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Nancy Knowlton

@nancyknowlton.bsky.social

6.9K followers 5.7K following 440 posts

marine biologist, boomer not doomer, solutionista, 💗Maine💗 Member Natl. Acad. Sci., Darwin Medal #EarthOptimism #OceanOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries Author-Citizens of the Sea https://www.amazon.com/Citizens-Sea-Wondrous-Creatures-Census/dp/1426206437 .. more

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Nancy Knowlton is a coral reef biologist and a former Sant Chair for Marine Science at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Source: Wikipedia

Environmental science 57%

Geography 16%

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Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Dec 13

I don't generally post about my own work, but if you are looking for a last minute present for the holidays for someone who might be interested in the ocean, my book seems to appeal not only to adults but also to even really little kids. All royalties go to the Smithsonian.

Cover of the book Citizens of the Sea by Nancy Knowlton

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Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

🇨🇦 Buy Canadian 🇨🇦 @eastcoaster63.bsky.social · 13h

Gotta love Canadians - this guy was greeting folks on the Halifax, Nova Scotia waterfront who were visiting from the US on cruise ships.

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Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 19h

When the going gets tough the tough get going - this wonderful program training people released from prison in solar energy that kept going when feds cancelled funding is my news to me good news for Oct 15. #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries capitalbnews.org/solar-jobs-h...

Incarcerated Texans Rebuild Their Lives Through This Rooftop Solar Program

Houston’s Fifth Ward harnesses the sun to power homes and new beginnings for returning citizens as federal support for climate justice programs wavers.

capitalbnews.org

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Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 2d

yes.... exactly.

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 2d

My news to me good news for Oct 13 is that the US is not the whole story, by a LOT #earthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries e360.yale.edu/features/han...

This Data Scientist Sees Progress in the Climate Change Fight

Countries are falling short on reducing emissions, but British data scientist Hannah Ritchie looks at the numbers and sees the world making real gains on climate change. In an interview, she talks abo...

e360.yale.edu

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Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 3d

When solar is both cheaper and better, it's hard to stop, even in an oil producing nation like #Nigeria. My news to me good news for Oct 12 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries. www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa...

Nigeria is Africa’s biggest oil producer. Its citizens eye a different future.

Africans are rapidly taking up solar power, a grassroots transformation led by individuals and businesses, rather than governments or power companies.

www.csmonitor.com

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Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 4d

Way too much going on for several weeks. So a very belated news to me good news for Oct 11 post, from someone who loves to grow food. #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries triplepundit.com/2025/urban-f...

Photo of Boston Nature Center food forest.

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

Clare Fieseler, PhD @fieseler.bsky.social · 4d

Want some good news?

Vineyard Wind, the 1st large-scale wind farm approved in America, has been under construction for years. A broken blade incident in 2024 set progress back.

Now about half of its 62 turbines are sending power to the Massachusetts grid! 🔌

newbedfordlight.org/vineyard-win...

Vineyard Wind reaches 50% power production - The New Bedford Light

The offshore wind farm is sending power from at least 30 turbines to the Massachusetts grid.

newbedfordlight.org

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Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 13d

My news to me good news for Oct 2 - greener gold #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries theprogressplaybook.com/2025/09/23/t...

The off-grid gold mine leading the way to 100% wind and solar power

The mine's clean energy credentials have allowed it to sell some gold at a premium to normal market rates.

theprogressplaybook.com

Reposted by Julie L. Lockwood

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 13d

In Spain, a lesson... #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries theprogressplaybook.com/2025/10/02/i...

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Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 15d

From Amanda Royal of Earth Hope - monkeys and farmers doing better is my news to me good news for Sep 30 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries
www.bbc.com/news/article...

The battle to Save China's snub nosed monkey

The BBC has been granted access to an area where scientists are battling to save the rare snub-nosed monkey.

www.bbc.com

Reposted by Julie L. Lockwood

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 23d

Migration miracle in Manhattan is my news to me good news for Sept 22. #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries www.vox.com/down-to-eart...

The most miraculous animal migration is happening in the middle of New York City

If we can help these creatures flourish in NYC, we can help them anywhere.

www.vox.com

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Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 28d

More of these please. My news to me good news for Sept 17 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/swe...

This Swedish shopping mall only sells secondhand items, and it's funded by the government

It is the first in the world to sell only secondhand and repurposed items.

www.goodgoodgood.co

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Sep 10

Huge fan of @americanprairie.bsky.social (hope they post soon!). My news to me good news for Sept 10 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries americanprairie.org/the-latest/a...

American Prairie acquires Anchor Ranch, opens Bullwhacker Road

Purchase restores public access to Bullwhacker Road and 50,000 acres of public land in Upper Missouri River Breaks

americanprairie.org

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Sep 10

Fortunately the US is increasingly no longer the center of the world. My news to me good news for Sept 9 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries e360.yale.edu/digest/china...

With Cheap Chinese Solar, Developing Countries Leapfrog U.S. on Clean Energy

e360.yale.edu

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

Mason Hickok @masonhickok.bsky.social · Sep 8

“A notable aspect of this research is the creative use of technology to examine streetscapes and greenspaces. By employing a Geographic Information System (GIS) approach, the researchers were able to map greenspace exposure effectively and correlate this data with clinical health outcomes.”

Street View Greenspace Linked to Women’s Cardiovascular Health

In recent years, researchers have increasingly recognized the substantial impact of environmental factors on health outcomes. One compelling area of study has focused on the relationship between

bioengineer.org

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Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

un Américain perdu à Paris @paris75009.bsky.social · Sep 8

Bikes "in the box" during the morning commute. In Paris, there is a thick white line at every intersection where cars must stop to allow bikes to move in front of all the cars and to protect pedestrians.

