Daniel Aldana Cohen
@aldasky.bsky.social
Political economy of climate emergency. Assistant Professor of Sociology, UC Berkeley; Director, Socio-Spatial Climate Collaborative, or (SC)2; Founding Co-Director, Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social. A Planet to Win (Verso). he/him
Pinned
Opinion | Biden Left Us With a ‘Prius Economy.’ It’s Time for Something Different.
Climate impacts are fueling the cost-of-living crisis, especially for the poor and working class.
www.nytimes.com
To make real climate progress, we need a green economic populism that brings immediate, material benefits to the working class—tackling both carbon and the cost-of-living crisis. We can start local rn.
Thrilled to share my NYT op-ed w @triofrancos.bsky.social!
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/07/o...
Thrilled to share my NYT op-ed w @triofrancos.bsky.social!
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/07/o...
I'm going to repost our oped, bc the climate discourse is even worse than when we wrote it a year ago.
1/ Biden's IRA didn't fail bc of of Sunrise, the left, etc, it failed bc it had no impact on working class lives.
2/ Green economic populism is how we win.
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/07/o...
1/ Biden's IRA didn't fail bc of of Sunrise, the left, etc, it failed bc it had no impact on working class lives.
2/ Green economic populism is how we win.
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/07/o...
Opinion | Biden Left Us With a ‘Prius Economy.’ It’s Time for Something Different.
www.nytimes.com
January 7, 2026 at 1:25 AM
I'm going to repost our oped, bc the climate discourse is even worse than when we wrote it a year ago.
1/ Biden's IRA didn't fail bc of of Sunrise, the left, etc, it failed bc it had no impact on working class lives.
2/ Green economic populism is how we win.
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/07/o...
1/ Biden's IRA didn't fail bc of of Sunrise, the left, etc, it failed bc it had no impact on working class lives.
2/ Green economic populism is how we win.
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/07/o...
Reposted by Daniel Aldana Cohen
Canadian pals! This is my PSA. You have til the end of the month to join the NDP as a member and when you do, you can vote in the leadership race. Which means you will get the chance to cast a ballot for my fearless friend
@avilewis.ca. Don't sleep on this historic opportunity.
@avilewis.ca. Don't sleep on this historic opportunity.
January 6, 2026 at 10:39 PM
Canadian pals! This is my PSA. You have til the end of the month to join the NDP as a member and when you do, you can vote in the leadership race. Which means you will get the chance to cast a ballot for my fearless friend
@avilewis.ca. Don't sleep on this historic opportunity.
@avilewis.ca. Don't sleep on this historic opportunity.
Reposted by Daniel Aldana Cohen
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 Daniel Aldana Cohen
“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/jlap...
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/jlap...
Given supply dynamics and trajectories, I think control of Venezuela's actual oil is less relevant than the message sent to other countries hosting US oil majors. If national govts threaten their operations by demanding remediation/payment of liabilities, they now have to contemplate invasion.
January 5, 2026 at 8:00 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/jlap...
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/jlap...
The big difference between centrist and leftist takes on affordability is that centrists are trying to manage a political cycle, while leftists are trying to win the conjuncture—creating a new political order with a fundamentally different political economy.
January 5, 2026 at 10:48 PM
The big difference between centrist and leftist takes on affordability is that centrists are trying to manage a political cycle, while leftists are trying to win the conjuncture—creating a new political order with a fundamentally different political economy.
Reposted by Daniel Aldana Cohen
Activist arrested on-camera in Grand Rapids, Michigan while summarizing the reasoning behind a peaceful protest against the U.S. government’s kidnapping of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro held earlier that day.
January 5, 2026 at 5:17 PM
Activist arrested on-camera in Grand Rapids, Michigan while summarizing the reasoning behind a peaceful protest against the U.S. government’s kidnapping of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro held earlier that day.
Reposted by Daniel Aldana Cohen
this store is 18+ and they’re strict as hell about it. none of this has ever been about “protecting children,” it’s about trying to force trans people to disappear
After a boutique on South Street received a warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for selling breast binders for gender-affirming care, the region’s transgender community worries about the potential wider impacts.
🔗 www.inquirer.com/health/passi...
🔗 www.inquirer.com/health/passi...
January 5, 2026 at 5:17 PM
this store is 18+ and they’re strict as hell about it. none of this has ever been about “protecting children,” it’s about trying to force trans people to disappear
This war crime belongs to the dominant tradition of US foreign policy. But that doesn’t make it part of some mystical essence of Anerican life—or contained in there alone. US foreign policy is a terrain of struggle. We need to fight US imperialism within and across every country.
