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Peter Howson

Senior Lecturer in International Development, Northumbria University, Newcastle
Peter Howson is a Researcher in International Development at Northumbria, where he leads the MSc in International Development.

His teaching and research interests span political ecology, critical theory, gender, race and development, ‘green violence’, blockchain-based environmental management and geo-politics in the Global South. Most of Pete's teaching draws on his research interests and professional experience in the Asia-Pacific region.

Before joining Northumbria, Pete was a Lecturer in International Development at Nottingham Trent University. In 2016 he was a Post-doc Researcher at Colorado State University, looking at Palau’s National Marine Sanctuary. Before that, he was based at University of Wellington, Aotearoa, New Zealand. His PhD research explored the political ecology of climate finance in Indonesia.

Pete's current projects include analysis of the ‘blue belt’ network of marine protection measures in the UK Overseas Territories. Peter is also looking at how cryptocurrencies and carbon trading are coming together to make trees more valuable standing than cut down, and what impacts the practice is having on forest-dependent communities in Indonesia.

DeepSeek claims to have cured AI’s environmental headache. The Jevons paradox suggests it might make things worse

Feb 03, 2025 11:01 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology

AI burns through a lot of resources. And thanks to a paradox first identified way back in the 1860s, even a more energy-efficient AI is likely to simply mean more energy is used in the long run. For most users, large...

Digital Currency Revolution

Bitcoin: China's crackdown isn't enough – only a global effort can stop crypto's monstrous energy demand

Jun 08, 2021 12:31 pm UTC| Digital Currency

Huge concrete data centres, permanently plugged into power plants and telephone exchanges, maintain much of online life. But the infrastructure behind internet-based cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, dogecoin and ethereum...

Blockchain Revolution Series

NFTs: why digital art has such a massive carbon footprint

Apr 04, 2021 10:00 am UTC| Technology

How much would you be willing to pay for a one-of-a-kind work of art? For some collectors, the limit lies somewhere in the region of hundreds of millions of dollars. What about a work of art that has no tangible form, and...

Digital Currency Revolution

Bitcoin isn't getting greener: four environmental myths about cryptocurrency debunked

Feb 20, 2021 12:38 pm UTC| Technology Digital Currency

The price of bitcoin has reached US$50,000 (36,095) another all-time high. Its hard to believe that 10,000 bitcoin would only buy a couple of pizzas ten years ago. Its even stranger to think that bitcoins are completely...

Economy

Dollar Surges as Trump Imposes New Tariffs, Global Markets React

The U.S. dollar soared to a three-week high after President Donald Trump imposed new trade tariffs, fueling demand for the greenback as a safe-haven asset. At 04:30 ET (09:30 GMT), the Dollar Index rose 1% to 109.305,...

Australian Retail Sales Dip in December After Black Friday Surge

Australias retail sales slipped 0.1% in December, following a 0.7% jump in November, as consumers slowed spending after Black Friday splurges. The decline, however, was less than the 0.7% drop analysts expected, thanks to...

Scholz Warns Against Trade Barriers as EU Eyes Response to U.S. Tariffs

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz cautioned against trade barriers on Sunday, emphasizing the benefits of globalization after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China. While Trump has threatened...

South Korea’s Retail Sales Decline Amid Political Unrest and Weak Consumer Spending

South Koreas retail sales fell 0.6% in December, marking the fourth consecutive month without growth as weak consumer spending and political turmoil dampened demand, government data showed Monday. The downturn followed...

Mexico Strikes Back with Tariffs as Trade War Escalates with U.S.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced retaliatory tariffs in response to the U.S. imposing 25% tariffs on all Mexican imports. In a post on X, Sheinbaum emphasized her preference for dialogue but stated that...

Politics

Elon Musk Leads Trump’s Government Cost-Cutting, Targets USAID Shutdown

Billionaire Elon Musk, leading President Donald Trumps effort to downsize the federal government, announced plans to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Speaking on X, Musk called the agency...

Denmark Rejects U.S. Bid for Greenland, Calling It 'Not for Sale'

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has firmly rejected any notion of selling Greenland, following reports that former U.S. President Donald Trump was interested in acquiring the Arctic island. Speaking ahead of an...

Pentagon Prioritizes Border Security as Defense Secretary Visits Mexico Border

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will visit the U.S.-Mexico border on Monday in his first trip since taking office, reinforcing the Pentagons commitment to border security under President Donald Trump. The...

Elon Musk Leads Trump’s Cost-Cutting Effort Amid Treasury Access Concerns

Billionaire Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) and SpaceX, is spearheading U.S. President Donald Trumps initiative to shrink the federal government. On Monday, Musk will provide an update on the Department of...

Trump Administration Exempts Public Safety Workers from Early Retirement Program

The Trump administration announced that federal employees in public safety roles, including air traffic controllers, are exempt from a new financial incentive to resign. While the White House introduced a deferred...

Science

South African telescope discovers a giant galaxy that’s 32 times bigger than Earth’s

Inkathazos glowing plasma jets are shown in red and yellow. The starlight from other surrounding galaxies can be seen in the background. K.K.L Charlton (UCT), MeerKAT, HSC, CARTA, IDIA, CC BY You may not know it, but right...

It’s science, not fiction: high-tech drones may soon be fighting bushfires in Australia

Picture this. Its a summer evening in Australia. A dry lightning storm is about to sweep across remote, tinder-dry bushland. The next day is forecast to be hot and windy. A lightning strike tonight could spark a fire that...

Earth is bombarded with rocks from space – but who gets to keep these ultimate antiques?

Every day, about 48.5 tonnes of space rock hurtle towards Earth. Meteorites that fall into the ocean are never recovered. But the ones that crash on land can spark debates about legal ownership. Globally, meteorite hunting...

Most of us trust scientists, shows a survey of nearly 72,000 people worldwide

Public trust in scientists is vital. It can help us with personal decisions on matters like health and provide evidence-based policymaking to assist governments with crises such as the COVID pandemic or climate change. In...

Astronauts on NASA’s Artemis mission to the Moon will need better boots − here’s why

The U.S.s return to the Moon with NASAs Artemis program will not be a mere stroll in the park. Instead it will be a perilous journey to a lunar location representing one of the most extreme environments in the solar...

Technology

Taiwan Bans Chinese AI Startup DeepSeek Over Security Concerns

Taiwan has officially banned government agencies from using Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, citing national security risks. Premier Cho Jung-tai announced the decision during a cabinet meeting, emphasizing the need to protect...

TSMC Stock Plunges as AI Developments Shake Global Chip Market

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TW:2330) shares tumbled 6.6% on Monday as local markets reopened after a week-long break, reacting to a global sell-off in semiconductor stocks. The Taiwan Weighted Index (TWII)...

Japan Weighs AI Growth and Energy Demand Amid DeepSeek’s Emergence

Japans Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) acknowledges concerns about rising electricity demand due to data center expansion but says its too early to predict the impact of AI innovations like DeepSeek. In...

OpenAI Launches Deep Research Mode to Revolutionize AI-Powered Internet Research

OpenAI has introduced a groundbreaking feature for ChatGPT called Deep Research, designed to perform complex, multi-step internet research. Announced during a livestream, this advancement pushes AI closer to agentic AI,...

OpenAI Battles ANI Lawsuit in India Amid Copyright Dispute

OpenAI is contesting a copyright lawsuit in India, arguing that local courts lack jurisdiction over its U.S.-based operations. The case, filed by Indian news agency ANI, accuses OpenAI of using copyrighted content without...