Alex Steffen
@alexsteffen.bsky.social
I write, speak & teach about the planetary crisis, personal climate strategies & the future.
Courses: https://alexsteffen.thinkific.com/
Podcast/newsletter: https://alexsteffen.substack.com/
Consultation: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule/21f79c52
Courses: https://alexsteffen.thinkific.com/
Podcast/newsletter: https://alexsteffen.substack.com/
Consultation: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule/21f79c52
Pinned
Alex Steffen
@alexsteffen.bsky.social
· Jan 11
Welcome to WHEN WE ARE
A new, informal podcast for subscribers of The Snap Forward!
alexsteffen.substack.com
I've begun a new, informal podcast called When We Are about what it's like to live and work in the midst of climate chaos and unprecedented discontinuity.
Available on your podcast feed, or through my Substack.
alexsteffen.substack.com/p/welcome-to...
Available on your podcast feed, or through my Substack.
alexsteffen.substack.com/p/welcome-to...
If you were born after 1976 — which is two thirds of humanity — you've never experienced a colder-than-average year.
That is, a year when the global mean surface temperature was below the 20th-century average (1901-2000 baseline).
That is, a year when the global mean surface temperature was below the 20th-century average (1901-2000 baseline).
November 11, 2025 at 12:33 AM
If you were born after 1976 — which is two thirds of humanity — you've never experienced a colder-than-average year.
That is, a year when the global mean surface temperature was below the 20th-century average (1901-2000 baseline).
That is, a year when the global mean surface temperature was below the 20th-century average (1901-2000 baseline).
Reposted by Alex Steffen
It’s not.
King: So I believe that we are closer tonight to a vote on the ACA tax credits than we were this morning. This agreement tonight is a win for the American people.
November 10, 2025 at 2:48 AM
It’s not.
Reposted by Alex Steffen
So here's where we are, Sunday morning:
Trump is trying to starve hungry kids in order to bully Democrats into abandoning our fight against health care premium increases.
So Trump is starving kids in order to deny families health care.
Dystopian.
Trump is trying to starve hungry kids in order to bully Democrats into abandoning our fight against health care premium increases.
So Trump is starving kids in order to deny families health care.
Dystopian.
November 9, 2025 at 5:30 PM
So here's where we are, Sunday morning:
Trump is trying to starve hungry kids in order to bully Democrats into abandoning our fight against health care premium increases.
So Trump is starving kids in order to deny families health care.
Dystopian.
Trump is trying to starve hungry kids in order to bully Democrats into abandoning our fight against health care premium increases.
So Trump is starving kids in order to deny families health care.
Dystopian.
Reposted by Alex Steffen
No health care, no deal.
November 10, 2025 at 1:33 AM
No health care, no deal.
Reposted by Alex Steffen
ICE vehicles waste a whopping 80% of the energy in their fuel. Electric vehicles are propelled by entirely different mechanisms. Energy enters the vehicle as electricity, which directly powers the drivetrain: EVs need not convert one form of energy to another resulting in much higher efficiency.
November 9, 2025 at 9:22 AM
ICE vehicles waste a whopping 80% of the energy in their fuel. Electric vehicles are propelled by entirely different mechanisms. Energy enters the vehicle as electricity, which directly powers the drivetrain: EVs need not convert one form of energy to another resulting in much higher efficiency.
In case you were wondering what happened to the Last Decade, we did not win quickly.
We can't give up the fight, but winning the fight no longer means winning an orderly transition to an equitably sustainable society.
That future is no longer available.
We can't give up the fight, but winning the fight no longer means winning an orderly transition to an equitably sustainable society.
That future is no longer available.
"The curve we’ve been forced onto bends so steeply that the pace of victory is part of victory itself. Winning slowly is basically the same thing as losing outright." https://twitter.com/AlexSteffen/status/1014968723684249600
November 7, 2025 at 6:20 PM
In case you were wondering what happened to the Last Decade, we did not win quickly.
We can't give up the fight, but winning the fight no longer means winning an orderly transition to an equitably sustainable society.
That future is no longer available.
We can't give up the fight, but winning the fight no longer means winning an orderly transition to an equitably sustainable society.
