iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

NEW: Climate policies must deliver for working people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. Today, we're releasing Immediate Relief, a set of policy proposals to cut costs, protect rights and survival, and expand leisure and access: stopgreedbuildgreen.climateandcommunity.org/immediate-re...

097

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

We have solutions for small towns and big cities, no matter how residents get around. Our report calls for overhauling federal and state DOTs, and making massive investments in diverse transportation options so that people have real choice.

151

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

🚗 73% of drivers say they have no choice but to drive as much as they do, and 53% want more transportation options.

121

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

💰 The lowest-income households with cars spend 40% of their income on transportation. Those without cars spend 7%.

173

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Out today: Our new report shows that car dependence is a burden for people across the US, draining household budgets and leaving drivers feeling trapped. Key stats below 🧵 climateandcommunity.org/research/dri...

1146

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Biden's IRA incentives favored wealthier households while falling short on green jobs and housing. The urgency of the climate crisis demands a more ambitious agenda, one that embeds it in issues that people care about. @aldasky.bsky.social explains in this @theguardian.com story—🔗 below.

When Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed a law erasing the words "climate change" from state statutes in May 2024 - colloquially known as the "don't say
climate change" law - Democrats were outraged. Just six months later, many liberal politicians began to go quiet on the issue themselves. After Donald Trump won the 2024 election, mentions of the climate crisis started to disappear from Democrats' rhetoric. As the 2026 midterms approach, that retreat is still shaping how some candidates talk about climate on the campaign trail.
The trend, known as "climate-hushing" , may reflect the
limitations of Joe Biden's climate policies, said Daniel Aldana Cohen, assistant sociology professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who studies climate politics and inequality. Green jobs and housing investments fell short of the climate movement's desires, consumer incentives disproportionately benefited wealthier households, and Democrats struggled to effectively communicate their...

The climate crisis, however, is still rearing its head around the country, fueling the heatwaves, wildfires and floods plaguing communities around the US. It also lurks behind issues animating voters, from datacenter expansion to rising home insurance rates. And while some pundits have concluded from their polling and research that Americans don't want to hear about global warming, other surveys directly contradict those findings.
"Maybe people don't rank climate as their main or top issue ... but nobody really experiences everyday life like walking around the world rank-ordering the things that they care about," said Aldana Cohen, who is also founding co-director of the thinktank Climate and Community Institute that calls for "green economic populism".
"What's important is to learn how to embed the climate issue organically amidst the other issues that people care most about."

Some progressive and populist candidates in the US midterms are pushing back against climate-hushing, linking the issue to economic concerns and everyday struggles. Others aren't speaking about it directly, but pushing for policies that could curb emissions. Such efforts could help build a mass base for climate policies, said Aldana Cohen.
"If we want to decarbonize fast enough and adapt to the impacts that are already here, we're going to need a robust majority that backs those policies," he said. "Elite consensus alone will not suffice ... we're going to need like large numbers of people really enthusiastic about climate policies."

1117

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

The US needs long-range transmission, battery storage, and energy efficiency upgrades supported by Federal investment in interregional transmission, rate design reform, and incentives for long-term resilience and affordability. Read more: stopgreedbuildgreen.climateandcommunity.org/posts/the-bl...

021

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Investing in high-voltage transmission lines would save customers money, allow more renewables to come online, and more effectively meet demand, but utilities only built 55 miles of high-voltage transmission in 2023, down from 4,000 miles in 2013.

141

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Utility capex has exploded—$208 billion in 2025 vs $104 billion in 2015, with a projected $280 billion/year on average through 2030. Of 51 utilities surveyed, 32 named data center demand as a key driver.

100

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Our new report shines a light into the black box of utility capital expenditures, which determine what gets built and how utilities profit. The burden isn’t spread evenly—the lowest-income households will be hit hardest by increasing electricity bills.

100

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

NEW: If you live in the US, your electricity might cost an additional $376/year by 2030. Why? Utilities are passing on $1.4 trillion in costs—largely to deal with AI expansion and climate disasters—to customers over the next five years. stopgreedbuildgreen.climateandcommunity.org/posts/the-bl...

196

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

For low-income households facing extreme heat, buying an AC unit solves one problem and creates another: higher utility bills. Our Founding Co-Director @aldasky.bsky.social is quoted in this @sfchronicle.com story on who has cooling as heat waves spread: www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...

030

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Friday, Sept 25, 12 PM Book Talk: Thea Riofrancos, Extraction Featuring @triofrancos.bsky.social, CCI Strategic Co-Director ipk.nyu.edu/events/book-...

