Wind Power’s Lost Year May Be Setting Up a Reset in 2026

By Alex Kimani - Dec 29, 2025

• 2025 was a difficult year for clean energy, with major U.S. tax rollbacks and weak European auctions leading to widespread cancellations of solar, wind, and storage projects.
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• Policy adjustments are now improving the outlook for wind in 2026, as Europe raises auction price caps, reforms tender designs, accelerates permitting, and shifts toward more stable revenue models

2025 has proven to be an annus horribilis for clean energy after Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) rolled back major tax credits and imposed new restrictions, pressuring early-stage solar and wind energy pipelines. Indeed, a Cleanview analysis of U.S. power projects has revealed that developers have cancelled 1,891 power projects with a combined 266 GW of generation capacity in the current year, including 86,466 MW of solar power, 79,045 MW of storage and 54,328 MW of wind power projects. Meanwhile, Europe has witnessed disappointing auctions for new wind power capacity across the continent, highlighting that the industry's woes extend beyond U.S. shores. But the experts are now saying the worst could be in the rear-view mirror, with the global wind energy industry poised for an improved outlook in 2026, driven by strong demand, technological advancements and more supportive policy frameworks. Global wind power generation is set to accelerate, with renewables expected to overtake coal as the largest source of electricity globally by 2026.

In response to project cancellations and auction failures in 2024-2025, policymakers in Europe are adapting wind energy strategies through a variety of measures, most notably by increasing auction price caps and reforming auction designs to manage market risks. Other key adaptations include accelerated permitting processes, new financial incentives and a shift away from "negative bidding".

To wit, the UK government, raised the maximum strike prices for its Allocation Round 6 (AR6) Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme in 2024 to reflect soaring supply chain costs and high interest rates. This adjustment made projects more financially viable and resulted in a more successful AR6 auction compared to the failed AR5 in 2023, which received no bids for offshore wind. Similarly, Germany and Denmark are moving away from auction designs that required developers to pay for the right to build projects (negative bidding), a practice that deterred investment, instead transitioning towards a greater use of Contracts for Difference (CfDs) which offer more stable and predictable revenue streams for developers.

Some policy makers are adjusting the allocation of risk between developers and the government. For example, in the Netherlands, rules for certain tenders were eased, reducing the required investment per site and limiting developer liability during the initial years of the permit.

A major focus is on strategic grid development to integrate the growing capacity of wind energy efficiently. Initiatives like the UK's Offshore Transmission Network Review (OTNR) and the EU's TEN-E Regulation promote coordinated, "networked" systems to reduce costs and environmental disruption. Policymakers are also focusing on accelerating the often-lengthy and bureaucratic permitting process. The EU's Renewable Energy Directive III introduced "go-to areas" with pre-assessed environmental impacts to cap permitting times for new projects at 12 months. Likewise, the UK's Offshore Wind Environmental Package is designed to cut average permitting time by 40% through better data sharing and coordinated assessments.

On the technological front, continued advancements are driving down costs and improving efficiency.  Development of advanced blade designs and larger turbines (e.g., above 15 MW class) is increasing energy capture and lowering the levelized cost of energy (LCOE). Larger turbines utilize massive rotors and longer blades to sweep a significantly greater area. This allows them to capture more wind energy at higher altitudes where winds are often stronger and more consistent, directly boosting electricity generation. Advanced blade designs incorporate sophisticated aerodynamic profiles and materials that optimize how the blades interact with the wind, maximizing the efficiency of energy conversion. Meanwhile, the integration of AI and data analytics in wind farm operations is enabling predictive maintenance, optimized performance, and integration into real-time energy markets, reducing operational costs and unplanned downtime.

Capital has not left the sector, but it has become more selective. 

