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Michael Roberts

@mikejrob.bsky.social
1.7K followers 292 following 381 posts

An economist who studies agriculture, climate change, energy, and sometimes other environmental and resource issues. Blog: grainsgigawatts.substack.com

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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Hawaii should have been a clean energy leader. Second best: follow Europe: “The current energy transition is not just a climate policy — it’s insurance against future crises” - Natalia Fabra @nataliafabra.bsky.social @aereorg.bsky.social @eaere.bsky.social @natlgovsassoc.bsky.social
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Near-trillionaires can't handle the truth. I appreciate Kristof's dedication to telling it anyway. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/01/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | U.S.A.I.D. Cuts Killed People. That’s the Truth.
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Here’s our new report looking at various pathways for lowering electricity costs and meeting clean energy goals. The best policy options involve lowering the soft costs of solar interconnection. uhero.hawaii.edu/hawai%CA%BBi...
uhero.hawaii.edu
Hawaiʻi's Electricity Future: Three Findings on Solar Reform, Enhanced Geothermal, and the JERA LNG Proposal - UHERO
This report asks what Hawaiian Electric and Hawaiʻi should build to keep Oʻahu's lights on through 2050.
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
A University of Hawaiʻi report says that building more solar farms with battery storage is the most cost-effective way to power Oʻahu, rather than building new power plants. The electricity company doesn’t agree. Lol.
civilbeat.org
UH Report: Oʻahu Needs More Solar, Not New Power Plants
Economists say solar plus battery storage is the best option for Oʻahu.
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | It Was One of the Cold War’s Greatest Crimes. No One Has Paid a Price.
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Maybe with higher prices Trump can get them to drill baby drill.
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
SCOTUS handed Trump an out on tariffs. He doubled down anyway, using Trade Act §122. Problem: §122 is flat-rate—so he loses the ability to shake down firms/countries with carve-outs and punishments. Zombie tariffs, zombie politics, awesome stupidity. open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...
open.substack.com
Attack of the Zombie Tariffs
A brain is a terrible thing to have eaten
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Soak in the entitlement, the elitism, the open embrace of eugenics. They're so special, aren't they? www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/w...
nytimes.com
The Price of Admission to Epstein’s World: Silence
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
What's the best ownership structure for network monopolies like utilities? (a🧵) The three most, prevalent: (1) investor owned utilities,regulated by state public utility commissions; (2) municipalities; and (3) cooperatives, customer owned and regulated with a lighter touch.
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
An excellent chart with a depressing message. H/T @hannahritchie.bsky.social substackcdn.com/image/fetch/...
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
Oof. The Fed doesn’t control the federal deficit. At all. Always striking how even very smart, influential people get basic things about science and economics wrong.
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
The Obscure Power Sector Dictionary Capacity market: a way to protect the fossil fuel industry from competition while transferring data center electricity costs to residential and smaller commercial customers. Energy only market: a fair, efficient, often vilified alternative to capacity markets
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Let's all agree to use Calibri font for all documents next three years.
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
Proposition: The quality of research papers is inversely related to the frequency of acronyms.
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
"The clearest sign that we are not actually in a bubble is the fact that everyone is talking about a bubble.” I heard this a lot during the .com & real estate bubbles, too. And the profit model in a highly competitive environment? 🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗 www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/t...
nytimes.com
Why the A.I. Boom Is Unlike the Dot-Com Boom
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Anil Dash @anildash.com · 09/12/2025
A *lot* of folks in our communities say they feel like the air is better. Some people reply saying that their feeling is psychosomatic, but I’m not sure that’s the case.
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
Anyone know why this Excess CAPE is so different from mine? For example, it says 1.65% today while mine is 0.59%. The CAPE is ~40 today and 10-year real rate is 1.91%. 1/40 - 0.0191 =0.0059 🤷 en.macromicro.me/charts/27100...
en.macromicro.me
US - S&P 500 Shiller Excess CAPE Yield | MacroMicro
The Shiller Excess CAPE Yield (ECY) is calculated as follows: ECY = (1 / CAPE) - US 10-Year Treasury Bond Real Yield Calculated as the stock earning yield (inverse of CAPE) subtracted by the U.S. 10...
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
The WSJ doth try too hard to explain why this isn't a bubble. Yes, AI may change society and economy a lot. But it also looks *very* competitive. And likely more competitive in the future. So, hard to see how profits could be that large. Moreover, experts gains will likely be modest going forward.
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
The best Thanksgiving cartoon I’ve ever seen. (Even if that wasn’t the intent)
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JAERE @jaereaere.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
📢 Just accepted in #JAERE 📢 is now posted at @aereorg.bsky.social! 📍 Follow @aereorg.bsky.social to stay updated on all things REEP and JAERE. #EconSky 📈📉
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
Scary stuff. But interesting to take stock of how our institutions, including SCOTUS, have failed to live up to founding principles in the past. We corrected course then; hopefully we will this time, too. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Nobody Should Go to Jail for a Harmless Meme
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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
"We're pro-affordability, but we're going to raise tariffs on you. We're pro-affordability, but we're going to undermine the Fed, which is going to potentially cause inflation. We're pro-affordability, but... we're going to rip the American health insurance system up."
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Ken Caldeira @kencaldeira.com · 22/11/2025
"The end of progress against extreme poverty?" We have to work so that current trends are not good predictors of the future. Thanks: @maxroser.bsky.social @ourworldindata.org ourworldindata.org/end-progress...
Total population living in extreme poverty by world region, 1990 to 2040
Extreme poverty is defined as living below the International Poverty Line of $3 per day. This data is adjusted for inflation and
differences in living costs between countries. Projections are from the World Bank. From 2026–2030 they are based on
growth forecasts from the World Bank and IMF. From 2031, they are based on observed 2015–2024 growth rates.

