Nostr notes by The Climate Historian

A few days ago, I posted a short text about a small number of ...

2026-08-26T11:09:15Z

A few days ago, I posted a short text about a small number of billionaires who own a massive share of the world’s wealth and the damage that kind of ownership does to the planet and everyone on it.

What struck me most in the responses wasn’t anger but something closer to paralysis.

So today I’m writing this: the problem isn’t just that billionaires have too much money. It’s that we’ve started acting as if they have the right to decide the future, our future.

https://theclimatehistorian.substack.com/p/on-billionaires-numbness-and-the?r=1qy42b&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

989 people in the U.S., out of 340 million, are billionaires. ...

2026-08-24T09:39:30Z

989 people in the U.S., out of 340 million, are billionaires. 3,428 people, out of 8.3 billion, worldwide as of March 2026.

That's roughly one in every 2.4 million humans. A tiny group of the human population and yet they do disproportionate damage to the planet and its people.

We are destroying the Earth to create wealth for these men. It doesn't have to stay this way. We can change this.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/pr/2026/03/10/forbes-40th-annual-worlds-billionaires-list-elon-musk-is-worlds-richest-person-ever-recorded/

#inequality #oligarchy #democracy

“I have never seen an El Niño signal this intense in our ...

2026-08-21T12:20:49Z

“I have never seen an El Niño signal this intense in our forecasts.”

Adam Scaife, head of long-range forecasting at the UK Met Office, warns that the El Niño weather event that is developing over the Pacific Ocean is likely to be the strongest in living memory..

https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/articles/c3ekg93vjz9o

#elnino #weather #climatechange

I wish people would read Gil Durán's @npub1q0j…x3m8 ...

2026-08-20T17:03:07Z

I wish people would read Gil Durán's Gil Duran (npub1q0j…x3m8) remarkable book “The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War to Democracy," to get a clear picture of what “innovation” actually looks like when technological power becomes political power.

https://theclimatehistorian.substack.com/p/the-billionaires-who-want-to-own

#reading #books #tech #usPolitics

On the power of wealth to rule without ever calling itself power. ...

2026-08-16T14:12:05Z

On the power of wealth to rule without ever calling itself power.

"You can give someone the vote and still leave them economically powerless. You can tell them they are free to choose their employer, their home, or their future while arranging society so that the cost of making the wrong choice is unbearable.

Political equality can look fine on paper while economic inequality quietly determines who has the practical ability to use it."

https://marginalspace.substack.com/p/mary-wollstonecraft-and-the-new-species

Romania shut down its only nuclear power plant after water levels ...

2026-08-14T08:54:31Z

Romania shut down its only nuclear power plant after water levels in the drought-hit Danube river fell too low to supply its last remaining operating reactor.

Hungary and Moldova are also watching their rivers shrink to record lows.

If a summer of extreme heat, wildfires, droughts and floods (in other parts of the planet) still isn’t enough to make politicians act on #climate then we - the people who keep electing them - have earned whatever comes next.

https://www.politico.eu/article/romania-cernavoda-nuclear-reactor-shut-down-danube-drought/

The El Niño climate pattern that’s strengthening in the ...

2026-07-27T14:00:43Z

The El Niño climate pattern that’s strengthening in the Pacific Ocean is on track to be the largest one in at least 150 years.

If current forecasts pan out, the #elnino
will unleash a surge of heat from the ocean that, combined with human-induced global warming, will probably make next year the hottest on record.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-02293-y

It’s rocky and Earth‑like, it’s got a confirmed atmosphere, ...

2026-07-16T19:17:32Z

It’s rocky and Earth‑like, it’s got a confirmed atmosphere, and it is conveniently located in the Goldilocks zone, meaning warm enough for liquid water and cool enough not to boil you alive.

The only problem? It’s 49 light‑years away which with our current propulsion translates to “see you never.”

But who knows, maybe we’ll crack warp travel just in time to escape the planet we’re busy rendering uninhabitable.

#science #astronomy

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jul/16/atmosphere-lhs-1140b-exoplanet-could-water-scientists

Worth your time. 👇 The internet's most successful ...

