James Temple
@jtemple.bsky.social
Climate and energy editor, Reno bureau chief, MIT Technology Review. Ski bum. Dog dad.
Please send tips (not PR pitches) through Signal: jtemple.50
Please send tips (not PR pitches) through Signal: jtemple.50
Pinned
James Temple
@jtemple.bsky.social
· Jul 9
As any Bluesky discussion grows longer, the probability it will degenerate into humorless sanctimony approaches one.
January 30, 2026 at 4:42 PM
Much of the talk of powering AI data centers with next-gen nuclear & fusion is misdirection.
The sector will be past its hype scaling phase by the time any of those are operating. In the meanwhile, they're largely being powered by new gas plants, which can easily continue operating well past 2050.
The sector will be past its hype scaling phase by the time any of those are operating. In the meanwhile, they're largely being powered by new gas plants, which can easily continue operating well past 2050.
i was actually shocked to see the numbers on new research from Global Energy Monitor on new gas projects in the US: nearly 100 gigawatts of power—enough to power tens of millions of homes—are currently in development explicitly to power data centers. At the end of 2023 that number was 4 gigawatts
Data Centers Are Driving a US Gas Boom
Gas projects in the US pipeline explicitly linked to data centers increased by almost 25 times over the past two years, according to new research from Global Energy Monitor.
www.wired.com
January 29, 2026 at 10:58 PM
Much of the talk of powering AI data centers with next-gen nuclear & fusion is misdirection.
The sector will be past its hype scaling phase by the time any of those are operating. In the meanwhile, they're largely being powered by new gas plants, which can easily continue operating well past 2050.
The sector will be past its hype scaling phase by the time any of those are operating. In the meanwhile, they're largely being powered by new gas plants, which can easily continue operating well past 2050.
Be sure to check out @jesshamzelou.bsky.social's deep dive into the world of Vitalists, a movement dedicated to defeating death, and their growing influence in science and policy circles.
Meet the Vitalists: the hardcore longevity enthusiasts who believe death is “wrong”
They argue we need a revolution—and more and more influential scientists, funders, and politicians are taking them seriously.
www.technologyreview.com
January 29, 2026 at 10:12 PM
Be sure to check out @jesshamzelou.bsky.social's deep dive into the world of Vitalists, a movement dedicated to defeating death, and their growing influence in science and policy circles.
Reposted by James Temple
New from @gruberte.bsky.social and I in @science.org: The energy transition is at risk, and energy models are missing the threat. Fossil energy networks from oil to coal to gas have minimum viable scales of operation, and those thresholds are closer than we think:
www.science.org/doi/epdf/10....
💡🔌
www.science.org/doi/epdf/10....
💡🔌
Fossil energy minimum viable scale
Unseen infrastructural threats to safety and decarbonization may arise as fossil energy systems are phased out
www.science.org
January 29, 2026 at 7:26 PM
New from @gruberte.bsky.social and I in @science.org: The energy transition is at risk, and energy models are missing the threat. Fossil energy networks from oil to coal to gas have minimum viable scales of operation, and those thresholds are closer than we think:
www.science.org/doi/epdf/10....
💡🔌
www.science.org/doi/epdf/10....
💡🔌
Reposted by James Temple
1/28/26 10am Update:
We had 2.8" (7 cm) of #snow overnight, which breaks our nearly 3 week dry spell.
Unfortunately, it looks like this is all we'll get for at least the next 7-10 days. Following recent melt, we are now at 54% of median snowpack and 68% of snowfall to-date.
#CAwx #CAwater
We had 2.8" (7 cm) of #snow overnight, which breaks our nearly 3 week dry spell.
Unfortunately, it looks like this is all we'll get for at least the next 7-10 days. Following recent melt, we are now at 54% of median snowpack and 68% of snowfall to-date.
#CAwx #CAwater
January 28, 2026 at 6:01 PM
Reposted by James Temple
Incredible story by @agreenberg.bsky.social, both on the scam compound operation and how he navigated a uniquely difficult and dangerous situation for his source. This one should be required reading for journalism ethics classes: www.wired.com/story/he-lea...
He Leaked the Secrets of a Southeast Asian Scam Compound. Then He Had to Get Out Alive
A source trapped inside an industrial-scale scamming operation contacted me, determined to expose his captors’ crimes—and then escape. This is his story.
www.wired.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:03 PM
Incredible story by @agreenberg.bsky.social, both on the scam compound operation and how he navigated a uniquely difficult and dangerous situation for his source. This one should be required reading for journalism ethics classes: www.wired.com/story/he-lea...
Reposted by James Temple
Journalism school: "If your mother says she loves you, check it out.”
CBS News: “On it.”
CBS News: “On it.”
Tuesday morning:
New CBS boss promises “huge emphasis on scoops.”
Tuesday evening:
CBS Evening News anchor interviews his mom.
www.yahoo.com/entertainmen...
New CBS boss promises “huge emphasis on scoops.”
Tuesday evening:
CBS Evening News anchor interviews his mom.
www.yahoo.com/entertainmen...
