Humanitarian Unknown 048.
1. The World Outside and the Pictures in Our Heads
A century ago, Walter Lippmann raised a simple question: "The environment is complex. Man’s political capacity is simple. Can a bridge be built between them?”
Famously, he provided an equally simple answer: No.
Just as famously, the American philosopher John Dewey responded to Lippmann’s pessimistic arguments.
Wonderful deep dive from Dan Williams.
2. The Climate Change Policy Problem
"Many environmentalists find the climate change?policy?problem?baffling. Moreover, more or less all the world’s governments accept the scientific definition of the problem and the solution. And yet the solution remains unimplemented. So, why can’t the world do the right and obvious thing about a huge problem?"
From Thomas Wells .
3. Can We Build a Five Gigawatt Data Center?
"We access AI through our screens as part of the ephemeral digital world that makes up the internet. But AI doesn’t actually live in the cloud.?AI lives in data centers.
By 2030, leading AI labs will need data centers so massive they will require the power equivalent of some of America’s largest cities. Will they be able to find it?"
From Lynette Bye .
4. Is Anyone, Anywhere Having a Good Time?
"From my recent travels, the answer seems to be 'no'" – reports Kovie Biakolo .
5. The Future Is Too Easy
"The Tesla-branded Hyperloop that moved attendees around the sprawling convention center feels like the apotheosis of something or other—mass transit made dumb and inefficient through its insistent refusal to honor the concept; a futuristic aesthetic gone janky around the edges, in service of a howling and willful category error; neither a solution nor quite a problem".
David Roth reports from CES in Las Vegas.
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6. Guinea's World’s Biggest Mining Project Earmarks 5% of Revenues for Education
"Guinea’s plan to earmark revenues from its natural resources marks an acknowledgment of the skills gap — particularly around science and technology — that is holding back economic development in many African countries."
From Alexis Akwagyiram .
7. World Bank Project Cancelled in a Landmark Victory for Tanzanian Villagers
In a major victory for Tanzanian pastoralists and farmers, the World Bank funded REGROW project, which enabled extrajudicial killings, human rights abuses, livelihood restrictions and forced evictions to expand Ruaha National Park (RUNAPA) is cancelled.
From The Oakland Institute .
8. Europe Overhauls Funding to Tunisia after Journalists Expose Migrant Abuse
The European Commission is fundamentally overhauling how it makes payments to Tunisia after a Guardian investigation exposed myriad abuses by EU-funded security forces, including widespread sexual violence against migrants.
From Mark Townsend.
9. Technopopulism Against Democracy
"If liberal democracies have limitations in the scope of their application and, therefore, limitations in the application of majority rule, they also presuppose the existence of an important precept of the opposite sign. In the polis, in the purely political sphere, the democratic rules (popular sovereignty, representation by democratically elected or legitimized powers) apply. In addition, a democracy, in order to be considered substantive and full, cannot, therefore, admit interference from non-elected powers that distort the decision-making mechanisms and processes."
10. "There Will Be No Mercy"
"Saba would have preferred to be an architect..."
A devastating, heartfelt indictment of Tigrayans' plight at the heart of the conflict in Ethiopia.
From Drew Philp , with massive respect for putting this together.