Erica Gies / SlowWater.world
@ericagies.bsky.social
Author of "Water Always Wins," National Geographic, Explorer, TEDx speaker, independent journalist for Scientific American, Nature, NYT, the Atlantic, bioGraphic, and others. Fan of critters, plants, democracy, kindness.
Pinned
Climate science and the case of the missing moisture
Nature Water - Expected air moisture is missing over drier areas worldwide, possibly because climate models undervalue the effects of plants and other life. This finding could be a fingerprint of...
rdcu.be
Do plants affect global climate through water? Some climate scientists say yes, but others say plants' effect is only local or regional. If the plant-power proponents are right, it means, to solve climate, we need more than the energy transition. We also need to restore land to health. My story:
Reposted by Erica Gies / SlowWater.world
Pretty sure he chose a side.
This is NYT headline morning after JD’s grotesque hot blast of white supremacist nativism at Turning Point’s hate-fest?!
December 22, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Pretty sure he chose a side.
Reposted by Erica Gies / SlowWater.world
Per NY Times’s Michael Grynbaum on X, this is Sharyn Alfonsi’s email to her “60 Minutes” colleagues in full:
December 22, 2025 at 3:37 AM
Per NY Times’s Michael Grynbaum on X, this is Sharyn Alfonsi’s email to her “60 Minutes” colleagues in full:
Reposted by Erica Gies / SlowWater.world
"At this place and time in history, Stuff is, by and large, cheaper than it has ever been. Space and time are expensive. And Stuff eats space and time." Books, on the other hand, are small. lnk.thebulwark.com/4s0JIrX
This Holiday, Give the Auntly Gift of Books
Young nieces and nephews may not thrill to them—but there is virtually no better way of inviting them into the world of your own childhood imagination.
lnk.thebulwark.com
December 17, 2025 at 11:30 PM
"At this place and time in history, Stuff is, by and large, cheaper than it has ever been. Space and time are expensive. And Stuff eats space and time." Books, on the other hand, are small. lnk.thebulwark.com/4s0JIrX
Reposted by Erica Gies / SlowWater.world
Your 'doom quote' for today:
"In the text of the Paris Agreement ... there is not the slightest acknowledgment that something has gone wrong with our dominant paradigms ... The current paradigm of perpetual growth is enshrined at the core of the text."
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
"In the text of the Paris Agreement ... there is not the slightest acknowledgment that something has gone wrong with our dominant paradigms ... The current paradigm of perpetual growth is enshrined at the core of the text."
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
The Great Derangement
Are we deranged? The acclaimed Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh argues that future generations may well think so. How else to explain our imaginative failure in the face of global warming? In his first ma...
press.uchicago.edu
December 17, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Your 'doom quote' for today:
"In the text of the Paris Agreement ... there is not the slightest acknowledgment that something has gone wrong with our dominant paradigms ... The current paradigm of perpetual growth is enshrined at the core of the text."
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
"In the text of the Paris Agreement ... there is not the slightest acknowledgment that something has gone wrong with our dominant paradigms ... The current paradigm of perpetual growth is enshrined at the core of the text."
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Reposted by Erica Gies / SlowWater.world
I know many of you who follow me don't work in climate science, but this is the biggest story in climate right now. Breaking up NCAR makes us all less safe and is another act of self-harm that will take decades to recover from.
Trump administration to dismantle key climate research center
Russell Vought, who directs the White House Office of Management and Budget, announced plans to split up the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, citing concerns about “clima...
wapo.st
December 17, 2025 at 4:17 PM
I know many of you who follow me don't work in climate science, but this is the biggest story in climate right now. Breaking up NCAR makes us all less safe and is another act of self-harm that will take decades to recover from.
Reposted by Erica Gies / SlowWater.world
Here's our reporting on the proposed dismantling of the jewel of US atmospheric science, @ncar-ucar.bsky.social.
The plan is to break NCAR apart and disburse some parts to other locations (like the research aircraft fleet) and eliminate others.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
🧪 #AGU25 #climate
The plan is to break NCAR apart and disburse some parts to other locations (like the research aircraft fleet) and eliminate others.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
🧪 #AGU25 #climate
Trump team plans to break up ‘global mothership’ of climate science
Much of the National Center for Atmospheric Research’s non-climate portfolio will be dispersed, the White House says.
www.nature.com
December 17, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Here's our reporting on the proposed dismantling of the jewel of US atmospheric science, @ncar-ucar.bsky.social.