That future is no longer available.
"The environmental group gave up its singular focus on climate change for a broader agenda. The ensuing internal strife left it weakened..."
Good try at a complex story that includes mismanagement, mission drift & divisive org politics during broad cultural changes.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
Good try at a complex story that includes mismanagement, mission drift & divisive org politics during broad cultural changes.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
The Sierra Club Embraced Social Justice. Then It Tore Itself Apart.
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:12 PM
"The environmental group gave up its singular focus on climate change for a broader agenda. The ensuing internal strife left it weakened..."
Good try at a complex story that includes mismanagement, mission drift & divisive org politics during broad cultural changes.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
Good try at a complex story that includes mismanagement, mission drift & divisive org politics during broad cultural changes.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
Reposted by Alex Steffen
Some explanations deliver themselves.
Soft denialism on the march.
Soft denialism on the march.
“Bill Gates Gave $3.5M to Think Tank Run by Climate Crisis Denier Bjorn Lomborg" by Rei Takver for @desmog.com:
www.desmog.com/2025/11/05/b...
www.desmog.com/2025/11/05/b...
Bill Gates Gave $3.5M to Think Tank Run by Climate Crisis Denier Bjorn Lomborg
Tax records reveal that the billionaire’s foundation has donated for years to Lomborg’s Copenhagen Consensus Center.
www.desmog.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Some explanations deliver themselves.
Soft denialism on the march.
Soft denialism on the march.
Reposted by Alex Steffen
Vital piece of investigative reporting from Sky. They've uncovered the X algorithm which feeds users extremist right wing material from the moment they join the site. It is a far-right radicalisation engine, by design.
news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
news.sky.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Vital piece of investigative reporting from Sky. They've uncovered the X algorithm which feeds users extremist right wing material from the moment they join the site. It is a far-right radicalisation engine, by design.
news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
Reposted by Alex Steffen
I'll keep repeating this truth. There are few industries that understand the complex realities of how climate change is affecting the world today more than insurance.
Physical risk. Non-physical risk. Liability risk. Reputational risk. Etc.
We see it.
www.insurancebusinessmag.com/uk/news/brea...
Physical risk. Non-physical risk. Liability risk. Reputational risk. Etc.
We see it.
www.insurancebusinessmag.com/uk/news/brea...
Climate slips down the agenda, but insurers warn it's the "risk that amplifies all others"
Polycrisis pressures have pushed this exposure down the corporate priority list
www.insurancebusinessmag.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:02 PM
I'll keep repeating this truth. There are few industries that understand the complex realities of how climate change is affecting the world today more than insurance.
Physical risk. Non-physical risk. Liability risk. Reputational risk. Etc.
We see it.
www.insurancebusinessmag.com/uk/news/brea...
Physical risk. Non-physical risk. Liability risk. Reputational risk. Etc.
We see it.
www.insurancebusinessmag.com/uk/news/brea...
Reposted by Alex Steffen
If sandwich shops don’t start offering a sandwich named “the acquittal” then what are we even doing
November 6, 2025 at 9:27 PM
If sandwich shops don’t start offering a sandwich named “the acquittal” then what are we even doing
Reposted by Alex Steffen
No it’s important to listen to this. Because then you understand that many of them will do ANYTHING to keep power. Remember Musk got involved in the 2024 election after saying to Tucker “if she wins” I am definitely going to prison.
So we need to move knowing that nothing is off the table for them.
So we need to move knowing that nothing is off the table for them.
Steve Bannon: If we lose the midterms and we lose 2028, some in this room are going to prison, myself included.
November 7, 2025 at 12:22 AM
No it’s important to listen to this. Because then you understand that many of them will do ANYTHING to keep power. Remember Musk got involved in the 2024 election after saying to Tucker “if she wins” I am definitely going to prison.
So we need to move knowing that nothing is off the table for them.
So we need to move knowing that nothing is off the table for them.
Some explanations deliver themselves.
Soft denialism on the march.
Soft denialism on the march.
“Bill Gates Gave $3.5M to Think Tank Run by Climate Crisis Denier Bjorn Lomborg" by Rei Takver for @desmog.com:
www.desmog.com/2025/11/05/b...
www.desmog.com/2025/11/05/b...
