Albert Pinto
@70sbachchan.bsky.social
Alternately Defiant, Dispirited, and Despondent. Without illusions but not disillusioned. Focus on Climate, Inequality and Development.
I co-edit the Polycrisis project and newsletter https://www.phenomenalworld.org/series/the-polycrisis/
I co-edit the Polycrisis project and newsletter https://www.phenomenalworld.org/series/the-polycrisis/
Pinned
Albert Pinto
@70sbachchan.bsky.social
· Mar 20
Global Conjuncture w/ Ilias Alami and Tim Sahay
Featuring Ilias Alami and Tim Sahay on a global conjuncture defined by Washington’s shredding of the liberal international order’s legitimacy amid a panic over decline: the escalating Cold War with Ch...
thedigradio.com
Our world crisis of ecology, economics, and empire, has continued to metastasize. It is shaking confidence in established worldviews & ruling elites everywhere.
@iliasalami.bsky.social & @danieldenvir.bsky.social & I chatted about @thepolycrisis.bsky.social
thedigradio.com/podcast/glob...
@iliasalami.bsky.social & @danieldenvir.bsky.social & I chatted about @thepolycrisis.bsky.social
thedigradio.com/podcast/glob...
Reposted by Albert Pinto
For all that the media has spent years freaking out about what social media does to our brains, I don’t understand why there appears to be little effort to grapple with the fact that these chatbots are, for some not insignificant portion of the population, literally psychosis machines
He put his complete trust in a chat bot that turned him into a savage murderer.
Disturbing Messages Show ChatGPT Encouraging a Murder, Lawsuit Alleges
A lawsuit against OpenAI reveals the chilling ChatGPT messages that drove a middle aged man to kill his 83-year-old mother.
trib.al
January 4, 2026 at 1:32 PM
For all that the media has spent years freaking out about what social media does to our brains, I don’t understand why there appears to be little effort to grapple with the fact that these chatbots are, for some not insignificant portion of the population, literally psychosis machines
Reposted by Albert Pinto
I have so many issues with this piece. Not even sure where to start with this one. A quick thread......
In the era of affordability politics, making clean energy cheaper may be a more viable emissions mitigation strategy than making dirty energy more expensive. My latest over at The Climate Brink digs into the debate:
Keep it in the ground?
When the politics of affordability meet the needs of climate mitigation
www.theclimatebrink.com
January 5, 2026 at 10:30 PM
I have so many issues with this piece. Not even sure where to start with this one. A quick thread......
Reposted by Albert Pinto
Yeah that's the same as their claim to the oil -- they claim the state of Essequibo is Venezuela's, which is about 2/3 of Guyana's territory and where all of its oil is located (this is in the story I wrote :) but tldr: there was an arbitration ruling in 1899 that gave Essequibo to Guyana, but...
January 5, 2026 at 10:46 PM
Yeah that's the same as their claim to the oil -- they claim the state of Essequibo is Venezuela's, which is about 2/3 of Guyana's territory and where all of its oil is located (this is in the story I wrote :) but tldr: there was an arbitration ruling in 1899 that gave Essequibo to Guyana, but...
Reposted by Albert Pinto
It would be tough to summarize more succinctly the new U.S. foreign policy in the Americas than the message the State Department just posted on X: “This is OUR Hemisphere.”
Both NYTimes & FT liveblog worth reading on a historic monday
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
www.ft.com/content/e4d8...
Both NYTimes & FT liveblog worth reading on a historic monday
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
www.ft.com/content/e4d8...
Venezuela Live Updates: Maduro Tells U.S. Judge He Was ‘Kidnapped’
www.nytimes.com
January 5, 2026 at 8:23 PM
It would be tough to summarize more succinctly the new U.S. foreign policy in the Americas than the message the State Department just posted on X: “This is OUR Hemisphere.”
Both NYTimes & FT liveblog worth reading on a historic monday
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
www.ft.com/content/e4d8...
Both NYTimes & FT liveblog worth reading on a historic monday
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
www.ft.com/content/e4d8...
Reposted by Albert Pinto
if they're saying this openly about Greenland, fellow Canadians, what do you think that means for us?
TAPPER: Can you rule out the US is going to take Greenland by force?
MILLER: Greenland should be part of the US. By what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? The US is the power of NATO
T: So force is on the table?