The plan is to break NCAR apart and disburse some parts to other locations (like the research aircraft fleet) and eliminate others.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
🧪 #AGU25 #climate
The plan is to break NCAR apart and disburse some parts to other locations (like the research aircraft fleet) and eliminate others.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
🧪 #AGU25 #climate
Reposted by Erica Gies / SlowWater.world
Unbelievable. This would be a terrible blow to American science, writ large. It would decimate not only climate research, but also the kind of weather, wildfire, and disaster research that has underpinned half a century of progress in prediction, early warning, and increased resilience.
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
December 17, 2025 at 2:49 AM
Unbelievable. This would be a terrible blow to American science, writ large. It would decimate not only climate research, but also the kind of weather, wildfire, and disaster research that has underpinned half a century of progress in prediction, early warning, and increased resilience.
Reposted by Erica Gies / SlowWater.world
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.
The audio book is half off, should you or yours be into that sort of thing! www.audiobooks.com/promotions/p...
50% OFF Water Always Wins: Thriving in an Age of Drought and Deluge
Nearly every human endeavor on the planet was conceived and constructed with a relatively stable climate in mind. But as new climate disasters remind us every day, our world is not stable—an...
www.audiobooks.com
December 17, 2025 at 1:56 AM
The audio book is half off, should you or yours be into that sort of thing! www.audiobooks.com/promotions/p...
Reposted by Erica Gies / SlowWater.world
A report finds 65 of 67 PNG land-conversion permits are controlled by Malaysian-linked firms, covering 1.68 million hectares of rainforest — mostly undisturbed.
Critics say permits meant for development have enabled large-scale logging, despite a 2023 moratorium.
Critics say permits meant for development have enabled large-scale logging, despite a 2023 moratorium.
Malaysian companies dominate PNG forest-clearance permits: report
Papua New Guinea’s rainforests, which span 28.2 million hectares (69.6 million acres), are among the most biodiverse in the world, hosting an estimated 5-8% of all species. The country also has one…
news.mongabay.com
December 16, 2025 at 3:20 AM
A report finds 65 of 67 PNG land-conversion permits are controlled by Malaysian-linked firms, covering 1.68 million hectares of rainforest — mostly undisturbed.
Critics say permits meant for development have enabled large-scale logging, despite a 2023 moratorium.
Critics say permits meant for development have enabled large-scale logging, despite a 2023 moratorium.
Two of my childhood cats, Cajdi and Khanly, sisters, posing in a ‘70s Sears-style family photo shoot.
December 15, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Two of my childhood cats, Cajdi and Khanly, sisters, posing in a ‘70s Sears-style family photo shoot.
Reposted by Erica Gies / SlowWater.world
In American high schools, many teenagers are assigned few full books to read from beginning to end — often just one or two per year, according to researchers and thousands of responses to an informal reader survey by The New York Times. trib.al/gNp7kWK
December 12, 2025 at 10:28 PM
In American high schools, many teenagers are assigned few full books to read from beginning to end — often just one or two per year, according to researchers and thousands of responses to an informal reader survey by The New York Times. trib.al/gNp7kWK
Wow, as if working journalists and the public trust/democracy weren't suffering death by a thousand cuts. This seems to be a chilling death knell. By @nickhunebrown.bsky.social @thelocal.to thelocal.to/investigatin...
Investigating a Possible Scammer in Journalism’s AI Era | The Local
A suspicious pitch from a freelancer led editor Nicholas Hune-Brown to dig into their past work. By the end, four publications, including The Guardian and Dwell, had removed articles from their sites.
thelocal.to
December 13, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Wow, as if working journalists and the public trust/democracy weren't suffering death by a thousand cuts. This seems to be a chilling death knell. By @nickhunebrown.bsky.social @thelocal.to thelocal.to/investigatin...
How fun is this? www.booooooom.com/2017/01/22/p...
