James Temple

As any Bluesky discussion grows longer, the probability it will degenerate into humorless sanctimony approaches one.

The U.S. is the only major economy where planet-warming pollution dramatically increased last year. The United Nations warns the planet is on track for catastrophic warming. n.pr/4zb8sRp

You had me at "healthy freelance budget" . . .

Remains incredible to me that Vox basically pioneered a whole style of YouTube video now used by the biggest newsrooms in the world, and have kind of totally abandoned it www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk8M...

We made a show! We made a show! www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKDa...

Great piece untangling the recent Fervo short-seller claims from @emilypont.bsky.social: heatmap.news/energy/fervo...

As the network's climate coverage greatly decreased under Weiss, CBS also aired segments discounting scientific warnings and downplaying consequences of federal climate policy.

I am slightly short of my Year 1 financial sustainability goal. If you can help put me over the top today, that would be amazing. If not, that's OK too, you can also sign up for free! www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/subscribe

In July, I helicoptered into the backcountry of Denali to follow along researchers on the frontlines of permafrost research. My story on what they're learning and what it means for climate change is now up.

the reporting and photography, including of this Madagascar child drinking from a gold mine's waste water pipe, is incredible. the story is infuriating. a look at how dirty gold is laundered into the world economy, with help from the one org meant to regulate it. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/19/w...

Finished @jamie-fisher.bsky.social’s wonderful biography of Elliott Smith (go pick it up for yourself!!), and ended up listening along and creating a playlist of my favorite songs from all his albums along the way. There are so, so many:

What California is seeing now is “decades worth of sea level rise in a month or two." 🎁🔗 www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

OK, you've all made the joke, thanks.

In LA, police and federal agents are shooting out the eyes of people protesting ICE. I detailed the accounts of 5 young men who lost their eyes after protesting for @capitalandmain.bsky.social capitalandmain.com/he-went-to-d...

California's hottest races are between Democrats, and all about housing. To understand the dynamics to replace Pelosi (and her own heavy hand) and become LA's next mayor, you have to read this @jetjocko.bsky.social piece: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Hey Claude: What would be the most convoluted, overengineered and expensive way of addressing solar intermittency issues?

This is utter bollocks. We still can keep the Earth habitable far more easily than we could make any other planet habitable. Sheer ignorance.

I was wondering what the latest numbers would look like, as I think a lot of us have seen interconnection queue results from the last decade or so that are dominated by renewables — but Kevin shows that MISO's queue is now dominated by gas.

"We are entering a new era of civilizational risk and retreat. With these new conditions comes a physical retreat of the human footprint and an aspirational contraction of what humans can do and where we can do it." www.nytimes.com/2026/10/12/o...

The press (of which I'm a member) has gone to extended lengths to find fault in these drugs, but they continue to look like medical marvels.

TR's annual list of the Climate Tech Companies to Watch is up! Read up on Energy Dome, WaveSave, Moment and more.

Oh retractionwatch.com/2026/10/02/p...

A new analysis that looked at just one piece of reforms detailed in the tentative Senate deal & for just part of the US, the reforms could cut CO2 emissions by 71 million metric tons, or 9%, in 2035 compared to a non-reform scenario. Story @bloomberg.com: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Just took the lovely Maeve out for an afternoon. She gets agitated by other dogs, but is otherwise the biggest sweetheart you will ever meet. If you’re in the DC area you can adopt her here: bvspca.org/dc

Meta is using its A.I. data centers to exploit a lucrative tax break intended to support research and experimentation, according to an exclusive report by The New York Times. The company’s own accountants recognize that the strategy is on shaky legal ground. nyti.ms/3VlavDw

This has been a huge problem, this is now up on every page at npr dot org

great @emilypont.bsky.social story about a new initiative to quantify the energy intensity and emissions of proprietary AI models from Google, Anthropic, and OpenAI

Big ups to @katearonoff.bsky.social for covering this seemingly boring but actually really important story about the GHG Protocol. Standards are technical & opaque AND they’re where the politics happen. This is a classic case of “managing tons.” 🧵

Congratulations to my friend @hollyjeanbuck.bsky.social for being a 2026 MacArthur Fellow. I always knew she was a genius and this confirms it. 🥳

Y'all didn't solve climate change, so we're putting out another list!

As always, the cruelty is the point.

<Shrug emoji>

The world has made real progress in steering away from some of the darkest climate futures where global emissions doubled (or more) this century. But as David Wallace-Wells and I note in today's NYT, we are not out of the woods yet, and climate uncertainty is not our friend: www.nytimes.com/2026...

New investigation from @jamesmodonnell.bsky.social & me into the border #SurveillanceTech by #Anduril, General Dynamics, and Israeli co. Elbit Systems that failed to catch 1 in 4 deaths within range. In other words: 1,050+ people dying on camera. www.technologyreview.com/2026/09/21/1... 1/x

A brilliantly-reported and vitally important investigation from us today. Jaw-dropping, heart-breaking findings. So proud of the team, but especially @jamesodonnell.bsky.social and @eileenguo.bsky.social www.technologyreview.com/2026/09/21/1...

BREAKING: TV pool will not be providing coverage of presidential events until further notice b/c of CNN's ban, pool chair and FOX News Washington Bureau Chief Bryan Boughton said. It's effectively a boycott by the fellow members — ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX: www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Just one model, but I'll accept these results:

Please stop repeating the argument that asserting AI is a danger to humanity is a distraction from AI being an energy/climate risk: It's both. www.cnn.com/2026/09/18/p...

I'm hoping to interview someone who has been a federal or state firefighter in Alaska to get their insight on a research program I'm writing about. If anyone has suggestions, please reach out or put them in touch with me. Appreciate any guidance on this! 🙏