Mike Harrington
@natureknowsbest.bsky.social
A straw in the stream of life.
The only thing more expensive than education is - ignorance.
(Benjamin Franklin)
The only thing more expensive than education is - ignorance.
(Benjamin Franklin)
Reposted by Mike Harrington
Do you have some kids that want to learn about climate change? Or perhaps you want to learn some more, but in a more accessible language?
Then check out this Special Collection...
kids.frontiersin.org/collections/...
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Then check out this Special Collection...
kids.frontiersin.org/collections/...
1/
November 28, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Do you have some kids that want to learn about climate change? Or perhaps you want to learn some more, but in a more accessible language?
Then check out this Special Collection...
kids.frontiersin.org/collections/...
1/
Then check out this Special Collection...
kids.frontiersin.org/collections/...
1/
Most Americans seeking services of a professional practitioner like a doctor, dentist, surgeon, lawyer, engineer, electrician, plumber etc, would enlist the advice/services of an expert. Yet, for climate science, half the population suck up to snake-oil sources of misinformation & disinformation
A sub-field of science looks at whether the Atlantic ocean circulation #AMOC has weakened. Direct measurements suggest yes but only started in 2004. So people look at temperature and salinity data.
A new study finds a robust slowdown fingerprint at 1000–2000 m depth.
www.nature.com/articles/s43...
A new study finds a robust slowdown fingerprint at 1000–2000 m depth.
www.nature.com/articles/s43...
Equatorial Atlantic mid-depth warming indicates Atlantic meridional overturning circulation slowdown - Communications Earth & Environment
Mid-depth warming in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean serves as a fingerprint of a slowdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation on decadal scales, according to ocean model experiments, and...
www.nature.com
November 28, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Most Americans seeking services of a professional practitioner like a doctor, dentist, surgeon, lawyer, engineer, electrician, plumber etc, would enlist the advice/services of an expert. Yet, for climate science, half the population suck up to snake-oil sources of misinformation & disinformation
A lot of variability in the chart but, cherry picking aside, perhaps suggestive of a net reduction in 2024 following the after effects of the Hunga Tonga volcano, with normal service being resumed in July 2025 ?
Even with very high global temperatures, Earth's Energy Imbalance is reaching record high levels again.
See the most recent 3 months of NASA CERES (climatology corrected) data:
See the most recent 3 months of NASA CERES (climatology corrected) data:
November 27, 2025 at 9:38 PM
A lot of variability in the chart but, cherry picking aside, perhaps suggestive of a net reduction in 2024 following the after effects of the Hunga Tonga volcano, with normal service being resumed in July 2025 ?
The sheer weight of AI hype from the Big Tech corporations forms the biggest begging bowl to govts we have ever seen, but it is disturbing & serious food for thought that Geoffrey Hinton, pioneer & expert on artificial neural networks, seems genuinely fearful about AGI usurping it's human masters.
❗Governing artificial intelligence is the most complex, difficult management problem humanity has ever faced, explains Jerome C Glenn, member of the Club of Rome in a new blog on the urgency of creating governance of artificial general intelligence.
📖 Read the blog: vist.ly/4g7w2
📖 Read the blog: vist.ly/4g7w2
November 27, 2025 at 9:25 PM
The sheer weight of AI hype from the Big Tech corporations forms the biggest begging bowl to govts we have ever seen, but it is disturbing & serious food for thought that Geoffrey Hinton, pioneer & expert on artificial neural networks, seems genuinely fearful about AGI usurping it's human masters.
Surely the costs of DAC are irrelevant for the simple reason that the present technology's scale of impact cannot even scratch the surface whilst CO2 emissions keep rising at a business as usual rate. Surely there are better things (like renewables) to spend money on instead of a white elephant ?
The costs of Direct Air Capture will not fall as much as hoped. "Efforts to reduce carbon emissions should therefore* continue at pace, says the research team."
*Therefore is problematic here, as it implies that if DACCS was cheap less reductions are needed. No, no, no.
ethz.ch/en/news-and-...
1/
*Therefore is problematic here, as it implies that if DACCS was cheap less reductions are needed. No, no, no.
ethz.ch/en/news-and-...
1/
November 27, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Surely the costs of DAC are irrelevant for the simple reason that the present technology's scale of impact cannot even scratch the surface whilst CO2 emissions keep rising at a business as usual rate. Surely there are better things (like renewables) to spend money on instead of a white elephant ?
