To quote Mark Watney, we need to science the shit out of our climate challenge.

“That decrease in deforestation is the big reason why yield increases cut emissions.'

Breakthrough's Dr. Emma Kovak in Shannon Osaka's latest on the foregone environmental benefits of GMOs:

washingtonpost.com/climate-enviro…

Ted Nordhaus Alex Smith There is no place quite like the ag sector when it comes to political expedience plowing over science. For a smarter approach, read Alex Smith here:

Agriculture is responsible for 10% of US emissions, but gets little attention in US climate policy. The IRA included ~$20 billion for ag, but that funding will do little for climate mitigation if it does not go to technological innovation.

New from me: thebreakthrough.org/journal/no-20-…

This is a natural progression from unhinged catastrophist rhetoric by activists on apocalyptic climate futures. It is very much in the (pseudo)intellectual tradition of the Limits to Growth, which is a foundational text for the contemporary environmental movement. 1/4

Great data viz from Harry Stevens and The Washington Post. If you're really concerned about offshore wind impacts on these amazing creatures, then you have some obligation to say what you propose to do about all the other stuff killing right whales. Otherwise its just a troll.

Two common claims about changes in extreme temperatures are that, at any given location:

1) Extreme heat is warming much faster than the annual average temperature.

2) Extreme cold is getting colder.

In general, the opposite is true...

1) The most extreme hot temperatures…

Nobody, serious or otherwise, actually said this was impossible if you had a lot of hydro...

The ADVANCE Act passed the House with a wide margin. This time it was attached to the “Fire Grants and Safety Act,” but the margin is not surprising since the House passed what was formerly named the Atomic Energy Advancement Act by a similar margin.

Echoing Ted I think this piece from Somini Sengupta🥭 is really revelatory.

If we just sourced clean tech cheaply from China, we'd enjoy fewer enviro tradeoffs close to home! We could buy 'worry-free' from a place where protest is illegal + regulatory public comments don't exist!

In which Bill McKibben seemingly settles something that got me and Ted Nordhaus into a minor shitstorm a few years ago: climate change is like diabetes, not an asteroid.

billmckibben.substack.com/p/all-about-th…

In today's edition of climate tunnel vision, Somini Sengupta🥭 writes entire article about US/China clean energy relationship without mentioning forced labor, environmental impacts of critical mineral mining in China, or China's coal intensive supply chain. nytimes.com/2024/05/08/cli…

Hearings are mandatory for many NRC licensing and permitting actions, even when the staff approves the action and no one objects. These 'uncontested' hearings increase NRC Staff hours by 5-15% beyond the safety and environmental review. thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/…

Good primer by Patrick T. Brown on how climate change will influence flooding hazards. Globally, the protected change in inland river flooding is more of a mixed bag than you might expect due to phenomena that counteract the impact of heavy rain.

thebreakthroughjournal.substack.com/p/are-floods-d…

Travis thinks it's almost certain the IRA will be repealed or curtailed. I'm not so sure. I am pretty sure the law will underdeliver, that it's more a political liability than an asset for Democrats, and that we need a new model of climate policy.

thebreakthrough.org/journal/no-20-…

Green opponents of LNG exports now arguing to make pause permanent because additional exports will increase natural gas prices. Can’t make this stuff up…

Polls show that there is a stark Republican-Democratic divide in willingness to buy EVs. But is this reflected in sales -- and is it a new phenomenon or an old one? I dug in for the The Washington Post 🧵

Flooding is now often reported on as proof of a new era of climate-related catastrophes. But is this correct?

liberalpatriot.com/p/are-floods-d…