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Akshat Rathi

@akshatrathi.bsky.social
31K followers 435 following 2.7K posts

- Senior climate reporter, Bloomberg News - Newsletter bit.ly/bbg-zero - Podcast bloomberg.com/zero-podcast - Book akshatrathi.com/book - akshat.rathi@pm.me

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Reposted by Akshat Rathi
Rishika Pardikar @rishpardikar.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
At COP30, there was a push for a "fossil fuel roadmap" to enable a transition. The flood in Nepal is also set to add momentum to calls for mitigation & loss & damage finance. But the #COP31 presidencies neither list fossil fuels as a priority agenda nor loss & damage www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/ene...
thehindu.com
COP31 hosts Australia and Türkiye face the fossil-fuel question
There is likely to be pressure on the COP31 presidencies to include fossil fuel language as part of the agenda. The catastrophic floods in Nepal on August 26 and the damage they wrought are also set t...
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Jenny Splitter @jennysplitter.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Bagels and cultivated lox at NYC climate week. Ingredients beyond the salmon cells here: www.wildtypefoods.com/faqs/why-are...
cultivated salmon at Madre Brava’s breakfast of tomorrow event at NYC climate week. cultivated salmon at Madre Brava’s breakfast of tomorrow event at NYC climate week.
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Katie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 25/09/2026
I have blamed The agents That hacked Your website And which You probably Reasonably thought I controlled Forgive me I am rich And unaccustomed To taking responsibility
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Kristin Louise Raught Photography 🌀 @kristinlraught.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Last night’s Harvest Moon over Seattle. The clouds made it feel even more dramatic as it rose above the Space Needle and the Cascades. Also called the Corn Moon, this is the full moon closest to the autumn equinox.
Orange Harvest Moon behind wispy clouds above Seattle’s Space Needle and skyline, with the Cascade Mountains in the background.
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Akshat Rathi @akshatrathi.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Australian right trying to mimic Trump in gutting fuel-efficiency standards, when oil is above $100 a barrel. 😅
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Akshat Rathi @akshatrathi.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Even extremely land-constrained Japan has found ways to keep deploying solar. Bye bye, golfers. Fun fact: in the US, as of 2025, golf courses occupy twice as much land as solar farms.
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Akshat Rathi @akshatrathi.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Japan imports 99.9% of its oil. It has already cut oil consumption in half from its peak. It knows what it must do to go further: move from hybrids to pure electric. 🎁🔗 www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
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Akshat Rathi @akshatrathi.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
A government that spends big must also earn big. With the property sector taxes dwindling, China is now going after the country's rising number of wealthy people. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
bloomberg.com
China’s Tax Grab Squeezes Rich Elite Harder Than Ever
Hefty bills, vague calculations and squads targeting individual billionaires are rattling the country’s wealthy.
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Akshat Rathi @akshatrathi.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
"Chinese automakers made up nearly 12% of total new-car sales in Europe in August. Demand for battery and hybrid cars jumped 27% in August." www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
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Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
This just keeps getting bigger.
bbc.co.uk
OpenAI bots meddled with US government agencies, including SEC and Census
OpenAI said its bots accessed public data from a range of institutions during test exercises.
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Gernot Wagner @gwagner.com · 25/09/2026
"Ethics of science cannot be separated from who funds it" Goes for AI, goes for climate, of course, too. Spot on @financialtimes.com letter:
FT letter: "Ethics of science cannot be separated from who funds it"
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Science Magazine @science.org · 25/09/2026
A devastating and mysterious algal bloom that hit the coast of South Australia last year, killing more than 600 different kinds of marine life, inflicted such severe damage that a famed population of the giant Australian cuttlefish might not recover. Learn more: scim.ag/4rrVhbz
One of nature’s greatest marine wonders may be about to vanish
An algal bloom has almost wiped out a unique population of giant cuttlefish—and their stunning mating swarms
