Prof Richard Betts
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richardabetts.bsky.social
Prof Richard Betts
@richardabetts.bsky.social
17K followers 760 following 170 posts

Climate scientist, University of Exeter and Met Office. Expert Adviser to the Adaptation Committee of the Climate Change Committee. Lead author IPCC AR4, AR5 & AR6. Live music lover, supporter of grassroots venues. Cycles a lot, rock climbs occasionally. .. more

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Richard Arthur Betts is Head of the Climate Impacts strategic area at the Met Office Hadley Centre in Exeter, United Kingdom. He is also chair in Climate Impacts at the University of Exeter and the Principal Investigator of the EU FP7 project HELIX. He was a lead author for Working Group I and a contributing author for Working Group II of the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report. He was a lead author for Working Group II of the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report. He is an editor for the International Journal of Global Warming, the Journal of Environmental Investing, and for Earth System Dynamics. He was appointed MBE in the 2019 Birthday Honours. .. more

Environmental science 58%
Geography 17%
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richardabetts.bsky.social
Prof Richard Betts @richardabetts.bsky.social · Sep 8
Looking forward to a 4th term an IPCC Lead Author! I've dotted around a bit over the years:

AR4 - WG1 Radiative Forcing (focussing on land use)
AR5 - WG2 Terrestrial Ecosystems
AR6 - WG2 Water
AR7 - WG1 Global Projections

Always fantastic to work with international colleagues and learn from them

richardabetts.bsky.social
Prof Richard Betts @richardabetts.bsky.social · 2d
Thanks! Hadn’t heard he’d died cos out of touch travelling otherwise yes it would have been obvious!

richardabetts.bsky.social
Prof Richard Betts @richardabetts.bsky.social · 2d
Who? Sorry if this should be obvious!

Reposted by Peter Thorne, Richard Betts

andyreisinger.bsky.social
Andy Reisinger @andyreisinger.bsky.social · 3d
The sad thing is, I remember sketching changes in temperature and heavy precip distributions in exactly this way in the early 2000s, just to now watch it play out.

The animation very much reminds me of an angry beast pulling on its chains; and they are tearing loose...
lymecfs.bsky.social Sebastiaan Deetman @lymecfs.bsky.social · 4d
Exactly! Which makes the real climate shift way scarier. Like shown by the data from svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5452/

richardabetts.bsky.social
Prof Richard Betts @richardabetts.bsky.social · 8d
Our big experiment in the Amazon rainforest

AmazonFACE will use Free Air CO2 Enrichment ("FACE") methods to study the effect of elevated CO2 on the forest

We'll study the impacts on carbon, water and nutrient cycles and biodiversity, and use this to improve models

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaq0...
Como funciona o AmazonFACE, megaexoerimento inédito com torres gigantes que 'cospem' CO2 na Amazônia
YouTube video by Folha de S.Paulo
www.youtube.com

richardabetts.bsky.social
Prof Richard Betts @richardabetts.bsky.social · 14d
*** 1 metre of rain ***
metoffice.gov.uk Met Office - weather and climate @metoffice.gov.uk · 14d
Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm, is forecast to bring catastrophic damage to parts of the Caribbean

The mountains of Jamaica could receive 1 metre of rain, resulting in life-threatening flash flooding and landslides

Destructive winds and storm surges are also likely

Reposted by Richard Betts

metoffice.gov.uk
Met Office - weather and climate @metoffice.gov.uk · 14d
Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm, is forecast to bring catastrophic damage to parts of the Caribbean

The mountains of Jamaica could receive 1 metre of rain, resulting in life-threatening flash flooding and landslides

Destructive winds and storm surges are also likely

richardabetts.bsky.social
Prof Richard Betts @richardabetts.bsky.social · 20d
Last year the driver of this van illegally passed through a bus gate, deliberately drove at people holding a “Safe Streets Now” banner, hit one of them, then drove off

Today at Exeter Crown Court he was found guilty of dangerous driving and banned for 12 months

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-engl...
Exeter: Van filmed being driven through traffic protest
Police investigate after it was reported that a Safe Streets Now protester was struck by the van.
www.bbc.co.uk

richardabetts.bsky.social
Prof Richard Betts @richardabetts.bsky.social · 21d
Of course! Leaving the EU was a huge mistake. It took away our freedom of movement, created extra bureaucracy and damaged trade, and didn’t “save money” as falsely promised. The UK is quite clearly worse off as a result. We should rejoin as soon as possible 🇪🇺

www.express.co.uk/news/politic...
POLL: Is Rachel Reeves right to blame Brexit for state of UK economy? | Politics | News | Express.co.uk
The Chancellor's comments come ahead of expected tax hikes in the autumn Budget next month.
www.express.co.uk

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster, Fernanda Alves

richardabetts.bsky.social
Prof Richard Betts @richardabetts.bsky.social · 23d
Yes the CO2 rise 2023-2024 was faster than we predicted at Mauna Loa and was a record rise there - now the WMO confirm the global mean rise was also a record

Also the rate of CO2 rise is now above the IPCC scenarios that limit global warming to 1.5C

www.carbonbrief.org/met-office-a...

