Bob Kopp
@bobkopp.net
#Climate & sea level science + policy. Rutgers University. All views my own. www.bobkopp.net
Pinned
Bob Kopp
@bobkopp.net
· May 7
There’s so much happening right now, I thought I’d put together a running thread on the dismantling of #climate and research and knowledge infrastructure in the United States 🧵
Haaretz does good reporting, but reporting an unbalanced panel as though it is an unbiased representation of Jewish Americans is not. @etannechin.bsky.social
November 29, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Haaretz does good reporting, but reporting an unbalanced panel as though it is an unbiased representation of Jewish Americans is not. @etannechin.bsky.social
Reposted by Bob Kopp
northwestern household shouting
given how unpopular Trump is, it’s insane that civil society/universities/law firms are still asking themselves “how do I stay on Trump’s good side” rather than “how do I avoid facing consequences for complying with Trump’s illegal demands”
New Gallup poll shows Trump's approval hit a new low for his second term:
-36% approve
-60% disapprove
His approval among Republicans went from 91% in January to 84% in November
news.gallup.com/poll/699221/...
-36% approve
-60% disapprove
His approval among Republicans went from 91% in January to 84% in November
news.gallup.com/poll/699221/...
November 28, 2025 at 6:26 PM
northwestern household shouting
Reposted by Bob Kopp
Again, as with all the other federal budget cuts that are incinerating 20-25% of the funding & the entire budget model of every R1 university in 🇺🇸, this is a five-alarm emergency that requires immediate, loud, collective condemnation by our university presidents. Total 🦗 as it’s all being gutted.
November 27, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Again, as with all the other federal budget cuts that are incinerating 20-25% of the funding & the entire budget model of every R1 university in 🇺🇸, this is a five-alarm emergency that requires immediate, loud, collective condemnation by our university presidents. Total 🦗 as it’s all being gutted.
Reposted by Bob Kopp
Again, there is no plan for running our universities without federal funding, or foreign students, at scale. But the public has no idea about this because no. one. is. telling. them. this. They expect their kids are still going to be able to do all the things at college in the next 4 years, & well:
The entire business model of R1 public universities rests on 4 revenue sources:
1. Federal grants
2. Private gifts/endowments
3. Tuition (esp. from foreign students)
4. State $
For decades, 📈 in 1-3 offset a secular 📉 in 4. Now, 1 & 3 are being decimated & 4 ain't coming back. The math is clear.
1. Federal grants
2. Private gifts/endowments
3. Tuition (esp. from foreign students)
4. State $
For decades, 📈 in 1-3 offset a secular 📉 in 4. Now, 1 & 3 are being decimated & 4 ain't coming back. The math is clear.
November 27, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Again, there is no plan for running our universities without federal funding, or foreign students, at scale. But the public has no idea about this because no. one. is. telling. them. this. They expect their kids are still going to be able to do all the things at college in the next 4 years, & well:
Kind of throws the whole @natureportfolio.nature.com Scientific Reports review process in question
"Runctitiononal features"? "Medical fymblal"? "1 Tol Line storee"? This gets worse the longer you look at it. But it's got to be good, because it was published in Nature Scientific Reports last week: www.nature.com/articles/s41... h/t @asa.tsbalans.se
November 27, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Kind of throws the whole @natureportfolio.nature.com Scientific Reports review process in question
Reposted by Bob Kopp
This means NSF dissertation improvement grants in the social sciences are simply...not happening.
NEW from me - NSF cancels grant scheme for social science research.
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Today's biggest science news: Doomed comet explodes | Comet 3I/ATLAS course alteration | Dark matter detected?
Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025: Your daily feed of the biggest discoveries and breakthroughs making headlines.
www.livescience.com
November 27, 2025 at 1:16 PM
This means NSF dissertation improvement grants in the social sciences are simply...not happening.