If there was any justice in this world, we would be poaching Chinese to feed pangolins
The use of pangolin parts in traditional Chinese medicine is driving poaching of the small, scaly mammals, according to an analysis of legal records.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Drives Poaching of Pangolins, Records Show
e360.yale.edu
November 27, 2025 at 5:05 PM
If there was any justice in this world, we would be poaching Chinese to feed pangolins
The whole world is sick of Trump and his mindless global interference & disruption, his slavish support for Israel & his perverse soft line on Putin's aggression in Ukraine. Most incompetent, most compromised, & worst performing US president ever - by a long, long way.
Rep. Salazar on Venezuela: "We're about to go in ... we need to go in ... Venezuela for the American oil companies will be a field day"
November 26, 2025 at 6:39 PM
The whole world is sick of Trump and his mindless global interference & disruption, his slavish support for Israel & his perverse soft line on Putin's aggression in Ukraine. Most incompetent, most compromised, & worst performing US president ever - by a long, long way.
Canadian tourism will benefit.
Will we be asked to prove our US citizenship when we visit a national park?
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/u...
Trump Administration Will Raise Prices for Foreign Visitors at National Parks
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Canadian tourism will benefit.
Any evidence of nanoplastics & their inherent toxins damaging DNA during the embryo stage & the developing fetus stage ?
New mutation hotspot discovered in human genome #evolutionsoup #evolution #genetics #science #fossils
👇🏿👇🏽
is.gd/e3O0mJ
👇🏿👇🏽
is.gd/e3O0mJ
November 26, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Any evidence of nanoplastics & their inherent toxins damaging DNA during the embryo stage & the developing fetus stage ?
As well as the legal profession being a gravy train for lawyers, jury trials necessitate higher expenditure. So there's both financial & time logic in reducing the categories which qualify for jury trial, provided that in non-jury trials the Defendant retains the right of appeal to a higher court.
Starmer and Co going fully autocrat
If you are on trial for almost anything in the years to come, just hope that the judge didn't have his/her girlfriend (or boyfriend) dump him the night before
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
If you are on trial for almost anything in the years to come, just hope that the judge didn't have his/her girlfriend (or boyfriend) dump him the night before
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Justice secretary wants most jury trials scrapped
Only cases of alleged murder, rape or manslaughter will be decided by a jury under new proposals to cut court backlogs.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 9:22 PM
As well as the legal profession being a gravy train for lawyers, jury trials necessitate higher expenditure. So there's both financial & time logic in reducing the categories which qualify for jury trial, provided that in non-jury trials the Defendant retains the right of appeal to a higher court.
Such microorganisms could take better care of Earth than our species is doing.
"The mechanisms have been identified that show how, in a worst-case scenario, life from a different tree of life could, over centuries, lead to an Earth populated only by microorganisms. The diversity of life that began with the Cambrian Explosion could end with an Anthropocene mass extinction." ⬇️
NASA and the European Space Agency plan to bring samples back from Mars. Could they harbor a type of life that scientists warn could trigger mass extinctions on Earth?
Read more from NASA mathematician Bill Taber. ⬇️
Read more from NASA mathematician Bill Taber. ⬇️
November 25, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Such microorganisms could take better care of Earth than our species is doing.
Not too different from slash & burn.
I must say, the Labour Party is extremely pro oil and gas. Zero ambiguity. They want to find and extract as much oil and gas as possible.
November 25, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Not too different from slash & burn.
If Putin wants to divide & weaken NATO, he couldn't achieve it any better than having Trump sell out his European allies supporting Ukraine's defence against Russian aggression. Putin's lie that Ukraine joining NATO would be a threat is ridiculous, Russia's borders have never been threatened by NATO
Giving in to authoritarianism rather than sticking up for free speech. What has become of the BBC?
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 2:15 PM
If Putin wants to divide & weaken NATO, he couldn't achieve it any better than having Trump sell out his European allies supporting Ukraine's defence against Russian aggression. Putin's lie that Ukraine joining NATO would be a threat is ridiculous, Russia's borders have never been threatened by NATO
eos.org/articles/a-w...
Quite a rapid change in progress since 2014, & not related to global warming.
Quite a rapid change in progress since 2014, & not related to global warming.
