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...
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...
Reposted by Daniel Aldana Cohen
From @aldasky.bsky.social: What do Kansas City tenants and the Chicago Teachers Union have in common? They rely on us, CCI, for policy research to support their struggles for a fair, just, green economy for all. Donate $5 today to help us continue the work! secure.actblue.com/donate/clima...
December 16, 2025 at 4:42 PM
From @aldasky.bsky.social: What do Kansas City tenants and the Chicago Teachers Union have in common? They rely on us, CCI, for policy research to support their struggles for a fair, just, green economy for all. Donate $5 today to help us continue the work! secure.actblue.com/donate/clima...
Trump’s kind of right. We should make smaller “kei-cars” here. Imagine if you could buy a $15k-$20k EV here, like Japan’s best-selling Sakura.
Smaller cars, smaller batteries, lower costs, less mining, more mobility. Better road partners for bikes & buses.
insideevs.com/news/744749/...
Smaller cars, smaller batteries, lower costs, less mining, more mobility. Better road partners for bikes & buses.
insideevs.com/news/744749/...
This $15,000 Nissan Kei Car Is Japan's Best-Selling EV
It's nice to see a cheap car winning. Unfortunately, though, Nissan probably wouldn't have too much luck selling it here. Americans hate small cars.
insideevs.com
December 6, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Trump’s kind of right. We should make smaller “kei-cars” here. Imagine if you could buy a $15k-$20k EV here, like Japan’s best-selling Sakura.
Smaller cars, smaller batteries, lower costs, less mining, more mobility. Better road partners for bikes & buses.
insideevs.com/news/744749/...
Smaller cars, smaller batteries, lower costs, less mining, more mobility. Better road partners for bikes & buses.
insideevs.com/news/744749/...
The real absurdity in California: no one’s proposing to build a green Shenzen by the Sierra.
California has the universities, the market, and the Pacific coast to become a global green industrial powerhouse. Unions like UAW are down. But politicos have zero vision.
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
California has the universities, the market, and the Pacific coast to become a global green industrial powerhouse. Unions like UAW are down. But politicos have zero vision.
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Tom Steyer’s climate pivot signals new playbook for Dems
The billionaire environmental activist is leaning hard into economic populism.
www.politico.com
December 5, 2025 at 7:38 PM
The real absurdity in California: no one’s proposing to build a green Shenzen by the Sierra.
California has the universities, the market, and the Pacific coast to become a global green industrial powerhouse. Unions like UAW are down. But politicos have zero vision.
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
California has the universities, the market, and the Pacific coast to become a global green industrial powerhouse. Unions like UAW are down. But politicos have zero vision.
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Reposted by Daniel Aldana Cohen
was chatting with @aldasky.bsky.social recently and he (correctly, i think) noted that the events of 2020, Black Lives Matter movement, and climate justice becoming so prominent in climate are inextricably bound up together.
the frontlash on climate is on Black lives is on trans liberation, etc.
the frontlash on climate is on Black lives is on trans liberation, etc.
December 3, 2025 at 9:11 PM
was chatting with @aldasky.bsky.social recently and he (correctly, i think) noted that the events of 2020, Black Lives Matter movement, and climate justice becoming so prominent in climate are inextricably bound up together.
the frontlash on climate is on Black lives is on trans liberation, etc.
the frontlash on climate is on Black lives is on trans liberation, etc.
Reposted by Daniel Aldana Cohen
Halifax, you're amazing. Nearly 200 of you came out to talk about our campaign and how we can build a gov that works for all of us, not just the wealthy few.
Thank you to all our incredible speakers for joining us; it was an honour to share the stage with each of you. I can’t wait to be back!
Thank you to all our incredible speakers for joining us; it was an honour to share the stage with each of you. I can’t wait to be back!
December 2, 2025 at 3:21 AM
Halifax, you're amazing. Nearly 200 of you came out to talk about our campaign and how we can build a gov that works for all of us, not just the wealthy few.
Thank you to all our incredible speakers for joining us; it was an honour to share the stage with each of you. I can’t wait to be back!
Thank you to all our incredible speakers for joining us; it was an honour to share the stage with each of you. I can’t wait to be back!
Ok I've "invented" a new drink: the Pacific Red-Eye: a shot of espresso in a mug of lapsang souchong tea. Smoky, energizing, soothing.
Caffeine and L-theanine to win the 21st century.
Caffeine and L-theanine to win the 21st century.
November 19, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Ok I've "invented" a new drink: the Pacific Red-Eye: a shot of espresso in a mug of lapsang souchong tea. Smoky, energizing, soothing.
Caffeine and L-theanine to win the 21st century.
Caffeine and L-theanine to win the 21st century.
Reposted by Daniel Aldana Cohen
While Carney caters to the corporate elite, our movement knows that it’s time to tax the rich and invest in the 99% who keep this country going.
Thanks @lindamcquaig.bsky.social for the shout out in the @thestar.com!
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
Thanks @lindamcquaig.bsky.social for the shout out in the @thestar.com!
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
!["The closest we have to [Mamdani] in Canada is NDP leadership candidate Avi Lewis, also an articulate, left-wing populist who, like Mamdani, openly advocates for taxing the rich in order to provide benefits for ordinary people. Now there's a wild idea. But it might just catch on." - Linda McQuaig in the Toronto Star](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:idsofvph6jyjtkumhhla6n5e/bafkreidastyznqnyv3bj5zstod4mbkyo3o33zu447qwbfly2zmvgx426jq@jpeg)
November 14, 2025 at 9:57 PM
While Carney caters to the corporate elite, our movement knows that it’s time to tax the rich and invest in the 99% who keep this country going.
Thanks @lindamcquaig.bsky.social for the shout out in the @thestar.com!
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
Thanks @lindamcquaig.bsky.social for the shout out in the @thestar.com!
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...