Sonny Whitelaw
@ecomigrant.bsky.social
Australian-born novelist and coastal geomorphologist migrated to Aotearoa New Zealand. Climate change technical advisor; curator of http://climatechange.org.nz
Pinned
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
As projected here www.nature.com/articles/s41... we are steadily moving toward a situation where are major town or city runs out of water
There are early signs of this everywhere, right now Iran seems to be a hotspot at ~1.5ºC of heating
We are *utterly* unprepared for what comes at 1.6, 1.7 & 2ºC
There are early signs of this everywhere, right now Iran seems to be a hotspot at ~1.5ºC of heating
We are *utterly* unprepared for what comes at 1.6, 1.7 & 2ºC
November 23, 2025 at 8:28 AM
As projected here www.nature.com/articles/s41... we are steadily moving toward a situation where are major town or city runs out of water
There are early signs of this everywhere, right now Iran seems to be a hotspot at ~1.5ºC of heating
We are *utterly* unprepared for what comes at 1.6, 1.7 & 2ºC
There are early signs of this everywhere, right now Iran seems to be a hotspot at ~1.5ºC of heating
We are *utterly* unprepared for what comes at 1.6, 1.7 & 2ºC
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
www.earth.com/news/rising-...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
#Food
#CO2
#Nutrients
#Vegetation
#Trees
#Plants
#Ecosystems
#BiodiversityLoss
#Extinction
#FossilFuelPollution
#AnthropogenicGlobalWarming
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
#Food
#CO2
#Nutrients
#Vegetation
#Trees
#Plants
#Ecosystems
#BiodiversityLoss
#Extinction
#FossilFuelPollution
#AnthropogenicGlobalWarming
Rising CO2 is quietly weakening the nutrients in our food
Rising CO2 is changing the nutrition in everyday foods. Crops may offer more calories but fewer essential nutrients, creating health risks.
www.earth.com
November 19, 2025 at 1:06 AM
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Well apparently the US is not the only nation turning its back on science...🤔
This is obscene.
The challenges facing the nation means we should be scaling up CSIRO, not cutting it to shreds.
While we are sending billions to the US for nuclear shipyards, our science and industrial base at home is falling apart for lack of funds and direction.
The challenges facing the nation means we should be scaling up CSIRO, not cutting it to shreds.
While we are sending billions to the US for nuclear shipyards, our science and industrial base at home is falling apart for lack of funds and direction.
‘Sad day for publicly funded science’: up to 350 more jobs to go at CSIRO
Australia’s national scientific agency announces more research job losses as it looks for budgetary savings
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Well apparently the US is not the only nation turning its back on science...🤔
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Absolutely terrible news of another Indigenous land defender killed in Brazil as #COP30 takes place
- Vicente Fernandes Vilhalva, a 36-year-old Guarani Kaiowá leader, was shot dead on Sunday morning
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
- Vicente Fernandes Vilhalva, a 36-year-old Guarani Kaiowá leader, was shot dead on Sunday morning
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Cop30: calls for new urgency to talks as studies show global warming may reach 2.5C – latest updates
As the summit goes into its second week, complex issues remain with anxiety growing over conference outcomes
www.theguardian.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Absolutely terrible news of another Indigenous land defender killed in Brazil as #COP30 takes place
- Vicente Fernandes Vilhalva, a 36-year-old Guarani Kaiowá leader, was shot dead on Sunday morning
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
- Vicente Fernandes Vilhalva, a 36-year-old Guarani Kaiowá leader, was shot dead on Sunday morning
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
“If we wait to cross tipping points before we act, it will be too late. The only credible risk management strategy is to act in advance.”
global-tipping-points.org/the-dartingt...
global-tipping-points.org/the-dartingt...
