Brett Favaro
@brettfavaro.bsky.social
Conservation scientist. Tweets about climate, oceans, & sustainable development. Views my own, and do not necessarily reflect views of employer. He/him.
Reposted by Brett Favaro
I understand Americans are upset about the Washington Post - but their new smaller newsroom will have about the same number of editorial as all of Postmedia's 130 print and digital news titles combination.
Canadians slept through this consolidation, foreign ownership, gutting.
Canadians slept through this consolidation, foreign ownership, gutting.
There's a petition to the House of Commons to introduce stricter rules to prevent foreign entities from holding controlling interests in Canadian media.
Long overdue for govt to act & require Postmedia to have Canadian ownership and/or sell off parts to local buyers
www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...
Long overdue for govt to act & require Postmedia to have Canadian ownership and/or sell off parts to local buyers
www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...
Petition e-6879 - Petitions
www.ourcommons.ca
February 4, 2026 at 3:48 PM
I understand Americans are upset about the Washington Post - but their new smaller newsroom will have about the same number of editorial as all of Postmedia's 130 print and digital news titles combination.
Canadians slept through this consolidation, foreign ownership, gutting.
Canadians slept through this consolidation, foreign ownership, gutting.
In the context of the overall federal budget, it would be a drop in the bucket to supercharge CBC and try to scoop up a lot of the wreckage from the Post.
There is a "soft power" opportunity opening up here, to build up a reality-based information ecosystem
There is a "soft power" opportunity opening up here, to build up a reality-based information ecosystem
February 4, 2026 at 3:05 PM
In the context of the overall federal budget, it would be a drop in the bucket to supercharge CBC and try to scoop up a lot of the wreckage from the Post.
There is a "soft power" opportunity opening up here, to build up a reality-based information ecosystem
There is a "soft power" opportunity opening up here, to build up a reality-based information ecosystem
This is going to sound a bit wild, but maybe the province should just buy the team?
Like it's in our interest to have the publicly-owned stadium well-used. It drives a lot of economic benefit. Why not just take the whole thing over?
Like it's in our interest to have the publicly-owned stadium well-used. It drives a lot of economic benefit. Why not just take the whole thing over?
On @us.theguardian.com, I wrote some words on the fate of the Vancouver Whitecaps.
I truly hope they stay, but I’m not holding my breath.
www.theguardian.com/football/202...
I truly hope they stay, but I’m not holding my breath.
www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Are the Whitecaps about to die? Vancouver sound alarm bells amid difficult sale process
Scheduling and financial impasses at Vancouver’s World Cup stadium are leading down a road the league hasn’t traveled in over a decade
www.theguardian.com
February 4, 2026 at 1:29 AM
This is going to sound a bit wild, but maybe the province should just buy the team?
Like it's in our interest to have the publicly-owned stadium well-used. It drives a lot of economic benefit. Why not just take the whole thing over?
Like it's in our interest to have the publicly-owned stadium well-used. It drives a lot of economic benefit. Why not just take the whole thing over?
Reposted by Brett Favaro
Yup. Ghislaine Maxwell plagiarized me to provide content for her fraudulent money laundering “ocean charity.” We exchanged angry emails about this.
Sigh.
Sigh.
A few months later, we noticed that Maxwell's Terra Mar blog was wholesale plagiarizing articles from Southern Fried Science. So there were more emails surrounding that. This was all in 2013.
February 4, 2026 at 1:19 AM
Yup. Ghislaine Maxwell plagiarized me to provide content for her fraudulent money laundering “ocean charity.” We exchanged angry emails about this.
Sigh.
Sigh.
Your Gmail is not secure.
Floored by this story. A man wrote a pollite email to a federal prosecutor objecting to the deportation of an Afghan seeking asylum. DHS responded with an administrative warrant to get the man's info from Google, then visited his home to intimidate him.
DHS Hunts Down 67-Year-Old U.S. Citizen Who Criticized Them in Email
The Department of Homeland Security is using a little-known tool to go after its critics.
newrepublic.com
February 3, 2026 at 11:58 PM
Your Gmail is not secure.
Organizations that jumped ship early look pretty good right now
Paris prosecutors raid the French offices of Elon Musk’s X as part of an investigation into spreading child pornography and deepfakes.
Paris prosecutors raid X offices as part of an investigation into child porn, deepfakes and more
French prosecutors have launched a search at the offices of Elon Musk's social media platform X. This is part of an investigation into alleged offenses, including spreading child pornography and deepfakes.
bit.ly
February 3, 2026 at 8:07 PM
Organizations that jumped ship early look pretty good right now
I'm thinking about all those people who, in the wake of the news about how protein powder is often contaminated with lead, took it upon themselves to defend lead exposure
"Heh, you're all overreacting - lead limits aren't *SCIENTIFIC*"
"Heh, you're all overreacting - lead limits aren't *SCIENTIFIC*"
There’s no safe level of exposure to lead—but a small, strange study shows we’ve made incredible progress in recent decades
A century of hair clippings show lead exposure rates have plummeted
There’s no safe level of exposure to lead—but a small, strange study shows we’ve made incredible progress in recent decades
www.scientificamerican.com
February 3, 2026 at 4:38 AM
I'm thinking about all those people who, in the wake of the news about how protein powder is often contaminated with lead, took it upon themselves to defend lead exposure
"Heh, you're all overreacting - lead limits aren't *SCIENTIFIC*"
"Heh, you're all overreacting - lead limits aren't *SCIENTIFIC*"
What's the Surrey BC version of this?
