Eliot Whittington
@whittso.bsky.social
Lead thought leadership as well as business convening and organising at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. Daydreamer, geek, husband, father.
Reposted by Eliot Whittington
These dynamics are clearly happening - seemingly creating larger oscillations / stupider decisions over time. But even if the stock market resets, there is also cumulative damage to America's international standing which is not reversed when trump steps back from the brink.
The TACO cycle:
Markets want to price in TACO. But TACO only works if Trump sees stocks tank.
So we get a loop: Trump does things → nothing happens (markets already priced in TACO) → that emboldens him to do more → until markets start to think he might not TACO → stocks fall → TACO is restored.
Markets want to price in TACO. But TACO only works if Trump sees stocks tank.
So we get a loop: Trump does things → nothing happens (markets already priced in TACO) → that emboldens him to do more → until markets start to think he might not TACO → stocks fall → TACO is restored.
January 22, 2026 at 7:03 AM
These dynamics are clearly happening - seemingly creating larger oscillations / stupider decisions over time. But even if the stock market resets, there is also cumulative damage to America's international standing which is not reversed when trump steps back from the brink.
Reposted by Eliot Whittington
These are the icy mountains of Pluto. It took 9 years to get these magnificent images… and 4.8 billion kilometers.
January 18, 2026 at 7:39 PM
These are the icy mountains of Pluto. It took 9 years to get these magnificent images… and 4.8 billion kilometers.
Reposted by Eliot Whittington
Yes. One of my favourite energy efficiency stats is that 25% of UK economic growth between 1971-2013 was due to energy efficiency: ukerc.ac.uk/news/energy-... @jrbarrett.bsky.social
January 14, 2026 at 8:25 AM
Yes. One of my favourite energy efficiency stats is that 25% of UK economic growth between 1971-2013 was due to energy efficiency: ukerc.ac.uk/news/energy-... @jrbarrett.bsky.social
Reposted by Eliot Whittington
Germany, Sweden and Denmark are publicly debating conscription, food stockpiles and supply-chain resilience. We're still treating defence as a competing priority.
The PM's not wrong to focus on foreign policy so much- but he needs to be much more upfront with the country on why.
The PM's not wrong to focus on foreign policy so much- but he needs to be much more upfront with the country on why.
💬 "No British political leader has been willing to confront the public with the scale of the challenge now facing Britain, and Europe as a whole".
✍️ Anna McShane on how the government must confront the link between geopolitics and the cost of living crisis...
Read more 👇
✍️ Anna McShane on how the government must confront the link between geopolitics and the cost of living crisis...
Read more 👇
‘Britain isn’t talking honestly about how geopolitics is driving the cost-of-living crisis’ – LabourList
The Prime Minister's critics say he is too focused on foreign policy. They’re wrong. His real mistake is failing to say plainly that Britain’s cost-of-living…
labourlist.org
January 14, 2026 at 8:19 AM
Germany, Sweden and Denmark are publicly debating conscription, food stockpiles and supply-chain resilience. We're still treating defence as a competing priority.
The PM's not wrong to focus on foreign policy so much- but he needs to be much more upfront with the country on why.
The PM's not wrong to focus on foreign policy so much- but he needs to be much more upfront with the country on why.
Reposted by Eliot Whittington
Things are awful, so a little treat for the real Crush-Heads. It is now eleven years since I got this printed in the Metro.
January 8, 2026 at 4:54 PM
Things are awful, so a little treat for the real Crush-Heads. It is now eleven years since I got this printed in the Metro.
Well that was dramatic. Although is it me or did Amanda not give the police a really bad name by being consistently wrong about everything #TheTraitors
January 8, 2026 at 9:11 PM
Well that was dramatic. Although is it me or did Amanda not give the police a really bad name by being consistently wrong about everything #TheTraitors
Reposted by Eliot Whittington
The USA can withdraw from @ipbes.net but, IPBES Chair @davidobura.bsky.social observes, “unfortunately, we cannot withdraw from the fact that more than 1 million species of plants and animals face extinction.” 😞😠
“We cannot withdraw from the fact that over 1 million species of plants and animals face extinction.”
IPBES remains committed to its mandate to provide the most credible science and evidence about biodiversity to all decision makers and actors.
— @davidobura.bsky.social , @ipbes.net Chair
IPBES remains committed to its mandate to provide the most credible science and evidence about biodiversity to all decision makers and actors.
