Shannon Ray
@shannonwrites.bsky.social
Animals, environment, etc 🐋 https://linktr.ee/rayshannon
There is a latent human anxiety about being kicked off the top of the food chain that seems to be stronger than the anxiety that we might destroy ourselves directly. So now we have abject terror about AI for the wrong reasons alongside complacency about the damage caused by humans.
I promise you there would be no AI alignment problem if the CEOs of AI companies faced jail time if their AI killed anyone.
“The fears expressed by A.I. executives are, mostly, serious and genuine,” Gideon Lewis-Kraus writes. But shouldn’t it be the job of those creating the dangers to save us from them? www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Our A.I. Problem
Why can’t the people who produced the technology, which has already shown that a different world is possible, just do the things that would prevent extinction?
newyorker.com
Anthropic employees: NEXT-GEN AI COULD WIPE OUT HUMANITY WITH A SUPERVIRUS! Normies: that seems like a big leap. How would this AI disseminate such a virus in the real world? Anthropic employees: oh, through the wet labs we built and hooked it up to, of course. Normies: …😬😤
Thomas Wood@advanced-eschatonics.com · 3w agocool
When I tell you this is one of the most riveting, concise and accurate depictions of the catastrophically defective thought processes behind Effective Altruism and the larger Broligarch Epistemic Universe... Run, don't walk, to read the whole thing (link below), which concludes thus:
Shoe-per Intelligence@shoe.bsky.social · 3w agoThis is incredible nitter.app/banteg/statu... H/t @gregdoucette.bsky.social
If you want to understand the current debate about ASI extinction risk, please please read this. I explain how you've almost certainly been misled into thinking this is about saving humanity--it's NOT. The term "human extinction" doesn't mean what you think it does!
The ASI Extinction Debate Is the Opposite of What You Think
The media needs to wake up, fast. (3,100 words.)
realtimetechpocalypse.com
Absolutely incredible chart, Starmer's failure boils down to this stupid, flawed strategy
Dylan Difford@dylandifford.bsky.social · 4mo agoIndeed, the "summer of immigration" was a huge failure for Labour. Raising the salience of an issue on which they were very weak, allowing Reform to solidify their post-locals gains. Reform voters were aware they were being appealed to, but were unmoved.
Our rapid disillusionment with political leaders is treated by much of the media as some kind of pathology. But what I see is these leaders backtracking on their promises, dashing people's hopes and serving the ultra-rich ahead of the rest of the population. Why wouldn't we be disillusioned?
George Monbiot@georgemonbiot.bsky.social · last mo.So the ultra-rich will continue to own our politics, and our country. Disappointing to say the least. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
People are always surprised to learn that packaging, processing, and transportation are almost always small contributors (<10%) of food-related GHG emissions. The TYPE of food we eat -- meat versus plants -- is a MUCH bigger factor.
As @aarnegranlund.eurosky.social notes, regardless of the evidence and escalating impacts, the high carbon norms of the affluent in society go largely unquestioned.‘Sufficiency’ remains an essentially taboo issue in the mainstream climate debate.
Aarne Granlund@aarnegranlund.eurosky.social · 2mo agoI formed my view on climate policy more than ten years ago and have not been in an aeroplane in eight years. An honestly decarbonising society looks different from my region than it did among elite society. @kevinclimate.bsky.social
it's hard to describe how much it sucks living in a society where things only ever get worse
So much life, so much beauty, so much of what makes our planet function as a system, all going up in smoke because of rampant greed and corruption. Headlines like this are heartbreaking far beyond anything words could possibly express.
Nature@nature.com · 2mo agoThe Amazon rainforest might be closer to a tipping point than scientists thought go.nature.com/4zxEO9I
This is fine... "Britain on fire" "Heatwave devastation" "Inferno" "Houses burn and train derails on hottest day" "Rampant wildfires engulf streets of family homes" "Record 2.5m trips to A&E" "Temps hit 38.1C as fifth heatwave peaks" "Britain in meltdown"
have we tried releasing the beavers into capitalism
Johnny Normality (Spooky Mode)@probgobl.in · 2mo agoEVERY STORY ABOUT BEAVERS FOR THE LAST DECADE READS LIKE: WE RELEASED A DOZEN PADDLE TAILED LITTLE FREAKS AND THEY IMMEDIATELY BEGAN A TERRAFORMING PROJECT THAT REVERSED A CENTURY OF ECOLOGICAL DAMAGE IN THREE WEEKS.
