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jbwriting

@jbwriting.bsky.social
293 followers 772 following 0 posts

writer; CSA survivor-activist; climate change activist (among other things) johnbrookswriting.com

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Reposted by jbwriting
Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 07/10/2026
Well, actual sea surface temperatures have now passed 30°C (86°F) in the key Niño 3.4 monitoring region for the first time in this data record... 😱 Sign up for next week's state of the climate briefing: climatecentral-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi.... Bring your questions, like on this historic El Niño!
Line graph time series of daily Nino 3.4 sea surface temperatures from 1982 to 2026. This year is currently a record high for this time of year through October 5, 2026. Data is from NOAA OISSTv2.1, and the graphic is created by Climate Central at https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-briefings.
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Abdul El-Sayed @abdulelsayed.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Pay teachers a fair wage. Pay paraprofessionals who help support our kids a fair wage. Make sure our schools are safe, clean, warm, and dry.
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Great work on oil and gas industry lies about "routine" flaring. “It’s a deliberate greenwash that establishes a target that’s meaningless,” says Richard Ward, a former Shell sustainability manager.... "Those loopholes are so big that they don’t have to do anything.” Gift link. Please read.
bloomberg.com
Living Next Door to the Oil Sector’s Toxic Flames
Routine gas flaring continues globally, despite pledges by major companies to curb the practice.
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Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 06/10/2026
100 years of September sea surface temperature anomalies... watch until the end (record high) 🫣 Data from ERSSTv6: www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/ext... 🌊
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Oh look, US National Science Foundation-supported science won the Nobel Prize in physics.
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Prof. Eliot Jacobson @climatecasino.net · 06/10/2026
As the reflectivity (albedo) of Earth continues to set new record lows, more of the incoming solar radiation is absorbed by the Earth system, increasing the amount of energy available to heat the oceans, atmosphere, and land, and to melt ice.
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Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Very true. Affects all conservation, environmental, cultural resource, public health efforts involving federal decision-making.
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lynda williams @lyndalovon.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
This bill is not just for energy projects. It applies to everything that needs a federal permit so weakening NEPA, ESA and CWA at a time where there’s outrageous industrial development by AI and nuclear, this is not the time to gut citizen rights!
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Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
This component of Section 1402 in the permitting deal detailing what comprises a "pattern of disparate treatment" worries me. I.e., If a new POTUS in 2029 makes a commitment to decarbonization is that prima facie evidence of an "intentional course of action" that shows "disparate treatment"?
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Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
FYI, good additional nuance re: this provision in the comment thread below. My TLDR: might help with renewables in near term, will help fossil fuels in long term, and is a dumb provision period.
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Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Insightful legal analysis of a highly problematic component of the Senate permitting deal (Sec. 1402) highly touted by bill proponents as a solution to Trump's War on Renewables but is in fact a major gift to all developers—in particular fossil fuels—that will hobble a future POTUS' climate action.
From attorney Matthew Littleton: "Section 1402 of the draft bipartisan permitting bill is deeply problematic. The apparent goal is to stop Presidents from imposing hard or soft bans (“pauses”) on development of certain types of energy resources. Whatever energy policy the next President pursues, however, the likely outcome of this provision is a massive public subsidy (hundreds of billions of dollars) for new fossil-energy projects, with little to no benefit for clean energy. Here’s why. 

Section 1402 authorizes suits by developers for money damages against the United States in any federal district court where part of the proposed project is located. A developer must allege that the government missed one statutory deadline to decide on its application for a permit, right-of-way, etc. It’s up to the judge when the agency’s review clock began (there’s often dispute over when the permit application is complete) and when it ends (there’s often dispute over the degree of environmental review required). So even if the government acted in good faith to meet what it thought was the deadline, the judge can decide there’s a delay. 

Next, the developer has to show a “pattern of disparate treatment,” meaning a substantial increase (as compared to the most recent 5 years) in the percentage of projects of this type that, in the judge’s estimation, were either delayed or “improperly denied.” Here’s where clean energy comes up short. Because the current Administration hasn’t moved those projects, an indefinite stall (including by a new President that continued it) would be no worse than the baseline. Lawsuits can’t be filed until late 2027, by which time the baseline will be dominated by Trump's practices."Part 2 from Littleton: "Next, the judge decides whether the developer’s permit, were the agency to grant it, would be subject to cancellation for violating federal law. The question seems to be whether there is a hypothetical permit the agency could issue that would survive judicial review. That’s a low bar, given the deferential standard of review applied to agency factfinding and “public interest” determinations. 

