David Wallace-Wells
@dwallacewells.bsky.social
New York Times Opinion writer and New York Times Magazine columnist. Newsletter on climate and the messy future (https://tinyurl.com/dwwnyt). Author of The Uninhabitable Earth.
https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/david-wallace-wells
https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/david-wallace-wells
“As the planet warms, so much ice has been erased from around Mount Everest that the elevation at base camp in Nepal, which sits on a melting glacier, has dropped more than 220 feet since the 1980s.” www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Melting Glaciers in the Himalayas Feed Lakes That Threaten Towns Below
Melting ice from the Himalayas is creating thousands of unstable lakes, a growing menace to towns and cities below.
www.nytimes.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:07 PM
“As the planet warms, so much ice has been erased from around Mount Everest that the elevation at base camp in Nepal, which sits on a melting glacier, has dropped more than 220 feet since the 1980s.” www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by David Wallace-Wells
With current pledges, the world's on track for 2.6°C of warming in 2100 compared to preindustrial levels.
10 years ago, before the Paris agreement, it was 3.6°C
20+ years ago, we thought it would be 4-5°C
So 2.6°C is better, but the problem is that climate impacts are way worse than we predicted.
10 years ago, before the Paris agreement, it was 3.6°C
20+ years ago, we thought it would be 4-5°C
So 2.6°C is better, but the problem is that climate impacts are way worse than we predicted.
World still on track for catastrophic 2.6C temperature rise, report finds
Fossil fuel emissions have hit a record high while many nations have done too little to avert deadly global heating
www.theguardian.com
November 13, 2025 at 12:55 PM
With current pledges, the world's on track for 2.6°C of warming in 2100 compared to preindustrial levels.
10 years ago, before the Paris agreement, it was 3.6°C
20+ years ago, we thought it would be 4-5°C
So 2.6°C is better, but the problem is that climate impacts are way worse than we predicted.
10 years ago, before the Paris agreement, it was 3.6°C
20+ years ago, we thought it would be 4-5°C
So 2.6°C is better, but the problem is that climate impacts are way worse than we predicted.
One of humanity’s most ubiquitous infectious pathogens, the Epstein-Barr virus, which 19 of 20 people carry, bears the blame for the chronic autoimmune condition called systemic lupus erythematosus or, colloquially, lupus.
med.stanford.edu/news/all-new...
med.stanford.edu/news/all-new...
Stanford Medicine scientists tie lupus to a virus nearly all of us carry
The Epstein-Barr virus can convert B cells it’s infected into diabolical overlords that reprogram myriad other immune cells to attack our tissues, Stanford Medicine scientists have found.
med.stanford.edu
November 13, 2025 at 12:11 PM
One of humanity’s most ubiquitous infectious pathogens, the Epstein-Barr virus, which 19 of 20 people carry, bears the blame for the chronic autoimmune condition called systemic lupus erythematosus or, colloquially, lupus.
med.stanford.edu/news/all-new...
med.stanford.edu/news/all-new...
“Between 1989 and 2022, households in the top 1 percent added about 100 times as much wealth as households at the national median. The share of all U.S. wealth held by the top 0.00001 percent has nearly doubled over the last decade.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/o...
Opinion | The Haves and Have-Nots Are, Once Again, at War
www.nytimes.com
November 12, 2025 at 10:43 PM
“Between 1989 and 2022, households in the top 1 percent added about 100 times as much wealth as households at the national median. The share of all U.S. wealth held by the top 0.00001 percent has nearly doubled over the last decade.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/o...
“Climate-related disasters forcibly displaced 250 million people globally over the past decade, the equivalent of 70,000 displacements every day, according to a report by the UN refugee agency.” www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Climate disasters displaced 250 million people in past 10 years, UN report finds
Floods, storms and droughts have uprooted people across the globe as rising temperatures intensify conflict and hunger
www.theguardian.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:01 PM
“Climate-related disasters forcibly displaced 250 million people globally over the past decade, the equivalent of 70,000 displacements every day, according to a report by the UN refugee agency.” www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by David Wallace-Wells
“The elites are ecstatic about imagining a vast, uneducated, and unproductive population forced to pay companies like OpenAI to access the written word and to approximate thought.”
Must read piece by Noah McCormack with too many quotaboe lines to select one! thebaffler.com/salvos/we-us...
Must read piece by Noah McCormack with too many quotaboe lines to select one! thebaffler.com/salvos/we-us...
