Nancy Knowlton

@nancyknowlton.bsky.social

7.4K followers 6.1K following 590 posts

marine biologist, boomer not doomer, solutionista, 💗Maine💗
Member Natl. Acad. Sci., Darwin Medal
#EarthOptimism #OceanOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries
Author-Citizens of the Sea https://www.amazon.com/Citizens-Sea-Wondrous-Creatures-Census/dp/1426206437 .. more

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Nancy Knowlton is a coral reef biologist and a former Sant Chair for Marine Science at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Source: Wikipedia

Environmental science 57%

Geography 16%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 1d

A town in #France goes from black to green. My news to me good news for Feb. 8. #EarthOptimism reasonstobecheerful.world/france-coal-...

A Coal Town Reborn

Once synonymous with mining, this northern French town has become a model for how to sustainably transition away from fossil fuels.

reasonstobecheerful.world

Reposted by Mel Bartley, Nancy Knowlton, Fredrik Albritton Jonsson , and 1 more Mel Bartley, Nancy Knowlton, Fredrik Albritton Jonsson, Georg Weizsäcker

Jan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · 1d

Industrial heat is one of the hardest parts of the energy transition.

This sand battery is now delivering fossil-free heat for industry, storing renewable electricity as high-temperature heat and releasing it when needed. Simple idea, big impact.

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 2d

This is the future that (Texas) liberals want: taxpayer-funded goats clearing invasives from public parks & restoring the health of native prairie.

Dallas hires 300 goats to clean up White Rock Lake and yes, they’re very baaa-sy

As part of the Dallas Park and Recreation Department’s new eco-friendly vegetation management project, the city is using Fort Worth-Weatherford area goats and...

www.dallasnews.com

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton, Ricardo Rocha

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 3d

Some good news

Bermuda snail thought to be extinct now thrives after a decade’s effort

Special pods at Chester zoo helped conservationists breed and release more than 100,000 greater Bermuda snails

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Katharine Hayhoe, Richard S.J. Tol, Dorothy Bishop , and 46 more Katharine Hayhoe, Richard S.J. Tol, Dorothy Bishop, Richard F. Catalano, Kimberly A. Prather, Keith Jones, Stephan Lewandowsky, David N. Thomas, Louis Moresi, James M. Bullock, Nancy Knowlton, Jonathan A. Foley, Karen R. Lips, Steve Peers, Steven French, Evelyne de Leeuw, David Johnson, Joanna Bourke, Caroline Krafft, Martin Tomko, Jeremy T. Kerr, Joseph Schafer, Peter Holmes, Sabine Pahl, Kate Lancaster, Alan Richardson, R. M. Wilson, Laura Huenneke, Ailsa Cameron, Carlos Nunes Silva, Stephen D. Murphy, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Juan Rocha, Nikolay Marinov, David Murakami Wood, Kent Johnson, Ann Bartow, Pauline Stafford, Raúl Pacheco-Vega, Nikki Fairchild, Hisham Zerriffi, Meredith Farkas, Nancy M. Wingfield, Maksym Polyakov, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Lorna Hughes, Susan D. Blum, David Spurrett, David Darmofal

jennifer uncoolidge @histoftech.bsky.social · 3d

No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.

Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology

She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.

www.nature.com

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 4d

When you can't beat them eat them. My news to me good news for Feb 5 #OceanOptimism #EarthOptimism sevenseasmedia.org/tunisia-blue...

How Tunisia Transformed an Invasive Crab into Export Success

The fishers of southern Tunisia called it “Daesh.” The nickname, borrowed from the Arabic acronym for ISIS, was not chosen lightly. When the blue swimming crab first appeared in commercially significa...

sevenseasmedia.org

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

Jan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · 4d

“The scale of solar being deployed in such a short period of time has not been seen, I think, anywhere ever before.”

This is my take on solar adoption in Pakistan covered by National Geographic.

education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/pow...

