Prof Nick Cowern 🌍
@nickcowern.bsky.social
We're beginning to see the true sensitivity of climate to greenhouse gases, and it's bigger than almost anyone expected. A huge challenge to us all to avoid runaway climate. Energy transition, justice, sustainable buildings / agriculture / horticulture.
Pinned
Hottest January on record mystifies climate scientists
EU monitor says global temperatures were 1.75C above preindustrial levels, extending run of unprecedented highs
www.theguardian.com
Rapid climate change is absolutely no surprise. Earth's energy imbalance has been rising as atmospheric aerosol concentrations fall and global temperature rises, creating clearer skies > more incident solar radiation. Noticed the frequent bright white evening sun? www.theguardian.com/environment/...
America feels like a country on the brink of an authoritarian takeover.
Francine Prose
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Francine Prose
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
America feels like a country on the brink of an authoritarian takeover | Francine Prose
This is the news we should be paying attention to. At least for the moment, everything else is a distraction
www.theguardian.com
January 26, 2026 at 11:52 AM
America feels like a country on the brink of an authoritarian takeover.
Francine Prose
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Francine Prose
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
To paraphrase one veteran: "If you haven't served, at least have the balls to respect those who have"
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
‘If you haven’t served, respect those who have’: Nato soldiers on Trump’s slurs
For those who fought alongside US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, president’s remarks have cut deep
www.theguardian.com
January 25, 2026 at 8:21 PM
To paraphrase one veteran: "If you haven't served, at least have the balls to respect those who have"
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
Reposted by Prof Nick Cowern 🌍
Can any country in the world do any kind of "deal" with this lying and corrupt US administration? Of course not. The less we have to do with it, the better.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Video contradicts Trump’s claim man killed in Minneapolis was a ‘gunman’
Video evidence reviewed by Guardian shows Alex Pretti, killed by agents in Minneapolis, held a phone, not a gun
www.theguardian.com
January 25, 2026 at 8:28 AM
Can any country in the world do any kind of "deal" with this lying and corrupt US administration? Of course not. The less we have to do with it, the better.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Reposted by Prof Nick Cowern 🌍
Alex Pretti was a colleague at the VA. We hired him to recruit for our trial. He became an ICU nurse- I lover working with him. He was a good kind person who lived to help and these fuckers executed him.
White. Hot. Rage.
White. Hot. Rage.
January 24, 2026 at 7:31 PM
Alex Pretti was a colleague at the VA. We hired him to recruit for our trial. He became an ICU nurse- I lover working with him. He was a good kind person who lived to help and these fuckers executed him.
White. Hot. Rage.
White. Hot. Rage.
Reposted by Prof Nick Cowern 🌍
Worth remembering when looking at the horrific scenes in the US right now that both Reform and the Tories have pledged to bring in ICE-style organisations to the UK if they win power
January 24, 2026 at 10:33 PM
Worth remembering when looking at the horrific scenes in the US right now that both Reform and the Tories have pledged to bring in ICE-style organisations to the UK if they win power
Can any country in the world do any kind of "deal" with this lying and corrupt US administration? Of course not. The less we have to do with it, the better.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Video contradicts Trump’s claim man killed in Minneapolis was a ‘gunman’
Video evidence reviewed by Guardian shows Alex Pretti, killed by agents in Minneapolis, held a phone, not a gun
www.theguardian.com
January 25, 2026 at 8:28 AM
Can any country in the world do any kind of "deal" with this lying and corrupt US administration? Of course not. The less we have to do with it, the better.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
One wonders how the USA can accept having such a contemptible man as its president and commander-in-chief.
January 23, 2026 at 8:10 PM
One wonders how the USA can accept having such a contemptible man as its president and commander-in-chief.
So obvious from recent events that Trump knows the Arctic will melt, knows the seas will rise, knows and effectively acknowledges that climate change is real. He just doesn't care. Cities can drown, agricultural land can turn to salt: he only wants to enjoy his blood money and power until he dies.
January 21, 2026 at 2:44 PM
So obvious from recent events that Trump knows the Arctic will melt, knows the seas will rise, knows and effectively acknowledges that climate change is real. He just doesn't care. Cities can drown, agricultural land can turn to salt: he only wants to enjoy his blood money and power until he dies.
German study finds 96% of US tariff burden borne by itself; levies also weaken industrial competitiveness: expert - Global Times share.google/RcCNI6p5g3AD...