The Dartington Declaration - Global Tipping Points
The Dartington Declaration has emanated from scientific meetings held at Dartington Hall in England, and then a statement agreed at the Global Tipping Points Conference, on 30 June – 3 July 2025. It w...
global-tipping-points.org
November 15, 2025 at 3:21 PM
“If we wait to cross tipping points before we act, it will be too late. The only credible risk management strategy is to act in advance.”
global-tipping-points.org/the-dartingt...
global-tipping-points.org/the-dartingt...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
The Global Reforestation Organization Directory provides data on more than 125 major tree-planting orgs so that donors can find groups matching their priorities.
The directory shows which orgs publicly discuss using scientific best practices, avoiding common mistakes and monitoring their results.
The directory shows which orgs publicly discuss using scientific best practices, avoiding common mistakes and monitoring their results.
New directory helps donors navigate the complex world of global reforestation
Planting trees is something most people can get behind, and tens of thousands of reforestation projects now operate worldwide. However, for donors and funders who want to support these efforts, it…
news.mongabay.com
November 14, 2025 at 12:17 PM
The Global Reforestation Organization Directory provides data on more than 125 major tree-planting orgs so that donors can find groups matching their priorities.
The directory shows which orgs publicly discuss using scientific best practices, avoiding common mistakes and monitoring their results.
The directory shows which orgs publicly discuss using scientific best practices, avoiding common mistakes and monitoring their results.
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
In this episode, Nate interviews Professor Ted Parson about solar geoengineering (specifically stratospheric aerosol injection) as a potential response to severe climate risks.
www.thegreatsimplification.com/episode/200-...
www.thegreatsimplification.com/episode/200-...
November 12, 2025 at 3:36 PM
In this episode, Nate interviews Professor Ted Parson about solar geoengineering (specifically stratospheric aerosol injection) as a potential response to severe climate risks.
www.thegreatsimplification.com/episode/200-...
www.thegreatsimplification.com/episode/200-...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Starting the first Monday of 2026, and continuing every two or three weeks for the rest of that year, I am going to be releasing searchable pdfs and annotated html of the "CO2 newsletter", published between 1979 and 1982 by geologist William N. Barbat.
It will break your heart, again and again.
It will break your heart, again and again.
November 12, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Starting the first Monday of 2026, and continuing every two or three weeks for the rest of that year, I am going to be releasing searchable pdfs and annotated html of the "CO2 newsletter", published between 1979 and 1982 by geologist William N. Barbat.
It will break your heart, again and again.
It will break your heart, again and again.
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Bird flu is being painted as a problem wild birds are inflicting on the poultry industry, but it's precisely the reverse.
Where do they think it developed in the first place, if not in the disease incubators that are mass battery farms?
share.google/K4FBGkiuuUdc...
Where do they think it developed in the first place, if not in the disease incubators that are mass battery farms?
share.google/K4FBGkiuuUdc...
Bird flu outbreak at commercial turkey flock in Carlow
Restriction zones have been put in place around a commercial turkey farm in Co Carlow, after an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza, or bird flu was detected there.
share.google
November 5, 2025 at 7:50 AM
Bird flu is being painted as a problem wild birds are inflicting on the poultry industry, but it's precisely the reverse.
Where do they think it developed in the first place, if not in the disease incubators that are mass battery farms?
share.google/K4FBGkiuuUdc...
Where do they think it developed in the first place, if not in the disease incubators that are mass battery farms?
share.google/K4FBGkiuuUdc...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Renewable additions are expected to reach a record 793 GW in 2025, up from 717 GW of new installations in 2024.
By the end of 2025, the world will have 5,000 GW of renewable capacity – less than half of the way to meeting the tripling goal of 11,000 GW by 2030.
ember-energy.org/lat...
By the end of 2025, the world will have 5,000 GW of renewable capacity – less than half of the way to meeting the tripling goal of 11,000 GW by 2030.
ember-energy.org/lat...
November 11, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Renewable additions are expected to reach a record 793 GW in 2025, up from 717 GW of new installations in 2024.
