{"id":415406,"date":"2025-11-30T18:55:45","date_gmt":"2025-11-30T17:55:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=415406"},"modified":"2025-11-30T18:55:48","modified_gmt":"2025-11-30T17:55:48","slug":"fear-of-ai-beats-climate-change-in-aussie-poll","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=415406","title":{"rendered":"Fear of AI Beats Climate Change in Aussie Poll"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essay by<\/strong> Eric Worrall<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aussies are more worried their toaster will become self-aware than they are worried about climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

To defeat the global Goliaths devastating our planet, we must raise an army of Davids <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter Lewis<\/a>
Wed 26 Nov 2025 11.20 AEDT<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Australians face a maelstrom of interconnected disasters, the climate catastrophe has become just one of many things to doomscroll about<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An even bigger challenge for those of us seeking more decisive climate action could be the increasing competition among the phalanx of existential risks \u2013 pandemic, nuclear warfare, sentient AI and unparalleled inequality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kemp argues that these are not standalone challenges. They create a poly-crisis where each feeds the other; climate collapse drives displacement, AI guzzles energy while powering inequality, 10,000 nuclear warheads are stockpiled as the temperature rises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese threats are not unavoidable,\u201d he writes, \u201cthey are consciously created by powerful groups who profit handsomely from the endeavour. Global catastrophic risk is the product of the worldwide system of extraction: the Global Goliath.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A final poll question illustrates how the climate crisis has been subsumed by this maelstrom of interconnected disasters; not so much ignored but now one of many things to doomscroll about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How concerned are you about the following existential threats?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

<\/th>TOTAL: Concerned<\/strong><\/th>TOTAL: Not concerned<\/strong><\/th>Very concerned<\/strong><\/th>Quite concerned<\/strong><\/th>Unsure<\/strong><\/th>Not that concerned<\/strong><\/th>Not concerned at all<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
The development of AI that is self-aware<\/th>67%<\/td>24%<\/td>35%<\/td>33%<\/td>9%<\/td>18%<\/td>6%<\/td><\/tr>
Social upheaval through rising inequality<\/th>62%<\/td>28%<\/td>25%<\/td>37%<\/td>10%<\/td>21%<\/td>7%<\/td><\/tr>
Catastrophic impacts of climate change<\/th>59%<\/td>33%<\/td>28%<\/td>32%<\/td>8%<\/td>20%<\/td>13%<\/td><\/tr>
Nuclear warfare<\/th>57%<\/td>35%<\/td>28%<\/td>30%<\/td>8%<\/td>25%<\/td>10%<\/td><\/tr>
Another global pandemic<\/th>57%<\/td>35%<\/td>23%<\/td>34%<\/td>7%<\/td>26%<\/td>9%<\/td><\/tr>
A meteor strike<\/th>29%<\/td>60%<\/td>13%<\/td>15%<\/td>11%<\/td>28%<\/td>32%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Projecting the trajectory of existential risk beyond the life of current horizons, say 100 years, one of two things must happen: the Goliaths self-terminate<\/a> or we find a way to work together and slay the giant.

Kemp\u2019s prognosis is that we recognise that governments have been captured by the Goliaths and organise ourselves into an army of Davids, redistributing power through open democracy and citizen juries.

\u2026Read more: https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/australia-news\/commentisfree\/2025\/nov\/26\/climate-disasters-devastating-planet-collective-action-against-corporations<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I find it hilarious greens are complaining about other doomsday narratives distracting people from their fake doomsday narratives. 59% concerned about climate change is still a lot of concern, but clearly a lot of people are moving on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for the \u201cArmy of Davids\u201d citizen jury \/ citizen assembly idea, that appears to be the political methodology of choice for sham democracies. Fake citizen assemblies are helping to keep the Venezuelan dictator in power<\/a>. It turns out when the selection of politicians is by any means other than a popular vote, the process is open to even more manipulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The big question \u2013 how long will global governments bother to continue to hold COP climate conferences?<\/strong> Reading the rest of the Guardian article, even among the climate concerned, faith that COP will deliver anything useful has collapsed. Only 6% of survey respondents were \u201cvery confident\u201d that COP30 would achieve anything meaningful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holding big international summits on how to manage the threat of malevolent AI would attract far more public interest than COP. The UN might even convince US delegates to attend if they started holding interesting conferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aussies are more worried their toaster will become self-aware than they are worried about climate change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":415411,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"Discover why Australians fear AI more than climate change in this insightful essay. 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