Panels, and the Eco Lifestyle of The Sims 4

The focus of The Sims 4 is on simulating a simplified version of life, a peculiarly American vision of it. Its mechanics revolve around consumption: buying, and buying more and better items, is a tangible, mechanical benefit in the game. A necessity, even. Since the…

Springer International PublishingMiriam Scuderi

The climate brink newsletter looks at the category of personal air conditioning products

This is kind of a fun novelty, but also a bit of a sad trend...

Welcome to the world of personal air conditioning

As the climate warms, the rich will live in cool bubbles of comfort. The poor, not so much.

The Climate BrinkAndrew Dessler

Extreme Climate Corner

It's been a few weeks but already it seems like the effects of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton are already dipping off the radar. Here's a couple of the big impacts to remember what we're up against.

Why was Helene so bad? Climate change

“over the oceans, where there is ample water at the surface, the water vapor goes up at 7% per 1C warming, the same rate as the atmosphere’s ability to hold water vapor.”

Why have hurricanes gone crazy?

a guest post by Kevin Trenberth

The Climate BrinkAndrew Dessler

Repair is a climate issue

I would love to see more attention on repair from gaming device manufacturers.

Repair is a climate issue

Less repair means more consumption, but we can change that. Also: Federal Automotive Repair law faces serious setback in Congress.

Fight to RepairJack Monahan

big car safe!!

Carbon credit CEO indicted 

Prosecutors alleged he was part of a multi-year scheme that manipulated information on the impact of cooking stove projects in Africa and south-east Asia to make them appear far more successful at reducing emissions than they were in reality, also using the figures to attract investment of more than $100m in C-Quest.

Ex-carbon offsetting boss charged in New York with multimillion-dollar fraud

Kenneth Newcombe, formerly CEO of C-Quest Capital, indicted over allegations of carbon credit manipulation

The GuardianPatrick Greenfield

Solar radiation modification could have other negative impacts on wind and solar output

Yet another reason to avoid geoengineering and go hard on emissions reductions today (like we needed another!).

Guest post: How solar geoengineering could disrupt wind and solar power - Carbon Brief

Solar geoengineering has been suggested as a temporary measure to buy time for the emissions cuts needed to stabilise global temperatures.

Carbon BriefCarbon Brief Staff

Solar meadows are the freaking best 

I mean just look at them! Biodiversity rules, kill your lawn. (This is probably illegal in Australia 🥲)

Experts uncover incredible side effects of traditional solar panels: ‘We have to address both challenges at the same exact time’

Solar farms are now doubling as havens for wildlife, offering a ray of hope in the fight against biodiversity loss.

The Cool DownLeslie Sattler

Solar balconies – a close second

During the first half of this year, Germany added 200 megawatts of balcony solar. Regulations limit each system to just 800 watts, enough to power a small fridge or charge a laptop, but the cumulative effect is nudging the country toward its clean energy goals while giving apartment dwellers, who make up more than half of the population, an easy way to save money and address the climate crisis.

(This is definitely illegal in Australia 🥲)

How Germany outfitted half a million balconies with solar panels

Meet balkonkraftwerk, the simple technology putting solar power in the hands of renters and nudging Germany toward its clean energy goals.

GristAkielly Hu

How the US lost the solar race

“Washington blames China’s dominance of the solar industry on what are routinely dubbed “unfair trade practices.” But that’s just a comforting myth. China’s edge doesn’t come from a conspiratorial plot hatched by an authoritarian government. It hasn’t been driven by state-owned manufacturers, subsidized loans to factories, tariffs on imported modules or theft of foreign technological expertise. Instead, it’s come from private businesses convinced of a bright future, investing aggressively and luring global talent to a booming industry — exactly the entrepreneurial mix that made the US an industrial powerhouse.”

Living planet report on wildlife populations is DIRE reading

On a happier note

Lets end with some good news for a change: radical protest might very well lead to increased support for moderate climate orgs! So go out and blow up a pipeline!

Radical climate protests linked to increases in public support for moderate organizations - Nature Sustainability

Disruptive protests by environmental organizations have made news headlines in recent years, with attendant conversations about their efficacy. This study finds evidence that such actions increase support for moderate climate groups on climate policy.

NatureMarkus Ostarek

Thanks for reading Greening the Games Industry! I hope you have a great weekend.