Christoph Bertram
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christoph-bertram.bsky.social
Christoph Bertram
@christoph-bertram.bsky.social
Energy systems modeling & policy analysis - Associate Research Professor at Center for Global Sustainability, CGS @ctrglobsust.bsky.social at UMD @univofmaryland.bsky.social
German living and biking in DC, and with odd interest in basketball
Views my own
Pinned
Great to see this product of work over the last half year with many great colleagues at @ctrglobsust.bsky.social launched.

What are possible high ambition emission pathways until 2035 for major countries, and their implications in the electricity sector and for fossil fuels? Find out 👇
Just launched 📣
CGS's new flagship website on Country Climate Ambition offers critical insight for the Paris process through in-depth analyses and policy recommendations for major-emitting countries, as they set and seek to achieve ambitious 2035 #NDCs: www.country-ambition.cgs.umd.edu
Reposted by Christoph Bertram
A fundamental tension:

Robotaxi services can make the most money in dense urban neighborhoods—which are precisely the places that need them least.
Robotaxi companies are scrambling to expand in cities, but they’re ignoring rural America. They shouldn’t.

AVs could do a world of good in the countryside (and unlike in dense cities, they’d fit well into existing transport networks).

My guest essay in The Driverless Digest. 🧵
AV companies are ignoring rural America. That's a shame.
Today’s post comes from David Zipper, a Senior Fellow at the MIT Mobility Initiative known for his writing on transportation policy, technology, and urban planning.
www.thedriverlessdigest.com
February 2, 2026 at 3:44 PM
Reposted by Christoph Bertram
Please read this extremely thoughtful & careful post on Tim Walz, Anne Frank, & the US Holocaust Memorial Museum from Martin Shuster, philosopher, Isaac Swift Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies, former Holocaust Memorial Museum Fellow, & scholar of genocide, the Holocaust, & authoritarianism:
January 30, 2026 at 1:24 AM
Indeed cool to have more countries and the interactivity, but the original with longer historic time series (more than 100 years, 1900-2023) for India, China and the US is also absolutely brilliant, and makes it even clearer how countries do not follow old trajectories
bsky.app/profile/embe...
NEW | India is forging a different #energytransition path to China 🇮🇳⚡

Where China built first on coal and gas, India is taking a shortcut — using cheap solar to meet rising demand, relying far less on fossil fuels, and electrifying transport earlier.

https://loom.ly/UFDLamw
January 26, 2026 at 11:40 AM
Reposted by Christoph Bertram
NEW | India is forging a different #energytransition path to China 🇮🇳⚡

Where China built first on coal and gas, India is taking a shortcut — using cheap solar to meet rising demand, relying far less on fossil fuels, and electrifying transport earlier.

https://loom.ly/UFDLamw
January 23, 2026 at 10:01 AM
Great ternary plot, great idea to put the 100% fossil on bottom!
January 23, 2026 at 11:25 AM
A timely (long) read, both because of the birthday last Thursday (see below), and MLK day on Monday, and because the thoughts on non-violent protest against 'legal' injustices are very much on-point also with respect to the current situation:
www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen...
January 18, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Reposted by Christoph Bertram
The US is a great place to live for the super rich and super famous. For everyone else, plenty of other places would offer a better life. And yet, a big chunk of the latter group doesn't demand better from the US, because the former group convinced them that they too could be rich or famous someday.
If there's one empirical insight I'd want everyone to understand about American politics, it's this:

America's problems are solved problems. Just not here.