Reposted by Bob Kopp
big late breaking news: the market monitor for the largest energy grid in the u.s., covering much of the midwest and mid-atlantic, has called to block new data centers connections to the grid, saying current course of growth assures regular blackouts
No more PJM data centers unless they can be reliably served: market monitor
The PJM Interconnection’s market monitor urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to rule that large data centers can only come online if the grid operator can still meet reliability metrics.
www.utilitydive.com
November 27, 2025 at 1:17 AM
big late breaking news: the market monitor for the largest energy grid in the u.s., covering much of the midwest and mid-atlantic, has called to block new data centers connections to the grid, saying current course of growth assures regular blackouts
Reposted by Bob Kopp
Bob has interesting thoughts on the 'Genesis Mission'. But is there a useful path for Earth Science (writ large) here? Possibly yes.
“Genesis Mission” thoughts:
1. Wacky name, makes me think some transhumanist Silicon Valley type named it (Chris Wright probably counts, even though he’s not actually SV)
2. Publicly accessible data centers at national labs and open large deep learning models could be really valuable for science
1. Wacky name, makes me think some transhumanist Silicon Valley type named it (Chris Wright probably counts, even though he’s not actually SV)
2. Publicly accessible data centers at national labs and open large deep learning models could be really valuable for science
November 26, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Bob has interesting thoughts on the 'Genesis Mission'. But is there a useful path for Earth Science (writ large) here? Possibly yes.
Reposted by Bob Kopp
yes and partially there already www.congress.gov/crs-product/....
www.congress.gov
November 26, 2025 at 1:41 PM
yes and partially there already www.congress.gov/crs-product/....
“Genesis Mission” thoughts:
1. Wacky name, makes me think some transhumanist Silicon Valley type named it (Chris Wright probably counts, even though he’s not actually SV)
2. Publicly accessible data centers at national labs and open large deep learning models could be really valuable for science
1. Wacky name, makes me think some transhumanist Silicon Valley type named it (Chris Wright probably counts, even though he’s not actually SV)
2. Publicly accessible data centers at national labs and open large deep learning models could be really valuable for science
November 26, 2025 at 12:39 PM
“Genesis Mission” thoughts:
1. Wacky name, makes me think some transhumanist Silicon Valley type named it (Chris Wright probably counts, even though he’s not actually SV)
2. Publicly accessible data centers at national labs and open large deep learning models could be really valuable for science
1. Wacky name, makes me think some transhumanist Silicon Valley type named it (Chris Wright probably counts, even though he’s not actually SV)
2. Publicly accessible data centers at national labs and open large deep learning models could be really valuable for science
Reposted by Bob Kopp
AI will be trained on federal datasets that are the accumulation of decades of world-class research. The admin has also decimated that research infrastructure.
November 25, 2025 at 2:28 AM
AI will be trained on federal datasets that are the accumulation of decades of world-class research. The admin has also decimated that research infrastructure.
56% of Americans believe alien probably exists, and 47% — 83% of those who believe aliens exist — think they have probably visited Earth.
I want to know more — do 44% of Americans think humans are the only technological species ever to have existed in the entirety of the universe?
I want to know more — do 44% of Americans think humans are the only technological species ever to have existed in the entirety of the universe?
New polling on aliens
% of U.S. adult citizens who believe the following definitely or probably exist:
Aliens 56%
Bigfoot 28%
The Yeti 23%
The Loch Ness Monster 22%
Chupacabra 16%
today.yougov.com/health/artic...
% of U.S. adult citizens who believe the following definitely or probably exist:
Aliens 56%
Bigfoot 28%
The Yeti 23%
The Loch Ness Monster 22%
Chupacabra 16%
today.yougov.com/health/artic...
November 26, 2025 at 12:42 AM
56% of Americans believe alien probably exists, and 47% — 83% of those who believe aliens exist — think they have probably visited Earth.
I want to know more — do 44% of Americans think humans are the only technological species ever to have existed in the entirety of the universe?
I want to know more — do 44% of Americans think humans are the only technological species ever to have existed in the entirety of the universe?
Reposted by Bob Kopp
who knows the future of AI, its real world value, what it can achieve, what profits it will drive. But we can more confidently say something very weird is happening here when we look at the question of resource allocation and the very small number of individuals driving it.
The Surreal Madness of the AI Boom talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-s... via @TPM
The Surreal Madness of the AI Boom
TPM Reader EB emailed today to tell me something that hadn’t come...
talkingpointsmemo.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:54 PM
who knows the future of AI, its real world value, what it can achieve, what profits it will drive. But we can more confidently say something very weird is happening here when we look at the question of resource allocation and the very small number of individuals driving it.
