It's CERAWeek, the annual energy conference, and it seems -- at least here in the U.S. -- the fossil fuel industry is focused on making short-term profits due to higher oil prices & using its financial power + political influence to ensure the industry’s own “sustainability” for decades to come.
Relatedly, as Sen. Whitehouse said on the 5th Anniversary of the Citizens United decision in 2015:
“Before Citizens United came along, there was actually a pretty robust conversation between Democrats and Republicans about carbon pollution and climate change and what needed to be done about it.”
Same influence preventing action on climate change, as Sen. Whitehorse said in 2015:
“Before Citizens United came along, there was actually a pretty robust conversation between Democrats and Republicans about carbon pollution and climate change and what needed to be done about it.”
A picture from mid-February, 2026 of two houses under construction at D.R. Horton's property. After the original Development Agreement was passed in 2023, they have cleared land and put in below-ground infrastructure. But building only began after the agreement was amended in 2025… behind closed doors… along with approval of the Plat Map… which attested to the development plan having met watershed restrictions for curbing density… without any public records showing Jamestown Council or Planning Board knew anything about either the amended agreement or plat map happening at the time.
Tomorrow we find out about billion-dollar company D.R. Horton’s “Development in the Dark” in Jamestown, NC.
I don’t like reporting by (unpaid) Letter to the Editor, but in a time with increasing threats of lawsuits, local reporting still needs to be done.
www.yesweekly.com/news/jamesto...
It is "paltering" to discount the need to address climate change by saying "fossil fuels are important for economic growth and development."
But there’s no denying the truth of that statement itself for as long as the U.S. lacks the political will to transition away from fossil fuels.
“A growing number of recruitment drives are vying to entice disgruntled or displaced researchers to Canada, China, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and other countries.”
Results from the NC Senate Republican primary show Sam Page with 13,077 votes and incumbent Phil Berger with 2 fewer at 13,075.
Never let anyone tell you your individual vote couldn’t change an election outcome.
2 votes separate Sheriff Sam Page from NC Senate leader Phil Berger, who gerrymandered for and was endorsed by Trump. All precincts have reported.
Certification will take weeks with a mandatory recount. Wow.
It’s primary election day here in North Carolina and Republicans where I live are choosing either
* a sheriff with $39,000 in his campaign account, or
* the incumbent State Senator with $2.4 million and the full weight of a political machine.
Why it’s a real race:
www.facebook.com/share/1CFCri...
Robert Frederick wearing a shirt that says “Science is the new rock ‘n’ roll” in front of a sign at a American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in 2018 that says “I am a force for science.” (Frederick was an employee of AAAS from 2007-2011 working at Science magazine.)
I’m all for standing up for science, but I wonder if your organization might use its permit for a D.C. Mall rally to invite people *also* to:
* stand up for democracy,
* stand up to authoritarianism,
* stand up against Executive overreach,
… etc.
You already did in naming yours — thanks!
A spread of two pages from Sustainability Magazine’s Top 250 Sustainability Leaders for 2026 (published February 3, 2026) showing the #50 spot awarded to the chief sustainability officer for Phillip Morris International, a tobacco company that uses non-biodegradable plastic for its cigarette filters, which not only offer no beneficial filtering, but may also pose health risks from ingesting and inhaling filter fragments. Patagonia’s commitment to sustainability is a stark contrast to that of Phillip Morris International, as this business case study examines : https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/B5853-PDF-ENG
Many definitions of “sustainability” among this list.
Some are like those from Sustainability Magazine’s top-250 list, which includes executives from fossil fuel companies alongside Philip Morris and Patagonia (pictured).
More reflections on SustainLab:
sustainlab.substack.com/p/covering-s...
“A war is a time when we will be told not to ask questions. But a war is actually when questions must be asked. And they must be asked in light of what we already know.”
— from the author of “On Tyranny,” among others
Earlier this week, my “Covering Sustainability” course at Ansbach University formally came to a close.
Upon reflection, I'm feeling hopeful.
Was A.I. used to make up the justification for repealing the EPA's own 2009 Endangerment Finding?
I grok that it at least played a role... and have inquired of the EPA to find out more.
