Cynthia Thomson
@ccthomson.bsky.social
🌎 🔥 🧯 Building climate programs | Expertise: living and operating in existential dread | Previous: Columbia Climate School, Terra.do | Lover of: 😼 🦛 🍫 🏋️♀️ 🥾
🇨🇦 in 🇺🇸 | views=my own
🇨🇦 in 🇺🇸 | views=my own
Reposted by Cynthia Thomson
The biggest risk in this moment is something sociologists call “symbolic compliance.”
That’s when an institution that is violating civil rights gives the public just enough symbolic victories that accountability efforts lose steam before there has been any meaningful change.
That’s when an institution that is violating civil rights gives the public just enough symbolic victories that accountability efforts lose steam before there has been any meaningful change.
January 26, 2026 at 11:35 PM
The biggest risk in this moment is something sociologists call “symbolic compliance.”
That’s when an institution that is violating civil rights gives the public just enough symbolic victories that accountability efforts lose steam before there has been any meaningful change.
That’s when an institution that is violating civil rights gives the public just enough symbolic victories that accountability efforts lose steam before there has been any meaningful change.
Geoengineering rightfully makes people uneasy, but at the rate we’re going, it would be foolish not to research our options–both to see what might be safe and to know what to avoid. Research ≠ deployment
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
We study glaciers. ‘Artificial glaciers’ and other tech may halt their total collapse | Brent Minchew and Colin Meyer
How might we prevent sea-level rise? Satellite-based radar, solar-powered drones, robot submarines and lab-based ‘artificial glaciers’ could all play a role
www.theguardian.com
January 7, 2026 at 5:06 PM
Geoengineering rightfully makes people uneasy, but at the rate we’re going, it would be foolish not to research our options–both to see what might be safe and to know what to avoid. Research ≠ deployment
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Support trans kids and get cookies?! Say less
1. Did you know that Girl Scouts has, for a long time, accepted trans girls and nonbinary scouts?
Trans kids are under attack. Every year, I make a thread of trans and nonbinary girl scouts you can get your cookies from.
Lets get our cookies from them this year in solidarity!
Trans kids are under attack. Every year, I make a thread of trans and nonbinary girl scouts you can get your cookies from.
Lets get our cookies from them this year in solidarity!
2026 Trans Girl Scouts To Order Cookies From!
This year, consider ordering your Girl Scout cookies from a trans girl scout to make their day!
www.erininthemorning.com
January 6, 2026 at 6:41 PM
Support trans kids and get cookies?! Say less
Reposted by Cynthia Thomson
That’s the woman who said whatever that guy is saying, 5 minutes ago, but got ignored.
December 19, 2025 at 5:51 PM
That’s the woman who said whatever that guy is saying, 5 minutes ago, but got ignored.
Reposted by Cynthia Thomson
The amount of bad shit going on is doing constant psychic damage to anyone w/a shred of morals. Idk what to do other than try to focus on actions that will improve literally anything, whether that's getting people connected, fed, refueled for the marathon, or ecosystem action. Idk what else to do.
December 18, 2025 at 7:01 PM
The amount of bad shit going on is doing constant psychic damage to anyone w/a shred of morals. Idk what to do other than try to focus on actions that will improve literally anything, whether that's getting people connected, fed, refueled for the marathon, or ecosystem action. Idk what else to do.
Reposted by Cynthia Thomson
NCAR is quite literally our global mothership.
Everyone who works in climate and weather has passed through its doors and benefited from its incredible resources.
Dismantling NCAR is like taking a sledgehammer to the keystone holding up our scientific understanding of the planet.
Unbelievable.
Everyone who works in climate and weather has passed through its doors and benefited from its incredible resources.
Dismantling NCAR is like taking a sledgehammer to the keystone holding up our scientific understanding of the planet.
Unbelievable.
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.
www.usatoday.com
December 17, 2025 at 2:59 AM
NCAR is quite literally our global mothership.
Everyone who works in climate and weather has passed through its doors and benefited from its incredible resources.
Dismantling NCAR is like taking a sledgehammer to the keystone holding up our scientific understanding of the planet.
Unbelievable.
Everyone who works in climate and weather has passed through its doors and benefited from its incredible resources.
Dismantling NCAR is like taking a sledgehammer to the keystone holding up our scientific understanding of the planet.
Unbelievable.
Reposted by Cynthia Thomson
The world’s favorite climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe recommends HUMAN NATURE!
For me, 2025 has felt like a particularly heavy year ... and you might feel the same. So as we head into the holiday season, I wanted to share a few recommendations — books, podcasts, and newsletters — that encourage me, make me think, and remind me how hope begins with action.
