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Matt Burgess

@matthewgburgess.bsky.social
169 followers 153 following 75 posts

Economics professor, interested in economic growth, political polarization, and the environment. Views my own.

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Matt Burgess @matthewgburgess.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
I haven't written much about AI, but here is a take I feel strongly about: Older adults: stop teaching young people to be AI doomers! And young people: get excited and seize the opportunities! guidedcivicrevival.substack.com/p/young-peop...
guidedcivicrevival.substack.com
Young people should be optimistic about AI
It’s creating more jobs than it’s destroying. It’s probably making entry-level jobs more interesting. It has potential to make education better, not worse. Enough with the doomerism!
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Matt Burgess @matthewgburgess.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Don't take a fence down until you know why it was put up. A post on my new civics course. guidedcivicrevival.substack.com/p/students-s...
guidedcivicrevival.substack.com
Students should learn how rich America is and why
They should also learn how poor America used to be. I am launching a new course this fall that will try to teach these things.
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Matt Burgess @matthewgburgess.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
My take on the debate surrounding the new NASEM report on extreme event attribution. guidedcivicrevival.substack.com/p/fossil-fue...
guidedcivicrevival.substack.com
Fossil fuels aren't tobacco
The strength of extreme event attribution science is not the pivotal issue in climate lawsuits. So, let's separate wonky debates about attribution science from contentious debates about litigation.
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Matt Burgess @matthewgburgess.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
What does it mean for both high *and* low emissions scenarios to be diverging from reality? What does deep uncertainty mean for optimal climate policy? Thought-provoking discussion by @jasonbordoff.bsky.social and @noahqkaufman.bsky.social. foreignpolicy.com/2026/06/30/s...
foreignpolicy.com
Doomsday Climate Scenarios Were Wrong. That Doesn’t Help Europe.
Recent scientific reassessments strengthen the case for rapid climate action rather than weaken it.
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Matt Burgess @matthewgburgess.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Some argue for economic degrowth as a path to environmental justice. Yet, the countries improving outcomes for the poor while reducing their environmental impacts are overwhelmingly rich and growing. Great piece by @jburnmurdoch.ft.com, as always. Links below.
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Matt Burgess @matthewgburgess.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
My entry into the debate about "climate hushing" and whether talking about climate change is bad for Democrats: guidedcivicrevival.substack.com/p/climate-ch...
guidedcivicrevival.substack.com
Climate change did not cost Democrats the 2024 election
Some Democratic and activist rhetoric probably alienated voters, but the climate change issue hurt Republicans, not Democrats. Voters want a common-sense approach that takes the issue seriously.
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Matt Burgess @matthewgburgess.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
ICYMI: "Developed economies are growing while reducing many of their environmental impacts" tl;dr: The Environmental Kuznets Curve is more common than we think. New working paper led by Ashley Dancer--an excellent PhD student on the job market soon. www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-9...
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Matt Burgess @matthewgburgess.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
“Shoot for the stars, but make sure that the stars you’re seeing are what’s really out there.” Great advice from @kathlandgren.bsky.social.
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Matt Burgess @matthewgburgess.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
To clear up a common misconception I've encountered: our ambition study isn't about *effort*. It's about which opportunities you stick with or pass up in search of better ones. Don't pass up good opportunities in search of perfect ones. We say nothing about how hard you should or shouldn't work.
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Matt Burgess @matthewgburgess.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Shoot for the moon? Or don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good? Our new paper, led by @kathlandgren.bsky.social, formalizes how to think about this tension. tl;dr: optimal ambition is above average but finite. journals.aps.org/pre/abstract... www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
theguardian.com
Don’t shoot for the moon: aiming for ‘above average’ is key to success, maths suggests
Model created by researchers shows better outcomes are often more likely when people are not too ambitious
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Reposted by Matt Burgess
Matt Burgess @matthewgburgess.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Hi everyone! I'm new to Bluesky. I'm an economist who studies growth, political polarization and the environment. Here are recent summaries of some of the things I'm working on: Long-run growth patterns and their implications: guidedcivicrevival.substack.com/p/regular-ec...