Section 1402 “entitles” a developer that wins its case to (1) “injunctive relief, as provided by applicable Federal law” (meaning an order that the agency decide on the application? issue the permit?); (2) attorneys fees and litigation costs; (3) “economic damages, including any costs associated with the applicable denial or delay, as the court determines appropriate” (what else is “included”?); and (4) “damages in an amount equal to not less than 50% and not more than 100% of the total reasonably expected cost of construction of the project.” The last of these four must be repaid if the project isn’t built; the developer keeps the rest of the money regardless. 

A single claim under Section 1402 could top the total amount (~$40b) the government has paid out in all Judgment Fund claims over the last decade. This provision puts judges in real control over energy policy through the power of the purse."
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Danny Cullenward @ghgpolicy.org · 05/10/2026
Meanwhile, because the baseline for renewables is mostly delay or rejection under Trump, it's not clear there's a plausible path to remedies for renewables that get delayed under a future administration. (Not advocating otherwise; this is bad policy. Just noting the asymmetry.)
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Danny Cullenward @ghgpolicy.org · 05/10/2026
Renewables won't benefit from this anytime soon if ever, thanks to the 5-year historical baseline period. Under Trump, all fossil fuel projects are approved and most renewables are delayed (or worse). Four years of that and any rejection or delay of fossil permits will look like "disparate impact"!
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Danny Cullenward @ghgpolicy.org · 05/10/2026
I thought this might be an exaggeration, but no! Despite all the talk of technology neutrality, it appears the permitting reform proposal would weaponize claims for federal damages — but in practice, only for fossil fuels.
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Danny Cullenward @ghgpolicy.org · 06/10/2026
Anyway I know social media isn't the best way to hash this out and I'm happy to jump on a call, but I hope you will take these concerns seriously BTW the original post is from Matthew LIttleton, who was in a senior US DOJ role at ENRD before Trump; he really knows his stuff
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Danny Cullenward @ghgpolicy.org · 06/10/2026
Perhaps those who wrote these provisions intended otherwise, but that's what the statute would do as drafted And IMO that is exactly why you want the experts at the big green groups in the room, not on the sidelines, when negotiating text of this complexity
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Danny Cullenward @ghgpolicy.org · 06/10/2026
The statute also leaves vague and undefined what constitutes a "substantial increase" in rates of permit delays, let alone what constitutes a permit that has been "improperly denied" Put that in the hands of forum-shopping litigants and boy howdy you could have a mess on your hands real quick
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Dr. Genevieve Guenther (she/they) @doctorvive.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
important
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Margarete Rosalind Weidenhammer @margareterosali.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Good day☕ for all at #Bluesky💙🤝#USA #HandsOffOurVotes‼️🎯 #Americans 👇 @calltoactivism.bsky.social 🚨HOLY SHIT EVERY WORD OF THIS! #DeNiro: “When that coward, that fucking piece of shit Donald #Trump tries to take our voice and power away. What do we tell him? ... DeNiro is a national treasure! .
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Rocky Kistner @therockyfiles.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
"this conversation brings together three candidates who used their scientific backgrounds to support evidence-based policymaking in the federal government, and have now stepped up to run for Congress."
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Michael E. Mann @michaelemann.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
The DeNiro we've been waiting for all our lives
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ECIU @eciu.net · 05/10/2026
British government ‘complacent about food as a national security matter’ Experts say country does not have plan to feed people in a crisis and is unprepared for future shortages www.theguardian.com/business/20...
theguardian.com
British government ‘complacent about food as a national security matter’
Experts say country does not have plan to feed people in a crisis and is unprepared for future shortages
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ECIU @eciu.net · 05/10/2026
Revealed: Food inflation driven by climate impacted foods – not wages or regulation 5️⃣ everyday staples responsible for much of UK’s food inflation 🧈 Butter 🍔 Beef 🥛 Milk ☕ Coffee 🍫 Chocolate eciu.net/media/press...
eciu.net
Revealed: Food inflation driven by climate impacted foods – not wages…
A group of five everyday staples is responsible for much of the UK’s food inflation, with climate change rather than government policy the key driver of rising grocery bills.
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ECIU @eciu.net · 11/09/2026
Record temperatures are being registered in the UK and around the world with increasing frequency as climate change intensifies. Find out just how frequent in 2026 (so far) 👇
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Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 05/10/2026
California just made it legal to turn balconies into tiny power plants [via @grist.org]
motherjones.com
California just made it legal to turn balconies into tiny power plants
It's the largest state to greenlight plug-in solar panels that help reduce home energy bills.
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Dana R. Fisher (aka the Apocalyptic Optimist) @fisherdanar.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