Publicly traded wind-focused equities have rebounded in 2025 after a weak prior year, supported by rising electricity demand from data centers, electrification, and tighter power markets rather than by subsidy expansion alone. As of mid-year, wind-linked funds such as the First Trust Global Wind Energy ETF have outperformed broader equity benchmarks, reflecting expectations that project economics improve as auction terms reset and supply-chain pressures ease. 

At the same time, investors remain cautious, with balance-sheet strength, grid access, and contract structure increasingly determining which developers can move projects forward. Cost competitiveness remains a core support: multiple independent analyses show that new onshore wind capacity is among the lowest-cost sources of new electricity generation in many regions, often competing directly with new gas-fired power even without direct subsidies.

The recovery narrative is uneven, particularly in the United States. 

While technology and power-market fundamentals are improving, U.S. offshore wind continues to face policy uncertainty beyond subsidies and auctions. Washington has paused certain offshore wind leasing and reviews on national security grounds, introducing new risk that has nothing to do with project economics.

By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com

Where are The World's Rare Earth Minerals Located?

By ZeroHedge - Dec 29, 2025

Rare earth elements (REEs) are the backbone of modern technology, from EV motors and wind turbines to smartphones and precision-guided systems.

This map, via Visual Capitalist's Bruno Venditti, breaks down where the world’s known rare earth reserves are located in 2025, highlighting how concentrated they are across a handful of countries.

The data for this visualization comes from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The distribution is highly uneven. China alone holds nearly half of the global total, followed by Brazil’s sizable deposits. By contrast, many advanced economies have limited reserves.

A Heavily Concentrated Reserve Base

China leads with 44.0 million metric tons, about 48% of the world total of 91.9 million metric tons. Brazil is a clear second at 21.0 million tons (23%), reflecting large ionic clay and hard-rock deposits that are still early in development.

India (6.9 million tons) and Australia (5.7 million tons) round out the top tier, while Russia (3.8 million tons) and Vietnam (3.5 million tons) are also ahead of the United States. Together, the top six countries account for roughly four-fifths of known reserves.

Advanced Economies: Small Shares, Big Demand

The United States holds just 1.9 million metric tons of rare earths (2%), underscoring its reliance on trade and midstream processing to secure supply. In recent months, the Trump administration has sought to reduce U.S. dependence on Chinese materials by funding domestic mining projects, streamlining permits, and partnering with allies to diversify supply chains.

In October, President Trump and President Xi Jinping agreed to reduce tariffs in exchange for China maintaining the flow of rare earth exports.

Emerging Players

Canada (0.83 million tons) and the EU-adjacent Greenland (1.5 million tons) have meaningful but smaller bases.

Africa and the Arctic feature emerging sources: Tanzania (0.89 million tons) and South Africa (0.86 million tons) join Greenland as potential growth nodes if infrastructure and processing scale.

By Zerohedge.com

 

Iranian Navy Sketches Out Shipbuilding Plans

The Iranian stand at the Karachi PIMEC exhibition, with Iranian naval vessel designs on display (Mehr News)

Published Dec 30, 2025 5:06 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

Iranian naval enthusiasts have sketched out an overview of the regular Iranian Navy (Nedaja)’s future ship-building program. Details and drawings of four new classes of ship under design appear to have been taken from the Iranian exhibition stand at the Pakistan International Maritime Expo & Conference (PIMEC), which was held in Karachi November 3-6, but also draw on remarks made by the Nedaja commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani at Iran’s annual Naval Day celebrations held at the Naval Academy at Nowshahr on the Caspian Sea on November 30.

When interpreting Iranian commentary on their own military, there is often a high degree of hubris and hyperbole in descriptions of future equipment plans and equipment capabilities. Sometimes there is deliberate deception. Shipbuilding in Iran is even more painfully slow in many respects than in some advanced Western countries, albeit Iranian shipbuilders must be given credit for innovative equipment developed to compensate for the effects of international sanctions. A naval architect would have a better perspective, but all the designs make attempts to incorporate stealth features. Nonetheless, the plans outlined recently give an idea of the direction in which Iranian naval thinking is heading.

