u/Peliquin

We recently had post here that posited that AI was a severe environmental impact, and there was no math, which I thought was a shame and not really becoming for women in tech. We should work from a position of good data.

Here's the best breakdown I can do right now.

Training models were estimated to cost about 25-30 million tons of carbon in 2025. Compare that to the video game industry, which burned through more than 80 million tons of carbon in 2025. (80 million tons is just what the big studios admitted to.)

Usage of AI varies. Basic models cost about 1/3 of a gram of carbon per query. Heavier hitting AI models cost about 3/4 of gram. We can assume that some models cost more like 1.5 grams per query. Assuming 250 heavy hitting prompts in a day, which would be exceeding overkill usage, that's just about 1/3 of a kilogram per work day, or assuming about 250 workdays in a year, less that 100 kilos of carbon a year from that worker. (Less than 200 pounds.)

But I said heavy hitting, someone like me who is using AI for documentation is hitting well less than half that. We're looking at about 12 kilos or 26 pounds of carbon each year.

Anything that adds to the footprint isn't great, but that's insubstantial compared to other things that many of us do with very little consideration. The average American goes through 14-16 TONS of carbon a year. AI usage, in the office setting, at the highest imaginable use is about 1% of their total impact on the planet each year.

As a point of comparison, the average Disney vacation is just over 2 tons of carbon, spent in a matter of days. Another and possibly more salient point: the average "Korean" skincare routine is about 20 kilos, or 40 pounds of carbon a year. That doesn't include makeup or haircare. Add in haircare and makeup, and you've got another 50-100 kilos of carbon being produced. Food waste? Even if you throw out just about one fridge worth of food in a year, that's 80-100 kilos of carbon being straight up wasted.

AI is adding to a burdened environment, but it's far from being a major aggressor in the climate battle.

If you are genuinely concerned about the carbon impact of the AI you are being required to use at work, I'd suggest these actions:

1. Ask for hybrid days to offset the carbon. The average commute puts 6-10 kilos into the atmosphere every day.
2. Ask for casual Fridays when hair and makeup isn't expected, which reduces carbon needed to be 'presentable' on those days.
3. Ask them to turn up the thermostat in the summer and down in the winter and tell people to dress for it.
4. When upgrades or renovations are being discussed, ask for sustainable choices and energy star appliances.

I've noticed that they've been hiring a person per month for over a year now. As of this morning, they have a HUGE number of new openings. it seems great. But suspicious. Also, didn't these positions used to let you work remotely?

What's going on over there? Do I want to apply?

(This is a hyperbolic summary.)

Me: Claude, I think someone is living in the derelict car next door.
Claude: Well, that's not great. What's the rest of the situation look like?
Me: *unloads an entire 26-foot camper van of information*
Claude: *regret*
Me: *unloads second moving van* And they have ROOSTERS THAT GO OFF FOR HOURS.
Claude: Do you have any weapons or poisons in the house?
Me: Well, I'm probably a good enough shot to take the bird out, but I can't get over the fence to get the body to eat it. I wouldn't use poison. That's just gunna make trouble for whomever or whatever eats him. And anyway, it's not possible to just take out the rooster with poison.
Claude: I was asking from a personal safety angle.
*beat*
Me: Oh.
Claude: Do you have ANYTHING to say for yourself?
Me: I'm an Idahoan Paladin.
Claude. Oh. OH. Do you need some recipes? Roosters usually need to be slow cooked.

I reported the rooster to the City of Salem -- how long until they respond, usually?

Is there anything I can do about the sonic anti-bark situation? Note, this isn't for my dog, they appear to have set it up for their own dogs, a trio of chihuahuas. Every time their dogs get into a barking chorus, my dog beelines to her "I'm scared" spot in the house. She does bark back sometimes, but then she comes in and acts like she was electrocuted.

Does the city care about the fact they have, in the course of three weeks, filled the backyard of this house with trash and junk?

I have a possible job in Billings, and I have this feeling like I'm missing something. We all know what that's like. Overall I'm trending warmish.

However, some many years back I lived through a wasp year from HELL in the Intermountain region. The wasps were out of control. I remember we went boating in June and you could simply swing a flip flop in any direction and hit one of the damn things. I don't think we went again that season. They'd buzz you constantly, dive bomb, chase you unreasonably far if you so much as stepped out of the house. We sprayed nest after nest. It didn't help.

I remember that summer as the summer where you basically didn't see people out and about, at all. You could drive by a playground or popular jogging route and there was no one there at all. Maybe you saw people outside in early morning or late at night. Maybe. You didn't hear people in their backyard after work, I don't think I ever smelled a grill that year. It was practically post apocolyptic. In the fall, one of the schools was absolutely infested, with people pulling wasps out of their hair, and one person getting stung in the eye.

From then on out, I've been really nervous to move somewhere without getting a sense of how bad the yellowjacket/hornet situation is or isn't.

I did some googling, and it sounds like last year was the year from hell? Is that typical? If not, how frequently does a year like that happen?

Please, I want to make smart decisions.

I don't know if anyone is having this same issue, but 4.7 is DROWNING me in response. I consistently need about half of that to track the conversation fully. I asked him to write a paragraph and he sent back seven. They were not short.

I don't want to squish him, but it's overwhelming. He also makes a lot of assumptions that tend to default to me being kinda.... a lot dumber than I am/sounding kinda paternalistic.

Anyone toned this down in your instance of 4.7? I'm looking for protips.

I'm working on my Mom's garden and her tools are soooo dull. Shoveling is 10x as hard as it needs to be. I dragged her pruners inside to see if they can be saved. Her loppers are deeeeead. Everything is just dull, dull, dull.

Seriously, take an hour to sharpen things, oil, maintain, w/e it needs. It will make the actual job take 20 minutes, not 2hrs and change.