John Mitchell
@rise2climate.bsky.social
Engineer, Woodsman, Nuclear Submarines and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation. Gardening and Canning.
Reposted by John Mitchell
Sand batteries are literally just silos of sand that retain heat exceptionally well -- so well that they can be tied to heat exchange systems to serve as proxy *electrical* batteries. Finland's new model can store enough power (100 MWh) to heat an entire town for a week.
newatlas.com/energy/large...
newatlas.com/energy/large...
The world's largest sand battery just went live in Finland
Finland has inaugurated an industrial-scale sand battery this week in the southern town of Pornainen, where it'll take over heating duties from an old woodchip power plant for the municipality. It's s...
newatlas.com
August 29, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Sand batteries are literally just silos of sand that retain heat exceptionally well -- so well that they can be tied to heat exchange systems to serve as proxy *electrical* batteries. Finland's new model can store enough power (100 MWh) to heat an entire town for a week.
newatlas.com/energy/large...
newatlas.com/energy/large...
Reposted by John Mitchell
Our solarpunk present is shaping up to be a weird mix of thermopunk, electropunk, and cyberpunk (derogatory).
Sand batteries are literally just silos of sand that retain heat exceptionally well -- so well that they can be tied to heat exchange systems to serve as proxy *electrical* batteries. Finland's new model can store enough power (100 MWh) to heat an entire town for a week.
newatlas.com/energy/large...
newatlas.com/energy/large...
The world's largest sand battery just went live in Finland
Finland has inaugurated an industrial-scale sand battery this week in the southern town of Pornainen, where it'll take over heating duties from an old woodchip power plant for the municipality. It's s...
newatlas.com
August 30, 2025 at 2:56 AM
Our solarpunk present is shaping up to be a weird mix of thermopunk, electropunk, and cyberpunk (derogatory).
Reposted by John Mitchell
BREAKING: Israeli strikes on Nasser Hospital in Gaza killed at least 15 people, including three journalists, one of whom worked for Reuters, Palestinian health officials said reut.rs/45OFPfr
August 25, 2025 at 8:34 AM
BREAKING: Israeli strikes on Nasser Hospital in Gaza killed at least 15 people, including three journalists, one of whom worked for Reuters, Palestinian health officials said reut.rs/45OFPfr
317,000 is a gross underestimate.
📌We have never made near enough of the fact that 317,000 lives in the United States would have been saved during the COVID pandemic had people just gotten vaccinated.
That's a staggering number, and we have sickos who don't value life like Donald Trump and RFK Jr. to thank for it.
That's a staggering number, and we have sickos who don't value life like Donald Trump and RFK Jr. to thank for it.
August 10, 2025 at 1:18 PM
317,000 is a gross underestimate.
Reposted by John Mitchell
Globally, roughly a third more power is being generated from the sun this spring than last. If this exponential rate of growth can continue, we will soon live in a very different world, @billmckibben.bsky.social writes.
4.6 Billion Years On, the Sun Is Having a Moment
In the past two years, without much notice, solar power has begun to truly transform the world’s energy system.
www.newyorker.com
July 19, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Globally, roughly a third more power is being generated from the sun this spring than last. If this exponential rate of growth can continue, we will soon live in a very different world, @billmckibben.bsky.social writes.
Reposted by John Mitchell
Following a relatively cool May, the odds of 2025 being warm enough to set a new annual record have fallen to only 5.8%.
More likely, 2025 will become either then 2nd or 3rd warmest year on record.
berkeleyearth.org/may-2025-tem...
More likely, 2025 will become either then 2nd or 3rd warmest year on record.
berkeleyearth.org/may-2025-tem...
June 11, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Following a relatively cool May, the odds of 2025 being warm enough to set a new annual record have fallen to only 5.8%.
More likely, 2025 will become either then 2nd or 3rd warmest year on record.
berkeleyearth.org/may-2025-tem...
More likely, 2025 will become either then 2nd or 3rd warmest year on record.
berkeleyearth.org/may-2025-tem...