We Used to Read Things in This Country | Noah McCormack
Technology changes us—and it is currently changing us for the worse.
thebaffler.com
November 2, 2025 at 5:12 PM
“The elites are ecstatic about imagining a vast, uneducated, and unproductive population forced to pay companies like OpenAI to access the written word and to approximate thought.”
Must read piece by Noah McCormack with too many quotaboe lines to select one! thebaffler.com/salvos/we-us...
Must read piece by Noah McCormack with too many quotaboe lines to select one! thebaffler.com/salvos/we-us...
November 10, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Reposted by David Wallace-Wells
A fantastic piece. Fascinating that Watson was another victim of The Bell Curve and became entrenched by his undeserved arrogance and hubris
A Sharon Begley byline, almost 5 years after her death.
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers
James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA who died Thursday at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers.
www.statnews.com
November 8, 2025 at 10:27 PM
A fantastic piece. Fascinating that Watson was another victim of The Bell Curve and became entrenched by his undeserved arrogance and hubris
Reposted by David Wallace-Wells
I read The Double Helix as an undergraduate. I was a science major at a women’s college taking molecular biology. Our professor taught us that Watson & Crick screwed Rosalind Franklin over.
So I read the book to learn more. I’ll never forget how reading this passage made me feel.
So I read the book to learn more. I’ll never forget how reading this passage made me feel.
![“By choice [Rosalind Franklin] did not emphasize her feminine qualities.. There was never lipstick to contrast with her straight black her, while at the age of thirty-one her dresses showed all the imagination of English blue-stocking adolescents. So it was quite easy to imagine her the product of an unsatisfied mother who unduly stressed the desirability of professional careers that could save bright girls from marriages to dull men.. Clearly Rosy had to go or be put in her place. The former was obviously preferable because given her belligerent moods, it would be very difficult for Maurice [Wilkins] to maintain a dominant position that would allow him to think unhindered about DNA.. The thought could not be avoided that the best home for a feminist was another person’s lab”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:opitzjj6oapo6y3cr5ipwfdu/bafkreibj5i6hdhoinpdbtx5ij7e56lz5v6zg6d6aompkuvrxrdnmkfvj2m@jpeg)
November 8, 2025 at 4:02 PM
I read The Double Helix as an undergraduate. I was a science major at a women’s college taking molecular biology. Our professor taught us that Watson & Crick screwed Rosalind Franklin over.
So I read the book to learn more. I’ll never forget how reading this passage made me feel.
So I read the book to learn more. I’ll never forget how reading this passage made me feel.
Reposted by David Wallace-Wells
If I'm doing the math correctly, Musk's big pay packet yesterday could have made each of these now-dead people millionaires instead.
He is among the sickest men the world has ever produced.
He is among the sickest men the world has ever produced.
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 7, 2025 at 2:52 PM
If I'm doing the math correctly, Musk's big pay packet yesterday could have made each of these now-dead people millionaires instead.
He is among the sickest men the world has ever produced.
He is among the sickest men the world has ever produced.
“People perceive climate change as more impactful when shown binary data rather than continuous data, because binary data creates an illusion of sudden change.”
Honored and excited to share that I am the winner of Nomis & Science Young Explorer Award!!
Also thrilled to share that my article describing my research is out now in @science.org today!
The normalization of (almost) everything www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
1/
Also thrilled to share that my article describing my research is out now in @science.org today!
The normalization of (almost) everything www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
1/
The normalization of (almost) everything: Our minds can get used to anything, and even crises start feeling normal
Our minds can get used to anything, and even crises start feeling normal
www.science.org
November 6, 2025 at 10:46 PM
“People perceive climate change as more impactful when shown binary data rather than continuous data, because binary data creates an illusion of sudden change.”
“‘More people could have died in the past week in El Fasher, and this is without hyperbole, than died in the past two years in Gaza,’ says Nathaniel Raymond, Executive Director at Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab.” open.substack.com/pub/zeteo/p/...
Sudan's Death Toll Could Exceed Gaza’s. Here’s Everything You Need to Know
Two experts on Sudan explain how the killing in El Fasher is worse than anyone knows.
open.substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:40 PM
“‘More people could have died in the past week in El Fasher, and this is without hyperbole, than died in the past two years in Gaza,’ says Nathaniel Raymond, Executive Director at Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab.” open.substack.com/pub/zeteo/p/...
According to this (extremely informed) projection, Zohran Mamdani will win more votes than any mayoral candidate in New York since 1969.
NEW: I predicted the results of the New York City mayoral election BLOCK by BLOCK.
🚨Spoiler Alert🚨 Zohran Mamdani is going to win
2,000,000+ Votes, 120,000+ Blocks, 350 Neighborhoods, 5 Boroughs, 3 Candidates
ONLY 1 PREDICTION:
www.michaellange.nyc/p/predicting...