January 3, 2026 at 10:57 PM
This war crime belongs to the dominant tradition of US foreign policy. But that doesn’t make it part of some mystical essence of Anerican life—or contained in there alone. US foreign policy is a terrain of struggle. We need to fight US imperialism within and across every country.
A point that Wallerestein made often: as overall US power declines, it overplays its best card—military force. But each time it does so, it accelerates the decline of its overall power. SeeVietnam, Iraq. Violent coercion is the strength of the weak.
January 3, 2026 at 9:33 PM
A point that Wallerestein made often: as overall US power declines, it overplays its best card—military force. But each time it does so, it accelerates the decline of its overall power. SeeVietnam, Iraq. Violent coercion is the strength of the weak.
It’s both appalling and predictable that senior Dems are attacking Trump for the “process” of the coup. As if it would have been justified w a vote in Congress. No. As Mamdani put it, this is an act of war.
January 3, 2026 at 9:18 PM
It’s both appalling and predictable that senior Dems are attacking Trump for the “process” of the coup. As if it would have been justified w a vote in Congress. No. As Mamdani put it, this is an act of war.
Mamdani gets it: the task of ecosocialists is to show that we can build a fairer, greener world faster than centrists.
January 2, 2026 at 6:46 PM
Mamdani gets it: the task of ecosocialists is to show that we can build a fairer, greener world faster than centrists.
Reposted by Daniel Aldana Cohen
Scientists are supposed to be happy when their predictions are skillful, right?
Why do I not feel happy?
Why do I not feel happy?
December 19, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Scientists are supposed to be happy when their predictions are skillful, right?
Why do I not feel happy?
Why do I not feel happy?
Mamdani won on affordability, but the real keyworld for the left’s challenges and opportunities is SPEED. Biden was slow, opening the door for Trump 2. Mamdani get it though: deliver fast or die.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/01/n...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/01/n...
January 2, 2026 at 12:19 AM
Mamdani won on affordability, but the real keyworld for the left’s challenges and opportunities is SPEED. Biden was slow, opening the door for Trump 2. Mamdani get it though: deliver fast or die.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/01/n...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/01/n...
Extraction, by the brilliant @triofrancos.bsky.social, is my book of the year. Mining for the green transition is… a minefield of contradictions. Thea reveals their contours, layer by layer, w stories & political economy. The journey’s revelatory. To navigate the polycrisis, read this book.
December 31, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Extraction, by the brilliant @triofrancos.bsky.social, is my book of the year. Mining for the green transition is… a minefield of contradictions. Thea reveals their contours, layer by layer, w stories & political economy. The journey’s revelatory. To navigate the polycrisis, read this book.
Reposted by Daniel Aldana Cohen
THIS THIS THIS. ALL OF THIS
THIS is why faculty resist technological strategies for teaching. There is no engaging with Edtech without this context
THIS is why faculty resist technological strategies for teaching. There is no engaging with Edtech without this context
December 30, 2025 at 1:50 AM
THIS THIS THIS. ALL OF THIS
THIS is why faculty resist technological strategies for teaching. There is no engaging with Edtech without this context
THIS is why faculty resist technological strategies for teaching. There is no engaging with Edtech without this context
Affordability is the ultimate Rorschach test of American politics. You can see anything in it—from the need to decommodify housing to a call for cheaper gas.
Pivoting to affordability is like pivoting to jobs. Everyone does it all the time.
Affordability doesn’t settle debates—it starts them.
Pivoting to affordability is like pivoting to jobs. Everyone does it all the time.
Affordability doesn’t settle debates—it starts them.
December 28, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Affordability is the ultimate Rorschach test of American politics. You can see anything in it—from the need to decommodify housing to a call for cheaper gas.
Pivoting to affordability is like pivoting to jobs. Everyone does it all the time.
Affordability doesn’t settle debates—it starts them.
Pivoting to affordability is like pivoting to jobs. Everyone does it all the time.
Affordability doesn’t settle debates—it starts them.
Reposted by Daniel Aldana Cohen
65% of voters say global heating is raising prices. What if Democrats talked about that, rather than future jobs, trusting science or "all of the above" energy policy?
"If you like chocolate, you should care about climate change.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
"If you like chocolate, you should care about climate change.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
US voters linking climate crisis to rising bills despite Trump’s ‘green scam’ claims
New polling shows 65% of registered US voters believe global heating is affecting cost of living
www.theguardian.com
December 28, 2025 at 11:56 AM
65% of voters say global heating is raising prices. What if Democrats talked about that, rather than future jobs, trusting science or "all of the above" energy policy?
"If you like chocolate, you should care about climate change.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
"If you like chocolate, you should care about climate change.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
It’s Christmas Eve, and the FT’s gift is to keep on telling it like it is: “In the president's second term the rich have got richer and the poor are getting poorer.”
