• fine_sandy_bottom
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    3 days ago

    I suspect the claim that AI has consumed all gains is hyperbole, given that it used to be applied to crypto.

    Regardless, those assholes are still using too much power, privatising the benefits, and socialising the fall out.

    • MudMan@fedia.io
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      3 days ago

      Sure? But, again, the question is whether there have been positive changes this century. Separate negative changes are not a counterpoint.

      AI power consumption would have been AI power consumption. The unexpectedly fast adoption of solar is there regardless.

      • fine_sandy_bottom
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        3 days ago

        Obviously, that depends how you’re counting.

        In the year 2,000, if you projected solar adoption, you might now be pleasantly surprised.

        However in the year 2,000 if you projected progress on climate change, you’d probably now be horrified.

        Solar adoption wouldn’t be a positive if not for climate change.

        • MudMan@fedia.io
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          arrow-down
          2
          ·
          3 days ago

          That’s the best part, though, solar adoption has beaten forecasts consistently over time. Most revisions upwards have still been too conservative.

          Now, is that fueled by an energy crisis in turn caused by war, making self-generation and energy independence more appealing? Maaaaybe. But still, sun power!

          • fine_sandy_bottom
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            3 days ago

            That doesn’t address my point though.

            Solar is only good because climate change is bad.

            You can’t say “solar adoption is good” and ignore the climate deteriorating faster than expected.

            • MudMan@fedia.io
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              2
              arrow-down
              1
              ·
              3 days ago

              I don’t accept the premise that “solar is only good because climate change is bad”. Where does that come from? Solar power is the longest-running energy source we have, it’s good for distributed generation, and climate change or not, most people don’t like to suck on a car’s exhaust, so it is cleaner for more reasons than the large scale effects of CO2 emissions.

              And on the flipside it’s consistently inconsistent, has lots of challenges for storage and it mostly produces electricity, which then needs to be stored, sent and converted into useful stuff.

              Solar adoption is good overall AND solar adoption is better than the alternative regarding climate change, all else being equal.

              And since all else is equal, because climate change isn’t stopping to wait for renewable adoption, solar adoption is good regardless of the climate deteriorating faster than expected. Those two things just aren’t dependent on each other. Hell, if anything, faster man-made climate change necessitates faster renewables adoption.

              What’s your premise here, even? Take an actual stance. If “fast solar power adoption good” is not a valid statement, what IS a valid statement?

              • fine_sandy_bottom
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                2
                ·
                3 days ago

                I’m simply rebutting your assertion that faster than expected solar adoption is a good thing, because that statement can’t be isolated from faster than expected deterioration in climate.

                If climate change wasn’t a thing solar would only be useful for applications where connection to the grid is impractical.

                Solar adoption isn’t a positive thing, it’s merely somewhat mitigating a pretty terrible thing.

                • MudMan@fedia.io
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  ·
                  3 days ago

                  That is genuinely the most nonsensical, self-contradicting thing I’ve read this week, and you’re not even the only one pursuing this train of thought in this thread.

                  I have to wonder if some of this doomerist online climate activism thing is a misinformation psyop because… man, that’s some weird place to land on dialectically just by accident. Except it’s probably not (I mean, who would bother doing that on Lemmy) and that’s probably what happened. The set of incentives for opinions social media has generated is genuinely bizarre.

                  • fine_sandy_bottom
                    link
                    fedilink
                    English
                    arrow-up
                    1
                    ·
                    3 days ago

                    “I think you’re a bot” is just a cheap insult.

                    Addressing the threat of climate change is not going well. Talking about it frankly may be “doomerist” but that does not make it untrue.

                    We’re producing more CO2 than we ever have. The detrimental effects of CO2 are emerging more quickly than we had thought. All over the world we’re electing governments disinclined to take any action.

                    To look at this situation and conclude that rolling out solar production is a positive thing is naive.

                    “This whole climate change thing could be a bit worse, so that’s positive… right?”