Meredith DeBoom
@meredeboom.bsky.social
Former policy wonk, current prof @josefkorbelschool.bsky.social Geographer researching energy transition (uranium, green hydrogen, phosphate), climate justice, resource geopolitics, global China, African politics. First-gen college grad. Iowan.
Pinned
Meredith DeBoom
@meredeboom.bsky.social
· Jun 11
New Online 1st Article “Six paths of Global China: A genealogy of a contested geographical imaginary” by Jessica DiCarlo and Meredith DeBoom
doi.org/10.1177/2043...
doi.org/10.1177/2043...
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
doi.org
'Global China' is suddenly everywhere, from think tank reports to political speeches to academic texts. But what political work does the term 'Global China' itself do? @jessicadicarlo.bsky.social and I identify six 'paths' of Global China: Other, Integration, Status, Bridge, Threat, & Alternative.
Reposted by Meredith DeBoom
A small Chinese solar company found a way into Africa’s off-grid energy market by adapting to local needs from $5 solar lights replacing kerosene to offline tablets bringing education to places without electricity.
chinaglobalsouth.com/analysis/chi...
chinaglobalsouth.com/analysis/chi...
How a Small Chinese Solar Company Found Success in Africa
A beauty salon in a small southern Kenyan town is dimly lit by a few lights. There’s no streetlighting here in Mtito Andei, so those lights are how customers make their way. The salon’s owner is…
chinaglobalsouth.com
September 16, 2026 at 7:00 AM
A small Chinese solar company found a way into Africa’s off-grid energy market by adapting to local needs from $5 solar lights replacing kerosene to offline tablets bringing education to places without electricity.
chinaglobalsouth.com/analysis/chi...
chinaglobalsouth.com/analysis/chi...
Reposted by Meredith DeBoom
the way to understand a piece like this from schmitz is that he lives in an urban, cosmopolitan millieu and the popularity of country music is a novelty to him. and so to explain it, he has to fit it into his volkish conception of america, whether or not that makes any actual sense.
I see the NYT is still platforming 'dei crushed white men' bullsh*t. Here it's buried in a 'why rural themed pop culture' is so popular in a piece written by a Princeton grad who lives in New York City.
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/o...
September 13, 2026 at 2:35 PM
the way to understand a piece like this from schmitz is that he lives in an urban, cosmopolitan millieu and the popularity of country music is a novelty to him. and so to explain it, he has to fit it into his volkish conception of america, whether or not that makes any actual sense.
Reposted by Meredith DeBoom
This is the Blazing Saddles approach to bargaining. youtu.be/Z_JOGmXpe5I?...
September 13, 2026 at 8:10 PM
This is the Blazing Saddles approach to bargaining. youtu.be/Z_JOGmXpe5I?...
"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world..."
-Preamble, Universal Declaration of Human Rights
-Preamble, Universal Declaration of Human Rights
September 14, 2026 at 1:34 AM
"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world..."
-Preamble, Universal Declaration of Human Rights
-Preamble, Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Reposted by Meredith DeBoom
This will devastate our research+innovation capacity, bedrock of the 21st century economy.
35% of *all* employed people in the US with STEM PhD degrees are both foreign-born *and* graduated from a US university. —> nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/292...
Shutting them out is extremist folly.
35% of *all* employed people in the US with STEM PhD degrees are both foreign-born *and* graduated from a US university. —> nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/292...
Shutting them out is extremist folly.
September 12, 2026 at 11:04 PM
This will devastate our research+innovation capacity, bedrock of the 21st century economy.
35% of *all* employed people in the US with STEM PhD degrees are both foreign-born *and* graduated from a US university. —> nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/292...
Shutting them out is extremist folly.
35% of *all* employed people in the US with STEM PhD degrees are both foreign-born *and* graduated from a US university. —> nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/292...
Shutting them out is extremist folly.
Reposted by Meredith DeBoom
This is it. Learning is a beautiful struggle.
“All of us who teach at MIT will need to be prepared to help students understand both that the process of education is necessarily a productive struggle, and that the most important product of their education is not a GPA or a diploma but themselves”
“All of us who teach at MIT will need to be prepared to help students understand both that the process of education is necessarily a productive struggle, and that the most important product of their education is not a GPA or a diploma but themselves”
MIT has put out an "AI and Education" report summarizing what they've found at their own institution. Seems thoughtful. aiandeducation.mit.edu/report/
September 13, 2026 at 10:32 PM
This is it. Learning is a beautiful struggle.