Reposted by Peter Thorne, Richard Betts, Jan S. Fuglestvedt , and 2 more

annualreviews.bsky.social
Annual Reviews @annualreviews.bsky.social · Oct 10
📣 2025 volume of the Annual Review of Environment and Science is online! Most read article is "Overshoot: A Conceptual Review of Exceeding and Returning to Global Warming of 1.5°C" arevie.ws/3IF0OKf @andyreisinger.bsky.social @janfuglestvedt.bsky.social @chrisd-jones.bsky.social

richardabetts.bsky.social
Prof Richard Betts @richardabetts.bsky.social · Oct 10
Yep all good thanks!

richardabetts.bsky.social
Prof Richard Betts @richardabetts.bsky.social · Oct 10
Just boarding the Eurostar at Brussels myself now! Arrived from Munich via Frankfurt. Glad you had a good trip, and thanks for promoting international rail travel! 🚆😀
Photo of the front of the Eurostar train at a station platform, with grey, blue and yellow livery

Reposted by John Kennedy, Anders Levermann, Richard Betts , and 1 more

climateofgavin.bsky.social
Gavin Schmidt @climateofgavin.bsky.social · Oct 9
This is a good corrective to the BS narrative flowing through the Pielke/AEI/NYP/EID/DOE nexus. Their argument is designed so that we can never ever attribute extreme events to emissions - even singular events that would have *never* [for some suitable finite approximation] have happened before.

Reposted by Martin McKee, Dorothy Bishop, Simon L. Lewis , and 20 more

chrischirp.bsky.social
Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · Oct 9
🧵🚨

The UK’s independent scientific bodies are highly vulnerable to politicisation - over the past 5 months I've been working with @martinmckee.bsky.social to map out their vulnerabilities and it's not good news.

Today our report is published!
www.ucl.ac.uk/policy-lab/n...

1/11
UK’s arm’s length public bodies are highly vulnerable to politicisation
Seven in ten Britons say it is important for top scientific institutions to be independent in exclusive new polling.
www.ucl.ac.uk

Reposted by Richard Betts, Martina Angela Caretta

carbonbrief.org
Carbon Brief @carbonbrief.org · Oct 8
NEW – Experts: The key ‘unknowns’ of overshooting the 1.5C global-warming limit | @ceciliakeating.carbonbrief.org and @rtmcswee.carbonbrief.org

Read here: buff.ly/yPWMH59
Experts: The key ‘unknowns’ of overshooting the 1.5C global-warming limit - Carbon Brief
On the sidelines of a conference, Carbon Brief asked a range of experts what they consider to be the key “unknowns” around overshoot.
buff.ly

richardabetts.bsky.social
Prof Richard Betts @richardabetts.bsky.social · Oct 8
Great to visit the Kransberg ROOF experiment at the Technical University of Munich, studying the effects of drought on a mixed temperate forest 🌲🌳

Always fun to fly above the treetops in a canopy crane 🙂

www.plant-ecology.info/kroof-kranzb...
Photo of Richard Betts wearing a red helmet and standing in the basket of a crane above the treetops of a spruce and beech forest, with cloudy skies

Reposted by Richard Betts

anonopin.bsky.social
Anon Opin @anonopin.bsky.social · Oct 6
The green cross code is the most disastrous public information campaign in history. It has made generations believe that pedestrians are responsible for avoiding crashes. Crashes are actually the responsibility of the operators of the massive motorised lumps of metal.

Reposted by Hans Henrik Bruun, Ben Bond‐Lamberty, Richard Betts

olivierhonnay.bsky.social
Olivier Honnay @olivierhonnay.bsky.social · Oct 3
📢 Vacancy: I am urgently recruiting a PhD candidate to join a project on selection processes in pedunculate oak.
📅 Start date: no later than December 1st.

Reposted by Richard Betts

stottpeter.bsky.social
Peter Stott @stottpeter.bsky.social · Oct 3
Trust me to be giving a talk at the Moray Climate Action Network Climate Conference on the day a severe storm arrives in the area. I'll be talking about the influence of climate change on storms in this part of Scotland as well as my experiences with climate change denial. www.moraycan.org.uk

Reposted by Du Toit, Richard Betts

nixrust.bsky.social
Nix Rust @nixrust.bsky.social · Oct 2
Kemi Badenoch has vowed to repeal the UK’s Climate Change Act, a move so reckless it demands more scrutiny than polite debate. This matters not just for polar bears or coral reefs, but for our people, our economy, our very future.

