Ken Caldeira
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kencaldeira.com
Ken Caldeira
@kencaldeira.com
19K followers 3.5K following 1.3K posts
Mostly mentoring a group of postdocs at Stanford.
Senior Scientist at Gates Ventures.
climate / energy / etc
https://sustainablesolutions.stanford.edu/people/ken-caldeira

Posts imperfectly represent the views of my former self and not my employer.
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kencaldeira.com
Ken Caldeira @kencaldeira.com · Nov 18
Folks, I am really appreciative of people who have followed me and added me to their starter packs.

I post about climate science, energy system transition, and related issues.

I try to restrain myself to information and questions, and try to avoid unseemly opining in public.
Reposted by Ken Caldeira
gene4va.bsky.social
I’m honored to have Ms. Khashoggi with me today standing by my side as we remember her husband and call for transparency and accountability.

We'll continue pressing for the release of the transcript so the American people understand the truth.
November 21, 2025 at 5:14 PM
kencaldeira.com
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
November 20, 2025 at 8:19 PM
kencaldeira.com
If you do things people don't like, "things happen".

This is mafiosi talk, a form of language in which Trump is well versed.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3d
Trump suggests Khashoggi had it coming: "You're mentioning someone that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about. Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happen. But he knew nothing about it. You don't have to embarrass our guest."
November 18, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Reposted by Ken Caldeira
zacklabe.com
Temperatures have warmed across the contiguous United States over the last five decades or so during the months of December through February (a rapidly warming season)...

Check out @climatecentral.org's winter package for more information and graphics: www.climatecentral.org/climate-matt... ❄️🥵
Map showing the change in average winter temperature in degrees Fahrenheit by county for the contiguous United States from 1970 to 2025. Nearly all areas are warming.
November 15, 2025 at 5:41 PM
kencaldeira.com
Dershowitz argues Trump motive to win reelection would not be impeachable (2020)

"Birds of a feather stick together"

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYbl...
November 16, 2025 at 9:50 PM
kencaldeira.com
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...
Two largest causes of death in the US are heart disease and cancer, but the media focuses on homicide and terrorism.
November 16, 2025 at 5:26 AM
kencaldeira.com
"Land of the free and home of the brave"

Looks like it might be time to rewrite some lyrics.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sta...
November 14, 2025 at 9:46 PM
kencaldeira.com
"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦"

𝘈 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘺. ⁣
⁣
𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘣𝘺 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩?
The trolley problem, as usually framed, presents a dilemma: is it preferable to pull the lever to divert the runaway trolley onto the side track with just one person? Illustration from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_problem
November 14, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Reposted by Ken Caldeira
bobkopp.net
@agu.org has shown some really impressive leadership in this difficult year. Really acting like a “Union”, not just an “Association” or a “Society.” Kudos to both their elected and staff leadership.
AGU continues to serve as a nexus for action. We remain actively engaged in litigation to oppose the unjust firings of U.S. federal scientists and the capricious re-organization of federal agencies that harm the scientific enterprise. AGU also urges lawmakers in Congress to fulfill their responsibility to the nation by completing full-year appropriations for federal science agencies and ensuring those funds are protected and used as intended. Stopgap measures and short-term budgets are not enough. Science cannot operate on uncertainty, nor can the public rely on agencies hamstrung by political stalemate. The United States needs stable, long-term investment and clear guardrails so that every dollar strengthens public safety, fuels innovation, and advances our shared future. But Congress will only act if we make our voices impossible to ignore. Every scientist, every student, every advocate who believes in evidence-based decision-making has a role to play. Visit AGU's Science Policy Action Center today to contact U.S. lawmakers and demand the support that science and the people it serves deserve Together, we can keep science standing strong for the nation and the world
November 13, 2025 at 1:51 PM
kencaldeira.com
In an absurd waste of time, I wrote a blog post about voting and the 19th Chopin Competition.

There has been controversy about who should have won.

Different voting systems would yield different winners. Differences in top rankings are statistically insignificant.

kencaldeira.com/2025/11/chop...
Image of album cover for Eric Lu.
November 13, 2025 at 4:49 AM
kencaldeira.com
Maybe using the sky as a waste dump for our co2 pollution is not such a great idea.

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/c...
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Head for Another Record in 2025
www.nytimes.com
November 13, 2025 at 1:42 AM
kencaldeira.com
Another musical soundtrack that I did for one of Yann Le Bihan's Mandelbeot zoom videos.

Mostly black keys chord progression is:

Bbmin7 Bbmin7 Ebmin7 Ebmin7
Abmin7 Abmin7 Db7 Db7

Bbmin7 Bbmin7 Ebmin7 Ebmin7
Abmin7 Abmin7 Db7 Db7

Gbmaj7 Abmin7 Bbmin7 Gbmaj7

youtu.be/7qZFLGCAR6Y
Tide of Iterations - Mix Mandelbrot Power 6 and 2 - Music by Art of Chance
YouTube video by Yann Le Bihan - Fractals
youtu.be
November 12, 2025 at 2:13 PM
kencaldeira.com
It is time for a Constitutional amendment to take the pardon power away from US Presidents.

