Along w/ Biden climate news, some thoughts on solar geoengineering (SG) research under Biden Admin. SG closer to Biden/Democratic politics than Trump/Conservative: science-based, multilateral “green” capitalism. Recent moves indicate SG steadily moving into climate policy: THREAD

US is the world leader in SG research, with most funding from private sources – largely billionaires, wealthy individuals, and their boutique foundations – with ties to Silicon Valley tech firms, venture capital, and Wall Street hedge funds (also major donor bases for Dem Party)
Some philanthropists funding SG research include Bill Gates, Rachel Pritzker (billionaire heir of Pritzker family; Chair of Board at Breakthrough Institute), Chris Sacca/Lower Carbon Capital (billionaire VC, deep ties to Silicon Valley). All representatives of “green” capitalism
Leading centrist think tanks and environmental orgs like EDF and Resources for the Future (RFF), both of which take corporate funding (with RFF taking money from fossil fuel industry, e.g. Aramco, Chevron, Shell) support SG research and promote its inclusion in US climate policy
RFF recently published an SG policy paper by Harvard economists Joseph Aldy (fmr. Special Advisor to Obama for Energy and Environment) and Richard Zeckhauser that advocates SG as merely one prong of “prudent” climate policy: https://t.co/zfDffkS2J3
Harvard is home to the leading SG research program in the world, with millions in funding (much of it, again, from tech and finance billionaires). Harvard SG researchers are currently moving forward with outdoor experiments (SCoPEx): https://t.co/lPk3yqXvEv
Harvard’s David Keith and MIT’s John Deutch recently published a paper similarly advocating SG as one tool in a “rational” climate toolbox, presented at the elite Aspen Institute Economic Strategy Group, co-chaired by Fmr. Treasury Secretary (and Goldman Sachs exec) Hank Paulson
Deutch is representative of corporate power and the defense community: former CIA Director and Deputy Sec. of Defense, board member of Citigroup, Raytheon, Schlumberger, member of National Petroleum Council. Link to Keith and Deutch Paper: https://t.co/RmJaqr62w0
Deutch also recently published a proposal for federal SG research: $50 million to 10-15 universities, overseen by a congressional blue ribbon committee. Written w/ Maria Zuber, new co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology: https://t.co/VbxSLAu7WJ
This would go well beyond existing congressional funding: FY20 saw allocation of $4 million to NOAA to support SG research, FY21 proposals call for an additional $9 million. Funding originates from Rep. McNerney’s (D-CA) “Climate Intervention Research Act” https://t.co/Km6s3TGWn8
Guidance for further federal SG funding and research will come from the National Academies of Science report on “blocking sunlight to cool earth,” which is expected to shape US SG policy. The NAS committee was initially chaired by Susan Biniaz, top US lawyer at the Paris Accords
Biniaz has published on SG, and is on the board of SG funding and research organization SilverLining. SilverLining is connected in Rep. McNerney’s office, and backed by billionaires like Pritzker, Sacca, and other Silicon Valley/venture capital interests: https://t.co/p9uksniOvo
SilverLining recently provided $3 million in grants for SG research to leading programs, and couches their work in the language of humanitarianism and “climate justice:” https://t.co/zmjilGIgd1 ... this is the increasingly dominant framing of SG research
Biniaz is now a top staffer in John Kerry’s Cabinet-level climate office within the National Security Council. SG easily aligns with Biden/Dem approach to climate security, and has long been on the agenda of military/intelligence agencies (e.g. CIA, DARPA) https://t.co/VpAvxEcOls
US remains an imperial empire, climate security will be enfolded into the imperial project. SG under US-led capitalist hegemony – driven by endless accumulation/growth via global south dispossession and imperialist rivalry – cannot be humanitarian even if nominally “multilateral”
The climate-friendly wing of the capitalist class, the policy/security elite, and politically connected scientists comfortable with billionaire money and green capitalism are embracing SG. This is no road to climate justice, merely a slightly “greener” version of status the quo
Compare this to signatories of the HOME Campaign’s Manifesto Against Geoengineering. I don’t fully share HOME/ETC’s politics, but the signatories make clear that those struggling for climate justice on the ground across global north and south oppose SG: https://t.co/Yi6hbJcqe0
Green capitalism (tweaks in market-policy-technology) cannot manage climate crises. Carbon removal at relevant scales remains dubious (see work on CDR by @wim_carton) ...likely the only way to deal w/ climate under capitalism is to “buy time” at a planetary scale, i.e. solar geo
Left climate organizations and journalists need to start paying closer attention to the development of solar geoengineering in the US: @SteveAHorn @KateAronoff @aldatweets ...thoughts? @mclaren_erc @OlafCorry @jenniecstephens @InaMoller @hollyjeanbuck @VozSilvestre @maxajl

More from Biden

I got overnight via email a query from @briansflood at Fox News, the principal part of which I reproduce below. I answered by email too. I'll append that reply in the next threaded tweet:


My reply:


Hunter Biden's dubious business activities have been reported for years. Here for example is @TheAtlantic in September 2019, year *before* @nypost
https://t.co/qZBTpyuysM


That emails attributed to Hunter Biden were circulating was also known well before the NYPost story in October. Here's TIME magazine https://t.co/JvpEKdG0U4


What @NYPost added to the work earlier done by others was a new *origin* story for the materials that circulated in Ukraine in 2019. When other media organizations attempted to corroborate that story, hijinx ensued. https://t.co/ZJGZWq7etU @thedailybeast account

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🌿𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓 : 𝑫𝒉𝒓𝒖𝒗𝒂 & 𝑽𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒏𝒖

Once upon a time there was a Raja named Uttānapāda born of Svayambhuva Manu,1st man on earth.He had 2 beautiful wives - Suniti & Suruchi & two sons were born of them Dhruva & Uttama respectively.
#talesofkrishna https://t.co/E85MTPkF9W


Now Suniti was the daughter of a tribal chief while Suruchi was the daughter of a rich king. Hence Suruchi was always favored the most by Raja while Suniti was ignored. But while Suniti was gentle & kind hearted by nature Suruchi was venomous inside.
#KrishnaLeela


The story is of a time when ideally the eldest son of the king becomes the heir to the throne. Hence the sinhasan of the Raja belonged to Dhruva.This is why Suruchi who was the 2nd wife nourished poison in her heart for Dhruva as she knew her son will never get the throne.


One day when Dhruva was just 5 years old he went on to sit on his father's lap. Suruchi, the jealous queen, got enraged and shoved him away from Raja as she never wanted Raja to shower Dhruva with his fatherly affection.


Dhruva protested questioning his step mother "why can't i sit on my own father's lap?" A furious Suruchi berated him saying "only God can allow him that privilege. Go ask him"
Margatha Natarajar murthi - Uthirakosamangai temple near Ramanathapuram,TN
#ArudraDarisanam
Unique Natarajar made of emerlad is abt 6 feet tall.
It is always covered with sandal paste.Only on Thriuvadhirai Star in month Margazhi-Nataraja can be worshipped without sandal paste.


After removing the sandal paste,day long rituals & various abhishekam will be
https://t.co/e1Ye8DrNWb day Maragatha Nataraja sannandhi will be closed after anointing the murthi with fresh sandal paste.Maragatha Natarajar is covered with sandal paste throughout the year


as Emerald has scientific property of its molecules getting disturbed when exposed to light/water/sound.This is an ancient Shiva temple considered to be 3000 years old -believed to be where Bhagwan Shiva gave Veda gyaana to Parvati Devi.This temple has some stunning sculptures.