2026-07-06T12:30:16Z

Worth your time. 👇

The internet's most successful tradwives don't just bake bread. They've found a way to monetise submission.

Funny how the loudest champions of ‘financial dependence’ tend to be the ones enjoying very comfortable financial independence.

https://marginalspace.substack.com/p/the-business-of-being-a-tradwife

It’s hard to make someone who hasn’t experienced this heat ...

2026-06-30T14:15:04Z

It’s hard to make someone who hasn’t experienced this heat understand how much it narrows your mental range. Without aircon, even ordinary tasks demand concentration, thoughts slow down, and the day feels less like something you live in than something you endure.

I have spent more than 20 years carrying with me a persistent anxiety that surfaced with every new report and every new temperature record. Now that feeling has shifted into outright fury.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/another-ordinary-day-in-the-climate?r=1qy42b&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

#climatechange

A masterful news headline from our sizzling little planet. 👇 ...

2026-06-27T18:15:31Z

A masterful news headline from our sizzling little planet. 👇 🔥 🌏

"Extreme heat cancels London climate change event on adapting to extreme heat"

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/extreme-heat-event-london-cancelled-b3001379.html

#climatechange #extremetemps

Across Europe, heat waves and droughts have increased the ...

2026-06-25T07:36:27Z

Across Europe, heat waves and droughts have increased the at‑risk‑of‑poverty rate by 1.1 percentage points, pushing an additional 5.6 million people into poverty between 2004 and 2022, a reminder that climate change is creating real hardship for people who never chose to face it.

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/climate-change/a-drying-and-heating-up-europe-is-deepening-poverty-and-inequality-study

#climatechange #inequality

Every time the UK experiences another heatwave I end up sharing ...

2026-06-23T16:34:04Z

Every time the UK experiences another heatwave I end up sharing this clip, because it captures a recurring feature of climate communication.

Scientists describe a dangerous and increasingly abnormal event, while much of the public discussion revolves around whether we should simply enjoy the sunny weather while it lasts.

https://youtu.be/00uGSlFBVDs?si=pGmW3WzibaAZQUPk

#climate #uk #extremetemps

It's official. The internet now belongs to the machines. Only ...

2026-06-06T11:58:18Z

It's official. The internet now belongs to the machines.

Only 42.5% of website visits now come from actual people.

For the first time ever, bots are the dominant population online, and we’re becoming the minority species.

Congratulations humanity!

#ai #technology

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/bots-have-now-passed-human-traffic-online-cloudflare-boss-laments-says-agentic-traffic-wasnt-expected-to-eclipse-real-people-until-next-year

Are you still on Elon Musk’s X? If the answer is yes, ask ...

2026-06-04T13:05:55Z

Are you still on Elon Musk’s X?

If the answer is yes, ask yourself why.

Are you really okay with a billionaire meddling in your national politics manufacturing outrage and monetising rage?

X has become nothing more than an open sewer and pretending otherwise is self deception.

#twitter

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jun/04/keir-starmer-elon-musk-division-henry-nowak

The UN is warning the world to prepare for the imminent return of ...

2026-06-02T08:08:43Z

The UN is warning the world to prepare for the imminent return of El Niño, as if “preparing” has ever meant anything more than watching the same disaster run on repeat.

Let me remind you that the last El Niño, in 2023–24, was one of the five strongest ever recorded. It turned 2024 into a global furnace, shattering temperature records

The real question is whether, this time, “prepare” will mean something more than watching the same crisis unfold on a hotter stage.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/el-nino-returns?r=1qy42b&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Are you still on Elon Musk’s X? If the answer is yes, ask ...

2026-05-28T11:51:56Z

Are you still on Elon Musk’s X?

If the answer is yes, ask yourself why.

The platform has gutted safety rules, boosted paid disinformation, and turned into a playground for extremists and state‑backed manipulators.

If you stay, you’re signalling consent. If you leave, you’re making a statement — loudly.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/28/still-on-x-ask-yourself-why-platform-twitter-malign-actors-misinformation

I often think about Guernica these days because it no longer ...

