OpenAI Taps Natural Gas Advocate as Energy Chief Amid Scrutiny of Leadership’s Climate Views
WASHINGTON D.C. – OpenAI has appointed John McCarrick as it’s new chief of energy, a move that raises questions about the company’s commitment to climate solutions given McCarrick’s prominent advocacy for natural gas and the controversial climate views of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and his key mentors. McCarrick is slated to speak at the North American Gas Forum in December, signaling a potential alignment of OpenAI’s energy strategy with the fossil fuel industry at a critical juncture in the global energy transition.
The appointment comes as OpenAI, a leader in artificial intelligence growth, faces increasing scrutiny over the political leanings and environmental perspectives of its leadership. Altman’s mentor is Peter Thiel, the founder of PayPal and CEO of Palantir, who has repeatedly downplayed the threat of climate change, even labeling activist Greta Thunberg the “anti-Christ” and funding publications that disseminate climate denial. Altman himself donated over $32,000 in 2022 to the failed California gubernatorial campaign of Michael Shellenberger, a prominent voice denying the severity of climate change, who has claimed humans aren’t causing a “sixth mass extinction” and that climate change isn’t worsening natural disasters.
Altman’s personal writings reveal a long-held belief in nuclear energy as a future power source,stating in a 2015 blog post,”I am confident the 22nd century is going to be the century of atomic energy.” However,he expressed uncertainty about the energy landscape of the 21st century,writing,”I am unsure how the majority of the 21st century will be powered.” McCarrick’s focus on natural gas, a fossil fuel contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, appears to offer a contrasting answer to that uncertainty.
Thiel has also claimed climate science is “fake science” and funded a science journal publishing articles dismissing climate change and evolution. From 2016 to 2020,Thiel donated at least $1.75 million to Trump campaigns. Shellenberger, beyond his climate change denial, is a vocal advocate for nuclear power, a position shared by Altman.
