> It’s worth highlighting that explicit climate denialism is well out of vogue here in 2026. Most people profess belief in the scientific consensus that society’s dependence on fossil fuels is warming the climate. This stops few of them from using a technology that is directly increasing society’s thirst for oil. When people like me argue that this technology is unfit for adoption on the basis of its energy requirements alone, AI users will simply ignore anything that we have to say.

I am generally pretty concerned about the environment. It's probably my most left like policy position. But I don't see why we should single out AI when it comes to this.

I would like to know some measurement of how much AI contributes to further environmental degradation compared to anything else, ranging from driving a hybrid ~10 miles per day or all of the other data centers involved in supporting the internet economy.

> we exist in a world where it’s impossible to live a regular life (within the world’s rich countries) without relying on the exploitation of countless people and finite environmental resources; any coherent pro-social moral stance is instantly compromised upon contact with this society.

Yes, and this problem pre-exists AI.

???