Reposted by John Mitchell
The @wmo-global.bsky.social latest report is a stark warning: we're nearing 2°C warming by 2030, with alarming predictions for the next 5 years. Our Prof. @soniaseneviratne.bsky.social calls it a "climate emergency." (...) which, among other crises, we shouldn't forget.
time.com/7290141/wmo-...
time.com/7290141/wmo-...
How Soon Should Companies Prepare for a 2°C World?
The WMO warns global temperatures could rise 2°C by 2030. The findings should push companies to take a hard look at how prepared they are.
time.com
June 3, 2025 at 12:48 PM
The @wmo-global.bsky.social latest report is a stark warning: we're nearing 2°C warming by 2030, with alarming predictions for the next 5 years. Our Prof. @soniaseneviratne.bsky.social calls it a "climate emergency." (...) which, among other crises, we shouldn't forget.
time.com/7290141/wmo-...
time.com/7290141/wmo-...
Reposted by John Mitchell
Looks like we finally have an explanation for why the Atlantic (and, by extension, the Earth) was so warm of 2023. From Matt England et al.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Drivers of the extreme North Atlantic marine heatwave during 2023 - Nature
Atmospheric reanalyses combined with ocean observations and model simulations show that the extreme 2023 North Atlantic heatwave was primarily driven by anomalously weak winds leading to strongly shoa...
www.nature.com
June 4, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Looks like we finally have an explanation for why the Atlantic (and, by extension, the Earth) was so warm of 2023. From Matt England et al.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by John Mitchell
Human exceptionalism—believing replacing natural ecosystems with artificial ones enhances biodiversity. It’s never happened. The studies claiming a massive return of fish & marine megafauna were likely conducted by the project proponents themselves. 🙄
www.euronews.com/green/2025/0...
www.euronews.com/green/2025/0...
World’s most powerful underwater turbines are coming to French coast
One of France's first commercial-scale tidal energy pilot projects, NH1 is due to supply thousands of locals with clean electricity.
www.euronews.com
March 30, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Human exceptionalism—believing replacing natural ecosystems with artificial ones enhances biodiversity. It’s never happened. The studies claiming a massive return of fish & marine megafauna were likely conducted by the project proponents themselves. 🙄
www.euronews.com/green/2025/0...
www.euronews.com/green/2025/0...
My homage to the poet
March 11, 2025 at 12:28 PM
My homage to the poet
Reposted by John Mitchell
I have a piece out today in @naturesustain.bsky.social arguing that we should be realistic -- or even pessimistic -- about the potential for climate adaptation.
rdcu.be/d9Rue
rdcu.be/d9Rue
Present and future limits to climate change adaptation
Nature Sustainability - While adaptation to climate and environmental impacts is assumed for future development, this Perspective provides evidence that adaptation may be more limited or even...
rdcu.be
February 14, 2025 at 5:18 PM
I have a piece out today in @naturesustain.bsky.social arguing that we should be realistic -- or even pessimistic -- about the potential for climate adaptation.
rdcu.be/d9Rue
rdcu.be/d9Rue
Reposted by John Mitchell
We've released the Berkeley Earth temperature update for January 2025: berkeleyearth.org/ja...
It was the warmest January on record at 1.64C above preindustrial levels, and 0.09°C above the prior record set in 2024.
It was the warmest January on record at 1.64C above preindustrial levels, and 0.09°C above the prior record set in 2024.
February 11, 2025 at 5:48 PM
We've released the Berkeley Earth temperature update for January 2025: berkeleyearth.org/ja...
It was the warmest January on record at 1.64C above preindustrial levels, and 0.09°C above the prior record set in 2024.
It was the warmest January on record at 1.64C above preindustrial levels, and 0.09°C above the prior record set in 2024.
Reposted by John Mitchell
Fifth largest economy in the world.
"California’s power plants burned 40% less fossil fuel for electricity last year compared to 2023"
"California’s power plants burned 40% less fossil fuel for electricity last year compared to 2023"
Some good news: California’s power plants burned 40% less fossil fuel for electricity last year compared to 2023, with battery storage doubled.