My column on how capital becomes a death cult. Faced with a choice between profit and human life, the radical right chooses profit. Then it tries to persuade us that mass death is what we want. It's the new phase of climate denial: accept your fate, earthlings. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Murderous heat, an endangered food supply, decimated landscapes: embrace the Mediterranean life | George Monbiot
As climate disaster stares us in the face, the radical right says ‘Embrace the Mediterranean life’. Embrace death, more like it, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
theguardian.com
I know he has a lot on, but in the midst of a ferocious drought, fires, heat events and severe threats to food production, it would be quite edifying to hear Andy Burnham mention climate breakdown.
So NYT reports that Third Way will spend $15-million to discredit democratic socialism ahead of the presidential elections. “Their fear: Dr. El-Sayed was paving a path for a progressive to seize the party’s presidential nomination in 2028 — and then go on to lose the general election.” Except...
The whole world over, those political forces who insist *they* are 'moderate', 'reasoned', 'a safe pair of hands', but when in power do all they can to defend big money, and block or delay serious action on gross wealth inequality, climate and eco-collapse: these are the real extremists.
George Monbiot@georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 2mo agoIt's time we stopped calling them "moderates". They are extremists in service to capital. And many of them appear to hate and fear the left of their own party far more than they hate and fear the Republicans. Like Starmer's Labour "centrists" (extremists) in the UK. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/06/u...
It's time we stopped calling them "moderates". They are extremists in service to capital. And many of them appear to hate and fear the left of their own party far more than they hate and fear the Republicans. Like Starmer's Labour "centrists" (extremists) in the UK. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/06/u...
Moderate Democrats Prepare for ‘War’ Against an Ascendant Left
One moderate group says the progressive wins are “deeply troubling” and is planning a $15 million effort against democratic socialism.
nytimes.com
The head of Norway's oil fund is going to flip out when someone tells him what fossil fuels do 🧐🧐🧐🧐
This message — intensive is horrific for welfare, extensive is horrific for environment and therefore kills us all, so don’t eat any of it — is the obvious one that comes from studies like these
George Monbiot@georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 2mo agoIt's a point I've been trying to make for a long time: there is no good way to meet even 10% of current demand for animal products. They trash the living world, whichever way you do it. If you want to reduce your impact, switch to a plant-based diet. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
I am no fan of the tech industry but it strikes me that the left has mobilized around the environmental impacts of data centers in a way that they have never been interested in doing around things with incomparably worse environmental impacts, like the meat industry
Paris Marx@parismarx.com · 3mo agoThe tech industry is pushing our planet to the breaking point. HYPERSCALE tells the story of the growing fight around data centers. It comes out October 20. Preorder yours today: hyperscalebook.com
I know people who clung onto the Labour Party in the slim chance that after Keir Starmer things might have been different. Labour consistently revealing there's absolutely no plan for change. The puurpose is to maintain power & wealth for the super rich. Join.greenparty.org.uk
Join the Green Party
Join the Green Party from just £6 a year. Become a member today - join the only party standing up for people and planet.
join.greenparty.org.uk
Financial Times@financialtimes.com · 3mo agoShabana Mahmood set to be named UK chancellor by Andy Burnham ft.trib.al/B8BshzA
"Whether it’s the cartoon super-villainy of Alex Karp, the lies of Sam Altman, or the Hitler worship of Elon Musk, the mask is off and the psychotic personalities behind these companies have been revealed for all to see." Great new guest post from Ryan Ward open.substack.com/pub/gracebla...
What you hate about AI is the capitalism
AI pulls the curtain back on the extractive logic that orders our lives
open.substack.com
This point needs to be made over and again: The main purpose of wealth taxes should not be to raise revenue. That's a small and secondary benefit. The main purpose should be to *reduce the fortunes of the ultrarich*. Why? Because those fortunes present a massive threat to democracy and public life.
Housing is in short supply & unaffordable mainly due to financialisation, absence of strong rent controls, the death-grip of 6 volume housebuilders on the sector, and their landbanking and other strategies designed to restrict supply. Plenty of analysis showing planning is seldom the blockage.
Why did our ruling class not invest in decarbonising faster to avoid this acceleration in deadly heatwaves that scientists warned would come? Because of the capitalist law of value.
Climate socialism
I am writing this message to the millions of people who have been involved in the climate movement over the past several years.
jasonhickel.substack.com
"The climate crisis cannot be addressed within capitalism. It is vital that we understand this fact and develop our strategies accordingly, otherwise we are headed for certain failure. And failure is not an option." jasonhickel.substack.com/p/climate-so...
Climate socialism
I am writing this message to the millions of people who have been involved in the climate movement over the past several years.
jasonhickel.substack.com
