Emily Pontecorvo

The Next COP Needs to Confront ‘Overshoot’ The Paris Agreement goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is now all but impossible. Limiting — and eventually reversing — the damage will take some thought.

UN sec. gen. Antonio Guterres got it wrong when he said "Scientists tell us that a temporary overshoot above 1.5 degrees is now inevitable." Surpassing 1.5 may be inevitable, but the "temporary" part, not so much. My Q&A w/ an expert on why COPs need to confront this. heatmap.news/climate/cop-...

Where COP30 Is Actually Making Progress The United Nations climate conference wants you to think it’s getting real. It’s not total B.S.

From where I sit, reporting from afar, this year's COP started to get a little more real. Adaptation metrics, roadmaps, critical minerals, the notion of overshoot — regardless of the outcome, which is TBD, this is much more nitty gritty stuff than in the past. heatmap.news/climate/cop3...

COP30 Is on Fire Flames have erupted in the “Blue Zone” at the United Nations Climate Conference in Brazil.

A literal fire has erupted in the middle of the United Nations conference devoted to stopping the planet from burning.

heatmap.news/sparks/cop30...

Democrats’ New Affordability Message Is Complicating Climate Policy The transition to clean energy will be expensive today, even if it’ll be cheaper in the long run.

State-level Democrats have embraced affordability as a new theory of how to win.

That approach is reshaping some of their climate policies. Across the country, Dems are slow-walking GHG mandates or accepting more fossil supply to help stabilize energy prices. heatmap.news/politics/dem...

What If Utilities Just Made Less Money? California energy companies are asking for permission to take in more revenue. Consumer advocates are having none of it.

I'm dense when it comes to finance, so the fact that I got to a point of understanding how utilities earn profit and why they should or shouldn't earn less means you can too. I stayed up till 3am trying to explain in an accessible way. Hopefully it was worth it!
heatmap.news/energy/calif...

How an Electricity Rate Freeze Could Actually Work New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill made a rate freeze one of her signature campaign promises, but that’s easier said than done.

New Jersey's rate freeze could happen the easy way or the hard way heatmap.news/energy/new-j...

Welp

I challenge the next mayor of New York to do something about the shitshow that is the Wythe ave exit on the bqe

the most overlooked, thought-provoking part of the Gates memo, IMHO

Scoop: Giant Wind Farm Off New Jersey Coast Is Getting Killed Leading Light can’t move forward, a legal counsel wrote to state regulators.

With Leading Light withdrawing its contract to sell energy to NJ, the Garden State's only remaining offshore wind deal is with Attentive Energy, which is unlikely to get its permits to build anytime soon.
heatmap.news/energy/leadi...

New York Approves Trump-Backed Gas Pipeline The Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline had been rejected by environmental regulators three times but was revived this spring after talks between Hochul…

⚠️ Breaking: Hochul administration approves 3x rejected, Trump-backed NESE pipeline, the first of its kind in New York in at least a decade.

Story: nysfocus.com/2025/11/07/n...

The Data Center Backlash Is Swallowing American Politics Activists on both the left and the right are pushing back against AI development.

NEW: Opposition to data centers is growing, and it crosses party lines. These projects are rousing activists on the right and left and starting to play a bigger role in elections. @jael.bsky.social and our Heatmap Pro data team has been tracking it. Lots of insights here heatmap.news/energy/data-...

The Data Center Backlash Is Swallowing American Politics Activists on both the left and the right are pushing back against rampant AI development.

my latest: i spent weeks investigating how frustrations about data centers were about to swallow american politics…

…and then the 2025 election happened, proving the electoral impacts are already here.

read and share my deep dive on the bipartisan AI techlash shaping our elections before our eyes!

its that time of year where i google "paris agreement text" multiple times a day

My band name is the Tropical Forest Forever Facility

They survived the hurricane. Their insurance company didn't. Hurricane Ida revealed a fragile insurance industry ill-prepared for the consequences of climate change. More than four years later, what's changed?

Catching up on this vital series from @grist.org on the "Disaster Economy" - such good reporting here from @zteirstein.bsky.social on insurance bankruptcies leading to mergers and payouts for execs while families are left high and dry. grist.org/economics/in...

I'm having trouble following why the EU changing its NDC from 90% to 85% is being portrayed as this huge, outrageous, watering down of climate ambition. The EU is still doing more than almost anyone else, and is the only place where emissions declined last year, per the UN Emissions Gap Report.

Another great piece on Mamdani and climate. I see a lot of people saying "but his transit/housing campaigns ARE about climate" and... yeah. But the observation that he did not campaign ON climate despite his past work to the issue is meaningful.

Is there any climate jargon worse than COP jargon?

The Climate Races to Watch on Tuesday It’s an off-off-cycle election year, but there are still a handful of key elections going on in Georgia, New Jersey, and Virginia.

🚅 🚌 Mecklenburg County, home to Charlotte, one of the fastest growing cities in the country, approved a 1% sales tax increase to fund ambitious public transit projects last night. More background in my election preview: heatmap.news/politics/cli...

Zohran Mamdani’s Muted Climate Politics The self-described “ecosocialist” ran an ultra-disciplined campaign for New York City mayor. Once he’s in office, the climate issue could become unavoidable.

"So given all the notes he struck during the campaign, it is revealing to consider those Mamdani left unplayed. One in particular stands out: Throughout the long mayoral campaign, Mamdani rarely spoke about climate change..."
heatmap.news/politics/zoh...

Zohran Mamdani’s Muted Climate Politics The self-described “ecosocialist” ran an ultra-disciplined campaign for New York City mayor. Once he’s in office, the climate issue could become unavoidable.

An absolute must-read from @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social dissecting Mamdani's past work on climate, his campaign pivot to affordability, and the challenge ahead to thread them together heatmap.news/politics/zoh...

How Mikie Sherrill Won New Jersey’s Electricity Election The next governor of the Garden State turned a potential liability into an advantage.

How Mikie Sherrill took New Jersey's high and rising electricity prices and turned it to her advantage heatmap.news/politics/mik...

Democrats Win 2 Key Energy Races in Georgia A “seismic change” comes for the state’s Public Service Commission.

Dems’ clean energy affordability arguments won the day in the utility commission race in Georgia. But newcomer Peter Hubbard will only have 1 year to prove himself before having to do it all over again. heatmap.news/politics/ali...

Democrats Win 2 Key Energy Races in Georgia A “seismic change” comes for the state’s Public Service Commission.

In a key race for energy policy, Democrats just won 2 seats on Georgia’s utility commission — changing the dynamic for first time in nearly 20 years. Here’s a quick hit on what it all means. heatmap.news/politics/ali...

The Climate Races to Watch on Tuesday It’s an off-off-cycle election year, but there are still a handful of key elections going on in Georgia, New Jersey, and Virginia.

🗳️ It's election day on Tuesday! This may be an an off-off-cycle year, but there are still a handful of important races for the climate.

@emilypont.bsky.social points out a handful for you to pay attention to tomorrow ⤵️:

Utilities are assuring their investors that new data center loads will NOT increase costs for existing ratepayers. Wait, what? Wouldn't utilities want to brag about all the new revenue these projects will bring in? @zeitlin.bsky.social has a theory. heatmap.news/energy/utili...

All five of these DAC units are currently installed at Deep Sky Canada. I visited last week to see how it all worked in person, and learn how the company was able to get it all up and running so quickly. heatmap.news/carbon-remov...

Phlair. Deutsche. Liquid. Size XS. 20 tco2py.

Mission Zero. A Brit, flowing a liquid sorbent to catch 250 tons per year.

(With Deep Sky's CEO Alex Petre posing out front.)