Latest news with #Spots
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
'Ignorance' Is Most Pressing Issue Facing Ocean Conservation, Says Sylvia Earle
Credit - Erika Larsen Marine biologist Sylvia Earle could easily rest on her laurels. In a career that began in the 1950s, she has become a pioneer in ocean exploration and conservation. She holds the record for the deepest walk under the sea and was the first female chief scientist at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But on the cusp of her 90th birthday this August, she has no plans to slow down—and believes that the problems currently facing our oceans now have never been more urgent. Her most recent venture, Mission Blue, aims to create a worldwide network of marine protected areas known as 'Hope Spots.' As of June 2, this includes the Chesapeake Bay. TIME spoke to Earle in May after a dive she made in the country's largest estuary. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Read more: Fishing Communities in the Philippines Are Fighting for their Future as Waters Rise TIME: You have been involved in ocean conservation work for decades. What changes have you noticed since you first started this work? EARLE: We have learned more about the nature of the ocean, of the planet as a whole, and even about ourselves. When I was a child, no one had been to the moon, no one had been to the deepest part of the sea. The internet did not exist. Think about the things we did not know, even about the microbial world, and how influential that is on everything and every one. That was just missing in our understanding of how the world functions. [We've learned more about] the magnitude of our climate and what our role has been in bringing about change. In many cases, we've lost more than during all preceding history. What do you feel is the most pressing issue facing our oceans now? Ignorance, complacency, lack of awareness that the ocean is essential to everyone, everywhere, all the time. Every breath we take, every drop of water we drink, we are connected to the ocean. Our very existence depends not just on the existence of rocks and water. 97% of Earth's water is ocean, and ocean is essential to life, but what really matters is that the ocean has populated with creatures who preceded us, not just by centuries or millennia, but hundreds of billions of years, fine tuning rocks and water into a habitable planet. It just seems perverse that we take so much for granted and are so casual about consuming nature [when] you realize how long it has taken for the natural systems to come to a state where we actually can not just survive here, but thrive here. We know what to do. We just need, in this really critical crossroads in time, to use the knowledge we have and to come together. Everybody is, without exception, vulnerable to the state of the planet, the habitability of Earth. If you can't breathe, nothing else quite matters. Or if you don't have water, if you don't have food. All of the basics anchor back to [the idea that] we've got to take care of what keeps Earth, our home, safe in a universe that is really inhospitable. For those who want to go to Mars and set up housekeeping, I say, good luck. It's a great vision. I think we'll get there for a small number of people, for small periods of time, but it's not an alternative to Earth. We are of the Earth. Actually, we are of the ocean, because it's the ocean that makes our existence possible. As someone who has led more than 100 expeditions and logged more than 7,000 hours underwater, what's one thing you wished more people knew about our oceans? I wish people could understand [that the ocean] is not just a massive amount of salt water, but rather it's a living system. What we put into the ocean changes the chemistry of not just the ocean, but of the planetary functions as a whole. The consequences to planetary chemistry, to planetary security, are right now facing us with the prospect of the sharp changes that we won't be able to control if they get to that tipping point. The good news through all of this, I think, is that the world has not tipped yet into a state from which we cannot recover. We've got all the warning signs, the rapid increase temperature, the rapid increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the rapid loss of forests on the land, and the consequences of clear cutting forests, disrupting the carbon cycle, clear cutting the ocean of fish, of squid, of krill from Antarctica, all of this. We know what we need to do. A big part of Mission Blue's work is identifying 'Hope Spots' in the ocean. When much of our ecosystems are under threat, why is it important to you to highlight these areas? The real purpose underlying the Hope Spot concept is to ignite public awareness and support for protecting nature. The Hope Spot is a means to a broader end, to get people to be aware of why the ocean in particular matters. Land and sea together, the whole world is one big, mostly blue hope spot, but [we want to] energize individual champions, communities, institutions, to come together with a common purpose of protecting a place that they know and love. And this is meant to highlight and enforce and support everybody else who's trying to do something to turn from declined to recovery, one hope spot, one community, one champion at a time. And it is contagious. People want to know, what can I do to make a difference? You are almost 90 years old—what keeps you diving? Why not? I think it's important to keep doing the things you love as long as you can. How can I resist when most of the areas on Earth where life exists have yet to be explored. I want to keep doing it as long as I can breathe. Don't you want to do the same thing? Read more from TIME's Ocean Issue The World Isn't Valuing Oceans Properly Meet the Marine Biologist Working to Protect Our Oceans from Deep-Sea Mining Geopolitical Tensions are Shaping the Future of our Oceans Write to Simmone Shah at
