Alex Betts
@alexbetts.bsky.social
Veteran squash player. Investing in energy efficiency.
Reposted by Alex Betts
The ‘worst political scandal of this century’ is quite the claim. In my usual helpful manner, I shall help to explain why I think this is very possibly true via the media of synecdoche and the proverbial sausage.
Had forgotten until reading @duncanrobinson.bsky.social’s peerless column that Peter Mandelson once publicly said Keir Starmer was too fat.
Britain’s worst political scandal of this century
The Mandelson affair threatens Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership
www.economist.com
February 5, 2026 at 5:43 AM
The ‘worst political scandal of this century’ is quite the claim. In my usual helpful manner, I shall help to explain why I think this is very possibly true via the media of synecdoche and the proverbial sausage.
Reposted by Alex Betts
what a thread, what a success
Grateful to spend two days on the Klamath watching chinook, liberated by dam removal, return to streams from which they’d been precluded since the Titanic sank. Fish are everywhere, in numbers that stagger the mind & locations that biologists figured would take years to repopulate. Too beautiful.
November 5, 2025 at 10:24 PM
what a thread, what a success
Reposted by Alex Betts
38. Ordinary people have no idea how much progress we’ve made. Tell people at parties that UK carbon emissions in 2023 were at their lowest level since 1879, for example. Most developed economies are now reducing carbon emissions without lowering quality of life.
October 20, 2025 at 7:56 AM
38. Ordinary people have no idea how much progress we’ve made. Tell people at parties that UK carbon emissions in 2023 were at their lowest level since 1879, for example. Most developed economies are now reducing carbon emissions without lowering quality of life.
Reposted by Alex Betts
Time for 2025 updates to my annual “opinions about solar” thread. If you like these, you might like the second edition of my book, Solar Power Finance Without The Jargon. A 30% discount code WSQ0437 is valid on publisher website until end of November 2025.
www.worldscientific.com/worldscibook...
www.worldscientific.com/worldscibook...
Solar Power Finance Without the Jargon
www.worldscientific.com
October 20, 2025 at 7:43 AM
Time for 2025 updates to my annual “opinions about solar” thread. If you like these, you might like the second edition of my book, Solar Power Finance Without The Jargon. A 30% discount code WSQ0437 is valid on publisher website until end of November 2025.
www.worldscientific.com/worldscibook...
www.worldscientific.com/worldscibook...
Reposted by Alex Betts
And by way of reminder - here is Part I, why the narratives of failure of the transition are all wrong. about.bnef.com/insights/cle...
Liebreich: The Pragmatic Climate Reset - Part I | BloombergNEF
As the tide on clean energy turns, Michael Liebreich makes a strong case for a pragmatic climate reset.
about.bnef.com
September 12, 2025 at 6:01 AM
And by way of reminder - here is Part I, why the narratives of failure of the transition are all wrong. about.bnef.com/insights/cle...
Reposted by Alex Betts
It's here folks. Part II of the Pragmatic Climate Reset. Prepare to be provoked! about.bnef.com/insights/cle...
Liebreich: The Pragmatic Climate Reset – Part II: A Provocation | BloombergNEF
As the debate on transition deepens, Michael Liebreich details how a pragmatic climate and energy reset might unfold.
about.bnef.com
September 12, 2025 at 6:00 AM
It's here folks. Part II of the Pragmatic Climate Reset. Prepare to be provoked! about.bnef.com/insights/cle...
Reposted by Alex Betts
Day Two of Reform conference, and we're getting the good stuff. At the Heartland Institute's fringe "Is Climate Realism Inevitable", we've learned that electric cars are part of a Marxist plot to control humanity, and heard calls for the abolition of the BBC.
September 6, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Day Two of Reform conference, and we're getting the good stuff. At the Heartland Institute's fringe "Is Climate Realism Inevitable", we've learned that electric cars are part of a Marxist plot to control humanity, and heard calls for the abolition of the BBC.
Reposted by Alex Betts
In a world of Matts, be a Derek.
March 10, 2025 at 7:44 PM
In a world of Matts, be a Derek.
Reposted by Alex Betts
In September 2025, the official account of the Secretary of Energy has public Community Notes on a tweet with a verifiable falsehood. A transparent, honest, & accountable official — & White House - would retract the false claim & run a correction, showing respect for the truth & the American people.
September 2, 2025 at 10:44 PM
In September 2025, the official account of the Secretary of Energy has public Community Notes on a tweet with a verifiable falsehood. A transparent, honest, & accountable official — & White House - would retract the false claim & run a correction, showing respect for the truth & the American people.
Reposted by Alex Betts
If you're looking for a tipping point to conclude "OK, the U.S. is now authoritarian," this seems like it.
