Paul van Brakel
@paulvanbrakel.bsky.social
Retired enviro eng
1st cab off the rank will probably be AMOC
Net Zero = BAU Marketing Strategy
Embrace Biodiversity
No profile = no follow
Smile while you work
Aotearoa New Zealand
1st cab off the rank will probably be AMOC
Net Zero = BAU Marketing Strategy
Embrace Biodiversity
No profile = no follow
Smile while you work
Aotearoa New Zealand
Pinned
One species of New Zealand's endemic bees in Maramaratotara Bay.
One hovering and the other on a flax flower.
One hovering and the other on a flax flower.
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
Incredible timelapse showing the retreat of Franz Joseph Glacier (NZ) over only 7 years (2012-2019)! 🧊🔥
The ice flow velocity (up to 2 m/day!) combined with the incredible rate of retreat of the front (900 m over this period!) is simply mind-boggling! 🤪
📽️ Brian Anderson
vimeo.com/443262699?fl...
The ice flow velocity (up to 2 m/day!) combined with the incredible rate of retreat of the front (900 m over this period!) is simply mind-boggling! 🤪
📽️ Brian Anderson
vimeo.com/443262699?fl...
Franz Josef Glacier retreats 900 metres
A timelapse camera, installed in 2012, records the retreat of Franz Josef Glacier/Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere. Until 2019 the glacier retreated about 900 m. These…
vimeo.com
November 23, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Incredible timelapse showing the retreat of Franz Joseph Glacier (NZ) over only 7 years (2012-2019)! 🧊🔥
The ice flow velocity (up to 2 m/day!) combined with the incredible rate of retreat of the front (900 m over this period!) is simply mind-boggling! 🤪
📽️ Brian Anderson
vimeo.com/443262699?fl...
The ice flow velocity (up to 2 m/day!) combined with the incredible rate of retreat of the front (900 m over this period!) is simply mind-boggling! 🤪
📽️ Brian Anderson
vimeo.com/443262699?fl...
First born in the wild in 30 years. . Nature is precious
#biodiversity
#biodiversity
A spot of hope for these snail at the brink is my news to me good news for Nov 23 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries wildlife.org/watch-once-e...
Watch: Once extinct, reintroduced snails glow with hope - The Wildlife Society
Conservationists conduct the largest release ever of recovering extinct-in-the-wild snails
wildlife.org
November 23, 2025 at 5:31 PM
First born in the wild in 30 years. . Nature is precious
#biodiversity
#biodiversity
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
NINE DAYS LEFT ….
That’s all the water Tehran has after years of droughts and maladministration.
Things are so bad that unless there is a sudden massive downpour of rain like nothing anyone has ever seen, parts of Tehran if not all of the city, will eventually have to be evacuated southward. The
That’s all the water Tehran has after years of droughts and maladministration.
Things are so bad that unless there is a sudden massive downpour of rain like nothing anyone has ever seen, parts of Tehran if not all of the city, will eventually have to be evacuated southward. The
November 13, 2025 at 12:46 PM
NINE DAYS LEFT ….
That’s all the water Tehran has after years of droughts and maladministration.
Things are so bad that unless there is a sudden massive downpour of rain like nothing anyone has ever seen, parts of Tehran if not all of the city, will eventually have to be evacuated southward. The
That’s all the water Tehran has after years of droughts and maladministration.
Things are so bad that unless there is a sudden massive downpour of rain like nothing anyone has ever seen, parts of Tehran if not all of the city, will eventually have to be evacuated southward. The
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
A Dutch company dredged through a highly sensitive coral area for TotalEnergies’ liquefied natural gas project in Mozambique.
Environmental groups warn that the environmental impact assessments for TotalEnergies’ project and three others in the same waters are inadequate.
Environmental groups warn that the environmental impact assessments for TotalEnergies’ project and three others in the same waters are inadequate.
Construction of TotalEnergies pipeline cuts through coral reefs in Mozambique
Over the past year, a dredger operated by Dutch company Van Oord cut through a coral reef off the coast of northern Mozambique, part of the construction of French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies’…
news.mongabay.com
November 19, 2025 at 5:14 PM
A Dutch company dredged through a highly sensitive coral area for TotalEnergies’ liquefied natural gas project in Mozambique.
