Eliza Barclay

I’m trying to figure out the right way to say this, because: Look, the CPB closing is devastating, and I don’t in any way want to blow even a wisp of smoke that it isn’t. But twice today, I’ve seen people express how sad they are that all of public television and radio is over. Not true! (1/3)

The renewable energy revolution is a feat of technology | Rebecca Solnit An energy revolution is underway in this century, though most people have not noticed it

An energy revolution is underway in this century, though it’s unfolded in ways slow enough and technical enough for most people not to notice (and I assume it’s nowhere near finished). It is astonishing – a powerful solution to the climate crisis... [Wrote it a while ago; came out yesterday.]

WMO certifies megaflash lightning record in USA The megaflash occurred in October 2017, during a major thunderstorm complex. It extended from eastern Texas to near Kansas City - equivalent to the distance between Paris and Venice in Europe. It woul...

There is a new world record for the longest lightning flash - 515 miles!

The World Meteorological Organization has certified a lightning flash that extended from near Dallas, TX, to near Kansas City, MO, on October 22, 2017, as the new longest lightning flash.

⚡🧪🧵

(1/3)

wmo.int/media/news/w...

Opinion | We’re About to Find Out if Kennedy Is Serious

Finally got the great @hbottemiller.bsky.social to write for me: "If the Trump administration wants to tackle the unhealthy food supply, then it has the most momentum to achieve success I’ve ever seen." www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/o...

Scientists Say New Government Climate Report Twists Their Work A new Department of Energy report “fundamentally misrepresents” climate research and leaves out key context, multiple scientists cited in the report tell WIRED.

NEW: i spoke to nine (!) scientists across several disciplines whose work was cited in the new Department of Energy report that downplays the severity of climate change. all of them say their work was misrepresented, cherry picked, and/or lacked context —

The EPA cited my paper in their argument against the endangerment finding today. However, their point is completely backwards: my paper actually supports the EPA's 2009 range of 1.8C to 4C warming by 2100. www.nature.com/artic...

Booming solar and storage are propping up Puerto Rico’s grid this summer What started as a modest pilot program is now the first virtual power plant of its kind in the region, advocates say.

“This is the clearest case, at a large scale, of residential solar and batteries keeping an electricity grid energized for everyone on the grid,” said Chris Rauscher, head of grid services and virtual power plants at Sunrun

Navy Set to Unplug Critical Hurricane Satellites this Week Abrupt termination of satellite data by U.S. Department of Defense sends forecasters scrambling for a fix on the brink of the busiest stretch of the hurricane season

If you think I've forgotten about the hurricane satellites, think again. The Navy is permanently unplugging them this week, on the brink of the busiest stretch of the season. There's so much more to this story, and I have the latest scoop. ⬇️

YouTube video by Ruthless Podcast Why the left is going crazy over Sydney Sweeney, plus EPA admin Zeldin breaks news on the Progrum!

Forcing myself to watch this podcast in which EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin completely bungles all manner of details and facts about the endangerment finding, the scientific foundation of all federal climate policy www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRei...

“Staggering” Water Loss Driven by Groundwater Mining Poses Global Threat A new study finds that freshwater resources are rapidly disappearing, creating arid “mega” regions and causing sea levels to rise.

Excellent reporting and graphics by @propublica.org on disappearing groundwater www.propublica.org/article/wate...

Opinion | What Happens When Doctors Can’t Trust the Government?

100%agree! I’ve been employed by NIH (3 times) & CDC. These institutions & their professionals are priceless assets to Americans’ health—because they operate on the basis of the best available medical science. Replacing them with ideological zealots will lead only to needless death & suffering.

An American mega-influencer flew to Lithuania. Then the chaos began. The streamer IShowSpeed drank pink soup in the Baltics, marveled at cars in China and made friends in Saudi Arabia. Are his tours propaganda, or just good advertising?

"It also revealed how governments are focusing on creators’ giant fan bases as a new strategy for soft power, pushing novel methods of attention-getting that could reshape how nation-states portray themselves to the rest of the world." www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

Now is not the time for anonymity In plain sight, the Justice Department is prioritizing politics over public safety. Those in the know must step out of the shadows and call it like they see it, before it's too late.

This is beyond correct, and those not speaking up are utterly complicit in the destruction of our constitutional norms.

Why risky coastal real estate continues to attract buyers Even after floods and hurricanes, "people still want to live in paradise"

Why does risky coastal real estate keep selling despite rising seas, flooding, and insurance chaos?
It’s not just denial — it's debt, disaster aid, and disconnection.