Reposted by Bob Kopp
Look at @katharinehayhoe.com channel her apocalyptic optimist as she describes the fossil fuel swan song that we just witnessed at COP30. For the full conversation with @amywestervelt.bsky.social and me, tune into COPOut Episode 5, which airs TOMORROW!
November 23, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Look at @katharinehayhoe.com channel her apocalyptic optimist as she describes the fossil fuel swan song that we just witnessed at COP30. For the full conversation with @amywestervelt.bsky.social and me, tune into COPOut Episode 5, which airs TOMORROW!
Reposted by Bob Kopp
"Critical to the success of any presidency is the ability to implement an agenda endorsed by the American people...." This is the core justification for Trump's Schedule F rule. And it is 100% gonzo wrong. The Founders would be equally horrified and bewildered. www.govexec.com/workforce/20...
Final Schedule F regulations to describe civil service protections as ‘unconstitutional overcorrections’
OPM officials told agency HR leaders Tuesday that President Trump has Article II constitutional authority to remove tens of thousands of career federal workers in jobs over potential “resistance to po...
www.govexec.com
November 23, 2025 at 3:44 PM
"Critical to the success of any presidency is the ability to implement an agenda endorsed by the American people...." This is the core justification for Trump's Schedule F rule. And it is 100% gonzo wrong. The Founders would be equally horrified and bewildered. www.govexec.com/workforce/20...
Striking thing about this @npr.org Sunday Story on AI and higher ed is that it takes as an unchallenged assumption the idea that the primary and/or sole purpose of higher ed is to prepare students for the job market, not to be free citizens of a democracy.
Higher Education’s AI Problem : Up First from NPR
Across the country, colleges and universities are struggling to figure out how to incorporate AI into the classroom. ChatGPT debuted almost exactly three years ago. And very quickly, students began to...
www.npr.org
November 23, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Striking thing about this @npr.org Sunday Story on AI and higher ed is that it takes as an unchallenged assumption the idea that the primary and/or sole purpose of higher ed is to prepare students for the job market, not to be free citizens of a democracy.
EPA now aiming for January to finalize Endangerment Finding repeal. Looking forward to seeing how they deal with the scientific underpinnings of the repeal failing to satisfy Information Quality Act requirements.
EPA falls behind schedule for repealing endangerment finding
The rule to end most climate regulations is not expected until January, slipping from a planned December deadline.
www.eenews.net
November 23, 2025 at 12:26 AM
EPA now aiming for January to finalize Endangerment Finding repeal. Looking forward to seeing how they deal with the scientific underpinnings of the repeal failing to satisfy Information Quality Act requirements.
Reposted by Bob Kopp
America putting most of its eggs in the generative AI basket, China going hard into green tech. When history looks back on this period, someone is going to look awfully stupid.
November 22, 2025 at 7:18 PM
America putting most of its eggs in the generative AI basket, China going hard into green tech. When history looks back on this period, someone is going to look awfully stupid.
Reposted by Bob Kopp
After two weeks of #COP30 negotiations, countries agreed to BEGIN DISCUSSIONS on fossil fuel phase out. And as the article says, "they achieved this incremental progress only in the teeth of implacable opposition from oil-producing countries."
THIS is the problem with requiring unanimous decisions.
THIS is the problem with requiring unanimous decisions.
End of fossil fuel era inches closer as Cop30 deal agreed after bitter standoff
Wealthy countries agree to triple funds for countries to tackle climate impacts, but deforestation and critical minerals blocked from final deal
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 6:52 PM
After two weeks of #COP30 negotiations, countries agreed to BEGIN DISCUSSIONS on fossil fuel phase out. And as the article says, "they achieved this incremental progress only in the teeth of implacable opposition from oil-producing countries."
THIS is the problem with requiring unanimous decisions.
THIS is the problem with requiring unanimous decisions.
Reposted by Bob Kopp
Mohamed Adow, director of Power Shift Africa, said: “With an increasingly fractured geopolitical backdrop, Cop30 gave us some baby steps in the right direction, but considering the scale of the climate crisis, it has failed to rise to the occasion."
