Rob Urie: Why Taming the Power of Capital is Needed for Environmental Resolution
In a wide-ranging essay, Rob Urie argues that US environmental policy has failed due to the dominance of capital interests, and that AI's enormous energy use will exacerbate climate change. He criticizes the Green New Deal as 'climate change hopium' and advocates for radical conservation. Urie contends that Robert Pollin's 'pragmatic' climate plan, adopted by Biden, was a device to enrich donors. He traces the urban/rural political divide to Reagan's mockery of environmentalism and the outsourcing of US emissions to China. Urie also discusses AI's underperformance, its use for mass surveillance, and its role in spreading propaganda, citing Israel's $50 million to spike AI training data. He argues that AI is structured to draw from state propaganda, with 92% of users trusting AI results versus 28% trusting the press. Urie critiques the 'centrists' who have eviscerated the Democratic Party, pointing to the rise of independents and the influence of oligarchs. He highlights progressive candidates like Zohran Mamdani and Abdul El-Sayed as 'centrist' in the true sense, supporting policies that benefit the public. The essay concludes that the choice is 'socialism or barbarism.'
Key facts
- Rob Urie is the author of 'Zen Economics', an artist, and musician who publishes The Journal of Belligerent Pontification on Substack.
- Urie wrote a 2017 article arguing that neoliberal climate policies were inadequate and that capital would derail any public policy.
- Noam Chomsky countered Urie's argument, claiming economist Robert Pollin had a detailed solution to climate change.
- Robert Pollin was elevated to be Joe Biden's 'climate guy', but his plan yielded nothing.
- US greenhouse gas emissions are expected to rise 12% per year from AI.
- Israel spent just under $50 million to flood AI training data with Israeli propaganda.
- 92% of AI users trust the first AI query response, while only 28% of Americans trust the mainstream press.
- Urie argues that AI is backed financially and politically by the CIA, the Pentagon, and the intelligence-adjacent American press.
- Urie criticizes 'centrists' who have gutted the Democratic Party, pointing to the rise of independents.
- He highlights progressive candidates Zohran Mamdani and Abdul El-Sayed as true centrists.
Entities
Artists
- Rob Urie
Institutions
- US Environmental Protection Agency
- University of Massachusetts Amherst
- OpenAI
- Anthropic
- Democratic Party
- Republican Party
- CIA
- Pentagon
- New York Times
- Washington Post
Locations
- United States
- China
- Israel
- Iran
- New York