"It's nice that they're having Climate Week at all."
A lot happening lately.
I went to a few Climate Week events this week and I felt like there was kind of a weird vibe going on this year—understandable, given the circumstances. A guy I talked to who works at a climate investment firm said to me, “It’s nice that they’re even having a Climate Week this year.” He’s right. It is nice!
Everyone I talked to seems to have a different opinion on this uncertain moment. There’s a lot of well-deserved pessimism, but much more optimism than you would imagine considering Donald Trump went in front of the UN on Tuesday and told a bunch of world leaders their countries were “going to hell” unless they “get away from this green scam”. A lot of people expressed to me that if there is any cause for hope, it’s resting on the idea that Trump’s whims don’t govern the rest of us. Their lips, God’s ears.
One thing that’s really striking: the private sector had a much bigger presence than I had anticipated. I feel like a few years ago the climate space was dominated by activists and nonprofits, but almost everyone I met this week worked for a consulting firm or a clean tech startup or was a green tech investor. From what I’ve heard, clean energy is a good business opportunity no matter what the White House says because it’s cheaper and the incentives are great for private industry, especially Big Tech (!). We are in a Wild West situation for energy where anything goes, including nuclear energy, which does seem like an actual vibe shift! Is that good? I don’t know. The climate crisis is already here, data centers are making our energy bills go up, and the United States federal government is doing everything they can to wipe out renewables. I’m skeptical of the idea that you can really square this circle—that you can squeeze out oil and gas in the free market by providing a better product, or that reorienting investment dollars into clean energy infrastructure will solve all our problems. It will not surprise you that I found Abundance was pretty popular among this crowd.
China is staking a claim on leading the world in green tech. Setting (very) low expectations so Beijing can surpass them….they mean business!
Everyone should stop what they’re doing and read this piece on Kristi Noem, Corey Lewandowski and the DHS right now. I can’t believe how insane this is. I would catch myself getting really caught up in the drama of their relationship and then I would remind myself that what they are doing is building an unfathomably cruel police state. There is a prison in Louisiana that they call “Angola” because of the former slave plantation it was built on!!!!! Horrifying. Probably the most zeitgeist-y story about Trump’s America that I’ve read all year.
Turning Point USA is going to have a chapter in every high school in Oklahoma. It would not surprise readers to learn that Oklahoma was ranked the 50th worst state for its public school systems, outranking only New Mexico (the study also included Washington D.C.). Perhaps there are more pressing issues at hand!
I learned about a new drug yesterday. Tusi, a bright pink powder, has been spotted in bathrooms all over New York. No one seems to really know what’s in it, and even though a lot of people refer to them this way it’s NOT the same thing as cocaine or the psychedelic 2-CB (2-CB might be in it, though). I have never tried a drug in my entire life and I never will so I can’t confirm.
Jacobin talked to a participant aboard the Gaza Sumud Flotilla. Despite escalating threats from Israel and drone attacks, the fleet continues, trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. “There is not a single person aboard these vessels who is deterred, intimidated, or otherwise persuaded by Israeli propaganda to leave the mission.”
Palantir merch. Palantir merch!!! The deportation machine is a lifestyle brand. I think we’re about six months away from influencers doing brand deals with Palantir, the “most pro-West company” around. Their competitors—Anduril among them—are following suit. This sounds really dystopian but I actually think it’s kind of the same appeal as wearing a MAGA hat but for wannabe AI researchers who live in group houses in San Francisco; that is to say, the right has been selling their vision as a wearable, attainable aesthetic for quite some time now. Something I think about a lot is how the right’s ethos is so tied up with how they dress and look (Mar-A-Lago face, “Republican makeup”) and it’s all really ugly. That’s intentional. They’re selling the public a lifestyle and they’re arrogant enough to believe it doesn’t have to be pretty.
Elon Musk sold Grok to federal agencies for 42 cents. I guess this means Musk and Trump are friends again. OpenAI, Anthropic and Google have made similar deals with the federal government for similar prices; they all want to be THE AI provider for the government. Everything is so stupid I can’t believe it.
It’s Sit at the Bar September. I am a little resentful at the need for a TikTok slogan to define every mundane and commonplace thing one could possibly do (Getting a drink? At a bar? Groundbreaking!) but phone fatigue is clearly starting to reach a tipping point.
Sabrina Carpenter for Vogue Italia. Now that’s a STAR! How often do you get to say that about anyone in 2025?