🚨Spoiler Alert🚨 Zohran Mamdani is going to win
2,000,000+ Votes, 120,000+ Blocks, 350 Neighborhoods, 5 Boroughs, 3 Candidates
ONLY 1 PREDICTION:
www.michaellange.nyc/p/predicting...
Predicting Every Block of the 2025 NYC Mayoral Election
Spoiler Alert: Zohran Mamdani is going to win
www.michaellange.nyc
November 3, 2025 at 8:14 PM
According to this (extremely informed) projection, Zohran Mamdani will win more votes than any mayoral candidate in New York since 1969.
Reposted by David Wallace-Wells
This quote continues to rattle me to my core:
"So what you’re telling us is you need less evidence to kill somebody than you do to hold them."
That's Rep Adam Smith to Pentagon officials in a briefing on Trump's illegal boat bombings. As he told me in this piece, they didn't answer his objection:
"So what you’re telling us is you need less evidence to kill somebody than you do to hold them."
That's Rep Adam Smith to Pentagon officials in a briefing on Trump's illegal boat bombings. As he told me in this piece, they didn't answer his objection:
Awful: Pentagon officials told lawmakers Trump now claims authority to bomb people merely “affiliated” with “narco-terrorist" groups, Rep Adam Smith tells me. But under questioning, they wouldn't say what “affiliated” even means!
Lots of fresh info in my new piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2025...
Lots of fresh info in my new piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2025...
November 3, 2025 at 12:11 PM
This quote continues to rattle me to my core:
"So what you’re telling us is you need less evidence to kill somebody than you do to hold them."
That's Rep Adam Smith to Pentagon officials in a briefing on Trump's illegal boat bombings. As he told me in this piece, they didn't answer his objection:
"So what you’re telling us is you need less evidence to kill somebody than you do to hold them."
That's Rep Adam Smith to Pentagon officials in a briefing on Trump's illegal boat bombings. As he told me in this piece, they didn't answer his objection:
Reposted by David Wallace-Wells
A reminder that less than two months ago, the Trump administration abruptly ended the federal government's 27-year practice of collecting data on hunger and food insecurity.
November 3, 2025 at 12:58 AM
A reminder that less than two months ago, the Trump administration abruptly ended the federal government's 27-year practice of collecting data on hunger and food insecurity.
Reposted by David Wallace-Wells
O'DONNELL: Why did you pardon Changpeng Zhao?
TRUMP: Are you ready? I don't know who he is
O'DONNELL: His crypto exchange Binance helped facilitate a $2b purchase of World Liberty Financial's stablecoin. And they you pardoned him.
TRUMP: Here's the thing -- I know nothing about it
TRUMP: Are you ready? I don't know who he is
O'DONNELL: His crypto exchange Binance helped facilitate a $2b purchase of World Liberty Financial's stablecoin. And they you pardoned him.
TRUMP: Here's the thing -- I know nothing about it
November 3, 2025 at 12:56 AM
O'DONNELL: Why did you pardon Changpeng Zhao?
TRUMP: Are you ready? I don't know who he is
O'DONNELL: His crypto exchange Binance helped facilitate a $2b purchase of World Liberty Financial's stablecoin. And they you pardoned him.
TRUMP: Here's the thing -- I know nothing about it
TRUMP: Are you ready? I don't know who he is
O'DONNELL: His crypto exchange Binance helped facilitate a $2b purchase of World Liberty Financial's stablecoin. And they you pardoned him.
TRUMP: Here's the thing -- I know nothing about it
“Among the 861 children whose mothers were SARS-CoV-2–positive during pregnancy, 140 (16.3%) received a neurodevelopmental diagnosis by 3 years of age, compared with 1,680 (9.7%) of the 17,263 remaining children from SARS-CoV-2–negative pregnancies.” www.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/about/new...
COVID-19 During Pregnancy Linked to Higher Risk of Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Children | Mass General Brigham
Children born to mothers who had COVID-19 while pregnant face an elevated risk of developmental disorders by the time they turn 3 years old, including speech delays, autism, motor disorders, and other...
www.massgeneralbrigham.org
November 1, 2025 at 5:51 PM
“Among the 861 children whose mothers were SARS-CoV-2–positive during pregnancy, 140 (16.3%) received a neurodevelopmental diagnosis by 3 years of age, compared with 1,680 (9.7%) of the 17,263 remaining children from SARS-CoV-2–negative pregnancies.” www.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/about/new...
