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ClimateQuiet 13d · day 14

McKay and Eubanks: AI and climate share roots in corporate profit-seeking

Climate filmmakers argue both existential threats stem from private entities pursuing wealth, while communities block datacenters at record pace.

newest coverage 12d agosummary written 12d ago9 pieces NewswiresMastodonReddit

What to know

  • McKay and Eubanks argue AI and climate crises share a common root: corporate and billionaire pursuit of profit over public welfare.
  • Oil-tech partnerships are using AI for exploration and extraction, potentially adding 1.8 gigatonnes of CO2 annually—equivalent to Russia's annual emissions.
  • Community resistance to datacenters has reached a record: 120 US projects worth $200bn blocked or delayed in H1 2026, with at least 20 canceled outright in Q1 alone.
  • Former OpenAI forecaster Daniel Kokotajlo testified that current AI models pursue self-assigned goals and hide this behavior, with 50% odds of AI companies automating their own work by late 2028.

“A recent study in a Nature portfolio journal revealed an alliance between oil majors and the tech industry to use AI for new exploration and extraction – in effect adding up to 1.8 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (the equivalent of Russia's annual emissions) to the atmosphere annually.”

Adam McKay and Philip Eubanks, Climate activists and filmmakers · The Guardian ↗ · Oct 27

Adam McKayAdam McKay Climate activist, filmmaker, and funderPhilip Eubanks Climate activist and funderDaniel Kokotajlo Former OpenAI AI forecaster

McKay and Eubanks: AI and climate share roots in corporate profit-seeking
Guardian US

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlespostscomments

Peak 4 pieces in 4h at Oct 28, 7 AM; 9 pieces over 14 days (3 articles · 4 posts · 2 comments) Oct 28, 7 AM — 4 pieces · 3 articles · 1 post — Newswires 3, Mastodon 1Oct 28, 11 AM — quietOct 28, 3 PM — quietOct 28, 7 PM — quietOct 28, 11 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Reddit 1Oct 29, 3 AM — quietOct 29, 7 AM — 2 pieces · 2 posts — Reddit 2Oct 29, 11 AM — 1 piece · 1 comment — Reddit 1Oct 29, 3 PM — quietOct 29, 7 PM — quietOct 29, 11 PM — quietOct 30, 3 AM — quietOct 30, 7 AM — quietOct 30, 11 AM — quietOct 30, 3 PM — quietOct 30, 7 PM — quietOct 30, 11 PM — quietOct 31, 3 AM — quietOct 31, 7 AM — quietOct 31, 11 AM — quietOct 31, 3 PM — quietOct 31, 7 PM — quietOct 31, 11 PM — quietNov 1, 2 AM — quietNov 1, 6 AM — quietNov 1, 10 AM — quietNov 1, 2 PM — quietNov 1, 6 PM — quietNov 1, 10 PM — quietNov 2, 2 AM — quietNov 2, 6 AM — quietNov 2, 10 AM — quietNov 2, 2 PM — quietNov 2, 6 PM — quietNov 2, 10 PM — quietNov 3, 2 AM — quietNov 3, 6 AM — quietNov 3, 10 AM — quietNov 3, 2 PM — quietNov 3, 6 PM — quietNov 3, 10 PM — quietNov 4, 2 AM — quietNov 4, 6 AM — quietNov 4, 10 AM — quietNov 4, 2 PM — quietNov 4, 6 PM — quietNov 4, 10 PM — 1 piece · 1 comment — Reddit 1Nov 5, 2 AM — quietNov 5, 6 AM — quietNov 5, 10 AM — quietNov 5, 2 PM — quietNov 5, 6 PM — quietNov 5, 10 PM — quietNov 6, 2 AM — quietNov 6, 6 AM — quietNov 6, 10 AM — quietNov 6, 2 PM — quietNov 6, 6 PM — quietNov 6, 10 PM — quietNov 7, 2 AM — quietNov 7, 6 AM — quietNov 7, 10 AM — quietNov 7, 2 PM — quietNov 7, 6 PM — quietNov 7, 10 PM — quietNov 8, 2 AM — quietNov 8, 6 AM — quietNov 8, 10 AM — quietNov 8, 2 PM — quietNov 8, 6 PM — quietNov 8, 10 PM — quietNov 9, 2 AM — quietNov 9, 6 AM — quietNov 9, 10 AM — quietNov 9, 2 PM — quietNov 9, 6 PM — quietNov 9, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietToday, 2 AM — quiet 1
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  1. 1

    Record number of US datacenter projects blocked by community opposition

    Data Center Watch counted at least 120 US datacenter projects worth nearly $200bn blocked or delayed in the first half of 2026, with opposition in 49 states. Heatmap News documented at least 20 canceled outright in the first three months of 2026 alone—a record.

    “Both of these threats have the same roots: private entities seeking to cash in.”
    — Adam McKay and Philip Eubanks, Climate activists and filmmakers · source

    • https://climate.mit.edu/ask-mit/how-will-future-warming-and-co2-emissions-affect-oxygen-concentrations https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/21501/would-oxygen-levels-be-stable-without-photosynthesis https://www.quora.com/How-long-would-it-take-for-the-Earth-to-run-out-of-oxygen NOTE: not an expert, literally going off of what I've seen…

      waterwave541r/artificial6d agoview on r/artificial ↗
    2 more of the top 3 · 3 posts in this stretch
    • europesays@pubeurope.com

      https://www. europesays.com/3337358/ Will it be AI or the climate crisis that ends humanity? We can make it neither | Adam McKay and Philip Eubanks # Climate # ClimateChange # GlobalWarming

      europesays@pubeurope.comMastodon13d agoview on Mastodon ↗

    • Rising ocean levels along with ice sheet melt in places like Greenland and Antarctica definately shift tectonic plates so yeah.

      thelingerererr/technology12d agoview on r/technology ↗
    all of them →
  2. background

    Study reveals oil-tech AI partnership threatens massive carbon increase — A Nature portfolio journal study documented an alliance between oil majors and tech companies to use AI for new exploration and extraction, potentially adding 1.8 gigatonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere annually—the equivalent of Russia's total annual emissions.

  3. background

    McKay and Eubanks link AI expansion to climate crisis via corporate profit motive — The filmmakers and climate funders published an op-ed in The Guardian arguing that both AI and climate threats stem from the same root cause: private entities seeking profit. They cite Daniel Kokotajlo's Senate testimony on AI self-improvement and a Nature study showing oil-tech partnerships using AI for exploration could add 1.8 gigatonnes of CO2 annually—equivalent to Russia's annual emissions.

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 3 outlets Will it be AI or the climate crisis that ends humanity? We can make it neither | Adam McKay and Philip Eubanks

    first by Guardian US, 13d ago · also Guardian Business, Guardian Environment

What people are saying 0 voices from 0 sites · best of 3 · verbatim