— @davidobura.bsky.social , @ipbes.net Chair
January 8, 2026 at 6:52 PM
The USA can withdraw from @ipbes.net but, IPBES Chair @davidobura.bsky.social observes, “unfortunately, we cannot withdraw from the fact that more than 1 million species of plants and animals face extinction.” 😞😠
Reposted by Eliot Whittington
It's all very well having a "weightless", digital economy, but that exists on a material base in semiconducting manufacturing that is far from intangible, & seeing diminishing returns on ever increasing capital investment.
Plot above from my blogpost from last year:
softmachines.org?p=3129
Plot above from my blogpost from last year:
softmachines.org?p=3129
Moore’s Law, past and future – Soft Machines, by Richard Jones
softmachines.org
January 7, 2026 at 11:41 AM
It's all very well having a "weightless", digital economy, but that exists on a material base in semiconducting manufacturing that is far from intangible, & seeing diminishing returns on ever increasing capital investment.
Plot above from my blogpost from last year:
softmachines.org?p=3129
Plot above from my blogpost from last year:
softmachines.org?p=3129
Useful thread of analysis on the US intervention in Venezuela
A key question is ‘whether Trump’s appetite for military adventurism will continue to spread. He has advertised designs on Canada, Panama, Greenland and the Gaza Strip. On Saturday, he implied Mexico was also in his sights’
Quick insight from @edwardluce.bsky.social
as.ft.com/r/f047cbcd-9...
Quick insight from @edwardluce.bsky.social
as.ft.com/r/f047cbcd-9...
Trump now owns Venezuela
[FREE TO READ] The US president has a growing appetite for military adventure
as.ft.com
January 4, 2026 at 1:01 PM
Useful thread of analysis on the US intervention in Venezuela
Reposted by Eliot Whittington
@pollymackenzie.bsky.social's substack makes this point well. This govt has not consciously chosen which political battles to fight. Combine that with a tendency to centralise, we are in a place where throughout government, ‘everything is a priority’, so nothing is.
January 3, 2026 at 10:28 AM
@pollymackenzie.bsky.social's substack makes this point well. This govt has not consciously chosen which political battles to fight. Combine that with a tendency to centralise, we are in a place where throughout government, ‘everything is a priority’, so nothing is.
Reposted by Eliot Whittington
How good is AI getting at CS? This is a Principal Engineer at Google speaking against interest on Claude Code.
January 3, 2026 at 1:45 PM
How good is AI getting at CS? This is a Principal Engineer at Google speaking against interest on Claude Code.
Reposted by Eliot Whittington
Reposted by Eliot Whittington
Great thread about the demand-side for non-democracy. Jacob unpacks a lot here and provides useful literature. Gather, folks!
By way of preparing for teaching and making sense of current events, I spent today trying to synthesise the demand-side literature on democratic backsliding (see figure below). The starting point of most of this literature is simple: Do voters punish politicians who violate democratic norms, or do
January 3, 2026 at 8:57 AM
Great thread about the demand-side for non-democracy. Jacob unpacks a lot here and provides useful literature. Gather, folks!
Reposted by Eliot Whittington
10. We can only protect ourselves against threats we acknowledge.
January 1, 2026 at 4:55 PM
10. We can only protect ourselves against threats we acknowledge.
Reposted by Eliot Whittington
But Europe needs to stop trying to impose an imaginary coherence on Trump administration foreign policy and to work out how to deal with the incoherent reality.
January 1, 2026 at 4:55 PM
But Europe needs to stop trying to impose an imaginary coherence on Trump administration foreign policy and to work out how to deal with the incoherent reality.
Random thought for 2026: the world is unfair and you can make it fairer, but while you can fight against injustice, you need to build justice, not just argue for it. What’s required - everything from mutual respect to well designed institutions - doesn’t just exist, you have to create it.
January 1, 2026 at 9:23 AM
Random thought for 2026: the world is unfair and you can make it fairer, but while you can fight against injustice, you need to build justice, not just argue for it. What’s required - everything from mutual respect to well designed institutions - doesn’t just exist, you have to create it.
Reposted by Eliot Whittington
Harvey Price time then.
In 2016, I had an ill fated stint as the Social Media Producer on Loose Women on ITV. It was a disaster, I should never have applied for the job, I certainly shouldn’t have been given it. I could do the actual job standing on my head, but the politics of the place…woof.
In 2016, I had an ill fated stint as the Social Media Producer on Loose Women on ITV. It was a disaster, I should never have applied for the job, I certainly shouldn’t have been given it. I could do the actual job standing on my head, but the politics of the place…woof.
