Chris Baraniuk
@chrisbaraniuk.com
Freelance science and technology journalist. 11+ years experience. Irish/Polish. I write for the BBC, Wired, the BMJ, The Guardian, and others!
Newsletter: thereengineer.pro
Portfolio: chrisbaraniuk.com
HQ: Belfast, Northern Ireland
Newsletter: thereengineer.pro
Portfolio: chrisbaraniuk.com
HQ: Belfast, Northern Ireland
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Chris Baraniuk
@chrisbaraniuk.com
· Nov 14
The Reengineer | Chris Baraniuk | Substack
A newsletter about how climate change affects technology and infrastructure – and what we can do about it. Click to read The Reengineer, by Chris Baraniuk, a Substack publication. Launched 13 minutes ...
www.thereengineer.pro
🚨I have a big announcement, everyone!!🚨
Today, I'm launching my newsletter: The Reengineer.
It’s about the surprising ways in which climate change is impacting technology, buildings and infrastructure – and how we can make those things more efficient, to slash emissions.
www.thereengineer.pro
Today, I'm launching my newsletter: The Reengineer.
It’s about the surprising ways in which climate change is impacting technology, buildings and infrastructure – and how we can make those things more efficient, to slash emissions.
www.thereengineer.pro
"All is fish that comes to the net."
November 10, 2025 at 9:57 PM
"All is fish that comes to the net."
"electrification is also the key to a dramatic improvement in energy efficiency, potentially reducing global final energy demand by 24% over the next 25 years, even as global GDP doubles"
A truly stunning point.
This is why I write about energy efficiency so much!
www.ft.com/content/7258...
A truly stunning point.
This is why I write about energy efficiency so much!
www.ft.com/content/7258...
Electrification is the key to energy efficiency
Productivity gains could cut final energy demand by nearly a quarter over the next 25 years, even as global GDP doubles
www.ft.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:45 PM
"electrification is also the key to a dramatic improvement in energy efficiency, potentially reducing global final energy demand by 24% over the next 25 years, even as global GDP doubles"
A truly stunning point.
This is why I write about energy efficiency so much!
www.ft.com/content/7258...
A truly stunning point.
This is why I write about energy efficiency so much!
www.ft.com/content/7258...
Reposted by Chris Baraniuk
Our trawl of methane data found the area near Drax has the UK's second highest levels:
share.google/kD4B26tD1Yl8...
2/2
share.google/kD4B26tD1Yl8...
2/2
UK’s methane hotspots include landfills and last coalmine
Greenpeace urges Labour to ‘fulfil international obligations’ as critics question accuracy of official data
share.google
November 9, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Our trawl of methane data found the area near Drax has the UK's second highest levels:
share.google/kD4B26tD1Yl8...
2/2
share.google/kD4B26tD1Yl8...
2/2
My wife is from Norfolk - I know the county fairly well. It's stunning. Has some of the best birdwatching in the country.
I was there in the extreme heat of 2022, and know how some of the coastline is crumbling.
Norfolk is a living lesson in what we have to lose, and how at risk it all is.
I was there in the extreme heat of 2022, and know how some of the coastline is crumbling.
Norfolk is a living lesson in what we have to lose, and how at risk it all is.
Climate threat to the Broads - swathes of land will have to be given up to be used as floodplains, to protect homes in areas around Breydon Water and along the Waveney Valley from flooding....
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Climate change threatening Norfolk and Suffolk Broads
The outgoing boss of the Broads Authority on the challenges facing his successor and the waterways.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 9, 2025 at 10:26 PM
My wife is from Norfolk - I know the county fairly well. It's stunning. Has some of the best birdwatching in the country.
I was there in the extreme heat of 2022, and know how some of the coastline is crumbling.
Norfolk is a living lesson in what we have to lose, and how at risk it all is.
I was there in the extreme heat of 2022, and know how some of the coastline is crumbling.
Norfolk is a living lesson in what we have to lose, and how at risk it all is.
Reposted by Chris Baraniuk
"Far from a peak, China's gasoline demand is estimated to have fallen 9% in October on the year to 12.5 million tons, with average daily use roughly flat with September..."
China's oil demand is entering structural decline.
China's oil demand is entering structural decline.