“Every major renewable—geothermal, hydro, wind, solar in particular, even offshore wind—is lower cost than fossil fuels”
grist.org/energy/calif...
“Every major renewable—geothermal, hydro, wind, solar in particular, even offshore wind—is lower cost than fossil fuels”
grist.org/energy/calif...
California just debunked a big myth about renewable energy
Are renewables reliable? A new study says California ran on renewables alone for a record number of days last year.
grist.org
January 31, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Fifth largest economy in the world.
"California’s power plants burned 40% less fossil fuel for electricity last year compared to 2023"
"California’s power plants burned 40% less fossil fuel for electricity last year compared to 2023"
Reposted by John Mitchell
And just like that, my new award from the @StateDept to help Pakistan grapple with air pollution and climate change is no more, thanks to this new administration
January 27, 2025 at 6:01 PM
And just like that, my new award from the @StateDept to help Pakistan grapple with air pollution and climate change is no more, thanks to this new administration
Reposted by John Mitchell
Global surface temperatures set a new record in 2024, exceeding 1.5C above preindustrial levels in the majority of datasets.
It was more than 0.1C warmer than the prior record set in 2023, and more than 0.25C warmer than any year prior to that: www.carbonbrief.org/...
It was more than 0.1C warmer than the prior record set in 2023, and more than 0.25C warmer than any year prior to that: www.carbonbrief.org/...
January 10, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Global surface temperatures set a new record in 2024, exceeding 1.5C above preindustrial levels in the majority of datasets.
It was more than 0.1C warmer than the prior record set in 2023, and more than 0.25C warmer than any year prior to that: www.carbonbrief.org/...
It was more than 0.1C warmer than the prior record set in 2023, and more than 0.25C warmer than any year prior to that: www.carbonbrief.org/...
Reposted by John Mitchell
This will get a bit lost in the shuffle of everything, but glaciologists in Antarctica have finally drilled a continuous ice core stretching past 1 million years. Congrats to the Beyond EPICA team! Can't wait to see the results.
Scientists drill nearly 2 miles down to pull 1.2 million-year-old ice core from Antarctic
Analysis of the ancient ice is expected to show how Earth’s atmosphere and climate have evolved.
www.nbcnews.com
January 9, 2025 at 7:33 PM
This will get a bit lost in the shuffle of everything, but glaciologists in Antarctica have finally drilled a continuous ice core stretching past 1 million years. Congrats to the Beyond EPICA team! Can't wait to see the results.
Reposted by John Mitchell
On The Climate Brink, great article by Zeke @hausfath.bsky.social about the factors driving global warming and how they are changing. Very relevant to discussions of why 2023/24 was so hot.
www.theclimatebrink.com/p/exploring-...
www.theclimatebrink.com/p/exploring-...
Exploring the drivers of modern global warming
By using a simple climate model, we can disentangle greenhouse gases, aerosols, and natural forcings.
www.theclimatebrink.com
January 6, 2025 at 4:50 PM
On The Climate Brink, great article by Zeke @hausfath.bsky.social about the factors driving global warming and how they are changing. Very relevant to discussions of why 2023/24 was so hot.
www.theclimatebrink.com/p/exploring-...
www.theclimatebrink.com/p/exploring-...
Reposted by John Mitchell
The results from BloombergNEF's 2024 lithium-ion battery price survey are out. Lithium-ion battery pack prices dropped 20% from 2023 to a record low of $115 per kilowatt-hour. This is the largest decline observed in our survey since 2017. 🧵⬇️
December 10, 2024 at 3:50 PM
The results from BloombergNEF's 2024 lithium-ion battery price survey are out. Lithium-ion battery pack prices dropped 20% from 2023 to a record low of $115 per kilowatt-hour. This is the largest decline observed in our survey since 2017. 🧵⬇️
Enjoying a presentation by Dr. Lori T Sentman of GFDL on ECS determinations using new model updates!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVUm...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVUm...
ECS-Cloud Feedback Symposium #39
YouTube video by NickLutsko
www.youtube.com
December 5, 2024 at 4:45 PM
Enjoying a presentation by Dr. Lori T Sentman of GFDL on ECS determinations using new model updates!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVUm...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVUm...