2026-05-27T03:30:00Z

I often think about Guernica these days because it no longer feels like a historical artefact, but a portrait of the world we still inhabit.

Picasso painted civilians trapped beneath falling bombs, and nearly ninety years later the same scenes unfold across Ukraine, Gaza, Iran, and Lebanon. Families digging through rubble, children pulled from destroyed buildings, entire neighbourhoods erased within minutes.

The technology has changed. The suffering has not.

https://theclimatehistorian.substack.com/p/picasso-against-the-bombs?r=1qy42b&triedRedirect=true

#art

This week the UN backed a resolution from Vanuatu, a country ...

2026-05-24T10:31:38Z

This week the UN backed a resolution from Vanuatu, a country losing land to rising seas, urging governments to speed up climate action and treat these commitments as binding duties under international law.

8 countries voted against it.
Against an appeal to save a planet whose deterioration threatens every living thing on it.

Who are these countries? What do they have in common?

I will list them 👇 one by one, and leave the conclusions to you.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/05/1167561

#climate

It's a striking image, two female leaders - Mexico's ...

2026-05-23T13:06:29Z

It's a striking image, two female leaders - Mexico's Claudia Sheinbaum and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen - holding the signed trade deal side by side.

Whatever your politics, it's historically notable and visually powerful.

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexico-eu-sign-stalled-trade-deal-they-aim-diversify-us-2026-05-22/

#EU #Mexico #Politics

If you want to disentangle yourself from Google and the rest of ...

2026-05-20T16:16:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…uvzt
_________________________

If you want to disentangle yourself from Google and the rest of the usual suspects, Paris Marx (npub157r…8pny) has put together a quite comprehensive guide to help you make a clean break.

https://disconnect.blog/getting-off-us-tech-a-guide/

People have spent years talking about leaving Google, but at some ...

2026-05-20T12:53:22Z

People have spent years talking about leaving Google, but at some point the talk has to give way to action.

This company believes it has people locked in. If anyone wants to challenge that belief, now would be an excellent time.

There are a lot of alternatives that can help you disentangle yourself from Google and the rest of the usual suspects.

And if you think it can’t be done, trust me, it can. I’ve done it.

#google

https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/19/google-search-as-you-know-it-is-over/

This month marks twenty years since Al Gore’s climate ...

2026-05-19T07:38:21Z

This month marks twenty years since Al Gore’s climate documentary reshaped the public conversation. It was a turning point for global awareness, and for me too.

That was the moment when my focus shifted from broad environmental issues to the climate crisis itself.

https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/05/a-look-back-at-an-inconvenient-truth-20-years-later/

"Note to politicians: You can just do stuff regular people ...

2026-05-18T09:40:40Z

"Note to politicians: You can just do stuff regular people actually need and want and it's ok."

Here’s a list of things Zohran Mamdani has done in just four months by First Dog in the Moon

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2026/may/18/heres-a-list-of-things-zohran-mamdani-has-done-in-just-four-months

Global sea temperatures were the second‑highest ever recorded ...

2026-05-09T15:35:49Z

Global sea temperatures were the second‑highest ever recorded in April, raising concerns that a developing El Niño would intensify extreme weather.

For context, April 2024 was the warmest on record, followed by April 2025.

Across Europe, Spain reported its warmest April on record, while parts of eastern Europe experienced unusually cold conditions.

#climate #extremetemps

The COP process has long been held hostage by petrostate vetoes. ...

2026-05-02T10:13:31Z

The COP process has long been held hostage by petrostate vetoes.

Could this week in Colombia be the moment when climate politics begins to move in a different direction?

“This week’s article from The Climate Historian. 👇 Thank you, as always, for your support. It makes this work possible.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/what-happened-in-colombia-this-week?r=1qy42b&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

The COP process has long been hostage to the veto of petrostate ...

2026-04-30T13:27:00Z

The COP process has long been hostage to the veto of petrostate interests. What happened this week in Colombia may be the beginning of something different.

60 countries agreed to form a coalition committed to accelerating clean energy deployment and phasing out coal, oil, and gas.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/30/colombia-climate-talks-end-fossil-fuel-phaseout

BP’s profits didn’t just rise when the Iran conflict ...

