Prof Nick Cowern 🌍
@nickcowern.bsky.social
1.1K followers 950 following 470 posts
We're beginning to see the true sensitivity of climate to greenhouse gases, and it's bigger than almost anyone expected. A huge challenge to us all to avoid runaway climate. Energy transition, justice, sustainable buildings / agriculture / horticulture.
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nickcowern.bsky.social
Rapid climate change is absolutely no surprise. Earth's energy imbalance has been rising as atmospheric aerosol concentrations fall and global temperature rises, creating clearer skies > more incident solar radiation. Noticed the frequent bright white evening sun? www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Hottest January on record mystifies climate scientists
EU monitor says global temperatures were 1.75C above preindustrial levels, extending run of unprecedented highs
www.theguardian.com
nickcowern.bsky.social
I feel the same, also for BC as my son's family live there.
nickcowern.bsky.social
Meanwhile, amid these clear signs of a gathering climate disaster the UK's clueless and feckless opposition parties Conservatives and Reform claim that net zero targets should be relaxed or abolished.
nickcowern.bsky.social
That level of distinction isn't too meaningful - there are modest differences between datasets and definitions. What's critical is the accelerating rate of heating, which is really clear now and likely reflects significantly higher climate sensitivity that was previously accepted.
Reposted by Prof Nick Cowern 🌍
nickcowern.bsky.social
The context of accelerating global heating is crucial to UK policymaking - statutory advisors the CCC are now warning that government must adapt buildings and infrastructure to a +2°C climate, and new-builds (somehow!!) to a near-catastrophic +4°C climate.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Government told to prepare for 2C warming by 2050
The Climate Change Committee said the UK should make climate change adaptions beyond the Paris Agreement.
www.bbc.co.uk
nickcowern.bsky.social
The context of accelerating global heating is crucial to UK policymaking - statutory advisors the CCC are now warning that government must adapt buildings and infrastructure to a +2°C climate, and new-builds (somehow!!) to a near-catastrophic +4°C climate.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Government told to prepare for 2C warming by 2050
The Climate Change Committee said the UK should make climate change adaptions beyond the Paris Agreement.
www.bbc.co.uk
Reposted by Prof Nick Cowern 🌍
nickcowern.bsky.social
@theguardian.com The "1.3°C" global temperature rise quoted here is a mean value AVERAGED OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS, and entirely fails to reflect the severity of TODAY's climate, with delta-T already exceeding +1.5°C since preindustrial times amid fast rising CO2.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Record leap in CO2 fuels fears of accelerating global heating
CO2 in air hit new high last year, with scientists concerned natural land and ocean carbon sinks are weakening
www.theguardian.com
nickcowern.bsky.social
@theguardian.com The "1.3°C" global temperature rise quoted here is a mean value AVERAGED OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS, and entirely fails to reflect the severity of TODAY's climate, with delta-T already exceeding +1.5°C since preindustrial times amid fast rising CO2.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Record leap in CO2 fuels fears of accelerating global heating
CO2 in air hit new high last year, with scientists concerned natural land and ocean carbon sinks are weakening
www.theguardian.com
nickcowern.bsky.social
With apologies to New Zealand
Reposted by Prof Nick Cowern 🌍
Reposted by Prof Nick Cowern 🌍
jeremykasperson.bsky.social
It only takes a 4th grade education to realize that shipping billions of dollars every HOUR to foreign nations for energy is a losing economic policy.

Yet, the USA is that dumb.
nickcowern.bsky.social
China, as an electrostate, is set to wipe the floor with Trump's regressive petro-America. There's going to be hell to pay when the USA finally wakes up to what corporate fossil fuels have done to it.
share.google/vlTIx2w7KSmP...
How we made it: will China be the first electrostate?
Beijing dominates in solar, wind, electric cars, rail and batteries
share.google
nickcowern.bsky.social
China, as an electrostate, is set to wipe the floor with Trump's regressive petro-America. There's going to be hell to pay when the USA finally wakes up to what corporate fossil fuels have done to it.
share.google/vlTIx2w7KSmP...
How we made it: will China be the first electrostate?
Beijing dominates in solar, wind, electric cars, rail and batteries
share.google
nickcowern.bsky.social
Lengthening pub opening hours to early morning will reduce productivity and increase NHS costs, leading to less, not more, economic growth.
Is Starmer really incapable of seeing something so transparently obvious?
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Pubs to stay open until early hours in push for UK growth
Exclusive: Plans for England and Wales would help the ailing hospitality sector but have attracted criticism from health experts
www.theguardian.com
nickcowern.bsky.social
There are plenty of extreme events where attribution has shown a clear signature of climate change and has been reported exactly as such. The fact that climate scientists can't do this with EVERY event that may seems intuitively obvious, should give you some confidence that the science is robust!
Reposted by Prof Nick Cowern 🌍
nickcowern.bsky.social
Birmingham, despite its challenges, is a fine, vibrant city and conurbation, primarily thanks to its people of all colours, including white, Robert.
nickcowern.bsky.social
Birmingham, despite its challenges, is a fine, vibrant city and conurbation, primarily thanks to its people of all colours, including white, Robert.
nickcowern.bsky.social
There's a special kind of hell for those lacking basic morals or empathy who try to gain power by sowing discord
#Jenrick
Reposted by Prof Nick Cowern 🌍
saulstaniforth.bsky.social
Can you imagine if Russia attacked and seized a UK vessel in international waters & kidnapped the people on board, including UK citizens, and the only response from the UK govt was to say that's "a matter for the Russian govt".

No, me neither.
nickcowern.bsky.social
This industry has been characterised by near exponential growth for decades now. Certain countries have always led the change, but others follow in the tail wind of falling prices and technical advance. This will pan out no differently. Within 10 years, fossil fuels will be history.