Kerry Cook
@kerrycook.bsky.social
Climate scientist and educator
Professor of Climate System Science
The University of Texas at Austin
Professor of Climate System Science
The University of Texas at Austin
Reposted by Kerry Cook
Texas Rep. James Talarico launches Democratic primary bid for U.S. Senate...
Texas Rep. James Talarico to launch Democratic primary bid for U.S. S…
The Austin Democrat has made a name for himself with his viral social media presence. His entry to the race pits him against former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred in the increasingly crowded primary.
feeds.texastribune.org
September 7, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Texas Rep. James Talarico launches Democratic primary bid for U.S. Senate...
Reposted by Kerry Cook
I wrote about the humility of expertise and the arrogance of ignorance, the profound laziness that attends believing that you can find knowledge by ignoring the accumulation of inherited human knowledge, and the ways lazy arrogance fuels narratives of fascism. www.the-reframe.com/your-ignoran...
Your Ignorance Doesn't Make You An Expert
Let's go chasing waterfalls.
www.the-reframe.com
August 31, 2025 at 4:32 PM
I wrote about the humility of expertise and the arrogance of ignorance, the profound laziness that attends believing that you can find knowledge by ignoring the accumulation of inherited human knowledge, and the ways lazy arrogance fuels narratives of fascism. www.the-reframe.com/your-ignoran...
Today is the last day of work for many U.S.A.I.D. workers. This agency has saved an estimated 25 million lives around the world, not to mention reducing countless suffering, while representing the best of what American can be. I feel profound appreciation and admiration. Thank you all.
July 3, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Today is the last day of work for many U.S.A.I.D. workers. This agency has saved an estimated 25 million lives around the world, not to mention reducing countless suffering, while representing the best of what American can be. I feel profound appreciation and admiration. Thank you all.
Reposted by Kerry Cook
Elon Musk casually, and illegally, dismantled USAID. According to a new study in the Lancet, that action will lead to *14 million* premature deaths between 2025 and 2030.
Again: Elon Musk is directly responsible for 14 million coming deaths. 4.5 million will be children.
Again: Elon Musk is directly responsible for 14 million coming deaths. 4.5 million will be children.
Evaluating the impact of two decades of USAID interventions and projecting the effects of defunding on mortality up to 2030: a retrospective impact evaluation and forecasting analysis
USAID funding has significantly contributed to the reduction in adult and child mortality
across low-income and middle-income countries over the past two decades. Our estimates
show that, unless the a...
www.thelancet.com
July 2, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Elon Musk casually, and illegally, dismantled USAID. According to a new study in the Lancet, that action will lead to *14 million* premature deaths between 2025 and 2030.
Again: Elon Musk is directly responsible for 14 million coming deaths. 4.5 million will be children.
Again: Elon Musk is directly responsible for 14 million coming deaths. 4.5 million will be children.
Reposted by Kerry Cook
DOD just kneecapped hurricane forecasting:
Critical Hurricane Forecast Tool Abruptly Terminated
U.S. Department of Defense announced Tuesday it would no longer process and deliver data essential to most hurricane forecasts
michaelrlowry.substack.com
June 26, 2025 at 7:31 PM
DOD just kneecapped hurricane forecasting:
Having a moment as I sign my book, Climate Dynamics, for Russell Ogle as we prepare to head out to the Hill to advocate for science funding as part of #AGU Days of Action. Thanks to AGU for organizing and supporting 100 earth scientists for this visit to Senate and Congressional offices .
June 9, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Having a moment as I sign my book, Climate Dynamics, for Russell Ogle as we prepare to head out to the Hill to advocate for science funding as part of #AGU Days of Action. Thanks to AGU for organizing and supporting 100 earth scientists for this visit to Senate and Congressional offices .
Queues for the supercomouter at the Texas Advanced Compuring center where we run our high resolution climate simulations have declined to zero = no wait. A month ago the queues were 3-6 days. Is this U.S. science winding down? Has anyone else seen this at other centers?
May 2, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Queues for the supercomouter at the Texas Advanced Compuring center where we run our high resolution climate simulations have declined to zero = no wait. A month ago the queues were 3-6 days. Is this U.S. science winding down? Has anyone else seen this at other centers?
Reposted by Kerry Cook
Even when the political winds shift, science must keep moving forward.
That’s why @AGU and @ametsoc are stepping up with a first-of-its-kind special collection on climate change in the U.S.—across 29+ peer-reviewed journals. 🌍📚
Read all about it: buff.ly/6G05hQD
That’s why @AGU and @ametsoc are stepping up with a first-of-its-kind special collection on climate change in the U.S.—across 29+ peer-reviewed journals. 🌍📚
Read all about it: buff.ly/6G05hQD
May 2, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Even when the political winds shift, science must keep moving forward.