December 24, 2025 at 4:29 PM
It’s Christmas Eve, and the FT’s gift is to keep on telling it like it is: “In the president's second term the rich have got richer and the poor are getting poorer.”
Woke communist sci-fi is good, actually.
December 23, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Woke communist sci-fi is good, actually.
It’s amazing how many bullshit conspiracies theories there are, when you’ve had this financier-sex-offender<>neoliberal-power-nexus raging in broad daylight for years.
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Jeffrey Epstein appointed Jes Staley and Lawrence Summers as executors of his will
Newly released DoJ documents point to deep ties between influential men and late sex offender
giftarticle.ft.com
December 23, 2025 at 2:31 PM
It’s amazing how many bullshit conspiracies theories there are, when you’ve had this financier-sex-offender<>neoliberal-power-nexus raging in broad daylight for years.
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
The melting arctic is spilling iron into rivers, “rusting” them orange. A mega-glacier melts toward collapse, threatening coastlines worldwide. And yet—so many people are abandoning any effort to slash carbon
at speed and scale.
I see you. And I see those still fighting every day to protect life.
at speed and scale.
I see you. And I see those still fighting every day to protect life.
December 22, 2025 at 8:52 PM
The melting arctic is spilling iron into rivers, “rusting” them orange. A mega-glacier melts toward collapse, threatening coastlines worldwide. And yet—so many people are abandoning any effort to slash carbon
at speed and scale.
I see you. And I see those still fighting every day to protect life.
at speed and scale.
I see you. And I see those still fighting every day to protect life.
Respect
This Yglesias piece in the NYT is horrifically bad. Almost every "fact" it cites is provably false. At best it is cocktail party banter from a pundit who knows nothing of energy. At worst, it was cut/paste from oil industry talking points. So, a rebuttal: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/o...
Opinion | Obama Supported It. The Left in Canada and Norway Does. Why Don’t Democrats?
www.nytimes.com
December 22, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Respect
Reposted by Daniel Aldana Cohen
Peyrin Kao, lecturer, UC Berkeley’s Electrical Engineering Computer Sciences, was suspended for speaking about Israel’s [ongoing] genocide in Gaza he felt morally compelled to oppose, given his position as instructor in department / participant in an industry with strong links to Israeli war machine
The UC Berkeley administration's treatment of Peyrin Kao is outrageous. Speaking up against genocide is protected speech—and moral leadership. Berkeley of all universities should respect that.
www.dailycal.org/opinion/op-e...
www.dailycal.org/opinion/op-e...
Peyrin Kao’s suspension concerns more than free speech
In framing Kao’s case solely as a matter of free speech, we leave out two of the most important contexts that bear on its assessment.
www.dailycal.org
December 21, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Peyrin Kao, lecturer, UC Berkeley’s Electrical Engineering Computer Sciences, was suspended for speaking about Israel’s [ongoing] genocide in Gaza he felt morally compelled to oppose, given his position as instructor in department / participant in an industry with strong links to Israeli war machine
The UC Berkeley administration's treatment of Peyrin Kao is outrageous. Speaking up against genocide is protected speech—and moral leadership. Berkeley of all universities should respect that.
www.dailycal.org/opinion/op-e...
www.dailycal.org/opinion/op-e...
Peyrin Kao’s suspension concerns more than free speech
In framing Kao’s case solely as a matter of free speech, we leave out two of the most important contexts that bear on its assessment.
www.dailycal.org
December 21, 2025 at 5:10 PM
The UC Berkeley administration's treatment of Peyrin Kao is outrageous. Speaking up against genocide is protected speech—and moral leadership. Berkeley of all universities should respect that.
www.dailycal.org/opinion/op-e...
www.dailycal.org/opinion/op-e...
As someone who studied Sao Paulo running out of water, I’m shocked to read an essay on this without a mention of inequality.
Our challenge isn’t living abstractly within limits, but *equitably sharing* limited resources. The fundamental challenge is unequal power.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/o...
Our challenge isn’t living abstractly within limits, but *equitably sharing* limited resources. The fundamental challenge is unequal power.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/o...
Opinion | How Did a City of 10 Million People Nearly Run Out of Water?
www.nytimes.com
December 19, 2025 at 2:15 PM
As someone who studied Sao Paulo running out of water, I’m shocked to read an essay on this without a mention of inequality.
Our challenge isn’t living abstractly within limits, but *equitably sharing* limited resources. The fundamental challenge is unequal power.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/o...
Our challenge isn’t living abstractly within limits, but *equitably sharing* limited resources. The fundamental challenge is unequal power.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/o...