Photographer Daniel Ranalli Spends Two Decades Capturing Snail Trails
“Spiral #9” (1996) Massachusetts-based photographer Daniel Ranalli has spent more than 20 years on his "Snail Drawings," a series …
www.booooooom.com
December 12, 2025 at 5:11 PM
How fun is this? www.booooooom.com/2017/01/22/p...
Reposted by Erica Gies / SlowWater.world
There's a freshwater pollution crisis unfolding across the Mekong region as mines pumps toxic chemicals into key river systems - our latest for @mongabay.com looks how gold mines along tributaries of the Sekong River in Laos are impacting fish populations, potentially posing a transboundary threat.
New mapping reveals hidden mining boom in Laos that threatens the Mekong
BANGKOK — A new satellite analysis from U.S. think tank the Stimson Center has identified 517 suspected mines along rivers in Laos, including major tributaries of the Mekong, Southeast Asia’s longest ...
news.mongabay.com
December 10, 2025 at 5:26 AM
There's a freshwater pollution crisis unfolding across the Mekong region as mines pumps toxic chemicals into key river systems - our latest for @mongabay.com looks how gold mines along tributaries of the Sekong River in Laos are impacting fish populations, potentially posing a transboundary threat.
Reposted by Erica Gies / SlowWater.world
More cities are turning to #NatureBasedSolutions to manage #Flooding. San Jose is restoring the upstream Coyote Valley to protect downstream communities, and Milwaukee is giving the Kinnickinnic River room to slow and spread.
📰 @ericagies.bsky.social in @nature.com: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
📰 @ericagies.bsky.social in @nature.com: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Cities are embracing nature for flood defence
As losses owing to flooding rise, some urban centres are ditching the concrete and making space for natural wetlands. As losses owing to flooding rise, some urban centres are ditching the concrete and making space for natural wetlands.
www.nature.com
December 8, 2025 at 7:25 PM
More cities are turning to #NatureBasedSolutions to manage #Flooding. San Jose is restoring the upstream Coyote Valley to protect downstream communities, and Milwaukee is giving the Kinnickinnic River room to slow and spread.
📰 @ericagies.bsky.social in @nature.com: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
📰 @ericagies.bsky.social in @nature.com: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Erica Gies / SlowWater.world
I shared this story when it run in @highcountrynews.org, well worth sharing it again. The combination of extractivism in agriculture & public lands today is the latest manifestation of a consistent throughline going all the way back to manifest destiny. This 💩's roots are deep and need eradicating.
The Trump administration is pushing to expand grazing on public lands while reducing its already low cost, under the false premise that it will fill America’s coffers.
Wealthy ranchers are profiting — at the expense of taxpayers.
With @highcountrynews.org
Wealthy ranchers are profiting — at the expense of taxpayers.
With @highcountrynews.org
Wealthy Ranchers Profit From Public Lands. Taxpayers Pick Up the Tab.
A ProPublica and High Country News investigation found that government programs supporting grazing on public lands prop up a wealthy few while harming the environment. The Trump administration is supe...
www.propublica.org
December 7, 2025 at 2:22 AM
I shared this story when it run in @highcountrynews.org, well worth sharing it again. The combination of extractivism in agriculture & public lands today is the latest manifestation of a consistent throughline going all the way back to manifest destiny. This 💩's roots are deep and need eradicating.
Reposted by Erica Gies / SlowWater.world
You are ABSOLUTELY NOT going to regret listening to this bird:
A male rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) in winter plumage.
Ptarmigan is from Gaelic 'tarmachan' meaning "croaker". The p- was added when people mistakenly assumed it was a Greek word.
A bird forever warning people: "A werewolf!" (just in case of werewolves).
Ptarmigan is from Gaelic 'tarmachan' meaning "croaker". The p- was added when people mistakenly assumed it was a Greek word.
A bird forever warning people: "A werewolf!" (just in case of werewolves).
December 6, 2025 at 5:10 PM
You are ABSOLUTELY NOT going to regret listening to this bird:
Reposted by Erica Gies / SlowWater.world
It’s us
What caused a massive die-off of penguins off the South African coast?
There are fewer than 10,000 breeding pairs of African penguins left today.
wapo.st
December 7, 2025 at 2:39 AM
It’s us
Reposted by Erica Gies / SlowWater.world
Most Pacific Coast salmon and steelhead listed under the Endangered Species Act have increased in abundance over the past 25 years, arresting earlier declines. #cawater mavensnotebook.com/2025/12/05/n...
