GoGreenNation news

Banksy Unveils Two New Murals of Children Gazing Up at the Sky Days Before Christmas

News Feed

Wednesday, December 24, 2025

Banksy Unveils Two New Murals of Children Gazing Up at the Sky Days Before Christmas Some onlookers are interpreting the identical artworks, which appeared on the streets of London, as a commentary on homelessness in the city The new Banksy artwork near the Centre Point tower in London MEGA / GC Images via Getty Images Ahead of the holidays, Banksy has unveiled a new mural in London. The black-and-white image depicts two children in winter coats and hats, lying on their backs and gazing upward. The anonymous street artist posted a photo of the mural on his official Instagram account on December 22. The same image appeared in two locations: above a row of garages on Queen’s Mews in western London and outside the Centre Point tower in central London. Banksy only posted the Queen’s Mews mural online, but both have been attributed to him, per BBC News’ Aurelia Foster and Nicky Ford. The other new Banksy mural, located above a row of garages in western London Leon Neal / Getty Images The artist doesn’t typically offer information about the intent behind his works, but the new murals were “interpreted by some observers in the street art world as a statement on rising child homelessness in Britain,” per the New York Times’ Ephrat Livni. One of those observers is Daniel Lloyd-Morgan, an artist and Banksy fan. “Everybody is having a good time, but there are a lot of children who are not having a good time at Christmas,” he tells BBC News. Quick fact: Banksy’s Christmas murals In December 2019, the street artist unveiled a reindeer mural in Birmingham, England, that also appeared to comment on homelessness. Lloyd-Morgan thinks Banksy chose to paint the mural at Centre Point for a reason. The tower was built as an office building in 1966, but it sat empty for most of the following decade. In 1969, Reverend Ken Leech opened a shelter for homeless youths in a nearby church. Frustrated by the empty building towering over his neighborhood, Leech named his charity Centrepoint. In 1974, nearly 100 people occupied the empty Centre Point tower to protest rising homelessness in London, according to Hyperallergic’s Rhea Nayyar. Today, the tower is home to luxury apartments, offices and stores. According to government data released in October, about 170,000 children are currently unhoused in Britain—up from 70,000 in 2010. People walking by the mural were “ignoring it,” Lloyd-Morgan tells BBC News. “It’s a busy area. Quite poignant that people aren’t stopping. They walk past homeless people and they don’t see them lying on the street.” Banksy is known for his street art that doubles as social commentary. Many of his artworks, including a series of murals in Ukraine, feature anti-war themes. Some of his pieces have been interpreted as reflections on environmental conservation, domestic violence and refugees. In the new murals, one of the children is pointing skyward. “It’s kind of like they’re stargazing,” Lloyd-Morgan tells BBC News. Some onlookers think the artworks are commenting on children’s imaginations. As Artnet’s Jo Lawson-Tancred writes, “The classic Oscar Wilde line, ‘We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars,’ comes to mind.” Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Some onlookers are interpreting the identical artworks, which appeared on the streets of London, as a commentary on homelessness in the city

Banksy Unveils Two New Murals of Children Gazing Up at the Sky Days Before Christmas

Some onlookers are interpreting the identical artworks, which appeared on the streets of London, as a commentary on homelessness in the city

Banksy mural — The new Banksy artwork near the Centre Point tower in London MEGA / GC Images via Getty Images

Ahead of the holidays, Banksy has unveiled a new mural in London. The black-and-white image depicts two children in winter coats and hats, lying on their backs and gazing upward. The anonymous street artist posted a photo of the mural on his official Instagram account on December 22.

The same image appeared in two locations: above a row of garages on Queen’s Mews in western London and outside the Centre Point tower in central London. Banksy only posted the Queen’s Mews mural online, but both have been attributed to him, per BBC News’ Aurelia Foster and Nicky Ford.

Banksy mural in western London — The other new Banksy mural, located above a row of garages in western London Leon Neal / Getty Images

The artist doesn’t typically offer information about the intent behind his works, but the new murals were “interpreted by some observers in the street art world as a statement on rising child homelessness in Britain,” per the New York Times’ Ephrat Livni.

One of those observers is Daniel Lloyd-Morgan, an artist and Banksy fan. “Everybody is having a good time, but there are a lot of children who are not having a good time at Christmas,” he tells BBC News.