Cop30 deal agreed after bitter standoff:
Wealthy countries agree to triple funds for countries to tackle climate impacts, but deforestation and critical minerals blocked from final deal
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Wealthy countries agree to triple funds for countries to tackle climate impacts, but deforestation and critical minerals blocked from final deal
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
November 22, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Mohamed Adow, director of Power Shift Africa, said: “With an increasingly fractured geopolitical backdrop, Cop30 gave us some baby steps in the right direction, but considering the scale of the climate crisis, it has failed to rise to the occasion."
Reposted by Bob Kopp
“COP30 was supposed to be the COP of truth and implementation. Unless nations reckon with the ugly truths revealed here, there will be major repercussions for multilateral climate agreements and more importantly, for the lives of communities who are on the frontlines of the climate crisis.”
#COP30
#COP30
COP30 Barely Delivers, Rich Nations Continue to Force Inequitable Climate Outcomes
COP30 barely delivers on adaptation, climate finance, fossil fuel phaseout, but important just transition progress made
www.ucs.org
November 22, 2025 at 5:46 PM
“COP30 was supposed to be the COP of truth and implementation. Unless nations reckon with the ugly truths revealed here, there will be major repercussions for multilateral climate agreements and more importantly, for the lives of communities who are on the frontlines of the climate crisis.”
#COP30
#COP30
Reposted by Bob Kopp
👇 Read more in our statement 👇
www.ciel.org/news/cop30-f...
www.ciel.org/news/cop30-f...
COP30: Climate Talks Flounder, Countries Look Beyond UNFCCC to Phase Out Fossil Fuels - Center for International Environmental Law
The climate talks COP30 concluded today in the Amazon with an empty deal that does not halt deforestation, implement a fossil fuel phaseout, or deliver climate finance at scale
www.ciel.org
November 22, 2025 at 5:48 PM
👇 Read more in our statement 👇
www.ciel.org/news/cop30-f...
www.ciel.org/news/cop30-f...
This old column by @raskin.house.gov needs to be at the heart of reconstructing constitutional government after this current regime passes
Perspective | Congress isn’t just a co-equal branch. We’re first among equals.
There’s a reason the House and Senate were set out right after the words “We the People.”
wapo.st
November 22, 2025 at 3:26 PM
This old column by @raskin.house.gov needs to be at the heart of reconstructing constitutional government after this current regime passes
Reposted by Bob Kopp
So, below is EU President von der Leyen saying that the EU is "not fighting fossil fuels, only emissions."
And here is the Saudi envoy to COP30 saying exactly the same thing.
I'm telling you: climate politics are unified around the lie that we can keep fossil fuels & still deal w climate anyway.
And here is the Saudi envoy to COP30 saying exactly the same thing.
I'm telling you: climate politics are unified around the lie that we can keep fossil fuels & still deal w climate anyway.
November 21, 2025 at 10:19 PM
So, below is EU President von der Leyen saying that the EU is "not fighting fossil fuels, only emissions."
And here is the Saudi envoy to COP30 saying exactly the same thing.
I'm telling you: climate politics are unified around the lie that we can keep fossil fuels & still deal w climate anyway.
And here is the Saudi envoy to COP30 saying exactly the same thing.
I'm telling you: climate politics are unified around the lie that we can keep fossil fuels & still deal w climate anyway.
Reposted by Bob Kopp
The Eric Schickler essay in Larry Bartel's symposium on "What Trump Has Taught Us About Political Science" is one of the most insightful pieces I've read in 2025.
US institutions turned out to be weak, and we have to rethink conventional wisdom.
open access: academic.oup.com/psq/advance-...
US institutions turned out to be weak, and we have to rethink conventional wisdom.
open access: academic.oup.com/psq/advance-...
November 19, 2025 at 8:08 PM
The Eric Schickler essay in Larry Bartel's symposium on "What Trump Has Taught Us About Political Science" is one of the most insightful pieces I've read in 2025.
US institutions turned out to be weak, and we have to rethink conventional wisdom.
open access: academic.oup.com/psq/advance-...
US institutions turned out to be weak, and we have to rethink conventional wisdom.
open access: academic.oup.com/psq/advance-...