‘CBS Evening News’: Tony Dokoupil Under Fire for Interviewing His Own Mom
Viewers accuse CBS News of 'dumbing down.'
www.yahoo.com
January 28, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Journalism school: "If your mother says she loves you, check it out.”
CBS News: “On it.”
CBS News: “On it.”
Important NPR scoop: www.npr.org/2026/01/28/n...
A truly fantastic strategy for restoring faith in the next generation of nuclear facilities:
A truly fantastic strategy for restoring faith in the next generation of nuclear facilities:
January 28, 2026 at 2:53 PM
Important NPR scoop: www.npr.org/2026/01/28/n...
A truly fantastic strategy for restoring faith in the next generation of nuclear facilities:
A truly fantastic strategy for restoring faith in the next generation of nuclear facilities:
Reposted by James Temple
"Its acronym, F.A.F.O., references a slang term for negative consequences." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/u...
January 28, 2026 at 1:07 AM
"Its acronym, F.A.F.O., references a slang term for negative consequences." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/u...
Reposted by James Temple
I’m confident that the solution to widespread distrust of mainstream journalism does not involve putting woo-ish health grifters and eugenicists on national television.
January 28, 2026 at 2:03 AM
I’m confident that the solution to widespread distrust of mainstream journalism does not involve putting woo-ish health grifters and eugenicists on national television.
Reposted by James Temple
After being held in two of them as a boy, I fought for decades urging America to never again build concentration camps and put human beings in them. It breaks my heart to watch this happen twice now in my own lifetime.
January 27, 2026 at 9:30 PM
After being held in two of them as a boy, I fought for decades urging America to never again build concentration camps and put human beings in them. It breaks my heart to watch this happen twice now in my own lifetime.
Reposted by James Temple
HUGE moment for the EU car market as battery EVs overtake petrol cars for the first time ever
But there's no "natural" demand for EVs amirite?
Article by @mollylempriere.carbonbrief.org
www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-evs...
But there's no "natural" demand for EVs amirite?
Article by @mollylempriere.carbonbrief.org
www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-evs...
January 27, 2026 at 2:46 PM
HUGE moment for the EU car market as battery EVs overtake petrol cars for the first time ever
But there's no "natural" demand for EVs amirite?
Article by @mollylempriere.carbonbrief.org
www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-evs...
But there's no "natural" demand for EVs amirite?
Article by @mollylempriere.carbonbrief.org
www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-evs...
Reposted by James Temple
We have a new paper out today, looking more in detail at the potential air quality impacts of Stratospheric Aerosol Injections, finding them more driven by climatic feedbacks than by deposition. This is the 1st questions one receives when discussing this, so really important to explore in depth!
Air quality impacts of stratospheric aerosol injections are likely small and mainly driven by changes in climate, not aerosol settling
Abstract. Stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) is a proposed climate intervention method to offset future global warming through increased solar reflection in the stratosphere, but its broader enviro...
acp.copernicus.org
January 27, 2026 at 5:10 PM
We have a new paper out today, looking more in detail at the potential air quality impacts of Stratospheric Aerosol Injections, finding them more driven by climatic feedbacks than by deposition. This is the 1st questions one receives when discussing this, so really important to explore in depth!
Wild new potential treatment for glaucoma, moving into FDA trials, via @antonioregalado.bsky.social:
The first human test of a rejuvenation method will begin “shortly”
In a bid to treat blindness, Life Biosciences will try out potent cellular reprogramming technology on volunteers.
www.technologyreview.com
January 27, 2026 at 6:43 PM
Wild new potential treatment for glaucoma, moving into FDA trials, via @antonioregalado.bsky.social:
Reposted by James Temple
Funny thing about Bari's "the future of CBS" slide is that it's exactly the same as an executive presentation at NBC News a couple of years back. (Not knocking my former employer. I think its generally smart to have stories guide coverage across platforms but this is ... not revolutionary stuff.)
January 27, 2026 at 6:01 PM
Funny thing about Bari's "the future of CBS" slide is that it's exactly the same as an executive presentation at NBC News a couple of years back. (Not knocking my former employer. I think its generally smart to have stories guide coverage across platforms but this is ... not revolutionary stuff.)
Reposted by James Temple
Google DeepMind staffers are pressing leadership on their plans to safeguard the 3,000-person unit from ICE agents.
"As we have seen, government agency tactics can change and escalate quite rapidly. With offices in many metro areas across the US, are we prepared?"
Scoop from @mzeff.bsky.social
"As we have seen, government agency tactics can change and escalate quite rapidly. With offices in many metro areas across the US, are we prepared?"
Scoop from @mzeff.bsky.social
Google DeepMind Staffers Ask Leaders to Keep Them ‘Physically Safe’ From ICE
A federal agent allegedly tried to enter Google’s Cambridge campus in the fall, WIRED has learned. Now, staffers want policies that protect them from immigration officials.
www.wired.com
January 27, 2026 at 5:48 PM
Google DeepMind staffers are pressing leadership on their plans to safeguard the 3,000-person unit from ICE agents.
