Michael Roberts
@mikejrob.bsky.social
An economist who studies agriculture, climate change, energy, and sometimes other environmental and resource issues.
Blog: https://grainsgigawatts.substack.com
Blog: https://grainsgigawatts.substack.com
The best Thanksgiving cartoon I’ve ever seen. (Even if that wasn’t the intent)
![Comic. Panels up to the 10-year point are grayed out. New panels since the Ten Years comic, which chronicles the first ten years of PERSON 1's journey with cancer: (1) [two people in bed] PERSON 1 (woman): One more chapter? PERSON 2 (man): Don’t we both have to get up early? PERSON 1: Nnnnnggggh PERSON 2: Sure, good point. (2) [many people wearing masks, walking while looking at graphs on their phones] (3) [birds landing on people] PERSON 2 in beanie and scarf: Hah! They like *my* seeds best. PERSON 1 in scarf holding phone with a bird sitting on it: Wait, how do I take a picture of this one? (4) [two people rowing boats with tree landscape] (5) [Person 1 carries overflowing stack of things to Person 2 in bed] PERSON 1: I brought you honey lemon tea, more pillows, a cinnamon roll, Tylenol, another blanket, a– PERSON 2: It was just Appendicitis, I’m really– PERSON 1: *It is my turn to take care of you and I am going to do it right!* (6) [Two people in car] (7) [still in car) PERSON 1: Oh my god. PERSON 2: Oh my god. (8) [car driving] PERSON 1: Pull over! PERSON 2: I am! (9) [both people get out of car] (10) [Large colored panel of aurora borealis over water with both people looking on] (11) [Person 1 sits against tree while Person 2 lies on the ground] PERSON 1: Fifteen years. No sign of the cancer. (12) I *am* having some weird symptoms. Joint pain. Fatigue. I think I’m losing my close-up vision. PERSON 2: Yeah. Me too. (13) PERSON 2: I think we’re getting old. (14) PERSON 1: I guess that’s okay. PERSON 2: It’s all I wanted.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreihwhjblp5lyiwp63ouar7ocfea7evmckytoeo7rkfuoo4gw5rnrra@jpeg)
November 27, 2025 at 6:54 AM
The best Thanksgiving cartoon I’ve ever seen. (Even if that wasn’t the intent)
Reposted by Michael Roberts
📢 Just accepted in #JAERE 📢 is now posted at @aereorg.bsky.social!
📍 Follow @aereorg.bsky.social to stay updated on all things REEP and JAERE.
#EconSky 📈📉
📍 Follow @aereorg.bsky.social to stay updated on all things REEP and JAERE.
#EconSky 📈📉
November 27, 2025 at 5:03 AM
📢 Just accepted in #JAERE 📢 is now posted at @aereorg.bsky.social!
📍 Follow @aereorg.bsky.social to stay updated on all things REEP and JAERE.
#EconSky 📈📉
📍 Follow @aereorg.bsky.social to stay updated on all things REEP and JAERE.
#EconSky 📈📉
Scary stuff. But interesting to take stock of how our institutions, including SCOTUS, have failed to live up to founding principles in the past. We corrected course then; hopefully we will this time, too. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
Opinion | Nobody Should Go to Jail for a Harmless Meme
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Scary stuff. But interesting to take stock of how our institutions, including SCOTUS, have failed to live up to founding principles in the past. We corrected course then; hopefully we will this time, too. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
Reposted by Michael Roberts
"We're pro-affordability, but we're going to raise tariffs on you. We're pro-affordability, but we're going to undermine the Fed, which is going to potentially cause inflation. We're pro-affordability, but... we're going to rip the American health insurance system up."
November 25, 2025 at 8:31 PM
"We're pro-affordability, but we're going to raise tariffs on you. We're pro-affordability, but we're going to undermine the Fed, which is going to potentially cause inflation. We're pro-affordability, but... we're going to rip the American health insurance system up."
Reposted by Michael Roberts
"The end of progress against extreme poverty?"
We have to work so that current trends are not good predictors of the future.
Thanks: @maxroser.bsky.social @ourworldindata.org
ourworldindata.org/end-progress...
We have to work so that current trends are not good predictors of the future.
Thanks: @maxroser.bsky.social @ourworldindata.org
ourworldindata.org/end-progress...