In terms of immediate deliveries, the last frigate of the Moudge Class, IRINS Toufan (F79?) is still not yet near operational, despite having been laid down in 2014. The Moudge Class was based on the Alvand frigates, which were built for Imperial Iran in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and of which three vessels are still serving (occasionally), namely IRINS Alvand (F71), Al Borz (F72) and Sabalan (F73).

The Moudge Class has not been without its problems, with the Nedaja having overloaded the vessels with new weapons systems, making them top-heavy and prone to capsize. IRINS Talaiyeh fell over in dry dock while under construction – but was resurrected as the intelligence collection frigate IRINS Zagros (H313). IRINS Sahand (F74) capsized and later sank in Bandar Abbas Naval Harbor on July 9, 2024, but was resurfaced and brought back into service last month, the Nejada claims.

The Moudge vessels, and presumably the two older Bayandor Class frigates, are apparently to be superseded by the Binder Class. At 105m it is longer by 10 meters and at 1700 tons heavier by 200 tons than the Moudge Class. Binder Class ships will still have a 76mm gun and a helicopter hangar. It appears as if they will have 26 Vertical Launch System (VLS) tubes, plus 16 cruise missile tubes for the short to long range Noor/Qader/Ghadir anti-ship cruise missile series derived from the Chinese C-802. Aside from the emphasis on missiles, the new design has a customary-elsewhere integral capability to launch small fast attack craft.

The proposed Binder-class (CJRC)

The Nedaja currently has a substantial fleet of aging fast attack patrol craft. The 15 Sina and Kaman Class boats based on the French La Combattante II Class, almost all of which are between 50 to 20 years old, are equipped with missiles and 76mm guns, albeit Sina Class boats are still being built and the design still looks useful. The six smaller US-built and gun-equipped Kaivan and Parvin Class patrol boats are even older.

New 33-meter missile patrol boat design (CJRC)

The smaller boats look as if they could be the first to be replaced by a new 33-meter missile patrol boat, class name as yet unknown, designed primarily for coastal patrol. This boat is supposed to be capable of 25 knots, and has a 20mm Oerlikon cannon and tube-launched Noor/Qader/Ghadir anti-ship cruise missiles. The design is said to be capable of adaptation to host a helicopter, but from the images of the design, this might be difficult to achieve.

On 2 June 2, 2021, the Nedaja’s flagship IRINS Kharg (K431) sank off Jask in the Gulf of Oman after a suspicious fire on board. The loss of this ship was keenly felt, because in addition to its important long-distance replenishment role, it also served as the major training vessel on which naval cadets gained sea experience. Substitute training cruise ships were the aging Hengam Class landing ships IRINS Tunb (L513) and IRINS Lavan (L514), both 50 years old and in poor shape. To fulfil the long-vacant training role will be the 145m IRINS Luqman, armed with a 76mm gun, 24 VLS canisters and an onboard helicopter. The design is apparently intended to provide a lead-in and a test-bed for a new Negin Class of destroyers.

 Design of the proposed training ship IRINS Luqman (CJRC)

As any good commander would, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani has recently made much of the ambitions and capabilities of his force, which following the 12-Day War must have taken a dent to its morale. An outline of the Nedaja’s future ship-building program may well form part of his campaign to establish a more optimistic mood. But if these projected missile-heavy newbuilds are to be combat effective, the ultimate test will be whether they will be able to detect targets, and then engage them effectively, at ranges greater than their adversaries.

ClassNK Grants AiP for Designs of Cable Jointing & Cable Burial Vessels

Image of a cable jointing vessel & cable burial vessel (Courtesy of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines)

Published Dec 29, 2025 8:53 PM by The Maritime Executive

[By: ClassNK]

ClassNK has issued an Approval in Principle (AiP) for the designs of a cable jointing vessel and a cable burial vessel developed by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. The certification demonstrates its feasibility from regulatory and safety perspectives.