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John Hanger @jrfhanger.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Good morning with good news: Full-electric vehicles were 51% of Uruguay's auto sales in August, with EV sales up 171%, compared to August 2025! Plug-in hybrids were 5% of sales, so EVs were 56% of auto sales. EVs surged from 5% to 50% in just 2.5 years! cleantechnica.com/2026/09/24/u... #energysky
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Bloomberg News @bloomberg.com · 24/09/2026
This week on Bloomberg's Zero podcast, author Arthur Downing discusses what history has to teach us about the electricity system.
bloom.bg
How to Build an Electrostate
How to make electricity cheap is a question that’s bedeviling policy makers around the world, particularly in the US and Europe. Some countries, however, have figured it out, including Iceland, Norway and China. So how do we get to that point? And what is the role of government versus the role of technology?
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Lauri Myllyvirta @laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The solar panels, electric vehicles, EV batteries and wind turbines exported by China in 2025 will avoid annual emissions equal to those of the UK and Portugal combined, according to my new estimates. Avoided emissions increased 30% compared with 2024 exports.
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Gabe Wasylko @gabewasylko.com · 24/09/2026
Today’s Lake Erie Sunrise in Cleveland, Ohio
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Carbon Brief @carbonbrief.org · 24/09/2026
NEW – Analysis: EVs are now nine times cheaper than petrol or diesel to drive in the UK ✍️ Written by @mollylempriere.carbonbrief.org 📊 Data analysis by Ho Woo Nam Read here: buff.ly/VpxOLE5
EVs are now up to nine times cheaper per mile than diesel cars. Pence per mile. A chart shows diesel highest at around 21p, petrol at 20p, EV at price cap at 7p, and EV off peak lowest at under 2.5p. Source: Carbon Brief analysis, DESNZ, Ofgem, Zapmap. - (alt text generated by Google Gemini)
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Tim Jesper Suhrhoff @climatejesper.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
For a century, we’ve essentially been running an Enhanced Weathering field trial. In our Nature paper out yesterday, we show that agricultural liming in the Mississippi River Basin acted as a net CO₂ sink—while offering a rare century-scale analogue for EW. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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David Fickling @davidfickling.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
EV charging in China was 17.2 TWh in August, up 51.2% year-on-year. That's equivalent to ~1.3 million barrels of oil a day, in a global oil market that shifts about 100m bpd. Just the change from last year cuts global oil demand by 0.5m bpd. english.cec.org.cn#/newsdetails...
english.cec.org.cn
cec
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Robbie Andrew @robbieandrew.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Solar panels are making it to Luke Skywalker's home planet...
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Akshat Rathi @akshatrathi.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Uh, what?! www.theguardian.com/education/20...
theguardian.com
Backlash as Indian oil heir made professor of sustainability by Newcastle University
Role for Anant Ambani, son of India’s richest person, who also runs a controversial mega-zoo, met with incredulity
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Akshat Rathi @akshatrathi.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
A 2023 study found Hindi to be the second "most pleasant" language. www.economist.com/graphic-deta...
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Akshat Rathi @akshatrathi.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Americans can't buy Chinese cars. They are showing up on some American streets nonetheless. www.wsj.com/business/aut...
wsj.com
The U.S. Wants to Ban China’s High-Tech Cars, but They’re Already Here in El Paso
Mexican dealers are selling cutting-edge Chinese cars that U.S. consumers can’t buy. Americans are warming to the idea of them.
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Michael Pettis @michaelpettis.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
FT: "“I had thought that it was perhaps only towards 2030 that China would get up close to 40 per cent,” said Eskelund. “That of course also means that the imbalances are growing very, very considerably.”" www.ft.com/content/51c4...
ft.com
China’s share of global container exports soars to 40%
Rapid rise underscores economy’s reliance on trade and threat to trading partners, EU chamber says
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Damian Carrington @dpcarrington.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Huge #ElNiño projected to cause 450,000 heat deaths in next six months - New report predicts a heavy toll from Nigeria to the US – and comes on top of existing impacts of the #climatecrisis Story by me www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Huge El Niño projected to cause 450,000 deaths in next six months
New report predicts a heavy toll from Nigeria to the US – and comes on top of existing impacts of the climate crisis
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Rachel Holliday Smith @rachelholliday.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
chat is this good www.axios.com/newsletters/...

