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Daniel Cohan

@dscohan.bsky.social

Professor of environmental engineering at Rice University; author of Confronting Climate Gridlock; https://cohan.rice.edu

1,866 Followers  |  1,381 Following  |  51 Posts  |  Joined: 10.11.2024  |  1.8344

Latest posts by dscohan.bsky.social on Bluesky

EV sales share by country

EV sales share by country

To see just how fast emerging car markets can pivot to electric vehicles, check out Vietnam's jump from zero to 54% in this report by CSIS's Ilaria Mazzocco
www.csis.org/analysis/ele...

05.08.2025 20:02 β€” πŸ‘ 44    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
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Impacts of potential investments on electricity resource adequacy and emissions in Texas Growing demand, an increasingly variable power supply, and blackouts during a 2021 winter storm prompted the Texas legislature to incentivize the cons…

New paper with Chen Chen and Carrie Hashimoto examines how investments in power plants, transmission, storage, or efficiency would improve resource adequacy and reduce emissions in ERCOT
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

09.07.2025 22:15 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
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β€˜Big Beautiful Bill’ will have Americans paying higher prices for dirtier energy The new federal law favors energy technologies that are already profitable and increase global warming over cleaner approaches that could use the investment support.

It wasn’t until researching this article that I realized quite how bad the Big Beautiful Bill is for clean energy β€” reduced royalty rates for fossil fuels, a gutting of fuel economy standards, and subsidies for biofuels & coal, along with the IRA cuts we all knew

theconversation.com/big-beautifu...

09.07.2025 12:49 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 1
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G.O.P. Bill Adds Surprise Tax That Could Cripple Wind and Solar Power

Perhaps the worst energy provision I’ve ever seen in a federal bill

G.O.P. Bill Adds Surprise Tax That Could Cripple Wind and Solar Power www.nytimes.com/2025/06/29/c...

29.06.2025 19:20 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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How the β€˜Big Beautiful Bill’ positions US energy to be more costly for consumers and the climate Some technologies could rapidly cut emissions, while others do little to fight climate change. The House bill favors the latter while nixing support for the former.

If your β€œenergy bill” helps billionaires get richer while we get dirtier air and higher prices…
It’s not giving β€œbig” or β€œbeautiful.” It’s giving bought & paid for.

zurl.co/9kkoD

@dscohan.bsky.social

#StandUpForScience
#OBBB
#ClimateCrisis

20.06.2025 14:55 β€” πŸ‘ 64    πŸ” 24    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
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How the β€˜Big Beautiful Bill’ positions US energy to be more costly for consumers and the climate Some technologies could rapidly cut emissions, while others do little to fight climate change. The House bill favors the latter while nixing support for the former.

My take on what the House-passed β€˜Big Beautiful Bill’ would mean for energy and climate theconversation.com/how-the-big-...

10.06.2025 18:33 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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The Progressive Forum

Video from last month's True Climate Solutions panel
www.progressiveforumhouston.org/speaker/true...

09.05.2025 19:50 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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E.P.A. Set to Cancel Grants Aimed at Protecting Children From Toxic Chemicals (Gift Article) The cancellations, set to apply to pending and active grants, also affect research into β€œforever chemicals” contaminating the food supply.

I started my career with an EPA STAR grant, which supported my first PhD student. It’s hard to see how early career environmental scientists, engineers and health scholars will get their start with EPA’s main program for external grants being dismantled.
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/c...

22.04.2025 12:10 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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China’s CATL says it has overtaken BYD on 5-minute EV charging time New version of flagship battery cell can achieve 520km range compared with BYD’s 470km, claims company

Wow

on.ft.com/4inhS2X China’s CATL says it has overtaken BYD on 5-minute EV charging time

22.04.2025 02:22 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

This is a profoundly important attack on American leadership in environmental science. #fightfightfight

18.03.2025 14:28 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Trump Administration Aims to Eliminate E.P.A.’s Scientific Research Arm (Gift Article) More than 1,000 chemists, biologists and other scientists could be laid off under a plan to dismantle the Office of Research and Development.

The air quality and health models I have used throughout my career have emerged from EPA’s Office of Research and Development. Shuttering it would be a devastating loss.
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/17/c...

