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Robinson Meyer

@robinsonmeyer.bsky.social

43K followers 1.1K following 2.8K posts

Founding executive editor of Heatmap News. Contributing Opinion writer for The New York Times. Cohost of the Shift Key podcast. 📍NYC

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 6d

NEW SHIFT KEY

What China’s New Climate Pledge Says About Its Power Grid

We chat with @michaeldavidson.bsky.social about China’s new Paris Agreement pledge — and the policies + factions that have made its grid run on coal *and* solar. I learned a lot in this one.
heatmap.news/podcast/shif...

How China’s Power Grid Really Works

Rob and Jesse break down China’s electricity generation with UC San Diego’s Michael Davidson.

heatmap.news

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Reposted by Robinson Meyer

Maxine Joselow @maxinejoselow.bsky.social · 2h

Before catastrophic floods swept through the Alaska Native village of Kipnuk on Sunday, the EPA canceled a $20 million grant intended to protect the community from extreme flooding. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/c...

Before Alaska Flooding, E.P.A. Canceled $20 Million Flood Protection Grant

www.nytimes.com

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 7h

Ok simmer down

Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 8h

The night Black Messiah dropped, I was crashing on a friend’s couch in Oakland with a 101° fever — drifting in and out of sleep, listening to the foggy downpour outside and the album at the same time. It was the first time I’d ever been in California. Just one of those moments.

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Reposted by Robinson Meyer

paris martineau @paris.nyc · 9h

my latest investigation for @consumerreports.org is based on months of reporting and 60+ lab tests of leading protein supplements

we found that most protein powders and shakes have more lead in one serving than our experts say is safe to have in a day (🧵)

www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein...

Protein Powders and Shakes Contain High Levels of Lead - Consumer Reports

CR tests of 23 popular protein powders and shakes found that most contain high levels of lead.

www.consumerreports.org

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Natalie Weiner @natalieweiner.bsky.social · 9h

www.youtube.com/watch?v=di_h...

Can't Hide Love (Live At The Jazz Cafe, London/1995)

YouTube video by D'Angelo - Topic

www.youtube.com

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Ozma soon at ACFI @ozmaracc.bsky.social · 1d

The 1992 Columbus minivan, which I think is more of a maxivan and looks malformed, but it's Italian

A photo of a very odd 2 chamber minivan with a separate, upper chamber for just the driver seat

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Reposted by Robinson Meyer

Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social · 11h

Went to the DC exurbs to write about a growing political trend — citizens who don’t want more data centers, and are looking for politicians who’ll help.

Locally they’re getting help from both parties. At higher level, Rs are resolutely pro-data center and Ds are conflicted. t.co/Ir0QW8FUey

https://www.semafor.com/article/10/13/2025/as-electricity-bills-rise-candidates-in-both-parties-blame-data-centers

t.co

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Matt Zeitlin @zeitlin.bsky.social · 1d

It's not a climate economics nobel, but Philippe Aghion has applied his insights about creative destruction to climate. Namely that climate policy should seek primarily to foster and induce technological innovation especially by firms that specialize in green technology heatmap.news/economy/nobe...

The Latest Nobel Winner Thinks ‘Creative Destruction’ Can Stop Climate Change

Economist Philippe Aghion views carbon taxes as a tool to decarbonize, but not a solution in themselves.

heatmap.news

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Reposted by Robinson Meyer

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝙲. 𝙼𝚊𝚗𝚗 @charlescmann.bsky.social · 1d

As the guy in the White House has recently insisted, today is Columbus Day. What to do about it, given Indigenous peoples’ entirely merited dislike of the whole thing? A couple-three ideas that I've been thinking about. 1/

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 1d

Wait, is Mokyr’s work about tacit knowledge? That’s not a summary I’ve heard before.

Joshua Gans @joshgans.bsky.social · 1d

Joel Mokyr won a Nobel prize today for showing that it isn’t enough to have inventions that work. You have to know how they work to have sustained growth. Think about that when you hear AI scientists continue to speculate but aren’t sure as to how generative AI models work.

Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 1d

Radiators just turned on for the first time this year. Here we go.

Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 1d

hero. www.theringer.com/2025/10/13/m...

ARIANA GRANDE: How does it
feel to be so fucking iconic? DIANE KEATON: I don't exactly understand what that means but it's very kind of you to say. Can
you explain to me how I'm iconic?
What is that?

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 1d

They’re right and they should say it.

Sardonicus @sardonicus.eu · 2d

"Why travel all the way to Italy when you can visit a place much closer by that is shaped like Italy?"

bigthink.com/strange-maps...

poster of great western railways visit cornwall it better than italy advertising campaign

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 1d

Still really sad about the Phillies loss.

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NPV10 @npv10.bsky.social · 4d

significant parts of USG run on salesforce; he is exposed more than most

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 4d

One big question is whether the antitrust wing of the party gets blamed for this, cements its position because of this, or both.

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 4d

If Benioff is MAGA now that’s a huge signal that the Silicon Valley big money donor base is basically gone for Dems (it’s a signal of other things, too, obviously)

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/u...

Marc Benioff Says Trump Should Send Guard Troops to San Francisco

www.nytimes.com

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jael holzman @jael.bsky.social · 4d

the republican governor of utah spencer cox cites my story about esmeralda 7’s apparent cancelation to criticize the trump administration:

“this is how we lose the AI/energy arms race with china”

Spencer Cox: This is how we lose the AI/energy arms race with China. Our country needs an all-of-the-above approach to energy (like Utah). We should be all in on nuclear/natural gas/geothermal and keeping our coal plants open for as long as possible. However, there are innovation/permitting/supply chain issues slowing those down. While intermittent sources have been overvalued in the past (and offshore wind is a disaster and should be discontinued), the incredible leaps in battery technology completely change the value proposition of solar in the right places. Solar with batteries can now be close to baseload power and we should keep these projects rolling until we get the gas/nuclear/geothermal plants we need.

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 4d

Honestly also a pretty good approach to using social media.

Conor Sen @conorsen.bsky.social · 4d

If you're under 50 you have 30+ years to make up for whatever might go badly over the next few years, but if you get too brain-damaged in a bust that time won't help you.

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 4d

[loudly shuffles papers, drops them all over the floor]

Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 4d

thanks so much for reading and for assigning us! and thanks to your library for subscribing!

Reposted by Robinson Meyer

John Voelcker @johnvoelcker.bsky.social · 4d

"GM would not clarify what it meant by limited run during a call with news media on Oct. 9. GM plans to start shipping Bolts to dealerships in January."

Many reporters asked what that means. We all got: "We'll tell you later."

Most baffling new-car reveal in some time, this one, #EV or otherwise.

Originally marketed as a sport-utility vehicle, the Bolt EV debuted in 2016 and quickly set sales records.

www.freep.com

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 4d

Things we love to hear:

Salil @salilb.bsky.social · 4d

hell yeah, my college just got institutional access to @heatmap.news (and my syllabi for my next US state/local energy policy class is going to be lit.)

Reposted by Robinson Meyer

jael holzman @jael.bsky.social · 4d

SCOOP: The Bureau of Land Management says the largest solar project in Nevada — the Esmeralda 7 mega-farm — has been canceled

The news was quietly dropped via a sudden website update with no public word from any of the companies involved or a statement from the agency

@heatmap.news

Esmeralda 7 Solar Project Has Been Canceled, BLM Says

It would have delivered a gargantuan 6.2 gigawatts of power.

heatmap.news

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 4d

Feeling vindicated in my “you don’t actually want a bye, byes are terrible” belief

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