What would change if the US simply matched the average of 31 peer democracies? Not Denmark or Norway. Just the middle of the pack. 🧵
January 17, 2026 at 10:35 PM
Reposted by Christoph Bertram
Peaceful protest in DC right now
January 9, 2026 at 12:28 AM
Reposted by Christoph Bertram
There is a growing network of faith communities across the US who are organizing & speaking out against the Trump administration's use of government powers for cruelty and repression. Tender green shoots of civil society resistance, but important ones.
Editorial in the National Catholic Reporter: "The vice president's comments justifying the death of Renee Good are a moral stain on the collective witness of our Catholic faith. His repeated attempts to blame Good for her own death are fundamentally incompatible with the Gospel."
Catholic Vice President Vance takes to social media to justify killing of Renee Good
After the tragic shooting of Renee Good at the hands of ICE, the Catholic vice president of the United States took to social media to justify the killing.
www.ncronline.org
January 9, 2026 at 12:59 AM
Reposted by Christoph Bertram
So when authorities say “she tried to run over an officer,” that is not a neutral description. It is a claim of intent that can be used to justify lethal force after the fact.

When the state kills first and invents the threat afterward, it is not policing, it is death squad behavior. /end
January 8, 2026 at 9:13 PM
Reposted by Christoph Bertram
🧵In my expert opinion as a researcher of vehicle ramming attacks, what has been publicly described in the video evidence does not support the claim that Renee Nicole Good was attempting a deliberate ramming attack when she was shot in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026. 1/7
January 8, 2026 at 9:13 PM
Absolutely not, Arvind, good choice! But spending more on oil than in the alternative case on electricity really seems a weird choice for you. This calculator comes to break-even for BEV compact SUV in Texas after less than 5 years... And you absolutely do road trips without superchargers now...
Electric vs. Gas Car Calculator: Which Is the Better Deal?
There’s no more federal subsidy. But our calculator lets you see if an E.V. might still be cheaper in the long-run.
www.nytimes.com
January 7, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Oh wow, I had no idea how big these claws are. Have seen a bald eagle in the wild before, but never paid attention to their claws. And crazy story about the fish, seems this could be an unpleasant timely parable here...
January 6, 2026 at 1:33 AM
What is the eagle holding in their left claw, do you know? (Great thread!)
January 6, 2026 at 12:15 AM
Reposted by Christoph Bertram
I just actually read the news for the first time in a week.

Do not recommend.
January 5, 2026 at 6:38 PM
Reposted by Christoph Bertram
January 5, 2026 at 9:12 AM
Reposted by Christoph Bertram
❤️ every moment of this story
Experience: I cycled the length of the UK on a wooden bike
With no plans, I set off from John O’Groats to travel down south to Dover. Friends and family didn’t think I’d last a mile
www.theguardian.com
December 26, 2025 at 6:18 AM
Reposted by Christoph Bertram
Days start getting longer on Monday
December 20, 2025 at 4:10 PM
For everyone traveling home from #AGU25, here something fitting to listen to, the final message dovetails nicely with one of my highlight take-home messages from this year:
"If you don’t stop, they really can’t stop you."
bsky.app/profile/agu....
And if you need a perfect nerd present:
December 20, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Reposted by Christoph Bertram
On #AGVTV at #AGU25, Dr. Melissa Kenney and I talked about the opportunity for the entire scientific community to contribute towards climate assessment research. Submit your papers at USclimatecollection.org. youtu.be/7Kb-hfwIUxQ?...
Introducing the U.S. Climate Collection: Connecting Climate Science for a Brighter Future
YouTube video by WebsEdgeScience
youtu.be
December 20, 2025 at 1:14 AM
Reposted by Christoph Bertram
Summary of the news today
December 20, 2025 at 3:50 AM
Reposted by Christoph Bertram
Some of these redactions are almost like modern art
December 19, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Shout-out to the bagpipes player welcoming attendees to the last day of #AGU25 in New Orleans
December 19, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Definitely going to this dance today. From 8-9pm there is a beginner lesson, which is a great way to get ready for the dance if you haven't done it before. The social dance starts at 9, and will be with live music. Walkable from #AGU25 . www.maisondupuy.com/live-music/ www.maisondupuy.com/dining/
December 18, 2025 at 4:47 PM