18.03.2025 11:34 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 2

Things will slow sharply. Federal grants are the biggest source of support for the graduate students and postdocs who are essential to many projects.

02.03.2025 00:29 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Weather and climate data shown on this website and countless others are at risk.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is the U.S. agency responsible for global weather forecasting, hurricane prediction, ocean observation, and many other services vital to public safety. Its satellites, supercomputers, and research teams provide essential data that help us understand our planet and protect lives.

On February 27, the new U.S. administration initiated mass firings at NOAA. These actions are unethical and deeply disruptive to the talented scientists and engineers who dedicate themselves to the public good. The firings, along with expected budget cuts, have serious implications for the availability and quality of weather forecasts produced by the United States. They must be reversed immediately.

Much of the data on this website is downloaded directly from NOAA's servers. In this environment of uncertainty, access could be disrupted at any time. While I'll strive to keep all features on this website functional and switch to alternative data sources if necessary, some datasets have no substitute if they go offline.

If this concerns you, speak up. Share on social media. And if you're in the U.S., contact your representatives.

- Cameron

Weather and climate data shown on this website and countless others are at risk. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is the U.S. agency responsible for global weather forecasting, hurricane prediction, ocean observation, and many other services vital to public safety. Its satellites, supercomputers, and research teams provide essential data that help us understand our planet and protect lives. On February 27, the new U.S. administration initiated mass firings at NOAA. These actions are unethical and deeply disruptive to the talented scientists and engineers who dedicate themselves to the public good. The firings, along with expected budget cuts, have serious implications for the availability and quality of weather forecasts produced by the United States. They must be reversed immediately. Much of the data on this website is downloaded directly from NOAA's servers. In this environment of uncertainty, access could be disrupted at any time. While I'll strive to keep all features on this website functional and switch to alternative data sources if necessary, some datasets have no substitute if they go offline. If this concerns you, speak up. Share on social media. And if you're in the U.S., contact your representatives. - Cameron

All websites that depend on NOAA data should display something like this.

earth.nullschool.net

01.03.2025 19:41 β€” πŸ‘ 2201    πŸ” 874    πŸ’¬ 22    πŸ“Œ 28
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Stand up for Science March 7, 2025
#ScienceSky #MedSky #SciSky
@altnps.bsky.social
@altcdc.bsky.social
@altnih4science.bsky.social

15.02.2025 20:16 β€” πŸ‘ 308    πŸ” 128    πŸ’¬ 8    πŸ“Œ 4

Solar + wind + batteries could be cheaper than that, even if the gas was free

16.02.2025 20:04 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Teslas are the most prevalent non-gasoline cars, so it’s best for them to keep being driven and for new EVs to be bought from their competitors

16.02.2025 19:41 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Please pass to Energy Dept. employees (or others at agencies doing work that Trump and Musk seem eager to scrutinize). I heard through a solid source that employees were asked one day last week to take a break for a few hours at one of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management offices. 🧡

15.02.2025 22:29 β€” πŸ‘ 15    πŸ” 9    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1
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50% OFF Confronting Climate Gridlock: How Diplomacy, Technology, and Policy Can Unlock a Clean Energy Future An atmospheric scientist explains why global climate change mitigation and energy decarbonization demand American diplomacy, technology, and policy Professor of environmental engineering Daniel Co...

A 50% discount for the audio version of my book, Confronting Climate Gridlock, available through March 7th
www.audiobooks.com/promotions/p...

12.02.2025 19:57 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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My annual decarbonization presentation is here.

200 slides, covering everything from water levels in Lake GatΓΊn to sulfur dioxide emissions to ESG fund flows to Chinese auto exports to artificial intelligence. www.nathanielbullard.com/presentations

30.01.2025 12:28 β€” πŸ‘ 699    πŸ” 223    πŸ’¬ 39    πŸ“Œ 70
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White House pauses all federal grants, sparking confusion The Trump administration has put a hold on all federal financial grants and loans, affecting tens of billions of dollars in payments.

I think some people hear β€œgrants” and think that without them, scientists and government workers just have less stuff to play with at work. But grants fund salaries for students, academics, researchers, and people who work in all areas of public service.

β€œPausing” grants means people don’t eat.