“All of us who teach at MIT will need to be prepared to help students understand both that the process of education is necessarily a productive struggle, and that the most important product of their education is not a GPA or a diploma but themselves”
“All of us who teach at MIT will need to be prepared to help students understand both that the process of education is necessarily a productive struggle, and that the most important product of their education is not a GPA or a diploma but themselves”
Reposted by Meredith DeBoom
📢🌎 New *open access* article out now!
"Make sorghum great again: navigating the politics of gene editing in the Make America Healthy Again movement" with Gabby Subia Smith.
www.frontiersin.org/journals/sus...
"Make sorghum great again: navigating the politics of gene editing in the Make America Healthy Again movement" with Gabby Subia Smith.
www.frontiersin.org/journals/sus...
Frontiers | Make sorghum great again: navigating the politics of gene editing in the Make America Healthy Again movement
IntroductionGene editing has emerged as a promising tool for developing climate-resilient crops, yet discussions of its adoption have focused primarily on te...
www.frontiersin.org
September 13, 2026 at 2:48 PM
📢🌎 New *open access* article out now!
"Make sorghum great again: navigating the politics of gene editing in the Make America Healthy Again movement" with Gabby Subia Smith.
www.frontiersin.org/journals/sus...
"Make sorghum great again: navigating the politics of gene editing in the Make America Healthy Again movement" with Gabby Subia Smith.
www.frontiersin.org/journals/sus...
Reposted by Meredith DeBoom
The US President's new proposal to tax international students has been approved by the White House for release this week.
It's an unprecedented $100,000 tax on int'l grads who stay to work after graduation on Optional Practical Training (most grads do), a crucial bridge to remaining by any channel.
It's an unprecedented $100,000 tax on int'l grads who stay to work after graduation on Optional Practical Training (most grads do), a crucial bridge to remaining by any channel.
September 12, 2026 at 10:56 PM
The US President's new proposal to tax international students has been approved by the White House for release this week.
It's an unprecedented $100,000 tax on int'l grads who stay to work after graduation on Optional Practical Training (most grads do), a crucial bridge to remaining by any channel.
It's an unprecedented $100,000 tax on int'l grads who stay to work after graduation on Optional Practical Training (most grads do), a crucial bridge to remaining by any channel.
Reposted by Meredith DeBoom
We (Notre Dame's policy school) are hiring an Assistant Prof in Tech Ethics and Global Security: open to ABD candidates, open discipline. This person will also be affiliated with our Institute for Ethics and the Common Good, which also supports my work on energy transition ethics:
due 9 Oct!
due 9 Oct!
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
September 10, 2026 at 4:19 PM
We (Notre Dame's policy school) are hiring an Assistant Prof in Tech Ethics and Global Security: open to ABD candidates, open discipline. This person will also be affiliated with our Institute for Ethics and the Common Good, which also supports my work on energy transition ethics:
due 9 Oct!
due 9 Oct!
Reposted by Meredith DeBoom
This is how fast oil use can disappear
China's reduction in oil consumption during first half of 2026 due to replacement of fossil vehicles with EVs exceeded the UK’s entire oil consumption during that period
China’s CO2 emis fall Q226 due to plummeting oil use
carbonbrief.org/analysis-chi...
China's reduction in oil consumption during first half of 2026 due to replacement of fossil vehicles with EVs exceeded the UK’s entire oil consumption during that period
China’s CO2 emis fall Q226 due to plummeting oil use
carbonbrief.org/analysis-chi...
Analysis: China’s CO2 emissions fall in Q2 2026 due to plummeting oil use - Carbon Brief
China’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions fell by 1% in the second quarter of 2026, as oil consumption plummeted amid the strait of Hormuz crisis.
carbonbrief.org
September 4, 2026 at 4:54 PM
This is how fast oil use can disappear
China's reduction in oil consumption during first half of 2026 due to replacement of fossil vehicles with EVs exceeded the UK’s entire oil consumption during that period
China’s CO2 emis fall Q226 due to plummeting oil use
carbonbrief.org/analysis-chi...
China's reduction in oil consumption during first half of 2026 due to replacement of fossil vehicles with EVs exceeded the UK’s entire oil consumption during that period
China’s CO2 emis fall Q226 due to plummeting oil use
carbonbrief.org/analysis-chi...
Reposted by Meredith DeBoom
Africa’s energy future is increasingly tied to who controls the power needed to turn its vast mineral wealth into industry. China’s role in building power plants and grids is providing electricity for the continent's mineral strategy.
chinaglobalsouth.com/analysis/afr...
chinaglobalsouth.com/analysis/afr...
Africa Has the Minerals. China Has the Technology. Who Sets the Terms?
