Is it worse to have no climate solutions – or to have them but refuse to use them? | Rebecca Solnit
Tech barons are forever predicting some amazing new technology to fix the climate crisis. Yet fixes already exist
There are so many ways to fiddle while Rome burns, or as this season’s weather would have it, gets torn apart by hurricanes and tornadoes and also goes underwater – and, in other places, burns. One particularly pernicious way comes from the men in love with big tech, who are forever insisting that we need some amazing new technology to solve our problems, be it geoengineering, carbon sequestration or fusion – but wait, it gets worse.
At an artificial intelligence conference in Washington DC, the former Google CEO Eric Schmidt recently claimed that “[w]e’re not going to hit the climate goals anyway because we’re not organized to do it” and that we should just plunge ahead with AI, which is so huge an energy hog it’s prompted a number of tech companies to abandon their climate goals. Schmidt then threw out the farfetched notion that we should go all in on AI because maybe AI will somehow, maybe, eventually know how to “solve” climate, saying: “I’d rather bet on AI solving the problem than constraining it.”
Rebecca Solnit is a Guardian US columnist. She is the author of Orwell’s Roses and co-editor with Thelma Young Lutunatabua of the climate anthology Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility
Continue reading...Date: |
-
World - The Guardian
US election live: Trump holds rally in Atlanta after Georgia sees record first day of early voting
More than 250,000 voters cast ballots on day one of in-person early voting. Don’t miss important election coverage. Get our free app and sign up for election alerts Joe Biden is in his home ...10 hours ago - Donald Trump -
World - Financial Times
Why have Americans been moving closer to climate risk?
Pandemic-era migration has doubled the number of people in areas most vulnerable to extreme weather events2 days ago - Climate -
World - The Guardian
Wars, debt, climate crisis and Covid have halted anti-poverty fight – World Bank
Setbacks mean UN goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030 is impossible to hit, report finds. Wars, debt, the climate crisis and the pandemic have combined to halt progress in the fight against ...22 hours ago - Covid -
Sports - ESPN
Where NLCS, ALCS stand: Who are the early MVPs? Which teams have impressed us most?
Two games into both league championship series, we break down what we've seen -- and where each matchup will go from here.29 minutes ago -
Top stories - CBS News
Costco's gold bars are selling out. Here's where else to buy them.
If you're planning to buy gold at Costco's warehouse stores, you may need a backup plan. Here's where else to look.Yesterday -
Top stories - NBC News
Canada expels top India diplomats, links them to murder of Sikh leader
Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, including the high commissioner, on Monday, linking them to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader and alleging a broader effort to target Indian dissidents in ...Yesterday - India -
Tech - Wired
Real-Time Video Deepfake Scams Are Here. This Tool Attempts to Zap Them
Reality Defender, a startup focused on AI detection, has developed a tool to verify human participants in video calls and catch fraudsters using AI deepfakes for scams.Yesterday -
Top stories - The New York Times
As Black Voters Hesitate on Harris, Democrats Race to Win Them Over
With a frenzy of activity, the vice president and her allies are trying to strengthen her support with Black voters, whose growing alienation the party’s leaders had not confronted directly until now.20 hours ago -
Sports - The New York Times
Local M.L.B. Broadcasters Call 162 Games. Then the Playoffs Start Without Them.
Instead of joining the Mets’ postseason run, Gary Cohen’s season in the radio booth came to a close two weeks ago.16 hours ago
More from The Guardian
-
World - The Guardian
Middle East crisis live: Lebanese governor decries ‘massacre’ after mayor among those killed in Israeli attack
Mayor of Nabatiyeh among those killed in Israeli strikes on the municipality of the southern Lebanese city, where Hezbollah hold sway, authorities said. Aid has arrived in northern Gaza for the ...14 minutes ago - Israel -
World - The Guardian
Weight-loss drug firm accused of prioritising profits after halting insulin pen production
Novo Nordisk’s decision will force people in developing countries to use outdated glass vials and syringes, warn campaigners. The pharmaceutical company behind injectable weight-loss drugs has been ...5 hours ago -
World - The Guardian
UK calls for India to cooperate with Canada’s legal process as row deepens
Delhi expelled diplomats after Canadian police said they had evidence linking Indian agents to murder in Canada. Britain joined its Five Eyes intelligence partners on Wednesday in saying India’s ...2 hours ago - United Kingdom -
World - The Guardian
Elon Musk gave $75m to his pro-Trump group in three months
America Pac said to be doing bulk of Trump’s voter turnout work in battleground states, which may give Musk leverage. Elon Musk has donated roughly $75m over the last three months to his pro-Donald ...2 hours ago - Elon Musk -
World - The Guardian
Six Russian soldiers granted French visas after fleeing war in Ukraine
Organisations assisting Russian deserters hope France’s decision will lead to more soldiers fleeing. Six Russian soldiers who fled the war in Ukraine have been granted temporary visas as they apply ...8 hours ago - Ukraine