In Japan, the expansion of wind power generation utilizing offshore areas and surrounding islands with favorable wind conditions and relatively limited site constraints is expected as part of efforts to increase the share of renewable energy. However, regions suitable for wind power generation are often located far from major electricity demand centers, making the development and reinforcement of power transmission infrastructure a key challenge in delivering generated electricity to demand areas.

In response to this challenge, long-distance subsea DC transmission using cable jointing and burial vessels is regarded as an effective solution for achieving efficient power transmission.

ClassNK carried out a design review of the ship based on part O of its "Rules and Guidance for the Survey and Construction of Steel Ships", as well as other relevant rules. ClassNK issued AiP after it was confirmed that the prescribed requirements were met.

ClassNK will continue to contribute to the widespread adoption of offshore wind power generation by supporting new technology development and social implementation, including through safety assessments.

The products and services herein described in this press release are not endorsed by The Maritime Executive.

Trump bemoans dead bald eagle in US — using photo of dead falcon in Israel

Robert Davis
December 30, 2025 
RAW STORY



President Donald Trump appeared to get his birds mixed up on Tuesday when he made a snide social media post about wind energy.

On Truth Social, Trump posted a picture of a dead bird in a field of wind turbines. "Windmills are killing all of our beautiful Bald Eagles!" the caption reads. It was amplified by the White House and viewed millions of times on X.

However, the bird in the picture isn't a bald eagle, as the president claims. It's an Israeli falcon.

"Unfortunately for Trump’s effort to sow outrage among American patriots at what he proclaimed to be an image of the national bird laid low, closer inspection reveals the photograph does not show a bald eagle and was not taken in the United States," The Guardian reported after Trump posted the image. "The image actually shows a falcon that was killed at a wind farm in Israel eight years ago."

The Guardian also noted there were clues as to what kind of bird was in the picture that Trump seemingly overlooked "in a rush."

"The first is that the bird is missing the distinctive markings of a bald eagle. The second is that the turbine blamed for its death appears to have Hebrew writing on it," according to the report.

Trump has consistently bashed wind energy, and his second administration has rolled back several Biden-era clean energy programs. In December, Trump halted permits on thousands of new wind energy projects, citing reasons stretching from national security risks to the number of birds that die in wind farms each year.

Judge Delays Dominion’s Offshore Wind Suit Awaiting U.S. Data

Dominion Energy is suing to restart offshore work on its wind farm (Dominion Energy)

Published Dec 30, 2025 6:02 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

The first showdown over the U.S. Department of the Interior’s efforts to stop the construction of five offshore wind farms is being delayed as a U.S. District Court in Virginia waits for data from the government. Dominion Energy’s efforts to gain a temporary restraining order to permit it to restart work were delayed, with the next hearing set for January 16.

Dominion Energy and its Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project is one of five that were ordered to stop offshore work by the Department of the Interior, which made vague claims about national security concerns due to radar clutter caused by the turbine blades and towers. The government cited new confidential data from studies by the Pentagon as the justification for the orders.

The five projects are all under construction, and in the case of Coastal Virginia and Vineyard Wind 1 in Massachusetts nearing completion. Dominion asserted in its court filing that the stop-work order is costing the company $5 million a day and said it could jeopardize completion of the wind farm on time in 2026 and the stability of the power grid, which needs more electricity. Coastal Virginia was expected to generate its first power in early 2026.

Offshore work on the five projects was stopped, but the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management did permit them to take steps to protect safety. The Vineyard Gazette newspaper reported yesterday, December 29, that the Massachusetts project was also permitted to continue power generation from the partially installed project. It began sending its first power in January, and as of the summer, reports said it had more than 20 of its 62 turbines commissioned. The State of Massachusetts, in a recent filing, said the project was capable of producing 572 MW of its planned 800 MW capacity. Vineyard Wind 1, which the newspaper says was expected to finish construction by the end of the year, is the second commercial-scale project generating power, following South Fork Wind in New York, which completed its commissioning in 2024.

