Sustainability by numbers
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What's the carbon footprint of using ChatGPT or Gemini? [August 2025 update]
A new study from Google suggests its Gemini LLM uses around 0.24 Wh per text query. That's the same energy as using a microwave for one second.
Aug 21
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Hannah Ritchie
168
32
How much do electric car batteries degrade?
Many electric cars will still have more than 80% of their initial capacity after 200,000 miles.
Aug 18
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Hannah Ritchie
236
30
July 2025
No, growing more food does not mean we always need more and more inputs
Many lower-income countries do, but high and middle-income countries have reduced fertilisers, pesticides, labour, and land without reducing food…
Jul 28
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Hannah Ritchie
154
33
Population growth or decline will have little impact on climate change
It'll be too slow and too late for the timeframes that we need to decarbonise.
Jul 15
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Hannah Ritchie
175
128
My new book — Clearing the Air — is coming out in September!
A Hopeful Guide to Solving Climate Change — in 50 Questions and Answers.
Jul 9
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Hannah Ritchie
155
24
June 2025
How does geothermal energy work, and why don’t we use it more?
A primer on geothermal energy, and why it provides just 0.3% of the world's electricity.
Jun 30
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Hannah Ritchie
141
45
How big is the generational divide on climate change?
The generational divide on belief and concern about climate change is small; there are slightly bigger gaps in what to do about it.
Jun 19
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Hannah Ritchie
135
33
Under-the-hood of writing on Substack
Subscribers, revenue, and why more people should write long-form.
Jun 11
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Hannah Ritchie
294
54
Eating wild animals might be sustainable for the few, but not for the many
Some back-of-the-envelope calculations on how many it could feed.
Jun 2
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Hannah Ritchie
124
33
May 2025
Why are solar panels and batteries from China so cheap?
It's more to do with automation and state-of-the art manufacturing processes than cheap labour.
May 15
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Hannah Ritchie
283
56
What's the carbon footprint of using ChatGPT?
Very small compared to most of the other stuff you do.
May 6
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Hannah Ritchie
275
91
April 2025
Do imports of cheap solar panel and other technologies help or hurt domestic jobs in clean energy?
Without a comparative advantage, cheaper energy imports often help domestic jobs.
Apr 21
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Hannah Ritchie
141
30
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