#ClimateChange #ClimateEmergency
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Kemi Badenoch vows to repeal Climate Change Act
Tory leader says she would replace it with ‘cheap energy’ strategy, ending decades-long consensus on climate
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Richard Betts

20splenty.bsky.social
20's Plenty for Us @20splenty.bsky.social · Sep 29
If 2 years ago UKGov had set a 20mph urban/village default at the same time as Wales then since then there would have been 30,000 fewer injuries and fatalities on English roads and drivers/business would have saved £4bn in insurance premiums. bit.ly/4gIBPlJ

Reposted by Valerie M. Delmotte, Brian J. Enquist, Richard Betts , and 8 more

meadekrosby.bsky.social
Meade Krosby @meadekrosby.bsky.social · Sep 28
Despite broad political support, one third of the nation's Climate Adaptation Science Centers will wind down in coming days due to lack of funds.

The Northeast, South Central, and Pacific Islands will be left without actionable science on drought, floods, wildfire, sea level rise and other hazards.
Trump officials shut off funding for climate adaptation centers
A third of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Climate Adaptation Science Centers are expected to drastically wind down and possibly close after Sept. 30.
www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Richard Betts

globalecoguy.bsky.social
Dr. Jonathan Foley @globalecoguy.bsky.social · Sep 28
Yes! If we want people to listen to science, then don’t put it all behind a bloody paywall.
scientificdiscovery.dev Saloni @scientificdiscovery.dev · Sep 28
In general I think it's hard to combat scientific misinformation when some of the best research is locked behind an academic paywall, while lots of nonsense gets published free for everyone to read in predatory journals.

Reposted by Michael E. Mann, Richard Betts

madhupai.bsky.social
Madhu Pai, MD, PhD @madhupai.bsky.social · Sep 27
“What Trump is really doing is advancing a plan laid down years ago by plutocrats and polluters. And making a mockery of our country as he does so” @michaelemann.bsky.social

www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/open...
I’m a climate scientist. Trump’s U.N. address is a fire hose of misinformation
OPINION: “What Trump is really doing is advancing a plan laid down years ago by plutocrats and polluters. And making a mockery of our country as he does so,” Michael E. Mann writes.
www.sfchronicle.com

Reposted by Simon L. Lewis, Richard Betts

ianfraser.bsky.social
Ian Fraser @ianfraser.bsky.social · Sep 26
🚨 This is serious. Ex Reform UK leader in Wales, Nathan Gill, 52, pleads guilty to accepting bribes in exchange for making pro-Russia statements in the European Parliament when serving as a UKIP MEP.
Ex-Reform leader pleads guilty to Pro-Russia bribery charges
The former leader of Reform UK in Wales has pleaded guilty to numerous bribery charges relating to pro-Russian statements.
caerphilly.observer

Reposted by Richard Betts

roadcc.bsky.social
road.cc @roadcc.bsky.social · Sep 26
More than a quarter of Londoners say they are now more likely to cycle following the recent Tube strike disruption
In the aftermath of tube strike chaos, 28% of Londoners say they are now more likely to cycle in future
Bike hire firms admit spike in cycle traffic "exceeded expectations", as campaigners urge politicians to deliver on cycling's "huge untapped potential as a safe, healthy transport mode"
road.cc

Reposted by Richard Betts

viktoriaspaiser.bsky.social
Viktoria Spaiser @viktoriaspaiser.bsky.social · Sep 20
If you’re in Leeds on the 15th of October, come to my inaugural lecture on “Facing Accelerating Climate Change Threat - Exploring Future Trajectories, Surveying the Past and the Present” www.tickettailor.com/events/fssev...
Select tickets – "Facing Accelerating Climate Change Threat": A Faculty Inaugural Lecture by Professor Viktoria Spaiser – Liberty Building (Moot Court) LT (1.28), University of Leeds
"Facing Accelerating Climate Change Threat": A Faculty Inaugural Lecture by Professor Viktoria Spaiser – Liberty Building (Moot Court) LT (1.28), University of Leeds, Wed 15 Oct 2025 - We are delighte...
www.tickettailor.com

Reposted by Paul R. Bierman, Richard Betts, Patrick A. Jansen , and 11 more

govpritzker.illinois.gov
Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · Sep 18
This is the playbook, folks.

If you're not paying attention now and doing something about it, then you're going to have to sit down the rest of your life because democracy is being taken away.

Do not be quiet in this moment.

Reposted by Richard Betts

shobha-maharaj.bsky.social
Shobha Maharaj @shobha-maharaj.bsky.social · Sep 17
Silence sustains the status quo. We chose courage.
Our essay, Adverse Climate, uses IPCC AR6 as a case study to expose exclusion of GS & POC in global science — and propose change.
Republished today on EarthArXiv.
📄 Read here: doi.org/10.31223/X5W...

#ClimateJustice #IPCC #DEI
Adverse Climate: Addressing Inclusion and Diversity Issues in the IPCC's Sixth Assessment and beyond
doi.org

Reposted by James M. Bullock, Richard Betts

zoejardiniere.bsky.social
Zoe Gardner @zoejardiniere.bsky.social · Sep 17
you gotta love @fossilfreeldn.bsky.social @ledbydonkeys.org & @everyonehateselon.bsky.social!

JOIN IN TODAY IN LONDON #r4today