The hottest Climate Policy Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top U.S. Politics Topics

Top Links 979 The transformation of global auto. Biosphere in flames. Arms & influence & the shipping news.

Chartbook • 329 implied HN points • 11 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Climate Policy
  1. The global auto industry is being transformed, and the US has dramatically underperformed relative to broader trends.
  2. The biosphere is under severe stress as fires and climate impacts rapidly damage ecosystems and raise urgent risks.
  3. Arms flows, influence campaigns, and shipping disruptions are major geopolitical forces reshaping trade, security, and global power.

Has the Rate of Global Warming More Than Doubled?

God's Spies by Thomas Neuburger • 160 implied HN points • 11 Feb 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. Global warming has clearly accelerated since about 2015, with recent warming rates more than double the long-term 1970–2010 trend.
  2. If the next La Niña low is higher than past El Niño highs, that would confirm the faster warming and make 2°C of global warming likely in the 2030s instead of midcentury.
  3. The practical response is to plan and prepare to adapt to greater climate risks while still living well and focusing on what matters in daily life.

Top Links 961 Zero-sum economics. Trump's family network. India's coal addiction. Mobiles and stables.

Chartbook • 457 implied HN points • 24 Dec 25
🌐 International Climate Policy
  1. Per-capita economic growth in the West has slowed to under 1% a year since the financial crisis, feeding a sense that economic gains are limited and competition feels zero-sum.
  2. Trump’s family network plays a large role in politics and business, highlighting questions about influence and nepotism.
  3. India’s heavy reliance on coal continues, making it harder to cut emissions and shift toward cleaner energy sources.

Pain Control

Doomberg • 7727 implied HN points • 27 Jan 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. A new law in Ottawa limits how long cars can idle to reduce emissions, even in freezing temperatures. This change has sparked debates about balancing climate goals with everyday needs.
  2. Some lawmakers are considering studying the environmental impact of anesthesia gases used in medicine. This might lead to strict regulations on their use, showing how far some are willing to go for climate concerns.
  3. Many feel that not all small actions, like the ones mentioned, are equally important. It's crucial to find a balance between good intentions and real-life impacts on people's comfort and health.

Let's map every tree on the planet

Jeff Giesea • 259 implied HN points • 28 Aug 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. The U.S. should create a new intelligence discipline called Climate & Natural Resources Intelligence (CNRINT) to better understand and manage the world's resources.
  2. Using advanced technology like drones and satellites, we can map and monitor natural resources globally, helping countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo protect their wealth from outside exploitation.
  3. There is an urgent need for the U.S. to lead in natural resources intelligence, ensuring that gathered data is used for good and benefits humanity for future generations.
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How the Grift Works

The Crucial Years • 2531 implied HN points • 30 Jul 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Climate Policy
  1. The government is trying to make it harder to address climate change, claiming that greenhouse gases aren't dangerous anymore. This is similar to old tricks used by con artists, relying on speed and distractions.
  2. Despite the push to sell more fossil fuels to Europe, there's a lot of skepticism. Europe is moving towards renewable energy, and the U.S. can't possibly meet the unrealistic sales targets being set.
  3. Legal challenges are expected against the government's plans to ignore climate risks. Many people are aware that the science shows climate change is real, and they are ready to fight back.

Shift Shaping

Doomberg • 8315 implied HN points • 09 Nov 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Climate Policy
  1. Trump's election may negatively impact climate change efforts, as many leaders are skipping important climate meetings. It seems fewer people are interested in tackling climate issues right now.
  2. While Trump used to criticize climate agreements, his focus might now lean towards boosting American industries, even if it increases carbon emissions. He believes prioritizing local manufacturing is more important.
  3. There's a belief that Trump's return to power could shift environmental policies significantly, possibly leading to a long-term impact on climate efforts and regulations. His supporters seem to back him partly due to discontent with current environmental strategies.

Henry Huiyao Wang on Beyond Blocs

Pekingnology • 113 implied HN points • 11 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Climate Policy
  1. Global politics is moving away from fixed blocs toward issue-by-issue cooperation, with different coalitions forming around climate, trade, security, and technology. Shared interests and rules will often matter more than ideological alignment.
  2. Europe will act as an independent balancing pole, keeping its values and security ties while engaging pragmatically with partners on trade, green tech, and multilateral reform. It will cooperate where interests align but keep its own strategic autonomy.
  3. Middle powers and smaller states will hedge and pick interests rather than choose sides, creating a contested multipolar order that can enable cooperation on big problems like climate and health but also leave disputes over trade, market access, and industrial policy.