Quick fact: Banksy’s Christmas murals

In December 2019, the street artist unveiled a reindeer mural in Birmingham, England, that also appeared to comment on homelessness.

Lloyd-Morgan thinks Banksy chose to paint the mural at Centre Point for a reason. The tower was built as an office building in 1966, but it sat empty for most of the following decade. In 1969, Reverend Ken Leech opened a shelter for homeless youths in a nearby church. Frustrated by the empty building towering over his neighborhood, Leech named his charity Centrepoint.

In 1974, nearly 100 people occupied the empty Centre Point tower to protest rising homelessness in London, according to Hyperallergic’s Rhea Nayyar. Today, the tower is home to luxury apartments, offices and stores. According to government data released in October, about 170,000 children are currently unhoused in Britain—up from 70,000 in 2010.

People walking by the mural were “ignoring it,” Lloyd-Morgan tells BBC News. “It’s a busy area. Quite poignant that people aren’t stopping. They walk past homeless people and they don’t see them lying on the street.”

Banksy is known for his street art that doubles as social commentary. Many of his artworks, including a series of murals in Ukraine, feature anti-war themes. Some of his pieces have been interpreted as reflections on environmental conservation, domestic violence and refugees.

In the new murals, one of the children is pointing skyward. “It’s kind of like they’re stargazing,” Lloyd-Morgan tells BBC News. Some onlookers think the artworks are commenting on children’s imaginations. As Artnet’s Jo Lawson-Tancred writes, “The classic Oscar Wilde line, ‘We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars,’ comes to mind.”

Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Read the full story here.

Photos courtesy of

Related News

‘Unashamedly capitalist’ rewilders claim ‘Moneyball’ approach could make millions - but experts sceptical

Rich Stockdale says model of ‘regenerative capitalism’ would maximise profits by planting trees, restoring peatlands, and installing windfarms across its estatesThe founder of an investment firm buying large estates across Britain to restore woods and peatland has said it is “unashamedly and proudly” capitalist, and plans to make tens of millions of pounds in profit.Rich Stockdale, the chief executive of Oxygen Conservation, said his model of “regenerative capitalism” was a “force for good” because it would offer investors significant profits by planting trees, restoring peatlands, operating solar farms and holiday homes and installing new windfarms across its estates. Continue reading...

