Jeff Colgan

The increasing intermittency of….nuclear power stations:

Source: Financial Times | “Heatwaves test Europe’s electricity system as air conditioning use soars” on.ft.com/4fsSclS

There are 2 transitions -Clean Energy & AI - that are getting $$. US ALL IN on AI; China ALL IN on clean energy. Recommend IEA's report on Energy & AI for numbers:
iea.org/reports/ener...

Blew my mind: Capex in AI is 20% higher than capex in THE ENTIRE US POWER SECTOR
bsky.app/profile/mims...

Why are AI blackouts very likely?AI electricity consumption scaling FASTER than utility electricity

4.4% of US electricity in 2023 went to data centers. Berkeley Lab Report estimates 6-12% of nation's electricity will go to feed AI! @emmavigeland.bsky.social
eta-publications.lbl.gov/sites/defaul...

Why Democracies Fight Dictators Amazon.com: Why Democracies Fight Dictators: 9780197807453: Schramm, Madison: Books

IR Book of the Week!

"Why Democracies Fight Dictators" by @madisonschramm.bsky.social. International politics is not a domain of cold calculation. It invokes emotions. Anger is especially prominent, and helps explain why democracies choose to fight dictatorships.

Motherfucking wind farms…

Lawmakers pass game-changing bill to make it easier for homeowners to make popular upgrade: 'Bringing it into the 21st century makes sense' New Jersey's homeowners will soon see fewer obstacles to installing solar panels thanks to new legislation.

Lawmakers pass game-changing bill to make it easier for homeowners to make popular upgrade: 'Bringing it into the 21st century makes sense' — @climatesollab.bsky.social report cited by The Cool Down found permitting adds $3,800–$4,500 to rooftop solar costs in NJ.

Proud of my former postdoc @kathrynchelminski.bsky.social for publishing on the U.S. interconnection queue, a niche but massively important topic for the green energy transition. 🌍🔌💡♻️

The latest admissions data shows a 14% rise in American applications for undergraduate courses starting this autumn. https://on.ft.com/4m2G39l

1973 was the year OPEC flipped world oil markets and started the largest peaceful transfer of wealth across borders in human history. USA lost trillions over time. Maybe not a good sign when that's the benchmark for 2025? 🤷

Sicily is so hot that the region has just issued an ordinance to suspend various types of agricultural and construction activities on hot days to avoid accidents at work. Essentially these activities will be off at 12:30-16:00pm until 31/8.

But let’s talk again how expensive climate mitigation is..

YouTube video by TEDx Talks Climate Change and National Security | Josh Busby | TEDxSouth Congress

I have a new TEDx talk on why climate change is a national security risk. It might provide some helpful points for public audiences. It builds upon my 20 years of scholarship and policy work in this space. #EnergySky www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8ne...

Methane leaks from dormant oil and gas wells in Canada are seven times worse than thought, study suggests Methane emissions from Canada's non-producing oil and gas wells appear to be seven times higher than government estimates, according to a new study led by researchers at McGill University. The finding...

Methane leaks from dormant oil and gas wells in Canada are seven times worse than thought, study suggests phys.org/news/2025-06... via @physorg_com

The emperor has no tanks Europe doesn’t need more spending to transform its moribund armed forces — it needs more co-operation across borders

Provocative, smart piece by @adamtooze.bsky.social on whether Europeans are getting value for money on military spending. Crucial question, given the vast opportunity costs

on.ft.com/4jIjlSj The emperor has no tanks

New GOP Budget Bill Guts Decades-Old Fuel Economy Rules for Cars and Trucks The Senate’s reconciliation bill essentially repeals the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, abolishing fines for automakers that sell too many gas guzzlers.

NEW

A little-noticed provision in the Senate budget bill would gut the government’s long-running CAFE fuel economy program for cars & light trucks.

The provision sets all penalties for automakers who run afoul of the rules to zero — essentially repealing the law.

heatmap.news/politics/cor...

🛠️ A Rough Guide to Carving a Research Question:

1. Start with the itch: what’s not lining up?

2. Zoom in: what’s the relationship?

3. Who cares: what’s at stake?

4. Fear test: does it risk something?

5. Coffee test: can you say it out loud?

8/

OK, I finally gave in. I'm here. Now to migrate a bunch of users.

I thought I might die from a miscarriage in a Texas ER. The doctors wouldn’t do a D&C — not because I didn’t need it, but because they were afraid of the law after Dobbs. I wrote about that experience last year. Now Trump has gutted EMTALA. More women will face this. That should terrify us all.

Thanks for having me at ESC and St Anthony, @fgenovese.bsky.social !

Glaciers are shrinking fast. Their ice loss affects sea-level rise and water resources for hundreds of millions of people.

Learn more about the 2025 International Year for Glaciers' Preservation at the official website:
www.un-glaciers.org/en

#IYGP2025 #GlacierPreservation

It's dated but Merze Tate wrote a great book on this subject

Far and away, our most competitive export industry. And we're dismantling it for no good reason, while we pretend to care about trade deficits & international competitiveness & great power rivalry with China. Utter authoritarian madness.

Congestion pricing at 29-51 in December statewide; 32-56 in NYC.

Congestion pricing stay/go: 39-41 statewide (-2); 48-38 in NYC (+10).

The wording of the question has changed, but congestion pricing is now at -2 statewide; +10 in NYC in this month's Siena poll. That's a 20 point swing from -22 statewide shortly before launch in December.

December poll: scri.siena.edu/wp-content/u...

May poll: scri.siena.edu/wp-content/u...

Sure but physics holds lots of clues. I was also an engineer in the nuclear industry in the 90s when there was buzz about fusion because the physics were "so compelling". Time will tell.

We have a long way to go on CCS. Hard to know whether this is a case closer to solar power (costs will eventually decline massively) or synthetic oil (never cost-effective despite a century of scientific effort).

NEW from me: China's CO2 emissions fell ~1.6% in the first quarter and have now been flat or down for more than a year. This is the first time on record that emissions are falling due to clean energy growth, not slow power demand.

good_description/good_description_ddk_agb.pdf at main · ddekadt/good_description Homepage of "Good Description" by Daniel de Kadt & Anna Grzymala-Busse - ddekadt/good_description

🚨 “Good Description” with @annagbusse.bsky.social 🚨

What sets 'good' description apart from 'mere' description?

We develop a framework for evaluating descriptive research, whether we are doing it as scholars or assessing it as readers.

Two main contributions...

🔗📄 tinyurl.com/gooddesc

On the new Bombshell podcast, I think it was @emsetc.bsky.social who said about the Houthi strikes, “CENTCOM’S gonna CENTCOM.”

Andor is like Star Wars with writing from The Wire. So good.

Joseph Nye, who coined the term ‘soft power’, dies aged 88 Former dean of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government served in two US presidential administrations

IR has lost a giant. When skeptics question the value of social sciences to the world, people like Joe Nye are part of the answer.

on.ft.com/3SrIlSq Joseph Nye, who coined the term ‘soft power’, dies aged 88