Dominion Energy was the first of the developers to file suit, calling the actions to stop the work unconstitutional and a violation of BOEM rules. Judge Jamar Walker did not rule on the merits of the motion for a temporary restraining order, but converted the case to a motion for a preliminary injunction. If granted, the injunction would permit offshore work to resume while the legal case proceeded.

The government responded to the suit, telling the District Court that it estimated it could provide the classified information on which the stop-work order relies during the week of January 5. The court said that the information it “critical to evaluating” the request. It further directed the government to inform it by December 31 if it would supply the confidential information to Dominion Energy’s representatives.

The government is directed to supply the information to the court by January 9, along with a response from Dominion. A hearing in Norfolk on January 16 will consider the converted motion for the preliminary injunction.

Watchdog Warns Trump and Burgum’s Halting of Offshore Wind Projects Is Illegal

“Burgum’s actions on offshore wind appear to be motivated by the personal financial interests of those in the administration, not our collective national interests.”



US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum speaks during an event with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House on October 6, 2025 in Washington, DC.
(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Julia Conley
Dec 29, 2025
COMMON DREAMS

A week after the US Department of the Interior said it was immediately halting five offshore wind projects in the interest of “national security,” a watchdog group told congressional committees Monday that the move is “not legally defensible” and raises “significant” questions about conflicts of interest concerning a top DOI official’s investments in fossil gas.

Timothy Whitehouse, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), wrote to the top members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the House Committee on Natural Resources regarding the pause on projects off the coasts of Virginia, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts—projects that account for billions of dollars in investment, employ thousands of people, and generate sustainable energy for roughly 2.5 million homes and businesses.
.


Trump Continues ‘War Against Renewables’ With Halt of Five Offshore Wind Farms

The announcement made by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum last week pertained to “five vague, perfunctory, cookie-cutter orders” halting the projects, wrote Whitehouse, but PEER is concerned that the orders were issued to evade the Congressional Review Act (CRA), under which the action to halt the projects likely constitutes a “major rule.”

Whitehouse explained:
Under the CRA, a rule that meets any one of three criteria (an annual effect on the economy of $100,000,000 or more; a major increase in costs or prices for consumers, individual industries, federal, state, or local government agencies, or geographic regions; or in pertinent part significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, or innovation) is a major rule. Interior’s pause likely meets all three.

As a major rule under the CRA, the pause cannot take effect until at least 60 days after BOEM provides Congress the requisite notification and report under the CRA, which, according to GAO’s database, has not yet occurred. Congress must use its oversight authority to unveil the truth and, as appropriate, and to enforce the rule of law.

He said in a statement that “Burgum’s move is designed to bypass all congressional and public input.”




The CRA states that a rule is “the whole or a part of an agency statement of general or particular applicability and future effect designed to implement, interpret, or prescribe law or policy or describing the organization, procedure, or practice requirements of an agency.”

Press statements by the DOI and by Burgum last week were “statements of general applicability and imminent future effect, designed to implement policy,” wrote Whitehouse, who also said the interior secretary embarked on “a coordinated rollout with Fox News entities.”

On December 22, Fox anchor Maria Bartiromo asked Burgum at 8:00 am Eastern, “What next action did you want to tell us about this morning?” Five minutes later, FoxNews.com published its first story on Burgum’s orders, citing a press release that had not yet been made public and including a quote from the secretary about the “emerging national security risk” posed by the offshore wind projects.

“If last week’s actions are allowed to stand, future presidents will have unchecked authority under the guise of national security to target federal leases related to entire disfavored energy industries for political purposes.”

Burgum’s announcement to Fox came at least one to two hours before Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) acting Director Matthew Giacona provided the orders to the lessees running the five wind projects.