Data source: Lakner et al. (2024) (updated using World Bank PIP in September 2025) – Learn more about this data

Note: This data is expressed in international-$ at 2021 prices. It relates to income (measured after taxes and benefits) or to consumption,
per capita.

OurWorldinData.org/poverty | CC BY

https://ourworldindata.org/end-progress-extreme-poverty
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
'DOGE’s biggest “achievement” was shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development. And the dismantling of USAID has left a legacy of death. According to one recent study, closing the agency “has already caused the deaths of six hundred thousand people, two-thirds of them children.” '
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
Global solar growth is up 64% in the first half of 2025 compared with 2024. Seems like we're at peak emissions in the electricity sector, with new solar+wind > demand growth. Trumpies will slow it a little in the US, but that hardly matters globally. ember-energy.org/latest-updat...
ember-energy.org
Global solar installations surge 64% in first half of 2025 | Ember
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Ken Caldeira @kencaldeira.com · 16/11/2025
Actual causes of death in the US and media coverage of same. And then we wonder why people have such a skewed understanding of the world. @ourworldindata.org is a treasure. Thanks, @hannahritchie.bsky.social and colleagues. ourworldindata.org/does-the-new...
Two largest causes of death in the US are heart disease and cancer, but the media focuses on homicide and terrorism.
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Our (formerly) best media selling out to the oligarchs--The NYT and Washington Post among them. The NYT is to media what Harvard is to academia. When they cave, the whole world should worry. paulkrugman.substack.com/p/talking-wi...
paulkrugman.substack.com
Talking With Margaret Sullivan
The state of the media in Trump Two Year One
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
Wow: "The turnout rate of voters age 18 to 29 rose to 41.3 percent this year from 11.1 percent in the 2021 election for mayor. The share of total turnout composed of 18-to-29-year-olds grew to 16.6 percent from 8.9 percent four years ago" www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Steve Bannon Thinks Zohran Mamdani Is a Genius. It’s Not a Feint.
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
Great Freakonomics episode on how the 1910 Flexner Report reshaped U.S. medical training — and its lasting influence. 🎧 freakonomics.com/podcast/the-... Also: new NBER paper by Karen Clay et al. on this history → www.nber.org/papers/w33937 Does this history contribute to today's doctor shortage?
freakonomics.com
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
Quite a reversal on the betting odds of a democratic house in 2026. electionbettingodds.com/House-Contro...
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
When my "dark" traits get the better of me, I ✔️the state of science @statmodeling.bsky.social "as long as this sort of research gets shoved into the world’s most prestigious scientific journals ... [and] gets uncritical press coverage, we’ll keep seeing more of it." tinyurl.com/4f2yhwtx Oh well
tinyurl.com
Aversive statistical methods explain differences in “dark” publication in PNAS across subject areas | Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
Today, Russia has a population roughly similar to that of the United States in the 1940s. Russia has lost roughly twice as many soldiers in its invasion of Ukraine as the United States did in World War II. www.economist.com/interactive/...
economist.com
Russia's latest big Ukraine offensive gains next to nothing, again
Hundreds of thousands of Vladimir Putin's troops are losing their lives for barely any land
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
It took 15 years for the Nasdaq to return to .com peak after the bubble burst. Another ~10.5 years to grow 4.5 X. But this time is different, right? ...Right?
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Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 28/09/2025
Great reporting on the market and consumer aspects of legacy coal power on Here and Now. Probably a much better spear point than climate. @tatecurtis.bsky.social does a great job on these issues as usual. 💡🔌 🏛️ www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...
wbur.org
West Virginia relies mostly on coal for its electricity. Customers are paying a heavy price
In West Virginia, more than 80% of the electricity comes from coal-fired power plants, customers have faced steady increases for more than a decade.
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
I wonder if something like this could ever happen here. It's not just Sarkozy, but many of his co-conspirators who have been punished for their crimes. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/w...
nytimes.com
Sarkozy Sentenced to 5 Years in Libyan Campaign-Funding Case
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
"Democrats should begin making it loud and clear that if and when MAGA is dethroned, those who broke the law, those who corrupted our democracy out of deference to Trump will be held accountable." open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug... Trump is weaker than he lets on. Stop the cowardice.
open.substack.com
Is the Jimmy Kimmel Saga a Sign that the Tide is Turning?
Why we may not be Russia or Hungary
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
This story begs for more than "he said, she said" journalism. Explain the evidence, what's compelling, what's not, and what's required to go from correlation to causation. How, precisely, did Dr. Baccarelli supposedly cherry pick? Do better @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/h...
nytimes.com
Harvard Dean Was Paid $150,000 as an Expert Witness in Tylenol Lawsuits
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