The founder of an investment firm buying large estates across Britain to restore woods and peatland has said it is “unashamedly and proudly” capitalist, and plans to make tens of millions of pounds in profit.Rich Stockdale, the chief executive of Oxygen Conservation, said his model of “regenerative capitalism” was a “force for good” because it would offer investors significant profits by planting trees, restoring peatlands, operating solar farms and holiday homes and installing new windfarms across its estates.The Exeter-based firm, which has bought 13 estates in under four years, plans to rapidly become the UK’s largest private landowner by expanding its current landholding of 50,000 acres (20,234 hectares) over the next five years to 250,000 acres.“We are applying a capitalist model, unashamedly and proudly,” Stockdale said, on a tour of Oxygen’s estate at Dorback near Grantown-on-Spey in the Cairngorms.“We think releasing, activating and motivating more capital into this space is the only way we can scale conservation for the better of climate, wildlife, people and everyone concerned.”He said Oxygen Conservation was creating a new market for “premium” carbon credits because some wealthy private and institutional investors would pay much higher prices to store carbon in new woodlands or peatland if they included high environmental and social benefit.Rich Stockdale, who runs Oxygen Conservation Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The GuardianIts goal is to sell two million tonnes of carbon credits at well above the normal market rate, to prove that “regenerative capitalism” can work, he added.Stockdale likened his firm’s approach to the Brad Pitt movie Moneyball, in which a baseball coach used performance data to build a winning team. Oxygen Conservation uses Lidar laser scanning, thermal imaging to track deer and photogrammetry to build up 3D images of their estates.“We’ve taken very much a moneyball approach to the environment that’s previously been applied to sport. And that’s where you see all these threads that run through data, sport, high performance, US tech culture. We’ve brought that to the environmental world.”Campaigners and experts in natural capital who have been closely watching Oxygen Conservation’s rapid growth are sceptical about its methodology. They say it is based on significant levels of borrowing and speculative bets on the future value of its investments.Residents near Comrie in the Scottish Highlands, where Oxygen Conservation plans to build a large new 50MW windfarm, and around Dartmoor in south-west England where it bought a large hill farm, have accused the firm of ignoring local concerns and opposition.Josh Doble, the policy director at Community Land Scotland, a community-ownership advisory and campaign group, said Oxygen Conservation was the most bullish of a new generation of “mega lairds” accumulating extensive land-holdings.Their profit-driven approach “raised questions about the long-term commitment to restoring nature, rather than treating land as another investible commodity,” Doble said.“If absentee investor landowners own large parts of rural Britain, they must engage with the fact that owning land comes with responsibility. If you have a risky model, you need to be very careful because you’re not just making risky decisions in a boardroom, you’re playing with people’s lives.”Despite insisting Oxygen Conservation would be transparent about its plans and its business model, Stockdale refused to confirm or deny reports from natural capital experts he had already spent £150m and planned to spend another £100m on land.He said he could not say how much he paid the brewing firm BrewDog this summer for its estate at Kinrara near Kingussie or for Dorback because their owners had requested confidentiality.The Kinrara Estate which Oxygen Conservation. bought from BrewDog. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The GuardianCampaigners said withholding the sale price for a Highland estate is unusual, undermined transparency and risked concealing changes in the land market.Its biggest investors include Mike Dixon, a billionaire statistician who holds most of its shares, the self-styled ethical bank Triodos and Tony Bloom, a gambling billionaire who owns Brighton and Hove Albion FC. Bloom is currently being sued in a lawsuit alleging his gambling syndicate used “frontmen” to place bets. It is understood Bloom intends to file a defence to the claim.The latest accounts for its parent company, Oxygen House Group, which is also the majority shareholder in Low Carbon, the firm building its two Scottish windfarms, show the firm has two large bank loans totalling £106m to be repaid by 2033.Its critics point out that the two Scottish estates where it wants to build new 50MW windfarms, at Invergeldie near Loch Lomond and Trossachs national park, and at Blackburn and Hartsgarth estate near Langholm in the Borders, had bank loans worth £20.5m tied to them.Andrew Thompson, who helps run a local group opposing the windfarm, said residents feared those loans meant Oxygen Conservation had to push the windfarm through to pay off that debt, despite well-founded objections to the project from the conservation agency NatureScot and the national park authority. “Otherwise they’re completely screwed,” he said.A stream on the Kinrara Estate bought by Oxygen Conservation. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The GuardianStockdale claimed Oxygen’s investments are already worth more than £300m, and said its backers could see returns as high as 15% a year because the price of its carbon credits would climb to up to £180 a tonne and its biodiversity net gain credits were already worth £25,000 each.The average price for carbon in the UK last year was £37 a tonne. He said the appetite for premium credits had been proven when Burges Salmon, the law firm which acts for Oxygen Conservation, paid £125 a tonne earlier this year. The civil engineering firm Arup also paid £100 a tonne to a nature capital firm called Nattergal which owns rewilding estates in eastern England this year.He said one way to pay its investors was to sell off its estates after five years or so at a significant profit, with Oxygen Conservation remaining in charge of running the estate.He said wealthy investors including pension funds and international companies were willing to pay well above market rates for these credits, similar to some drivers preferring a Prius over a Ford. European investors were clamouring for Oxygen Conservation to invest on the continent.“We’re taking more risk, we’re pushing this out, we are doing things faster and different. I’ve been able to do that because of an incredible set of investors, an incredible team. Please don’t judge us by the norm, we aren’t trying to be,” Stockdale said.

Conservation

Business

Culture

2025 is ‘year of the octopus’ as record numbers spotted off England’s south coast

Milder weather led to a bloom in the invertebrates in south Cornwall and Devon, wildlife charity saysRecord numbers of sightings of one of the world’s most intelligent invertebrates over the summer have led the Wildlife Trusts to declare 2025 “the year of the octopus” in its annual review of Britain’s seas.A mild winter followed by an exceptionally warm spring prompted unprecedented numbers of Mediterranean octopuses to take up residence along England’s south coast, from Penzance in Cornwall to south Devon. Continue reading...