National Observer
12-05-2025
- Business
- National Observer
'Take it to the next level': Oil and gas industry players embrace AI and other tech
Haul trucks, shovels, pumps and pipes are common sights at Imperial Oil 's vast oilsands operations in northeastern Alberta, but so too are robots and drones, with generative artificial intelligence a newer addition to the technological mix. "We've been laser-focused on this digital journey since 2018," Cheryl Gomez-Smith, the senior executive in charge of Imperial's production, told a recent investor conference. Gomez-Smith said as of last year, Imperial's bottom line has seen a $700-million boost from high-tech initiatives — and that's on track to rise to $1.2 billion by 2027. The company has an in-house team dedicated to ramping up new technologies, and also draws on expertise from its US majority owner ExxonMobil Corp. For the past few years, Imperial has been using self-driving haul trucks at its Kearl oilsands mine. It has also enlisted Spot, a four-legged robot developed by Boston Dynamics that bears an eerie resemblance to a dog, for routine inspections and maintenance at Cold Lake, an oilsands site in eastern Alberta that uses steam wells to extract bitumen. "We estimate Spot can conduct almost 70 per cent of some operator rounds, allowing us to reallocate operator and maintenance resources to higher value work," said Gomez-Smith. "We currently have two Spots at site. We have two more inbound for delivery at this quarter, so we're well on our way to having a litter." Imperial is building on those advancements by expanding into generative AI, Gomez-Smith said. "This is where we're chatting with our own data to allow operations to gain real-time insights to drive better and faster decisions." At Cold Lake, remote piloted drones are helping save money on maintenance and they're on the brink of being AI-enabled. Sensors with AI capabilities are also helping automate pumpjack speed at the site in order to boost efficiency. Shannon Wilson, who leads the energy division at IBM Canada, said the oil and gas industry has been using automation for a long time and it's beginning to "take it to the next level" by incorporating AI. In addition to bolstering automation already on site, Wilson said AI is being used to improve productivity by quickly sifting through or compiling reams of information — tasks that would have otherwise been time consuming for workers. It's also been helpful in monitoring operations and better planning maintenance activities, reducing downtime. Larger companies have the scale to invest in their own in-house technology, while smaller ones are taking advantage of commercial offerings, Wilson said. "There's creativity happening in the marketplace and they're buying the embedded solutions from some of their existing service providers." Wilson called AI a tool to "augment" human intelligence. "Ultimately, humans are the decision-makers," she said. "The more repeatable a process is, the more AI can lend itself." Another one of the country's energy majors, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., says in a 2022 report that in its international operations, which include offshore platforms in the U.K. and Cote d'Ivoire, it has used "a suite of artificial intelligence tools" to track its greenhouse gas emissions data. "This data allows us to identify production anomalies in real-time that could be causing emissions fluctuations," it said. Fellow oilsands giant Suncor Energy Inc. also has a fleet of autonomous trucks, and said in a 2023 website post that it had begun incorporating AI into the dispatching system at its Mildred Lake mine. It said human dispatchers still work around the clock, but AI handles straightforward tasks like assigning trucks to dump stations and directing them to refuelling stations. While many information technology pros are looking for ways that AI can be a benefit to businesses, others are focused on the darker side — helping companies protect themselves from cyberattacks. The 2025 IBM X-Force Threat Index released last month said the global energy sector accounted for 10 per cent of the attacks its cybersecurity teams responded to in 2024. "The critical importance of energy infrastructure to global operations and its susceptibility to disruption makes it a persistent focus for attackers," the report said. Tyler Williams, EY Canada's cybersecurity leader for industrials and energy, said the threat landscape is evolving quickly and the industry is doing its best to keep up. Attacks have become so advanced that they can be launched autonomously via AI in seconds, wreaking the kind of havoc that a few years ago would have taken millions of dollars and specialized expertise to pull off, he said. "It's a bit of a scary environment," Williams said. Companies need to counter AI threats with their own technology that's as advanced or better, he said. "I think everyone is attentive to it. They're not unaware of the problem. There's not really a lack of ambition or investment that I've seen in the sector, particularly in oil and gas," Williams said. Standards bodies are working to come up with guidance, Williams said, "but I think most companies would consider themselves quite on their own to come up with frameworks and controls to make sure that technology gets deployed securely." This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 11, 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
