I'm not sure folks have realized just how crazy the second half of 2026 and 2027 will be for global temperatures – on the back of a record-smashing El Niño event. Here is my latest estimate of where both years will end up compared to global temperatures since 1850.

your apartment, the sport of basketball, and the Republic of Korea are all social constructs. mere recognition of this fact does not actually make the question of whether you are standing in your own apartment, playing basketball, or a Korean national up in the air until settled by op ed editors

Rover's Pathetic Helpless Dialogue

ALT: Rover's Pathetic Helpless Dialogue

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Eric Michael Garcia@ericmgarcia.bsky.social · last wk.

Javier Milei has claimed that a coordinated “anti-Argentina campaign” financed by the Democratic Party in the U.S. was behind criticism of the country’s team and accusations of racism among its fans. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

oh my god

Ross McKay@rossmc11.bsky.social · last wk.

Jim Callaghan appointed a 'Minister for Drought', and it rained within 36 hours (and led to widespread floods, but a win's a win).

Fantastic overview of the new planning underlying the previously announced - but notional - multi-terrawatt targets for China's 🇨🇳 renewable energy capacity.

Carbon Brief@carbonbrief.org · last wk.

NEW – Q&A: What does China’s 15th ‘five-year plan’ for renewables mean for climate change? ✍️ Written by @anikanpatel.carbonbrief.org and Lekai Liu 💬 With comments from Yao Zhe @jamesnorman.bsky.social Pan Jiahua, Cosimo Ries and Isadora Wang Read here: buff.ly/qVU3RTg

The terrible commentator singularity approaches.

SMG4 Mario Sucked Into a Black Hole

ALT: SMG4 Mario Sucked Into a Black Hole

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Oliver Darcy@oliverdarcy.bsky.social · last wk.

Scoop: I’m told that Ross Douthat is exiting The NYT and is expected to take a role at “60 Minutes.” News expected to be announced soon.

If I can summarise @adambell.bsky.social's summary: - The kinds of problems that countries like the UK (and others) are having integrating more cheap, distributed & renewable generation into their energy systems are problems of energy affluence. You want to have them and they are eminently solvable

Adam Bell@adambell.bsky.social · 2w ago

If I can, let me explain today's Times story. This is less to do with renewables and much more to do with where generation is located and how it shows up at a system level. /1

Renewables are now the world's largest source of electricity – and the main source of new supplies

Nice charts. I continue to be frustrated that coverage of the relatively minor grid issues in Europe during the heatwave rather miss the point that solar and batteries were *helping*.

Tom Haddon@tomh-analyst.bsky.social · 2w ago

There will be distributed energy/renewables narrative trying to emerge (the likely lads are trying to portray this as a Spain version two) but it's clearly nonsense. Wind output forecast missed by ~2 GW (room for improvement there I think!), but solar PV and BESS nailed the brief.

Trade deals are becoming tools for the green transition, not just tariff cuts. 🌍 Our new Trade & Climate Tracker maps 71 agreements signed since 2025—climate cooperation appears in 59% of public texts & energy provisions in 67%. First findings 👉 https://bit.ly/4wNv9cE

Corporate sustainability due diligence went on trial at LSE. Our jury of 65 found it guilty of being "too little", but cleared it of being a distraction or harmful to economies.

I can't believe they did the meme unironically.

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 2w ago

Man, 28, charged with murder of former MP Ann Widdecombe

Enzo Fernandez, deserved sending off:

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇫🇷

Antonio Banderas

ALT: Antonio Banderas

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Far below was the most fantastic sign at #Brightontranspride (in my humble opinion) This was the front of the parade - took fully 40 minutes (or so) to pass, front-to-back.

What The Trans?! 🏳️‍⚧️@whatthetrans.com · 3w ago

"Trans people will never be erased"

Dang they really got a category for everything

Is this translated from the original German? www.whitehouse.gov/releases/202...

I feel this is a highly relevant moment to recommend one of my favourite policy anecdotes - which research that found trying to fix parental lateness for daycare pickup via charging them, inadvertently backfired - because it replaced the 'don't be an arse' with 'it costs exactly x to be an arse' ☺️

Stephen Bush@stephenkb.bsky.social · 3w ago

I see replies like this to Soumaya‘a column and I think, with the greatest of respect: literally all parents do this! And everyone who doesn’t have kids knows this because we have to listen to your kvetching! It’s just a question of whether codifying it helps or hurts you:

If England get bronze (😂), can we all go home early at least?

Thomas I-G@thomasig.bsky.social · 3w ago

This COVID inquiry is surfacing the general problem of just how difficult it is to do precautionary governance properly - let alone work it out on the hoof, in a crisis. To state the obvious - aiming for zero waste is not only *not* the optimal strategy, it's pretty close to a sure failure state.

Matthew Holehouse@matthewholehouse.bsky.social · 3w ago

Counterintuitively, as the evidence submitted argued and Hallett accepts, the opposite took place. Billions were wasted in part because the PPE was more reliable than officials expected.. they over-ordered in the heat of crisis expecting that stock wouldn't turn up or be defective..

If England win the second semi-final: No Inter Milan player in the World Cup final for the first time since 1978 If Argentina win the second semi-final: No Bayern Munich player in the World Cup final for the first time since 1978

It's admittedly pretty funny that having run out of US trade to tariff he's now hunting for third party trade to tariff.

'Wow, you could fit so many more 🚊*Trams* 🚊in this bad boy'

Stephen Bush@stephenkb.bsky.social · 4w ago

Yeah, it's the same article that WalesOnline complained about, but renosed for London. Agree also on the real question it raises: it's not obvious that what London's mayor should do with proper powers is go 'hold down fares' rather than 'build Crossrail 2'.

One lesson it seems like China must have learned from cleantech (and that the US seems unable to learn) is that US capital markets are extremely impatient, and if they can't make a quick buck they'll walk away and leave the tech for China to develop at scale.

We are not sending our best, I'll tell you that much.

Peter Brannen@peterbrannen.bsky.social · 4w ago

This guy is now in charge of the US National Climate Assessment

De Ketelaere 💯 looks like a kid who got stretched at Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, and decided to make the best of it.

Solar's sharp rise continues. As of April 2026, global solar capacity now exceeds 3 terawatt. 1 gigawatt → 1 terawatt: 20+ years 1 terawatt → 2 terawatt: 33 months 2 terawatt → 3 terawatt: 19 months

It shouldn't really need to be said, but: People in a society becoming rich enough to exit the social contract whilst living within it is a de-facto existential threat *to* the social contract - and society as a whole. Soft limitarianism is binding imo. The challenge is what to do about it.

George Monbiot@georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 4w ago

This point needs to be made over and again: The main purpose of wealth taxes should not be to raise revenue. That's a small and secondary benefit. The main purpose should be to *reduce the fortunes of the ultrarich*. Why? Because those fortunes present a massive threat to democracy and public life.

We could also achieve this combination by just having Lamine Yamal's brother play up front for Portugal

Unusual Efforts@unusualefforts.bsky.social · last mo.

We need Spain to win because we want: Lamine Yamal's brother to be happy Ronaldo to be sad.