Kate Petersen
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k8petersen.bsky.social
Kate Petersen
@k8petersen.bsky.social
Writer. Science and climate communicator. Former Stegner fellow at Stanford. Daughter of Gallahop. Opinions are my own.
Years ago, I remember seeing people reading paperback copies of Henry James novels on the T and feeling like I was the only one not there to study something (laudatory, as they say now). Thanks for this essay.
February 16, 2026 at 12:20 AM
Reposted by Kate Petersen
As the US doubles down on fossil fuels and blocks wind & solar installations, its emissions are ticking up.

In contrast, China's emissions appear to have peaked. In the last 2 yrs, they installed more new solar energy each year than the U.S. has in its entire history.

More from @carbonbrief.org:
Analysis: China’s CO2 emissions have now been ‘flat or falling’ for 21 months - Carbon Brief
China’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions fell by 1% in the final quarter of 2025, likely securing a decline of 0.3% for the full year as a whole.
www.carbonbrief.org
February 12, 2026 at 10:40 PM
*this is a carpool moment from a young genX-er raised by civil service & public service people. I suspect leadership will emerge, but climate warming has accelerated the clock on everything. US moral leadership was always broken and late and self-interested, but it grew into something. Less time now
February 13, 2026 at 2:49 AM
I'm glad for China's renewable revolution and for Europe's wise ditching of US tech. Maybe the future of diplomacy is all incrementalism and contracts. But is there a state that's saying: we will rebuild science in the public interest? We will lead humanitarian aid? I see a shrugging towards caldera
February 13, 2026 at 2:45 AM
This may well be a quirk of how wire stories pull images from live updates, but it seems akin to the photos of people at beaches to illustrate stories of deadly heat waves: in our scrolling moment, the image is sometimes the only story read, and should be tightly and intentionally linked by editors.
February 12, 2026 at 8:15 PM
Reposted by Kate Petersen
Just a few weeks ago, the administration cancelled all remaining department of energy grid resilience projects in Puerto Rico. All of them. www.latitudemedia.com/news/the-end...
The end of DOE’s grid work in Puerto Rico
The Trump administration has canceled all eight of the remaining awards devoted to distributed energy on the island.
www.latitudemedia.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:00 AM
I'm so glad to have read this. thank you.
February 8, 2026 at 1:48 AM
yes. especially with radiating effects of nat'l razing of much public health infrastructure + expertise
artifacts are left to the individual: my iphone still has the "exposure notification" setting; I take pictures of "stay X ft apart" floor signs in public places as my personal #HistSci archive.
February 6, 2026 at 1:21 AM
Reposted by Kate Petersen
February 5, 2026 at 2:23 AM
congratulations! Sounds like a wonderful residency.
February 4, 2026 at 8:28 PM
and you are taxed at "1000 percent"
February 4, 2026 at 2:43 AM