korrents

korrents · piece

The Two Horsemen, Riding in Formation

Bill McKibben · 15 Sept 2026 · billmckibben.substack.com ↗

3 korrents from this piece

Bill McKibben did not write this page.

Every claim below was made in this piece, quoted word for word and numbered in the order the piece makes them, so you can read it there rather than take our word for it. The sentence above each quote is our reading of the claim, not their wording. Each quote was checked against a stored copy of the page at build time; where the two differ, the quote is the fact.

  1. Our reading

    AI data centers function mainly as a new way to sustain natural gas demand for an oil-and-gas industry facing declining gasoline demand.

    Their wordsone way to understand a data center is that it's a device for burning natural gas, the latest excuse (after Ukraine and Iran) for the fuel that Big Oil is counting on to keep its business model afloat even as the world turns away from internal combustion cars and crude demand begins to drop.

  2. Our reading

    Opposition to AI data centers is driven partly by resistance to concentrated corporate power, not only by local environmental concerns.

    Their wordsit was a chance to stand up to the oligarchs and this technology they've staked their future on.

  3. Our reading

    Politicians routinely underestimate how much the public cares about climate and environmental issues.

    Their wordspoliticians routinely underestimate the potency of this whole complex of issues.