Richard Bärnthaler

We seem stuck in a loop, but it needs repeating again & again: a progressive European project must (i) clearly oppose ongoing US‑Israeli aggression & (ii) recognise that energy security depends not on shifting fossil suppliers but on rapidly scaling renewables alongside demand‑reduction strategies.

The same applies to Greenland. We should not comfort ourselves with a TACO narrative. It is time to wake up and not be sleepwalked – step by step – into a new strategic reality. 2/2

I was never entirely convinced by the TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out) thesis. It obscures that, even when the US jumps 10 steps forward & then retreats 8, concrete 'next best steps' are still made that reshape the terrain & create conditions for further shifts that extend US power & dominance. 1/2

Fully funded PhD in Political Economy of Production and Consumption Transformations @envleeds.bsky.social

The PhD is part of the PACT Centre (shorturl.at/XrzOi) & includes an optional secondment of up to six months at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

More info: shorturl.at/5GkEQ

Bombing Venezuela while coordinating a genocide in Palestine while threatening to attack Iran (again) while destabillizing Somalia while carrying out a heist in the DRC...

US imperialism is the greatest threat to peace and security in our world today and it's not even close.

you could say unbelievable, our European leaders will not condemn Trump's flagrant breach of international laws, but we've all watched them cower on US/Israel impunity in Gaza.

American diplomacy should continue to stand up for genuine democracy, freedom of expression, and unapologetic celebrations of European nations' individual character and history. America encourages its political allies in Europe to promote this revival of spirit, and the growing influence of patriotic European parties indeed gives cause for great optimism. Our goal should be to help Europe correct its current trajectory. We will need a strong Europe to help us successfully compete, and to work in concert with us to prevent any adversary from dominating Europe. America is, understandably, sentimentally attached to the European continent— and, of course, to Britain and Ireland. The character of these countries is also strategically important because we count upon creative, capable, confident, democratic allies to establish conditions of stability and security. We want to work with aligned countries that want to restore their former greatness.

What struck me most on Europe wasn’t the focus on value, freedom of speech etc - again, very similar to Vance’s Munich speech - but how activist it is. This is about directly trying to influence what is going on in Europe:

What happens when housing supply is driven by markets not Main Street Home prices in America won’t come down without systemic reform

Fixing housing means tackling the market shift that made homes tradeable assets tinyurl.com/4resamkz

Good comment but profit-driven artificial scarcity isn’t just about too few homes built but also about affordability & use of existing stock. Distribution & use matter as much as quantitative supply

📌 Join us at @soasuni.bsky.social #Economics for a discussion with Richard Baernthaler (University of Leeds), Chaired by: Chandni Dwarkasing on:

🎤 Toward a post-growth industrial policy for Europe 🇪🇺

🗓️ 26 November, 5PM
📍 SOAS, B103

info and livestream🔗 www.soas.ac.uk/about/event/...

We Cannot Lose Sight of Phasing Out Fossil Fuels Phasing out the use of fossil fuels, not just simply rebuilding low-carbon systems, should be the goal of COP30.

🛢️We cannot lose sight of phasing out fossil fuels.

@freddiedaley.bsky.social and @peternewell.bsky.social have a piece in The National Interest pushing back on the “build now, break later” mantra in the energy transition.

nationalinterest.org/blog/energy-...

A 🧵 on why that approach is risky👇

On Politics: Do bond markets and the Bank of England run Britain? Andy Burnham recently said that the government is ‘in hock to the bond markets’, and the political turbulence of the past few years, not least the downfall of Liz Truss following her ‘mini-budget’, wo...

I really enjoyed this long debate with Andy Haldane on the state of Britain's macrofinancial politics and who are the real bond vigilantes

www.podbean.com/media/share/...

Green graphic reading "SRI a celebration of 21 years of sustainability research at Leeds."

How do we make progress towards a sustainable future? 🛤️

The SRI@21 research agenda explores questions that still need addressing, such as:

❓ How do we envision sustainable futures?
❓ Who makes decisions about sustainability?
❓ How should we measure our goals?

SRI@21 launches 19 November 2025.

Extraordinary Mamdani speech defending Muslim life in the US. a breath of fresh air to see a politician standing up for principles. Standards in the US have fallen so low lately…

Karl Polanyi: Der entfesselte Markt führt zum Faschismus Karl Polanyi identifizierte den Wirtschaftsliberalismus als Wurzel reaktionären Denkens. Seine Theorie der »entbetteten« Märkte ist so aktuell wie nie.