2026-04-29T08:53:28Z

BP’s profits didn’t just rise when the Iran conflict disrupted global oil flows, they more than doubled in the first quarter.

Once again, the energy giants made money while households struggled with soaring bills.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/iran-rachel-reeves-simon-francis-government-ukraine-b2966166.html

Interesting reading. China’s Great Green Wall is one of the ...

2026-04-28T17:07:24Z

Interesting reading.

China’s Great Green Wall is one of the largest efforts to stop deserts from advancing, it's a vast band of new forests across northern China that acts as a barrier against desertification.

It has succeeded where many similar projects have stalled or failed, giving other countries both a model to follow and lessons on what to avoid when planning their own greening programmes.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01102-w

Interesting. And being in this generation, I can safely say ...

2026-04-22T11:24:02Z

Interesting. And being in this generation, I can safely say there’s a lot of truth in that, more than most people are willing to admit.

Children of Generation X (born and raised in the 1960s and 1970s) developed resilience as a result of their parents’ indifference and neglect.

https://www.ecoticias.com/en/psychology-asserts-that-children-of-the-1960s-and-1970s-did-not-become-emotionally-strong-thanks-to-better-parenting-but-because-they-grew-up-with-enough-daily-neglect-to-learn-to-self-regulate-solv/30948/

Last week, I wrote about the deepening drought in the United ...

2026-04-17T12:50:07Z

Last week, I wrote about the deepening drought in the United States and suggested it could evolve into something reminiscent of the Dust Bowl years. A few readers asked what those years were.

So, here’s the story of how an ordinary stretch of farmland became the centre of one of the harshest environmental disasters in American history.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/dust-bowl-when-the-sky-turned-black?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Hungary’s heading to the polls next Sunday. These are very ...

2026-04-04T12:31:22Z

Hungary’s heading to the polls next Sunday.

These are very important elections, not only for the future of democracy in Hungary but also for the future of the European Union.

Here’s a very interesting and useful segment on Orbán’s corrupt regime, by John Oliver.

Let’s hope he falls. Orbán. Not John Oliver.

https://youtu.be/SkRw83GV-wA?si=USL8UZaAcfdthjhf

This article has now been read by almost a 1000 people, a small ...

2026-03-26T20:11:24Z

This article has now been read by almost a 1000 people, a small number for many on Substack, but an incredible one to me.

Water is a crisis that gathers slowly and invisibly until it reshapes daily life.

It’s no accident that one of the fears in the current Middle East war is the targeting of desalination plants. What they fear isn’t the bombing itself, but the collapse of the invisible systems that make modern life possible.

Thank you so much for all the support

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/the-quiet-bankruptcy-of-water?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Montaigne and How to Stay Free When the World Wants Your Mind ...

2026-03-26T11:26:13Z

Montaigne and How to Stay Free When the World Wants Your Mind

“If Michel de Montaigne were to speak to us now, he might observe, with his usual light irony, that we tend to notice the value of freedom only when it begins to slip away. The wiser course, he might say, is to notice it now, while we still can, and to defend it with the only weapon that cannot be confiscated: a mind that remains, stubbornly and gently, its own.”

https://open.substack.com/pub/marginalspace/p/the-courage-to-remain-yourself?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

#books #philosophy

A conversation last night made one thing clear: many people still ...

2026-03-26T07:34:30Z

A conversation last night made one thing clear: many people still treat energy as if it were infinite.

It isn't . And the sooner we adapt, the better for our wallets, our lungs and the climate.

Road transport alone makes up roughly 45% of global oil demand. So the question is simple: could we cut unnecessary car trips and work from home when we can?

I keep wondering how much more it will take for us to admit the ...

2026-03-23T10:23:56Z

I keep wondering how much more it will take for us to admit the truth: fossil‑fuel addiction is one of the greatest risks to our societies.

We need to end this addiction now.
Save energy on a massive scale, electrify everything we can, and push our representatives to expand renewable power.

Every kilowatt saved, every system electrified, every policy pushed in the right direction moves us closer to a safer, more resilient future.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/23/iran-war-energy-crisis-1970s-oil-shocks-fatih-birol-iea

Every political and industrial decision‑maker should read this. ...