How Justice Gorsuch Helped Save Us From a “Climate Emergency”

QTR’s Fringe Finance • 29 implied HN points • 04 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Climate Policy
  1. The Court ruled a president can’t use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose sweeping tariffs by declaring a national emergency, a decision Justice Gorsuch joined that reinforces limits on unilateral executive action.
  2. Gorsuch has repeatedly applied the major questions doctrine to argue that major policy shifts must be authorized by Congress, not created by agencies or presidents acting alone.
  3. That legal approach blocks a pathway for future administrations to declare a climate emergency and unilaterally impose measures like carbon tariffs or export bans, meaning big climate policies will likely require new laws from Congress.

Henry Huiyao Wang: It’s time for global governance to reflect the new realities

Pekingnology • 75 implied HN points • 20 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Climate Policy
  1. The old post‑war global order no longer fits the real world; today’s system is multipolar, deeply interconnected, and faces cross‑border problems like climate change, AI and supply‑chain risk.
  2. Cooperation is shifting away from rigid blocs toward issue‑based, minilateral coalitions where middle powers and shared interests drive collaboration on trade, standards and technology.
  3. Global institutions must be reformed and focused on implementation. That means institutionalizing the G20, restoring WTO dispute mechanisms, and modernizing the UN to give developing countries more voice and to tackle digital and climate governance.

Where Marty Weitzman Went Wrong

Gordian Knot News • 124 implied HN points • 04 Feb 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. Fat-tailed uncertainty about climate damages does not make cost-benefit analysis pointless; if your probability distribution for the social cost of carbon has a finite mean, you can minimize expected total cost by using that mean as the weight for CO2.
  2. Electricity systems lie on a cost-versus-CO2 trade-off curve, and the slope at the chosen point is the society's effective social cost of carbon, so publishing the curve and choosing a median public preference gives a consistent grid choice and SCC.
  3. Fat-tailed SCC distributions can have means far above their most likely value, which implies much higher justified carbon prices; those revenues can be used to replace or rebate other taxes so the policy is progressive.

Will they ever pay a price?

The Crucial Years • 2062 implied HN points • 25 Jul 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. Many people feel frustrated by the lack of accountability for powerful figures, who seem to escape consequences for their actions. However, there are signs that pressure is building for change, both globally and in the U.S.
  2. A recent ruling from the International Court of Justice highlights that countries may be held accountable for not protecting the environment. This could open the door for nations affected by climate change to seek reparations.
  3. There's a growing push for renewable energy and climate justice as more people realize the urgency of the climate crisis. The world is moving towards cleaner energy solutions, even as some resist change.

Biden should run on a message of abundance

Noahpinion • 16764 implied HN points • 01 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Climate Policy
  1. Biden should focus on a message of abundance in his campaign, highlighting the positive state of America and his policies that have contributed to it.
  2. Biden's energy policies, including embracing cheap solar and batteries, have brought abundance and climate stability, making them a crucial part of his message.
  3. Biden should run on his economic record, emphasizing the success of Bidenomics and the booming economy during his presidency compared to historical data.

The Most Amazing Climate Policy Figure

The Honest Broker Newsletter • 2227 implied HN points • 16 Jun 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. The U.S. has made steady progress in reducing carbon emissions while growing its economy. This decarbonization happened even with changes in political leadership and policies.
  2. A significant factor in reducing emissions has been the shift from coal to cleaner energy sources like natural gas and renewables. This change shows how technology can help improve environmental outcomes.
  3. Understanding why decarbonization has been consistent is important. It can help policymakers find ways to continue this trend and achieve goals like net-zero emissions by mid-century.

Sunset Solutions or Solar Sins: the Geoengineering Gamble to Cool the Planet

Adetokunbo Sees • 208 implied HN points • 03 Jan 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. Private solar geoengineering companies are rapidly growing, raising large investments, running field tests, and positioning the sector for big market expansion in the coming decade.
  2. Supporters argue that reflecting sunlight could quickly cool the planet and save many lives from extreme heat, which is driving calls for major research funding and more academic trials.
  3. But the approach has serious risks and uncertainties—it can worsen ozone depletion and ocean acidification, disrupt regional climates, and may distract from the more effective long-term solution of cutting fossil fuel emissions.