There he goes projecting again. Every attack is a confession. ‘Your Countries Are Going to Hell’: Trump Airs His Grievances at the U.N. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/u...
nytimes.com
‘Your Countries Are Going to Hell’: Trump Airs His Grievances at the U.N.
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Hillary Rodham Clinton @hillaryclinton.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
Jimmy Kimmel and other late-night comedians have certainly said things about me that I found offensive, even outrageous. It never crossed my mind to call up the networks and say, "Hey, get rid of this guy." Because that's not how America works. play.prx.org/listen?ge=pr...
play.prx.org
The Political Scene | The New Yorker
The Washington Roundtable is joined by the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Keren Yarhi-Milo, the dean of the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, to discuss...
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Rob @robertferry.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Vertical rows are the agrivoltaic winner! “The vertical panels produce slightly less electricity—but with higher value, as generation peaks coincide with morning and late afternoon demand…The crops don't seem to mind the presence of solar panels and they like the wind protection they provide.”
techxplore.com
Double harvest: Vertical solar panels and crops thrive side by side
Imagine a field where solar panels and crops coexist—with no trade-off. It sounds like science fiction, but that's precisely what researchers from Aarhus University have now documented in a full-scale...
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
USDA ends data collection on food insecurity and BLS delays a report on consumer expenditures without explanation Meanwhile, free speech for misinformers but not for anyone who criticizes Trump—that’s illegal now, says the King. They will find the crime. open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
open.substack.com
September 21, 2025
On Friday the Bureau of Labor Statistics postponed the release of the annual report on consumer expenditures—a key report for understanding inflation—without explanation.
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
I didn't realize all of this increasingly destructive media consolidation stems from the Telecommunications Act of 1996. On Jimmy Kimmel: It's Time to Destroy the Censorship Machine and Repeal the Telecommunications Act of 1996 www.thebignewsletter.com/p/on-jimmy-k...
thebignewsletter.com
On Jimmy Kimmel: It's Time to Destroy the Censorship Machine and Repeal the Telecommunications Act of 1996
In 1996, Bill Clinton set the stage for what Donald Trump is doing now by creating a censorship machine of consolidated media, broadband, and tech firms. It's time to break it apart.
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
"it's time for Democrats .. to .. 1) acknowledge that American men are having real problems; 2) state clearly that MAGA has no solutions & is exploiting their distress for political ends; & 3) advocate for effective policies to help them, as well as promising responsible stewardship of the economy."
open.substack.com
Exploiting Male Rage
Men’s problems are real. MAGA’s solutions are fake
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
From things I've seen recently, I think many people would benefit from reading this. It's short, and it's free. 👉 rdcu.be/dbFbB
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Kara Swisher @karaswisher.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
I am actually sad to have to say this since I have admired much about Disney CEO Bob Iger over the years, but what a profoundly quisling move this is by someone who knows better. It’s shameful and he has tarnished his once proud reputation.
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Cancelling Paramount didn't hurt so bad. But the six year old (and maybe even the 14 year old) are going to be bummed about cancelling the Disney+ subscription.
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
The Clean Water Act improved water quality dramatically, except for agricultural nutrient runoff. Most US water quality problems come from fertilizer on corn. Is it driving higher cancer rates in Iowa? Nice to see Bloomberg put a spotlight on this important issue. tinyurl.com/yt3cjta8
bloomberg.com
The Dark Side of America’s Big Agriculture
Nitrate from fertilizer and manure befouls countless waterways and kitchen taps across the US. But unlike other big polluters, from petroleum to plastics, Big Agriculture has largely avoided responsib...
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
Don't miss this: Paul Krugman discusses the book "Science Under Siege" with authors @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social and @michaelemann.bsky.social Misinformation and attacks on science come from a coordinated effort by fossil fuel and supplement-shilling industries. open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...
open.substack.com
Science Under Siege: A Talk With Peter Hotez and Michael Mann
Lysenko comes to America
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Michael Roberts @mikejrob.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
Krugman asks why Republicans support such obviously destructive things. Great examples in his column. But his essential answer is in the quote. "paulkrugman.substack.com/p/why-does….
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
Hawaii’s health insurers say they will cover COVID vaccinations for anyone older than six months, despite new FDA guidance that says children and healthy adults don’t need the shots.
hawaiinewsnow.com
Hawaii insurers hold firm on COVID vaccine policies
While public health advocates applaud the decision by Hawaii’s insurers, doctors and pharmacies are predicting a big drop in vaccinations.
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