It’s your city, from the sidewalk to the skyline. The David Dinkins Municipal Building’s rooftop is open & free to everyone, starting this June.
February 3, 2026 at 2:17 AM
What's the Surrey BC version of this?
Reposted by Brett Favaro
News from Helsinki, Finland which recently became coal-free when the last two coal plants closed. The local government just released a statement that the coal exit led to very clear air quality improvements. Can you spot the coal exit in the graph of SO2 concentrations?
February 2, 2026 at 7:48 PM
News from Helsinki, Finland which recently became coal-free when the last two coal plants closed. The local government just released a statement that the coal exit led to very clear air quality improvements. Can you spot the coal exit in the graph of SO2 concentrations?
The impact of this is going to have a long tail. You have to wonder whether these gases have long term health effects we don't fully know right now.
Cancer, lung damage, etc could all spike years from now, and it would be so hard to prove causation
Cancer, lung damage, etc could all spike years from now, and it would be so hard to prove causation
Lots of teargas at ICE tonight in Portland. People were just standing and chanting.
February 2, 2026 at 3:21 PM
The impact of this is going to have a long tail. You have to wonder whether these gases have long term health effects we don't fully know right now.
Cancer, lung damage, etc could all spike years from now, and it would be so hard to prove causation
Cancer, lung damage, etc could all spike years from now, and it would be so hard to prove causation
👀
Do you remember when people were saying "I think my phone is listening to me, i'm getting ads for stuff I spoke about" and people said "They arent listening to you, they're just this good at predicting your interests"?
Well, it happens they were doing exactly that.
www.cbsnews.com/news/google-...
Well, it happens they were doing exactly that.
www.cbsnews.com/news/google-...
Google to pay $68 million over allegations its voice assistant eavesdropped on users
Class-action lawsuit alleged that Google's voice assistant illegally recorded and shared private conversations with advertisers.
www.cbsnews.com
February 1, 2026 at 11:04 PM
👀
Reposted by Brett Favaro
Next time someone asks you about energy and land use, maybe remind them that the ~35 million acres that currently grow corn for ethanol in the US could produce ~15 PWh per year of electricity from solar photovoltaics. That's ~3.5 times more than *total annual generation from all US power plants*.
February 1, 2026 at 8:55 PM
Next time someone asks you about energy and land use, maybe remind them that the ~35 million acres that currently grow corn for ethanol in the US could produce ~15 PWh per year of electricity from solar photovoltaics. That's ~3.5 times more than *total annual generation from all US power plants*.
Oh well how about that
It's hard to keep up, but did we already know Bjorn Lomborg was hanging out with Epstein?
February 1, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Oh well how about that
He's not unidentified he's Batman
An unidentified man dressed in a Batman costume angrily confronted Santa Clara city officials during a joint meeting of the City Council, city authorities, and the Santa Clara Stadium Authority on Monday, using his public comment to condemn the city’s stance on cooperation with ICE.
February 1, 2026 at 2:39 PM
He's not unidentified he's Batman
Speechless
we absolutely need to know who he sent this to. how is this something the public is being kept in the dark on???
February 1, 2026 at 3:29 AM
Speechless
Reposted by Brett Favaro
Sci-Fi Author: In my book I invented the Torment Nexus as a cautionary tale
Tech Company: At long last, we have created the Torment Nexus from classic sci-fi novel Don't Create The Torment Nexus
Tech Company: At long last, we have created the Torment Nexus from classic sci-fi novel Don't Create The Torment Nexus
May 16, 2023 at 10:51 PM
Sci-Fi Author: In my book I invented the Torment Nexus as a cautionary tale
Tech Company: At long last, we have created the Torment Nexus from classic sci-fi novel Don't Create The Torment Nexus
Tech Company: At long last, we have created the Torment Nexus from classic sci-fi novel Don't Create The Torment Nexus
www.biv.com/news/comment...
It strikes me that there is almost zero public discourse about WHY the finances have changed so much.
If I were in charge, I'd put together a short YouTube video and explainer about what exactly is going on. Right now it's just a void.
It strikes me that there is almost zero public discourse about WHY the finances have changed so much.
If I were in charge, I'd put together a short YouTube video and explainer about what exactly is going on. Right now it's just a void.
Rob Shaw: 'We must do better things with our dollars,' admits B.C. finance minister
Brenda Bailey signals to GVBOT that deep spending cuts coming in next budget
www.biv.com
January 31, 2026 at 5:06 PM
www.biv.com/news/comment...
It strikes me that there is almost zero public discourse about WHY the finances have changed so much.