11-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
‘Take it to the next level': Oil and gas industry players embracing AI and other tech
CALGARY - Haul trucks, shovels, pumps and pipes are common sights at Imperial Oil's vast oilsands operations in northeastern Alberta, but so too are robots and drones, with generative artificial intelligence a newer addition to the technological mix. 'We've been laser-focused on this digital journey since 2018,' Cheryl Gomez-Smith, the senior executive in charge of Imperial's production, told a recent investor conference. Gomez-Smith said as of last year, Imperial's bottom line has seen a $700-million boost from high-tech initiatives — and that's on track to rise to $1.2 billion by 2027. The company has an in-house team dedicated to ramping up new technologies, and also draws on expertise from its U.S. majority owner ExxonMobil Corp. For the past few years, Imperial has been using self-driving haul trucks at its Kearl oilsands mine. It has also enlisted Spot, a four-legged robot developed by Boston Dynamics that bears an eerie resemblance to a dog, for routine inspections and maintenance at Cold Lake, an oilsands site in eastern Alberta that uses steam wells to extract bitumen. 'We estimate Spot can conduct almost 70 per cent of some operator rounds, allowing us to reallocate operator and maintenance resources to higher value work,' said Gomez-Smith. 'We currently have two Spots at site. We have two more inbound for delivery at this quarter, so we're well on our way to having a litter.' Imperial is building on those advancements by expanding into generative AI, Gomez-Smith said. 'This is where we're chatting with our own data to allow operations to gain real-time insights to drive better and faster decisions.' At Cold Lake, remote piloted drones are helping save money on maintenance and they're on the brink of being AI-enabled. Sensors with AI capabilities are also helping automate pumpjack speed at the site in order to boost efficiency. Shannon Wilson, who leads the energy division at IBM Canada, said the oil and gas industry has been using automation for a long time and it's beginning to 'take it to the next level' by incorporating AI. In addition to bolstering automation already on site, Wilson said AI is being used to improve productivity by quickly sifting through or compiling reams of information — tasks that would have otherwise been time consuming for workers. It's also been helpful in monitoring operations and better planning maintenance activities, reducing downtime. Larger companies have the scale to invest in their own in-house technology, while smaller ones are taking advantage of commercial offerings, Wilson said. 'There's creativity happening in the marketplace and they're buying the embedded solutions from some of their existing service providers.' Wilson called AI a tool to 'augment' human intelligence. 'Ultimately, humans are the decision-makers,' she said. 'The more repeatable a process is, the more AI can lend itself.' Another one of the country's energy majors, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., says in a 2022 report that in its international operations, which include offshore platforms in the U.K. and Cote d'Ivoire, it has used 'a suite of artificial intelligence tools' to track its greenhouse gas emissions data. 'This data allows us to identify production anomalies in real-time that could be causing emissions fluctuations,' it said. Fellow oilsands giant Suncor Energy Inc. also has a fleet of autonomous trucks, and said in a 2023 website post that it had begun incorporating AI into the dispatching system at its Mildred Lake mine. It said human dispatchers still work around the clock, but AI handles straightforward tasks like assigning trucks to dump stations and directing them to refuelling stations. While many information technology pros are looking for ways that AI can be a benefit to businesses, others are focused on the darker side — helping companies protect themselves from cyberattacks. The 2025 IBM X-Force Threat Index released last month said the global energy sector accounted for 10 per cent of the attacks its cybersecurity teams responded to in 2024. 'The critical importance of energy infrastructure to global operations and its susceptibility to disruption makes it a persistent focus for attackers,' the report said. Tyler Williams, EY Canada's cybersecurity leader for industrials and energy, said the threat landscape is evolving quickly and the industry is doing its best to keep up. Attacks have become so advanced that they can be launched autonomously via AI in seconds, wreaking the kind of havoc that a few years ago would have taken millions of dollars and specialized expertise to pull off, he said. 'It's a bit of a scary environment,' Williams said. Companies need to counter AI threats with their own technology that's as advanced or better, he said. 'I think everyone is attentive to it. They're not unaware of the problem. There's not really a lack of ambition or investment that I've seen in the sector, particularly in oil and gas,' Williams said. Standards bodies are working to come up with guidance, Williams said, 'but I think most companies would consider themselves quite on their own to come up with frameworks and controls to make sure that technology gets deployed securely.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 11, 2025. Companies in this story: (TSX: IMO TSX:CNQ, TSX:SU)
