Hisham Zerriffi
@hishamzerriffi.bsky.social
Energy Resources, Development and Environment Lab (ERDELab) PI, @UBCforestry Assc Dean EDI. Energy, equity, justice, climate change, bioenergy. But also TTRPGs and photography (https://pixelfed.social/i/web/profile/499807930552574625). he/him.
Pinned
@nomademoderne's Portfolio
portfolio.pixelfed.social
Hello new Bluesky followers!
A re-intro:
Academic in Forestry faculty but not a forester. Work on energy, land-use, climate, equity, justice. Often at intersection of energy & forests.
With a dash of TTRPGs, nerdy stuff and politics.
And photography:
portfolio.pixelfed.social/nomademoderne
A re-intro:
Academic in Forestry faculty but not a forester. Work on energy, land-use, climate, equity, justice. Often at intersection of energy & forests.
With a dash of TTRPGs, nerdy stuff and politics.
And photography:
portfolio.pixelfed.social/nomademoderne
Canada has lost its measles-free status.
Ideology wins out over science and we all lose.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Ideology wins out over science and we all lose.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
As Canada loses measles-free status, outbreak in northeast B.C. continues | CBC News
Measles cases in B.C. make up almost seven per cent of the total in Canada, with the vast majority of them clustered in the province's northeast, where health officials said the virus spread through a...
www.cbc.ca
November 11, 2025 at 3:02 AM
Canada has lost its measles-free status.
Ideology wins out over science and we all lose.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Ideology wins out over science and we all lose.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Kinda delighted that the Louvre heist “Fedora Man” is actually a 15 year old kid with an impeccable sense of style who happened to just be there to visit the museum.
Chapeau off to Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux.
www.cbc.ca/news/world/l...
Chapeau off to Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux.
www.cbc.ca/news/world/l...
Turns out 'Fedora Man' in viral Louvre heist photo isn't AI — just a French teen with style | CBC News
When 15-year-old Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux realized an Associated Press photo of him at the Louvre on the day of the crown jewels heist had drawn millions of views, his first instinct was not to rush...
www.cbc.ca
November 10, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Kinda delighted that the Louvre heist “Fedora Man” is actually a 15 year old kid with an impeccable sense of style who happened to just be there to visit the museum.
Chapeau off to Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux.
www.cbc.ca/news/world/l...
Chapeau off to Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux.
www.cbc.ca/news/world/l...
Whole family got our Fall dose of good science today.
In and out in no time and fully covered (flu and COVID).
Yeah science!
In and out in no time and fully covered (flu and COVID).
Yeah science!
an illustration of dolly parton playing a guitar with the words " vaccine vaccine vaccine " above her
Alt: an illustration of dolly parton playing a guitar with the words " vaccine vaccine vaccine " above her
media.tenor.com
November 8, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Whole family got our Fall dose of good science today.
In and out in no time and fully covered (flu and COVID).
Yeah science!
In and out in no time and fully covered (flu and COVID).
Yeah science!
Reposted by Hisham Zerriffi
I must’ve been a postdoc at MIT or a new-ish engineering professor when I first heard the story of how Ben Barre overheard colleagues talking about how his research was so much better than his ‘sister’ Barbara’s.
We're disappointed to see Ben Barres's powerful book "The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist" among the ~400 titles removed from the Naval Academy Library. Needless to say, we're proud to have published his book and will keep it — and his memory — alive.
The Coming Out of a Transgender Scientist
"I know that I am making the right decision because whenever I think about changing my gender role, I am flooded with feelings of relief."
thereader.mitpress.mit.edu
November 8, 2025 at 3:38 PM
I must’ve been a postdoc at MIT or a new-ish engineering professor when I first heard the story of how Ben Barre overheard colleagues talking about how his research was so much better than his ‘sister’ Barbara’s.
A fun Friday brain cleanse thread.
Don’t think anyone has mentioned The Blues Brothers yet.
Don’t think anyone has mentioned The Blues Brothers yet.
November 8, 2025 at 1:21 AM
A fun Friday brain cleanse thread.
Don’t think anyone has mentioned The Blues Brothers yet.
Don’t think anyone has mentioned The Blues Brothers yet.
Reposted by Hisham Zerriffi
The Economist Says We Need to Invent Phrenology Again.
A new paper suggests a photo can tell a recruiter much about an applicant’s personality
Should facial analysis help determine whom companies hire?
A new paper suggests a photo can tell a recruiter much about an applicant’s personality
econ.st
November 6, 2025 at 7:56 PM
The Economist Says We Need to Invent Phrenology Again.
Reposted by Hisham Zerriffi
Honestly one of the worst, most disturbing paragraphs — on the basis of process, substance, and effect — I’ve read in a Supreme Court order or opinion in a very long time.