Text from THE WHITE HOUSE The Trump Administration eliminated the overbearing Biden-era electric vehicle mandate by resetting Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. NBER economist Mark R. Jacobsen estimates that "a one-mpg increase in CAFE standards costs consumers of all income levels approximately 0.5% of their income in the first year of the increase. By the 10th year following the increase, however, this cost becomes regressive, as the increase drives up the price of used cars. A one-mpg increase in CAFE standards costs consumers earning less than $25,000 per year 1.12% of their income, but only costs consumers earning more than $75,000 per year 0.41% of their income." But, as described in the SustainLab linked post, there are… Problems: 1) Mark R. Jacobson did not write that. 2) The linked research (under “estimates”) does not contain those words, either. 3) That National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) paper is on the same topic, but is co-authored by four people and a “working paper,” meaning it has “not been peer-reviewed or been subject to the review by the NBER Board of Directors that accompanies official NBER publications."
Please note, too, that the White House’s policy position (e.g. on CAFE standards) appears to have been justified by A.I.,…
… which made things up + doesn’t match what the (misattributed) researchers actually wrote.
See ALT text to image + more on SustainLab
sustainlab.substack.com/p/policy-inf...
“He has refused his Assent to Laws,
the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.”
— The Declaration of Independence, 4 July 1776
On #Sustainable #Infrastructure -- three types:
sustainlab.substack.com/p/sustainabl...
“He has refused his Assent to Laws,
the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.”
— The Declaration of Independence, 4 July 1776
On #Sustainable #Infrastructure -- three types:
sustainlab.substack.com/p/sustainabl...
“He has refused his Assent to Laws,
the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.”
— The Declaration of Independence, 4 July 1776
On #Sustainable #Infrastructure -- three types:
sustainlab.substack.com/p/sustainabl...
I get tired of saying it, but I’ll say it again: the nature of oppression in America is that they workshop it first on Black, Latino, Asian & Native people.
But it is always, in the end, coming for everyone.
I just called my U.S. House/Senate reps again.
As always, it meant leaving voicemails. Does anyone answer the phone anymore? But I believe calls to reps are better than responding to reps' social media posts.
If you're a U.S. citizen, please consider making calls.
This website makes it easy.
The White House is altering images now.
Tell everyone to diversify news sources.
Noem’s original:
x.com/KristiNoem/s...
White House’s manipulated:
x.com/whitehouse/s...
To respond to a bully, sometimes a bully’s own language is appropriate… even in formal situations.
But, in a different venue, I did also appreciate the recent thoughtful speech by Mark Carney, PM of Canada, at the World Economic Forum annual meeting.
youtu.be/flsgJe8mN-A (starts at 2:40)
"Unlimited arbitrariness and violence unchecked by any legal guarantees"?
The U.S. President's power — becoming ever more centralized — is also becoming more unsustainable.
One year in, the time to act is now, while we still can.
IMHO, it’s worth noting in every story and post about the action in Minneapolis & St. Paul that the combined number of sworn police officers in both cities is < 1500.
So ICE’s presence—mostly in the Twin Cities—is double that.
This information need not be commented on, but it should be added.
IMHO, it’s worth noting in every story and post about the action in Minneapolis and St. Paul that the combined number of police officers in both cities is < 1500.
So ICE’s presence — mostly in the Twin Cities — is double that.
This information need not be commented on, but it should be added.
IMHO, it’s worth noting in every story and post about the action in Minneapolis and St. Paul that the combined number of sworn officers in both cities is under 1500.
So ICE’s presence — mostly in the Twin Cities — is double that.
This information need not be commented on, but it should be added.
Screenshot of 16 January 2025 story from AP with picture of Trump and headline: “Trump says he may punish countries with tariffs if they don’t back the US controlling Greenland” Link to story: https://apnews.com/article/denmark-greenland-us-trump-tariffs-c8c17c89cbc4ca9819eb728102d0a2b3
Most times the President uses or threatens to use tariffs, he’s saying there’s an emergency.
The Supreme Court is deliberating the legality of these emergency tariffs.
IMHO, reminding the public of that should be part of every journalism story.
On tariff powers:
taxfoundation.org/blog/preside...
It’s the fascism the U.S. military was warning our soldiers about in WWII.
h/t @hcrichardson.bsky.social