#paris #bike #15minutecity #urbanism #commuting #safety #traffic #bikelane #pedestrians #city

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Reposted by Nancy Knowlton, Martin Tomko, Andréas Nilsson

Gernot Wagner @gwagner.com · Sep 7

While the Trump administration tries to cancel offshore wind for "national security" reasons, here's the CEO of Ukraine's largest private energy company

While a 200 megawatt coal-fired unit can be destroyed by one or two missiles, the equivalent capacity wind farm would comprise 35 turbines, requiring hits from at least 35 missiles. “Building more solar or wind or battery storage is not only about the green transition, it’s about energy security.”

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Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

How-Sen Chong @how-sen.com · Sep 7

Countries like South Africa, Pakistan, and Vietnam are going solar at just astounding rates.

Solar is cheap because you don’t need to extract, transport, or buy fuel — fuel that’s been controlled by a handful of corporations for decades.

We can have energy without fossil fuels.

Graph with tile that says “It took the world sixty-eight years to reach 1 terawatt of solar and just two years to double it.”

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Reposted by Nancy Knowlton, Megan L. Ranney, Ted Temzelides , and 1 more Nancy Knowlton, Megan L. Ranney, Ted Temzelides, Timothy D. McBride

Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · Sep 7

RFK Jr. went on Fox News today to claim that HHS has had “no successes” in the past 40 years.

I beg to differ.

Figure from Lei et al., NEJM 2020. Link below.

Screenshot of graphic showing that the HPV vaccine has reduced cervical cancer incidence by 90%.

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Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Sep 7

It being Sunday, and having been to the #Vatican in support of Pope Francis's environmental work, here's my news to me good news for Sept 7 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries www.reuters.com/sustainabili...

Pope Leo, in climate push, to open Vatican-run ecological training centre

Pope Leo will open a new Vatican-run ecological training centre in the Italian countryside on Friday, in an initiative Catholic officials say is meant to encourage world leaders to address global climate change.

www.reuters.com

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Reposted by Katharine Hayhoe, Nancy Knowlton, David G. Stewart

Jeff Seidman (he/him) @jeffsseidman.bsky.social · Sep 4

1/x 🧵 🔌💡 #Greensky. Hey climate peeps! Here’s a local victory to celebrate, and some lessons from it. Last night, the Town of Poughkeepsie, NY, voted to overturn its 18-month moratorium (6 months, renewed twice) on grid-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS).

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Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Sep 4

It's the sun, stupid (borrowing from James Carville) #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries e360.yale.edu/digest/globa...

Global Solar Installations Up 64 Percent So Far This Year

e360.yale.edu

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Sep 4

Fighting for the bugs #EarthOptimism www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

The government says her lawn is 'unsightly.' She's fighting to keep it that way.

Which is more appealing: neatly mowed grass or a 'rewilded' lawn that supports a diverse habitat?

www.usatoday.com

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Sep 3

Local government in #India steps up to the reforestation plate big time - my news to me good news for Sep 3 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries www.nytimes.com/card/2025/09....

How a District in India Came Together to Plant 15 Million Trees

Frequent droughts, extreme heat and urban growth led a local government in southern India to build forests from scratch.

www.nytimes.com

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Sep 3

In Africa, solar power is beginning to look like cell phone adoption, that is, unstoppable. #EarthOptimism ember-energy.org/latest-insig...

The first evidence of a take-off in solar in Africa | Ember

There has been a major pick-up in solar panel imports into Africa over the last 12 months - a shift that is likely to impact almost every country on the continent.

ember-energy.org

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Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Sep 2

www.france24.com/en/live-news...

Bison herds 'reawaken' Yellowstone's prairies

There are few symbols of the American West more iconic than the bison -- shaggy giants that once roamed in the tens of millions before being nearly annihilated by European settlers.

www.france24.com

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Sep 2

Among all the news of a military takeover, a cleaner river in #Chicago is my news to me GOOD news for Sep 2. #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries. insideclimatenews.org/news/0109202...

In the Once Heavily Polluted Chicago River, More Fish, a Giant Snapping Turtle and an Upcoming Swim - Inside Climate News

Kayaking on the river reveals signs of life that earlier had been stamped out. The city’s first open-water swim in nearly a century is planned there this month.

insideclimatenews.org

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Reposted by Nancy Knowlton, David Kaufman, Iain Davidson , and 1 more Nancy Knowlton, David Kaufman, Iain Davidson, W. Andy Knight

penboyasgod.bsky.social @penboyasgod.bsky.social · Aug 30

At least SOME countries recognize the value of NATURE and all its offerings.

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Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Aug 28

So many people doing the right thing. The story of one of them is my news to me good news for Aug 28 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries e360.yale.edu/features/202...

In India, a Young Poacher Evolves into a Committed Conservationist

In “Chasing Birds” — Second-Place Winner of the 2025 Yale Environment 360 Film Contest — filmmaker Salma Sultana Barbhuiya explores how Rustom Basumatary, who came of age during a time of violent conf...

e360.yale.edu

Reposted by Mark W. Westneat

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Aug 28

#OceanOptimism newsroom.wcs.org/News-Release...

Philippines Declares New MPA in Biodiversity-Rich Siquijor Waters

New York, NY, August 13, 2025—In a historic milestone nearly 18 years in the making, the Philippines has officially designated Bitaug Marine Protected Area (MPA), now the largest MPA in Siquijor and c...

newsroom.wcs.org

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