If we speak of political realities as if they are immovable *they will remain immovable* and I think it's high time that we start speaking of possibilities more than impediments.

Thanks Isaac!

I think it's more than that. They want all regulatory agencies, plus any agency that provides benefits to ordinary people, to fail. That way, there will (in their minds) be less pushback when they eliminate them completely. Total elimination is the goal.

5/ This was a cool collaboration with @gruberte.bsky.social, @dustinmulvaney.bsky.social, & Rebecca Peer!

This follows after our previous work on what clean energy systems would look like under objectives of minimizing land/water/materials footprints:

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

4/ This emphasizes the importance of not only deploying clean energy technologies - but really investing in cleaning up their supply chains.

We also find that we can account for life cycle GHG impacts in minimum cost modeling by applying a carbon price to life cycle GHG emissions.

3/ We find that aiming for minimum life cycle GHG emissions reduces this metric by 1.6-2% from minimum cost, but at a cost penalty of ~5.1-6.9%.

But if we also aim to clean up emissions from the supply chain of clean energy technologies - the life cycle GHG reductions improve to 5.0-16%

2/ There are multiple ways of composing a decarbonized electricity system that complies with a given target for reducing / eliminating GHG emissions in operation.

But these can differ quite a bit in terms of embodied / life cycle GHG emissions!

This is why I roll my eyes when some say "the govt. is inefficient and DOGE is going to increase efficiency!". Efficiency isn't their goal.

Those deciding on cuts have a goal of "make spending number go down" at any cost and don't care about what damage is caused to the public interest. 3/

You can't have a real talk about "govt. efficiency" w/o the boundary condition of adequately providing the benefits of each agency's mission.

Efficiency is providing similar or more benefits w/less resources. Deciding to not let agencies be able to provide services is sabotage, not efficiency. 2/

these guys are kind of an object lesson in how the ruling class has ideological commitments that come before profit: namely, maintaining their position atop an economic system which provides the ability to produce profit, and the racial and gender hierarchy they approve of. wild to see in practice!