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Alarming fact: AI will affect around 40% of global employment

Publicado: La Iguana.tv, 06/05/2026

Synopsis: According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), artificial intelligence will modify 40% of jobs worldwide. However, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova clarified that this change will not always imply a reduction in employment.

In her remarks on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, she noted that, according to the IMF, "artificial intelligence will affect around 40% of global employment, and up to 60% in developed economies."

Golikova added that more than 90% of employers in sectors such as education, health, finance, telecommunications, transportation, and warehousing indicated that this technological tool is a key trend. In this context, she cited the International Labour Organization (ILO), which considers that "generative artificial intelligence complements work; it does not reduce jobs." On the other hand, the Russian bank Sberbank estimates that "generative AI and robotics will allow for an increase in labor productivity of between 21 and 33 percent by 2032." To achieve this, it stated that the task is "to teach current and future workers how to use" this technology, since it is "a tool for increasing productivity itself."

Furthermore, the official indicated that the change will not imply a total replacement of professions, but rather a transformation of specific tasks within each one. Therefore, she emphasized the need to update educational programs to include "skills for both technology developers and those who will apply these technologies."

The window of opportunity to limit global warming is closing.

IPS, 06/12/2026

Synopsis: A new study of Global Climate Change Indicators, compiled by more than 70 scientists from 56 institutions in 17 countries and published in the journal Earth System Science Data, indicates that by 2025 global warming will have reached 1.37°C above pre-industrial levels, stating that the window of opportunity to keep the increase in global temperature below 1.5 degrees Celsius (°C) is rapidly closing.

Researchers warn that if current trends in carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas emissions continue, the planet could exceed the 1.5°C threshold in approximately four years.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), in a report last May, also considered it highly likely that in at least one year between 2026 and 2030-and perhaps even the five-year average-the global average temperature near the surface will exceed the 1.5°C threshold. One of the central findings of the report is the increasing energy imbalance of the Earth, an indicator that measures the difference between the energy the planet receives from the Sun and the energy it sends back into space. The report finds that this imbalance is at record levels and has doubled in recent decades, reflecting how quickly the climate system is accumulating heat.

Billions lost as secretive financial networks fuel forest destruction

Aporrea, 06/12/2026

Synopsis: The report, Financial Secrets of the Forests: How Secrecy Fuels Deforestation in Brazil and Cameroon, published by the Coalition for Financial Transparency in partnership with the Center for Economics and Finance for Development in Latin America (Cefilat), examined forest loss and illicit financial flows in Brazil and Cameroon, two countries that are home to some of the world's largest tropical forests, and which exemplifies what is happening in many other parts of the world.

Researchers assert that the lack of public access to corporate property records allows those who profit from environmental destruction to remain hidden.

The report maintains that in Brazil, unexplained discrepancies in timber exports amounted to approximately US$214 million annually between 2013 and 2023, while in Cameroon it was US$289 million.

Asked whether the report considers financial secrecy a central factor in illegal deforestation and what the main obstacles were to identifying the true beneficiaries behind logging, soy, and cattle companies in Brazil and Cameroon, one of the report's lead authors, Matti Kohonen, executive director of the Coalition for Financial Transparency, told IPS in an exclusive interview that they were unable to identify the ultimate beneficiaries of these companies despite using the best available data, including satellite geospatial data.

"In the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, which accounts for one-fifth of all deforestation in the country, we identified hundreds of thousands of plots of land that were illegally deforested since 2010 to produce soy and cattle, but we were only able to identify the plots and, in some cases, the companies involved, not their ultimate beneficiaries."

Authorities are investigating the possible murder of Polish activist Monika Silva Koniuszek in Ecuador after she denounced land trafficking, institutional corruption, money laundering, and environmental damage.

Aporrea, 06/12/2026

Synopsis: Polish activist Monika Silva Koniuszek, 41, was found dead on Monday, June 8, at her home with a laceration on her neck. Silva, who presided over the Integrity Foundation, was widely recognized for her outspoken public denunciations of land trafficking networks, institutional corruption, money laundering, and environmental damage involving local politicians and state officials. Months before her death, Silva had publicly warned of a criminal plot to assassinate her and even submitted reports to foreign diplomatic missions seeking protection.

The speed with which the Ecuadorian government attempted to establish a suicide narrative raised concerns among the European Union (EU) and the Polish government, who issued strong statements demanding a "swift, thorough, independent, and transparent" investigation by the Ecuadorian state. Furthermore, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) formally urged that the forensic investigations include, as a mandatory element, Silva's oversight work and his anti-corruption complaints as the primary motive for the incident.

The Ecuadorian Attorney General's Office was forced to formally request assistance and specialized foreign experts to try to guarantee the impartiality of the process, while a Polish diplomatic delegation is already on the ground closely monitoring every development.

Switzerland is building a large-scale underground battery for its electricity grid

Últimas Noticias, 06/04/2026

Synopsis: The Swiss group FlexBase is developing an underground storage facility with a projected capacity of 1.5 GWh, designed to strengthen the national electricity infrastructure. This redox flow battery, located in a 27-meter-deep pit, will allow for the management of the intermittent nature of energy sources such as solar and wind power.

The plant, scheduled to be commissioned in 2029, will represent a significant private investment of between 1 and 5 billion Swiss francs. Project developers emphasize that, unlike lithium-ion batteries, this solution offers greater safety and stability for long-term stationary applications, as reported by Xataka.

The battery operates by pumping liquids into stacks of cells, where the chemical reaction necessary to return electricity to the grid occurs when demand increases. The data center linked to artificial intelligence will leverage this infrastructure to smooth the variable electrical load associated with its computational processing.