Reposted by David Wallace-Wells
A major shift in where L.A. gets water: The city will double the size of a project to transform wastewater into purified drinking water, producing enough for 500,000 people. The recycled water will allow L.A. to stop taking water from creeks that feed Mono Lake. www.latimes.com/environment/...
Los Angeles will nearly double recycled water for 500,000 residents
Los Angeles is set to double the size of a planned facility that will transform wastewater into purified drinking water, recycling enough water to meet the needs of 500,000 people.
www.latimes.com
October 31, 2025 at 3:27 PM
A major shift in where L.A. gets water: The city will double the size of a project to transform wastewater into purified drinking water, producing enough for 500,000 people. The recycled water will allow L.A. to stop taking water from creeks that feed Mono Lake. www.latimes.com/environment/...
Reposted by David Wallace-Wells
Melissa was one of the strongest storms on record. NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters flew into it without pay.
Crews are asked “To be fully mentally present, especially in this environment, and it’s hard to do that when you know you can’t potentially make ends meet.” www.cnn.com/2025/10/31/w...
Crews are asked “To be fully mentally present, especially in this environment, and it’s hard to do that when you know you can’t potentially make ends meet.” www.cnn.com/2025/10/31/w...
Melissa was one of the strongest storms on record. NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters flew into it without pay | CNN
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hurricane Hunters have spent the past week diving into the eye of Melissa — a storm of historic ferocity — to gather life-saving data. But the gov...
www.cnn.com
October 31, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Melissa was one of the strongest storms on record. NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters flew into it without pay.
Crews are asked “To be fully mentally present, especially in this environment, and it’s hard to do that when you know you can’t potentially make ends meet.” www.cnn.com/2025/10/31/w...
Crews are asked “To be fully mentally present, especially in this environment, and it’s hard to do that when you know you can’t potentially make ends meet.” www.cnn.com/2025/10/31/w...
“Since we began measuring trust 20 years ago, economic growth has fostered rising trust. This continues in Asia and the Middle East but not in developed markets, where national income inequality is now the more important factor.” reuternews.online/gen-z-no-lon...
Gen Z no longer believe working hard will lead to a better life, survey shows -
A growing sense of inequality is undermining trust in both society’s institutions and capitalism, according to a long-running global survey. The 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer – now in its 20th year – h...
reuternews.online
October 31, 2025 at 1:09 PM
“Since we began measuring trust 20 years ago, economic growth has fostered rising trust. This continues in Asia and the Middle East but not in developed markets, where national income inequality is now the more important factor.” reuternews.online/gen-z-no-lon...
Reposted by David Wallace-Wells
Wednesday's paid subway ridership was 4,585,493, a new post-pandemic high.
Tuesday's paid subway ridership was 4,516,440, and the trains were packed yesterday. The only reason we're not going to set a subway ridership record today is because it's the nastiest weather we've had on a Thursday in ages.
October 31, 2025 at 12:17 AM
Wednesday's paid subway ridership was 4,585,493, a new post-pandemic high.
“Timothy Martin, along with fellow activist Joanna Smith, staged the climate protest at the Washington DC gallery in April 2023, smearing washable red and black paint on the protective glass covering Edgar Degas’s Little Dancer Aged Fourteen Years sculpture.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
On Thin Ice: Disproportionate Responses to Climate Change Protesters in Democratic Countries
YouTube video by Climate Rights International
www.youtube.com
October 31, 2025 at 1:29 AM
“Timothy Martin, along with fellow activist Joanna Smith, staged the climate protest at the Washington DC gallery in April 2023, smearing washable red and black paint on the protective glass covering Edgar Degas’s Little Dancer Aged Fourteen Years sculpture.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
In 2019, 75% of US adults believed that same-sex couples should be allowed to adopt children. In 2025, that’s down to 61%.
October 29, 2025 at 7:46 PM
In 2019, 75% of US adults believed that same-sex couples should be allowed to adopt children. In 2025, that’s down to 61%.
Reposted by David Wallace-Wells
Hideous flooding in Vietnam, where five feet of rain in 24 hours nears world-record
Life and death on an overheated planet
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Life and death on an overheated planet
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Record Vietnam Rains Kill Nine, Forcing Thousands to Evacuate
Widespread flooding across central Vietnam killed at least nine people and damaged more than 100,000 homes in the tourist hubs of Hue and Da Nang, as the Southeast Asian nation endures another bout of...
www.bloomberg.com
October 29, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Hideous flooding in Vietnam, where five feet of rain in 24 hours nears world-record
Life and death on an overheated planet
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Life and death on an overheated planet
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...