Effective Altruism
- David Fain
- Apr 1, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 1
Labor Day, September 1, 2025. Given the cultural wrecking ball we are living through, I felt it was time to reintroduce this subject, as we are under siege. IMO, there has never been a greater need to step forward and support the organizations, institutions, and individuals that have dedicated themselves to improving the human condition. I feel that it is our moral imperative to do what we can, when and where we can.
I welcome your thoughts, suggestions, and comments. I would also be happy to post a guest blog on the topic if anyone is interested.
I've always struggled when it comes to choosing the most effective way to contribute. I currently give to charities based on their ratings in Charity Navigator. I assume that Charity Navigator has done the research and that their ratings are credible. I realize that this isn't necessarily the best way to go about giving. I would like to have some sort of rigorous meta-analysis done by some reputable "someone" or organization to help guide me. This is what I've found so far.
I started by googling, "Where will my donations have the greatest impact?" Among the many results I got, this one stood out; it was a link to an essay by Peter Singer, a moral philosopher, who wrote a highly influential essay entitled "Famine, Affluence, and Morality". He argued that "if it is in our power to prevent something bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance, we ought, morally, to do it." This theme is explored in his book, "The Life You Can Save," which is on my reading list.
Peter Singer's work, along with additional contributions by William MacAskill, Toby Ord, and others, has led to the emergence of what is now known as the Effective Altruism movement. It is a framework that enables individuals and organizations to maximize their altruism through evidence-based research and rational decision-making. This helps.
I continued to look, spreading a broader net and seeking different perspectives. I found a YouTube video featuring a Q&A with Noam Chomsky. While this isn't directly related to EA, it did help bring my EA priorities into sharper focus.
The moderator asked Chomsky, "Much has been in the news lately about shifting centers of world power, unipolar, bipolar, multi-polar. How do you think the future of the world is going to be shaped by the current crises that are rattling the system?"
Chomsky's reply, "I should mention that there are two crises that will determine whether it’s even worth talking about these issues. One of them is the growing threat of nuclear war, the other is the climate crisis, which has to be dealt with in the next few years or else human society's essentially finished, so unless these two crises are probably met everything else is moot."
Hmmmmmm. As for my ability to help address geopolitical issues, I feel helpless. However, I can contribute in some itsy-bitsy way to helping address the looming climate crisis: I continue to take inventory of my personal consumption and actively take steps to reduce my carbon footprint. I can support local organizations dedicated to protecting our local environment and biodiversity, and I can donate to various NGOs focused on climate-related issues.
But then what about people who have more pressing needs for food, shelter, health, and safety? If I subscribe to EA's approach of using reason and evidence to do the most good, then doing all that I can to help save the planet from a 2+ centigrade rise in global temperatures seems like the logical choice.
I believe that saving our planet affects us all. While contributing to various humanitarian charities may salve my moral conscience, it doesn't seem to do much to address the bigger issue of climate change.
Can giving to humanitarian NGOs positively influence efforts to help ease the looming climate crisis? There doesn't seem to be an easy answer. I seek the wisdom of Solomon.
What say you?
/Resources
Here's a short list of the EA-related organizations if you'd like to take a closer look.
I then turned to ChatGPT and asked, "Is there a climate change clearing house or information source that represents all charities that are dealing with climate change?" and got the following response.
"There are several organizations that provide information and resources on charities and nonprofits working on climate change issues. One such organization is the Climate Action Network (CAN), a global network of over 1,500 NGOs working to promote government and individual action on climate change. CAN provides a directory of member organizations on its website, which includes information on their areas of focus and contact details.
Another organization that provides information on climate-focused nonprofits is 1% for the Planet, a global network of businesses and individuals who pledge to donate 1% of their annual sales or income to environmental causes. They have a directory of nonprofit partners on their website, which includes organizations working on climate change issues.
Charity Navigator is another resource that provides information on nonprofit organizations, including those working on climate change. They evaluate and rate charities based on their financial health, accountability, and transparency, and provide information on each organization's mission and programs.
Finally, GuideStar is a platform that provides information on nonprofit organizations, including their financials, programs, and impact. They have a search function that allows users to find nonprofits working on specific issues, including climate change.
While there is no one clearinghouse or information source that represents all charities working on climate change, these organizations can provide a good starting point for finding and learning about the various nonprofits working on this important issue."
I then asked ChatGPT for links to these organizations, and I got the following.
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