"As we have seen, government agency tactics can change and escalate quite rapidly. With offices in many metro areas across the US, are we prepared?"
Scoop from @mzeff.bsky.social
"As we have seen, government agency tactics can change and escalate quite rapidly. With offices in many metro areas across the US, are we prepared?"
Scoop from @mzeff.bsky.social
Reposted by James Temple
I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com
I grew up with Alex Pretti
The kind-hearted ICU nurse shot by ICE agents was my childhood best friend.
www.theverge.com
January 27, 2026 at 4:45 PM
I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com
Reposted by James Temple
Last week in Minnesota, I watched ordinary people risk their lives to protect their neighbors. In the process, they not only won a significant—though not final—victory against authoritarianism, they proved virtually every MAGA social theory wrong. (gift link) www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
January 27, 2026 at 1:06 PM
Last week in Minnesota, I watched ordinary people risk their lives to protect their neighbors. In the process, they not only won a significant—though not final—victory against authoritarianism, they proved virtually every MAGA social theory wrong. (gift link) www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Reposted by James Temple
BREAKING Greg Bovino has been removed as Border Patrol "commander at large" and will return to El Centro Calif, where he is expected to retire soon. A stunning turnaround after Pretti killing. Bovino's traveling blue city crackdown is over www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Gregory Bovino Gets Demoted
The Border Patrol chief was the public face of a traveling immigration crackdown on cities governed by Democrats.
www.theatlantic.com
January 26, 2026 at 11:40 PM
BREAKING Greg Bovino has been removed as Border Patrol "commander at large" and will return to El Centro Calif, where he is expected to retire soon. A stunning turnaround after Pretti killing. Bovino's traveling blue city crackdown is over www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Reposted by James Temple
Tim Cook attending a private White House screening of the documentary Melania hours after ICE killed a man suggests horrible judgment, or worse, cowardice (M.G. Siegler/Spyglass)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
January 26, 2026 at 10:40 PM
Tim Cook attending a private White House screening of the documentary Melania hours after ICE killed a man suggests horrible judgment, or worse, cowardice (M.G. Siegler/Spyglass)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Fervo IPO filing + some big geothermal funding this week: heatmap.news/climate-tech...
Funding Friday: FleetZero, Fervo, and a Fusion SPAC
It was a big week for geothermal.
heatmap.news
January 23, 2026 at 3:29 PM
Fervo IPO filing + some big geothermal funding this week: heatmap.news/climate-tech...
Reposted by James Temple
The Chevy Bolt is already dead. Again — to be replaced by an internal combustion Buick.
Here's @andrewmoseman.bsky.social on why this tells us everything about the U.S. auto market:
heatmap.news/electric-veh...
Here's @andrewmoseman.bsky.social on why this tells us everything about the U.S. auto market:
heatmap.news/electric-veh...
The Chevy Bolt Is Already Dead. Again.
2017 – 2023 ... and 2027.
heatmap.news
January 23, 2026 at 3:02 PM
The Chevy Bolt is already dead. Again — to be replaced by an internal combustion Buick.
Here's @andrewmoseman.bsky.social on why this tells us everything about the U.S. auto market:
heatmap.news/electric-veh...
Here's @andrewmoseman.bsky.social on why this tells us everything about the U.S. auto market:
heatmap.news/electric-veh...
Reposted by James Temple
Snowpack is "absolutely abysmal" in California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, says Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social, climate scientist @ucanr.edu.
Snowpack in many cases "the lowest we have ever observed for mid-January"
Recording www.youtube.com/live/n744hgU...
Snowpack in many cases "the lowest we have ever observed for mid-January"
Recording www.youtube.com/live/n744hgU...
January 22, 2026 at 7:08 PM
Snowpack is "absolutely abysmal" in California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, says Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social, climate scientist @ucanr.edu.
Snowpack in many cases "the lowest we have ever observed for mid-January"
Recording www.youtube.com/live/n744hgU...
Snowpack in many cases "the lowest we have ever observed for mid-January"
Recording www.youtube.com/live/n744hgU...
Reposted by James Temple
Nothing but respect for photojournalists. They always head straight into it. Truly some of the bravest among us.
January 22, 2026 at 1:20 AM
Nothing but respect for photojournalists. They always head straight into it. Truly some of the bravest among us.
Reposted by James Temple
BREAKING: San Francisco Giants star Jung Hoo Lee has been detained by CBP at LAX. Pelosi's office says she is working to secure his release. www.sfchronicle.com/sports/giant...
Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee detained at Los Angeles International Airport
San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee was detained Wednesday evening at Los Angeles International Airport, his agent Scott Boras told the Chronicle.
www.sfchronicle.com
January 22, 2026 at 1:41 AM
BREAKING: San Francisco Giants star Jung Hoo Lee has been detained by CBP at LAX. Pelosi's office says she is working to secure his release. www.sfchronicle.com/sports/giant...