German study finds 96% of US tariff burden borne by itself; levies also weaken industrial competitiveness: expert
A new study released on Monday (local time) by a German economic research institute shows that the vast majority of tariffs imposed by the US government are ultimately borne within the US economy itse...
share.google
January 21, 2026 at 12:08 PM
German study finds 96% of US tariff burden borne by itself; levies also weaken industrial competitiveness: expert - Global Times share.google/RcCNI6p5g3AD...
Sure, Jeremy, but under the pressures we have now from big oil, the oligarchs' social media companies and their political wings, democracies also die gradually, then suddenly.
BBC News - Bowen: Authoritarian regimes die gradually then suddenly, but Iran is not there yet
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
BBC News - Bowen: Authoritarian regimes die gradually then suddenly, but Iran is not there yet
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Jeremy Bowen: Authoritarian regimes die gradually then suddenly, but Iran is not there yet
The regime's opponents will hope for more pressure to accelerate the process, writes the BBC's international editor.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 13, 2026 at 7:38 PM
Sure, Jeremy, but under the pressures we have now from big oil, the oligarchs' social media companies and their political wings, democracies also die gradually, then suddenly.
BBC News - Bowen: Authoritarian regimes die gradually then suddenly, but Iran is not there yet
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
BBC News - Bowen: Authoritarian regimes die gradually then suddenly, but Iran is not there yet
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Prof Nick Cowern 🌍
very disappointing.
There is a code of conduct for Royal Society fellows - it's not a value judgement to say that Musk has contravened it!
see relevant bits of code and the Royal Society stated values below.
There is a code of conduct for Royal Society fellows - it's not a value judgement to say that Musk has contravened it!
see relevant bits of code and the Royal Society stated values below.
January 9, 2026 at 5:11 PM
very disappointing.
There is a code of conduct for Royal Society fellows - it's not a value judgement to say that Musk has contravened it!
see relevant bits of code and the Royal Society stated values below.
There is a code of conduct for Royal Society fellows - it's not a value judgement to say that Musk has contravened it!
see relevant bits of code and the Royal Society stated values below.
Trump's greatest achievements - to meet the short-term needs of an obsolete global industry, fossil fuels, that seeks to survive a few years longer, and to lie constantly about the flourishing global industry that's replacing it as we speak.
Trump: "All you have to do is say to China, how many windmill areas do you have in China? So far they're not able to find any."
China:
China:
January 10, 2026 at 6:08 AM
Trump's greatest achievements - to meet the short-term needs of an obsolete global industry, fossil fuels, that seeks to survive a few years longer, and to lie constantly about the flourishing global industry that's replacing it as we speak.
Reposted by Prof Nick Cowern 🌍
Let's call a spade a spade: Kristi Noem watched the videos and doesn't want an impartial investigation because she knows her narrative about domestic terrorism is bullshit. www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
FBI takes over investigation into fatal shooting of Renee Good
State investigators say they are off the case, and the FBI is now solely in charge.
www.mprnews.org
January 8, 2026 at 7:51 PM
Let's call a spade a spade: Kristi Noem watched the videos and doesn't want an impartial investigation because she knows her narrative about domestic terrorism is bullshit. www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
So it's support protesters in Iran but shoot them (like Iran) in Minnesota? After not much more than one year, America has fallen into barbarity.
January 9, 2026 at 10:13 AM
So it's support protesters in Iran but shoot them (like Iran) in Minnesota? After not much more than one year, America has fallen into barbarity.
Words of a humanity that Trump, Putin or Netanyahu could never understand, but will long survive them.
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
A moment that changed me: in the bombed-out ruins of an apartment block, I saw a book I’d translated
The sight of my work, torn and singed but still legible, made me realise the importance of translating and protecting stories – so they remain when everything else falls away
www.theguardian.com
January 7, 2026 at 11:19 AM
Words of a humanity that Trump, Putin or Netanyahu could never understand, but will long survive them.
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
How can anyone say this was unpredictable? He is acting exactly as promised. The fault lies in having comprehensively ignored and discounted his statements.
'BBC News - Chris Mason: Greenland and Ukraine point to Trump's head-spinning unpredictability'
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
'BBC News - Chris Mason: Greenland and Ukraine point to Trump's head-spinning unpredictability'
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Chris Mason: Greenland and Ukraine point to Trump's head-spinning unpredictability
This week has seen two case studies in how Europe is trying to bind the US into its future, writes the BBC's political editor.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 7, 2026 at 8:53 AM
How can anyone say this was unpredictable? He is acting exactly as promised. The fault lies in having comprehensively ignored and discounted his statements.
