Your mom’s ecological takes (he/him)

Crypto Won Big in 2024. AI Is Angling to Do the Same in 2026 The AI industry appears to be working to influence the 2026 midterms by replicating how the cryptocurrency industry influenced the 2024 elections.

The AI industry already has influence in the Trump White House, but they want even more power over the halls of Congress. To accomplish this, Marc Andreessen has decided to rerun the crypto model that was so successful in 2024, with near total impunity for the AI industry as the goal

Reclaiming an Abundant and Democratic Future in the Age of AI Big Tech and Big Oil’s big visions for the future are antagonistic to human life.

"The rise of artificial intelligence presents an urgent opportunity to articulate new boundaries that safeguard people’s agency and wellbeing," @hannahstoryb.bsky.social writes for Watchdog Weekly. "What would the priorities of a government that acted decisively to meet people’s needs look like?"

Reclaiming an Abundant and Democratic Future in the Age of AI Big Tech and Big Oil’s big visions for the future are antagonistic to human life.

Wrote about the need to loudly assert what we decide has value as "the onslaught of generative AI, which seeks to replace human capabilities—thought, connection, problem-solving, creativity—drives home that corporations have no intrinsic commitment to upholding the value of human life and labor."

Reclaiming an Abundant and Democratic Future in the Age of AI Big Tech and Big Oil’s big visions for the future are antagonistic to human life.

In today's newsletter, part of a joint series with @cplusc.bsky.social on what a just digital transition during an era of accelerating climate crises could look like, @hannahstoryb.bsky.social critiques Trump's abundance agenda for fossil fuel-powered AI and points to an alternative roadmap.

@jmijin.bsky.social did u write this

Report launch day! Check out this project with @cplusc.bsky.social looking back on Maine's public power ballot initiative. Despite a classic case of corporate capture and a loss at the polls, this is a hopeful story that (imo) has a lot to teach us
@smconstantino.bsky.social #energysky

Check this out 👇

See our latest retrospective on the public power campaign in Maine! @smconstantino.bsky.social @holcaggiano.bsky.social @jbozuwa.bsky.social Sandeep Vaheesan @lucyhoch.bsky.social

New research out today with my colleague Jacob Udell on financial distress in the multifamily market. We focus on the impact on tenants, who have little say over their landlords’ financial decisions but bear the brunt of the consequences of this escalating crisis.

Check it out!

Devastating and poignant

Have a machine that needs smashing?

Our Time A campaign for an affordable NYC

For folks looking to stay involved post Zohran’s win, join DSA and this new group: ourtime.nyc (I’m biased but @batul.bsky.social is on the founding board :)))

What Zohran Mamdani’s Win Means for New York's Climate Politics The mayor-elect’s approach reflects a view that is going mainstream: To succeed, climate policies may need to lose the label.

“'Climate and quality of life are not two separate concerns,' Mamdani told The Nation magazine in April. 'They are, in fact, one and the same.'”

Should the Government Just Own Offshore Wind Farms? A chat with with Johanna Bozuwa of the Climate and Community Institute.

And in the week's Q&A, @jael.bsky.social chats with @cplusc.bsky.social's @jbozuwa.bsky.social on a proposal publicly owned wind power:

YES YES YES YES PUBLIC OFFSHORE WIND YES YES YES

A Federal Offshore Wind Authority: A Public Moon Shot for Offshore Wind We propose that a future administration establish a federal Offshore Wind Authority to supercharge buildout and deliver affordable electricity.

The current federal administration is destabilizing the offshore wind industry with stop-work orders and slashed subsidies. We need a credible plan to meet climate targets and build capacity—enter a federal Offshore Wind Authority. climateandcommunity.org/research/off...

Look at our new work on what laying the blueprint for what a public offshore wind governance option looks like!!! @sevier.io @jbozuwa.bsky.social

Overcharged: The Rules Of The Electricity Affordability Crisis Nearly a quarter of adults in the US—or over 52 million people—cannot pay their power bills.

In this new report from me & @rhymeswithocean.bsky.social for @cplusc.bsky.social & @publicgrids.org, we argue the current electricity affordability crisis is caused by the rules of private ownership. To solve the crisis, we recommend banning shutoffs now and using many tools to expand public power!

There is a LOT for journalists to examine closely. Who funds these papers (the grant on the paper is a long running catch all grant); how subject are they to political priorities; who funds and controls what’s published in the Electricity Journal; what links to industry are there?

This finding aligns with the understanding that a primary driver of increased electricity-sector costs in recent years has been distribution and transmission expenditures-often devoted to refurbishment or replacement of existing infrastructure rather than to serve new loads (ETE, 2025, Pierpont, 2024, EIA, 2024a, Forrester et al., 2024). Spreading these fixed costs over more demand naturally exerts downward pressure on retail prices. It is also notable, however, that this negative load-price relationship was pronounced when considering overall average retail prices but was smaller and lost statistical significance when analyzing residential prices alone (see SI-8). Load growth over this historical period was led by commercial customers, and cost allocation practices have tended to benefit those large, non-residential customers.

This paragraph is the one that stood out to me as quickly running through a richly detailed forest that needs to be more thoroughly examined. Notice that the giant leading talking point completely falls apart for, again, PEOPLE.

The underlying article from LBNL here does something quite deliberately. Most of the anger about rising electricity prices comes from PEOPLE, residential customers. This paper looks at average prices for all industrial, commercial, AND residential customers. Immediately moving away from the issue.

It’s kind of wild how the climate mvmt is totally misreading the vibes on AI/data centers… just technocratic fantasies of DCs financing/physically bringing RE online when the popular desire is to not even build them (which is climate positive if u count not adding emissions in the 1st place as such)

cc @jasonkowalski.bsky.social

a close up of a man with a beard and mustache smiling . Alt: Jack Nicholson nodding creepily

"State powers are established to capitalize new investment funds, like public banks or other public finance authorities, which can be used to support termination of privately held franchise agreements and buy back the grid for public ownership and local control."

shoutout to the brilliant work of @sevier.io @rhymeswithocean.bsky.social

Overcharged: The Rules Of The Electricity Affordability Crisis Nearly a quarter of adults in the US—or over 52 million people—cannot pay their power bills.

hey! we @cplusc.bsky.social have a new piece with @publicgrids.org on the history of electricity rate design, the relationship with electricity market reforms, how neither of these delivered genuine affordability for electricity users, and how to prioritize electricity access over private profits:

YouTube video by Global Sumud Flotilla 24/7 LIVESTREAM OF GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA

Close to 65k watching the livefeed from the Global Sumud Flotilla off the coast of Gaza.

Israel seems to be intercepting right now.

All eyes needed.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEN2...

Thank god no one seems to be injured from this. Did you know there's a @cplusc.bsky.social about this? Never a better time to read it and send it to your city councilors.

climateandcommunity.org/research/get...

We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.

The idea that insurance premiums are a good way to mitigate climate risk to housing is a common misconception that, unfortunately, can obscure real solutions to the risks of climate change and perpetuate existing inequities.

Why is that? Well...
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