The pardon power can be used as a means to condone widespread corruption and illegality.

The potential harms of the pardon power greatly exceed potential benefits.

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/u...
Trump Pardons the Husband of a Republican Congressional Ally
www.nytimes.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:47 AM
kencaldeira.com
I'm preparing slides for a talk I'll be giving at Stanford this Thursday. Here is a draft slide.

events.stanford.edu/event/earth-...
On a background of clouds, the words: "Predicting detailed consequences of human actions in complex coupled socioeconomic-geophysical systems may be as impossible as it is necessary."
November 10, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Reposted by Ken Caldeira
maddenifico.bsky.social
8 Senate Democrats sided with Trump and Republican fascists in throwing 15 million Americans off Medicaid and Obamacare:

Dick Durbin (IL), Maggie Hassan (NH), Tim Kaine (VA), Angus King (I-ME), Cortez Masto (NV), Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Jacky Rosen (NV), John Fetterman (PA).
November 10, 2025 at 1:19 PM
kencaldeira.com
I missed this news.

In the space of a decade, @ricarda-winkelmann.bsky.social goes from PhD student to founding Director of a Max Planck Institute.

It is always great to see excellent people succeed.

Focus on science, Ricarda. Don't get lost in Administration.

www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/late...
Ricarda Winkelmann appointed Max Planck founding director in Jena
07/07/2023 - PIK researcher Ricarda Winkelmann has been appointed founding director at the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology in Jena, dedicated to understanding the interactions between humans ...
www.pik-potsdam.de
November 10, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Reposted by Ken Caldeira
theonion.com
Chuck Schumer Helps Pull Democrats Back From Brink Of Courage
Chuck Schumer Helps Pull Democrats Back From Brink Of Courage
November 10, 2025 at 5:02 AM
kencaldeira.com
Please, tell me it isn't so ...

Are Senate Democrats once again snatching defeat from the jaws of victory?

Are they showing they have no spine, no unity, no real ability to govern in the broad interest of Americans?
Unknown photo from my photo archive. Perhaps it is hot springs in Yellowstone?
November 10, 2025 at 1:47 AM
Reposted by Ken Caldeira
atrupar.com
Dems backed Trump into a corner where he’s advocating for starving Americans and hemorrhaging support. If they vote to let him off the hook in exchange for nothing it’s a cataclysmic failure. I know people are in pain but insulating Republicans from political consequences is not the answer.
November 9, 2025 at 10:58 PM
kencaldeira.com
Bill Gates donates US$1.4 billion to help farmers adapt to climate change

The donation includes boosting crop yields and livestock production, and also providing digital advisory services

financialpost.com/news/bill-ga...
Bill Gates donates US$1.4 billion to help farmers adapt to climate change
Bill Gates is pouring money into helping small-scale farmers adapt to climate change and address a gap in funding for production. Read more.
financialpost.com
November 9, 2025 at 6:10 PM
kencaldeira.com
Opinion
Nicholas Kristof

"Trump Aid Cuts Kill More Christians Than Jihadists Do"

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/o...
Trump might also reflect that while jihadists have been unable to kill tens of thousands of Nigerian Christians, his own administration appears to be doing just that. The Center for Global Development in Washington calculated earlier this year that before Trump took office, American humanitarian aid was saving about 270,000 lives a year in Nigeria. It’s too soon to predict confidently just how many Nigerian Christian children will die because Trump cut off their access to vaccines, AIDS medications, food assistance and other essentials. But the number killed by jihadists is very likely to pale beside the number dying from Trump aid cuts. So if Trump cares about Christians or anyone else in Nigeria, all he needs to do is restore aid and let babies live.
November 9, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Reposted by Ken Caldeira
newyorker.com
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 6, 2025 at 9:00 PM
kencaldeira.com
Who would have guessed that sending masked unidentified people out with weapons and a mandate to abuse people would lead to copy-cat wrongdoing?

I'm shocked.

ttps://www.wired.com/story/fbi-warns-of-criminals-posing-as-ice-urges-agents-to-id-themselves/
FBI Warns of Criminals Posing as ICE, Urges Agents to ID Themselves
In a bulletin to law enforcement agencies, the FBI said criminal impersonators are exploiting ICE’s image and urged nationwide coordination to distinguish real operations from fakes.
www.wired.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Reposted by Ken Caldeira
michaelwara.bsky.social
Fig 1 from our Year in Fire report. This figure is our attempt to measure and separate “good” low to moderate severity fire from “bad” high severity fire in California. We need more of the green in CA - as much as 4 million acres a year - but less of the blue. That’s the landscape fire challenge.
November 4, 2025 at 8:11 PM
kencaldeira.com
It amazes me to see what venture capitalists are willing to invest in.

Are the investors actually hoping to see a positive return, or do they see investing in companies that seem doomed to failure a form of philanthropy?

(Maybe I am being too optimistic.)

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
Global cooling startup raises $60M to test sun-reflecting technology
The fundraising haul marks strong enthusiasm for experiments aimed at lowering temperatures, said the company. But it also raises questions about commercializing technologies with potentially damaging...
www.politico.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:14 PM