Further, wrote Whitehouse, “Burgum’s voluminous public comments in the hours and days since the pause further show the true purpose of Interior’s singular action.”

“The national security pretext quickly gives way to broad and spurious talking points about the ‘Green New Scam,’ how ‘wind doesn’t blow 24-7’ (evincing Burgum’s seeming unfamiliarity with energy storage technologies), and unyielding promotion of liquified natural gas projects,” wrote Whitehouse.

Aside from the alleged illegality of Burgum’s order, PEER pointed to Giacona’s potential conflicts of interest with BOEM operations and specifically with halting wind projects. Giacona is a “diligent filer” of financial disclosure forms required by the Ethics in Government Act, noted Whitehouse—but those forms point to potential benefits he may reap from shutting down offshore wind infrastructure.

Giacona reported his purchase of interests in the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) on September 16. The fund tracks daily price movements of “natural” gas delivered at the Henry Hub in Louisiana and is subject to regulation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

“Accordingly, a government employee who has an interest in UNG also has a potential conflict of interest with the underlying holdings of UNG (currently primarily natural gas futures contracts at the Henry Hub),” wrote Whitehouse.

PEER does not know whether Giacona continues to hold a financial interest in UNG or whether the offshore wind pause will have a “direct and predictable effect on a financial interest in UNG,” but Whitehouse noted that Burgum and DIO have entwined the pause with the promotion of liquefied natural gas.

“It is disconcerting that Mr. Giacona temporarily had even a de minimis financial interest in natural gas futures while also leading the agency that manages the development of natural gas resources on the outer continental shelf,” wrote Whitehouse, adding that Giacona also sold interests in the United States Oil Fund on September 3, while overseeing BOEM.

Based on Giacona’s investments, said Whitehouse, “Burgum’s actions on offshore wind appear to be motivated by the personal financial interests of those in the administration, not our collective national interests. This is another misguided step in transforming the federal government into a franchise of the fossil fuel industry.”

“On public lands across the United States, the Department of the Interior has tens of thousands of additional active leases related to oil, gas, wind, solar, and geothermal production and mining for energy-related minerals,” he added. “If last week’s actions are allowed to stand, future presidents will have unchecked authority under the guise of national security to target federal leases related to entire disfavored energy industries for political purposes.”

New State Laws Aim to Protect Environment, Consumers as Trump Wages All-Out War on Climate

“The gridlock and partisanship we see in Washington, DC can be dispiriting. But history shows that states can build momentum that eventually leads to change at the federal level.”


Harry the Happy Dragon, the mascot for Harris Teeter, on reusable plastic bags

 for sale at a grocery store on December 22, 2025 in Durham, North Carolina.

(Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images)

Brad Reed
Dec 29, 2025
COMMON DREAMS


Even as President Donald Trump and his administration have been ripping up environmental and consumer protection regulations, a number of state laws are set to take effect next year that could at least mitigate some of the damage.

A Monday statement from Environment America and the Public Interest Network highlighted a number of new laws aimed at curbing corporate polluters and enhancing consumer welfare.



11 House Democrats Help GOP Pass ‘Disastrous’ Pro-Polluter Permitting Bill



Senate Dems Stop Permitting Talks Over Trump’s ‘Reckless and Vindictive Assault’ on Wind Power

First, the groups highlighted “Right to Repair” laws set to take effect in Washington, Nevada, Oregon, and Colorado, which give people the right to repair their own appliances and electronics without burdensome costs or barriers.

The groups lavished particular praise on Colorado’s “Right to Repair” laws that they said provide “the broadest repair protections in the country,” with new regulations that will give businesses in the state “access to what they and independent repair providers need to fix their electronics themselves.”

Illinois, meanwhile, will fully phase out the sale of fluorescent lightbulbs, which will be replaced by energy-efficient LED bulbs. The groups estimate that eliminating the fluorescent bulbs will collectively save Illinois households more than $1.5 billion on their utility bills by 2050, while also reducing energy waste and mercury pollution.