041

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Thursday, Sept 24, 2 PM Labor, Climate & Public Power in the US Featuring @batul.bsky.social, CCI Labor Director luma.com/46ljy63o

111

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Wednesday, Sept 23, 6:30 PM Building Postcarbon Futures Featuring @joobilly.bsky.social, CCI Co-Founder, @aldasky.bsky.social, CCI Founding Co-Director, and @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social, CCI Fellow www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/cbh...

142

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Wednesday, Sept 23, 4 PM From Crisis to Capacity: Big Ideas Fueling Green Politics Featuring @jbozuwa.bsky.social, CCI Executive Director, and @rmabud.bsky.social, CCI Senior Fellow www.eventbrite.com/e/from-crisi...

100

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Wednesday, Sept 23, 2 PM Frontline Defenders: Health, Worker Rights, and Care in a Changing Climate Featuring @batul.bsky.social, CCI Labor Director docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

100

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Tuesday, Sept 22, 2 PM The Public Pathway as Energy Internationalism Featuring @jbozuwa.bsky.social, CCI Executive Director luma.com/8j2o68y8

100

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Climate Week NYC is just around the corner. Starting next week, our staff and leaders will be at a number of events to discuss the issues that the climate movement faces in the months ahead and beyond. Join us, and visit the links below to RSVP and get more information 🧵

273

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

New speaker added! @aru-shiney-ajay.bsky.social, Executive Director of @sunrisemvmt.bsky.social, will join our panel at Climate Week NYC. RSVP now—only a few tickets remain: www.eventbrite.com/e/from-crisi...

060

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

This week, we are thrilled to welcome Shannon Baker-Branstetter as our Senior Policy Director. They will be developing and executing our policy strategy to take on working people’s needs and the climate crisis at scale. Learn more about them: climateandcommunity.org/bio/shannon-...

011

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Join us at Climate Week NYC on Sept 23rd for a panel on how to strategically advance a climate agenda that meets the current political moment and truly works for working people: www.eventbrite.com/e/from-crisi...

295

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Our Senior Fellow @moira.bsky.social recently appeared on @thedigradio.bsky.social to discuss how insurance companies profit off climate catastrophe. Listen to the full episode with @dwallacewells.bsky.social, @madisoncondon.bsky.social, and @astra.bsky.social: thedigradio.com/podcast/insu...

194

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Trump’s illegal invasion of Venezuela has always been driven by fossil imperialism. With the announcement that the US will control 65 billion barrels of the country’s oil, the environmental consequences are now coming into view. We wrote about the effects that this could have earlier this year.

160

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Out today: @mjhaugen.bsky.social, our Energy and Planning Manager, appeared on @techwontsave.us to discuss our latest research on AI with @parismarx.com youtu.be/bk6q6qIL7SU

132

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

We want to see the US government direct collective resources and energy toward an agenda that serves people and the planet, not Big Tech. Listen to our Energy and Planning Manager @mjhaugen.bsky.social on This Machine Kills:

1113

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

The Green New Deal for Public Housing is back on the table. Our report with @urbandemos.bsky.social + @actionlabny.bsky.social shows how the bill would transform housing in NY, greening and modernizing public housing while building affordable, tenant-controlled homes at scale nyshousingsolution.com

041

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

The Green New Deal for Public Housing is back on the table. Our report with @actionlabny.bsky.social + @urbandemos.bsky.social shows how the bill would transform housing in New York, greening and modernizing public housing while building affordable, tenant-controlled homes at scale.

132

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Recently reintroduced, @jayapal.house.gov and @markey.senate.gov's Green New Deal for Public Schools Act, which is based on research from CCI, would invest $1.6 trillion to provide healthy, green upgrades to every K-12 public school in the US: climatecommunityinstitute.substack.com/p/the-green-...

062

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

The disaster risk finance system is collapsing as insurance premiums rise beyond affordability, coverage options diminish, and insurers exit some regions entirely. A federal disaster insurance program could protect housing from catastrophes in ways that the private market cannot.

130

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

NEW: Housing is unaffordable for half of renters and a quarter of homeowners. Our brief with @periumass.bsky.social shows how the federal government could expand the supply of permanently affordable green social housing. climateandcommunity.org/research/the...

011

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Here's what that $1.6 trillion would mean for public education.

$446 billion over 10 years to Climate Capital Facilities Grants to fund healthy green retrofits for every public school in the country.

$250 billion over 10 years to Resource Block Grants to fund expanded staff, social services, training, and professional development in public schools.

$100 million over 10 years to Educational Equity Planning Grants to pilot a process of eliminating intra-region education inequities in school funding and encourage neighboring agencies to coordinate equitable, locally-driven economic development.