EVs put an end to China's usual holiday surge in gasoline use
Tianyu Jiang took a 2,000-km (1,200-mile) road trip this month during China's national holiday week, driving in his electric vehicle from the southwestern Sichuan basin to Beijing for the first time.
www.reuters.com
November 9, 2025 at 8:18 PM
"Far from a peak, China's gasoline demand is estimated to have fallen 9% in October on the year to 12.5 million tons, with average daily use roughly flat with September..."
China's oil demand is entering structural decline.
China's oil demand is entering structural decline.
Er, blimey. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cd...
BBC director general Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness resign over Trump documentary edit
Davie says
www.bbc.co.uk
November 9, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Er, blimey. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cd...
"Quartz Solar has halved forecasting errors, according to Open Climate Fix, equivalent to saving at least £30 million in imbalance cost per year, with potential to increase to £150 million per year in 2035 if government solar capacity targets are met."
www.pv-magazine.com/2025/11/07/a...
www.pv-magazine.com/2025/11/07/a...
AI powered solar forecasting helps UK grid operator reduce balancing costs
Open Climate Fix says its Quartz Solar tool saves Great Britain’s grid operator GBP 30 million ($39 million) per year through more accurate forecasting, which reduces the reserve capacity needed for b...
www.pv-magazine.com
November 9, 2025 at 10:20 AM
"Quartz Solar has halved forecasting errors, according to Open Climate Fix, equivalent to saving at least £30 million in imbalance cost per year, with potential to increase to £150 million per year in 2035 if government solar capacity targets are met."
www.pv-magazine.com/2025/11/07/a...
www.pv-magazine.com/2025/11/07/a...
Fun thread on a gizmo to remove microplastics from washing machine water.
Would be interesting to see this built in to washing machines as @stockfttp.bsky.social suggests. Like catalytic converters in cars...
Would be interesting to see this built in to washing machines as @stockfttp.bsky.social suggests. Like catalytic converters in cars...
Mine has arrived 🤩 (Royal Mail 48 delivering in 24 hours!!)
I actually sourced it on eBay for half the retail price. It appears to be a "Backer" unit, which couldn't be delivered due to the backer having moved home
I actually sourced it on eBay for half the retail price. It appears to be a "Backer" unit, which couldn't be delivered due to the backer having moved home
November 8, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Fun thread on a gizmo to remove microplastics from washing machine water.
Would be interesting to see this built in to washing machines as @stockfttp.bsky.social suggests. Like catalytic converters in cars...
Would be interesting to see this built in to washing machines as @stockfttp.bsky.social suggests. Like catalytic converters in cars...
Reposted by Chris Baraniuk
Some Heroes Don't Wear Capes. This past week the crew from A Safe Haven planted almost 140,000 bulbs along Chicago's Michigan Avenue. One of my favorite moments is hearing people driving by and saying "thank you" to workers. We'll see the results of their work in 6 months!
November 8, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Some Heroes Don't Wear Capes. This past week the crew from A Safe Haven planted almost 140,000 bulbs along Chicago's Michigan Avenue. One of my favorite moments is hearing people driving by and saying "thank you" to workers. We'll see the results of their work in 6 months!
It's PARSNIP TIME baby
November 8, 2025 at 2:15 PM
It's PARSNIP TIME baby
"In your eyes, faint as the singing of a lark
That somehow this black night
Feels warmer for the spark" - Jimmy McCarthy
That somehow this black night
Feels warmer for the spark" - Jimmy McCarthy
November 8, 2025 at 2:02 PM
"In your eyes, faint as the singing of a lark
That somehow this black night
Feels warmer for the spark" - Jimmy McCarthy
That somehow this black night
Feels warmer for the spark" - Jimmy McCarthy
"With climate change drying Britain out for longer periods in the future, we need to adapt to the climate we have now. Building new reservoirs will help, but we also need much more management of demand, and a more ambitious plan for water resilience.”
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
England facing drastic measures due to extreme drought next year
Government and water companies are devising emergency plans for worst water shortage in decades
www.theguardian.com
November 8, 2025 at 11:33 AM
"With climate change drying Britain out for longer periods in the future, we need to adapt to the climate we have now. Building new reservoirs will help, but we also need much more management of demand, and a more ambitious plan for water resilience.”
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Such a good article. Read it.
We should always be very wary of the meme-ification of science.
We should always be very wary of the meme-ification of science.
If I see one more stupid Rosalind Franklin take I'm going to lose my mind. Thank god for @matthewcobb.bsky.social and @nccomfort.bsky.social. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure
Franklin was no victim in how the DNA double helix was solved. An overlooked letter and an unpublished news article, both written in 1953, reveal that she was an equal player.
www.nature.com
November 8, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Such a good article. Read it.