That’s why @AGU and @ametsoc are stepping up with a first-of-its-kind special collection on climate change in the U.S.—across 29+ peer-reviewed journals. 🌍📚
Read all about it: buff.ly/6G05hQD
That’s why @AGU and @ametsoc are stepping up with a first-of-its-kind special collection on climate change in the U.S.—across 29+ peer-reviewed journals. 🌍📚
Read all about it: buff.ly/6G05hQD
Reposted by Kerry Cook
For hundreds of years, humanity has relied on science to improve lives and build civilization. Science tests hypotheses, uses data, and follows a systematic method in pursuit of the truth. It’s not perfect of course. But destroying American science as we know it will only send us backward.
April 26, 2025 at 1:51 PM
For hundreds of years, humanity has relied on science to improve lives and build civilization. Science tests hypotheses, uses data, and follows a systematic method in pursuit of the truth. It’s not perfect of course. But destroying American science as we know it will only send us backward.
Reposted by Kerry Cook
Gleichschaltung
This statement from the NSF is insane.
Science is, in essence, designed to separate the true from the false.
Understanding how falsehoods spread is key to the scientific endeavor. It is not a violation of free speech to be proven wrong.
Science is, in essence, designed to separate the true from the false.
Understanding how falsehoods spread is key to the scientific endeavor. It is not a violation of free speech to be proven wrong.
April 20, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Gleichschaltung
Greenland ice melt and its contributions to sea level rise. 🧪
April 13, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Greenland ice melt and its contributions to sea level rise. 🧪
Time series of annual mean temperature anomalies (ºC) averaged over the U.S. Decreasing temperatures in mid-century, from 1960 to about 1980, were due to unregulated industrial pollution. Air quality regulations have improved our health, and at the same time unmasked the global warming signal.🧪
March 30, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Time series of annual mean temperature anomalies (ºC) averaged over the U.S. Decreasing temperatures in mid-century, from 1960 to about 1980, were due to unregulated industrial pollution. Air quality regulations have improved our health, and at the same time unmasked the global warming signal.🧪
A figure for my class - time series of the global temperature anomaly. Uncertainties are indicated by the gray lines. They are minimal after about 1960 – before the steep rise of the last 40 years. Will these error bars now will start to increase due to the failure of the U.S. government?
March 17, 2025 at 8:34 PM
A figure for my class - time series of the global temperature anomaly. Uncertainties are indicated by the gray lines. They are minimal after about 1960 – before the steep rise of the last 40 years. Will these error bars now will start to increase due to the failure of the U.S. government?
Reposted by Kerry Cook
Scientists have just cured pancreatic cancer in some patients with personalized mRNA vaccines. Pancreatic cancer. And this Trump administration wants to throw it all away.
They’re throwing away a cure for cancer.
They’re throwing away a cure for cancer.
Exclusive: NIH officials have advised scientists to remove reference to mRNA vaccines from their grant applications, in expectation the Trump administration intends to abandon most research in the field.
By @arthurallen202.bsky.social
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
By @arthurallen202.bsky.social
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
Scientists Say NIH Officials Told Them To Scrub mRNA References on Grants - KFF Health News
Two senior scientists say National Institutes of Health officials advised them to remove references to mRNA vaccines in grant applications, and they fear the Trump administration will abandon a promis...
kffhealthnews.org
March 17, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Scientists have just cured pancreatic cancer in some patients with personalized mRNA vaccines. Pancreatic cancer. And this Trump administration wants to throw it all away.
They’re throwing away a cure for cancer.
They’re throwing away a cure for cancer.
Reposted by Kerry Cook
🚨 Everyone needs to call their Dem Senator right now. They are starting to cave.
Tell them:
1. Vote NO on Cloture
AND
2. Vote NO on the Republican spending bill.
Don’t let them pivot to reconciliation. GOP doesn’t need Dem votes on that and they know it.
TODAY is the showdown.
🤳🏽: (202) 224-3121
Tell them:
1. Vote NO on Cloture
AND
2. Vote NO on the Republican spending bill.
Don’t let them pivot to reconciliation. GOP doesn’t need Dem votes on that and they know it.
TODAY is the showdown.
🤳🏽: (202) 224-3121
March 12, 2025 at 2:19 PM
🚨 Everyone needs to call their Dem Senator right now. They are starting to cave.
Tell them:
1. Vote NO on Cloture
AND
2. Vote NO on the Republican spending bill.
Don’t let them pivot to reconciliation. GOP doesn’t need Dem votes on that and they know it.
TODAY is the showdown.
🤳🏽: (202) 224-3121
Tell them:
1. Vote NO on Cloture
AND
2. Vote NO on the Republican spending bill.
Don’t let them pivot to reconciliation. GOP doesn’t need Dem votes on that and they know it.
TODAY is the showdown.
🤳🏽: (202) 224-3121
The latest CO2 record from the Mauna Loa Observatory. (Thank you, NOAA!) Regular measurements, same method, since 1958. Incontrovertible. I think it's the most important geophysical record ever produced. Do you agree?
March 10, 2025 at 7:14 PM
The latest CO2 record from the Mauna Loa Observatory. (Thank you, NOAA!) Regular measurements, same method, since 1958. Incontrovertible. I think it's the most important geophysical record ever produced. Do you agree?
Reposted by Kerry Cook
$1.38 billion spent on NWS.
$102.1 billion returned in estimated public value.
Those values produce a return on investment (ROI) of 73.98.