NOAA FISHERIES: Most Threatened and Endangered Pacific Coast Salmon Populations Increased After Listings
Endangered Species Act protections move salmon toward recovery. From NOAA Fisheries Most Pacific Coast salmon and steelhead listed under the Endangered Species Act have increased in abundance over the...
mavensnotebook.com
December 5, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Most Pacific Coast salmon and steelhead listed under the Endangered Species Act have increased in abundance over the past 25 years, arresting earlier declines. #cawater mavensnotebook.com/2025/12/05/n...
Reposted by Erica Gies / SlowWater.world
A study of 61 water suppliers in California found that projections of water demand from 2000 to 2020 consistently overestimated actual demand — by 25% for five-year projections and by 74% for 20-year projections, on average #cawater agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...
Water Demand Projection Accuracy and Demand Management Trends in California Cities
Water suppliers in California overestimated future water demand by 25% for 5-year projections and 74% for 20-year projections
Overestimation was driven by assumptions of stable per capita demand,...
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
December 5, 2025 at 5:32 PM
A study of 61 water suppliers in California found that projections of water demand from 2000 to 2020 consistently overestimated actual demand — by 25% for five-year projections and by 74% for 20-year projections, on average #cawater agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...
Reposted by Erica Gies / SlowWater.world
De-paving Paradise: To prevent urban flooding, don't forget to look outside the city. That's the strategy I explored for Nature Outlook, featuring San Jose, Calif.'s, conservation of Coyote Valley and Milwaukee's Green Seams program to conserve wetlands. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Cities are embracing nature for flood defence
As losses owing to flooding rise, some urban centres are ditching the concrete and making space for natural wetlands.
www.nature.com
December 4, 2025 at 6:16 PM
De-paving Paradise: To prevent urban flooding, don't forget to look outside the city. That's the strategy I explored for Nature Outlook, featuring San Jose, Calif.'s, conservation of Coyote Valley and Milwaukee's Green Seams program to conserve wetlands. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
De-paving Paradise: To prevent urban flooding, don't forget to look outside the city. That's the strategy I explored for Nature Outlook, featuring San Jose, Calif.'s, conservation of Coyote Valley and Milwaukee's Green Seams program to conserve wetlands. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Cities are embracing nature for flood defence
As losses owing to flooding rise, some urban centres are ditching the concrete and making space for natural wetlands.
www.nature.com
December 4, 2025 at 6:16 PM
De-paving Paradise: To prevent urban flooding, don't forget to look outside the city. That's the strategy I explored for Nature Outlook, featuring San Jose, Calif.'s, conservation of Coyote Valley and Milwaukee's Green Seams program to conserve wetlands. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Erica Gies / SlowWater.world
We're seeking 3-4 native/school gardens to feature 20-25+ native plant information signs. We sell the rain-proof signs for $5. each, but offer the first 10 signs for $2 and the next 10+ for $3, so you get a minimum of 20 signs for $50. It's a deal and a half! whollyh2o.org/store/
info@whollyh2o.org
info@whollyh2o.org
December 3, 2025 at 8:04 PM
We're seeking 3-4 native/school gardens to feature 20-25+ native plant information signs. We sell the rain-proof signs for $5. each, but offer the first 10 signs for $2 and the next 10+ for $3, so you get a minimum of 20 signs for $50. It's a deal and a half! whollyh2o.org/store/
info@whollyh2o.org
info@whollyh2o.org
Reposted by Erica Gies / SlowWater.world
Much of southern Asia is currently reeling from extreme flooding. Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines are the hardest hit by recent monsoonal rains and tropical cyclones. Please donate to a local Red Cross if you can.
Death toll passes 900 in Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka floods
Officials in Indonesia say more than 442 people have died, while Sri Lanka suffers worst natural disaster since 2004 tsunami
www.theguardian.com
December 1, 2025 at 4:12 AM
Much of southern Asia is currently reeling from extreme flooding. Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines are the hardest hit by recent monsoonal rains and tropical cyclones. Please donate to a local Red Cross if you can.