Venezuela: How is the controlled demolition of the Yacural bridge in Lara progressing?

La Iguana, 06/06/2026

Synopsis: In Lara State, the controlled demolition of the Yacural Bridge, damaged by recent rains, is underway to ensure safe passage and the well-being of the state's residents.

At the site, work crews have already completed the diversion of the river's course and constructed a cofferdam to protect the remaining structure, allowing technicians to operate safely.

"Today we are beginning the controlled demolition of the bridge. The material will be used to further control the river's flow and prevent further erosion, including the potential erosion of the other bridge," stated the transportation authority, referring to the fact that the debris will be reused as fill to protect the existing foundations.

Venezuela: To optimize the electricity service in the west of the country: They supervise the Mérida Photovoltaic Solar Park

Laiguana.tv, 06/03/2026

Synopsis: In the city of El Vigía, Mérida state, the optimization and installation of the Photovoltaic Solar Park is underway. This park boasts over 50 MW (megawatts) of clean energy generation capacity and 98,068 interconnected solar panels.

All of this is aimed at strengthening and stabilizing the regional electrical system by injecting clean energy directly into the distribution network, thereby improving the continuity and quality of service.

"In just 10 months of intensive work, a vital project has been completed that will contribute more than 50 MW of sustainable energy. Beyond the impressive installation, the true driving force behind this park is our people. Thanks to technological cooperation agreements with China, the workforce has been highly trained. Our national talent will be responsible for operating and ensuring the success of this great project!" stated the state governor, Arnaldo Sánchez.

The hidden cost of AI: by 2030 it will consume as much water as 1.3 billion people and the electricity of another 650 million.

Noticias ONU, 06/03/2026

Synopsis: The report "Environmental Cost of AI Energy Use: Carbon, Water, and Soil Footprints," published by the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, warns that artificial intelligence not only emits carbon, but that every chatbot query, every generated image, and every synthetic video leaves an invisible footprint on water and land. If not managed sustainably, digital infrastructure could become an environmental nightmare for the most vulnerable countries, while the benefits are concentrated in a few wealthy nations.

By 2030, the data centers powering artificial intelligence will consume 945 terawatt-hours of electricity, almost three times the combined annual consumption of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria-countries with over 650 million people. Their water footprint will be equivalent to the basic water needs of the entire population of sub-Saharan Africa (1.3 billion people).

"This report is not a manifesto against artificial intelligence," clarifies Professor Kaveh Madani, director of UNU-INWEH and leader of the research. "It is a call to use it responsibly and to proactively address its unintended impacts, to make it sustainable and equitable."

The problem, according to the authors, is that the three footprints are not moving in the same direction. Switching from coal to bioenergy, for example, reduces the carbon footprint by 70%, but increases the water footprint thirtyfold and the land footprint one hundredfold. "Low carbon" is not synonymous with "low water" or "low land use."

In 2025, global data centers consumed 448 terawatt-hours. If they were a country, they would be the eleventh largest electricity consumer in the world, behind France and ahead of Saudi Arabia.

Mountains of fracking waste accumulate and pollute the environment in Argentina

El País, 06/04/2026

Synopsis: According to data from the Neuquén Ministry of Energy, more than 97% of the province's oil and more than 90% of its gas are extracted using fracking, a technique that involves injecting water, sand, and chemicals at high pressure to fracture the rock and release hydrocarbons.

This is a controversial method, and there's another hidden problem: the waste, which, if not properly treated, causes environmental pollution and potential risks to public health. Local regulations require that it be processed correctly. But there are mountains of waste there that prove otherwise.

The quality of life in Neuquén depends on the wind direction. "When it blows this way, the smell becomes very strong. It stings your eyes and makes you sneeze constantly," says Julio Polo, a security guard at the housing complex surrounding the Neuquén Oeste Industrial Park (PINO). The smell is similar to sulfur, although there are many more chemicals in the air and soil.

Fracking generates semi-solid waste: a paste the color of damp earth, composed of drilled rock cuttings mixed with processed debris and sand. Over time in Vaca Muerta, subcontractors have piled this sludge into gigantic mountains, some very close to residential areas.

There are reports pointing to the dangerous pollution caused by this waste. According to a 2019 study by the Concerned Health Professionals of New York initiative, more than 200 contaminants were detected in the air near fracking operations in the United States, and more than 1,000 chemicals were found in the fracturing fluids.

What are the "dead zones" that threaten the Baltic Sea, the world's largest area of brackish water?

BBC, 06/03/2026

Synopsis: The Danish island of Bornholm is at the heart of the environmental and geopolitical crisis plaguing the Baltic Sea, as it has significantly impacted its fishing industry. Its fish processing plant appears abandoned, and only one fishing boat remains… Indeed, this sea has suffered such blows that it is no longer the same sea it was 150 years ago.

Among the most prominent causes of this environmental damage are overfishing, lack of oxygen, human pollution, and rising sea temperatures, the latter a consequence of climate change.

The dumping of excessive nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen from agriculture, stimulates algal growth and leads to the formation of dense blooms that can block sunlight.

When these blooms die, they sink and cover the seabed, and as they decompose, they consume the available oxygen, killing the organisms that depend on it and creating what are known as dead zones. Furthermore, it is one of the busiest maritime areas in the world. There is an average of 1,500 large ships at sea at any given time, and around 55,000 vessels enter or leave the Baltic Sea through the Danish straits each year, carrying all their polluting cargo.

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