Up on the roof

The Crucial Years • 1664 implied HN points • 13 Jul 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. Homeowners should act quickly if they want to take advantage of tax credits for solar and electric vehicles, as many of these benefits will expire soon.
  2. The solar market may face significant setbacks due to new laws, leading to potential layoffs and business closures in the near term.
  3. It's essential to push for clean energy initiatives now, as the situation with fossil fuels and climate legislation is changing rapidly.

Breaking the Global Warming Gridlock

The Honest Broker Newsletter • 1540 implied HN points • 15 Jul 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. Focusing only on reducing greenhouse gas emissions isn't enough to tackle climate issues. We need to look at other ways to manage and adapt to environmental changes.
  2. A clear division in how climate change is viewed causes political gridlock. Different groups have opposing views which makes finding common ground hard.
  3. Helping people adapt to the effects of climate change can actually support efforts to reduce emissions. We should aim to do both, rather than just one or the other.

On leadership, planning, careers with Shin-pei Tsay

Exasperated Infrastructures • 14 implied HN points • 05 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Climate Policy
  1. City innovation works best when data, design, and civic experimentation are joined so pilots can be tested, evaluated, and scaled across departments.
  2. Parking is an everyday, retail-like urban problem that affects car owners and non-car users alike, so it needs a clear inventory, better communication, and creative mixes of policy and technology to balance people’s needs.
  3. Genuine public engagement and storytelling should define problems before prescribing solutions, and should be paired with flexible zoning and incremental, well-communicated action to meet climate and mobility goals.

Pushing Back, Short-Term and Long

The Crucial Years • 3667 implied HN points • 05 Feb 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. This is a tough time for climate and social justice activists, with funding cuts causing chaos and uncertainty.
  2. There's a rising movement and resolve against harmful policies and actions, with people actively rallying and making their voices heard.
  3. Despite the challenges, the cost of clean energy is falling, giving us a promising opportunity to shift toward renewable resources and fight for change.

The Gordian Knot Group's Twin Blessing Course

Gordian Knot News • 146 implied HN points • 14 Jan 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. Radiation harm depends on how fast damage happens relative to the body's repair systems, so the full dose‑rate profile matters more than total dose or a simple average rate.
  2. Nuclear fission is extremely energy‑dense and can provide very cheap, low‑carbon power, but fear‑driven regulation based on the linear no‑threshold idea has inflated costs and blocked that potential.
  3. Proposed reforms are concrete: adopt a dose‑rate‑aware Sigmoid No Threshold model and restructure regulation and liability to balance benefits and risks, and manage spent fuel with short pool storage, dry casks, reprocessing for breeder material, and vitrification of leftovers instead of deep geologic disposal.

How We Make Progress Now

The Crucial Years • 3607 implied HN points • 26 Jan 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. The new administration's actions have quickly reversed many climate policies, making it crucial to organize and push back against these changes over time.
  2. While traditional protests have been important, the current political climate may require fresh strategies and new ways of engaging people to create real change.
  3. There's a strong shift towards renewable energy that can be leveraged, as public support for clean energy is growing despite efforts from opposition.

A Better Approach to Climate Policy

The Honest Broker Newsletter • 1884 implied HN points • 26 May 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. The Hartwell Paper suggests that climate policy should focus more on solving real-life problems like air pollution and poverty instead of just cutting emissions. This approach could lead to better solutions for everyone.
  2. Instead of relying on strict global agreements, climate policy should be decentralized and innovative. Local and regional solutions can be more effective and politically accepted.
  3. Successful climate policy should provide clear benefits to people, such as better air quality and energy security. When people see direct advantages, they are more likely to support climate initiatives.

California's Insurance Crisis

The Honest Broker Newsletter • 3533 implied HN points • 20 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Climate Policy
  1. California's insurance crisis isn't mainly caused by climate change, but by how insurance rates are set. Policies like Proposition 103 prevent companies from charging enough to cover risks.
  2. Insurance rates are usually suppressed to keep costs low for consumers, which means insurance companies can struggle to stay in business. This leads to fewer companies wanting to offer home insurance in California.
  3. To fix the insurance crisis, California needs to adjust its laws to better reflect the real risks and costs of coverage. This will likely mean higher insurance rates for homeowners.