November 22, 2025 at 6:55 PM
"The end of progress against extreme poverty?"
We have to work so that current trends are not good predictors of the future.
Thanks: @maxroser.bsky.social @ourworldindata.org
ourworldindata.org/end-progress...
We have to work so that current trends are not good predictors of the future.
Thanks: @maxroser.bsky.social @ourworldindata.org
ourworldindata.org/end-progress...
'DOGE’s biggest “achievement” was shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development. And the dismantling of USAID has left a legacy of death. According to one recent study, closing the agency “has already caused the deaths of six hundred thousand people, two-thirds of them children.” '
November 25, 2025 at 8:34 PM
'DOGE’s biggest “achievement” was shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development. And the dismantling of USAID has left a legacy of death. According to one recent study, closing the agency “has already caused the deaths of six hundred thousand people, two-thirds of them children.” '
Global solar growth is up 64% in the first half of 2025 compared with 2024. Seems like we're at peak emissions in the electricity sector, with new solar+wind > demand growth.
Trumpies will slow it a little in the US, but that hardly matters globally.
ember-energy.org/latest-updat...
Trumpies will slow it a little in the US, but that hardly matters globally.
ember-energy.org/latest-updat...
Global solar installations surge 64% in first half of 2025 | Ember
ember-energy.org
November 24, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Global solar growth is up 64% in the first half of 2025 compared with 2024. Seems like we're at peak emissions in the electricity sector, with new solar+wind > demand growth.
Trumpies will slow it a little in the US, but that hardly matters globally.
ember-energy.org/latest-updat...
Trumpies will slow it a little in the US, but that hardly matters globally.
ember-energy.org/latest-updat...
Reposted by Michael Roberts
Actual causes of death in the US and media coverage of same.
And then we wonder why people have such a skewed understanding of the world.
@ourworldindata.org is a treasure. Thanks, @hannahritchie.bsky.social and colleagues.
ourworldindata.org/does-the-new...
And then we wonder why people have such a skewed understanding of the world.
@ourworldindata.org is a treasure. Thanks, @hannahritchie.bsky.social and colleagues.
ourworldindata.org/does-the-new...
November 16, 2025 at 5:26 AM
Actual causes of death in the US and media coverage of same.
And then we wonder why people have such a skewed understanding of the world.
@ourworldindata.org is a treasure. Thanks, @hannahritchie.bsky.social and colleagues.
ourworldindata.org/does-the-new...
And then we wonder why people have such a skewed understanding of the world.
@ourworldindata.org is a treasure. Thanks, @hannahritchie.bsky.social and colleagues.
ourworldindata.org/does-the-new...
Our (formerly) best media selling out to the oligarchs--The NYT and Washington Post among them.
The NYT is to media what Harvard is to academia. When they cave, the whole world should worry.
paulkrugman.substack.com/p/talking-wi...
The NYT is to media what Harvard is to academia. When they cave, the whole world should worry.
paulkrugman.substack.com/p/talking-wi...
Talking With Margaret Sullivan
The state of the media in Trump Two Year One
paulkrugman.substack.com
November 15, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Our (formerly) best media selling out to the oligarchs--The NYT and Washington Post among them.
The NYT is to media what Harvard is to academia. When they cave, the whole world should worry.
paulkrugman.substack.com/p/talking-wi...
The NYT is to media what Harvard is to academia. When they cave, the whole world should worry.
paulkrugman.substack.com/p/talking-wi...
Wow:
"The turnout rate of voters age 18 to 29 rose to 41.3 percent this year from 11.1 percent in the 2021 election for mayor. The share of total turnout composed of 18-to-29-year-olds grew to 16.6 percent from 8.9 percent four years ago"
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/o...
"The turnout rate of voters age 18 to 29 rose to 41.3 percent this year from 11.1 percent in the 2021 election for mayor. The share of total turnout composed of 18-to-29-year-olds grew to 16.6 percent from 8.9 percent four years ago"
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/o...
Opinion | Steve Bannon Thinks Zohran Mamdani Is a Genius. It’s Not a Feint.
www.nytimes.com
November 12, 2025 at 9:10 AM
Wow:
"The turnout rate of voters age 18 to 29 rose to 41.3 percent this year from 11.1 percent in the 2021 election for mayor. The share of total turnout composed of 18-to-29-year-olds grew to 16.6 percent from 8.9 percent four years ago"
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/o...