2026-03-23T08:57:33Z

Every political and industrial decision‑maker should read this. Better yet, read the WMO report itself.

Then take a moment and ask themselves.

- What am I doing to stop this? Is it enough?
- How I expect my children and grandchildren to remember me when they learn what I chose to do—or not do—right now.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c203rdxkezwo

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against ...

2026-03-22T13:05:04Z

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women released its annual report. Of the 44 member states, 37 approved it. Six abstained: Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Mali, Mauritania, and Saudi Arabia.

And for the first time in seventy years, one country voted against it. This has never happened before. One solitary “NO.”

Which country was it?

The United States of America.

https://msmagazine.com/2026/03/19/usa-csw-70-women/

"Although President Donald Trump says he has “destroyed ...

2026-03-21T11:18:52Z

"Although President Donald Trump says he has “destroyed 100% of Iran’s Military Capability”, the 0% that remains is playing havoc with the global economy".

-- The Economist

https://www.economist.com/united-states/2026/03/18/how-the-iran-war-is-hurting-donald-trump

Analog connection: always on, never drops, no password required, ...

2026-03-18T13:41:49Z

Analog connection: always on, never drops, no password required, just lean out the window.

I wrote recently about breaking the link between electricity ...

2026-03-18T07:25:32Z

I wrote recently about breaking the link between electricity prices and gas, and Zack Polanski has now made it part of the Green Party’s three‑point economic plan.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/why-ed-miliband-is-right-about-britains?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Most of the proposals are basic economics, but he’ll still face a lot of resistance, especially over the “shocking” idea of taxing capital gains like income.

A simple act of fairness, but for some is pure blasphemy. You’d think he proposed collectivising the City of London.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/mar/18/basics-of-life-in-britain-have-been-sold-for-profit-says-polanski

So, let me put this as plainly as I can. Trump has launched a war ...

2026-03-16T18:51:58Z

In reply to nevent1q…a5jn
_________________________

So, let me put this as plainly as I can.

Trump has launched a war against Iran, to ‘punish’ Tehran and prevent its nuclear ambitions, while quietly tolerating its oil sales, allowing the regime to keep funding both its military operations and its domestic repression.

A masterpiece of strategic brilliance, if the objective is to set fire to the house and then hand the arsonist a fresh can of petrol.

https://giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/actions/redeem/60e2a87e-1614-488c-8fbe-aaef19814e3c

Trump spent his term insulting U.S. allies, threatening about ...

2026-03-16T09:56:10Z

Trump spent his term insulting U.S. allies, threatening about taking Greenland by force, and slapping tariffs, all under the banner of ‘America First.’

Now, faced with the potential disastrous consequences of his own decisions, he wants to hand the responsibility off to NATO, as if the alliance were some kind of hired muscle meant to carry out his wishes and clean up his mess.

NATO is a defensive alliance, not a mercenary force at the disposal of the United States.

Humans can make the world an ugly place, but nature is always ...

2026-03-13T19:11:44Z

Humans can make the world an ugly place, but nature is always here to remind us that beauty still exists.

This photograph, which won the 2026 British Wildlife Awards, captures a toad gliding through the clear waters of a Sheffield lake, beneath the quiet shelter of bare treetops - a small, still moment of grace in an imperfect world.

The weekend is here. Take a moment to slow down and hold close the people and things that matter most.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/the-toad-the-lake-and-everything?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

#nature #wildlifephotography

El Niño is likely to return in 2026, and push global ...

2026-03-13T09:28:48Z

El Niño is likely to return in 2026, and push global temperatures into uncharted territory. Whether it arrives with a roar this year or quietly builds toward 2027, one thing is no longer in doubt.

The planet is on a trajectory where records exist to be broken. We once treated each new temperature record as an anomaly. We are now learning that anomaly can evolve into routine.

And when the anomaly becomes the routine, it’s the routine you should be afraid of.

https://theclimatehistorian.substack.com/p/the-heat-is-coming-back?triedRedirect=true&_src_ref=mastodon.social

Sam Altman: “We see a future where intelligence is a utility, ...

