Climate Change, Voting Rights, & What’s Going On At OpenAI
November 21, 2023
A Bad Weekend For Climate News
Headlines have been wild lately. So wild, in fact, that we wouldn’t blame you for forgetting about the climate crisis for a little bit. Luckily for you, we’re here to remind you about it!
According to analysis by Oxfam and American researchers, twelve of the world’s richest people are doing a lot of damage to the environment. The analysis examined the purchases and investments of billionaires including Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Larry Page, and Elon Musk, calculating their carbon footprints based on superyachts, private jets, megamansions…you know, normal billionaire stuff. They found that the possessions and investments of the top billionaires created around 17 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, equal to the emissions created by powering 2.1 million homes per year or running 4.6 coal-fired power plants annually.
A different report from Oxfam published over the weekend added insult to injury, showing that the richest 1% of humanity creates more carbon emissions than the poorest 66%. The report also revealed that 91% of deaths related to extreme weather occurred in developing countries, proving developing countries are paying the price for climate change.
Finally, the U.N. warned this week that the Earth is on track to see a full 3 degrees Celsius of global warming if we continue to pollute at current levels. Temperatures have already risen 1.4C above pre-industrial levels to date, and wealthy, polluting countries need to make big changes to turn that around. “Present trends are racing our planet down a dead-end 3C temperature rise,” said U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres in a statement on Monday. “This is a failure of leadership, a betrayal of the vulnerable, and a massive missed opportunity. Renewables have never been cheaper or more accessible. We know it is still possible to make the 1.5 degree limit a reality. It requires tearing out the poisoned root of the climate crisis: fossil fuels.”
Some Good News
- Dying woman’s last wish: to pay off others’ medical debt – $15m worth (Guardian)
- VA halts foreclosures for thousands of veterans about to needlessly lose their homes (NPR)
- 8 years ago a grandma accidentally texted young man she didn’t know about Thanksgiving. They’ve gone from strangers to family to business partners (CBS)
Not Enough Eyez On The West Bank
- While Israel’s invasion of Gaza is the most visible maneuver in its conflict with Hamas, it appears that the country is having a little “fun” on the side. Israeli attacks on Palestinians living in the West Bank have been on the rise since the Israel-Hamas war broke out, with settlers killing nine Palestinians and destroying over 3,000 olive trees during the middle of the harvest season. The trees, a crucial part of some Palestinians’ livelihoods, take three years to bear fruit.
- Israeli settlers have gained more influence over Israel under Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Just this month, a former settler was appointed the minister of West Bank issues in parliament, and far-right Knesset member Itamar Ben-Gvir (a settler as well) is serving as Israel’s Minister of National Security. Under this government, many settler reservists have been called up to serve with the IDF, and some have been put in charge of policing their own settlements, where they’re letting some of the people accused of attacking West Bank Arabs run checkpoints and patrols in the area.
Weird Hair, Voters Don’t Care
- Argentina has elected a new president who can be best described as…a character. In a runoff election held on Sunday, right-wing libertarian (and self-described anarcho-capitalist) Javier Milei won the presidency easily, securing 56% of votes cast while the current left-wing Economy Minister Sergio Massa won just 44% of the vote. Voter turnout was about 76%.
- “The model of decadence has come to an end, there’s no going back,” said Milei in his victory speech. The sideburn-toting candidate’s campaign mainly focused on the ruling left-wing government’s gross mismanagement of the Argentine economy. He promised to make large cuts to government spending (signified by swinging around a chainsaw on stage), and voiced various conservative social beliefs on the campaign trail, though it’s unclear whether those beliefs will make their way into his policy.
- While his haircut looks like it’s at least 100 years old, the problems Milei is inheriting are more modern, especially Argentina’s $44 billion debt agreement with the International Monetary Fund and its almost-150% inflation rate. The country’s divided Congress will also put the new president’s diplomatic skills to the test.