I’m writing this in a hotel lobby in Addis Ababa, trying to fit in a quick missive in the downtime after a workshop on how Africa can achieve better electrification outcomes from its relationship…
chinaglobalsouth.com
September 5, 2026 at 10:00 PM
Africa’s energy future is increasingly tied to who controls the power needed to turn its vast mineral wealth into industry. China’s role in building power plants and grids is providing electricity for the continent's mineral strategy.
chinaglobalsouth.com/analysis/afr...
chinaglobalsouth.com/analysis/afr...
Robert Dussey, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Togo: “A fair map does not change the geography of the world, it changes how we see the world." Yes! 🙌 news.un.org/en/story/202... #geosky
UN tells the world: Stop making Africa look small
The UN General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to encourage governments, schools and tech companies worldwide to stop using maps that make Africa look far smaller than it really is.
news.un.org
September 5, 2026 at 3:04 PM
Robert Dussey, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Togo: “A fair map does not change the geography of the world, it changes how we see the world." Yes! 🙌 news.un.org/en/story/202... #geosky
Reposted by Meredith DeBoom
Africa’s new AI factories promise digital sovereignty. Their electricity deals may instead create private power islands inside public systems.
africasacountry.com/2026/07/the-...
africasacountry.com/2026/07/the-...
The grid inside the grid
Africa’s new AI factories promise digital sovereignty. Their electricity deals may instead create private power islands inside public systems.
africasacountry.com
July 27, 2026 at 8:13 AM
Africa’s new AI factories promise digital sovereignty. Their electricity deals may instead create private power islands inside public systems.
africasacountry.com/2026/07/the-...
africasacountry.com/2026/07/the-...
Reposted by Meredith DeBoom
We spoke with South African journalist @dierogeryoung.bsky.social about the making of our documentary After Oil and the political context of the green transition. Read the interview here: bios.net.za/i-like-ship-...
I Like Ship Metaphors
--- an interview with Boima Tucker --- Boima Tucker has spent the last few years making a film about extraction, energy, colonialism an...
bios.net.za
August 26, 2026 at 4:02 PM
We spoke with South African journalist @dierogeryoung.bsky.social about the making of our documentary After Oil and the political context of the green transition. Read the interview here: bios.net.za/i-like-ship-...
Reposted by Meredith DeBoom
Iowa has been reliably red for years. So why is Democrat Rob Sand leading the governor's race?
@eggerdc.bsky.social went to Iowa to find out.
lnk.thebulwark.com/4eI3Zhu
@eggerdc.bsky.social went to Iowa to find out.
lnk.thebulwark.com/4eI3Zhu
July 2, 2026 at 1:07 AM
Iowa has been reliably red for years. So why is Democrat Rob Sand leading the governor's race?
@eggerdc.bsky.social went to Iowa to find out.
lnk.thebulwark.com/4eI3Zhu
@eggerdc.bsky.social went to Iowa to find out.
lnk.thebulwark.com/4eI3Zhu
Reposted by Meredith DeBoom
NUCLEAR CASH
President Trump, his family and his circle of advisers have monetized crypto, the predictions markets, the data center boom & rare-earths mining.
Now they are seeing there's money to be made in a new vector:
The nuclear industry. The NYT takes a look
www.nytimes.com/2026/07/26/u...
President Trump, his family and his circle of advisers have monetized crypto, the predictions markets, the data center boom & rare-earths mining.
Now they are seeing there's money to be made in a new vector:
The nuclear industry. The NYT takes a look
www.nytimes.com/2026/07/26/u...
Trump Is Pushing Nuclear Energy, Including Saudi Deal. His Family and Supporters Could Benefit. (Gift Article)
In some cases, no direct line can be drawn from the president’s domestic nuclear agenda to his family or close allies. But they have overlapping business ties that could position them for gains.
www.nytimes.com
July 26, 2026 at 10:25 AM
NUCLEAR CASH
President Trump, his family and his circle of advisers have monetized crypto, the predictions markets, the data center boom & rare-earths mining.
Now they are seeing there's money to be made in a new vector:
The nuclear industry. The NYT takes a look
www.nytimes.com/2026/07/26/u...
President Trump, his family and his circle of advisers have monetized crypto, the predictions markets, the data center boom & rare-earths mining.
Now they are seeing there's money to be made in a new vector:
The nuclear industry. The NYT takes a look
www.nytimes.com/2026/07/26/u...
Reposted by Meredith DeBoom
If you're headed to the Durban International Film Fest this weekend, be sure to check out our documentary After Oil on Friday night. ccadiff.ukzn.ac.za/diff-47/afte...
July 28, 2026 at 3:28 PM
If you're headed to the Durban International Film Fest this weekend, be sure to check out our documentary After Oil on Friday night. ccadiff.ukzn.ac.za/diff-47/afte...