1 big thing: Ø Link economy breaks
Total U.S. web traffic for top news sites
Visits to approximately 100 top sites;

Traffic to news sites is plummeting in the
U.S. as tech giants steer people away from search and toward AI.
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Sarah Andersen @sarahseeandersen.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The image is of a four panel comic.
In the first panel we see Sarah, the protagonist, next to a stick figure labeled “AI”. The stick figure says, “my outputs look just like yours now.”
The second panel zooms in on Sarah’s face. Above her we see text reading “I think”.
The third panel zooms in closer on Sarah’s face. Text above her reads “you missed”.
The fourth panel shows Sarah drawing happily in a sunlit room. The text above her reads “the point”.
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Christian Odendahl @codendahl.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Around the world in 80 charges is a great slogan.
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Jenny Chase @solarchase.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Balcony solar installations that make you go "hmm", an occasional series.
A cropped photo of some south-facing solar panels mounted on a balcony, which would be in full sunlight if the awning of the balcony was not hanging right over nearly all of them. Taken close to midday near the poster's home in Switzerland.
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Akshat Rathi @akshatrathi.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Your brAIn already has AI in it
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Smooth Dunk @smoothdunk2.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
4 panel comic

Panel 1:
A post from “kavishj9611” that reads: 

“All the people who are anti-Al or want to slow Al progress, I have one question:
If Al disappeared tomorrow, could you still get through an entire workday without ChatGPT, Claude, or any other
Al tool?
Imagine Al was suddenly banned.
Would you actually be willing to give it up?”

Panel 2:
And Orange Guy and a Pink Guy are standing in a room that has two pipes in it. Both pipes are pumping raw sewage into the room. The characters are waist deep in it.
Orange Guy says smugly “Ok Mr “I don’t want to be in a room that’s filling up with raw sewage” let me ask you this”

Panel 3:
The sewage has reached their chests. Pink Guy is gagging. Orange Guy smugly continues “If all this sewage disappeared right now, could you get through the day without it?”

Panel 4:
The sewage is almost up to their eyeballs. Orange Guys says “Look at that shit floating past your face. Are you willing to give that up?”
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Smooth Dunk @smoothdunk2.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
AI Guy Asks AI To Help Him Read Difficult Books
4 panel comic

Panel 1: Orange Guy holds up book and says “I’m gonna read a book”

Panel 2: Orange Guy looks at book cover and says “hmmmmm”

Panel 3: Orange Guy types a query into his phone

Panel 4: Close up on phone screen reveals AI responding with “a chocolate factory is a factory made of chocolate”
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Smooth Dunk @smoothdunk2.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
when ai leaves u behind
7 panel comic.

Panel 1:
A Red Guy with AI across his chest looks like he’s about to run away. A Yellow Guy stands next to him. Red Guy says “I’m the future, buddy. You comin’?”
Yellow Guy replies “Nah”

Panel 2: 
Red Guy is almost out of the panel. He leans in and says “Enjoy getting left behind, pal”
Yellow Guy replies “ok”

Panel 3:
Yellow Guy stands alone.

Panel 4: 
Close up on Yellow Guy, there is a quiet “huff-huff-huff” noise coming from behind him

Panel 5:
Yellow Guy turns to look behind him

Panel 6: 
Close up on Yellow Guy’s face as if from the point of view of an attacker.
Yellow Guy yells “Jesus Christ”

