Microsoft is funnelling $50 million over the next five years into its A.I. for Earth program. The program, which focuses on climate change, agriculture, water, and biodiversity, has awarded over 35 grants in more than 10 countries since its July rollout.
Lucas Joppa, Microsoft's Chief Environmental Scientist, says that to compliment its efforts, the company is also building a team of sustainability and artificial intelligence professionals.
“The most scarce resources out there is access to A.I. experts,” Joppa told Cheddar. “So we wanted to put those people in direct partnership with the organizations that we’re working with.”
The announcement comes on the second anniversary of the Paris Climate Accord. Companies and governments alike met in Paris this week to discuss climate change issues. While President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Treaty, Joppa says that Microsoft remains committed to the cause.
“We’re one of the early signatories to the ‘We’re Still In’ pledge,” he said, referring to the coalition of U.S. cities, companies and other group who have publicly stated they are still supporting the treaty in spite of President’s decision to withdraw. “We’re still committed to using our organizations to drive towards the goal of the Paris Climate Accord.”
For full interview [click here] (https://cheddar.com/videos/fighting-climate-change-with-a-i).
About 780,000 pressure washers sold at retailers like Home Depot are being recalled across the U.S. and Canada, due to a projectile hazard that has resulted in fractures and other injuries among some consumers.
President Donald Trump has fired one of two Democratic members of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to break a 2-2 tie ahead of the board considering the largest railroad merger ever proposed.
Ford is recalling more than 355,000 of its pickup trucks across the U.S. because of an instrument panel display failure that’s resulted in critical information, like warning lights and vehicle speed, not showing up on the dashboard.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