2026-03-12T18:32:50Z

Sam Altman: “We see a future where intelligence is a utility, like electricity or water, and people buy it from us on a meter.”

Meaning: We stole all your knowledge , writing, and art, and now we’re gonna put a meter on it and sell it back to you. You’re welcome.”

China plans a 10% increase in its science and technology budget ...

2026-03-11T18:46:45Z

China plans a 10% increase in its science and technology budget this year and at least 7% annual growth in R&D spending over the next five years— a boost that translates to billions of extra dollars each year.

This is in sharp contrast to the US under President Trump's administration, which has tried to cut federal science funding since early 2025.

China now employs more researchers than the U.S. and the entire EU combined.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00770-y

New article: How humanity is exhausting the planet’s water ...

2026-03-10T12:48:41Z

New article: How humanity is exhausting the planet’s water while arguing about everything else.

We imagine that the greatest dangers arrive dramatically, carried by armies, ideologies, or sudden catastrophe.

But the biggest crises usually build quietly until they reshape ordinary life. Water scarcity is one of them.

It grows because we ignore it, because we assume things will sort themselves out, keep believing nature’s limits can always stretch a little further.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/the-quiet-bankruptcy-of-water?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

The iceberg, known as A23a, was once the largest on Earth, ...

2026-03-07T10:58:07Z

The iceberg, known as A23a, was once the largest on Earth, covering an area more than twice the size of Greater London. Now it has just weeks left.

A23a is nearly 40 years old, ancient for an iceberg, and all icebergs eventually melt.

Climate change isn’t blamed for this specific berg’s demise, though it shapes the broader environment — warmer Southern Ocean waters, more intense summer melt, shifting currents — are all influenced by a warming planet.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-20f878f1-f4af-4022-9f62-b0515b9f4b20

Sam Altman, the high priest of Silicon Valley, told us this week ...

2026-03-01T13:56:50Z

Sam Altman, the high priest of Silicon Valley, told us this week that we shouldn’t complain about AI’s masive energy use because “humans consume a lot of energy too.”

In other words: stop whining, carbon-based peasants-your children are the real environmental problem. Do you know how much energy it takes to raise and educate one of those inefficient little mammals?

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/training-humans-vs-training-machines?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Sam Altman, the high priest of Silicon Valley, told us this week ...

2026-02-28T07:11:15Z

Sam Altman, the high priest of Silicon Valley, told us this week that we shouldn’t complain about AI’s masive energy use because “humans consume a lot of energy too.”

In other words: stop whining, carbon-based peasants-your children are the real environmental problem. Do you know how much energy it takes to raise and educate one of those inefficient little mammals.

And these are the people deciding the fate of potentially the most dangerous technology ever built.

https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/21/sam-altman-would-like-remind-you-that-humans-use-a-lot-of-energy-too/

She's a Green and she is a plumber. What's not to like! ...

2026-02-27T08:19:00Z

She's a Green and she is a plumber. What's not to like! 💚

Hannah Spencer won a special parliamentary election in England today a big boost for the Green party and a blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose center-left Labour Party was relegated to third place.

The broader meaning of this result is hard to miss. The Conservative–Labour dominance that has defined British politics since the post‑war era looks increasingly fragile.

#GreenParty
https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-by-election-hannah-spencer-britain-newest-green-mp-plumber-to-parliament/

Friendly reminder that you’re not contractually obligated to ...

2026-02-20T11:45:03Z

Friendly reminder that you’re not contractually obligated to use American tech. Europe actually makes things too - Mastodon, for example.

I started shifting over about a year ago. It’s slow going (yes, I’m still trapped on Substack), but progress is progress.

If you’re attempting the same escape, and I hope you do, here’s a community‑driven directory to help you find European products and services based on real recommendations.

https://www.goeuropean.org/

The far-right crime myth: London safer than ever, violent crime ...

2026-02-10T12:08:40Z

The far-right crime myth: London safer than ever, violent crime down, fewer murders than Paris or Berlin.