![Displaying passport holders' sex at birth no more offends equal protection principles than displaying their country of birth—in both cases, the Government is merely attesting to a historical fact without subjecting anyone to differential treatment. And on this record, respondents have failed to establish that the Government's choice to display biological sex "lack[s] any purpose other than a bare ... desire to harm a politically unpopular group." Trump v. Hawaii, 585
U. S. 667, 705 (2018) (internal quotation marks omitted).
Nor are respondents likely to prevail in arguing that the State Department acted arbitrarily and capriciously by declining to depart from Presidential rules that Congress expressly required it to follow. See 22 U. S. C. §211a.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:36eqtmzysqf7wsslczw4uxcd/bafkreigev37etpfwfdxjlnt3pz5qyueldxo3k6rfxw5ip477gp7inlrctq@jpeg)
November 7, 2025 at 12:55 AM
Honestly one of the worst, most disturbing paragraphs — on the basis of process, substance, and effect — I’ve read in a Supreme Court order or opinion in a very long time.
Reposted by Hisham Zerriffi
Global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions rise again in 2024, up 2.3%.
This is our collective progress, 10 years after the Paris Agreement.
www.unep.org/resources/em...
1/
This is our collective progress, 10 years after the Paris Agreement.
www.unep.org/resources/em...
1/
November 5, 2025 at 8:24 AM
Global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions rise again in 2024, up 2.3%.
This is our collective progress, 10 years after the Paris Agreement.
www.unep.org/resources/em...
1/
This is our collective progress, 10 years after the Paris Agreement.
www.unep.org/resources/em...
1/
👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼
And before the “purity test“ people come out to play, this is not about policy differences.
It’s about seeing people as people deserving of all of the rights as anybody else. That should not be up for policy debate.
And before the “purity test“ people come out to play, this is not about policy differences.
It’s about seeing people as people deserving of all of the rights as anybody else. That should not be up for policy debate.
It’s almost like if people tell you that to win you have to turn your back on poor people, or Muslims, or trans people, or immigrants, you can just say, “no, that’s immoral, we’re not doing that,” and keep doing good old fashioned organizing and campaigning and things will be ok
November 5, 2025 at 9:14 PM
👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼
And before the “purity test“ people come out to play, this is not about policy differences.
It’s about seeing people as people deserving of all of the rights as anybody else. That should not be up for policy debate.
And before the “purity test“ people come out to play, this is not about policy differences.
It’s about seeing people as people deserving of all of the rights as anybody else. That should not be up for policy debate.
In case you wanted some specifics on the Liberal 2025 budget cuts on the environment.
thenarwhal.ca/carney-budge...
thenarwhal.ca/carney-budge...
November 5, 2025 at 8:34 PM
In case you wanted some specifics on the Liberal 2025 budget cuts on the environment.
thenarwhal.ca/carney-budge...
thenarwhal.ca/carney-budge...
The last time I critiqued the current Prime Minister's climate action I was told I was being overly critical and should read his book and look at the Liberal Party platform.
Not sure how to square that sentiment with today's budget - $ for LNG and CCS and sets a path to eliminate industrial cap
Not sure how to square that sentiment with today's budget - $ for LNG and CCS and sets a path to eliminate industrial cap
November 5, 2025 at 5:40 AM
The last time I critiqued the current Prime Minister's climate action I was told I was being overly critical and should read his book and look at the Liberal Party platform.
Not sure how to square that sentiment with today's budget - $ for LNG and CCS and sets a path to eliminate industrial cap
Not sure how to square that sentiment with today's budget - $ for LNG and CCS and sets a path to eliminate industrial cap
Teen Vogue was one of the very few mainstream media outlets that used well researched and well written articles on politics and economics to speak truth to power.
That appears to no longer be the case moving forward and our media landscape will be all the poorer.
That appears to no longer be the case moving forward and our media landscape will be all the poorer.
thank you for all the support; the statement from our union is now live here with some more reporting.
now that this is public I can confirm that the majority of today’s layoffs were women of color. there are no longer any Black women working at Teen Vogue.
now that this is public I can confirm that the majority of today’s layoffs were women of color. there are no longer any Black women working at Teen Vogue.
November 4, 2025 at 6:37 AM
Teen Vogue was one of the very few mainstream media outlets that used well researched and well written articles on politics and economics to speak truth to power.
That appears to no longer be the case moving forward and our media landscape will be all the poorer.
That appears to no longer be the case moving forward and our media landscape will be all the poorer.
Reposted by Hisham Zerriffi
The letter is crashing because so many people are trying to sign it (which is good). According to federally connected ethics peeps, the most important thing we can do if we are directly affected is to fill out this form and ask to make a formal complaint:
services.priv.gc.ca/demande-info...
services.priv.gc.ca/demande-info...
