Plus, How a ‘pro-climate’ charity channelled cash to a Koch-funded think tank...

From the Editor's Desk

Tech billionaires, seen in abundance at Trump’s inauguration, promised for years that their artificial intelligence products would solve the mounting climate crisis.

But now, a move by Sam Altman’s OpenAI offers yet another example of how these tech bros are failing to deliver on their promises — and making the odds of catastrophic climate breakdown worse.

DeSmog’s Rei Takver reports that Altman picked John McCarrick, a former Trump administration energy advisor, as OpenAI’s new head of Global Energy Policy. Turns out, McCarrick is a champion of natural gas with a long history of hawking fossil fuels. 

McCarrick will now guide how OpenAI sources huge quantities of power for its colossal supercomputers. And, judging from his background, gas will be the fuel of choice.

Of course, this totally contradicts Altman’s public stance that AI will “fix” climate change. How can that possibly happen when he chooses one of Trump’s “burn, baby, burn” aids, who will now fuel OpenAI’s data centers using more methane, contributing more pollution, and encouraging deeper climate risk? Read Rei’s full story here.

With tech bros continuing to kowtow to Trump’s energy policies, DeSmog uncovered even more capitulation from Trump’s right-wing allies to the north. Did you know that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith met with the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation following Donald Trump’s second win? 

The Heritage Foundation spearheaded Project 2025, the Trump administration’s plan to overhaul the U.S. government, which has thrown the nation, and much of the world, into chaos. 

A recent DeSmog report found that 70 percent of Trump’s cabinet and more than 50 high-level officials have ties to the Heritage Foundation and Project 2025. 

The pro-fossil-fuel premier Smith told the recent Canada Strong and Free conference audience in Calgary that her Heritage meet and greet allowed her to “see if we could frame our interests and talking points in terms of the U.S. president’s interests.”

This isn’t the first meeting Smith has had with allies of the American president, DeSmog reports. Read the full story here for more.

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Executive Director
 
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Photo Credit: Danielle Smith/YouTube

OpenAI’s New Energy Chief Is a Trump Administration Natural Gas Evangelist

— By Rei Takver (4 min. read) —

The ChatGPT creator hired John McCarrick, a gas-loving former Trump energy official, to guide how the company will source huge quantities of power for its colossal supercomputers.

Danielle Smith Met with
Heritage Foundation After U.S. Election

— By David Falk (3 min. read) —

The Alberta premier said she met with the right-wing think tank that spearheaded Project 2025 following Donald Trump’s second win.

On Louisiana’s Gulf Coast, Residents
Fume as Insurers Hike Rates and
Invest in Fossil Fuel Projects

—By Marcus Baram (8 min. read) —

Locals face a perfect storm — they can’t afford insurance and climate change threatens their livelihood.

How a ‘Pro-Climate’ Charity Channelled
Cash to a Koch-Funded Think Tank

— By Max Colbert (5 min. read) —

Opaque funds are masking donations to political causes.

Labour’s AI Drive Faces Fossil Fuel
Pressure at Party Conference

— By Sam Bright (4 min. read) —

Lobbyists are pushing for the UK’s AI boom to be fuelled by gas.

From the Climate Disinformation Database: Heritage Foundation 

Heritage Foundation is a conservative think tank founded in 1973 by Paul Wyrich to “formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.” The organization has had considerable influence over Republican politicians. Its Project 2025 plan to “reform” the U.S. government by overturning regulations proposes a range of radical anti-climate policies, including slashing restrictions on fossil fuel extraction, scrapping investment in renewable energy, and gutting the Environmental Protection Agency. It also proposes blocking the expansion of the electrical grid for wind and solar energy; slashing funding for the Environmental Protection Agency’s environmental justice office; shuttering the Energy Department’s renewable energy offices; preventing states from adopting California’s car pollution standards; and delegating more regulation of polluting industries to Republican state officials,” E&E News wrote.

Read the full profile and browse other individuals and organizations in our Climate Disinformation Database, Ad & PR Database, and Koch Network Database.