Environmental groups warn that the environmental impact assessments for TotalEnergies’ project and three others in the same waters are inadequate.
Environmental groups warn that the environmental impact assessments for TotalEnergies’ project and three others in the same waters are inadequate.
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
Social media data can be valuable for identifying ecological patterns. Cats are a major predator of wild animals worldwide, including invertebrates, and this study documents new observations of cat-arthropod interactions #RESInsectConsDiv resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Social media highlights the overlooked impact of cats on arthropods
The impact of domestic cats on vertebrate biodiversity is unequivocal; however, we still know little about their effects on arthropods. By analysing over 17,000 photos and videos from social media p...
resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 19, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Social media data can be valuable for identifying ecological patterns. Cats are a major predator of wild animals worldwide, including invertebrates, and this study documents new observations of cat-arthropod interactions #RESInsectConsDiv resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
Oh my.
James Talarico is incredibly skilled in dismantling Christian Nationalists.
Get this man in the Senate.
James Talarico is incredibly skilled in dismantling Christian Nationalists.
Get this man in the Senate.
November 19, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Oh my.
James Talarico is incredibly skilled in dismantling Christian Nationalists.
Get this man in the Senate.
James Talarico is incredibly skilled in dismantling Christian Nationalists.
Get this man in the Senate.
Does this remind you of anyone in office here in Aotearoa New Zealand ?
#nzpol
#nzpol
"at least seven Republican lawmakers had rooftop panels. Three of them acknowledged using the federal tax credit to help pay for the arrays....Another had leased a solar system that was indirectly subsidized via a separate tax credit for installers...."
www.eenews.net/articles/mee...
www.eenews.net/articles/mee...
Meet the Republicans who killed solar subsidies — after using them
POLITICO’s E&E News examined satellite imagery of more than 100 homes owned by Republican lawmakers to see if they have solar panels. Seven had rooftop
www.eenews.net
November 12, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Does this remind you of anyone in office here in Aotearoa New Zealand ?
#nzpol
#nzpol
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
"The lake's waters reached 41ºC, or 105.8ºF — hotter than most spa baths."
"You couldn't put your finger in the water."
Just terrible. There's no other way to describe this.
News: www.cbsnews.com/news/dolphin...
Peer reviewed: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
🌎 🧪
"You couldn't put your finger in the water."
Just terrible. There's no other way to describe this.
News: www.cbsnews.com/news/dolphin...
Peer reviewed: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
🌎 🧪
Hundreds of dolphins found dead in Amazon lake were in water hotter than a jacuzzi, study finds
"You couldn't put your finger in the water," said the lead author of the study, which spotlights the impacts of planetary warming on aquatic ecosystems.
www.cbsnews.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:25 PM
"The lake's waters reached 41ºC, or 105.8ºF — hotter than most spa baths."
"You couldn't put your finger in the water."
Just terrible. There's no other way to describe this.
News: www.cbsnews.com/news/dolphin...
Peer reviewed: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
🌎 🧪
"You couldn't put your finger in the water."
Just terrible. There's no other way to describe this.
News: www.cbsnews.com/news/dolphin...
Peer reviewed: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
🌎 🧪
...between 2001 and 2024, the state lost more than 540 square miles of its tree cover, about the size of the city of Los Angeles...
#biodiversity
#biodiversity
Recommended read 👀
LOGGING OFF: A Veza News longread looked at logging activities threatening “Nigeria’s last rainforest”.
LOGGING OFF: A Veza News longread looked at logging activities threatening “Nigeria’s last rainforest”.
“Forest Is Life” — But Nigeria’s Last Rainforest Is Falling Fast — VEZA
Southern Nigerian communities depend on the rainforest. So do endangered gorillas. But illegal logging, mining and disinformation leave them vulnerable.
veza.news
November 5, 2025 at 5:40 PM
...between 2001 and 2024, the state lost more than 540 square miles of its tree cover, about the size of the city of Los Angeles...
#biodiversity
#biodiversity
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
Extended hurricane category scale, following Wehner&Kossin, Proceedings of the National Academy 2024: www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...
If that scale didn't stop at Category 5 for historic reasons, we would have had several Category 6 tropical cyclones since year 2000.
