Climate Action Now hosts an invigorating event highlighting progress on renewables in Chile, Uruguay, Namibia, Kenya and Pakistan. Plus, a weedy median update and Hopeful Headlines.
Amanda, I love how you connect your local rewilding project with global efforts. Listening to Mr. Nsengimana’s words, seeing the beautiful cranes—it brings me joy and hope that concerned people, acting together, can truly be the saviors of many species and ultimately, of earth itself. Keep fighting to get the native plants into your median strip. If you build it, the monarchs will come.
Thank you. I think by writing about it, I'm creating a little accountability pod. Your note prompted me to take another little step this morning. Baby steps ...
Good climate action stories….with regards to a warming planet: It will take all of us, business, government, and the consumer to make a difference. One native landscape home owner or median at a time.
As always, big appreciation Amanda! I loved learning about the mangrove project in Africa (mangrove recovery has been something I've wanted to get behind for a while). And I was delighted to read your feature on Olivier's work with cranes. I've met Olivier a couple of times at the wildlife conservation expo in San Francisco. Not only is he doing wonderful work; he also has the best attitude (happy, playful, optimistic, warm…), proving that doing work for the health of our planet does not have to be depleting or depressing.
Much ink has already been spilled, justifiably, about the algorithmically driven nature of News consumption today. And much more needs to be said.
So the questions you raise are profound. It’s called media literacy: Whose algorithm is it, and what is the organization’s goal?
It seems increasingly, it is the profit motive. This is based on how long they can get you to stay on the platform. In their words, to “extend engagement.”
All the AI Chat’s are trained to do this, even at the expense of its’ own credibility. They invent huge amounts of data and present it as true, just to keep you chatting.
Finally, this is entirely pharmacological. If you are angry and doom scrolling for hours, that’s hugely profitable.
They are being permitted to gain entry. Because we’re junkies, hooked on a supply we manufacture! Think of this media ecosystem and what it’s based on. It squeezes money out of our glands - no matter the consequences. And why?
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, of course! What’s the purpose of that, you may ask?
To protect a fledgling social media landscape from the kind of liability every other industry is compelled to apply as a matter of public decency.
I should add that at this point, these platforms have abdicated responsibility for policing themselves, claiming to defend the First Amendment, when what’s really happening is they profit more by the lack of policing, and by doing so are cozying up to the White House, where works the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the United States.
These are perverse incentives, to be sure. But we seem to have lost any shared concept of “common decency.” Those words once had tremendous power.
Amanda, I love how you connect your local rewilding project with global efforts. Listening to Mr. Nsengimana’s words, seeing the beautiful cranes—it brings me joy and hope that concerned people, acting together, can truly be the saviors of many species and ultimately, of earth itself. Keep fighting to get the native plants into your median strip. If you build it, the monarchs will come.
Best of luck on your median project! I’m rooting for you 🩶
Thank you. I think by writing about it, I'm creating a little accountability pod. Your note prompted me to take another little step this morning. Baby steps ...
Good climate action stories….with regards to a warming planet: It will take all of us, business, government, and the consumer to make a difference. One native landscape home owner or median at a time.
As always, big appreciation Amanda! I loved learning about the mangrove project in Africa (mangrove recovery has been something I've wanted to get behind for a while). And I was delighted to read your feature on Olivier's work with cranes. I've met Olivier a couple of times at the wildlife conservation expo in San Francisco. Not only is he doing wonderful work; he also has the best attitude (happy, playful, optimistic, warm…), proving that doing work for the health of our planet does not have to be depleting or depressing.
Thanks Monica! Wow, keep in touch if you hear he's in town again! Yes, I believe when we work to heal nature, it also heals us back.
Dear Lady …
Much ink has already been spilled, justifiably, about the algorithmically driven nature of News consumption today. And much more needs to be said.
So the questions you raise are profound. It’s called media literacy: Whose algorithm is it, and what is the organization’s goal?
It seems increasingly, it is the profit motive. This is based on how long they can get you to stay on the platform. In their words, to “extend engagement.”
All the AI Chat’s are trained to do this, even at the expense of its’ own credibility. They invent huge amounts of data and present it as true, just to keep you chatting.
Finally, this is entirely pharmacological. If you are angry and doom scrolling for hours, that’s hugely profitable.
So I say to you, good woman, keep it up …
Well said! How can we seize control of the algorithms we are haphazardly allowing to control our lives ...
They are being permitted to gain entry. Because we’re junkies, hooked on a supply we manufacture! Think of this media ecosystem and what it’s based on. It squeezes money out of our glands - no matter the consequences. And why?
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, of course! What’s the purpose of that, you may ask?
To protect a fledgling social media landscape from the kind of liability every other industry is compelled to apply as a matter of public decency.
I should add that at this point, these platforms have abdicated responsibility for policing themselves, claiming to defend the First Amendment, when what’s really happening is they profit more by the lack of policing, and by doing so are cozying up to the White House, where works the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the United States.
These are perverse incentives, to be sure. But we seem to have lost any shared concept of “common decency.” Those words once had tremendous power.