How Long Until Doomsday?
What is the doomsday clock?
How long until doomsday?
First Data Centre
The first data centre, called the mainframe, was built to support ENIAC at the University of Pennsylvania.
Doomsday Clock Created
The doomsday clock was created by Hyman Goldsmith and Martyl Langsdorf.
West Point, the Pentagon, and the CIA headquarters in the 1950s, and they had huge vents and fans to cool machines, since it was being used for defence and intelligence, secrecy and security.
Machine Learning
Arthur Samuel introduced the term machine learning in the context of making a robot play chess better.
Chatbot Therapist
Joseph Weizenbaum created the first chatbot therapist.
17 Minutes to Midnight
The doomsday clock was at 17 minutes to midnight, its furthest from midnight.
Amazon Rainforest
Study found that the Amazon rainforest is a carbon sink, but it becomes a carbon emitter.
More Data Centres
500,000 million data centres.
Life on Earth
68% of the world's mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians since 1970.
Environmental Decline
We are in the sixth mass extinction, with 500 species at risk of extinction in 20 years.
2.5 billion tons of emissions were produced due to the loss of 3.75 million hectares of tropical trees.
The Present-Day Turning Point
10 million hectares of trees are cut down every year, which accounts fro 16% of tree cover and 96% if it's in tropical forests (most ecologically rich).
800 million data centres.
2.9 watt-hours of electricity are needed to process an AI prompt.
Environmental Impacts of AI
AI is expected to consume between 4 and 6 billion cubic meters of water to cool data centres.
Environmental Impact of Plastics
29 million tons per year of plastic and microplastics will enter the oceans, and 600 million tons in total waterways.
Extreme Heat
Nowhere will be unaffected by extreme heat.
Poor Air Quality
Deaths related to poor air quality will cost 18-25 trillion dollars.
Extinction of Emperor Penguins
Sea ice melt makes emperor penguins extinct.
I Miss The Trees
“I miss the trees” - Doyle, The Nether by Jennifer Haley
To avoid living in a world like the Nether, we need to make changes today. Each change will help us delay doomsday.
How can we protect the environment?
Stop Relying on AI. We have survived for thousands of years without it, and we are robbing ourselves of education and growth.
Stop buying new tech if your existing tech is still in working condition and meets your needs. Don't buy new tech. If you need new tech, consider an open-box, refurbished, or older model that meets your needs. It helps save money and sends a signal to corporations that they don't need to produce mass amounts, reducing the need to extract resources to make tech.
Reach out to your provincial and federal MPs to ask them to adopt the precautionary principle and act proactively rather than reactively on climate change.
Recycle E-Waste by disposing of batteries and devices to give them a second life, ensuring they are safely managed to protect the environment from harmful chemicals and reduce demand for mining precious metals and minerals.
Fun fact: only 22% of e-waste is disposed of safely
Optimize storage: unwanted or irrelevant data takes up space in the cloud (data centers), which requires immense resources to manage.
Try to purchase Energy Star-certified devices.
Plant more trees/ remove invasive plant species in your neighbourhood and make it a community initiative to foster real-world connections!
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