Record numbers of sightings of one of the world’s most intelligent invertebrates over the summer have led the Wildlife Trusts to declare 2025 “the year of the octopus” in its annual review of Britain’s seas.A mild winter followed by an exceptionally warm spring prompted unprecedented numbers of Mediterranean octopuses to take up residence along England’s south coast, from Penzance in Cornwall to south Devon.“The scale of the catch [recorded by local fishers] was of the order of about 13 times what we would normally expect in Cornish waters,” said Matt Slater, a marine conservation officer at Cornwall Wildlife Trust. “When we added up the numbers, approximately 233,000 octopuses were caught in UK waters this year – that’s a huge increase from what you would normally expect.”Octopus walking by Jenny KentThe common or Mediterranean octopus, Octopus vulgaris, is native to UK waters but ordinarily in such small numbers it is rarely seen. A sudden increase in the population – a bloom – is caused by a combination of a mild winter followed by a warm breeding season in the spring. The ideal conditions meant that more of the larvae of the common octopus were likely to survive, said Slater, possibly in part fuelled by the large numbers of spider crabs that have also been recorded along the south coast in recent years.The last time an octopus bloom of the size observed in 2025 was recorded was 1950, with records from the UK’s Marine Biological Association showing the last bloom recorded prior to that was in 1900.The huge numbers of octopuses along the south coast meant they could be easily spotted in shallow waters for the first time in recent history. Video footage from divers shows octopuses gathering in groups – they are usually solitary – as well as “walking” along the seabed on the tips of their limbs. One was even filmed grabbing at an underwater camera.“The first time I dived off the Lizard peninsula this year I saw five octopuses,” said Slater. “And these are big. There are two types of octopus in UK waters. There is the curled octopus, which is quite small, only getting to about the size of a football, but these common octopuses can be up to a metre and a half wide.”Another mild winter going into 2026 meant it was possible there could be a second bloom next year, said Slater, because historically, under these conditions, the blooms have repeated themselves for two consecutive years.Octopus grabbing a camera by Matthew Bradshaw“However, it is unlikely, based on past events, that it will go on for a long time,” he said. “But the sea keeps giving us surprises at the moment so it’s quite an unpredictable situation.”The Wildlife Trusts noted some of the other “surprises, successes and joyful moments” around the UK coastline included a record number of grey seals observed by the Cumbria Wildlife Trust, as well as record numbers of puffins on Skomer, an island off the coast of Wales famed for the birds.Other wildlife was recorded in unusual places. A volunteer with Shoresearch, the Wildlife Trusts’ national citizen science survey programme, recorded the first Capellinia fustifera sea slug in Yorkshire, a 12mm mollusc that resembles a gnarly root vegetable and is usually found in the south-west. In addition, a variable blenny, a Mediterranean fish, was discovered off the coast of Sussex for the first time. Populations had previously been limited to the West Country.A group of grey seals in South Walney, Cumbria. Photograph: Gemma de Gouveia/Wildlife TrustsNot everything was good news, though. “The year was bookended by environmental disasters,” said Ruth Williams, head of marine conservation at the Wildlife Trusts. “[There was] the North Sea tanker collision in March and in November the release of tonnes of biobeads off the Sussex coast. Our Wildlife Trusts staff and volunteers are making huge efforts to protect and restore our shorelines.”