Winnipeg Free Press
11-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘Take it to the next level': Oil and gas industry players embracing AI and other tech
CALGARY – Haul trucks, shovels, pumps and pipes are common sights at Imperial Oil's vast oilsands operations in northeastern Alberta, but so too are robots and drones, with generative artificial intelligence a newer addition to the technological mix. 'We've been laser-focused on this digital journey since 2018,' Cheryl Gomez-Smith, the senior executive in charge of Imperial's production, told a recent investor conference. Gomez-Smith said as of last year, Imperial's bottom line has seen a $700-million boost from high-tech initiatives — and that's on track to rise to $1.2 billion by 2027. The company has an in-house team dedicated to ramping up new technologies, and also draws on expertise from its U.S. majority owner ExxonMobil Corp. For the past few years, Imperial has been using self-driving haul trucks at its Kearl oilsands mine. It has also enlisted Spot, a four-legged robot developed by Boston Dynamics that bears an eerie resemblance to a dog, for routine inspections and maintenance at Cold Lake, an oilsands site in eastern Alberta that uses steam wells to extract bitumen. 'We estimate Spot can conduct almost 70 per cent of some operator rounds, allowing us to reallocate operator and maintenance resources to higher value work,' said Gomez-Smith. 'We currently have two Spots at site. We have two more inbound for delivery at this quarter, so we're well on our way to having a litter.' Imperial is building on those advancements by expanding into generative AI, Gomez-Smith said. 'This is where we're chatting with our own data to allow operations to gain real-time insights to drive better and faster decisions.' At Cold Lake, remote piloted drones are helping save money on maintenance and they're on the brink of being AI-enabled. Sensors with AI capabilities are also helping automate pumpjack speed at the site in order to boost efficiency. Shannon Wilson, who leads the energy division at IBM Canada, said the oil and gas industry has been using automation for a long time and it's beginning to 'take it to the next level' by incorporating AI. In addition to bolstering automation already on site, Wilson said AI is being used to improve productivity by quickly sifting through or compiling reams of information — tasks that would have otherwise been time consuming for workers. It's also been helpful in monitoring operations and better planning maintenance activities, reducing downtime. Larger companies have the scale to invest in their own in-house technology, while smaller ones are taking advantage of commercial offerings, Wilson said. 'There's creativity happening in the marketplace and they're buying the embedded solutions from some of their existing service providers.' Wilson called AI a tool to 'augment' human intelligence. 'Ultimately, humans are the decision-makers,' she said. 'The more repeatable a process is, the more AI can lend itself.' Another one of the country's energy majors, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., says in a 2022 report that in its international operations, which include offshore platforms in the U.K. and Cote d'Ivoire, it has used 'a suite of artificial intelligence tools' to track its greenhouse gas emissions data. 'This data allows us to identify production anomalies in real-time that could be causing emissions fluctuations,' it said. Fellow oilsands giant Suncor Energy Inc. also has a fleet of autonomous trucks, and said in a 2023 website post that it had begun incorporating AI into the dispatching system at its Mildred Lake mine. It said human dispatchers still work around the clock, but AI handles straightforward tasks like assigning trucks to dump stations and directing them to refuelling stations. While many information technology pros are looking for ways that AI can be a benefit to businesses, others are focused on the darker side — helping companies protect themselves from cyberattacks. The 2025 IBM X-Force Threat Index released last month said the global energy sector accounted for 10 per cent of the attacks its cybersecurity teams responded to in 2024. 'The critical importance of energy infrastructure to global operations and its susceptibility to disruption makes it a persistent focus for attackers,' the report said. Tyler Williams, EY Canada's cybersecurity leader for industrials and energy, said the threat landscape is evolving quickly and the industry is doing its best to keep up. Attacks have become so advanced that they can be launched autonomously via AI in seconds, wreaking the kind of havoc that a few years ago would have taken millions of dollars and specialized expertise to pull off, he said. 'It's a bit of a scary environment,' Williams said. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Companies need to counter AI threats with their own technology that's as advanced or better, he said. 'I think everyone is attentive to it. They're not unaware of the problem. There's not really a lack of ambition or investment that I've seen in the sector, particularly in oil and gas,' Williams said. Standards bodies are working to come up with guidance, Williams said, 'but I think most companies would consider themselves quite on their own to come up with frameworks and controls to make sure that technology gets deployed securely.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 11, 2025. Companies in this story: (TSX: IMO TSX:CNQ, TSX:SU)
