Steve Harrell
@steveharrell.bsky.social
Retired professor, unretired ethnographer, polyglot, part-time climate activist, occasional contrarian. Taiwan, China, and Whatcom County--Post mostly plants, mountains, energy transition. Occasionally political snark.
Interesting that the goon administration has been able to slow, but not stop, growth in US green energy investment. Of course, it's growing fast everywhere else.
insideclimatenews.org/news/2901202...
insideclimatenews.org/news/2901202...
Global Energy Transition Investment Grew in 2025 Despite Major Obstacles; Here Are the Numbers - Inside Climate News
Clean transportation led the way while renewable energy spending decreased.
insideclimatenews.org
February 2, 2026 at 2:28 PM
Interesting that the goon administration has been able to slow, but not stop, growth in US green energy investment. Of course, it's growing fast everywhere else.
insideclimatenews.org/news/2901202...
insideclimatenews.org/news/2901202...
Senate Passes Deal to Fund Government and Negotiate ICE Limits
www.nytimes.com
January 31, 2026 at 3:28 AM
You knew it would come to this: Now the administration is invoking wetland protection--something the Right has long associated with 'radical left" environmentalists, to oppose renewable power development. Sigh
heatmap.news/plus/the-fig...
heatmap.news/plus/the-fig...
The Trump Administration Is Now Delaying Renewable Projects It Thinks Are Ugly
The Army Corps of Engineers is out to protect “the beauty of the Nation’s natural landscape.”
heatmap.news
January 30, 2026 at 4:29 PM
You knew it would come to this: Now the administration is invoking wetland protection--something the Right has long associated with 'radical left" environmentalists, to oppose renewable power development. Sigh
heatmap.news/plus/the-fig...
heatmap.news/plus/the-fig...
Everyone else has probably already realized this.
"The administration’s immediate use of the terrorist label should be understood not just as a hyperbolic accusation of intent but as an umbrella term it applies to political opposition generally."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
"The administration’s immediate use of the terrorist label should be understood not just as a hyperbolic accusation of intent but as an umbrella term it applies to political opposition generally."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
The Logical End Point of Trump Saying He Could Shoot Somebody on Fifth Avenue
His administration is trying to distort the reality of Alex Pretti’s killing.
www.theatlantic.com
January 26, 2026 at 3:18 PM
Everyone else has probably already realized this.
"The administration’s immediate use of the terrorist label should be understood not just as a hyperbolic accusation of intent but as an umbrella term it applies to political opposition generally."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
"The administration’s immediate use of the terrorist label should be understood not just as a hyperbolic accusation of intent but as an umbrella term it applies to political opposition generally."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
I've read plenty of good, saddening, enraging reportage on the shredding of the social contract in Minneapolis. But this paragraph seemed to go beyond the outrage to point out the basic problem in the US today:
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/m...
"What was striking, and not a little chilling,
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/m...
"What was striking, and not a little chilling,
Watching America Unravel in Minneapolis
www.nytimes.com
January 25, 2026 at 3:31 PM
I've read plenty of good, saddening, enraging reportage on the shredding of the social contract in Minneapolis. But this paragraph seemed to go beyond the outrage to point out the basic problem in the US today:
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/m...
"What was striking, and not a little chilling,
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/m...
"What was striking, and not a little chilling,
We're all Minnesotans now.
January 25, 2026 at 6:37 AM
We're all Minnesotans now.
But there's some good news along with the bad on the energy front: Probably the judge's decision has little to do with slowing global warming or mitigating air pollution, but rather with keeping a huge corporation form losing money. But whatever. It'll get built.
heatmap.news/sparks/empir...
heatmap.news/sparks/empir...
New York’s Empire Wind Project May Resume Construction, Judge Says
The decision marks the Trump administration’s second offshore wind defeat this week.
heatmap.news
January 16, 2026 at 5:38 PM
But there's some good news along with the bad on the energy front: Probably the judge's decision has little to do with slowing global warming or mitigating air pollution, but rather with keeping a huge corporation form losing money. But whatever. It'll get built.
heatmap.news/sparks/empir...
heatmap.news/sparks/empir...
Oh, and this:
"There are four kinds of people who join the armed forces: those from a traditional military family, true patriots who want to serve their country, those with no other prospects who need a job, and psychotics who just want to kill people.
"There are four kinds of people who join the armed forces: those from a traditional military family, true patriots who want to serve their country, those with no other prospects who need a job, and psychotics who just want to kill people.