Londoners know this: 81% feel secure. But far-right influencers on X / TikTok say a different story. "London+crime+immigrants" posts doubled 2020-24, painting a city under siege.

61% of Britons outside London believe the myth over the data. Disinformation works.

https://www.economist.com/britain/2026/01/28/london-is-far-safer-than-violent-viral-videos-will-have-you-believe

"Democracy is now back to 1985 levels according to some ...

2026-02-07T07:26:55Z

"Democracy is now back to 1985 levels according to some metrics, with 72 percent of the world’s population now living under autocracy. Russia and China are less free today than 20 years ago. And so is the United States".

-Human Rights Watch, World Report 2026

https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2026

Friday's post: Why climate change will not respect the ...

2026-02-06T12:53:55Z

Friday's post: Why climate change will not respect the assumptions built into our economic models?

Because the economic models that shape public policy, financial regulation, and corporate strategy have a curious flaw: they are built for a world that no longer exists.

Read more 👇

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/the-comfort-of-elegant-equations?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

About a year ago I started using more European services. It ...

2026-02-05T06:57:31Z

About a year ago I started using more European services. It hasn’t been easy — I’m still on Substack, for example — but I’m getting there.

If you’re trying to make the same shift, here’s a community‑driven directory to help you find European products and services based on real recommendations.

https://www.goeuropean.org/

Could one day future generations look at our extractive habits, ...

2026-02-02T13:58:51Z

Could one day future generations look at our extractive habits, the environmental devastation, the coerced labour, and casual disposability of human lives, and judge us with the same moral clarity that we now apply to slavery?

Rare metals, global power, and the invisible human cost of the digital age

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/the-mephistophelean-bargain-of-power?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

#books

The incredible Jane Fonda says organize, resist, fight back ... ...

2026-02-01T17:36:13Z

The incredible Jane Fonda says organize, resist, fight back ...

https://youtu.be/YKtA7lxh7BA?si=ejTTchN0LuTeKwTJ

#Wikipedia needs you “Everything about Wikipedia is a worship ...

2026-01-29T13:43:58Z

#Wikipedia needs you

“Everything about Wikipedia is a worship of expertise,” aid its co-founder Jimmy Wales said in an interview with Nature.

That’s the part of the approach that makes it so valuable — and one of the reasons why researchers should take the time to get involved.

As the web gets ever more polarized and swamped with untrustworthy content, "editors who are fair and civil, and who know how to weigh up evidence, are sorely needed.”

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00074-1

So, it’s that time of year again when we need to remind people ...

2026-01-27T13:58:00Z

So, it’s that time of year again when we need to remind people that a few icy days don’t magically erase decades of planetary warming.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/why-cold-winters-still-happen-in?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

"Please get the truth out about our son." He was a good ...

2026-01-25T01:17:19Z

"Please get the truth out about our son."

He was a good man.

Please reboot.

Wondering about the Trump regime’s impact on American science? ...

2026-01-21T03:00:24Z

Wondering about the Trump regime’s impact on American science? The graph below says everything

This assault will haunt U.S. science for decades.

https://www.nature.com/immersive/d41586-026-00088-9/index.html

I wrote this article about Greenland about ten months ago. It was ...

2026-01-20T18:39:13Z

I wrote this article about Greenland about ten months ago. It was the third in a series on the Arctic, examining why Greenland matters — and why Donald Trump’s fixation on the region was never as erratic as it first appeared.

With tensions now escalating and the Arctic once again moving to the center of geopolitical attention, it seems timely to republish it.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/copy-greenland-the-icy-crossroads?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

More money doesn’t always mean more wealth. Explore ...

2026-01-15T13:57:24Z

More money doesn’t always mean more wealth.

Explore Lauderdale’s paradox, the Industrial Revolution, and why accumulating riches often comes at everyone else’s expense.

Thanks to all of you who’ve subscribed to The Climate Historian.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/when-wealth-make-societies-poor?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

"At its core, the novel warns that the greatest danger is not ...