By the end of 2025, the world will have 5,000 GW of renewable capacity – less than half of the way to meeting the tripling goal of 11,000 GW by 2030.
ember-energy.org/lat...
By the end of 2025, the world will have 5,000 GW of renewable capacity – less than half of the way to meeting the tripling goal of 11,000 GW by 2030.
ember-energy.org/lat...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
A deep-sea expedition has recorded 30 previously unknown species from one of the planet’s most inaccessible regions, 700 meters into the depths of the Southern Ocean.
The astonishing array included a carnivorous “death-ball” sponge, unknown sea stars spanning multiple families, and new crustaceans.
The astonishing array included a carnivorous “death-ball” sponge, unknown sea stars spanning multiple families, and new crustaceans.
Armored worms and death-ball sponges among array of life newly documented from the deep sea
In the darkness of the deep ocean, where pressure crushes and light fails, an expedition has found an astonishing array of life, including a carnivorous “death-ball” sponge (from the genus…
news.mongabay.com
November 9, 2025 at 8:25 PM
A deep-sea expedition has recorded 30 previously unknown species from one of the planet’s most inaccessible regions, 700 meters into the depths of the Southern Ocean.
The astonishing array included a carnivorous “death-ball” sponge, unknown sea stars spanning multiple families, and new crustaceans.
The astonishing array included a carnivorous “death-ball” sponge, unknown sea stars spanning multiple families, and new crustaceans.
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
A new analysis of #CryoSat-2 data revealed that subglacial lake levels in Antarctica are changing not by centimeters but by *meters*.
Satellite Data Reveal Changing Lakes Under Antarctic Ice - Eos
Radar altimetry observations have pinpointed 85 active subglacial lakes, shedding light on how water moves beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet.
eos.org
November 8, 2025 at 3:48 PM
A new analysis of #CryoSat-2 data revealed that subglacial lake levels in Antarctica are changing not by centimeters but by *meters*.
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
'Man who jumped out of an airplane without parachute and who has already hit the ground will overshoot goal not to die, UN said'
November 8, 2025 at 3:56 PM
'Man who jumped out of an airplane without parachute and who has already hit the ground will overshoot goal not to die, UN said'
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
The @wmo-global.bsky.social provisional report on the State of the Global Climate in 2025 was released: wmo.int/publication-...
"Other climate indicators continue to sound alarm
bells, and more extreme weather had major global impacts on
economies and all aspects of sustainable development." #COP30
"Other climate indicators continue to sound alarm
bells, and more extreme weather had major global impacts on
economies and all aspects of sustainable development." #COP30
November 7, 2025 at 8:13 PM
The @wmo-global.bsky.social provisional report on the State of the Global Climate in 2025 was released: wmo.int/publication-...
"Other climate indicators continue to sound alarm
bells, and more extreme weather had major global impacts on
economies and all aspects of sustainable development." #COP30
"Other climate indicators continue to sound alarm
bells, and more extreme weather had major global impacts on
economies and all aspects of sustainable development." #COP30
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Finally out! The outcome of a virtual workshop in Feb 2024 with modelers and observationalists to put together data and protocols to include historical changes in ice sheet/ice shelf discharge in CMIP models. Hopefully not too late for some CMIP7 runs!
gmd.copernicus.org/articles/18/...
gmd.copernicus.org/articles/18/...
Datasets and protocols for including anomalous freshwater from melting ice sheets in climate simulations
Abstract. Anomalous freshwater fluxes from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets and ice shelves are impacting the surrounding oceans, and we need to be able to account for these effects in climate m...
gmd.copernicus.org
November 7, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Finally out! The outcome of a virtual workshop in Feb 2024 with modelers and observationalists to put together data and protocols to include historical changes in ice sheet/ice shelf discharge in CMIP models. Hopefully not too late for some CMIP7 runs!
gmd.copernicus.org/articles/18/...
gmd.copernicus.org/articles/18/...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Guterres is right.