January 16, 2026 at 5:34 PM
Oh, and this:
"There are four kinds of people who join the armed forces: those from a traditional military family, true patriots who want to serve their country, those with no other prospects who need a job, and psychotics who just want to kill people.
"There are four kinds of people who join the armed forces: those from a traditional military family, true patriots who want to serve their country, those with no other prospects who need a job, and psychotics who just want to kill people.
This kind of sums it up:
"the administration realized they needed a different lie for a white lady than for all the other innocent people DHS has killed."
www.thebulwark.com/p/why-renee-...
"the administration realized they needed a different lie for a white lady than for all the other innocent people DHS has killed."
www.thebulwark.com/p/why-renee-...
Why Renee Good Was, and Is, So Dangerous to Trump
There are many ways to define an enemy. One is someone who isn’t afraid of you.
www.thebulwark.com
January 16, 2026 at 5:30 PM
This kind of sums it up:
"the administration realized they needed a different lie for a white lady than for all the other innocent people DHS has killed."
www.thebulwark.com/p/why-renee-...
"the administration realized they needed a different lie for a white lady than for all the other innocent people DHS has killed."
www.thebulwark.com/p/why-renee-...
Robert Frost once wrote
Some say the world will end in fire
Some say in ice.
May turn out to be the same thing, whether ICE is immigration goons or Internal Combustion Engines.
Enough to make one swear off of ice cream, ice tea...
Some say the world will end in fire
Some say in ice.
May turn out to be the same thing, whether ICE is immigration goons or Internal Combustion Engines.
Enough to make one swear off of ice cream, ice tea...
January 15, 2026 at 4:05 PM
Robert Frost once wrote
Some say the world will end in fire
Some say in ice.
May turn out to be the same thing, whether ICE is immigration goons or Internal Combustion Engines.
Enough to make one swear off of ice cream, ice tea...
Some say the world will end in fire
Some say in ice.
May turn out to be the same thing, whether ICE is immigration goons or Internal Combustion Engines.
Enough to make one swear off of ice cream, ice tea...
We tend to forget that it's not just about GHGasses. ICE vehicles (even those not driven by immigration goons) also cause air pollution and associated diseases.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/o...
Opinion | $25 Billion. That’s What Trump Cost Detroit.
www.nytimes.com
January 15, 2026 at 4:03 PM
We tend to forget that it's not just about GHGasses. ICE vehicles (even those not driven by immigration goons) also cause air pollution and associated diseases.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/o...
Can they get it up and running before the almost inevitable appeals court reversal of the district court judge's preliminary injunction? Race against time. The legal strategy for Orsted is delay, delay, delay until the turbines start to spin.
orsted.com/en/media/new...
orsted.com/en/media/new...
US federal court grants preliminary injunction allowing Revolution Wind construction to resume
orsted.com
January 13, 2026 at 7:46 PM
Can they get it up and running before the almost inevitable appeals court reversal of the district court judge's preliminary injunction? Race against time. The legal strategy for Orsted is delay, delay, delay until the turbines start to spin.
orsted.com/en/media/new...
orsted.com/en/media/new...
Now it's not just greenhouse gases. They also want to promote air pollution. While taking away the healthcare subsidies that would pay for treatment of pollution-caused diseases.
Might actually spur some backlash among those who think climate change is a hoax.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/c...
Might actually spur some backlash among those who think climate change is a hoax.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/c...
E.P.A. to Stop Considering Lives Saved When Setting Rules on Air Pollution
www.nytimes.com
January 13, 2026 at 7:43 PM
Now it's not just greenhouse gases. They also want to promote air pollution. While taking away the healthcare subsidies that would pay for treatment of pollution-caused diseases.
Might actually spur some backlash among those who think climate change is a hoax.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/c...
Might actually spur some backlash among those who think climate change is a hoax.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/c...
I love anything that makes fun of food fads. This one is great!
"It is depressing to look at a pile of roasted vegetables, arranged elegantly over couscous, and think: I will try harder tomorrow. I know, because I do it."
www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/...
"It is depressing to look at a pile of roasted vegetables, arranged elegantly over couscous, and think: I will try harder tomorrow. I know, because I do it."
www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/...
America Has Entered Late-Stage Protein
This has gone too far.
www.theatlantic.com
January 11, 2026 at 5:22 AM
I love anything that makes fun of food fads. This one is great!