Climate content for purpose, courage, and hope | Talking Climate with Katharine Hayhoe
Get more from Talking Climate with Katharine Hayhoe on Patreon
www.patreon.com
December 5, 2025 at 2:09 PM
The world’s favorite climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe recommends HUMAN NATURE!
No one deserves recognition more than Kate! Read her book. It comes highly recommended by my dad, which might actually be more meaningful than this Scientific American review
I think you’re supposed to say you’re humbled by things like this and you know what? absolutely not, this is amazing and my ego has swelled five sizes and I’m going to be insufferable for the foreseeable future
www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/epis...
www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/epis...
From Climate Catastrophes to Space Romance––Scientific American’s Favorite Science Books of the Year
Scientific American unveils its first-ever best fiction and nonfiction books of the year, spotlighting stories that blend science, imagination and unforgettable voices.
www.scientificamerican.com
December 4, 2025 at 11:35 PM
No one deserves recognition more than Kate! Read her book. It comes highly recommended by my dad, which might actually be more meaningful than this Scientific American review
Reposted by Cynthia Thomson
All I want for Christmas is for the worst people in the world to experience some consequences
December 3, 2025 at 8:03 PM
All I want for Christmas is for the worst people in the world to experience some consequences
Reposted by Cynthia Thomson
It’s not a great deal if you don’t need it. And especially this year, others really need support. So for all of us who have enough, let’s refuse to get sucked into the holiday shopping frenzy and share instead of shop. We don’t need more stuff, we need communities where all our neighbors are safe.
November 28, 2025 at 3:54 PM
It’s not a great deal if you don’t need it. And especially this year, others really need support. So for all of us who have enough, let’s refuse to get sucked into the holiday shopping frenzy and share instead of shop. We don’t need more stuff, we need communities where all our neighbors are safe.
Reposted by Cynthia Thomson
Iowa City Made Its Buses Free. Traffic Cleared, and So Did the Air.
www.nytimes.com
November 20, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Reposted by Cynthia Thomson
Women are watching abusive dynamics play out on the national stage and for many it feels very, very familiar to what they’ve experienced regularly—
I hope midterms are a referendum
I hope midterms are a referendum
November 18, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Women are watching abusive dynamics play out on the national stage and for many it feels very, very familiar to what they’ve experienced regularly—
I hope midterms are a referendum
I hope midterms are a referendum
You know what would be nice? Repercussions for actions, just sayin’
November 18, 2025 at 8:37 PM
You know what would be nice? Repercussions for actions, just sayin’
Reposted by Cynthia Thomson
why is COP still a thing?
Revealed: >300 Big Agriculture lobbyists have participated at this year’s UN climate talks taking place in the Brazilian Amazon, where the industry is the leading cause of deforestation, a new investigation by me and @rachelsherrington.bsky.social has found.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
More than 300 big agriculture lobbyists have taken part in Cop30, investigation finds
Lobbyists representing industry responsible for a quarter to a third of global emissions participated in key talks at the UN climate summit
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2025 at 1:10 PM
why is COP still a thing?
Reposted by Cynthia Thomson
I’m sorry to be self promoting but I a) have never been seduced by a fascist with a brain worm b) am capable of crafting a decent sentence and c) wrote a book that did not earn me a fawning profile in the newspaper but is still pretty good
bookshop.org/p/books/huma...
bookshop.org/p/books/huma...
Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet
Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet
bookshop.org
November 17, 2025 at 5:30 PM
I’m sorry to be self promoting but I a) have never been seduced by a fascist with a brain worm b) am capable of crafting a decent sentence and c) wrote a book that did not earn me a fawning profile in the newspaper but is still pretty good
bookshop.org/p/books/huma...
bookshop.org/p/books/huma...
Reposted by Cynthia Thomson
You just know that “Did Women Ruin the Workplace?” bit would have done NUMBERS in this little clique
Something absolutely perfect about Larry Summers riffing about the scourge of woke cancel culture being unfair to predatory men in a friendly email to his pal JEFFREY EPSTEIN.
November 13, 2025 at 3:26 PM
You just know that “Did Women Ruin the Workplace?” bit would have done NUMBERS in this little clique
Reposted by Cynthia Thomson
“‘More people could have died in the past week in El Fasher, and this is without hyperbole, than died in the past two years in Gaza,’ says Nathaniel Raymond, Executive Director at Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab.” open.substack.com/pub/zeteo/p/...
Sudan's Death Toll Could Exceed Gaza’s. Here’s Everything You Need to Know
Two experts on Sudan explain how the killing in El Fasher is worse than anyone knows.
open.substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:40 PM
“‘More people could have died in the past week in El Fasher, and this is without hyperbole, than died in the past two years in Gaza,’ says Nathaniel Raymond, Executive Director at Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab.” open.substack.com/pub/zeteo/p/...