Two Points on Climate Change

David Friedman’s Substack • 350 implied HN points • 23 Nov 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. The cause of global warming doesn't matter as much as what we can do about it. Whether it's humans causing it or not, we still need to think about ways to prevent or adapt to climate change.
  2. There's a lot of uncertainty about the future effects of climate change. Many studies make assumptions that might not hold true over time, so we need to be careful about how we plan for the future.
  3. We might not need to act immediately on climate issues. Waiting can provide us with better information, which can help us make smarter decisions later on.

Full Circle

Doomberg • 8635 implied HN points • 13 Feb 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. Germany's energy strategy has led to a self-induced mess with the dismantling of nuclear reactors and reliance on coal, showing the consequences of climate initiatives on a national scale.
  2. The destruction of Nord Stream pipelines has raised questions about the involvement of political leaders and the lack of clarity or accountability regarding the incidents.
  3. Germany's shift towards expanding gas-fired power plants to compensate for the exit from coal showcases the challenges and complexities of transitioning to sustainable energy sources.

Bill Maher Humiliates Himself In Effort To Defend Climate Change Policies

Unmasked • 39 implied HN points • 15 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Climate Policy
  1. He often plays a contrarian voice on the left, criticizing the Democratic Party and inviting guests from across the political spectrum.
  2. He loudly rejects "woke" ideas and calls out issues like allowing males to compete in women’s sports.
  3. Despite those positions, he displays a self-serving sense of superiority and seems to struggle when defending climate change policy, treating it like a personal obsession.

Everybody Freeze! It’s the Climate Police

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 2415 implied HN points • 24 Feb 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. New rules in Ottawa limit how long you can warm up your car in winter, aiming to cut emissions. Many people think this is silly given the extreme cold.
  2. Bureaucratic efforts to fight climate change, like the car warming rule, often get a lot of attention but may not really help the environment.
  3. There's a growing debate over whether such regulations are practical or just inconvenience people without making a real difference.

Chartbook 341 On thinking in medias res: An Interview with Ding Xiongfei from the Shanghai Review of Books (summer 2024)

Chartbook • 2846 implied HN points • 24 Dec 24
🌍 World Politics Climate Policy
  1. Polycrisis shows that our world is facing multiple interconnected issues that can't be simply solved with clear solutions. It's about ongoing management rather than resolution.
  2. China's role in the climate crisis is crucial, and it may lead the global response to climate change, changing the narrative where the West is no longer the main actor.
  3. Understanding statistics and data is important, but they need to be seen as part of a broader political and economic system, not just as numbers reflecting reality.

🌻 Climate politics hits the limits of 'no'

Faster, Please! • 182 implied HN points • 19 Dec 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. Clean energy is making real progress, but an anti-growth movement that lives in veto mode is blocking projects and undermining that momentum.
  2. Focusing on saying "no" to development and technology slows climate solutions; policy should instead enable building and scaling clean innovations.
  3. People who back growth and abundance should promote a new, constructive environmentalism that prioritizes construction, climate tech, and practical solutions over obstruction.

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has fallen again in 2025

Sustainability by numbers • 339 implied HN points • 04 Nov 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has decreased, with 5,800 square kilometers cleared in 2025, which is an 11% drop from the previous year. This shows some progress in protecting the forest.
  2. While deforestation rates are falling, wildfires have caused significant damage to the forest, leading to degradation even when trees are not permanently lost. This makes the Amazon weaker and more vulnerable.
  3. Brazil's leadership change has had a direct impact on deforestation rates, with policies under President Lula da Silva leading to a rapid decline compared to the previous administration. However, the goal remains to eventually stop all deforestation.

IPCC at the Crossroads

The Honest Broker Newsletter • 2011 implied HN points • 03 Feb 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. The IPCC is facing challenges keeping its assessments reliable and credible. If it doesn’t improve, it risks losing public trust.
  2. The amount of climate research published is increasing rapidly, making it tough for the IPCC to cite all relevant studies. This can lead to biases in its reports.
  3. There's a concern that the IPCC may be selectively citing studies, which could misrepresent the broader scientific consensus on climate issues.

How China Highjacked America’s Climate Fears

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 700 implied HN points • 04 Aug 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Climate Policy
  1. China is reportedly funding climate advocacy groups in the U.S. to weaken American energy production. This funding is seen as a strategy to hurt the U.S. economy from within.
  2. Some lawmakers believe that this financial support leads to numerous lawsuits against energy companies, which aim to drain their resources and disrupt operations.
  3. The debate over these actions often gets politicized, with some claiming it's a conspiracy while others highlight real concerns about foreign influence in American affairs.