"The turnout rate of voters age 18 to 29 rose to 41.3 percent this year from 11.1 percent in the 2021 election for mayor. The share of total turnout composed of 18-to-29-year-olds grew to 16.6 percent from 8.9 percent four years ago"
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/o...
Great Freakonomics episode on how the 1910 Flexner Report reshaped U.S. medical training — and its lasting influence.
🎧 freakonomics.com/podcast/the-...
Also: new NBER paper by Karen Clay et al. on this history → www.nber.org/papers/w33937
Does this history contribute to today's doctor shortage?
🎧 freakonomics.com/podcast/the-...
Also: new NBER paper by Karen Clay et al. on this history → www.nber.org/papers/w33937
Does this history contribute to today's doctor shortage?
freakonomics.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:54 AM
Great Freakonomics episode on how the 1910 Flexner Report reshaped U.S. medical training — and its lasting influence.
🎧 freakonomics.com/podcast/the-...
Also: new NBER paper by Karen Clay et al. on this history → www.nber.org/papers/w33937
Does this history contribute to today's doctor shortage?
🎧 freakonomics.com/podcast/the-...
Also: new NBER paper by Karen Clay et al. on this history → www.nber.org/papers/w33937
Does this history contribute to today's doctor shortage?
Quite a reversal on the betting odds of a democratic house in 2026.
electionbettingodds.com/House-Contro...
electionbettingodds.com/House-Contro...
November 5, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Quite a reversal on the betting odds of a democratic house in 2026.
electionbettingodds.com/House-Contro...
electionbettingodds.com/House-Contro...
When my "dark" traits get the better of me, I ✔️the state of science @statmodeling.bsky.social
"as long as this sort of research gets shoved into the world’s most prestigious scientific journals ... [and] gets uncritical press coverage, we’ll keep seeing more of it."
tinyurl.com/4f2yhwtx
Oh well
"as long as this sort of research gets shoved into the world’s most prestigious scientific journals ... [and] gets uncritical press coverage, we’ll keep seeing more of it."
tinyurl.com/4f2yhwtx
Oh well
Aversive statistical methods explain differences in “dark” publication in PNAS across subject areas | Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science
tinyurl.com
October 22, 2025 at 8:57 PM
When my "dark" traits get the better of me, I ✔️the state of science @statmodeling.bsky.social
"as long as this sort of research gets shoved into the world’s most prestigious scientific journals ... [and] gets uncritical press coverage, we’ll keep seeing more of it."
tinyurl.com/4f2yhwtx
Oh well
"as long as this sort of research gets shoved into the world’s most prestigious scientific journals ... [and] gets uncritical press coverage, we’ll keep seeing more of it."
tinyurl.com/4f2yhwtx
Oh well
Today, Russia has a population roughly similar to that of the United States in the 1940s.
Russia has lost roughly twice as many soldiers in its invasion of Ukraine as the United States did in World War II.
www.economist.com/interactive/...
Russia has lost roughly twice as many soldiers in its invasion of Ukraine as the United States did in World War II.
www.economist.com/interactive/...
Russia's latest big Ukraine offensive gains next to nothing, again
Hundreds of thousands of Vladimir Putin's troops are losing their lives for barely any land
www.economist.com
October 21, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Today, Russia has a population roughly similar to that of the United States in the 1940s.
Russia has lost roughly twice as many soldiers in its invasion of Ukraine as the United States did in World War II.
www.economist.com/interactive/...
Russia has lost roughly twice as many soldiers in its invasion of Ukraine as the United States did in World War II.
www.economist.com/interactive/...
It took 15 years for the Nasdaq to return to .com peak after the bubble burst. Another ~10.5 years to grow 4.5 X.
But this time is different, right?
...Right?
But this time is different, right?
...Right?
October 9, 2025 at 7:24 AM
It took 15 years for the Nasdaq to return to .com peak after the bubble burst. Another ~10.5 years to grow 4.5 X.
But this time is different, right?
...Right?
But this time is different, right?
...Right?
