Kate Mackenzie

good faith data center question: can anyone point me to any studies or news reports that are NOT the nytimes georgia expose from last july about actual *water pollution* from data centers? not water USE, but pollution

Great to see extensive NYT & FT coverage of our paper on the fossil-fuel profit bonanza during the previous war-induced oil & gas price spike. Links in Gregor’s thread. 👇

Fossil fuel stocks are exploding in response to the war on Iran.

Who stands to benefit? The richest of the rich.

Who stands to lose? All of us who have to pay higher prices for energy and a new round of sellers' inflation.

What’s Driving the Push For Humanoid Robots w/ James Vincent - Tech Won’t Save Us

This episode of @techwontsave.us assuaged my fears of androids but the guest had bleak outlooks on care.

Robots for elder care is not it. I can take an educated guess that it wouldn't improve the social isolation epidemic that already exists among older adults.

www.techwontsave.us/episode/316_...

CNN: More than 1,000 civilians killed in Iran since war began, rights group reports By Helen Regan More than 1,000 people, including children, have been killed in Iran since the war began on Saturday, according to US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). The rights group said as of Tuesday afternoon ET, at least 1,097 civilians had been killed, including 181 children. More than 5,400 civilians, including 100 children, have been injured, HRANA reported. The group said its report is preliminary and is veritying hundreds more reported deaths.

At least 1,097 civilians had been killed in Iran so far, including 181 children.

I see he tempered it slightly today in Sydney but didn't seem to have mentioned some important points ...

Why is this allowed

"I had to punch that guy because I could tell he was going to hit me back once we jumped him" is just a description of jumping a guy

The bane of my life, this one

West Asia escalation can put India’s energy security to the test

"For countries in the Global South..the attack on Iran collapses several anxieties into one moment: energy dependence laid bare, international law treated as optional, and economic power concentrating in fewer, more unaccountable hands. Oil prices may spike, yes. But the deeper shock is political."

Venture Global litigation highlights risky LNG market: experts - Gas Outlook Arbitration cases being brought against the U.S. LNG exporter Venture Global are highlighting the risks faced by contract buyers.

Or maybe the contracts are different now, with tougher terms

Wonder which countries will lose their LNG shipments this year

Yep

Anyone with a battery on a grid with a decent amount of LNG-linked gas is going to make truly indecent sums the next few months. #EnergySky

Front cover of CO2 Newsletter Vol 1 no 4, April 1980

Vol. 1, no.4 of the CO2 Newsletter, first published in April 1980 (that's not a typo) is now downloadable. Founded by American geologist William Barbat, each was 8 pages of excerpts from recent reports, editorials and deeply researched articles.

1/9
allouryesterdays.info/2026/03/01/t...

The El Niño phenomenon was blamed for a prolonged drought and record heatwave that affected Colombia in 2024

🌎 The warming El Nino weather phenomenon could form later this year, potentially pushing global temperatures to record heights.
➡️ u.afp.com/SuNr

IAEA's Grossi: Iran nuclear sites were largely spared by strikes

Trump says his potential candidates to lead Iran have been killed.….by him.

China’s strategic petroleum reserve is estimated at 1.5bn barrels and they get 4-5m bpd via the strait of Hormuz, so in theory they can last the best part of a year. Of course, price effect hits imports from other sources.

They tried to make sure she became a 'domestic servant', the forced fate of so many other Aboriginal girls. Her achievements were all won as part of a lifelong, hard fight against ignorant policies, racism and heartless discrimination. An honourable woman.

US not planning to tap strategic reserve as Iran war risks oil surge Trump administration holding ‘no discussions’ about using stockpiles to soothe energy markets

5: FT @jamiesmythft.bsky.social says US admin has no plans to utilise the SPR (massive emergency oil reserve that was well used in 2022 Ukraine spike). Baffling - but also,
as story notes, 20% of world supply hard to offset for long

3: we cannot see oil price reaction bcs trade closed until 6pm Sunday NY time

4: OPEC+ has scheduled meeting Sunday… expected to raise quota. But total opec+ spare capacity is maybe 2-3mbpd, still well short of a fifth of ~100mbpd

So, afaict:
1: ships still traversing Hormuz but have fallen away (ie “closed” seems unverified; I’m unclear how it would be confirmed but pretty sure it would splash everywhere if/when)

2: unusually for weekend, ship insurers are cutting coverage to renegotiate and/or hike rates 50%
…

That really is crazy. Bar is almost in hell tbf tho

Carney speech moment, nice while it lasted…

thread:

Not to take away from this analysis at all, but you could substitute “Iran” or “Greenland” for “Anthropic” and it would still work. These guys can’t coerce their way out of a paper bag.

15/ Why is Europe getting oppositional towards US and so close to India all of a sudden? Why are middle powers from Brazil to Canada making deals with Modi?

Good FT big read on India's geopolitical positioning: trade, security, tech, energy choices @katemac.bsky.social
www.ft.com/content/e803...

The next energy crunch, maybe Everyone is derisking from everything

Latest short-ish update from me and @70sbachchan.bsky.social -
1/ Iran, energy
2/ India is derisking from the US through diplomatic deals; 3/ Europe tries to do the same but on hard mode
buttondown.com/polycrisisdi...

Agency makes many people uncomfortable. Having kids in state school in a supposedly progressive area has been very eye opening in that regard