Illinois also drew praise for enacting a ban on polystyrene foam foodware that will take effect on January 1.

The groups also highlighted the work being done in Oregon to protect consumers with legislation mandating price transparency to eliminate surprise junk fees on purchases; prohibiting ambulance companies from socking out-of-network patients with massive fees for rides to nearby hospitals; and placing new restrictions on the ability of medical debt to negatively impact a person’s credit score.

California also got a mention in the groups’ release for closing a loophole that allowed supermarkets to continue using plastic bags and for creating a new privacy tool for consumers allowing them to request that online data brokers delete all of the personal information they have gathered on them over the years.

Emily Rusch, vice president and senior director of state offices for the Public Interest Network, contrasted the action being taken in the states to protect consumers and the environment with a lack of action being done at the federal level.

“The gridlock and partisanship we see in Washington, DC can be dispiriting,” said Rusch. “But history shows that states can build momentum that eventually leads to change at the federal level. As we build on this progress in 2026, we look forward to working with anyone—Republican, Democrat, or independent—with whom we can find common ground.”

America’s Loss of Science and Loss of Virtue

Robert Hunziker

 December 30, 2025

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Image by Vlad Tchompalov.

The Trump administration has issued a death warrant for science. This kills one of America’s greatest most productive avenues to GDP growth. Simple-minded people are determining the future course of the country. After all, science is foundational to America’s economy.

This legacy for America is destined to be the antithesis of what’s found in the writings of Marcus Aurelius’ world-famous notebooks, filled with words of wisdom about leading an honorable life, Meditations, one of the world’s great pieces of literature by one of the wisest minds of the ancient world Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 CE) the 16^th emperor of Rome collected thoughts in notebooks, now considered one of the most important Stoic texts of all time and common text for America’s universities today. Marcus is now stronger than ever as one of the most widely read works of philosophy in the world. Will this administration leave a “notebook” like Marcus’s for history to judge… virtue, honor, respectfulness, pursuit of the common good? Hmm.

Marcus Aurelius was the wealthiest and most powerful man in the world. “More recent leaders such as Bill Clinton have admired Marcus not so much as a philosopher-king but simply as a man who recognized that he had to do his duty as emperor without letting it go this his head and without becoming a tyrant.” (Marcus Aurelius, Meditation, The Annotated Edition by Robin Waterfield, Basic Books, 2021).

Marcus’s notebooks are filled with praise for a virtuous lifestyle. He describes the most important virtue as “acting fairly, honestly, and with kindness towards others, thus recognizing one’s duty to the community and the common good.” ICE?

Yet, America is experiencing a feast of political retribution and destruction of value-oriented policies created for the common good. This is destruction via a wrecking ball of indeterminate size because it is so large that it’s difficult to fully comprehend. For example, Trump underlings are halting construction of major offshore wind farms, based upon a squirrely excuse of “threats to national security” (classified reports) creating radar interference. Why does this sound phony? Come on now, seriously, years ago, Trump claimed windmills cause cancer, said he hates them, before anybody dreamed up a national security issue. They’re suspending five major projects that were slated to go into full operation in 2026 and early 2027. Wind is free, no CO2 emissions, suspending work is prima facie evidence of insanity at work.

The Vineyard Wind 1 off Massachusetts’ coast is one of the targeted projects. One-half of its turbines are already generating power and sending it to the grid while the remainder of the massive 62-turbine-farm remains under construction, aiming to serve 400,000 homes with electricity when fully operational. However, as of December 22, 2025, it is now officially halted by a federal order from the DOI. Meanwhile, the operating turbines have exceeded all pro forma expectations for electricity generation. Standing tall!