Even a temporary overshoot could unleash far greater destruction and costs for every nation. It could push ecosystems past catastrophic and irreversible tipping points.
Fossil fuel companies are deceiving the public and obstructing progress. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Even a temporary overshoot could unleash far greater destruction and costs for every nation. It could push ecosystems past catastrophic and irreversible tipping points.
Fossil fuel companies are deceiving the public and obstructing progress. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Missing 1.5C climate target is a moral failure, Guterres tells Cop30 summit
UN secretary general urges opening session in Brazil to bring about a ‘fundamental paradigm shift’
www.theguardian.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Guterres is right.
Even a temporary overshoot could unleash far greater destruction and costs for every nation. It could push ecosystems past catastrophic and irreversible tipping points.
Fossil fuel companies are deceiving the public and obstructing progress. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Even a temporary overshoot could unleash far greater destruction and costs for every nation. It could push ecosystems past catastrophic and irreversible tipping points.
Fossil fuel companies are deceiving the public and obstructing progress. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
"I like people who don't collapse"
incredible photo that's definitely worth at least 1,000 words from Andrew Harnik of Getty
November 6, 2025 at 6:35 PM
"I like people who don't collapse"
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Your 'moment of doom' for Nov. 4, 2025 ~ Fast times!
"Glaciologists recorded a five-mile retreat in just two months on the Hektoria Glacier on the eastern Antarctic Peninsula, a rate nearly 10 times faster than previously measured for a grounded glacier..."
abcnews.go.com/Internationa...
"Glaciologists recorded a five-mile retreat in just two months on the Hektoria Glacier on the eastern Antarctic Peninsula, a rate nearly 10 times faster than previously measured for a grounded glacier..."
abcnews.go.com/Internationa...
Antarctic glacier retreating at rate 10 times faster than previously measured: Study
An Antarctic glacier has experienced a rapid retreat 10 times faster than previously measured, according to new research.
abcnews.go.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Your 'moment of doom' for Nov. 4, 2025 ~ Fast times!
"Glaciologists recorded a five-mile retreat in just two months on the Hektoria Glacier on the eastern Antarctic Peninsula, a rate nearly 10 times faster than previously measured for a grounded glacier..."
abcnews.go.com/Internationa...
"Glaciologists recorded a five-mile retreat in just two months on the Hektoria Glacier on the eastern Antarctic Peninsula, a rate nearly 10 times faster than previously measured for a grounded glacier..."
abcnews.go.com/Internationa...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Our 2025 State of the Climate Report was just published in BioScience by scientists from around the world including @michaelemann.bsky.social @petergleick.bsky.social This video (2 minutes) shows the key highlights: doi.org/10.1093/bios...
November 2, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Our 2025 State of the Climate Report was just published in BioScience by scientists from around the world including @michaelemann.bsky.social @petergleick.bsky.social This video (2 minutes) shows the key highlights: doi.org/10.1093/bios...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
If climate policy had a “best buy,” it might be methane cuts
Global methane mitigation has a benefit–cost ratio >6:1, even before accounting for near-term climate feedbacks
A strong case: it’s among the most efficient levers in climate policy
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Global methane mitigation has a benefit–cost ratio >6:1, even before accounting for near-term climate feedbacks
A strong case: it’s among the most efficient levers in climate policy
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Global methane action pays for itself at least six times over
We provide a comprehensive assessment of the economic benefits and costs of global methane emissions abatement, anchored on the Global Methane Pledge. We use an integrated assessment model to estimate...
www.science.org
November 1, 2025 at 10:39 AM
If climate policy had a “best buy,” it might be methane cuts
Global methane mitigation has a benefit–cost ratio >6:1, even before accounting for near-term climate feedbacks
A strong case: it’s among the most efficient levers in climate policy
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Global methane mitigation has a benefit–cost ratio >6:1, even before accounting for near-term climate feedbacks
A strong case: it’s among the most efficient levers in climate policy
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Now that NZ dairy farmers are set to get a windfall, perhaps the current government can ask they get back to doing all we can to mitigate methane emissions?