Reposted by John Mitchell
With 10 months completed, 2024 is almost certain to become a new record for the warmest year (>99% chance), beating the record set in 2023.
It will also almost certainly to exceed 1.5 °C (2.7 °C) above the preindustrial in our analysis.
9/
It will also almost certainly to exceed 1.5 °C (2.7 °C) above the preindustrial in our analysis.
9/
November 22, 2024 at 10:46 AM
With 10 months completed, 2024 is almost certain to become a new record for the warmest year (>99% chance), beating the record set in 2023.
It will also almost certainly to exceed 1.5 °C (2.7 °C) above the preindustrial in our analysis.
9/
It will also almost certainly to exceed 1.5 °C (2.7 °C) above the preindustrial in our analysis.
9/
Reposted by John Mitchell
"the apparent non-linear behaviour of the radiative response of the Earth against GMST seen in classical monovariate EBMs / Gregory plots can actually be explained by a bilinear dependance of the radiative response of the Earth on the GMST and the pattern of warming."
doi.org/10.1175/JCLI...
doi.org/10.1175/JCLI...
Revisiting the global energy budget dynamics with a multivariate Earth energy balance model to accou...
Abstract Climate feedbacks are sensitive to the geographical distribution of Sea Surface Temperature (SST). This sensitivity, called the pattern effect, affects the amplitude of the Earth radiative re...
doi.org
October 16, 2023 at 11:57 AM
"the apparent non-linear behaviour of the radiative response of the Earth against GMST seen in classical monovariate EBMs / Gregory plots can actually be explained by a bilinear dependance of the radiative response of the Earth on the GMST and the pattern of warming."
doi.org/10.1175/JCLI...
doi.org/10.1175/JCLI...
Reposted by John Mitchell
I am absolutely delighted that all my favorite climate scientist colleagues from social media are here on bluesky now. You will not regret following a single one of these smart and committed human beings who are fighting for a better future for us all.
November 13, 2024 at 5:13 AM
I am absolutely delighted that all my favorite climate scientist colleagues from social media are here on bluesky now. You will not regret following a single one of these smart and committed human beings who are fighting for a better future for us all.
Reposted by John Mitchell
not saying anything groundbreaking here, but I really think "politics as a form of content to be served up and consumed like all other forms of content" has been an enormous, underrated disaster in terms of giving folks the illusion of being informed while essentially being gamed like a drug addict
November 14, 2024 at 1:26 AM
not saying anything groundbreaking here, but I really think "politics as a form of content to be served up and consumed like all other forms of content" has been an enormous, underrated disaster in terms of giving folks the illusion of being informed while essentially being gamed like a drug addict
So great to come back to blue sky and find the papers that I have been missing SO MUCH! Thank you! @andrewdessler.com
“Our results suggest that a new mode of internal variability will emerge in the #Arctic Ocean when sea ice declines below a critical threshold.” #climate #ocean #risk www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Emergence of a climate oscillation in the Arctic Ocean due to global warming - Nature Climate Change
Abrupt transitions in the climate system are discussed mostly in terms of mean state changes. Here, the authors use simulations to show that a decline in Arctic sea ice can lead to a new multidecadal ...
www.nature.com
November 12, 2024 at 4:45 PM
So great to come back to blue sky and find the papers that I have been missing SO MUCH! Thank you! @andrewdessler.com
Reposted by John Mitchell
"Witnesses said the Al Jazeera reporter was dragged away by Israeli forces, who also destroyed the broadcasting vehicles of news crews at the medical facility."
www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/...
www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/...
Al Jazeera journalist beaten, arrested by Israeli forces from Gaza hospital
Media watchdogs decry Ismail al-Ghoul’s arrest, demand his immediate release after he is taken from al-Shifa Hospital.
www.aljazeera.com
March 18, 2024 at 3:19 PM
"Witnesses said the Al Jazeera reporter was dragged away by Israeli forces, who also destroyed the broadcasting vehicles of news crews at the medical facility."
www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/...
www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/...