28.01.2025 03:03 β€” πŸ‘ 43634    πŸ” 14464    πŸ’¬ 1594    πŸ“Œ 951
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The Los Angeles Fires Accelerated the Looming Natural Gas Crisis All American cities are at risk.

New by me in @heatmap.news: The LA fires have accelerated the looming financial crisis facing gas utilities from 2035/2040 to today.

Preventing that disastrous cost spiral, though, can help make burned areas safer, easier to rebuild, and more insurable! (1/12)

πŸ’‘πŸ”Œ

heatmap.news/ideas/la-fir...

22.01.2025 22:04 β€” πŸ‘ 108    πŸ” 27    πŸ’¬ 7    πŸ“Œ 4

Devastating for scientists and their research, and everyone who benefits from that research.

I’m not sure if everyone outside academia is aware that a delay or β€œpause” in grant funding often means the researchers themselves are lost from the field, along with their expertise.

22.01.2025 23:24 β€” πŸ‘ 24415    πŸ” 7915    πŸ’¬ 802    πŸ“Œ 437

For folks who are new to BlueSky, I created a climate journalists starter pack (it’s full already but if there are enough folks to warrant a second one I can make it…or YOU can, anyone can!)

go.bsky.app/1ivUnG

21.01.2025 13:13 β€” πŸ‘ 177    πŸ” 59    πŸ’¬ 10    πŸ“Œ 7
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Electric vehicles, circa 1980

15.01.2025 22:41 β€” πŸ‘ 26    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 0

🚨job alert🚨
Would you, or someone you know, like to channel something into thinking rigorously about how safe and electrified housing for everyone might also save the grid?

I'm hiring a postdoc! 1-2 years, remote ok, $75k/year. Focus: model scenarios on deep building efficiency & grid impacts

14.01.2025 18:55 β€” πŸ‘ 166    πŸ” 79    πŸ’¬ 8    πŸ“Œ 5
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Batteries are reshaping ERCOT’s ancillary services procurement

Battery generation capacity has made up 50%+ of awards for reg up and responsive reserves since 2022. In these, coal and gas regularly account for <20% of capacity.

#energysky πŸ”ŒπŸ’‘

23.12.2024 18:58 β€” πŸ‘ 65    πŸ” 18    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 4
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Opinion | Yes, Biden’s Green Future Can Still Happen Under Trump Jigar Shah and Robinson Meyer discuss how the decarbonization rollout can continue during the second Trump administration.

β€œThe second is that Solyndra had real technology risk, & we don’t take real technology risk anymore at the Loan Programs Office.” - @jigarshahdc.bsky.social in this important interview with @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social. Agreed, & we have a β€œmissing middle” in energy.

www.nytimes.com/2024/12/20/o...

25.12.2024 14:46 β€” πŸ‘ 128    πŸ” 25    πŸ’¬ 7    πŸ“Œ 0

France has added a 1.6 GW reactor to its grid after 17 yrs building. It will be taken off line shortly for repairs as discussed in the thread. In that time, the US added 191.8 GW of solar. After accounting for capacity factor (~25%) that's still 30x the capacity added. πŸ§ͺπŸ”ŒπŸ’‘β˜€οΈπŸ’¨πŸ”‹

22.12.2024 15:54 β€” πŸ‘ 270    πŸ” 73    πŸ’¬ 17    πŸ“Œ 6
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Removing Carbon From the Sky Could Be the Next Climate Gold Rush Investors are betting that they can make a dent in global warming, and healthy profits, with companies that alter the atmosphere.

If you were to write a piece on carbon removal at the end of 2024, would it be about billionaires investing in a "gold rush"?

Or about flight from a sector that has no clear and durable business model, in the face of decreasing climatetech funding and net-zero talk?

www.nytimes.com/2024/12/22/c...

22.12.2024 15:45 β€” πŸ‘ 158    πŸ” 44    πŸ’¬ 10    πŸ“Œ 18

With the latest Chinese export controls on gallium, germanium, & antimony, you’re gonna hear more about the need to cut red tape (i.e., environmental regs) to help πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ extract and secure these critical minerals.

It’s a facile narrative rooted in political convenience & not commercial reality. 🧡(1/x)

03.12.2024 22:52 β€” πŸ‘ 52    πŸ” 15    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 7

@dscohan is following 20 prominent accounts