Conservation

Science

Water

Costa Rica Biologists Identify New Insect Species in Museum Collections

Biologists at the University of Costa Rica have uncovered 16 new species of leafhoppers after examining insect collections that sat untouched in museums for over three decades. The find also includes nine species newly recorded in the country, pushing the total known Scaphytopius species in Costa Rica to 29. Carolina Godoy and Andrés Arias-Penna led the research, starting their review in 2023. They pored over specimens from the University of Costa Rica’s insect museum and others held in U.S. institutions. “We looked at material stored for years and spotted many unidentified species in the Scaphytopius genus,” Godoy explained. “This led us to detail their taxonomy and confirm the new ones.” These leafhoppers, part of one of the planet’s largest insect families, feed on plants and jump like small cicadas. Adults measure under six millimeters, with younger stages even smaller. Though not widely recognized, they hold key positions in ecosystems and signal environmental conditions. The team pinpointed the new species in biologically rich spots across Costa Rica. Locations include La Selva Biological Station in Sarapiquí, humid Caribbean forests, the Osa Peninsula, and Talamanca’s mountains. Some names reflect local features or pay tribute to scientists: Scaphytopius vulcanus draws from Guanacaste’s Cacao Volcano, while S. hansoni honors biologist Paul Hanson. Others, like S. ancorus and S. viperans, evoke their distinct forms. Before this study, published in Zootaxa in September 2025, records of the genus in Costa Rica stopped at four species in 1982. The update fills a long-standing gap and shows how museum archives can yield fresh insights. Arias-Penna, who curates the UCR insect museum, noted that these insects might appear in everyday settings. “People could find them in their gardens without realizing,” he said. The discovery underscores Costa Rica’s role as a biodiversity hub, where protected areas still hide unknowns. Researchers stress that the actual number of species may exceed current counts, calling for continued exploration. Godoy and Arias-Penna’s work not only adds to global knowledge but also supports conservation efforts by highlighting overlooked groups. This breakthrough came from routine checks of old collections, proving that science advances through patient review. As Costa Rica protects its natural wealth, findings like these reinforce the need to study even the smallest inhabitants. The post Costa Rica Biologists Identify New Insect Species in Museum Collections appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

Conservation

Forests

Mountains

Along the Texas Coast, a New Sanctuary Aims to Protect the Endangered and Rare Whooping Crane

Partners at the International Crane Foundation and The Conservation Fund have secured permanent protection of more than 3,300 acres of high-priority wintering habitat for whooping cranes near Port Aransas, Texas

WOLFBERRY WHOOPING CRANE SANCTUARY, Texas (AP) — Carter Crouch has been fascinated by the whooping crane’s conservation story for as long as he can remember. The white bird, named for its “whooping” call, is one of the rarest in North America and was among the first to be protected by the Endangered Species Act.It’s a story that began decades ago when they were on the brink of extinction. Today, more than 550 whooping cranes migrate from Canada to Texas in the winter. It's the last self-sustaining wild flock in the world.A new sanctuary aims to further protect them. The International Crane Foundation, The Conservation Fund and the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program announced Thursday the acquisition of more than 3,300 acres (1,336 hectares) of vital winter habitat for the whooping crane. Only 16 of the birds existed in Texas in the early 1940s, but thanks to decades of conservation work, they’ve rebounded. Still, more work remains as the birds face threats from urban development, climate change, infrastructure for planet-warming oil, gas and coal and more.Crouch, director of Gulf Coast programs for the International Crane Foundation, said the crane’s story is complicated with many successes and some setbacks, but all in all, conservationists have come a long way. “We have a long way to go still, so there’s a lot of story to be written, and I’m super excited to be a small part of that.” An imperiled species, threatened habitat Standing at about 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall, the whooping crane is the tallest bird in North America with wingspans of up to 7.5 feet (2.3 meters) wide, so they need large landscapes to live in. They're snowy white as adults with black wing tips and a red forehead. It's one of 15 crane species in the world across Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North America — 10 of which are threatened with extinction. The last wild and self-sustaining flock of whooping cranes breeds and nests in the wetlands in and around Canada’s Wood Buffalo National Park before beginning their 45-day 2,500-mile (4,023-kilometer) southern migration each winter to forage and roost in and near Texas’ Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The birds, which can live more than 20 years in the wild, mate for life and spend much of their lives raising families. Cranes around the world face numerous challenges. Poaching and poisons threaten some species, and the wetlands and grasslands they need to survive are disappearing. Since the 1970s, 35% of the world’s wetlands have been lost because of human activities, according to the United Nations. The Fish and Wildlife Service estimates the U.S. alone has lost at least 80% of its grasslands.Climate change is worsening the threats. Sea level rise can wipe out the low-lying coastal wetlands in Texas, and loss of permafrost due to warming is among their habitat threats in Canada. Changing rain patterns mean there's less wetland availability in the Great Plains and other regions. “Generally it’s just a really long-lived group of birds, so they’re pretty sensitive to some of these threats that we’re throwing at them,” Crouch said. A safe haven for whooping cranes and other species On a recent morning, after a thick fog cleared, Crouch and a team of scientists roared a boat aptly called Crane Seeker down a channel along the Gulf of Mexico to look for whooping cranes. They anchored the boat, pointed their spotting scope, and patiently observed the birds for nearly an hour, diligently jotting down every minute what they were doing. Flying. Wading in shallow water. Eating crabs or wolfberries.The federally endangered aplomado falcon and the threatened black rail bird also call this region home. The new sanctuary southwest of Houston is made up of two properties purchased for just over $8.4 million thanks to grants, fundraising and hundreds of donations. One property, named the Wolfberry Whooping Crane Sanctuary, will be owned and managed by the International Crane Foundation, and the other by The Conservation Fund until the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program buys it off and ultimately owns it. The name is inspired by the Carolina wolfberry, a shrub that produces a small, red berry whooping cranes love to eat. It's found here in the coastal habitats of Texas, along with the blue crabs, mollusks and fish they also eat. Conservationists have a lot of work to do on the sanctuary. Much of the prairie has been overtaken by shrubs, so they'll be using prescribed burns and other means to restore the grassland. With the public's help, they'll also plant smooth cordgrass to improve the marshes and protect shorelines from erosion, which will also serve as storm buffers for nearby residents. Volunteers will also assist with the annual Christmas bird counts. And once the sanctuary is up and running, they hope to add guided tours and other educational events. A reliable place to see whooping cranes These protected lands near Texas’ Aransas National Wildlife Refuge are the only place in the U.S. where people can reliably see whooping cranes, said Julie Shackelford, Texas director for The Conservation Fund. It's a destination for birders worldwide, with visitors boosting the economies of nearby communities like Rockport and Port Aransas. In the winters, a “couple hundred people every day go out just to see the whooping crane” with their young, said Shackelford, a fellow bird enthusiast. She described helping to protect the land for future generations as “super gratifying.” Mike Forsberg knows these birds intimately. As a conservation photographer, he's spent countless hours over the years taking photos of North America's cranes, even publishing books about them. He has a podcast about whooping cranes, too, and just finished shooting a documentary. He calls himself a proud member of the growing “craniac community.” “The heart of keeping anything on the Earth ... has to do with making it personal to you, and cranes are just a great doorway in,” said Forsberg, a faculty member at the University of Nebraska. His 2024 book, “Into Whooperland: A Photographer’s Journey with Whooping Cranes” posed the question of whether these birds can survive a 21st century world. “Of course they can,” he said. “They’re resilient. But it’s up to us. And these habitats that are being protected now by the (International) Crane Foundation and by folks who just manage their land with a certain ethos ... that’s critical.”Pineda reported from Los Angeles.The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environmentCopyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Photos You Should See – December 2025