My thoughts on the permitting reform bill being discussed everywhere. TL;DR: "this deal provides clear evidence that the US system is not designed to represent the people’s interests and not prepared to protect us from the dangers of our warming world." danarfisher.com/2026/10/03/w...
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Joseph D. Ortiz @earthsciinfo.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
EV update: Our 2026 Toyota BZ is now ~3mo, old. My wife has put 1050 miles on it & the efficiency for mostly city driving is impressive: 4.9 miles/kWh. With our electricity at $0.18/kWh we've spent just $39 to charge at home. 🧪🔌💡☀️💨💧🔋
Driving a Toyota BZ 1,050 miles on $0.18/kWh electricity costs just $39. The car it replaced used to get 32 MPG, which would have cost $134 to drive the same distance on $4.00/US gallon gas or 3.4x more expensive.
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Dr. Genevieve Guenther (she/they) @doctorvive.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Obama often said “don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” Obama also lifted the crude oil ban in exchange for clean-energy subsidies, saying this would lead to the widespread adoption of clean energy. 2 years later, the US was the largest producer of crude globally.
U.S. Becomes
World's Largest
Crude Oil
Producer and
Department of Energy
Authorizes Short
Term Natural Gas Exports
In June and August, the United States surpassed Russia in crude oil production for the first time since
February 1999.
Energy.gov
September 13, 2018
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Dr. Genevieve Guenther (she/they) @doctorvive.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
The real question is how this Permitting Reform bill expands global emissions. Most of the fossil infrastructure that will get built without review will be used for methane-gas exports. Advocates’ claim that US emissions will go down is like the three card monte of the campaign for this bill.
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Kevin J. Kircher @kevinjkircher.com · 04/10/2026
Another important modeling choice is if/how to include methane pollution from oil and gas infrastructure. O&G companies leak or intentionally vent methane, the main component of natural gas, from wells, flares, pipelines, compressors, storage facilities, export terminals, ships, and other places.
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Kevin J. Kircher @kevinjkircher.com · 04/10/2026
they making? If they choose to ignore pollution from exports, and also don't clearly acknowledge that ideological choice early in their talk or paper, then what else might they be sweeping under the rug?
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Kevin J. Kircher @kevinjkircher.com · 04/10/2026
Think tanks will soon start releasing non-peer-reviewed modeling of how the permitting bill might affect pollution, if they haven't already. Most will secretly have lots of ideology-driven thumbs on scales. One big way to tip the scales is by ignoring pollution associated with oil and gas exports.
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Prof Ian Hall @ianhall.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
EU Copernicus shows surface air temperatures from June to August were 2.5°C above the decadal average. The consequences are being felt, from deadly heatwaves to ruined harvests. We need to act now. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
May heatwaves, deaths, ruined harvests: study of Europe’s summer paints grim picture for the future
EU Copernicus report shows surface air temperatures from June to August were 2.5C above decadal average
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Prof Ian Hall @ianhall.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
The argument to give nature legal rights seems compelling, not because a declaration alone can solve climate and biodiversity crises, but because it can shift whose interests the law protects. The real test will be enforcement and turning recognition into action. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Nature has rights — it is time the world recognized them
Existing legal frameworks have not halted planetary crises. Recognizing the rights of nature could offer a different path.
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Adam McKay @ghostpanther.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
It’s astounding this isn’t the only thing people are talking about. It shows how much power mainstream news, who are blacking out the climate element of this El Niño, still holds. #ClimateCrisis
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Prof Ian Hall @ianhall.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Climate tragedy = climate reality And this is the reality we face…unless we act. Bangkok at breaking point as floods turn streets into stagnant lakes. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...
theguardian.com
Bangkok at breaking point as floods turn streets into stagnant lakes
With 40 dead and a disaster declared across all 50 city districts, experts warn extreme flooding will only worsen across south-east Asia
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Matthew Sheffield @matthew.flux.community · 02/10/2026
After impeaching and removing RFK Junior, impeaching and removing Russ Vought is the first major task of any Democratic Congress. His illegal acts are legion, flagrant, and comprehensively documented. And notably, they are also frequently in defiance of Republican appropriations.
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Lauren Ashley Davis @laurenmeidasa.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
A federal court in Texas on Friday issued a ruling temporarily blocking the Trump administration from building a border wall and other infrastructure across the state’s Big Bend region. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