M: Nobody is gonna fight the US militarily over future of Greenland
MILLER: Greenland should be part of the US. By what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? The US is the power of NATO
T: So force is on the table?
M: Nobody is gonna fight the US militarily over future of Greenland
January 5, 2026 at 11:30 PM
if they're saying this openly about Greenland, fellow Canadians, what do you think that means for us?
Reposted by Albert Pinto
Eyes wide open, folks. They're revealing the supervillain plot.
January 5, 2026 at 5:53 PM
Eyes wide open, folks. They're revealing the supervillain plot.
Reposted by Albert Pinto
“There's a global solar energy revolution happening led by China and it should have been one of the biggest stories of 2025
While the US is committing to a suicide pact with fossil fuels, the rest of the world is leapfrogging into cheap nearly limitless energy” @esqueer.net
bsky.app/profile/gwag...
While the US is committing to a suicide pact with fossil fuels, the rest of the world is leapfrogging into cheap nearly limitless energy” @esqueer.net
bsky.app/profile/gwag...
Nobody ever said the death throes of the fossil age would be pretty or peaceful
January 4, 2026 at 1:00 PM
“There's a global solar energy revolution happening led by China and it should have been one of the biggest stories of 2025
While the US is committing to a suicide pact with fossil fuels, the rest of the world is leapfrogging into cheap nearly limitless energy” @esqueer.net
bsky.app/profile/gwag...
While the US is committing to a suicide pact with fossil fuels, the rest of the world is leapfrogging into cheap nearly limitless energy” @esqueer.net
bsky.app/profile/gwag...
Reposted by Albert Pinto
Losing the vocabulary to capture the grotesquerie we're witnessing.
January 6, 2026 at 12:40 AM
Losing the vocabulary to capture the grotesquerie we're witnessing.
Reposted by Albert Pinto
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has finalized a deal exempting U.S. multinational corporations from paying more corporate taxes overseas.
US-based multinational companies will be exempt from global tax deal
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has finalized a deal exempting U.S. multinational corporations from paying more corporate taxes overseas.
bit.ly
January 5, 2026 at 9:00 PM
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has finalized a deal exempting U.S. multinational corporations from paying more corporate taxes overseas.
Reposted by Albert Pinto
TAPPER: Can you rule out the US is going to take Greenland by force?
MILLER: Greenland should be part of the US. By what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? The US is the power of NATO
T: So force is on the table?
M: Nobody is gonna fight the US militarily over future of Greenland
MILLER: Greenland should be part of the US. By what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? The US is the power of NATO
T: So force is on the table?
M: Nobody is gonna fight the US militarily over future of Greenland
January 5, 2026 at 11:26 PM
TAPPER: Can you rule out the US is going to take Greenland by force?
MILLER: Greenland should be part of the US. By what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? The US is the power of NATO
T: So force is on the table?
M: Nobody is gonna fight the US militarily over future of Greenland
MILLER: Greenland should be part of the US. By what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? The US is the power of NATO
T: So force is on the table?
M: Nobody is gonna fight the US militarily over future of Greenland
Reposted by Albert Pinto
Tooze disagrees that Resource imperialism is an explanation for Trumpists actions. Why not?
1 Assets are small. Oil is heavy & difficult to recover economically
2 Financial liabilities of VZ govt are large
Concludes that trump likes "cosplaying" as imperialist
adamtooze.substack.com/p/chartbook-...
1 Assets are small. Oil is heavy & difficult to recover economically
2 Financial liabilities of VZ govt are large
Concludes that trump likes "cosplaying" as imperialist
adamtooze.substack.com/p/chartbook-...
January 5, 2026 at 5:35 PM
Tooze disagrees that Resource imperialism is an explanation for Trumpists actions. Why not?
1 Assets are small. Oil is heavy & difficult to recover economically
2 Financial liabilities of VZ govt are large
Concludes that trump likes "cosplaying" as imperialist
adamtooze.substack.com/p/chartbook-...
1 Assets are small. Oil is heavy & difficult to recover economically
2 Financial liabilities of VZ govt are large
Concludes that trump likes "cosplaying" as imperialist
adamtooze.substack.com/p/chartbook-...
Reposted by Albert Pinto
To be clear: No I don't think this is the only reason! There's probably not *one* reason, but this was almost certainly a driver. As is the Trump admin's concern over China's influence in Latin America. And Trump's desire to distract from the Epstein & Jack Smith stories. And to relive the 1980s.