If that scale didn't stop at Category 5 for historic reasons, we would have had several Category 6 tropical cyclones since year 2000.
November 2, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Extended hurricane category scale, following Wehner&Kossin, Proceedings of the National Academy 2024: www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...
If that scale didn't stop at Category 5 for historic reasons, we would have had several Category 6 tropical cyclones since year 2000.
If that scale didn't stop at Category 5 for historic reasons, we would have had several Category 6 tropical cyclones since year 2000.
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
These two Indian-Americans surpassed Mark Zuckerberg as the world's youngest self-made billionaire: They are college dropouts
->Times of India | More from Lil Dr Glen EcoChat at BigEarthData.ai
->Times of India | More from Lil Dr Glen EcoChat at BigEarthData.ai
These two Indian-Americans surpassed Mark Zuckerberg as the world's youngest self-made billionaire: They are college dropouts
Who are the two Indian-American college dropouts behind Mercor’s $10B AI success. (Photo: LinkedIn @suryamidha From debate team captains to business founders Academic achievements and early career choices The Thiel Fellowship and Mercor’s rapid evolution Funding, growth and global reach...
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
November 2, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
A 1 month GIF of NOAA SSTs
Admire how the Atlantic is 💤💤💤💤💤
Pacific slightly cooling
SO BORING
#ClimateCrisis
Admire how the Atlantic is 💤💤💤💤💤
Pacific slightly cooling
SO BORING
#ClimateCrisis
November 2, 2025 at 5:17 PM
A 1 month GIF of NOAA SSTs
Admire how the Atlantic is 💤💤💤💤💤
Pacific slightly cooling
SO BORING
#ClimateCrisis
Admire how the Atlantic is 💤💤💤💤💤
Pacific slightly cooling
SO BORING
#ClimateCrisis
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
Vivian Maier
NYC, 1953
NYC, 1953
October 31, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Vivian Maier
NYC, 1953
NYC, 1953
A Mast is coming Aotearoa New Zealand and it's bad news for bird life. We need to redouble our efforts in pest control.
#biodiversity
Native birds facing extinction from pests after beech seed drop www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
#biodiversity
Native birds facing extinction from pests after beech seed drop www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Native birds facing extinction from pests after beech seed drop
Rats and stoats will explode in numbers, eat all the seeds and look to supplement their diet with birds.
www.rnz.co.nz
October 26, 2025 at 6:49 PM
A Mast is coming Aotearoa New Zealand and it's bad news for bird life. We need to redouble our efforts in pest control.
#biodiversity
Native birds facing extinction from pests after beech seed drop www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
#biodiversity
Native birds facing extinction from pests after beech seed drop www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
"It's really amazing to see how their behaviour is starting to change."
www.bbc.com/future/artic...
www.bbc.com/future/artic...
'Their resilience is a lesson to us all': The maritime lions hunting seals on the beach
In Namibia, a group of desert lions have left their traditional hunting grounds for the Atlantic coast and are now thriving as the world's only maritime lions.
www.bbc.com
October 12, 2025 at 3:23 PM
"It's really amazing to see how their behaviour is starting to change."
www.bbc.com/future/artic...
www.bbc.com/future/artic...
Remember while the govt kicks poor parents in the teeth their own benefit entitlements are out of their hands, yeah right!
#nzpol
www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360...
#nzpol
www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360...
Government cuts KiwiSaver contribution as MPs get generous superannuation subsidy
The coalition is being accused of topping up their already large salaries at a time of belt-tightening, but the associate finance minister says the decision isn’t up to politicians.
www.stuff.co.nz
October 9, 2025 at 5:30 AM
Remember while the govt kicks poor parents in the teeth their own benefit entitlements are out of their hands, yeah right!
#nzpol
www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360...
#nzpol
www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360...
We have the likes of Mark Cameron railing about free speech in parliament the other day yet the right want to control the narrative more and more to increase their grip with the ignorant cannon fodder wannabes at the polling booth who aren't even invited to their path to plutocracy #nzpol
#NZPol Fucking comedy that incredible paragon of journalistic excellence @stuff.co.nz aren’t allowing comments on this one.
www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3608...
www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3608...