Additional World News
- Premature Gaza babies evacuated to Egypt; deaths reported at Indonesian hospital (Reuters)
- Finland’s prime minister hints at further border action as Russia protests closings of crossings (ABC)
- Australian prime minister accuses Chinese navy of ‘dangerous’ conduct (CNN)
- UK PM Sunak promises tax cuts after meeting his inflation pledge (Reuters)
- The world briefly smashed through the 2-degree warming limit for the first time ever (CNN)
- Zelenskiy calls for operational changes to Ukraine military after sacking commander (Guardian)
- Storms delay search for 12 crew missing after Turkish cargo ship sinks in Black Sea (ABC)
“If you must break the law, do it to seize power: in all other cases observe it.” – Julius Caesar
The Justices Say Justice Has Been Served Already
- The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal from Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd in 2020. A jury found Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in April 2021. He was sentenced to over 22 years in prison in June 2021.
- Chauvin’s lawyers filed the appeal on the grounds that the Minnesota trial court refused a change of venue or jury sequestering, which deprived him of his right to a fair trial. Floyd’s murder sparked nationwide protests in 2020 after video taken of the incident showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes.
The Cutting-Down-On-Voting-Rights Act
- On Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit issued a massive blow to the Voting Rights Act by ruling that private citizens and civil rights groups can no longer file lawsuits under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Because the court found that the text did not explicitly contain language for “a private right of action,” or the right of private citizens to file lawsuits under the law, it means that only the federal government can sue.
- The decision is very likely to head to the Supreme Court, where it’s anyone’s guess how the court will rule – the 6-3, hyper-conservative court has gutted the Voting Rights Act in some cases and upheld it in others. If they rule the same as the Eighth Circuit, it would be a major hit to the landmark law – a majority of challenges to disenfranchising laws and gerrymanders have come from private citizens and civil rights groups.
Additional USA Reads
- Suspect in Washington couple’s disappearance was victims’ tenant, relative says (NBC)
- Los Angeles freeway damaged by arson reopens ahead of schedule (Reuters)
- Even deficit hawks doubt Washington can curb debt (Politico)
- Sen. Mike Lee promotes a debunked conspiracy theory about a Jan. 6 rioter (NBC)
- During visit to border, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott endorses Donald Trump (Politico)
- GOP moves to split Arizona Democrats in 3-way Senate race (Politico)
- Appeals court will hear arguments over Trump’s gag order in Jan. 6 case (NPR)
OpenAI Closes The Door On Altman
- The world of AI was thrown into disarray over the weekend as a coup was pulled off at OpenAI, the company known for its ChatGPT AI chatbot. Sam Altman, the company’s CEO, was sacked by the company’s board on Friday in a surprise announcement. “Mr. Altman’s departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities,” said the company. “The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.”
- Soon after, headlines broke saying that employees at OpenAI were staging a counter-mutiny, demanding that the company re-hire Altman. Unfortunately for those employees, things turned out a little differently. It was announced yesterday that OpenAI’s former CEO ended up with a job at Microsoft in a leadership position at a new advanced research lab. He’ll be joined by OpenAI’s former president and co-founder Greg Brockman, who quit the company along with a large group of other employees in protest of Altman’s firing.
- It appears that it’s all love, though – probably because Microsoft is the biggest stakeholder in OpenAI after investing $13 billion into the AI firm. “we have more unity and commitment and focus than ever before,” wrote Altman on X (F.K.A. Twitter). “we are all going to work together some way or other, and i’m so excited. one team, one mission.” i think he’s typing in all lowercase to show he’s cool, like me.
Additional Reads
- Family of slave ship’s financier on efforts to make amends (CBS)
- World’s ‘most sought-after’ whisky sells for $2.7 million (CNN)
- Biden to grant turkey justice as Liberty and Bell ride the gravy train to the White House (CNN)
- Scientists say mystery of how red wine headaches occur may be solved (Guardian)
- Why you age slower on a plane (and other incredibly strange effects of relativity) (BBC)
- Dinosaur from newfound species died in a pose that sheds light on evolution of bird behavior (CNN)