nbcnews.com
Federal court temporarily blocks Trump administration’s border wall in Texas’ Big Bend region
The court’s decision comes just weeks after the administration erected the first border wall panels in the Big Bend sector in the middle of September.
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Lauren Ashley Davis @laurenmeidasa.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
UCLA law school accused by justice department of illegally using race in admissions The university denied the allegations, saying it is committed to making admissions decisions in compliance with all laws www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
UCLA law school accused by justice department of illegally using race in admissions
The university denied the allegations, saying it is committed to making admissions decisions in compliance with all laws
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Angie Nixon @angieforfl.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I don't wanna COUCH my words here: I know JD Vance, his eyeliner, and absent Ashley Moody are used to running away from people when things get tough because they care more about themselves and their billionaire buddies than the people they represent. But this is my home. /1
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Bryce Covert @brycecovert.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Fascinating new study of New Mexico's universal childcare program, first of its kind, finds the program dramatically increased work for lower-income moms www.the74million.org/zero2eight/n...
the74million.org
Nearly a Year In, Universal Childcare Is Reshaping Work for Moms in New Mexico
A new study highlights some early impacts of universal childcare on labor supply for mothers in New Mexico.
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Karen Attiah @karenattiah.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Today, 8 years ago, my friend, Saudi Journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered.
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Rebecca Solnit @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
Thank you! At an event last night I said "If the word hope doesn't work for you try, 'Never fucking surrender.'" The word hope seems too sunny to a lot of people, but the heart of it as I'm interested in it is: we make the future in the present, if we show up, and that never surrender part.
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Sammy Roth @sammyroth.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Because high gas prices aren't enough, Trump is rolling back fuel efficiency standards to make sure Americans have to buy even more gas: www.latimes.com/environment/... via @hayleysmith.bsky.social
latimes.com
Lower mileage standards, higher pump costs: What Trump's auto move means for California
Experts say Trump's new fuel standards could complicate California’s efforts to address climate change at a time when drivers face some of the nation’s highest gas prices.
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Sammy Roth @sammyroth.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Whatever else he might do in the next few hours, fantastic news that Gavin Newsom signed this bill to support local journalism. www.latimes.com/california/s...
latimes.com
Newsom signs landmark bill aimed at giving lifeline to struggling California newsrooms
Assembly Bill 2222 will create refundable tax credits for California local news organizations based on the number of journalists they employ.
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Josh Lappen @jlappen1.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
This is a great primer on how the year ended for CA's surviving slate of clean energy bills. I'll admit that it's a better showing overall than I expected!
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Right To Zero @righttozero.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
"In other great news revealed just after 5 p.m., Newsom signed AB 2313, which will require gas utilities — namely PG&E, SDG&E and Southern California Gas — to offer financial incentives for customers to switch to electric appliances."
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Sammy Roth @sammyroth.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
BREAKING: Newsom signed a bunch of clean energy bills! Californians can now install balcony solar. Plus big wins for virtual power plants, reining in utility profits and converting farmland to solar. One loser: community solar. Really stings. Details: www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/newsom-cle...
climatecoloredgoggles.com
Breaking: Newsom green-lights balcony solar
The governor finished strong on clean energy — with one big exception.
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Sammy Roth @sammyroth.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
One bad thing: Newsom vetoed community solar. Lots of states have thriving community solar markets — medium-sized solar farms that can reduce electric bills for nearby residents. Alas, Newsom keeps getting in the way. Details in CLIMATE-COLORED GOGGLES: www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/newsom-cle...
climatecoloredgoggles.com
Breaking: Newsom green-lights balcony solar
The governor finished strong on clean energy — with one big exception.
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Sammy Roth @sammyroth.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Good news California! You can now install plug-in solar panels without permission from your utility. Your gas company is also required to offer you thousands of dollars to install electric appliances instead of replacing your gas line. Lots more here: www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/newsom-cle...
climatecoloredgoggles.com
Breaking: Newsom green-lights balcony solar
The governor finished strong on clean energy — with one big exception.
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