If I were in charge, I'd put together a short YouTube video and explainer about what exactly is going on. Right now it's just a void.
It strikes me that there is almost zero public discourse about WHY the finances have changed so much.
If I were in charge, I'd put together a short YouTube video and explainer about what exactly is going on. Right now it's just a void.
Will have to check this out
Today on Volts: I'm joined by the great @michaelhobbes.bsky.social to discuss "reactionary centrism," an intellectual tendency that's come to dominate US public life. You know the type: would never view themselves as conservative, yet finds voluntary pronoun use vastly more aggravating than fascism.
All about "reactionary centrism"
Michael Hobbes joins me to diagnose the pundit class's obsession with scolding the left while the right burns down the house.
www.volts.wtf
January 31, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Will have to check this out
What is it with Bretts
President Trump plans to tap economist Brett Matsumoto to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Senate would have to confirm the nomination.
BLS has been without a permanent leader since August when Trump fired its previous commissioner.
BLS has been without a permanent leader since August when Trump fired its previous commissioner.
Trump taps career staffer to lead statistics agency whose chief he fired
The agency has been without a permanent leader since August when Trump fired its previous commissioner Erika McEntarfer over a weaker-than-expected jobs report.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 31, 2026 at 2:32 AM
What is it with Bretts
Reposted by Brett Favaro
"If we already have good reason to believe a treatment works, randomizing people to a placebo means knowingly denying them benefit. That’s not science. That’s harm in the name of methodological purity."
This. 1000x.🔥
Going to forward to a local gang RCTing portable HEPA units. In hospital rooms.
This. 1000x.🔥
Going to forward to a local gang RCTing portable HEPA units. In hospital rooms.
January 30, 2026 at 3:41 AM
"If we already have good reason to believe a treatment works, randomizing people to a placebo means knowingly denying them benefit. That’s not science. That’s harm in the name of methodological purity."
This. 1000x.🔥
Going to forward to a local gang RCTing portable HEPA units. In hospital rooms.
This. 1000x.🔥
Going to forward to a local gang RCTing portable HEPA units. In hospital rooms.
Reposted by Brett Favaro
This is who the separatists are. Huge thanks to my colleague @arnokopecky.bsky.social for getting that on the record. #abpoli
www.nationalobserver.com/2026/01/29/n...
www.nationalobserver.com/2026/01/29/n...
'They're trying to replace us': the conspiracy theories driving the man behind Alberta separatism
Mitch Sylvestre says the Canadian government is criminal, he has fears of a communist takeover and he's 'cured of federalism.' Arno Kopecky spoke with him about the allegations of coordination with US...
www.nationalobserver.com
January 30, 2026 at 12:45 AM
This is who the separatists are. Huge thanks to my colleague @arnokopecky.bsky.social for getting that on the record. #abpoli
www.nationalobserver.com/2026/01/29/n...
www.nationalobserver.com/2026/01/29/n...
Reposted by Brett Favaro
There is an old word to describe going to a foreign power and asking for their assistance in breaking up a sovereign country — it’s treason.
Canadians are standing together in defence of this beautiful land. 🇨🇦
Canadians are standing together in defence of this beautiful land. 🇨🇦
January 29, 2026 at 5:08 PM
There is an old word to describe going to a foreign power and asking for their assistance in breaking up a sovereign country — it’s treason.
Canadians are standing together in defence of this beautiful land. 🇨🇦
Canadians are standing together in defence of this beautiful land. 🇨🇦
🌍 New megastudy on what motivates people to engage in climate advocacy 🥳
We tested 17 theory-driven behavior change interventions to increase public, political, and financial #climate advocacy in the United States (N = 31,324).
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
We tested 17 theory-driven behavior change interventions to increase public, political, and financial #climate advocacy in the United States (N = 31,324).
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
A megastudy of behavioral interventions to catalyze public, political, and financial climate advocacy
Abstract. Addressing climate change depends on large-scale system changes, which require public advocacy. Here, we identified and tested 17 expert-crowdsou
academic.oup.com
January 29, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Reposted by Brett Favaro
We need to talk about the rise of "smol bean fascism" where you have all the guns and the immunity but the really scary people are the ones with whistles and phone cameras and they're giving you generational trauma and ptsd by filming you killing people for no reason
January 28, 2026 at 9:25 PM
We need to talk about the rise of "smol bean fascism" where you have all the guns and the immunity but the really scary people are the ones with whistles and phone cameras and they're giving you generational trauma and ptsd by filming you killing people for no reason
Reposted by Brett Favaro
Keir Starmer suppressed a scientific report that warned of climate effects ranging from mass migration to nuclear conflict. Don't look up.
Suppressed climate report warned of mass migration and nuclear war
Unabridged document said disappearing forests and rivers drying up could drive people to Europe and lead to conflict in Asia
www.thetimes.com
January 27, 2026 at 7:54 PM
Keir Starmer suppressed a scientific report that warned of climate effects ranging from mass migration to nuclear conflict. Don't look up.