Full report (135 pages): doi.org/10.1175/cofu...
(Yet NOAA has long been **underfunded** as Scott Rayder noted last year: www.federaltimes.com/opinions/202...)
$102.1 billion returned in estimated public value.
Those values produce a return on investment (ROI) of 73.98.
Full report (135 pages): doi.org/10.1175/cofu...
(Yet NOAA has long been **underfunded** as Scott Rayder noted last year: www.federaltimes.com/opinions/202...)
NOAA’s budget is too small. That’s costing the US billions of dollars
Opinion: With a fiscal year 2024 budget of $6.3 billion, the nation’s leading weather and climate agency remains significantly underfunded.
www.federaltimes.com
February 17, 2025 at 2:37 PM
$1.38 billion spent on NWS.
$102.1 billion returned in estimated public value.
Those values produce a return on investment (ROI) of 73.98.
Full report (135 pages): doi.org/10.1175/cofu...
(Yet NOAA has long been **underfunded** as Scott Rayder noted last year: www.federaltimes.com/opinions/202...)
$102.1 billion returned in estimated public value.
Those values produce a return on investment (ROI) of 73.98.
Full report (135 pages): doi.org/10.1175/cofu...
(Yet NOAA has long been **underfunded** as Scott Rayder noted last year: www.federaltimes.com/opinions/202...)
For when you need a break from the chaos, I discovered this lovely podcast when they interviewed me last week. thisgreenplanetpodcast.com
Home - This Green Planet Podcast
This Green Planet A Podcast about Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math Listen on your favorite app Latest Episodes All Arts Engineering Math Science Technology STEM vs STEAM and Why it Mat...
thisgreenplanetpodcast.com
February 16, 2025 at 4:21 PM
For when you need a break from the chaos, I discovered this lovely podcast when they interviewed me last week. thisgreenplanetpodcast.com
Reposted by Kerry Cook
Cost of saving the lives of 12 million children suffering from malaria: $20 million. #TeamUSAID #saveforeignaid
February 10, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Cost of saving the lives of 12 million children suffering from malaria: $20 million. #TeamUSAID #saveforeignaid
Reposted by Kerry Cook
This is the most relevant article to NIH and research cuts I’ve seen.
Imagine if this was today , how many people would be saying “Why are we studying Gila Monsters and their impact on diabetes ? That’s wasted money !”
globalnews.ca/news/9793403...
Imagine if this was today , how many people would be saying “Why are we studying Gila Monsters and their impact on diabetes ? That’s wasted money !”
globalnews.ca/news/9793403...
How a Canadian scientist and a venomous lizard helped pave the way for Ozempic - National | Globalnews.ca
In 1984, Dr. Daniel Drucker, an endocrinologist from the University of Toronto, discovered a hormone that helped pave the way for popular diabetes drugs such as Ozempic.
globalnews.ca
February 9, 2025 at 9:58 PM
This is the most relevant article to NIH and research cuts I’ve seen.
Imagine if this was today , how many people would be saying “Why are we studying Gila Monsters and their impact on diabetes ? That’s wasted money !”
globalnews.ca/news/9793403...
Imagine if this was today , how many people would be saying “Why are we studying Gila Monsters and their impact on diabetes ? That’s wasted money !”
globalnews.ca/news/9793403...
Rumor that USAID will be dissolved as an independent agency, slashing scope and effectiveness. Possibility acknowledged by @schumer.senate.gov who says it would be illegal. Mr. Schumer - are we still a country governed by laws? We have a rich criminal in the White House. What does that tell you?
February 1, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Rumor that USAID will be dissolved as an independent agency, slashing scope and effectiveness. Possibility acknowledged by @schumer.senate.gov who says it would be illegal. Mr. Schumer - are we still a country governed by laws? We have a rich criminal in the White House. What does that tell you?
Here is the surface temperature anomaly (difference from the 1951-1980 mean) for the most recent decade (2015-2024) from NASA GISS in degrees C (multiple by 1.8 for Fahrenheit). Land has a lower heat capacity than ocean so it is warming more quickly. 🧪
January 12, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Here is the surface temperature anomaly (difference from the 1951-1980 mean) for the most recent decade (2015-2024) from NASA GISS in degrees C (multiple by 1.8 for Fahrenheit). Land has a lower heat capacity than ocean so it is warming more quickly. 🧪
My book, "Climate Dynamics, second edition" is now available as an ebook from Princeton University Press (PUP). Hardcopy available next month. Hoping this book helps people understand how the climate system works, and why it is changing. So excited to see it in print!! Thanks to PUP!! 🧪
January 8, 2025 at 4:11 PM
My book, "Climate Dynamics, second edition" is now available as an ebook from Princeton University Press (PUP). Hardcopy available next month. Hoping this book helps people understand how the climate system works, and why it is changing. So excited to see it in print!! Thanks to PUP!! 🧪
Reposted by Kerry Cook
This is why I support DEI. The existing system operates to exclude women and minorities. Period.
December 15, 2024 at 4:11 PM
This is why I support DEI. The existing system operates to exclude women and minorities. Period.