November 4, 2025 at 3:15 AM
The letter is crashing because so many people are trying to sign it (which is good). According to federally connected ethics peeps, the most important thing we can do if we are directly affected is to fill out this form and ask to make a formal complaint:
services.priv.gc.ca/demande-info...
services.priv.gc.ca/demande-info...
Canadian Academics:
Your demographic data as an applicant and/or reviewer is being sought by a parliamentary committee where some members are pushing an anti-EDI agenda.
This 🧵 outlines the massive problems with this.
There is a sign-on letter circulating, hopefully you've seen it.
Your demographic data as an applicant and/or reviewer is being sought by a parliamentary committee where some members are pushing an anti-EDI agenda.
This 🧵 outlines the massive problems with this.
There is a sign-on letter circulating, hopefully you've seen it.
The Canadian Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Research is launching a US-style attack on EDI in Tri-Council funding.
As part of this attack, they are demanding disclosure of confidential demographic info + reviewer comments of all Canadian researchers who have applied b/w 2000-2025.
As part of this attack, they are demanding disclosure of confidential demographic info + reviewer comments of all Canadian researchers who have applied b/w 2000-2025.
November 3, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Canadian Academics:
Your demographic data as an applicant and/or reviewer is being sought by a parliamentary committee where some members are pushing an anti-EDI agenda.
This 🧵 outlines the massive problems with this.
There is a sign-on letter circulating, hopefully you've seen it.
Your demographic data as an applicant and/or reviewer is being sought by a parliamentary committee where some members are pushing an anti-EDI agenda.
This 🧵 outlines the massive problems with this.
There is a sign-on letter circulating, hopefully you've seen it.
Reposted by Hisham Zerriffi
American billionaires have been shameless in trying to buy off Donald Trump with trinkets, baubles, and outright bribes.
By sacrificing his long-held beliefs on climate change (and giving the bad-faith skeptics a win), Bill Gates topped them all. www.nationalobserver.com/2025/11/01/o...
By sacrificing his long-held beliefs on climate change (and giving the bad-faith skeptics a win), Bill Gates topped them all. www.nationalobserver.com/2025/11/01/o...
Bill Gates bends the knee on climate change
The Microsoft mega-billionaire's new letter on climate change claims to tell "tough truths". What it really does is display the same easy cowardice that has come to define America's corporate leadersh...
www.nationalobserver.com
November 1, 2025 at 3:25 PM
American billionaires have been shameless in trying to buy off Donald Trump with trinkets, baubles, and outright bribes.
By sacrificing his long-held beliefs on climate change (and giving the bad-faith skeptics a win), Bill Gates topped them all. www.nationalobserver.com/2025/11/01/o...
By sacrificing his long-held beliefs on climate change (and giving the bad-faith skeptics a win), Bill Gates topped them all. www.nationalobserver.com/2025/11/01/o...
Reposted by Hisham Zerriffi
Every day it feels more and more like a zombie apocalypse over on LinkedIn, in which you start a conversation with someone who you hope is an ordinary person and then a couple of turns in discover that they have surrendered their brains to the "AI" mass delusion.
November 2, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Every day it feels more and more like a zombie apocalypse over on LinkedIn, in which you start a conversation with someone who you hope is an ordinary person and then a couple of turns in discover that they have surrendered their brains to the "AI" mass delusion.
TIL: If you raise the idea of travelling by train with a European be prepared to have your train system be ridiculed.
Vancouver-Jasper is about 100 km further than Munich-Hamburg but takes an extra 13 hours.
And, yes, mountains. But look at Quebec-Toronto (~same distance and 9 hrs + connection)
Vancouver-Jasper is about 100 km further than Munich-Hamburg but takes an extra 13 hours.
And, yes, mountains. But look at Quebec-Toronto (~same distance and 9 hrs + connection)
November 2, 2025 at 12:25 AM
TIL: If you raise the idea of travelling by train with a European be prepared to have your train system be ridiculed.
Vancouver-Jasper is about 100 km further than Munich-Hamburg but takes an extra 13 hours.
And, yes, mountains. But look at Quebec-Toronto (~same distance and 9 hrs + connection)
Vancouver-Jasper is about 100 km further than Munich-Hamburg but takes an extra 13 hours.
And, yes, mountains. But look at Quebec-Toronto (~same distance and 9 hrs + connection)
2 thoughts on AuntieGate.
1) Calling people auntie, uncle and cousin is pretty universal (I know it’s a thing in my family)
2) aunt, cousin, cousin once removed - it doesn’t change the fact she was scared to wear her hijab after 9/11. That’s the pt of the story!
1) Calling people auntie, uncle and cousin is pretty universal (I know it’s a thing in my family)
2) aunt, cousin, cousin once removed - it doesn’t change the fact she was scared to wear her hijab after 9/11. That’s the pt of the story!
October 29, 2025 at 3:45 AM
2 thoughts on AuntieGate.