A Weak Spot in Earth’s Magnetic Field Is Going from Bad to Worse - Eos
This could be bad news for satellites and spacefarers.
eos.org
November 25, 2025 at 2:02 PM
eos.org/articles/a-w...
Quite a rapid change in progress since 2014, & not related to global warming.
Quite a rapid change in progress since 2014, & not related to global warming.
It don't mean a thing if you aint got that swing, do-what, do-what, do-what, do-what ..
November 25, 2025 at 9:48 AM
It don't mean a thing if you aint got that swing, do-what, do-what, do-what, do-what ..
Reposted by Mike Harrington
This year's #Arctic sea ice freeze-up is clearly the latest on record for the Baffin Bay region (located between Greenland and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago). The extent of ice cover is a record low for the date there.
Data from @nsidc.bsky.social at nsidc.org/data/seaice_...
Data from @nsidc.bsky.social at nsidc.org/data/seaice_...
November 24, 2025 at 3:29 PM
This year's #Arctic sea ice freeze-up is clearly the latest on record for the Baffin Bay region (located between Greenland and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago). The extent of ice cover is a record low for the date there.
Data from @nsidc.bsky.social at nsidc.org/data/seaice_...
Data from @nsidc.bsky.social at nsidc.org/data/seaice_...
Analysis suggests return to a "safe" level of 350 ppm, would require removal of 560–870 billion tons of atmospheric CO2. It's infeasible (materials/land/cost) to scale up current DAC technology, beyond its current pinprick impact, to even remove 1 billion tons/year, & we keep emitting billions more.
"The cost of removing large quantities of CO2 from the air will fall in the medium term, but not as much as previously hoped.
This is the conclusion reached by @ethz.ch researchers on the basis of new calculations. Efforts to reduce carbon emissions should therefore continue at pace"
This is the conclusion reached by @ethz.ch researchers on the basis of new calculations. Efforts to reduce carbon emissions should therefore continue at pace"
Cost of direct air carbon capture to remain higher than hoped
The cost of removing large quantities of CO2 from the air will fall in the medium term, but not as much as previously hoped. This is the conclusion reached by ETH researchers on the basis of new calcu...
ethz.ch
November 25, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Analysis suggests return to a "safe" level of 350 ppm, would require removal of 560–870 billion tons of atmospheric CO2. It's infeasible (materials/land/cost) to scale up current DAC technology, beyond its current pinprick impact, to even remove 1 billion tons/year, & we keep emitting billions more.
www.bestcolleges.com/news/trump-a...
A potentially fundamental problem is AI world's hyperbolic claims about its technology displacing 100 million jobs in the next decade. That's no incentive for a prospective student in many academic disciplines to take on a student debt millstone for zero gain.
A potentially fundamental problem is AI world's hyperbolic claims about its technology displacing 100 million jobs in the next decade. That's no incentive for a prospective student in many academic disciplines to take on a student debt millstone for zero gain.
Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' Caps Grad Student Loans.| BestColleges
The Education Department plans to narrow the “professional degree” definition under Trump’s loan reform, possibly limiting aid for nursing, physician assistant, and social work grad students.
www.bestcolleges.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:06 PM
www.bestcolleges.com/news/trump-a...
A potentially fundamental problem is AI world's hyperbolic claims about its technology displacing 100 million jobs in the next decade. That's no incentive for a prospective student in many academic disciplines to take on a student debt millstone for zero gain.
A potentially fundamental problem is AI world's hyperbolic claims about its technology displacing 100 million jobs in the next decade. That's no incentive for a prospective student in many academic disciplines to take on a student debt millstone for zero gain.
Reposted by Mike Harrington
This great thread makes a point I've been trying to convey for years. Calling all data-driven prediction or decision software "AI" is a huge gift to LLM hypemen, who want people to believe, incorrectly, that LLM data centers are crucial for solar forecasting or operating buildings and power grids.
Journalist challenge: Use “Machine Learning” when you mean machine learning and “LLM” when you mean LLM. Ditch “AI” as a catch-all term, it’s not useful for readers and it helps companies trying to confuse the public by obscuring the roles played by different technologies. 🧪
November 22, 2025 at 6:08 PM
This great thread makes a point I've been trying to convey for years. Calling all data-driven prediction or decision software "AI" is a huge gift to LLM hypemen, who want people to believe, incorrectly, that LLM data centers are crucial for solar forecasting or operating buildings and power grids.