guidedcivicrevival.substack.com
Regular economic development patterns with seismic implications
Global economic development has progressed with several highly regular patterns for more than half a century. These patterns may change, but their implications deserve much more attention and respect.
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Reposted by Matt Burgess
laurentfranckx.bsky.social @laurentfranckx.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
"the retirement of RCP8.5 is a major event in climate change science and it does substantially revise down our projections of some impacts. But it does not change the fact that climate change is real and comes with worrying impacts that we should want to work to avoid and adapt to, as necessary"
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Matt Burgess @matthewgburgess.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
The "nothing has changed" vs. "climate change isn't a problem anymore" false dichotomy about the RCP8.5 retirement was bugging me, so here is my attempt at a constructive post to help us start thinking through the nuances. guidedcivicrevival.substack.com/p/how-differ...
guidedcivicrevival.substack.com
How different are RCP8.5 and RCP4.5 climate change impacts?
A starting point for thinking about how our understanding of climate change impacts has changed (or not changed) with the retirement of RCP8.5.
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Matt Burgess @matthewgburgess.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
I have officially reached the pinnacle of academic freedom in world history (tenure at a U.S. public university)! Looking forward to making the most of it.
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Matt Burgess @matthewgburgess.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
New post on climate lawsuits. tl;dr: the courts should make sure the government follows proper procedure and separation of powers, but they should not be used to make new climate policy, circumventing Congress. guidedcivicrevival.substack.com/p/when-shoul...
guidedcivicrevival.substack.com
When should the courts intervene in climate change policy?
To ensure proper procedures are followed? Yes. To make new policy in the courts? No. I discuss the Endangerment Finding, Environmental Defense Fund v. Wright, and Lighthiser v. Trump.
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Matt Burgess @matthewgburgess.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
In case you missed it, here is a recording of my February talk from St. Luke's Health's (in Boise) climate change and health series. I tried to weave together some broad thoughts on economic growth, climate change and health, and how these interact with each other. www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaSX...
youtube.com
Economic Growth, Climate Change and Health
YouTube video by St. Luke's Health System
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Matt Burgess @matthewgburgess.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
New working paper, led by Margaret Hegwood: "Aquaculture is subject to more regulations than any other food sector in the United States" osf.io/preprints/so... Feedback welcome! Great to work with @dochfroehlich.bsky.social, Pete Newton & Mike Clark on this (in addition to Margaret, of course)!
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Matt Burgess @matthewgburgess.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Seems like solar and batteries are still doing well in the power grid. Sources: www.eia.gov/todayinenerg... www.eia.gov/todayinenerg...
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Matt Burgess @matthewgburgess.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
Some interesting and constructive comments on our paper from @marshallburke.bsky.social. I agree that optimism should be a verb in addition to being an outlook! Paying more attention to adaptation will help us make a plan.
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Matt Burgess @matthewgburgess.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
New paper, led by Hilary Brumberg, from her excellent CU Boulder ENVS MS thesis (she's now at @stanforddoerr.bsky.social): "Riparian vegetation reduces coastal turbidity". A careful empirical study of how land use affects nearby ocean environments (in Costa Rica). www.nature.com/articles/s44...
nature.com
Riparian vegetation reduces coastal turbidity - Communications Sustainability
Riparian vegetation reduced gulf turbidity up to 800 meters offshore, overlapping coral reefs and seagrasses, while pasture and gravel roads increased turbidity, according to a scalable framework usin...
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Matt Burgess @matthewgburgess.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
If you're at @boisestate.bsky.social this week, come say hi!
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Matt Burgess @matthewgburgess.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Hi everyone! I'm new to Bluesky. I'm an economist who studies growth, political polarization and the environment. Here are recent summaries of some of the things I'm working on: Long-run growth patterns and their implications: guidedcivicrevival.substack.com/p/regular-ec...
guidedcivicrevival.substack.com
Regular economic development patterns with seismic implications
Global economic development has progressed with several highly regular patterns for more than half a century. These patterns may change, but their implications deserve much more attention and respect.
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