1) Calling people auntie, uncle and cousin is pretty universal (I know it’s a thing in my family)
2) aunt, cousin, cousin once removed - it doesn’t change the fact she was scared to wear her hijab after 9/11. That’s the pt of the story!
1) Calling people auntie, uncle and cousin is pretty universal (I know it’s a thing in my family)
2) aunt, cousin, cousin once removed - it doesn’t change the fact she was scared to wear her hijab after 9/11. That’s the pt of the story!
Reposted by Hisham Zerriffi
I "enjoy" this disconnect between tech titans claiming that AI will have us all eating pastries and working two days a week and the reality of firing people en masse while simultaneously supporting fascists who oppose universal basic income and are actively destroying the social safety net
October 28, 2025 at 1:29 PM
I "enjoy" this disconnect between tech titans claiming that AI will have us all eating pastries and working two days a week and the reality of firing people en masse while simultaneously supporting fascists who oppose universal basic income and are actively destroying the social safety net
Can confirm this works and, yes, Gemini was turned on by default.
Also…
Stop Shoving Your AI Into Everything!!!! FFS
Also…
Stop Shoving Your AI Into Everything!!!! FFS
October 27, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Can confirm this works and, yes, Gemini was turned on by default.
Also…
Stop Shoving Your AI Into Everything!!!! FFS
Also…
Stop Shoving Your AI Into Everything!!!! FFS
Reposted by Hisham Zerriffi
“Survival Center” is a powerful, chilling, and brilliantly honest thing to call a food bank. We should do so more often.
Banking is a luxury, food is survival. #EndHunger
🍞🥗🥧🥘🌽🥑🥕💪
Banking is a luxury, food is survival. #EndHunger
🍞🥗🥧🥘🌽🥑🥕💪
October 26, 2025 at 2:41 PM
“Survival Center” is a powerful, chilling, and brilliantly honest thing to call a food bank. We should do so more often.
Banking is a luxury, food is survival. #EndHunger
🍞🥗🥧🥘🌽🥑🥕💪
Banking is a luxury, food is survival. #EndHunger
🍞🥗🥧🥘🌽🥑🥕💪
This gave me immeasurable joy as someone who both cut their teeth programming in the 80s and was nearly a religion minor.
For reasons too complex to explain here, I wrote an Apple II program designed for Early Modern Age Catholics to determine if they're allowed to have sex with their wife, or if it'd be a sin.
Here's the video of it running.
Here's the video of it running.
October 26, 2025 at 4:37 PM
This gave me immeasurable joy as someone who both cut their teeth programming in the 80s and was nearly a religion minor.
Always nice to know your Himalayan Pink Salt is not genetically modified.
October 25, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Always nice to know your Himalayan Pink Salt is not genetically modified.
my 2 cents: part of the problem with carbon removal *as an industry* is not just the hype but who is buying it and why. An industry focused on one end of the emissions hierarchy would limit removal to residual emissions from:
-Hard to abate sectors
-Inability to meet targets
(1/2)
-Hard to abate sectors
-Inability to meet targets
(1/2)
The carbon removal hype phase is over, and the clearing-out cycle is coming.
What happens next will depend on the role governments opt to play.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/10/24/1...
What happens next will depend on the role governments opt to play.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/10/24/1...
What’s next for carbon removal?
Companies have still drawn down only enough CO2 to cancel out a few hours of US emissions. Here’s what it will take to really scale up the sector.
www.technologyreview.com
October 24, 2025 at 3:09 PM
my 2 cents: part of the problem with carbon removal *as an industry* is not just the hype but who is buying it and why. An industry focused on one end of the emissions hierarchy would limit removal to residual emissions from:
-Hard to abate sectors
-Inability to meet targets
(1/2)
-Hard to abate sectors
-Inability to meet targets
(1/2)
Somebody check my numbers because I have to be getting this wrong. The new 4x300 MW small nuclear reactors to be built in Ontario come in at $17000/kW?
That's based on $20.9 billion project cost for all four. That would be ~10x utility scale solar? Yes, capital cost is not everything but still.
That's based on $20.9 billion project cost for all four. That would be ~10x utility scale solar? Yes, capital cost is not everything but still.
Ontario greenlights construction of Canada's 1st mini nuclear power plant | CBC News
Premier Doug Ford's government has given Ontario Power Generation the green light to start construction on Canada’s first small modular reactor, a new nuclear technology to be built next door to the D...
www.cbc.ca
October 23, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Somebody check my numbers because I have to be getting this wrong. The new 4x300 MW small nuclear reactors to be built in Ontario come in at $17000/kW?
That's based on $20.9 billion project cost for all four. That would be ~10x utility scale solar? Yes, capital cost is not everything but still.
That's based on $20.9 billion project cost for all four. That would be ~10x utility scale solar? Yes, capital cost is not everything but still.