The Power of the Sun

While its implementation as a renewable energy may seem new, humans have used solar energy for hundreds of years.

education.nationalgeographic.org

Reposted by Julie L. Lockwood, Nancy Knowlton

Jan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · 4d

Decarbonising the pint 🍺

Clean heat isn’t just about homes. A brewery in Sussex shows how industry can lead - ditching gas-fired steam for high-temp heat pumps that recycle waste heat into the next brew.

www.energylivenews.com/2026/01/14/s...

Sussex brewery heat pump slashes emissions from steam brewing - Energy Live News

High-temperature heat pumps replace oil boilers, cutting costs and carbon

www.energylivenews.com

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 5d

The ecologist who dared love Yosemite's frogs
open.substack.com/pub/earthhop...

The ecologist who dared love Yosemite's frogs

Once called the "antichrist of trout," Roland Knapp has traversed the High Sierra for 30 years to save its native frog. Now, birds, snakes, and bears are feasting on frogs.

open.substack.com

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 5d

Whale sharks rescued by fisherman who once butchered them and are reimbursed for torn nets is my news to me good news for Feb 4. #OceanOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries news.mongabay.com/2026/02/whal...

Whale sharks released from nets along India’s coast as fishers turn rescuers

On a March morning in the suburbs of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala state’s capital in southern India, a group of fishers were hauling their kambavala — a traditional net fixed between bamboo poles driven...

news.mongabay.com

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 6d

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/c...

Why a New Mexico Developer Quit Natural Gas

www.nytimes.com

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 6d

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solu...

Why companies are phasing out these super-pollutants despite Trump

A rare spot of global climate agreement could prevent up to half a degree of warming this century.

www.washingtonpost.com

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 6d

It's not just Paris - cleaner air in #Bogota is my news to me good news for Feb 3 (including an #equity focus) #EarthOptimism www.theguardian.com/environment/...

‘Clean air should not be a privilege’: how Bogotá is tackling air pollution in its poorest areas

Colombian city launched its first clean air zone in one of its poorest neighbourhoods and has plans for green spaces too

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

bioGraphic @biographic.bsky.social · 6d

Facing intensified flooding, Kigali, Rwanda, began working nearly a decade ago to restore its natural defenses. In three years, the city converted a degraded swamp into a functioning wetland, and is now restoring an integrated wetland system that will eventually span more than 18,000 acres.

The Rwandan City Where Wetlands Are Winning

To save its citizens from floods, Kigali is betting big on wetland restoration.

www.biographic.com

Reposted by Brigitte Nerlich, Nancy Knowlton

Emma Court @emmarcourt.bsky.social · 6d

When you go in for a medical procedure, the gas putting you to sleep may also be warming the planet. That's prompting regulators and hospitals around the world to move to less-polluting alternatives.

Read more in @bloomberg.com:

Why Hospitals Are Phasing Out a Popular Operating Room Anesthetic

Desflurane, which has put patients to sleep for decades, has an outsized footprint, and health care providers are switching to less-polluting alternatives.

www.bloomberg.com

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

Yale Environment 360 @yalee360.bsky.social · 6d

This year China's solar capacity will outstrip its coal capacity for the first time, according to an industry group.

China to See Solar Capacity Outstrip Coal Capacity This Year

This year China will see its solar capacity outstrip its coal capacity for the first time, according to an industry group.

e360.yale.edu

Reposted by Julie L. Lockwood, Nancy Knowlton

Guardian Environment @environment.theguardian.com · 7d

Good luck Dua Leaper: scientists return frogs wiped out by fungal disease to wild

Researchers dig ‘spas’ and install ‘saunas’ in ACT wetlands to give green and golden bell frogs the best chance of survival

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

The Colorado Sun ☀️ @coloradosun.com · 7d

Aerial photos show Kawuneeche Valley recovering from a moose and elk willow-pocalypse

coloradosun.com/2026/02/02/k...

