Dear ChatGPT: Are you a climate solution? Or climate problem?

Outside/In

NHPR

Society & Culture, Documentary, Natural Sciences, Nature, Science

4.7 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 7 December 2023

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Some people think artificial intelligence is the best thing since sliced bread. Others say it’s the beginning of a science-fiction apocalypse. At COP28 – the U.N. Climate Change Conference – tech companies are saying AI is key to unlocking a more efficient future. But what if the truth is less sensational than all that? In this episode, how AI tools are helping and hurting efforts to curb climate change. From satellite-based flood maps to the growing energy cost of programs like ChatGPT, we’ll survey the use of artificial intelligence as a tool for climate action… and for climate distraction. Featuring David Rolnick and Karen Hao SUPPORT Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our newsletter (it’s free!). Follow Outside/In on Instagram or join our private discussion group on Facebook. Submit a question to the “Outside/Inbox.” We answer queries about the natural world, climate change, sustainability, and human evolution. You can send a voice memo to outsidein@nhpr.org or leave a message on our hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER (844-466-8837). LINKS David Rolnick is one of the lead authors of this paper, called “Climate Change and AI: Recommendations for government action.” Check out ChatNetZero, an AI climate chatbot that gives you references when it answers your questions. A University of Washington researcher estimates the energy usage of ChatGPT (UW News) After a Greenpeace report outlined how tech giants have worked with the fossil fuel industry, Google said it would no longer make AI tools to “facilitate upstream extraction” for oil and gas firms. (CNBC) The Climate Summit Embraces A.I., With Reservations (New York Times) COP28 president says there is ‘no science’ behind demands for phase-out of fossil fuels (The Guardian) CREDITS Host: Nate Hegyi Reported, produced and mixed by Taylor Quimby Edited by Rebecca Lavoie, NHPR’s Director of On-Demand Audio. Special thanks to Angel Hsu, and Sajjad Moazeni. Music by Blue Dot Sessions. Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hey Nate Hedgy. Hey Taylor Grumby. So I want to take you back to 1990. This is the World Cup
0:08.5	semi-final, England versus West Germany and the score is tied.
0:13.0	So it will go down as a one-one draw this semifinal and someone will lose on the penalty shootout and go to Rome.
0:21.0	Tens of millions of people across the UK are watching live
0:24.8	when England midfielder Chris Waddell steps up to take a shot. And if he does not
0:30.6	score, West Germany will win the game.
0:33.4	Here goes Waddell.
0:35.2	Oh there, it's West Germany.
0:37.8	Over the net.
0:38.8	Waddell.
0:40.0	And England's dreams of emulating their achievements of 1966 ended by penalty failure.
0:47.0	Guess what happened next in the UK? I'm imagining people printing t-shirts with Chris Waddell's face on it and a big slash
0:54.7	through it. That probably happened but I mean like literally what happened next is
0:59.2	that moments after this goal electricity usage in the UK surged by 2,800 megawatts.
1:07.0	As somewhere over 1 million angry Brits all went into the kitchen and turned on an electric tea kettle at the same time.
1:14.1	Give it to the English to angrily make tea.
1:27.0	So, uh, tea. So there's actually a name for this phenomenon. It is called TV Pickup.
1:29.0	I've also heard it referred to as the Great British Kettle Surge.
1:32.0	And even though it's happening less now... referred to as the Great British Kettle Surge.
1:32.5	And even though it's happening less now
1:34.8	because so much TV is on demand,
1:37.0	it does happen after live events,
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NHPR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of NHPR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.