Reposted by Cynthia Thomson
On the Blue Jays’ class toward Alex Vesia, who is away from the Dodgers while dealing with a family emergency right now:
November 1, 2025 at 6:33 PM
On the Blue Jays’ class toward Alex Vesia, who is away from the Dodgers while dealing with a family emergency right now:
Reposted by Cynthia Thomson
A billionaire who thought we shouldn't give the poor free COVID vaccines, and hung out with Epstein, wrote some weird, vague stuff about how climate change "isn't that bad" and now the media is covering that rather than a record climate fueled hurricane.
The age of oligarchy sure is exhausting.
The age of oligarchy sure is exhausting.
October 28, 2025 at 7:24 PM
A billionaire who thought we shouldn't give the poor free COVID vaccines, and hung out with Epstein, wrote some weird, vague stuff about how climate change "isn't that bad" and now the media is covering that rather than a record climate fueled hurricane.
The age of oligarchy sure is exhausting.
The age of oligarchy sure is exhausting.
Has anyone done this yet?
CO2 levels the last time the Blue Jays were in the World Series: 357 ppm
CO2 levels today: 426 ppm
CO2 levels the last time the Blue Jays were in the World Series: 357 ppm
CO2 levels today: 426 ppm
October 22, 2025 at 1:57 AM
Has anyone done this yet?
CO2 levels the last time the Blue Jays were in the World Series: 357 ppm
CO2 levels today: 426 ppm
CO2 levels the last time the Blue Jays were in the World Series: 357 ppm
CO2 levels today: 426 ppm
Reposted by Cynthia Thomson
One of the most challenging aspects of the climate crisis is that it becomes harder to solve as it proceeds, both in terms of mitigation and adaptation. It isn't something that can be put off until tomorrow without serious penalty.
The wet tropical rainforests of Queensland are now a carbon source because CO₂ emitted from trees dying and decaying outstripped the CO₂ taken up by trees growing. 😕
Australia's tropical trees emit more carbon than they absorb: study
Climate change is killing trees faster than they can be replaced leading to greater carbon emissions, according to a new study.
www.abc.net.au
October 15, 2025 at 8:51 PM
One of the most challenging aspects of the climate crisis is that it becomes harder to solve as it proceeds, both in terms of mitigation and adaptation. It isn't something that can be put off until tomorrow without serious penalty.
Reposted by Cynthia Thomson
The wet tropical rainforests of Queensland are now a carbon source because CO₂ emitted from trees dying and decaying outstripped the CO₂ taken up by trees growing. 😕
Australia's tropical trees emit more carbon than they absorb: study
Climate change is killing trees faster than they can be replaced leading to greater carbon emissions, according to a new study.
www.abc.net.au
October 15, 2025 at 8:29 PM
The wet tropical rainforests of Queensland are now a carbon source because CO₂ emitted from trees dying and decaying outstripped the CO₂ taken up by trees growing. 😕
One of the things that frustrates me about the “things have been worse than they are now” discourse (other than the existential climate threat) is how it leaves out that capitalism and corporate greed have never been more unfettered
“Starbucks holds nearly $2 billion of customers’ money in its rewards program. That’s more than the total deposits managed by 85 percent of chartered banks, making the coffee chain one of the biggest financial institutions in the country.” jacobin.com/2025/10/bank...
Everything Is Becoming a Bank
Most major corporations — from airlines to social media platforms — now aspire to become unregulated banks. Bankification today accounts for the highest profit margins in the US economy, crippling pro...
jacobin.com
October 8, 2025 at 12:56 AM
One of the things that frustrates me about the “things have been worse than they are now” discourse (other than the existential climate threat) is how it leaves out that capitalism and corporate greed have never been more unfettered
Reposted by Cynthia Thomson
I do not regret to inform you that we are going to win
This video of Chicagoans intervening to save a man from being abducted off the streets by ICE is making the rounds on Instagram.
Community action works.
Source: www.instagram.com/reel/DPZL2AL...
Community action works.
Source: www.instagram.com/reel/DPZL2AL...
October 5, 2025 at 6:02 PM
I do not regret to inform you that we are going to win
I'm super excited for this!
The world missed its goal for tackling climate change
What happens next?
That's the question I'm asking in a new documentary series
We uncover the fantasies that brought us here and meet the people with ideas to navigate what's next
Listen to the trailer👇
open.spotify.com/episode/2ICK...
What happens next?
That's the question I'm asking in a new documentary series
We uncover the fantasies that brought us here and meet the people with ideas to navigate what's next
Listen to the trailer👇
open.spotify.com/episode/2ICK...
Overshoot: a new podcast about a world beyond 1.5°C – trailer
open.spotify.com
October 2, 2025 at 2:17 AM
I'm super excited for this!