Conservation

Climate

Extinction

America's data center growth hot spots, mapped

Data: American Edge Project and Technology Councils of North America; Map: Axios VisualsNearly 3,000 new data centers are under construction or planned across the U.S., per a new analysis shared first with Axios — adding to the more than 4,000 already in operation.Why it matters: Big tech and many local leaders are full steam ahead on building as many data centers as possible to generate revenue and power the AI boom — but they're fueling a major political fight, with locals pushing back over energy use and other concerns.Driving the news: Virginia leads the country in data centers, with 663 operational and 595 more either under construction or planned.Texas is also up there, with 405 existing data centers and 442 planned or being built.That's per a new report from the American Edge Project (a pro-tech advocacy group) and the Technology Councils of North America (which represents tech and IT trade organizations).Zoom in: Georgia and Pennsylvania are among the states due for particularly big data center booms, if all goes to plan.Georgia currently has 162 data centers, and is slated for 285 more (a 176% increase, if all are built).Pennsylvania has 98, with 184 more potentially on the way (a 188% increase).Follow the money: "$560 billion in AI-related venture investment has flowed into all 50 states across nearly 27,000 deals from 2019 to the first eight months of 2025," the groups say.Data centers will generate nearly $27 billion in estimated tax revenue nationwide over the next decade, per the report.Virginia (about $4.2 billion), Arizona ($2.6 billion) and Delaware ($2 billion) are on track for particularly large slices of that pie.What they're saying: "Whether you live in a coastal tech hub, a manufacturing corridor, or a rural community, AI is now a major engine of local jobs, construction, revenue, and long-term economic growth," AEP CEO Doug Kelly argues in the report."This trillion-dollar build-out is creating new opportunities for electricians, construction workers, engineers, and logistics teams while strengthening tax bases that support schools, roads, police, and other essential services."The other side: Data center detractors say they cause environmental and energy use problems, quality of life issues for surrounding neighborhoods, and relatively little permanent job creation given the huge investments and big tax breaks often involved.U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — tapping into fears that AI could erase jobs and consolidate wealth — is pushing for a moratorium on the construction of data centers powering the AI boom."Data centers are the largest development issue of our generation," Angie McCarthy, Maryland's state conservation advocate at environmental group Nature Forward, recently told Axios' Mimi Montgomery.There's also the question of what'll happen to all these new data centers if the AI boom turns out to be a bust.What we're watching: Whether these forecasts hold true as the AI industry's bubble-or-no-bubble tension plays out.