It’s perhaps the biggest "putting it back into the community" they could offer.
It’s perhaps the biggest "putting it back into the community" they could offer.
If climate policy had a “best buy,” it might be methane cuts
Global methane mitigation has a benefit–cost ratio >6:1, even before accounting for near-term climate feedbacks
A strong case: it’s among the most efficient levers in climate policy
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Global methane mitigation has a benefit–cost ratio >6:1, even before accounting for near-term climate feedbacks
A strong case: it’s among the most efficient levers in climate policy
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Global methane action pays for itself at least six times over
We provide a comprehensive assessment of the economic benefits and costs of global methane emissions abatement, anchored on the Global Methane Pledge. We use an integrated assessment model to estimate...
www.science.org
November 2, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Now that NZ dairy farmers are set to get a windfall, perhaps the current government can ask they get back to doing all we can to mitigate methane emissions?
It’s perhaps the biggest "putting it back into the community" they could offer.
It’s perhaps the biggest "putting it back into the community" they could offer.
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
I wanted to offer some thoughts on the Gates climate memo that has been circulating this week. While I can't directly speak for others, I can say that my own response is one of dismay & deep frustration (and that this view is shared by many climate/Earth scientists). [1/n]
October 30, 2025 at 5:02 PM
I wanted to offer some thoughts on the Gates climate memo that has been circulating this week. While I can't directly speak for others, I can say that my own response is one of dismay & deep frustration (and that this view is shared by many climate/Earth scientists). [1/n]
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
"Given the moral gravity of crimes against humanity it follows that financial divestment is ethically obligatory for institutions wishing to avoid moral association"
link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
The Acceleration of Global Warming as Crime Against Humanity: A Moral Case for Fossil Fuel Divestment
This chapter constructs the argument that corporate and political policies known to accelerate anthropogenic global warming, and subsequent climate change, constitute crimes against humanity—pre...
link.springer.com
October 27, 2025 at 6:26 AM
"Given the moral gravity of crimes against humanity it follows that financial divestment is ethically obligatory for institutions wishing to avoid moral association"
link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Sometimes I feel like I work at The Onion. Like, my article today could easily have run under some version of this 👇
Trump Heroically Saves Whales From Wind Farms By Ending All Research Studying Whales and Wind Farms
@bencollins.bsky.social
Trump Heroically Saves Whales From Wind Farms By Ending All Research Studying Whales and Wind Farms
@bencollins.bsky.social
Trump claims ‘wind mills’ kill whales but quietly torpedoes the…
The Interior Department defunds two vital research programs that track North Atlantic right whales near active offshore wind construction sites.
www.canarymedia.com
October 23, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Sometimes I feel like I work at The Onion. Like, my article today could easily have run under some version of this 👇
Trump Heroically Saves Whales From Wind Farms By Ending All Research Studying Whales and Wind Farms
@bencollins.bsky.social
Trump Heroically Saves Whales From Wind Farms By Ending All Research Studying Whales and Wind Farms
@bencollins.bsky.social
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
This is the second part of the work we covered here, highlighting that CO2 is the dominant forcer in temperature and sea level changes during ice age cycles.
(It's also a great chance for others to cover; this has not been widely reported. There's even an old ice core now that can test this!)
(It's also a great chance for others to cover; this has not been widely reported. There's even an old ice core now that can test this!)
October 23, 2025 at 4:55 PM
This is the second part of the work we covered here, highlighting that CO2 is the dominant forcer in temperature and sea level changes during ice age cycles.
(It's also a great chance for others to cover; this has not been widely reported. There's even an old ice core now that can test this!)
(It's also a great chance for others to cover; this has not been widely reported. There's even an old ice core now that can test this!)