$69.5 billion annually in expanded Title 1 and IDEA Annual Funding to sustain increased operational support to schools and districts with students living in poverty and to better support students with disabilities.

120

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

We're seeking a Senior Associate, Finance and Operations who blends operational savvy, financial management, and commitment to supportive and transparent culture. Learn more and apply: climateandcommunity.org/careers/

0102

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

New Brief with @periumass.bsky.social: The Safe Housing Foundation could expand and improve housing choice vouchers while delinking poor and working families’ energy bills from the costs of expanding clean energy and modernizing the grid. climateandcommunity.org/research/tow...

001

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

NEW: Most renters are cost burdened, spending at least 30% of their income on housing. Congress should work to pass a universal cap on annual rent increases at 3% or .75% of the local Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower. climateandcommunity.org/research/nat...

1122

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

On Saturday, our community and the world lost Dr. Sarah Knuth, one of the foremost thinkers on energy, climate, and just transitions. She was the driving intellectual force behind so much of CCI’s research. We will miss her desperately.

17116

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

The climate crisis has caused home insurance premiums to skyrocket across the country, particularly in California. States should establish Housing Resilience Agencies—new entities to run housing risk-reduction work and home disaster insurance provision with transparency, democracy, and equity.

The HRA model combines comprehensive risk mitigation with public disaster insurance provision, while also facilitating collaboration with other state entities to ensure coordinated policy that increases affordability, availability, and resilience of housing and related infrastructure.

The HRA would be part of a whole-of-government effort to tackle the climate crisis. It would be funded by a variety of sources, aimed at preventing the privatization of profits and the socialization of losses that plagues current home insurance systems.

140

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

As @mjhaugen.bsky.social discussed with @premthakker.bsky.social, the buildout of data centers has coincided with both weakened environmental regulation and enforcement. We cover this in more detail here: stopgreedbuildgreen.climateandcommunity.org/posts/ai-first

0197

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

The economy can be reoriented to lower both emissions and costs, moving us away from fossil fuels while also using fewer critical minerals to furnish a green transition. Read @triofrancos.bsky.social's interview in @newleftreview.bsky.social: newleftreview.org/issues/ii159...

062

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Data centers are changing to meet demand for AI training and usage. While conventional data centers require up to 10 MW of energy, Meta’s Hyperion project will need 500 times that amount—more than enough to power every home in New Jersey.

152

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Our new report on AI uncovers how Trump’s tax policy fueled Big Tech’s AI ambitions. In 2025, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta received a $49.7B tax cut, paying an effective rate of just 4.9% rather than the statutory rate of 21%, increasing their cash reserves to rapidly scale AI infrastructure. Watch:

13526

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

What is being sacrificed when the federal government prioritizes the proliferation of AI and AI data centers across the US? Watch @premthakker.bsky.social's interview with @mjhaugen.bsky.social about our new report: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMdz...

052

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

AI’s rapid emergence shows the potential for the state to be oriented toward a different mission that centers the creation of socially useful green infrastructure like clean energy, healthy schools, libraries, social housing, and public transit.

162

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Trump’s tax policy unleashed funding for Big Tech’s AI ambitions. In 2025, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta received a $49.7 billion tax cut, paying an effective rate of just 4.9% rather than the statutory rate of 21%, increasing their cash reserves to rapidly scale AI infrastructure.

263

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Fast and free buses save working people money and expand their options for getting around. In a new op-ed, Rep. Rashida Tlaib cites our research to make the case: planetdetroit.org/2026/06/tlai...

021

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

In a four-way race to get to the World Cup, it took one bus-going NYT reporter 3.5 hours to make the journey. Rideshare took just one hour. It doesn't have to be this way.

130

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Time's running out to apply for our Energy Policy Manager position! Submit your cover letter and resume by Tuesday, June 23 at 11:59pm Eastern Time: climateandcommunity.org/careers/

0386

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

There's another way to wield state power: green economic populism. Invest at the scale that the climate crisis demands, develop community-owned energy systems, and give the public an equity stake. More here: stopgreedbuildgreen.climateandcommunity.org/posts/whitep...

051

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Trumpian state capitalism is designed to benefit oligarchs and empire, not the public. CCI's @triofrancos.bsky.social examines this through the prism of critical minerals with @iliasalami.bsky.social for @phenomenalworld.bsky.social: phenomenalworld.org/analysis/tru...

1133

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Solutions to the climate crisis and the cost-of-living crisis aren't at odds—they go hand in hand. As our Executive Director Johanna Bozuwa said in The Guardian, "using affordability as a cudgel to weaken climate policy is a major error that will not solve either crisis, ultimately amplifying both."

175