The Download: what Trump’s victory means for the climate

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

Trump’s win is a tragic loss for climate progress

—James Temple

Donald Trump’s decisive victory is a stunning setback for the fight against climate change.

The Republican president-elect’s return to the White House means the US is going to squander precious momentum, unraveling hard-won policy progress that was just beginning to pay off, all for the second time in less than a decade. 

It comes at a moment when the world can’t afford to waste time, with nations far off track from any emissions trajectories that would keep our ecosystems stable and our communities safe. 

Trump could push the globe into even more dangerous terrain, by defanging President Joe Biden’s signature climate laws, exacerbating the dangers of heat waves, floods, wildfires, droughts, and famine and increase deaths and disease from air pollution. And this time round, I fear it will be far worse. Read the full story.

The US is about to make a sharp turn on climate policy

The past four years have seen the US take climate action seriously, working with the international community and pumping money into solutions. Now, we’re facing a period where things are going to be very different. This is what the next four years will mean for the climate fight. Read the full story.

—Casey Crownhart

This story is from The Spark, a newsletter we send out every Wednesday. If you want to stay up-to-date with all the latest goings-on in climate and energy, sign up.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 Tech leaders are lining up to congratulate Donald Trump 
In a bid to placate the famously volatile President-elect. (FT $)
+ Many are seeking to rebuild bridges that have fractured since his last tenure. (CNBC)
+ Particularly Jeff Bezos, who has had a fractious relationship with Trump. (NY Mag $)
+ Expect less regulation, more trade upheaval, and a whole lot more Elon Musk. (WP $)

2 Election deniers have gone mysteriously silent
It’s almost as if their claims of fraud were baseless in the first place. (NYT $)
+ It looks like influencer marketing campaigns really did change minds. (Wired $)

3 How Elon Musk is likely to slash US government spending
He has a long history of strategic cost-cutting in his own businesses. (WSJ $) 
+ His other ventures are on course for favorable government treatment. (Reuters)
+ It’s easy to forget that Musk claims to have voted Democrat in 2020 and 2016. (WP $)

4 Google could be spared being broken up
Trump has expressed skepticism about the antitrust proposal. (Reuters)
+ It’s far from the only reverse-ferret we’re likely to see. (Economist $)

5 How progressive groups are planning for a future under Trump
Alliances are meeting today to form networks of resources. (Fast Company $)

6 Australia wants to ban under-16s from accessing social media
But it’s not clear how it could be enforced. (The Guardian)
+ The proposed law could come into power as soon as next year. (BBC)
+ Roblox has made sweeping changes to its child safety policies. (Bloomberg $)
+ Child online safety laws will actually hurt kids, critics say. (MIT Technology Review)

7 It looks like OpenAI just paid $10 million for a url
Why ChatGPT when you could just chat.com? (The Verge)
+ How ChatGPT search paves the way for AI agents. (MIT Technology Review)

8 Women in the US are exploring swearing off men altogether
Social media interest in a Korean movement advocating for a man-free life is soaring. (WP $)

9 Gen Z can’t get enough of manifesting
TikTok is teaching them how to will their way to a better life. (Insider $)

10 Tattoo artists are divided over whether they should use AI 
AI-assisted designs have been accused of lacking soul. (WSJ $)

Quote of the day

“Don’t worry, I won’t judge — much. Maybe just an eye roll here and there.”

—Lily, a sarcastic AI teenage avatar and star of language learning app Duolingo, greets analysts tuning into the company’s earning call, Insider reports.

The big story

The great commercial takeover of low-Earth orbit

April 2024

NASA designed the International Space Station to fly for 20 years. It has lasted six years longer than that, though it is showing its age, and NASA is currently studying how to safely destroy the space laboratory by around 2030. 

The ISS never really became what some had hoped: a launching point for an expanding human presence in the solar system. But it did enable fundamental research on materials and medicine, and it helped us start to understand how space affects the human body. 

To build on that work, NASA has partnered with private companies to develop new, commercial space stations for research, manufacturing, and tourism. If they are successful, these companies will bring about a new era of space exploration: private rockets flying to private destinations. They’re already planning to do it around the moon. One day, Mars could follow. Read the full story.

—David W. Brown

We can still have nice things

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)

+ Who doesn’t love a smeared makeup look?
+ Time to snuggle up: it’s officially Nora Ephron season.
+ Walking backwards—don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it. It’s surprisingly good for you.
+ Feeling stressed? Here’s how to calm your mind in times of trouble.