It will be interesting when the measurement data is computed for ejecta, SO2 concentrations etc, to identify whether we might expect some climate consequences akin to a mini-Pinatubo ?
The eruption after thousand of years of #HayliGubbi #volcano in #Ethiopia.
According to analyses, part of the eruptive column from the eruption may have reached an altitude between 18 and 20 km.
The #Copernicus #Sentinel5p image on Nov. 23 shows the big plume moving eastward.
According to analyses, part of the eruptive column from the eruption may have reached an altitude between 18 and 20 km.
The #Copernicus #Sentinel5p image on Nov. 23 shows the big plume moving eastward.
November 24, 2025 at 7:29 PM
It will be interesting when the measurement data is computed for ejecta, SO2 concentrations etc, to identify whether we might expect some climate consequences akin to a mini-Pinatubo ?
Reposted by Mike Harrington
Is cutting emissions enough? 🌍 Dive into the latest #ClimateEmergencyForum with Dr. Shaun Fitzgerald from COP30. Explore bold new tools for real climate action—beyond emission cuts! Watch now: #climatecrisis #COP30 #geoengineering @paulhbeckwith.bsky.social youtu.be/HF26skT7zxE
Climate Crisis Toolbox: More Than Emission Cuts
YouTube video by Climate Emergency Forum
youtu.be
November 19, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Is cutting emissions enough? 🌍 Dive into the latest #ClimateEmergencyForum with Dr. Shaun Fitzgerald from COP30. Explore bold new tools for real climate action—beyond emission cuts! Watch now: #climatecrisis #COP30 #geoengineering @paulhbeckwith.bsky.social youtu.be/HF26skT7zxE
Reposted by Mike Harrington
Urgent climate choices: Should we use large-scale interventions like SRM and marine cloud brightening? Justice and equity must lead the way—centering those most impacted. #ClimateEmergency #ClimateJustice #COP30 @paulhbeckwith.bsky.social @hughhunt.bsky.social #Geoengineering youtu.be/fNbNm18eBhQ
The Equity of Climate Intervention
YouTube video by Climate Emergency Forum
youtu.be
November 24, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Urgent climate choices: Should we use large-scale interventions like SRM and marine cloud brightening? Justice and equity must lead the way—centering those most impacted. #ClimateEmergency #ClimateJustice #COP30 @paulhbeckwith.bsky.social @hughhunt.bsky.social #Geoengineering youtu.be/fNbNm18eBhQ
What more evidence do we need that funding for marine cloud brightening research needs to be stepped up & prioritised ? Let's redirect some fossil fuel subsidies to such real mitigation efforts, instead of allowing the fossil fool executives to gorge govt handouts at the trough.
A second opportunity to examine the cloud reduction effects from shipping fuel pollution measures has revealed that the 80% cut in sulphur emissions reduces cloud droplet formation by 67%.
acp.copernicus.org/articles/25/...
#aerosols #climatechange #clouds #IMO2020 #ECS
acp.copernicus.org/articles/25/...
#aerosols #climatechange #clouds #IMO2020 #ECS
acp.copernicus.org
November 24, 2025 at 4:28 PM
What more evidence do we need that funding for marine cloud brightening research needs to be stepped up & prioritised ? Let's redirect some fossil fuel subsidies to such real mitigation efforts, instead of allowing the fossil fool executives to gorge govt handouts at the trough.
The bowling was actually OK, but the batters brains were in the belfry.
Can’t Boland, can’t bat. Sorry
November 23, 2025 at 3:56 PM
The bowling was actually OK, but the batters brains were in the belfry.
I always thought that Wallace's alter ego (from Gromit) was a moron, & nothing has changed to modify that judgement.
Ed Miliband "admits the deal "does not have all the ambition we would have wanted", but adds that it commits to keeping the 1.5C target alive"
This is denial of the first order - utter madness, complete drivel
All COP30 managed was to agree on doing F-all
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
This is denial of the first order - utter madness, complete drivel
All COP30 managed was to agree on doing F-all
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Cop30 live: Deal agreed at Cop after long negotiations
After a series of all-night meetings and fears the summit could collapse, an agreement has been gavelled through at Cop30
www.theguardian.com
November 23, 2025 at 3:53 PM
I always thought that Wallace's alter ego (from Gromit) was a moron, & nothing has changed to modify that judgement.