Bill Gates Gave $3.5M to Think Tank Run by Climate Crisis Denier Bjorn Lomborg
Tax records reveal that the billionaire’s foundation has donated for years to Lomborg’s Copenhagen Consensus Center.
www.desmog.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Some explanations deliver themselves.
Soft denialism on the march.
Soft denialism on the march.
Reposted by Alex Steffen
I think the potential of unilateral geoengineering moves — including by a private entity — to trigger events that lead to war is underappreciated.
November 22, 2024 at 8:50 AM
I think the potential of unilateral geoengineering moves — including by a private entity — to trigger events that lead to war is underappreciated.
If this election proved nothing else, it proved once again that OPTIMISM IS A POLITICAL ACT.
Believing we *can* make things better — that we, together, have the power to create change — is always the first step towards actually making them better.
Believing we *can* make things better — that we, together, have the power to create change — is always the first step towards actually making them better.
November 5, 2025 at 3:35 AM
If this election proved nothing else, it proved once again that OPTIMISM IS A POLITICAL ACT.
Believing we *can* make things better — that we, together, have the power to create change — is always the first step towards actually making them better.
Believing we *can* make things better — that we, together, have the power to create change — is always the first step towards actually making them better.
Reposted by Alex Steffen
Oh thank fuck
BREAKING: Pennsylvania voters approve to retain three state Supreme Court justices, NBC News projects, preserving Democrats’ 5-2 majority on the state’s high court.
Pennsylvania voters retain three state Supreme Court justices, preserving Democrats' 5-2 majority
NBC News projects the incumbents survived an up-or-down vote to keep their seats on the battleground state’s high court.
nbcnews.to
November 5, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Oh thank fuck
Reposted by Alex Steffen
Huge deal!
Democrats—with strong climate credentials—edge toward control of Georgia’s giant energy system
Democrats—with strong climate credentials—edge toward control of Georgia’s giant energy system
OH MY GOD, DDHQ CALLS IT AND DEMS FLIP BOTH STATEWIDE ELECTIONS IN GEORGIA
November 5, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Huge deal!
Democrats—with strong climate credentials—edge toward control of Georgia’s giant energy system
Democrats—with strong climate credentials—edge toward control of Georgia’s giant energy system
State of the Climate: probably fine.
“The accelerating climate crisis is now a major driver of global instability. Extreme weather is causing widespread impacts & direct loss of life, while also driving resource scarcity, displacement & civil unrest.”
academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
“The accelerating climate crisis is now a major driver of global instability. Extreme weather is causing widespread impacts & direct loss of life, while also driving resource scarcity, displacement & civil unrest.”
academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
The 2025 state of the climate report: a planet on the brink
We are hurtling toward climate chaos. The planet's vital signs are flashing red. The consequences of human-driven alterations of the climate are no longer
academic.oup.com
November 5, 2025 at 1:49 AM
State of the Climate: probably fine.
“The accelerating climate crisis is now a major driver of global instability. Extreme weather is causing widespread impacts & direct loss of life, while also driving resource scarcity, displacement & civil unrest.”
academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
“The accelerating climate crisis is now a major driver of global instability. Extreme weather is causing widespread impacts & direct loss of life, while also driving resource scarcity, displacement & civil unrest.”
academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
A practice I began keeping about 20 years ago has been a font of evergreen learning, and it's simple:
Every time I hear a person I respect use a term or technical phrase whose full meaning escapes me, I note it.
Every few months, I go thru that list, and track down straight-forward explanations.
Every time I hear a person I respect use a term or technical phrase whose full meaning escapes me, I note it.
Every few months, I go thru that list, and track down straight-forward explanations.
November 3, 2025 at 10:13 PM
A practice I began keeping about 20 years ago has been a font of evergreen learning, and it's simple:
Every time I hear a person I respect use a term or technical phrase whose full meaning escapes me, I note it.
Every few months, I go thru that list, and track down straight-forward explanations.
Every time I hear a person I respect use a term or technical phrase whose full meaning escapes me, I note it.
Every few months, I go thru that list, and track down straight-forward explanations.