We should always be very wary of the meme-ification of science.
We should always be very wary of the meme-ification of science.
Reposted by Chris Baraniuk
This week's Monitor is here. Every paying subscriber to The Reengineer gets this, *every* week. It has loads of links to stories and studies about heating & cooling; infrastructure resilience; renewables roll-out and so on.
This one is jam-packed, I tell you!
www.thereengineer.pro/p/a-battery-...
This one is jam-packed, I tell you!
www.thereengineer.pro/p/a-battery-...
A battery-equipped cooker: The Reengineer Monitor #48
London wildfire costs, Energy Star reprieve - and more!
www.thereengineer.pro
November 7, 2025 at 3:06 PM
This week's Monitor is here. Every paying subscriber to The Reengineer gets this, *every* week. It has loads of links to stories and studies about heating & cooling; infrastructure resilience; renewables roll-out and so on.
This one is jam-packed, I tell you!
www.thereengineer.pro/p/a-battery-...
This one is jam-packed, I tell you!
www.thereengineer.pro/p/a-battery-...
Ooh looks good.
Years of work and collab with an incredible team at #BBCStudios #AppleTV @framestore.bsky.social ... involving so many camera operators, writers, producers, effects people, artists and others, #PrehistoricPlanetaIceAge is out on #AppleTV Nov 26th. A definitive vision of Ice Age wildlife worldwide.
November 7, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Ooh looks good.
Reposted by Chris Baraniuk
James Watson, Co-Discoverer of the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97 www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
James Watson, Co-Discoverer of the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:48 PM
James Watson, Co-Discoverer of the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97 www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
Rather dismayed by this video.
It complains that media coverage of Awaab's law "demonises" landlords.
Sorry, what? Awaab Ishak died, tragically, because of mould exposure.
His family's social housing landlord had to *publicly apologise* for how it had treated them.
youtu.be/qolXcUkJ5lk?...
It complains that media coverage of Awaab's law "demonises" landlords.
Sorry, what? Awaab Ishak died, tragically, because of mould exposure.
His family's social housing landlord had to *publicly apologise* for how it had treated them.
youtu.be/qolXcUkJ5lk?...
The Truth About Awaab’s Law - What the Headlines Didn’t Tell You
YouTube video by Skill Builder
youtu.be
November 7, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Rather dismayed by this video.
It complains that media coverage of Awaab's law "demonises" landlords.
Sorry, what? Awaab Ishak died, tragically, because of mould exposure.
His family's social housing landlord had to *publicly apologise* for how it had treated them.
youtu.be/qolXcUkJ5lk?...
It complains that media coverage of Awaab's law "demonises" landlords.
Sorry, what? Awaab Ishak died, tragically, because of mould exposure.
His family's social housing landlord had to *publicly apologise* for how it had treated them.
youtu.be/qolXcUkJ5lk?...
This week's Monitor is here. Every paying subscriber to The Reengineer gets this, *every* week. It has loads of links to stories and studies about heating & cooling; infrastructure resilience; renewables roll-out and so on.
This one is jam-packed, I tell you!
www.thereengineer.pro/p/a-battery-...
This one is jam-packed, I tell you!
www.thereengineer.pro/p/a-battery-...
A battery-equipped cooker: The Reengineer Monitor #48
London wildfire costs, Energy Star reprieve - and more!
www.thereengineer.pro
November 7, 2025 at 3:06 PM
This week's Monitor is here. Every paying subscriber to The Reengineer gets this, *every* week. It has loads of links to stories and studies about heating & cooling; infrastructure resilience; renewables roll-out and so on.
This one is jam-packed, I tell you!
www.thereengineer.pro/p/a-battery-...
This one is jam-packed, I tell you!
www.thereengineer.pro/p/a-battery-...
Reposted by Chris Baraniuk
Le sigh
November 7, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Le sigh
I know "rain in Ireland" is not exactly a story 😂
But it has been raining so consistently here for weeks, it's a bit much even for me (I don't usually mind our weather). Can't get on with some key garden projects!
But it has been raining so consistently here for weeks, it's a bit much even for me (I don't usually mind our weather). Can't get on with some key garden projects!
November 7, 2025 at 1:54 PM
I know "rain in Ireland" is not exactly a story 😂
But it has been raining so consistently here for weeks, it's a bit much even for me (I don't usually mind our weather). Can't get on with some key garden projects!
