With the rise in popularity in Generative Artificial Intelligence over the past few years, it is increasingly important to consider the effects this technology is having on us. While generative AI has many claims about its future potential effectiveness, with massive amounts of money being poured into this industry to keep it afloat, the real impacts of this technology are much more significant than is being let on - massive water and energy needs from data centers directly affecting water availability, air quality, and fossil fuel plant construction, misinformation campaigns leading to public policy changes, significant job losses from outsourcing and job consolidation, and a rise in surveillance technology are only some of the potential harms caused by this technology.
As a result of the research done by students from McGill’s EDEC 374 class, a series of zines is currently being edited and drawn by members of Climate Justice Montreal, to be freely shared online and in the Montreal community to bring awareness to these issues. The zines are designed to support justice-based climate education by helping readers connect artificial intelligence to the ecological, political, and historical systems in which it operates. Rather than framing AI as a neutral or futuristic innovation, the zine highlights how it is embedded in extractive infrastructures and development logics that exacerbate inequality. Readers are encouraged to question whose interests are being served and what alternatives are possible; in this way, the zines intend to support critical analysis of development logics and values-based decision-making.
The content emphasizes that climate education must address the power structures and lived experiences that exist behind the scientific facts. Its overall aim is to make visible how technological systems intersect with climate impacts and social inequities. By surfacing the often-overlooked ecological costs of artificial intelligence, generative AI in particular, this resource invites readers to rethink dominant ideas of what counts as climate “solutions.” In doing so, it promotes systems thinking and engaged activism while encouraging readers to unlearn dominant assumptions about progress, innovation, and technological neutrality.
Structured with reflection points, real-world examples, and accessible framing, the zine is designed to build readers’ understanding of the rapidly shifting technological landscape in which AI is emerging. Its approach aligns with pedagogical practices that center care, collaboration, and political imagination in the face of ecological crisis. Rather than offering simple answers, the zines invites readers into ongoing inquiry and collective meaning-making as they engage with the systems shaping our shared future.
The following is a list of the zines currently released or in the process of being developed:
What Is AI, Really? (And Why Should We Care?)
Energy & Water: The Costs of Powering AI
- Energy & Water The Costs of Powering AI (PDF).pdf
- Energy & Water The Costs of Powering AI (zine).pdf
The Extraction, Manufacturing, and E-Waste of AI Hardware
The Myth of Green AI
TBA - March 2026
The Fight Against AI
TBA - April 2026
Beyond the zines, CJM is also launching a series of workshops designed to discuss the environmental and social impacts of AI, based on the zines. Look out for them on social media, or fill out the form below to have us give the workshop to you and your group!
Invite CJM to host a Hoodwinked in the Hothouse workshop for your organization
If you would be interested in helping out in the creation of these zines or workshops, or would like to learn more about the campaign and where it can go next, please get in touch with us!