Trump signs an executive order tasking Hegseth to establish "specialised units" within the National Guard to "deal with public order issues" across the US.
Using the US Military against the American public.
Using the US Military against the American public.
August 25, 2025 at 4:19 PM
If you're looking for a tipping point to conclude "OK, the U.S. is now authoritarian," this seems like it.
Reposted by Alex Betts
I’m sharing this hoping that someone hiking the same route in Norway might see this. Let’s find @alecluhn.bsky.social!
American climate journalist Alec Luhn missing on Norwegian glacier
A search is underway for award-winning climate journalist Alec Luhn, a Wisconsin native, who is missing on a Norwegian glacier.
www.cbsnews.com
August 5, 2025 at 3:08 PM
I’m sharing this hoping that someone hiking the same route in Norway might see this. Let’s find @alecluhn.bsky.social!
Patriotism helped us build a better Britain. Entitlement will destroy it
www.thetimes.com/article/a923...
www.thetimes.com/article/a923...
Patriotism helped us build a better Britain. Entitlement will destroy it
Self-interested voices are damaging a national unity that was strongest in the aftermath of the war
www.thetimes.com
July 27, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Patriotism helped us build a better Britain. Entitlement will destroy it
www.thetimes.com/article/a923...
www.thetimes.com/article/a923...
Reposted by Alex Betts
I save a lot of money by not having a car, but I'm physically able (& brave enough!) to cycle, & live I near a train station. But not everyone can do this
Buses need to be better, and roads safer for cycling, so more people can choose car-free lives if they want
airqualitynews.com/cars-freight...
Buses need to be better, and roads safer for cycling, so more people can choose car-free lives if they want
airqualitynews.com/cars-freight...
Lack of alternatives forcing the poorest into barely affordable car ownership
By being reliant on owning a car, the UK’s poorest households are spending a disproportionate share of their income on getting about, new research from the Institute for Public Policy Research has fou...
airqualitynews.com
July 23, 2025 at 1:55 PM
I save a lot of money by not having a car, but I'm physically able (& brave enough!) to cycle, & live I near a train station. But not everyone can do this
Buses need to be better, and roads safer for cycling, so more people can choose car-free lives if they want
airqualitynews.com/cars-freight...
Buses need to be better, and roads safer for cycling, so more people can choose car-free lives if they want
airqualitynews.com/cars-freight...
Reposted by Alex Betts
Globally, roughly a third more power is being generated from the sun this spring than last. If this exponential rate of growth can continue, we will soon live in a very different world, @billmckibben.bsky.social writes.
4.6 Billion Years On, the Sun Is Having a Moment
In the past two years, without much notice, solar power has begun to truly transform the world’s energy system.
www.newyorker.com
July 19, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Globally, roughly a third more power is being generated from the sun this spring than last. If this exponential rate of growth can continue, we will soon live in a very different world, @billmckibben.bsky.social writes.
Reposted by Alex Betts
Such a terrible day. Heartbreaking. But I’ve never been more proud to be a Minnesotan.
Today, hundreds of thousands of people across this state showed up, mourned, marched, and showed the world what decency looks like.
Today, hundreds of thousands of people across this state showed up, mourned, marched, and showed the world what decency looks like.
a flag with a white star on it is flying in the wind
ALT: a flag with a white star on it is flying in the wind
media.tenor.com
June 15, 2025 at 2:12 AM
Such a terrible day. Heartbreaking. But I’ve never been more proud to be a Minnesotan.
Today, hundreds of thousands of people across this state showed up, mourned, marched, and showed the world what decency looks like.
Today, hundreds of thousands of people across this state showed up, mourned, marched, and showed the world what decency looks like.
Reposted by Alex Betts
I wrote a short piece on lessons learned (so far, given what we know) from Spain on that other site.
#EnergySky
www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-h...
#EnergySky
www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-h...
What happened in Spain?
The comprehensive post mortem regarding the blackout on the Iberian peninsula, impacting Spain and Portugal, will take months. The media coverage has largely moved on, particularly considering the spe...
www.linkedin.com
May 13, 2025 at 6:08 PM
I wrote a short piece on lessons learned (so far, given what we know) from Spain on that other site.
#EnergySky
www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-h...
#EnergySky
www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-h...