But it has been raining so consistently here for weeks, it's a bit much even for me (I don't usually mind our weather). Can't get on with some key garden projects!
Reposted by Chris Baraniuk
NEW: I wrote about the exciting world of flame retardants!
Seriously - this stuff is fascinating. I visited a firm here in Belfast treating wood with a mysterious "natural" mixture that can hold back fire.
With rising wildfires, such tech is increasingly sought-after.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Seriously - this stuff is fascinating. I visited a firm here in Belfast treating wood with a mysterious "natural" mixture that can hold back fire.
With rising wildfires, such tech is increasingly sought-after.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Fire-blocking chemicals promise safer buildings
New treatments promise to make buildings fire-resistant without using older, toxic chemicals.
www.bbc.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:52 AM
NEW: I wrote about the exciting world of flame retardants!
Seriously - this stuff is fascinating. I visited a firm here in Belfast treating wood with a mysterious "natural" mixture that can hold back fire.
With rising wildfires, such tech is increasingly sought-after.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Seriously - this stuff is fascinating. I visited a firm here in Belfast treating wood with a mysterious "natural" mixture that can hold back fire.
With rising wildfires, such tech is increasingly sought-after.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by Chris Baraniuk
This is encouraging… this is the kind of ‘tech’ we need!!
Pass it on..
Pass it on..
NEW: I wrote about the exciting world of flame retardants!
Seriously - this stuff is fascinating. I visited a firm here in Belfast treating wood with a mysterious "natural" mixture that can hold back fire.
With rising wildfires, such tech is increasingly sought-after.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Seriously - this stuff is fascinating. I visited a firm here in Belfast treating wood with a mysterious "natural" mixture that can hold back fire.
With rising wildfires, such tech is increasingly sought-after.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Fire-blocking chemicals promise safer buildings
New treatments promise to make buildings fire-resistant without using older, toxic chemicals.
www.bbc.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:19 AM
This is encouraging… this is the kind of ‘tech’ we need!!
Pass it on..
Pass it on..
"council officials decided the scheme's national benefits outweighed local concerns"
It will be a 200 MW system covering an area equivalent to around eight football pitches.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
It will be a 200 MW system covering an area equivalent to around eight football pitches.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Mega battery energy storage facility approved for Walpole
The battery energy storage plant is approved by West Norfolk councillors despite some concerns.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 7, 2025 at 8:04 AM
"council officials decided the scheme's national benefits outweighed local concerns"
It will be a 200 MW system covering an area equivalent to around eight football pitches.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
It will be a 200 MW system covering an area equivalent to around eight football pitches.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
NEW: I wrote about the exciting world of flame retardants!
Seriously - this stuff is fascinating. I visited a firm here in Belfast treating wood with a mysterious "natural" mixture that can hold back fire.
With rising wildfires, such tech is increasingly sought-after.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Seriously - this stuff is fascinating. I visited a firm here in Belfast treating wood with a mysterious "natural" mixture that can hold back fire.
With rising wildfires, such tech is increasingly sought-after.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Fire-blocking chemicals promise safer buildings
New treatments promise to make buildings fire-resistant without using older, toxic chemicals.
www.bbc.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:52 AM
NEW: I wrote about the exciting world of flame retardants!
Seriously - this stuff is fascinating. I visited a firm here in Belfast treating wood with a mysterious "natural" mixture that can hold back fire.
With rising wildfires, such tech is increasingly sought-after.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Seriously - this stuff is fascinating. I visited a firm here in Belfast treating wood with a mysterious "natural" mixture that can hold back fire.
With rising wildfires, such tech is increasingly sought-after.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by Chris Baraniuk
Let me just spell this out.
A teenage girl left Ukraine with her mother in 2022 after Russia invaded. Her mental health suffered greatly as a result.
And then ChatGPT advised her on how to kill herself.
A teenage girl left Ukraine with her mother in 2022 after Russia invaded. Her mental health suffered greatly as a result.
And then ChatGPT advised her on how to kill herself.
November 6, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Let me just spell this out.
A teenage girl left Ukraine with her mother in 2022 after Russia invaded. Her mental health suffered greatly as a result.
And then ChatGPT advised her on how to kill herself.
A teenage girl left Ukraine with her mother in 2022 after Russia invaded. Her mental health suffered greatly as a result.
And then ChatGPT advised her on how to kill herself.