In pitch-perfect Newspeak, Trump officials say cuts in science are made in “the interest of better science” that benefits all Americans. That has a very bad odor to it. Nearly 2,000 doctors, scientists, and researchers, including dozens of Nobel Prize winners, signed an open letter warning that the U.S. lead in science is being “decimated” and that a “climate of fear” has descended on the research community. More than 90 NIH researchers publicly signed a separate letter, aka: the “Bethesda Declaration” criticizing deep cuts in public health research. That doesn’t sound like better science.

Plans to Breakup “The Mother of Climate Research”

“White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, in a post Tuesday on X, announced the plan to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, calling it ‘one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country.’ NCAR was founded more than six decades ago to provide universities with expertise and resources for collaborative research on global weather, water, and climate challenges… Antonio Busalacchi, who heads the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, a nonprofit consortium of 129 U.S. universities that oversees the Boulder facility, told NPR he received no prior notice before the announcement and believes the decision ‘is entirely political.” (Scientists Push Back on Trump Plan to Break Up a Critical Climate and Weather Center, NPR, Texas Public Radio, Dec. 20, 2025)

NCAR impressively impacts every American, e.g., among NCAR’s many contributions, it developed dropsondes — tube-shaped instruments released from aircraft…Antonio Busalacchi says these efforts have contributed to decades without passenger plane crashes caused by wind shear or downbursts. “We’ve had zero loss of life from these weather events that can be directly attributed to our research. And that’s what we’re talking about losing, if NCAR shuts down,” Ibid.

The threat to NCAR is far-reaching: “Jason Furtado, an associate professor of meteorology at the University of Oklahoma, calls NCAR ‘a world-envied research center for atmospheric science’ and ‘a beating heart for the atmospheric science community.’ He says his research and that of many other scientists would simply not be possible without the Boulder center. ‘In some way every atmospheric scientist has a connection to NCAR, whether they’ve directly been to the building or they have not,” Ibid.

Negatively clobbering atmospheric scientists does not make science better. It makes it much, much worse and threatening a society that is increasingly harmed by climate change’s insane whiplashing weather systems that, if not forewarned, kill and destroy, sending a clear message that fossil fuel CO2 emissions heat up the planet beyond sustainability of a 10,000-year-old climate system, not too hot, not too cold. Why have the insurance industry and commercial banks figured this one out, yet the White House seems lost in the weeds?

“Insured losses from natural disasters in the U.S. now routinely approach $100 billion a year, compared to $4.6 billion in 2000,’ according to a recent Senate Budget Committee report…  Costs to insure many homes are higher today, and in some cases, insurance is harder—in certain areas even seemingly impossible—to find.” (How Climate Risk — and losses — Are Creating High Prices for Home Insurance, JP Morgan, May 16, 2025)

The world’s largest insurance company: Allianz: How Climate Change is Unravelling Insurance Markets, Sustainability Magazine, April 7, 2025. This is no hoax.

Ipso facto, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder has never been needed more than today. Major insurance companies and major commercial banks have already identified the issue of a whacky climate system supercharged by burning too much fossil fuels as a threat to America’s economic system. But now, with the Trump cuts, everybody’s flying blind in the face of torrential climate behavior seen on nightly news programs throughout the country.

Statement by Allianz Senior Executive

“The way forward, according to Allianz and others, is unequivocal – reduce emissions at speed and scale. The technologies already exist – solar, wind, battery storage, green hydrogen, grid upgrades – but deployment remains sluggish. This is not just a moral imperative, they argue. It is a financial one. This is not about saving the planet. This is about saving the conditions under which markets, finance and civilization itself can continue to operate. Manufacturers, particularly those dependent on insurance, finance and cross-border capital flows, must see decarbonization as not just a regulatory or ethical requirement—but as a precondition for business continuity,” Ibid.

Those wind farms could save tons of CO2 emissions that heat up the planet, disrupting thousands of years of a Goldilocks’ climate system. It’s nearly gone!

Meanwhile, scientists are looking overseas for work.

What a mess!

Robert Hunziker lives in Los Angeles and can be reached at rlhunziker@gmail.com.