Something I see a lot of folks missing in discussions about what's happening Venezuela, particularly around oil, is the role U.S. oil majors' interest in Guyana—and the threat Venezuela posed to it—has in all of it. Explainer here: drilled.media/news/guyana-...
The U.S.-Venezuela-Guyana Oil Triangle
The U.S. interest in Venezuela isn’t just about the oil there, but also about the oil next door in Guyana, and the U.S. oil companies that have staked their future on it.
drilled.media
January 5, 2026 at 10:21 PM
To be clear: No I don't think this is the only reason! There's probably not *one* reason, but this was almost certainly a driver. As is the Trump admin's concern over China's influence in Latin America. And Trump's desire to distract from the Epstein & Jack Smith stories. And to relive the 1980s.
Reposted by Albert Pinto
In the era of affordability politics, making clean energy cheaper may be a more viable emissions mitigation strategy than making dirty energy more expensive. My latest over at The Climate Brink digs into the debate:
Keep it in the ground?
When the politics of affordability meet the needs of climate mitigation
www.theclimatebrink.com
January 5, 2026 at 5:19 PM
In the era of affordability politics, making clean energy cheaper may be a more viable emissions mitigation strategy than making dirty energy more expensive. My latest over at The Climate Brink digs into the debate:
Reposted by Albert Pinto
have to admit that as a strong congestion pricing supporter, I did not remotely anticipate how much of a smashing success it would be. win-win-win-win-win, for an objectively tiny fee www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Congestion pricing after one year: How life has changed.
How life has changed in the New York area, according to data on traffic, transit and the responses of 600 readers.
www.nytimes.com
January 5, 2026 at 7:47 PM
have to admit that as a strong congestion pricing supporter, I did not remotely anticipate how much of a smashing success it would be. win-win-win-win-win, for an objectively tiny fee www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Albert Pinto
So there is no other news to report? Nothing else is going on in the world or inside these borders?
January 5, 2026 at 7:47 PM
So there is no other news to report? Nothing else is going on in the world or inside these borders?
Reposted by Albert Pinto
the 6% is the WaPo editorial board
One of the most lopsided results you'll ever see in a poll, from our weekend Washington Post poll www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
January 5, 2026 at 3:47 PM
the 6% is the WaPo editorial board
Reposted by Albert Pinto
Why the fuck does he think “the West” was doing development assistance? Does he understand that a lot of that assistance was to directly buy our stuff, and to indirectly build consumer markets?
January 5, 2026 at 7:21 PM
Why the fuck does he think “the West” was doing development assistance? Does he understand that a lot of that assistance was to directly buy our stuff, and to indirectly build consumer markets?
Reposted by Albert Pinto
biggest technological revolution of our lifetimes and it's not AI or blockchain or cryptocurrency or metaverse.
“South Africans like Dr. Booley have found a remedy for power cuts that have plagued people in the developing world for years. Thanks to swiftly falling prices of Chinese made solar panels and batteries, they now draw their power from the sun.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/c...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/c...
Cheap Solar Is Transforming Lives and Economies Across Africa
www.nytimes.com
December 30, 2025 at 6:35 PM
biggest technological revolution of our lifetimes and it's not AI or blockchain or cryptocurrency or metaverse.
Reposted by Albert Pinto
Now reading. Best handbook yet for the AI hysteria era. Laser-focused on question of profitability and value capture instead of personality and projections, on enterprise instead of chatbots. www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?b...
December 31, 2025 at 3:12 AM
Now reading. Best handbook yet for the AI hysteria era. Laser-focused on question of profitability and value capture instead of personality and projections, on enterprise instead of chatbots. www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?b...
Reposted by Albert Pinto
US seems to have no plan to deal w/ powerful Venezuelan security forces, who can threaten/thwart political leaders if they comply w/ US demands. Authoritarian politics 101 & major reason US approach could lead to military escalation and/or civil conflict.
www.wsj.com/world/americ...
www.wsj.com/world/americ...