Climate Change Did Not Cause the L.A. Fires

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 2160 implied HN points • 15 Jan 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. Climate change isn't the main cause of the L.A. fires; rather, the amount of flammable material and infrastructure choices play a bigger role. Clearing brush and using fireproof materials in construction can help save areas from fires.
  2. Steven Koonin argues that focusing solely on reducing carbon emissions won't address the immediate fire risks. He believes there are more direct and practical solutions to prevent such disasters.
  3. The discussion highlights differing opinions on climate issues, especially in relation to immediate environmental disasters like wildfires. It's important to consider various factors rather than attributing everything to climate change.

A (successful) test of the state-by-state approach!

The Crucial Years • 2012 implied HN points • 26 Dec 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. The state-by-state approach is an effective way to make climate progress. Even small victories in big states like New York can have huge impacts.
  2. New York has passed a 'polluter pays' law that requires fossil fuel companies to contribute financially to repair climate damage. This means that polluters will be held accountable for their actions.
  3. Activism and public pressure played a big role in getting this legislation signed. Many people came together to push for this change, showing how powerful community action can be.

'You're not the boss of me'

The Crucial Years • 2252 implied HN points • 18 Nov 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Climate Policy
  1. The rejection of climate change by influential leaders is alarming. It shows a lack of understanding of the scientific evidence that clearly indicates global warming and its disastrous effects.
  2. The fossil fuel industry is a powerful force against climate action. Many politicians are siding with their interests, making it tough to push for renewable energy solutions.
  3. We need to appeal to people's self-interest in promoting clean energy. Highlighting that solar and wind power are cheaper and more reliable can help shift public opinion towards adopting these technologies.

Twenty Years Later, 'An Inconvenient Truth' Has Been Thoroughly Debunked

Unmasked • 67 implied HN points • 15 Jan 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. Many of the film's high‑profile climate predictions have not come true over the past twenty years, and critics argue those specific claims have been debunked.
  2. The film played a major role in pushing aggressive climate policies like net‑zero targets and electric vehicle mandates, which some now question given the disputed predictions.
  3. The situation highlights that experts and public figures can be overconfident or mistaken, with examples like the Kilimanjaro snow prediction and disputed CO2 measurement claims cited as evidence.

Virtue Theater Misdirects STEM R&D Funding

Heterodox STEM • 135 implied HN points • 07 Dec 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. Capturing CO2 at scale won’t magically solve emissions because most industrial uses of captured CO2 release it back to the atmosphere, and the market for permanently storing or using that CO2 is tiny compared to global emissions.
  2. Doing this properly would need massive, expensive infrastructure—millions of miles of pipelines, huge geological storage, and rebuilt steam networks—which is likely economically and logistically unrealistic at the scale needed.
  3. Even if the technology works, investors and policymakers can create a lot of costly, symbolic projects (virtue theater) that don’t deliver permanent climate benefits and may just enrich startups or rely on short-term subsidies.

A Potential Solution to Climate Catastrophe

God's Spies by Thomas Neuburger • 60 implied HN points • 16 Jan 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. Ocean iron fertilization could rapidly pull CO2 out of the air by seeding parts of the ocean and boosting phytoplankton, and proponents say it might restore safer CO2 levels within a few decades.
  2. The science and ecology are uncertain — experiments and studies show mixed results and risks like harmful algal blooms, damage to fisheries, and unintended climate effects could occur.
  3. Even if it works, it poses a political and ethical problem because it could let powerful actors avoid cutting emissions and keep exploiting the planet instead of making systemic change.

A win of sorts on something really important

The Crucial Years • 1743 implied HN points • 03 Dec 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy
  1. The Biden administration paused permits for new LNG export terminals, which could help reduce environmental damage. This decision is significant because increased LNG exports would greatly impact climate change.
  2. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is now requiring more environmental reviews for these projects, which is a positive step for local communities affected by pollution. This could slow down the construction of new terminals, giving more time for analysis and opposition.
  3. There is growing evidence that exporting natural gas is just as harmful to the climate as exporting coal. People should understand the environmental and economic risks of increasing LNG exports, as it could lead to higher energy prices for American consumers.