Reposted by Michael Roberts
Great reporting on the market and consumer aspects of legacy coal power on Here and Now. Probably a much better spear point than climate. @tatecurtis.bsky.social does a great job on these issues as usual. 💡🔌 🏛️
www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...
www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...
West Virginia relies mostly on coal for its electricity. Customers are paying a heavy price
In West Virginia, more than 80% of the electricity comes from coal-fired power plants, customers have faced steady increases for more than a decade.
www.wbur.org
September 28, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Great reporting on the market and consumer aspects of legacy coal power on Here and Now. Probably a much better spear point than climate. @tatecurtis.bsky.social does a great job on these issues as usual. 💡🔌 🏛️
www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...
www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...
I wonder if something like this could ever happen here.
It's not just Sarkozy, but many of his co-conspirators who have been punished for their crimes.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/w...
It's not just Sarkozy, but many of his co-conspirators who have been punished for their crimes.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/w...
Sarkozy Sentenced to 5 Years in Libyan Campaign-Funding Case
www.nytimes.com
September 25, 2025 at 4:57 PM
I wonder if something like this could ever happen here.
It's not just Sarkozy, but many of his co-conspirators who have been punished for their crimes.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/w...
It's not just Sarkozy, but many of his co-conspirators who have been punished for their crimes.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/w...
"Democrats should begin making it loud and clear that if and when MAGA is dethroned, those who broke the law, those who corrupted our democracy out of deference to Trump will be held accountable."
open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...
Trump is weaker than he lets on. Stop the cowardice.
open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...
Trump is weaker than he lets on. Stop the cowardice.
Is the Jimmy Kimmel Saga a Sign that the Tide is Turning?
Why we may not be Russia or Hungary
open.substack.com
September 25, 2025 at 1:15 PM
"Democrats should begin making it loud and clear that if and when MAGA is dethroned, those who broke the law, those who corrupted our democracy out of deference to Trump will be held accountable."
open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...
Trump is weaker than he lets on. Stop the cowardice.
open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...
Trump is weaker than he lets on. Stop the cowardice.
This story begs for more than "he said, she said" journalism.
Explain the evidence, what's compelling, what's not, and what's required to go from correlation to causation. How, precisely, did Dr. Baccarelli supposedly cherry pick?
Do better @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/h...
Explain the evidence, what's compelling, what's not, and what's required to go from correlation to causation. How, precisely, did Dr. Baccarelli supposedly cherry pick?
Do better @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/h...
Harvard Dean Was Paid $150,000 as an Expert Witness in Tylenol Lawsuits
www.nytimes.com
September 24, 2025 at 4:27 PM
This story begs for more than "he said, she said" journalism.
Explain the evidence, what's compelling, what's not, and what's required to go from correlation to causation. How, precisely, did Dr. Baccarelli supposedly cherry pick?
Do better @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/h...
Explain the evidence, what's compelling, what's not, and what's required to go from correlation to causation. How, precisely, did Dr. Baccarelli supposedly cherry pick?
Do better @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/h...
There he goes projecting again. Every attack is a confession.
‘Your Countries Are Going to Hell’: Trump Airs His Grievances at the U.N. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/u...
‘Your Countries Are Going to Hell’: Trump Airs His Grievances at the U.N. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/u...
‘Your Countries Are Going to Hell’: Trump Airs His Grievances at the U.N.
www.nytimes.com
September 24, 2025 at 12:08 AM
There he goes projecting again. Every attack is a confession.
‘Your Countries Are Going to Hell’: Trump Airs His Grievances at the U.N. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/u...
‘Your Countries Are Going to Hell’: Trump Airs His Grievances at the U.N. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/u...
Reposted by Michael Roberts
Jimmy Kimmel and other late-night comedians have certainly said things about me that I found offensive, even outrageous.
It never crossed my mind to call up the networks and say, "Hey, get rid of this guy."
Because that's not how America works.
play.prx.org/listen?ge=pr...
It never crossed my mind to call up the networks and say, "Hey, get rid of this guy."
Because that's not how America works.
play.prx.org/listen?ge=pr...
The Political Scene | The New Yorker
The Washington Roundtable is joined by the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Keren Yarhi-Milo, the dean of the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, to discuss...
play.prx.org
September 21, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Jimmy Kimmel and other late-night comedians have certainly said things about me that I found offensive, even outrageous.