Karl Polanyi identifizierte den Wirtschaftsliberalismus als Wurzel reaktionären Denkens. Seine Theorie der »entbetteten« Märkte ist so aktuell wie nie.

BIG launch this week--the book is available, free, online at our @cssn.org website:

cssn.org/news-researc...

This is precisely why (a) ESG has always been problematic by turning public policy issues into profit-making ventures & (b) credit guidance is necessary to direct commercial bank and non-bank financial sector finance toward public purpose

(Screenshot from R. Armstrong’s FT “Unhedged” newsletter)

Öffentlicher Luxus für alle: Mamdani zeigt, wie es geht Zohran Mamdani will die Daseinsvorsorge in New York neu aufstellen. Die Idee von »Öffentlichem Luxus« könnte auch die Politik in Deutschland inspirieren.

Zohran Mamdani will die Daseinsvorsorge in New York neu aufstellen. Die Idee von »Öffentlichem Luxus« könnte auch die Politik in Deutschland inspirieren.

📌 Join us for the @soasuni.bsky.social #Economics Seminar Series — bringing together leading scholars to discuss global challenges in political economy, sustainability, and development ‼️

📅 upcoming events 🔗 www.soas.ac.uk/about/colleg...

Congrats, and I am looking forward to reading it (I already have access to it)!

China's Green Leap Outward — Net Zero Industrial Policy Lab A new China Low Carbon Technology FDI Database

And here is the report: www.netzeropolicylab.com/china-green-...

→ What are green tech & renewables ultimately for? E.g. decarbonising essential services or powering AI data centres? Sustainability needs both renewables & lower energy use in the Global North. If socially less-necessary demand keeps rising, what are the implications for living well within limits?

→ One point that was only briefly mentioned is how “critical” critical materials really are? They serve various purposes, from the green transition to militarisation. We need to interrogate and question “criticality”. This leads to a broader question that deserves more attention: 6/7

→ Relatedly, the social, ecological, and justice-related outcomes of BRI 2.0 will largely hinge on the strategies and policies of host countries, as well as the strength of civil society in holding investors and governments accountable. 5/7

→ The shift from the BRI to BRI 2.0 is significant. While it involves greater private sector participation, its direction—and whether it serves public goals—will depend on host countries’ policy choices, industrial strategies, and the conditions and discipline they apply to incoming capital. 4/7

→ There are three primary drivers behind these investments: Access to host country markets, access to third-country markets (especially where trade agreements are in place), access to raw materials. 3/7

→ The scale of Chinese investment is enormous. It is comparable to the Marshall Plan, which effectively locked Europe into U.S. technology pathways. 2/7

YouTube video by Net Zero Industrial Policy Lab China’s Green Leap Outward: The rapid scale- up of Chinese clean-tech manufacturing FDI

Worth watching the Net Zero Industrial Policy Lab’s (@bentleyallan.bsky.social) presentation of “China’s Green Leap Outward” by @70sbachchan.bsky.social, @mathiaslarsen.bsky.social & Xiaokang Xue

youtu.be/Pc2eu6YT2O0?...

Some key takeaways, and a broader question that deserves more attention: 1/7

Ein norwegischer Fjord im Zentrum europäischer Rohstoffpolitik Nachdem die EU im Juni eine norwegische Kupfermine als »strategisch« wichtig deklariert hat, spitzt sich die Lage für die indigenen Sámi drastisch zu.

Nachdem die EU im Juni eine norwegische Kupfermine als »strategisch« wichtig deklariert hat, spitzt sich die Lage für die indigenen Sámi drastisch zu.

Israel attacks the Global Sumud Flotilla, continues to starve Palestinians in Gaza.

Escalate peaceful disruptive action now.

#DisruptComplicity now!

Öffentlicher Luxus für alle: Mamdani zeigt, wie es geht Zohran Mamdani will die Daseinsvorsorge in New York neu aufstellen. Die Idee von »Öffentlichem Luxus« könnte auch die Politik in Deutschland inspirieren.

Zohran Mamdani will die Daseinsvorsorge in New York neu aufstellen. Die Idee von »Öffentlichem Luxus« könnte auch die Politik in Deutschland inspirieren, schreiben @rbaernthaler.bsky.social und Lukas Warning.