Reposted by Alex Steffen
“Almost everything about our lives, communities & economies was built for the past, when conditions were different. The essential nature of the planetary crisis is discontinuity with the past.”
The Brittleness Trap - @alexsteffen.bsky.social
alexsteffen.substack.com/p/the-brittl...
The Brittleness Trap - @alexsteffen.bsky.social
alexsteffen.substack.com/p/the-brittl...
The Brittleness Trap
Not getting caught in a place where the future is shrinking.
alexsteffen.substack.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:36 PM
“Almost everything about our lives, communities & economies was built for the past, when conditions were different. The essential nature of the planetary crisis is discontinuity with the past.”
The Brittleness Trap - @alexsteffen.bsky.social
alexsteffen.substack.com/p/the-brittl...
The Brittleness Trap - @alexsteffen.bsky.social
alexsteffen.substack.com/p/the-brittl...
Reposted by Alex Steffen
It is — based on my conversations with participants in my classes — a major dividend of having a personal climate strategy and doing the work to ruggedize your life.
November 21, 2024 at 4:50 PM
It is — based on my conversations with participants in my classes — a major dividend of having a personal climate strategy and doing the work to ruggedize your life.
Reposted by Alex Steffen
This is why the greatest equity priority we had in the last 35 years was slashing CO2. On climate action, speed was justice.
Now we still need huge cuts, but massive and unjust climate brittleness has been baked into many poorer countries' futures — and it's not clear it'll ever be truly addressed.
Now we still need huge cuts, but massive and unjust climate brittleness has been baked into many poorer countries' futures — and it's not clear it'll ever be truly addressed.
October 27, 2025 at 8:04 PM
This is why the greatest equity priority we had in the last 35 years was slashing CO2. On climate action, speed was justice.
Now we still need huge cuts, but massive and unjust climate brittleness has been baked into many poorer countries' futures — and it's not clear it'll ever be truly addressed.
Now we still need huge cuts, but massive and unjust climate brittleness has been baked into many poorer countries' futures — and it's not clear it'll ever be truly addressed.
Reposted by Alex Steffen
"Hurricane Melissa is now the strongest storm on the planet this year"
THIS year.
We know the real heavy weather is still on its way. Most Caribbean nations are extremely brittle in the face of worsening climate chaos. Available solutions are limited and expensive.
www.cnn.com/weather/live...
THIS year.
We know the real heavy weather is still on its way. Most Caribbean nations are extremely brittle in the face of worsening climate chaos. Available solutions are limited and expensive.
www.cnn.com/weather/live...
Hurricane Melissa is now the strongest storm on the planet this year | CNN
Melissa is about to deliver Jamaica its most devastating blow from a hurricane.
www.cnn.com
October 27, 2025 at 7:59 PM
"Hurricane Melissa is now the strongest storm on the planet this year"
THIS year.
We know the real heavy weather is still on its way. Most Caribbean nations are extremely brittle in the face of worsening climate chaos. Available solutions are limited and expensive.
www.cnn.com/weather/live...
THIS year.
We know the real heavy weather is still on its way. Most Caribbean nations are extremely brittle in the face of worsening climate chaos. Available solutions are limited and expensive.
www.cnn.com/weather/live...
Reposted by Alex Steffen
We can no longer avoid dire crisis; nor are we likely to see an end-of-everything apocalypse.
We're forced, instead, to live in discontinuity, deep uncertainty and transapocalyptic problems.
https://alexsteffen.substack.com/p/were-not-yet-ready-for-whats-already
We're forced, instead, to live in discontinuity, deep uncertainty and transapocalyptic problems.
https://alexsteffen.substack.com/p/were-not-yet-ready-for-whats-already
November 22, 2024 at 11:20 AM
We can no longer avoid dire crisis; nor are we likely to see an end-of-everything apocalypse.
We're forced, instead, to live in discontinuity, deep uncertainty and transapocalyptic problems.
https://alexsteffen.substack.com/p/were-not-yet-ready-for-whats-already
We're forced, instead, to live in discontinuity, deep uncertainty and transapocalyptic problems.
https://alexsteffen.substack.com/p/were-not-yet-ready-for-whats-already