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Peter Howson

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...

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Economy

China's Tariffs on U.S. Oil and LNG Could Disrupt Trade, Prompt Waiver Requests

Chinas planned tariffs on U.S. crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG), set to take effect on February 10, are expected to prompt traders to seek waivers, trade sources said. Beijing announced a 15% levy on U.S. LNG and...

Domino’s Australia Stock Soars 24% After Announcing Store Closures and Profitability Boost

Shares of Dominos Pizza Enterprises (NYSE: DPZ) surged 23.8% to A$36.68 on Friday, marking their largest intraday gain ever. The rally follows the companys announcement to close 205 underperforming stores, aiming to...

Bank of Canada Warns of Economic Risks from U.S. Tariff Uncertainty

Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem warned that U.S. policy shifts and President Donald Trumps tariff threats are creating economic uncertainty. Speaking at a virtual conference in Mexico City, Macklem noted that the mere...

U.S.-China Trade War Threatens U.S. Crude Exports in 2025

Rising trade tensions between the U.S. and China may push U.S. crude exports lower in 2025 for the first time since the pandemic. Analysts warn that Chinese tariffs could limit U.S. oil access to the worlds largest energy...

Stock Futures Slip as Amazon Tumbles on Weak Outlook, Eyes on Jobs Data

U.S. stock index futures edged lower Thursday evening, pressured by a sharp drop in Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) after the e-commerce giant issued a weak revenue forecast for Q1 2025. The company projected sales between $151...

Politics

Iran Condemns U.S. Sanctions on Oil Shipments to China

Iran has strongly criticized new U.S. sanctions targeting its oil shipments, calling them illegitimate and unlawful. The sanctions, announced by the U.S. Treasury on Thursday, focus on individuals and tankers involved in...

Rubio to Visit Middle East Amid Backlash Over Trump’s Gaza Plan

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Israel and key Arab nations from February 13-18, marking his first Middle East trip since President Donald Trumps controversial proposal to relocate Palestinians in Gaza. His...

Sara Duterte Prepares for Impeachment, Welcomes Father’s Support in Legal Battle

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte said she has been preparing for impeachment since last year and welcomed her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, to join her defense team if he wished. Speaking at a press...

Trump’s Gaza Plan Faces Global Backlash and Legal Concerns

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel would transfer control of Gaza to the U.S. after the war, claiming Palestinians would be resettled elsewhere, eliminating the need for American troops. His proposal to...

Trump's Special Envoy Discusses Ukraine Conflict in Key Meeting

U.S. President Donald Trumps special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, met with Ukraines ambassador to Washington, Oksana Markarova, for their first official discussion. Markarova described the meeting as a...

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

Xiaomi Hits Record High as China’s Subsidy Program Boosts EV and Tech Stocks

Xiaomi Corp (OTC: XIACF, HK: 1810) shares surged to an all-time high on Friday, fueled by investor optimism over Chinas nationwide subsidy program aimed at boosting sales of electric vehicles (EVs) and smartphones. The...

OpenAI’s Stargate AI Data Centers Face Global AI Competition from China’s DeepSeek

OpenAI is actively evaluating U.S. states for its massive Stargate AI data center initiative, aiming to secure Americas lead in artificial intelligence against China. Chris Lehane, OpenAIs chief global affairs officer,...

Tesla Raises Model X Prices by $5,000 in the U.S.

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) has increased the prices of its Model X vehicles in the United States by $5,000, according to an update on its official website. The price hike applies to both variants of the electric SUV, reflecting...

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun Signals Expansion of EV Production Capacity

Xiaomi (OTC: XIACF) is accelerating its push into the electric vehicle (EV) market, with CEO and founder Lei Jun announcing plans to expand production capacity. In a post on his social media account on Friday, Lei...

Cerebras and Mistral Achieve AI Speed Record, Challenging OpenAI and DeepSeek

Cerebras Systems, a leading AI chipmaker backed by UAE tech giant G42, has teamed up with Frances Mistral to set a new AI speed record. Mistral, an emerging player in open-source AI, aims to compete with Meta, Chinas...
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