It never crossed my mind to call up the networks and say, "Hey, get rid of this guy."
Because that's not how America works.
play.prx.org/listen?ge=pr...
It never crossed my mind to call up the networks and say, "Hey, get rid of this guy."
Because that's not how America works.
play.prx.org/listen?ge=pr...
Reposted by Michael Roberts
Vertical rows are the agrivoltaic winner!
“The vertical panels produce slightly less electricity—but with higher value, as generation peaks coincide with morning and late afternoon demand…The crops don't seem to mind the presence of solar panels and they like the wind protection they provide.”
“The vertical panels produce slightly less electricity—but with higher value, as generation peaks coincide with morning and late afternoon demand…The crops don't seem to mind the presence of solar panels and they like the wind protection they provide.”
Double harvest: Vertical solar panels and crops thrive side by side
Imagine a field where solar panels and crops coexist—with no trade-off. It sounds like science fiction, but that's precisely what researchers from Aarhus University have now documented in a full-scale...
techxplore.com
September 22, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Vertical rows are the agrivoltaic winner!
“The vertical panels produce slightly less electricity—but with higher value, as generation peaks coincide with morning and late afternoon demand…The crops don't seem to mind the presence of solar panels and they like the wind protection they provide.”
“The vertical panels produce slightly less electricity—but with higher value, as generation peaks coincide with morning and late afternoon demand…The crops don't seem to mind the presence of solar panels and they like the wind protection they provide.”
USDA ends data collection on food insecurity and BLS delays a report on consumer expenditures without explanation
Meanwhile, free speech for misinformers but not for anyone who criticizes Trump—that’s illegal now, says the King.
They will find the crime.
open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
Meanwhile, free speech for misinformers but not for anyone who criticizes Trump—that’s illegal now, says the King.
They will find the crime.
open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
September 21, 2025
On Friday the Bureau of Labor Statistics postponed the release of the annual report on consumer expenditures—a key report for understanding inflation—without explanation.
open.substack.com
September 22, 2025 at 12:37 PM
USDA ends data collection on food insecurity and BLS delays a report on consumer expenditures without explanation
Meanwhile, free speech for misinformers but not for anyone who criticizes Trump—that’s illegal now, says the King.
They will find the crime.
open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
Meanwhile, free speech for misinformers but not for anyone who criticizes Trump—that’s illegal now, says the King.
They will find the crime.
open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
I didn't realize all of this increasingly destructive media consolidation stems from the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
On Jimmy Kimmel: It's Time to Destroy the Censorship Machine and Repeal the Telecommunications Act of 1996
www.thebignewsletter.com/p/on-jimmy-k...
On Jimmy Kimmel: It's Time to Destroy the Censorship Machine and Repeal the Telecommunications Act of 1996
www.thebignewsletter.com/p/on-jimmy-k...
On Jimmy Kimmel: It's Time to Destroy the Censorship Machine and Repeal the Telecommunications Act of 1996
In 1996, Bill Clinton set the stage for what Donald Trump is doing now by creating a censorship machine of consolidated media, broadband, and tech firms. It's time to break it apart.
www.thebignewsletter.com
September 19, 2025 at 7:37 AM
I didn't realize all of this increasingly destructive media consolidation stems from the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
On Jimmy Kimmel: It's Time to Destroy the Censorship Machine and Repeal the Telecommunications Act of 1996
www.thebignewsletter.com/p/on-jimmy-k...
On Jimmy Kimmel: It's Time to Destroy the Censorship Machine and Repeal the Telecommunications Act of 1996
www.thebignewsletter.com/p/on-jimmy-k...
"it's time for Democrats .. to .. 1) acknowledge that American men are having real problems; 2) state clearly that MAGA has no solutions & is exploiting their distress for political ends; & 3) advocate for effective policies to help them, as well as promising responsible stewardship of the economy."
Exploiting Male Rage
Men’s problems are real. MAGA’s solutions are fake
open.substack.com
September 19, 2025 at 4:21 AM
"it's time for Democrats .. to .. 1) acknowledge that American men are having real problems; 2) state clearly that MAGA has no solutions & is exploiting their distress for political ends; & 3) advocate for effective policies to help them, as well as promising responsible stewardship of the economy."