'BBC News - Chris Mason: Greenland and Ukraine point to Trump's head-spinning unpredictability'
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
'BBC News - Chris Mason: Greenland and Ukraine point to Trump's head-spinning unpredictability'
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Honesty, courage and compassion are now survival tools. When did we last hear this - from Confucius?
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
It is not the Earth’s future at stake in the climate crisis – it is ours | Letters
Letters: As we edge towards an irreversible point, the climate becomes less a challenge to manage and more a hostile environment in which many will struggle to live, writes Keith Nicholls. Plus letter...
www.theguardian.com
January 5, 2026 at 4:45 PM
Honesty, courage and compassion are now survival tools. When did we last hear this - from Confucius?
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
In a world where the law of the strongest applies, Europe and the UK must unite and build strength - and not delay for a moment in doing so.
January 5, 2026 at 3:50 PM
In a world where the law of the strongest applies, Europe and the UK must unite and build strength - and not delay for a moment in doing so.
Reposted by Prof Nick Cowern 🌍
To retrofit rather than demolish & rebuild isn't just about supporting the community, but also about the urgency of climate & environmental measures, & for councils to lead the way. From a government report on "Environmental sustainability & housing growth" publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cm...
January 1, 2026 at 3:46 PM
To retrofit rather than demolish & rebuild isn't just about supporting the community, but also about the urgency of climate & environmental measures, & for councils to lead the way. From a government report on "Environmental sustainability & housing growth" publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cm...
Reposted by Prof Nick Cowern 🌍
This is some kind of absurdist planners and councillors dream, perhaps to justify spending the money they've been awarded? With over £200k per home they could be made into zero bills homes, retrofitted to near passivhaus standards, and with extra bedrooms in the attic space.
January 1, 2026 at 3:40 PM
This is some kind of absurdist planners and councillors dream, perhaps to justify spending the money they've been awarded? With over £200k per home they could be made into zero bills homes, retrofitted to near passivhaus standards, and with extra bedrooms in the attic space.
Reposted by Prof Nick Cowern 🌍
Absolutely. This plan is wrong from so many angles it's hard to criticise it in one message. Basically Blackpool's plan is like a sieve designed to hold water.
January 1, 2026 at 3:49 PM
Absolutely. This plan is wrong from so many angles it's hard to criticise it in one message. Basically Blackpool's plan is like a sieve designed to hold water.
Reposted by Prof Nick Cowern 🌍
Demolishing an “excellent example of early 20th century terraced housing that has been proven suitable for a successful and sustainable residential community” is the worst of ignorant 1960s policy. Don't kill the community, spend the money on restoration/retrofit!
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Hundreds of Blackpool families to be evicted in ‘mass dispersion’ of vulnerable people
Up to 400 homes face demolition under a £90m regeneration scheme that promises only 230 replacement properties
www.theguardian.com
January 1, 2026 at 3:19 PM
Demolishing an “excellent example of early 20th century terraced housing that has been proven suitable for a successful and sustainable residential community” is the worst of ignorant 1960s policy. Don't kill the community, spend the money on restoration/retrofit!
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Demolishing an “excellent example of early 20th century terraced housing that has been proven suitable for a successful and sustainable residential community” is the worst of ignorant 1960s policy. Don't kill the community, spend the money on restoration/retrofit!
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Hundreds of Blackpool families to be evicted in ‘mass dispersion’ of vulnerable people
Up to 400 homes face demolition under a £90m regeneration scheme that promises only 230 replacement properties
www.theguardian.com
January 1, 2026 at 3:19 PM
Demolishing an “excellent example of early 20th century terraced housing that has been proven suitable for a successful and sustainable residential community” is the worst of ignorant 1960s policy. Don't kill the community, spend the money on restoration/retrofit!
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
What's next? A ban on folk opposed to gun violence?
www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
UK politics: Government says it is ‘fully committed to free speech’ after campaigners’ US visa ban – as it happened
Imran Ahmed and Clare Melford among five Europeans hit with visa bans over claims they wish to ‘suppress American viewpoints they oppose’
www.theguardian.com
December 24, 2025 at 6:22 PM
What's next? A ban on folk opposed to gun violence?
www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
An interesting perspective, to identify twisted, hateful falsehoods as "American perspectives".
www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
Two British anti-hate speech campaigners sanctioned by US state department – UK politics live
Imran Ahmed and Clare Melford among five Europeans hit with visa bans over claims they wish to ‘suppress American viewpoints they oppose’
www.theguardian.com
December 24, 2025 at 9:50 AM
An interesting perspective, to identify twisted, hateful falsehoods as "American perspectives".
www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...