"It is depressing to look at a pile of roasted vegetables, arranged elegantly over couscous, and think: I will try harder tomorrow. I know, because I do it."
www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/...
"It is depressing to look at a pile of roasted vegetables, arranged elegantly over couscous, and think: I will try harder tomorrow. I know, because I do it."
www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/...
Anyone else old enough to remember the Dulles brothers?
January 3, 2026 at 4:53 PM
Anyone else old enough to remember the Dulles brothers?
Some quick initial impressions
MAGA like go bang! BANG!!
US's Overthrowing governments hasn't worked out too well in the recent past.
How does Trump's proposed occupation fit with Corina Machado's proclamation of liberation??
MAGA like go bang! BANG!!
US's Overthrowing governments hasn't worked out too well in the recent past.
How does Trump's proposed occupation fit with Corina Machado's proclamation of liberation??
January 3, 2026 at 4:50 PM
Some quick initial impressions
MAGA like go bang! BANG!!
US's Overthrowing governments hasn't worked out too well in the recent past.
How does Trump's proposed occupation fit with Corina Machado's proclamation of liberation??
MAGA like go bang! BANG!!
US's Overthrowing governments hasn't worked out too well in the recent past.
How does Trump's proposed occupation fit with Corina Machado's proclamation of liberation??
Islands and fog (and a ship) from the Fragrance Lake trail viewpoint today:
January 2, 2026 at 12:16 AM
Islands and fog (and a ship) from the Fragrance Lake trail viewpoint today:
Squalicum Harbor on a bright last day of 2025:
December 31, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Squalicum Harbor on a bright last day of 2025:
Nice roundup, but it occurs to me that putting moon landings and galaxy surveys in the same "space" category is like putting birdie putts and horse collar tackles in the same "sports" category. Yes, but...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/s...
Your Wait for These Space Events Is About to Pay Off
www.nytimes.com
December 31, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Nice roundup, but it occurs to me that putting moon landings and galaxy surveys in the same "space" category is like putting birdie putts and horse collar tackles in the same "sports" category. Yes, but...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/s...
December 31, 2025 at 6:28 PM
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, LAST DAY:
Forests through the seasons: Pearly Everlasting, July and December.
Forests through the seasons: Pearly Everlasting, July and December.
December 31, 2025 at 6:25 PM
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, LAST DAY:
Forests through the seasons: Pearly Everlasting, July and December.
Forests through the seasons: Pearly Everlasting, July and December.
December 31, 2025 at 6:24 PM
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 364:
Through the dead of winter, kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, or Beargrape beargrape) stays a very saturated green:
One day to go...
Through the dead of winter, kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, or Beargrape beargrape) stays a very saturated green:
One day to go...
December 30, 2025 at 11:41 PM
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 364:
Through the dead of winter, kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, or Beargrape beargrape) stays a very saturated green:
One day to go...
Through the dead of winter, kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, or Beargrape beargrape) stays a very saturated green:
One day to go...
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 363:
This is the time of year when red alder (Alnus rubra) shows both old female and young male catkins.
This is the time of year when red alder (Alnus rubra) shows both old female and young male catkins.
December 29, 2025 at 11:33 PM
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 363:
This is the time of year when red alder (Alnus rubra) shows both old female and young male catkins.
This is the time of year when red alder (Alnus rubra) shows both old female and young male catkins.
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 362:
The magic of telephoto--now I that my camera is fixed and I'm not limited to iPhone photography. Golden Ears (left) and Robie Reed (right) loom above Squalicum Harbor and the urban forest along West Holly St, seen from Boulevard Park.
The magic of telephoto--now I that my camera is fixed and I'm not limited to iPhone photography. Golden Ears (left) and Robie Reed (right) loom above Squalicum Harbor and the urban forest along West Holly St, seen from Boulevard Park.
December 28, 2025 at 5:18 PM
#Bellingham #Forests 2025, Day 362:
The magic of telephoto--now I that my camera is fixed and I'm not limited to iPhone photography. Golden Ears (left) and Robie Reed (right) loom above Squalicum Harbor and the urban forest along West Holly St, seen from Boulevard Park.
The magic of telephoto--now I that my camera is fixed and I'm not limited to iPhone photography. Golden Ears (left) and Robie Reed (right) loom above Squalicum Harbor and the urban forest along West Holly St, seen from Boulevard Park.