Conservation

Energy

Nature

Suggested Viewing

Giants of Big Sur: California Condor Stories Part 1: Return to the Wild

Go behind the scenes with Wilderness Documentarian Ross Thomas as he learns the amazing and inspiring stories of the critically endangered California condor. Ross meets the Ventana Wildlife Society experts who have been working since 1997 to restore these majestic giants to the wild Big Sur coast. Ross’s epic journey begins with a once-in-a-lifetime visit with Senior Wildlife Biologist and California Condor Recovery Program Manager, Joe Burnett, to a wild condor’s nest deep in the Big Sur wilderness. Ross witnesses the intimate interaction between a condor parent and its new chick in the crown of a giant redwood tree. Ross then travels with Joe to see the Condor’s Big Sur sanctuary, which was destroyed by the Dolan Fire in 2020.

Conservation

Extinction

Pollution

When Worlds Collide: A Formosan Black Bear's Deadly Dance with Civilization

This is the true story of one Formosan black bear’s encounter with civilization. A fateful encounter with a wild boar trap in mid-autumn 2019 first brought this bear to national attention. However, after months of recuperation and subsequent release back into the wild, it lingered worryingly near settled areas, damaging orchards and even ransacking a mountain cabin in search of food. Re-released in a remote forested area, the bear set out an incredible journey across arduous terrain in the direction of home. This is the moving story of “711” … also known as “568” – a wild Formosan black bear from Taichung’s Mt. Daxue area. The bear died on the 25th day of its long journey home in May 2022 in the Mt. Wujie region of Nantou County. News of the death was a devastating blow to the hundreds involved in 711/568’s rescue, recovery, and tracking efforts. It also offered a difficult lesson for us all about the work yet ahead for wildlife conservation. This film examines Formosan black bear conservation from multiple perspectives, including those involved in this bear’s rescue and care, living in areas affected by 711/568, and working in the many public and private organizations dedicated to the cause of wildlife conservation. We hope the story told here helps further raise public understanding and concern for wildlife conservation in Taiwan.

Conservation

Inspirational

Animals

Coming Home - Back to the Wild

They are among the rarest animals in the world: lynxes, European minks, swamp turtles and ground squirrels. They all once disappeared from Germany. In an attempt to rewild Germanys nature, they are now returning. The film follows their individual journeys back to the wild. For those who are now reclaiming their old habitat, it is a long and dangerous road.

