Simon Lewis
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simonlewis.bsky.social
Simon Lewis
@simonlewis.bsky.social

They say I’m outspoken. Professor of Global Change Science at UCL and University of Leeds. Author, The Human Planet. Trying to understand the world and change it too.

Simon Lewis may refer to:Simon Lewis (writer), British novelist and screenwriter Simon Lewis , a character in The Mortal Instruments series of novels Simon Lewis, director of communications for PM Gordon Brown Simon Lewis Simon Lewis (lifeguard), Australian volunteer lifesaver .. more

Environmental science 69%
Geography 18%

Reposted by Simon L. Lewis

It's so hard to contrast all the nice warm, Christmas feelings with the stress and trauma of what families of the hunger strikers in prison are going through right now. I've made a donation to them as part of my last minute Christmas shopping. chuffed.org/project/filt...
Filton 24 Support Fund
In August 2024, six actionists drove a modified prison van into Elbit’s research, development, and manufacturing hub in Filton, Bristol. Once inside, the six dismantled Israeli weapons, including the ...
chuffed.org

Reposted by Simon L. Lewis

There are political prisoners in the UK on hunger strike, some who are now very ill. This has got very little media coverage. Good to see some coverage, now there needs to be some action.
"Some of them have been on hunger strike for 48 days"

Well done to @adilray.bsky.social for covering the Palestine hunger strikers and reading out their names on #GMB.

Reposted by Simon L. Lewis

"Some of them have been on hunger strike for 48 days"

Well done to @adilray.bsky.social for covering the Palestine hunger strikers and reading out their names on #GMB.
When I was a medical student 45 years ago, I clerked in a 13 year old girl with deep jaundice and an abdominal mass. She was Hepatitis B positive. That had led to a primary liver tumour. In a 13-year-old. She was dead within the month. Avoidable with vaccination.
The CDC has endorsed ACIP’s decision of revoking universal access in USA to hepatitis B vaccines at birth. The policy had been in place for 34y and was changed despite no new evidence emerging of any risk of vaccination. #HealthPolicy 🧵
CDC accepts ACIP’s hepatitis B vaccine recommendations for babies
The CDC also said if a baby is not receiving a birth dose of vaccine, the initial dose should be administered no earlier than 2 months of age.
www.cidrap.umn.edu
Exclusive: The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, according to a senior White House official, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
Trump moves to dismantle major US climate research center in Colorado
The Trump administration is breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
bit.ly

If you want a bit of beauty in your timeline, follow Charlie, who made the first moth, butterfly and dragonfly collections from the central Congo peatlands, to understand their diversity and community structure.
As we come to the end of 2025 I've had some time to photograph some moth specimens from my work in the Republic of the Congo, which I will share here in the coming weeks. First up:

Mazuca strigicincta (Walker, 1866)
Noctuidae: Xyleninae
C. Hackforth det. 2024
Republic of the Congo

Reposted by Simon L. Lewis

As we come to the end of 2025 I've had some time to photograph some moth specimens from my work in the Republic of the Congo, which I will share here in the coming weeks. First up:

Mazuca strigicincta (Walker, 1866)
Noctuidae: Xyleninae
C. Hackforth det. 2024
Republic of the Congo

Reposted by Simon L. Lewis

I have read, blurbed, reviewed quite a lot of science books this year. Here are some I have particularly enjoyed, in no particular order.
@matthewcobb.bsky.social's long awaited biography of Francis Crick did not disappoint. Authoritative and highly readable. 🧵
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Sex, drugs and the conscious brain: Francis Crick beyond the double helix
A thoroughly researched account of the history and relationships that shaped the scientist who co-discovered the structure of DNA.
www.nature.com
How to write a constructive peer review - see our new editorial, led by @biolumijeffence.bsky.social

With some of the team from @conphysjournal.bsky.social
Tips and tricks for writing constructive peer reviews
Peer review has been the cornerstone of scientific inquiry for centuries and is considered the backbone of scientific quality and rigour (Spier, 2002). Des
academic.oup.com
Move over, McKinsey report showing how single-digit trillions of dollars could limit global average warming to 1.5°C.

Hello, McKinsey report showing how single-digit trillions of dollars could help adapt to 2°C world.
It was an honor to work with this group... and the paper is excellent, but the implications for tropical ecosystems make me really sad. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Hot droughts in the Amazon provide a window to a future hypertropical climate - Nature
Thirty years of forest demographic data, combined with recent ecophysiological measurements, reveal that intense Amazon droughts sharply increase tree mortality once soil moisture falls below a thresh...
www.nature.com

Reposted by Simon L. Lewis

The Institute of Economic Affairs likes to masquerade as an impartial economics think tank. This investigation by @writesbright.bsky.social and @desmog.com confirms that the IEA is much closer to being a paid lobbyist for the fossil fuel industry.
The Institute of Economic Affairs Banked £640,000 from Oil Giants and Murdoch
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) – the anti-state, anti-climate pressure group – received more than £640,000 from fossil fuel companies and Rupert Murdoch’s media conglomerate between 1957 and ...
www.desmog.com

Reposted by Simon L. Lewis

We are looking for expressions of interest for The Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship scheme.