Reposted by Meredith DeBoom
My next book SMUGGLER is out October 20!
“Timely, stranger-than-fiction, and impossible to put down – truly a book for our dizzying moment” – Greg Grandin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The End of the Myth
Available for preorder now 🙏 : www.simonandschuster.com/books/Smuggl...
“Timely, stranger-than-fiction, and impossible to put down – truly a book for our dizzying moment” – Greg Grandin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The End of the Myth
Available for preorder now 🙏 : www.simonandschuster.com/books/Smuggl...
July 14, 2026 at 4:52 PM
My next book SMUGGLER is out October 20!
“Timely, stranger-than-fiction, and impossible to put down – truly a book for our dizzying moment” – Greg Grandin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The End of the Myth
Available for preorder now 🙏 : www.simonandschuster.com/books/Smuggl...
“Timely, stranger-than-fiction, and impossible to put down – truly a book for our dizzying moment” – Greg Grandin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The End of the Myth
Available for preorder now 🙏 : www.simonandschuster.com/books/Smuggl...
Reposted by Meredith DeBoom
Most of us - literally, most of us - are only alive because of 150 years of the modern regulation of consumer safety…
I worked at Disney a while ago. Do you know why theme parks are so safe? Because OOSHA reps can walk the track on any ride at any time and any safety violation they see is a $10,000 fine. Each.
Theme parks are not safe because the company cares. They're safe because it's cheaper to comply.
Theme parks are not safe because the company cares. They're safe because it's cheaper to comply.
Turns out that food companies were only checking their food because the government told them to, which is exactly why we need government regulations.
July 28, 2026 at 8:12 AM
Most of us - literally, most of us - are only alive because of 150 years of the modern regulation of consumer safety…
Reposted by Meredith DeBoom
When Elon Musk says "zero" children died in Africa from his DOGE cuts, he really means zero children died who are *worthy of any concern.* It's vile coded signaling to his global fascist audience.
From me and @polphilpod.bsky.social, a deep dive into Musk's fascism:
newrepublic.com/article/2135...
From me and @polphilpod.bsky.social, a deep dive into Musk's fascism:
newrepublic.com/article/2135...
The Real Reason Elon Musk Keeps Insisting DOGE Cuts Killed “Zero” Kids
In his explosive interview with The Economist, the SpaceX billionaire inadvertently revealed something darker about his true vision for the future—and about his affinities with global fascism.
newrepublic.com
July 27, 2026 at 11:41 AM
When Elon Musk says "zero" children died in Africa from his DOGE cuts, he really means zero children died who are *worthy of any concern.* It's vile coded signaling to his global fascist audience.
From me and @polphilpod.bsky.social, a deep dive into Musk's fascism:
newrepublic.com/article/2135...
From me and @polphilpod.bsky.social, a deep dive into Musk's fascism:
newrepublic.com/article/2135...
Reposted by Meredith DeBoom
My thoughts on the crisis of confidence in higher education, and the foolish belief that embracing technology is the solution to that crisis.
tompepinsky.com/2026/07/27/t...
tompepinsky.com/2026/07/27/t...
July 27, 2026 at 3:19 PM
My thoughts on the crisis of confidence in higher education, and the foolish belief that embracing technology is the solution to that crisis.
tompepinsky.com/2026/07/27/t...
tompepinsky.com/2026/07/27/t...
Reposted by Meredith DeBoom
The world is a little dimmer today. Writing this for my friend and colleague Sarah Knuth was agonizing and we miss her so much, but we also celebrate Sarah's memory and push forward on the struggles that she cared about so deeply. climateandcommunity.org/bio/sarah-kn...
Sarah Knuth (In Memoriam) - Climate and Community Institute
climateandcommunity.org
July 28, 2026 at 2:15 PM
The world is a little dimmer today. Writing this for my friend and colleague Sarah Knuth was agonizing and we miss her so much, but we also celebrate Sarah's memory and push forward on the struggles that she cared about so deeply. climateandcommunity.org/bio/sarah-kn...
Reposted by Meredith DeBoom
The way to flummox Trump isn’t to confront his bullshit with reality, which he doesn’t care about. It’s to confront his bullshit with his OTHER bullshit.
Q: National Guard and police have been all over the Mall. How would these vandals have gotten so close to do something like that?
TRUMP: ... ... ...
TRUMP: ... ... ...
June 22, 2026 at 11:31 PM
The way to flummox Trump isn’t to confront his bullshit with reality, which he doesn’t care about. It’s to confront his bullshit with his OTHER bullshit.
Crossover hit tweet.
Punting is winning.
Punting is winning.
June 23, 2026 at 3:16 AM
Crossover hit tweet.
Punting is winning.
Punting is winning.