Reposted by Alex Betts
Journalists & politicians justify this endless persecution of migrants on the basis of public opinion. Anti-immigration politicians keep winning elections, they say, while migration is constantly ranked a top issue among voters
It turns out, public is wildly misinformed
@writesbright.bsky.social
It turns out, public is wildly misinformed
@writesbright.bsky.social
These two charts expose Nigel Farage’s immigration myths
The migration debate is based on blatant, provable falsehoods.
writesbright.substack.com
May 11, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Journalists & politicians justify this endless persecution of migrants on the basis of public opinion. Anti-immigration politicians keep winning elections, they say, while migration is constantly ranked a top issue among voters
It turns out, public is wildly misinformed
@writesbright.bsky.social
It turns out, public is wildly misinformed
@writesbright.bsky.social
Reposted by Alex Betts
Short thread (hopefully in plain English) on the nuclear deterrence dynamics in the India-Pakistan relationship and where this goes if escalation continues. <1>
May 10, 2025 at 1:52 AM
Short thread (hopefully in plain English) on the nuclear deterrence dynamics in the India-Pakistan relationship and where this goes if escalation continues. <1>
Reposted by Alex Betts
We're so back!
Season 15 of @cleaninguppod.bsky.social kicks off with @worthingtonbry.bsky.social and me sharing thoughts on Trump vs. The Transition, The Pope’s Legacy & The High Price of UK Electricity. Listen, watch, comment, share...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWOQ...
Season 15 of @cleaninguppod.bsky.social kicks off with @worthingtonbry.bsky.social and me sharing thoughts on Trump vs. The Transition, The Pope’s Legacy & The High Price of UK Electricity. Listen, watch, comment, share...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWOQ...
Trump vs. The Transition, The Pope’s Legacy & The High Price of UK Electricity — Ep205
YouTube video by Cleaning Up Podcast
www.youtube.com
April 25, 2025 at 3:18 PM
We're so back!
Season 15 of @cleaninguppod.bsky.social kicks off with @worthingtonbry.bsky.social and me sharing thoughts on Trump vs. The Transition, The Pope’s Legacy & The High Price of UK Electricity. Listen, watch, comment, share...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWOQ...
Season 15 of @cleaninguppod.bsky.social kicks off with @worthingtonbry.bsky.social and me sharing thoughts on Trump vs. The Transition, The Pope’s Legacy & The High Price of UK Electricity. Listen, watch, comment, share...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWOQ...
Reposted by Alex Betts
Vatican to announce its choice of a new Pope in a Signal group chat.
April 21, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Vatican to announce its choice of a new Pope in a Signal group chat.
Reposted by Alex Betts
It is time for the Supreme Court to make it 100% clear the Trump Administration is in outright defiance of the Courts and we are thus in a Constitutional Crisis. This is Exhibit A. Then it is up to the American people what to do next...
April 18, 2025 at 5:50 PM
It is time for the Supreme Court to make it 100% clear the Trump Administration is in outright defiance of the Courts and we are thus in a Constitutional Crisis. This is Exhibit A. Then it is up to the American people what to do next...
Reposted by Alex Betts
They say Ukraine has no history. This room proves otherwise.
Artifacts older than Moscow. Culture deeper than empire.
The truth lives here, not in the Kremlin's lies, not in White House compromises
Ukraine is real, ancient, sovereign and worth defending.
Artifacts older than Moscow. Culture deeper than empire.
The truth lives here, not in the Kremlin's lies, not in White House compromises
Ukraine is real, ancient, sovereign and worth defending.
April 12, 2025 at 7:29 PM
They say Ukraine has no history. This room proves otherwise.
Artifacts older than Moscow. Culture deeper than empire.
The truth lives here, not in the Kremlin's lies, not in White House compromises
Ukraine is real, ancient, sovereign and worth defending.
Artifacts older than Moscow. Culture deeper than empire.
The truth lives here, not in the Kremlin's lies, not in White House compromises
Ukraine is real, ancient, sovereign and worth defending.
Reposted by Alex Betts
NEW 🧵
The number of people travelling from Europe to the US in recent weeks has plummeted by as much as 35%, as travellers have cancelled plans in response to Trump’s policies and rhetoric, and horror stories from the border.
Story: www.ft.com/content/6dc1...
The number of people travelling from Europe to the US in recent weeks has plummeted by as much as 35%, as travellers have cancelled plans in response to Trump’s policies and rhetoric, and horror stories from the border.
Story: www.ft.com/content/6dc1...
April 11, 2025 at 7:03 PM
NEW 🧵
The number of people travelling from Europe to the US in recent weeks has plummeted by as much as 35%, as travellers have cancelled plans in response to Trump’s policies and rhetoric, and horror stories from the border.
Story: www.ft.com/content/6dc1...
The number of people travelling from Europe to the US in recent weeks has plummeted by as much as 35%, as travellers have cancelled plans in response to Trump’s policies and rhetoric, and horror stories from the border.
Story: www.ft.com/content/6dc1...