We welcome proposals from exceptional scholars in economics and the social sciences working on topics aligned with our research themes in climate change, environment, and sustainable development.
Work with us - Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment
Current job vacancies at The Grantham Research Institute. For LSE jobs, please see the main website.
www.lse.ac.uk

Trumps next move… powerful piece.
The mass deportation of undocumented people was one of Hitler’s largest coercive policies before the war. This set off a chain of events which can give us a useful perspective on where we are now.
snyder.substack.com/p/self-terro...
Land War or Self-Terrorism?
Trump's Likely Next Step
snyder.substack.com
The mass deportation of undocumented people was one of Hitler’s largest coercive policies before the war. This set off a chain of events which can give us a useful perspective on where we are now.
snyder.substack.com/p/self-terro...
Land War or Self-Terrorism?
Trump's Likely Next Step
snyder.substack.com

Reposted by Simon L. Lewis

Analysis of more than 1 million people shows that mental-health disorders fall into five clusters, each of them linked to a specific set of genetic variants

go.nature.com/3Ymtiwg
Huge genetic study reveals hidden links between psychiatric conditions
Analysis of more than 1 million people shows that mental-health disorders fall into five clusters, each of them linked to a specific set of genetic variants.
go.nature.com
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine is seeking expert nominations for an independent review of the United by Nature draft assessment. Ecologists—consider nominating yourself or a colleague!

✅ Deadline: Dec 15
🔗https://tinyurl.com/nvw86sza

Such an elegant paper, much food for thought. Thanks!

Such a cool study. Makes me wonder if there is more salt accumulation in the central Congo peatlands which may explain why there are such high densities of elephants and gorillas there.
Earth's largest land animals are limited by salt.

Sodium availability constrains the density and distribution of elephants, giraffes and rhinos across Africa, and offers a new explanation for the so-called 'missing megaherbivores'.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Free access: rdcu.be/eTPY2
Ecologists recognize the importance of integrating across scales, yet our models often target specific scales. Our new paper presents models of population growth that scale up to explain community-level patterns, including interactions of temperature, light & nutrients. doi.org/10.1002/ecm....
Earth's largest land animals are limited by salt.

Sodium availability constrains the density and distribution of elephants, giraffes and rhinos across Africa, and offers a new explanation for the so-called 'missing megaherbivores'.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Free access: rdcu.be/eTPY2
Reform gets largest ever political donation by an individual in UK history from a crypto baron living in Thailand

This is not normal

www.ft.com/content/db73...
Reform UK gets £9mn donation from Christopher Harborne
Nigel Farage’s party attracts far more funding than both Labour and the Conservatives
www.ft.com
#Oops: The seminal paper that has been used for 25 years to justify that the use of #Glyphosate is safe has been retracted.

▶️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

"Concerns were raised regarding the authorship of this paper, validity of the research findings…"

Reposted by Simon L. Lewis

Carbon Brief has exclusively obtained the 84-strong “informal list” of countries that opposed to a much-discussed “roadmap” deal at #COP30 on “transitioning away from fossil fuels”.

www.carbonbrief.org/revealed-lea...
Revealed: Leak casts doubt on COP30’s ‘informal list’ of fossil-fuel roadmap opponents - Carbon Brief
Carbon Brief has obtained a leaked copy of the “informal list” of countries that were characterised as “blocking” the fossil-fuel roadmap’sat COP30.
www.carbonbrief.org
I’m a past winner of the Orwell Prize & won partly because I exposed Vote Leave’s unlawful activities.

Michael Gove was its co-convener & refused to answer a single q. He’s now a judge of the prize & our world is truly one that Orwell would recognise

bylinetimes.com/2025/11/25/m...
Michael Gove Made Orwell Prize Judge Despite Record of Attacking Journalists and Dodging Scrutiny
Critics say "Orwell would have enjoyed the irony" of the former Conservative minister's appointment
bylinetimes.com

Reposted by Simon L. Lewis

Quite the quote on #COP30, by Professor Michael Jacobs of the think tank ODI Global and the University of Sheffield. Source: ‚Backchannel‘

Indigenous protected areas have much lower deforestation rates than other areas, so lowering emissions from deforestation (second largest cause climate change after fossil fuel emissions).

Huge applause and long standing ovation for Marina Silva, what a life, from rubber tapper in the Amazon to environment minister, and quiet star of COP30. Even though the roadmap to halt deforestation is voluntary, if led by Silva, it will be positive.