Venezuela’s Men With Guns Remain the Ultimate Power After Maduro’s Ouster
Diosdado Cabello and Vladimir Padrino command Venezuela’s police and military, and represent a wild card for Trump.
www.wsj.com
January 5, 2026 at 2:05 PM
US seems to have no plan to deal w/ powerful Venezuelan security forces, who can threaten/thwart political leaders if they comply w/ US demands. Authoritarian politics 101 & major reason US approach could lead to military escalation and/or civil conflict.
www.wsj.com/world/americ...
www.wsj.com/world/americ...
Reposted by Albert Pinto
Nicolás Maduro Charged With Felony Oil Possession
January 5, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Nicolás Maduro Charged With Felony Oil Possession
Reposted by Albert Pinto
"My sense is that China is using this old RMI playbook to destroy global oil demand. With subsidized EV technology, China can help 50+ emerging markets destroy 3-4 million barrels per day of oil demand by 2030." - @jigarshahdc.bsky.social
rmi.org/insight/winn...
bsky.app/profile/did:...
rmi.org/insight/winn...
bsky.app/profile/did:...
January 5, 2026 at 5:17 AM
"My sense is that China is using this old RMI playbook to destroy global oil demand. With subsidized EV technology, China can help 50+ emerging markets destroy 3-4 million barrels per day of oil demand by 2030." - @jigarshahdc.bsky.social
rmi.org/insight/winn...
bsky.app/profile/did:...
rmi.org/insight/winn...
bsky.app/profile/did:...
Reposted by Albert Pinto
New at @thenation.com: excerpts from my conversation with Andreas Malm & @triofrancos.bsky.social, co-sponsored by @haymarketbooks.org & @versobooks.bsky.social
It's 2026. This is the kind of discussion the left needs to be having about climate catastrophe.
www.thenation.com/article/envi...
It's 2026. This is the kind of discussion the left needs to be having about climate catastrophe.
www.thenation.com/article/envi...
What Justice on a Burning Planet?
Andreas Malm and Thea Riofrancos joined The Nation’s Wen Stephenson in an urgent conversation about the left and the climate emergency.
www.thenation.com
January 5, 2026 at 2:05 PM
New at @thenation.com: excerpts from my conversation with Andreas Malm & @triofrancos.bsky.social, co-sponsored by @haymarketbooks.org & @versobooks.bsky.social
It's 2026. This is the kind of discussion the left needs to be having about climate catastrophe.
www.thenation.com/article/envi...
It's 2026. This is the kind of discussion the left needs to be having about climate catastrophe.
www.thenation.com/article/envi...
Reposted by Albert Pinto
The world is rightly outraged by the illegality of Trump’s invasion of Venezuela.
But an invasion motivated by converting the world’s largest oil reserves into CO₂ emissions is not just a crime against international law - it’s an unconscionable and sadistic assault against our entire planet.
But an invasion motivated by converting the world’s largest oil reserves into CO₂ emissions is not just a crime against international law - it’s an unconscionable and sadistic assault against our entire planet.
January 5, 2026 at 2:13 PM
The world is rightly outraged by the illegality of Trump’s invasion of Venezuela.
But an invasion motivated by converting the world’s largest oil reserves into CO₂ emissions is not just a crime against international law - it’s an unconscionable and sadistic assault against our entire planet.
But an invasion motivated by converting the world’s largest oil reserves into CO₂ emissions is not just a crime against international law - it’s an unconscionable and sadistic assault against our entire planet.
Reposted by Albert Pinto
My new post on this:
Has the Left Given Up on Climate Justice?
Yes, it's a provocation. But serious. Both Malm and @triofrancos.bsky.social see a left in denial.
wenstephenson.substack.com/p/has-the-le...
Has the Left Given Up on Climate Justice?
Yes, it's a provocation. But serious. Both Malm and @triofrancos.bsky.social see a left in denial.
wenstephenson.substack.com/p/has-the-le...
Has the Left Given Up on Climate Justice?
Excerpts from the live event with Andreas Malm and Thea Riofrancos on the left and the climate emergency.
wenstephenson.substack.com
January 5, 2026 at 3:58 PM
My new post on this:
Has the Left Given Up on Climate Justice?
Yes, it's a provocation. But serious. Both Malm and @triofrancos.bsky.social see a left in denial.
wenstephenson.substack.com/p/has-the-le...
Has the Left Given Up on Climate Justice?
Yes, it's a provocation. But serious. Both Malm and @triofrancos.bsky.social see a left in denial.
wenstephenson.substack.com/p/has-the-le...