New from me:
open.substack.com/pub/susanpcr...

Opinion | Climate Science Is Now the Law

"No ruling on its own can bring the fossil fuel era to its end; rather, it is the people who use it — in litigation, legislation and negotiations worldwide — who will give it teeth and make its conclusions impossible to ignore." www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/o...

For the Privileged Few, Airport Food Hits a New Height of Luxury

“Equal opportunities for unequal outcomes,” she said. “That is the American bargain.”
This Priya Krishna piece is a searing portrait of the U.S. economy, posing as a piece about the food in airport lounges.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/21/d... #EconSky

This renowned climate scientist says this is the most difficult time for climate science he’s ever seen Benjamin Santer has faced pushback on climate research in the past. But this environment feels different ‘because it's so targeted.’

“Scientists don’t have the Hippocratic oath that doctors do, but we should. If you see that harm to the stability of climate and to present and future generations is being caused, then, in my opinion, you have a moral and ethical responsibility as a climate scientist to speak out against that.”

He’s the first person since Ed Koch who understands how to use the NYC sense of humor to run for mayor.

Judge dismisses Trump’s copyright lawsuit against Bob Woodward and audiobook publisher | CNN Business The president’s lawsuit against the veteran journalist and his publisher was dismissed the same day Trump filed an unrelated suit against the Wall Street Journal.

Trump's lawsuit against Bob Woodward and publishing house Simon & Schuster was dismissed by a federal judge today.

"We're very pleased the Court agreed with us and dismissed the case," S&S said in a statement.

At least 13 arrested at ICE protest on Roebling Bridge. What we know At least 13 people were arrested as a group calling for the release of a man detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Covington, Kentucky police arrested journalist Madeline Fening, one of my best friends, yesterday for lawfully covering a peaceful protest against ICE's detention of a local children's hospital chaplain. They held her overnight and charged her with a felony.

www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2...

Opinion | I’m a Climate Activist. I’m Not Giving Up Just Yet.

Excellent, sobering, inspiring piece by @billmckibben.bsky.social on climate action and solar possibilities:

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/o...

Even the tawdry timeline we inhabit has some bring spots--from my piece in the NYT this morning
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/o...

Opinion | I’m a Climate Activist. I’m Not Giving Up Just Yet.

The great @billmckibben.bsky.social on why Trump's attempts to kill clean energy will not be as successful as Reagan's: www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/o...

Unprecedented and illegal: Russ Vought refuses to release White House budget as required by law. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

U.S. socked with 15 billion-dollar weather disasters during the 1st half of 2025 » Yale Climate Connections Four of the top 20 costliest weather disasters have occurred in the last year.

Now that NOAA is no longer tracking billion-dollar weather disasters, rely on insurance broker Gallagher Re, who just released their list for the first half of 2025. So far, we are near the 10-year average. The CA wildfires ($65 billion) were the 8th-costliest weather disaster in world history.

Food Intelligence by Julia Belluz, Kevin Hall, PhD: 9780593332306 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books The essential guide for understanding what you’re eating, and the forces that are driving you to eat it. Nutrition isn’t rocket science; it’s harder. There are new diet fads, bold...

So excited for this book from the estimable @juliabelluz.bsky.social and Kevin Hall www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/671334...

Two Writers Fell in Love, Married, Then Divorced. Who Gets the Story?

Lovely to see my high-school pal Hannah Pittard featured here. Buy her book! www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/b...

Excellent report on the questionable accounting of heat deaths in Maricopa County, AZ. It's further evidence of a point I make in "The Heat Will Kill You First": heat mortality statistics are at best unreliable and almost certainly undercounted.

smoke impacts of prescribed burning — ECHO: Environmental Change and Human Outcomes Lab | Stanford University Yes, it almost certainly does, but benefits in terms of net smoke reductions take a few years to be realized.   By: Marshall Burke Wildfire smoke is a rapidly growing environmental health haz...

Does prescribed burning reduce overall smoke from wildfire? We have 2 new papers that try to quantify. Answer: each acre Rx burned yields ≥3x more reduction in future wildfire smoke than is emitted in the Rx burn. But can take years to realize benefits.
www.stanfordecholab.com/blog/prescri...

So much of the radicalization of the billionaire SV class simply seems to stem from the world deciding not, after their two decades of ruining the world, to worship them appropriately—and now they see themselves as the ultimate victims.