Animals

Conservation

Documentary

Vanishing Springs

The Florida you know is a lie. In contrast to what Americans have been told, Florida’s magic is not found in the giant mouse, the rolling green golf courses, or in the beachside palaces. The beauty and uniqueness of Florida is under our feet - the aquifer. This pure, crystal clear water is the life blood of our state and without it, life as we know it in the sunshine state would not exist. This life sustaining force is only seen where it bubbles up to the surface through Florida’s collection of 1,000 springs. These springs were originally what drew society to this land. Wealthy tourists in the 1900’s flooded the Florida springs seeking medicinal cures from its pristine waters. As springs became a popular tourist destination, spring houses were built around these pools of water. When this development began, the springs began flowing less and some eventually stopped altogether. People assumed this was the natural order of this wonder and moved on. Theme parks, golf courses and resorts were erected to entice tourists to visit Florida, the natural beauty of the state soon faded out of our memory. The springs of Florida now silently suffer from the effects of continued development in Florida. The current strain we are placing on the fragile ecosystem is choking the life out of our state. Overdevelopment is one of the leading forces that is damaging the springs. The once pure sources of water no longer boil up like a fountain the way they have for centuries. The water that the springs do produce is polluted by nitrates. This pollution fuels the growth of toxic algae blooms, which are taking over springs and the rivers they feed, thus putting our health at risk. Over 90% of our drinking water gushes out of these sapphire pools. These glorious reservoirs have begun to shrink. If something is not done soon, the springs will simply become part of Florida history. In southern Florida they already have. Springs once bubbled up all across the state. They were wiped out in South Florida decades ago by the ditching and draining of the landscape as well as over-pumping of the aquifer. This water was then sprayed on suburban lawns and farmers' fields, run through showers and flushed down toilets, turned into steam to crank turbines for electricity, or siphoned into plastic bottles for sale around the country. Because of poor use and neglect of our greatest resource, we will soon be without this supply of fresh water. Floridians regard their water supply as abundant and cheap, when the fact is it's neither. Until this attitude changes, the springs will not be rescued.

Water

Conservation

Health

Tōku Waiata / My Song

Star is a bird of many names. Kārearea, kāiaia, the New Zealand falcon. Aotearoa was once a nation of manu. Winged creatures reigned: bats, bugs and birds. Whilst flightless creatures crawled the land, the skies were ruled by aerial predators, some of these birds almost mythical in size. Yet with the arrival of humans came great change. Today, many manu linger only in legend. But a few birds of prey remain, including the feisty kārearea. The New Zealand falcon didn’t survive these changing years unscathed. Kārearea are even rarer than the kiwi. But they won’t go down without a fight. Through both traditional filmmaking and stop-motion animation, Tōku Waiata / My Song soars Aotearoa's skies alongside Star, an advocacy falcon at Wingspan Birds of Prey Centre. Here, a rather different conservation practice is used to conserve New Zealand's only falcon; the ancient art of falconry.

Animation

Conservation

Student

Cookies help us run our site more efficiently.

GoGreenNation news

Banksy Unveils Two New Murals of Children Gazing Up at the Sky Days Before Christmas

Banksy Unveils Two New Murals of Children Gazing Up at the Sky Days Before Christmas

Some onlookers are interpreting the identical artworks, which appeared on the streets of London, as a commentary on homelessness in the city

Quick fact: Banksy’s Christmas murals

Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Related News

‘Unashamedly capitalist’ rewilders claim ‘Moneyball’ approach could make millions - but experts sceptical

2025 is ‘year of the octopus’ as record numbers spotted off England’s south coast

Costa Rica Biologists Identify New Insect Species in Museum Collections

Along the Texas Coast, a New Sanctuary Aims to Protect the Endangered and Rare Whooping Crane

America's data center growth hot spots, mapped

Suggested Viewing

Giants of Big Sur: California Condor Stories Part 1: Return to the Wild

When Worlds Collide: A Formosan Black Bear's Deadly Dance with Civilization

Coming Home - Back to the Wild

Vanishing Springs

Tōku Waiata / My Song

Join us to forge
a sustainable future

sign up for our mailing list to stay informed on the latest films and environmental headlines.

Cookies help us run our site more efficiently.

Banksy Unveils Two New Murals of Children Gazing Up at the Sky Days Before Christmas

Quick fact: Banksy’s Christmas murals

Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Related News

‘Unashamedly capitalist’ rewilders claim ‘Moneyball’ approach could make millions - but experts sceptical

2025 is ‘year of the octopus’ as record numbers spotted off England’s south coast

Costa Rica Biologists Identify New Insect Species in Museum Collections

Along the Texas Coast, a New Sanctuary Aims to Protect the Endangered and Rare Whooping Crane

America's data center growth hot spots, mapped

Suggested Viewing

Giants of Big Sur: California Condor Stories Part 1: Return to the Wild

When Worlds Collide: A Formosan Black Bear's Deadly Dance with Civilization

Coming Home - Back to the Wild

Vanishing Springs

Tōku Waiata / My Song

Join us to forgea sustainable future

sign up for our mailing list to stay informed on the latest films and environmental headlines.

Join us to forge
a sustainable future