Flooding brings life back to Rocky Mountain National Park wetlands suffering “ecosystem collapse”

A careful plan to restore beavers and willows ecology to Rocky Mountain National Park's Kawuneeche Valley is showing progress.

coloradosun.com

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

Monterey Bay Aquarium @montereybayaquarium.org · 7d

The Aquarium is more than a place you visit, it’s a place you belong. Inclusivity matters because the ocean belongs to everyone. mbayaq.co/46fBcMm

Close up of a wave and it reads, Access to the ocean hasn’t always been equal.

Man looking closely at a baby bird, he is wearing green medical gloves. The slide reads, Inclusive science is stronger science.

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

Justin Gerdes @justingerdes.bsky.social · 7d

"A group of governments in the Denver metropolitan area has managed to hold on to a nearly $200 million federal grant to unleash heat pumps in the region — and now it’s putting that money to work," reports @alisontakemura.bsky.social: www.canarymedia.com/articles/hea... 🔌💡

Colorado group looks to boost heat pumps with $200M federal grant

It’s a rare example of a Biden-era climate grant moving forward under Trump — and could grow heat pump adoption across the Denver area.

www.canarymedia.com

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton, James Goodwin

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 7d

do you all have a moment to discuss the Good News of seitan

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton, Keith Lilley

Kevin J. Kircher @kevinjkircher.com · 7d

The extent to which China is powering the world with affordable, clean energy technologies - from solar photovoltaics to electric vehicles - is astonishing. It's already the biggest energy story of my lifetime and it's still early days.

ECIU @eciu.net · 7d

Electric cars go mainstream as adoption surges across rich and developing nations

A wave of affordable Chinese-made EVs is accelerating the shift away from petrol cars, challenging long‑held assumptions about how transport decarbonisation unfolds.
buff.ly/pIGRSrY

Reposted by Martin J. Attrill, Nancy Knowlton

John Morales @johnmoralestv.bsky.social · 7d

"The center of gravity in global #climate outcomes has already shifted [...] to how China powers its economy. If the structural changes underway in #China take root, they will influence global #emissions trajectories more than any other single national decision." www.forbes.com/sites/kensil...

China’s Emissions Fall As Power Demand Rises: A Possible Turning Point

China’s emissions are falling even as power demand rises, driven by rapid growth in clean energy and EVs. Analysts say this may signal a structural turning point.

www.forbes.com

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

Guardrails of Democracy @demguardrails.bsky.social · 7d

Historically, February 2 is an anniversary date full of more than a few accomplishments & advancements to celebrate for Black History Month

Did you know a Black man invented the spark plug & ice cream
scoop?

Reposted by Julie L. Lockwood, Nancy Knowlton, Andréas Nilsson

Lauri Myllyvirta @laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social · 8d

Good news from Australia: power generation from coal down 4.6% and from gas down 27% in Oct-Dec, with more than half of power generated from carbon-free sources. Power prices were fell by nearly 50%, as they do when you have a lot of zero marginal cost generation.

Reposted by Marta Coll, Ángel Borja, Nancy Knowlton

GES4SEAS MOOCs @ges4seas-mooc.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 8d

Welcome to a new #mooc of #ges4seas project on #oceanoptimism, to be developed during next four weeks, on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays.
Come and help us to change the narrative about the ocean!
We need some hope and good news!

Ocean optimism: hope for the ocean and societies
MOOC #6, February 2026
GES4SEAS project

Reposted by Simon L. Lewis, Tobias Kuemmerle, Nancy Knowlton , and 6 more Simon L. Lewis, Tobias Kuemmerle, Nancy Knowlton, Miranda J. Lubbers, James Goodwin, Patrick O. Waeber, Wolfgang Huber, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Reposted by Joe R. Feagin, Nancy Knowlton

InsideEVs @insideevs.com · 8d

California’s EV boom led to cleaner air in its neighborhoods, with satellite data linking this growth to lower NO₂ pollution.

insideevs.com/news/785951/...