iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Cars have long been commonly associated with freedom in the United States, and it is often assumed that everyone in the country loves to drive. But our latest research tells a different story of a population seeking another type of independence: freedom to move around without cars.

climatecommunityinstitute.substack.com

Driving Isn’t Freedom—It’s a Forced Choice

People in the US Deserve Transportation Beyond Cars

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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.

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

🚲 Nondrivers aren't only in big cities. About 30% of people in rural and low-density areas, more than 37M people, live in households with fewer cars than driving-age people.

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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.

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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%.

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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...

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Daniel Aldana Cohen @aldasky.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Lfg

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Brad Johnson @climatebrad.hillheat.com · 23/09/2026

@jbozuwa.bsky.social of @cplusc.bsky.social kicks off From Crisis to Capacity: Big Ideas Fueling Green Politics #climateweeknyc #cwnyc2026 hillheat.com/events/2026/...

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Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Can fast and free buses take off across the US? Our report says yes. @keawilson.bsky.social at @usa.streetsblog.org spoke with John Stehlin and Emmett Hopkins, co-authors of our report, on why faster service and free fares work better together, and what states can do right now:

usa.streetsblog.org

What Would It Take to Get 'Fast, Free Buses' Nationwide? — Streetsblog USA

Fast and free buses might sound crazy — but is it crazy enough to work, even as governments take aim at steep transit cuts?

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Brad Johnson @climatebrad.hillheat.com · 22/09/2026

@jbozuwa.bsky.social discusses structural challenges of electricity in the US: Climate disasters are increasingly damaging the grid. We need to electrify everything with renewable energy.

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Kristina Karlsson @karlsson-kris.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

My new paper for @cplusc.bsky.social is out! I estimate the potential household cost impacts from utilities’ planned 1.4T in capex spending in the next 5 years — the majority of which is motivated by data center demand and extreme weather mitigation. Thread 👇🏼

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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."

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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...

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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...

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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...

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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-...

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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

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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

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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 🧵

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Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Our research on the Iran War’s overlooked environmental impact was featured in @theintercept.com. Over the first two weeks of the incursion, roughly 5 million metric cubic tons of greenhouse gases were emitted. theintercept.com/2026/08/31/i...

theintercept.com

Ecocide in Iran

The U.S.–Israeli war on Iran has caused massive environmental devastation, adding to the long history of American wars with toxic legacies.

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Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Sandeep Vaheesan, CCI Fellow, co-authored an essay in @dissentmag.bsky.social that warns against affordability politics that would suppress labor to fight inflation. Instead, stronger corporate regulation, public provision of essentials, and higher incomes should be prioritized.

dissentmagazine.org

The Fight Over Affordability - Dissent Magazine

We’re living in a period of excess business pricing power, not overbearing workers.

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The Dig @thedigradio.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Insurance companies tells us they're our 'good neighbor' - all to convince us that they'll protect us in times of need. But in reality, their top priority is profit - and the climate crisis is threatening their moneymaking model. Listen to Moira Birss on our latest episode pod.fo/e/5adbe8

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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...

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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-...

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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...

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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...

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Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

When Congress passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, it ignored what’s driving rents up and leading landlords to defer maintenance. Our Housing Policy Director @ruthygourevitch.bsky.social is quoted in a new @inequality.org story on the bill's shortcomings: inequality.org/article/new-...

inequality.org

Congress Finally Passed a Housing Bill. It Isn’t Enough.

The ROAD to Housing Act fails to address the commodification of housing driving our affordability crisis.

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

Venezuela’s oil is so difficult to refine that it can be up to 50 percent more emssions intensive than “lighter” sources of crude oil, like those found in the US or Saudi Arabia. Ramping up production will cost billions of dollars and make everyone less secure by turbocharging climate change.

climatecommunityinstitute.substack.com

Trump’s Illegal Invasion of Venezuela Forebodes an Environmental Disaster

Rebuilding Venezuelan oil production would produce new annual emissions higher than the carbon footprints of France, the UK, or Thailand

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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.

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Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Landlords arguing against rent freezes often say they can’t maintain buildings without rent hikes. Why? Their gambling debts are coming due—multifamily loan delinquencies nearly doubled in 2024, a 10-year high. @taraghuveer.bsky.social cites our brief in @nybooks.com: www.nybooks.com/online/2026/...

nybooks.com

The Road to the Rent Freeze | Tara Raghuveer

On the evening of June 25, minutes after New York City’s Rent Guidelines Board voted to freeze the rent for a million rent-stabilized apartments across

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Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

A weekslong power outage in Gary, Indiana, laid bare both social and infrastructural vulnerabilities to climate change. Our Research Director @pmbigger.bsky.social spoke to @prospect.org about the forces that worsen climate harms for working-class people and people of color:

prospect.org

Gary, Indiana, Is America’s Latest Climate Victim - The American Prospect

This community has already faced structural racism and disinvestment. A two-week blackout unleashed a humanitarian disaster.

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James Belcher @jamesbelcher.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

New from the consistently excellent Climate and Community Institute: cbatoolkit.climateandcommunity.org @cplusc.bsky.social

CBA Toolkit

Leveraging Community Power in the Energy Transition

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Daniel Aldana Cohen @aldasky.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

A very cool new thing from @cplusc.bsky.social: a toolkit to help communities negotiate the best possible community benefit agreements. cbatoolkit.climateandcommunity.org

CBA Toolkit: Leveraging Community Power in the Energy
Transition

Primary Authors: Toni Symonds, Reva Butensky

Contributing authors and editors: Emmett Hopkins, Tai Kondo Koester James J. A. Blair, Thea Riofrancos, Kate Berry

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