Panel 7:
AI Red Guy is now chasing the Yellow Guy. 
Red Guy: “Use me”
Yellow Guy “No”
Red Guy “USE ME”
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Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 19/09/2026
This miracle is the fruit of generations of enormous and bipartisan investments of public research support for our universities. Future versions of this miracle are what we are currently losing, due to the US Administration’s decision to shatter the public’s partnership with our universities. 
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alex䷰trismegistus @technihilism.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
"we asked a statistical model of the english language whether we should bomb a boat" what the fuck are we even doing here
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Peter Gleick @petergleick.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Given the outrageous, dangerous, and outright false statements made about how the polio (and other) vaccine was a "fraud" (at the Children's Health Defense conference), here's a reminder of what a massive success it was. RFK Jr. & his minions must be stopped from destroying the US healthcare system.
Graph of the number of cases and deaths from polio from 1910 to 2022, showing how polio completely disappeared after the introduction of the vaccine -- one of the most important health advances of the 20th century. Data from the US Public Health Services; the Center for Disease Control.
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Spencer Ackerman @attackerman.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
This is a really important story. You know how over reliance on AI makes you lazy and stupid? This shows how that’s happening within the military — a military, it cannot be pointed out often enough, that’s growing ever more reliant on AI. The children of Shajarah Tayyebah Elementary paid the price
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Kate Mackenzie @katemac.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Pretty rotten. Even tho Pakistan avoided billions in LNG costs because of all their solar… they still have a lot of LNG dependency, legacy baked in a decade ago. Bangladesh is even worse position
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Dave Jones @cleanpowerdave.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Dear Big Oil- Did you notice China's ICE car sales are down 30% year-to-date?
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Felix Hamer • electricfelix @electricfelix.eurosky.social · 17/09/2026
Fickling does it again: "China’s Electric Cars Aren’t Europe’s Real Problem" "current policy gets the problem back-to-front. Europe is restricting imports of Chinese-made EVs, but allowing unrestricted trade in the batteries that power them" #battchat www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
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Danny Cullenward @ghgpolicy.org · 17/09/2026
The inimitable @mikegrunwald.bsky.social has an exceptionally well written oped on the disastrous proposal from the Greenhouse Gas Protocol to give companies carbon credit for cutting down trees.
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Latest Corporate Climate Ruse (Gift Article)
Making deforestation look climate-friendly will encourage a lot more deforestation.
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Akshat Rathi @akshatrathi.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
"This is the first time in more than 50 years that there has been no growth in India’s coal power over a two-year period, even as electricity demand grew overall." www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-ind...
carbonbrief.org
Analysis: India’s power-sector emissions flat for two years due to clean-energy surge - Carbon Brief
A surge in clean energy has kept carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in check across India’s power sector, with no growth from the first half of 2024 to the same period in 2026.
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Akshat Rathi @akshatrathi.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Doubts grow about China's gas demand, as experience from one province shows. *Gas plants are increasingly being used to balance intermittent renewables output instead of delivering baseload power." www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
China’s Gas Demand Outlook Clouded by Guangdong’s Power Shift
Electricity market reforms in one of China’s economic powerhouses could herald a more sweeping slowdown in the country’s demand for natural gas.
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Akshat Rathi @akshatrathi.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
“The timing is right to accelerate the energy transition to electricity,” says Thailand energy minister www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Thailand Sees Energy Transition as Shield Against Oil Volatility
Thailand is using the oil shock caused by the Iran war to accelerate a shift toward electrification and domestically sourced energy, trying to turn a supply crisis into a push for greater security.
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Akshat Rathi @akshatrathi.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
🤣
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Simon Evans @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org · 16/09/2026
ELECTRIFICATION: Really striking chart showing that three-quarters of final energy demand can now be electrified "economically" (ie at lower lifetime cost) – and 90% electrification is technically possible From the latest @ember-energy.org slidedeck by @kingsmillbond.bsky.social and colleagues
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Amanda Shendruk @not-ship.com · 16/09/2026
I really didn't want to add to the AI hype. But there's something the reporting is missing. That scary number? The ">10% chance we'll all perish" number? It's nonsense. It's just a bullshit hunch with a percentage sign. www.not-ship.com/stop-trustin...
not-ship.com
Stop trusting the extinction math
The AI industry's favourite 'statistic' isn't backed by data. And it distracts from what's really going on.
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Simon Evans @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org · 14/09/2026
REMINDER: Trump has overseen a larger fall in coal-fired power than any other US president (ie, other things equal, the EPA repealing power-plant CO2 rules means more coal power,…but other things are not equal, because most coal plants are old and expensive) www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-tru...
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Ash in China @ashinchina.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
the cheapest car with single piece gigacast parts is the Deepal S05, they deleted over 160 parts and more than 1500 welds. its 120,000rmb or 17k USD. good luck, guys.
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Elizabeth Kolbert @elizkolbert.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
“The labs are saying to governments: ‘We’re quite likely to kill every human being on Earth; please stop us.’ Governments respond with ‘Can we give you a tax break? Build you a datacenter?’ Perhaps at some point governments will remember that their voters prefer not to be dead.”
giftarticle.ft.com
Why the AI race has its creators fearing human extinction
Advances in autonomous agents and bitter rivalry between Anthropic and OpenAI have pushed once-fringe fears into the mainstream
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