TVNZ’s editorial standards put under the microscope in defamation case
TVNZ’s head of news said he was comfortable the stories about Talley’s were accurate, legitimate, balanced and fair.
www.stuff.co.nz
October 8, 2025 at 5:55 PM
We have the likes of Mark Cameron railing about free speech in parliament the other day yet the right want to control the narrative more and more to increase their grip with the ignorant cannon fodder wannabes at the polling booth who aren't even invited to their path to plutocracy #nzpol
The Rewilding photographic awards are worth a look. Toggle the language in the top right hand corner if wanting to view English commentary
#biodiversity
www.gdtfoto.de/seiten/rewil...
#biodiversity
www.gdtfoto.de/seiten/rewil...
GDT Gesellschaft für Naturfotografie e.V.
Gesellschaft für Naturfotografie e.V. - eine der größten Organisationen für Naturfotografie weltweit.
www.gdtfoto.de
October 6, 2025 at 5:57 PM
The Rewilding photographic awards are worth a look. Toggle the language in the top right hand corner if wanting to view English commentary
#biodiversity
www.gdtfoto.de/seiten/rewil...
#biodiversity
www.gdtfoto.de/seiten/rewil...
Flying our way into oblivion
#climate
#climate
Green aviation is essentially hogwash go give people false hope and designed to put no limits on aviation travel despite ever faster extreme climate
Some of these bio fuels will actually increase emissions
e360.yale.edu/features/cor...
Some of these bio fuels will actually increase emissions
e360.yale.edu/features/cor...
October 5, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Flying our way into oblivion
#climate
#climate
Part of what made the international rules-based system work was that we had a powerful anchor for it:...We expected leaders to pull back from their greed. And if they didn’t, journalists would expose these things. Now...
Luxon?
Food for thought
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...
#nzpol
Luxon?
Food for thought
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...
#nzpol
How to live a good life in difficult times: Yuval Noah Harari, Rory Stewart and Maria Ressa in conversation
From superintelligent AI to the climate and democracy, three leading thinkers discuss how to navigate the future
www.theguardian.com
October 5, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Part of what made the international rules-based system work was that we had a powerful anchor for it:...We expected leaders to pull back from their greed. And if they didn’t, journalists would expose these things. Now...
Luxon?
Food for thought
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...
#nzpol
Luxon?
Food for thought
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...
#nzpol
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
Watching Nicola Willis:
- hedge
- misdirect
- screw up basic facts
- confidently lie
- pivot
- bloviate
- gaslight
…it was clear she was way out of her depth & uninterested in learning anything that might contradict her delusions (as was Luxon).
Well… the numbers are in.
It’s brutal.
#nzpol
- hedge
- misdirect
- screw up basic facts
- confidently lie
- pivot
- bloviate
- gaslight
…it was clear she was way out of her depth & uninterested in learning anything that might contradict her delusions (as was Luxon).
Well… the numbers are in.
It’s brutal.
#nzpol
The data in this article is absolutely damning. In the face of this, Nicola Willis’ response is idiotic.
It’s a long article. If you don’t have time for all the words, the graphs tell the story.
www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3608...
It’s a long article. If you don’t have time for all the words, the graphs tell the story.
www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3608...
‘Not sound economics’: 20 economists slam government’s economic strategy
The signatories – including former Productivity Commission chair Ganesh Nana and economist Susan St John – say the Government’s fiscal approach has worsened the recession, weakened public services, an...
www.thepost.co.nz
October 5, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Watching Nicola Willis:
- hedge
- misdirect
- screw up basic facts
- confidently lie
- pivot
- bloviate
- gaslight
…it was clear she was way out of her depth & uninterested in learning anything that might contradict her delusions (as was Luxon).
Well… the numbers are in.
It’s brutal.
#nzpol
- hedge
- misdirect
- screw up basic facts
- confidently lie
- pivot
- bloviate
- gaslight
…it was clear she was way out of her depth & uninterested in learning anything that might contradict her delusions (as was Luxon).
Well… the numbers are in.
It’s brutal.
#nzpol
Anthropogenic EMF can affect sensitive species. We are not alone.
#biodiversity
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
#biodiversity
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
October 5, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Anthropogenic EMF can affect sensitive species. We are not alone.
#biodiversity
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
#biodiversity
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...