March 31, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Harvey Price time then.
In 2016, I had an ill fated stint as the Social Media Producer on Loose Women on ITV. It was a disaster, I should never have applied for the job, I certainly shouldn’t have been given it. I could do the actual job standing on my head, but the politics of the place…woof.
In 2016, I had an ill fated stint as the Social Media Producer on Loose Women on ITV. It was a disaster, I should never have applied for the job, I certainly shouldn’t have been given it. I could do the actual job standing on my head, but the politics of the place…woof.
Reposted by Eliot Whittington
If you don't already read @jamesbreckwoldt.bsky.social's substack and you're into British politics, can I recommend doing so as a New Year's Resolution? Always enjoyable and thought provoking in equal measure - although maybe pass on this one if you're a Labour diehard and don't want to spoil NYEve!
Two Voting Predictions For 2026
One obvious, one with potential
jamesbreckwoldt.substack.com
December 31, 2025 at 8:01 AM
If you don't already read @jamesbreckwoldt.bsky.social's substack and you're into British politics, can I recommend doing so as a New Year's Resolution? Always enjoyable and thought provoking in equal measure - although maybe pass on this one if you're a Labour diehard and don't want to spoil NYEve!
Reposted by Eliot Whittington
Reposted by Eliot Whittington
Here's this week's Substack wrap. It has links to all the FTAV posts you may have missed, as well as a bunch of other stuff.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
What if OpenAI is worth more dead than alive?
Plus: data centre risks, fish science, mince pies, and an unwelcome sighting of Modern Monetary Theory
substack.com
December 5, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Here's this week's Substack wrap. It has links to all the FTAV posts you may have missed, as well as a bunch of other stuff.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
The challenge climate poses to the insurance industry is becoming clearer, but for the industry to respond it needs to think and act differently - working with others to trigger systemic responses. Do read our latest report supported by ClimateWise on this: www.cisl.cam.ac.uk/news-and-res...
Redefining Systemic Risk Governance in the Insurance Industry | Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)
4 December 2025 - A new report by ClimateWise provides a framework for insurers to drive co-ordinated governance to address financial system vulnerabilities
www.cisl.cam.ac.uk
December 4, 2025 at 11:00 AM
The challenge climate poses to the insurance industry is becoming clearer, but for the industry to respond it needs to think and act differently - working with others to trigger systemic responses. Do read our latest report supported by ClimateWise on this: www.cisl.cam.ac.uk/news-and-res...
Reposted by Eliot Whittington
Our annual deep dive on China’s climate transition is out! China’s CO₂ emissions are set to remain flat for a second year in 2025. Record additions of solar and wind, accelerating electrification, and declining construction-material demand are the main drivers.
December 4, 2025 at 6:43 AM
Our annual deep dive on China’s climate transition is out! China’s CO₂ emissions are set to remain flat for a second year in 2025. Record additions of solar and wind, accelerating electrification, and declining construction-material demand are the main drivers.
Reposted by Eliot Whittington
3. The industry knows that words are important. If Moses had been obliged by labelling laws to promise the Israelites a land of mammary secretions and insect vomit, I doubt many would have followed him into Canaan, though these are accurate descriptions of milk and honey. 3/6
December 3, 2025 at 10:27 AM
3. The industry knows that words are important. If Moses had been obliged by labelling laws to promise the Israelites a land of mammary secretions and insect vomit, I doubt many would have followed him into Canaan, though these are accurate descriptions of milk and honey. 3/6
Reposted by Eliot Whittington
1. The European Parliament’s attempt to ban plant-based foods from being sold as “sausages”, “burgers” etc is a direct response to livestock industry lobbying. This is a short thread on how utterly bleeding ridiculous it is. 🧵1/6
December 3, 2025 at 10:26 AM
1. The European Parliament’s attempt to ban plant-based foods from being sold as “sausages”, “burgers” etc is a direct response to livestock industry lobbying. This is a short thread on how utterly bleeding ridiculous it is. 🧵1/6
Reposted by Eliot Whittington
Across regulated industries there has been a step change in the past 16 months. Solar farms left as proposals for years were signed off in weeks. We haven’t completed a new reservoir in 30 years despite the population growing by 10m. This government’s signed off 9
November 30, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Across regulated industries there has been a step change in the past 16 months. Solar farms left as proposals for years were signed off in weeks. We haven’t completed a new reservoir in 30 years despite the population growing by 10m. This government’s signed off 9