2026-01-12T12:33:09Z

"At its core, the novel warns that the greatest danger is not error itself, but the violent certainty of those who believe they possess absolute truth and are willing to destroy others in its name. … When people are willing to die, or more often to demand that others die, for a truth they claim as their own, truth ceases to be a moral guide and becomes a destructive force."

https://open.substack.com/pub/marginalspace/p/rereading-the-name-of-the-rose-as?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

I was one of the people who answered @npub1u0q…9mcc 's call ...

2026-01-09T16:10:32Z

I was one of the people who answered Indivisible ❌👑 (npub1u0q…9mcc) 's call to boycott Spotify over the ICE ads, and today there’s a sense of vindication.

It doesn’t undo the harm, and it certainly doesn’t absolve Spotify, or any tech company that cashes government checks to help ICE recruit.

But it does prove something important. When you boycott and tell the company exactly why you’re walking away, sometimes they actually listen.

https://variety.com/2026/digital/news/spotify-confirms-ice-recruitment-ads-are-no-longer-running-1236626243/

Trump moves to pull US out of bedrock global climate treaty, ...

2026-01-08T12:08:47Z

Trump moves to pull US out of bedrock global climate treaty, becoming first country to do so.

Meanwhile, China's National Energy Administration has introduced new trial rules for its Green Electricity Certificate (GEC) system, aiming to give companies a more credible way to verify their use of clean power.

The scale of China’s renewable push is staggering, 1.23 billion GECs issued in October 2024 alone, reflecting China’s massive renewable build‑out.

https://guangfu.bjx.com.cn/news/20260107/1478458.shtml

ICE’s “wartime recruitment” ads are running on national ...

2026-01-08T08:38:57Z

ICE’s “wartime recruitment” ads are running on national television, proliferating on social media, and popping up on platforms such as Hulu, HBO Max, Spotify, and YouTube with alarming frequency.

Remember that these platforms survive on our attention and our subscriptions. Resist.

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/ices-new-age-propaganda

A virus that sickens marine mammals has been found in Arctic ...

2026-01-06T07:31:59Z

A virus that sickens marine mammals has been found in Arctic waters for the first time. The article focuses on the drone / petri-dish tech used to detect it, but misses the bigger story.

As the Arctic warms and sea ice collapses, seals, walruses & other marine mammals are forced into smaller, crowded areas. Overcrowding and new species overlapping, accelerates the spread of deadly viruses.

Climate change isn’t just melting ice, it’s opening new pathways for disease.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/science/arctic-drones-whales-virus.html?unlocked_article_code=1.CFA.KmHr.S84C6YhtTDwe&smid=url-share

As I get older, I’ve noticed a shift in how I live. I’m ...

2026-01-05T07:28:26Z

As I get older, I’ve noticed a shift in how I live. I’m drifting back toward the analogue, reading physical books, writing notes by hand, deliberately closing the laptop and turning off my phone.

It isn't nostalgia, but a growing need for focus, clarity and quiet. I keep wondering whether this is just a personal thing -an evolution if you like, or if others feeling the same pull away from the digital noise?

Today I’m telling the story of a strike - how ten shop workers ...

2026-01-04T13:18:29Z

Today I’m telling the story of a strike - how ten shop workers in Ireland challenged the apartheid in the 1980s with nothing but their conviction and a stubborn refusal to play along.

Mainly is a story of persistence and courage, a reminder that sometimes the first step toward changing the world is simply refusing to handle seven grapefruits.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/ten-shopworkers-seven-grapefruits?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Meanwhile, OpenAI is preparing its new tool, an achievement that ...

2025-12-13T11:21:48Z

Meanwhile, OpenAI is preparing its new tool, an achievement that will undoubtedly justify the investment of a gazillion dollars in supercomputers that burn as much energy as cities and drain water reservoirs.

What are they preparing? A cure for cancer? Nuclear fusion?

No. The revolution we’ve all been waiting for is 'ChatGPT adult mode.'

Pornography. It will create pornography.

https://www.theverge.com/news/842657/openai-chatgpt-adult-mode-debut-q1-2026

A decade after the Paris Agreement, we can see it for what it ...

2025-12-12T09:56:41Z

A decade after the Paris Agreement, we can see it for what it was, a rare moment when humanity briefly aligned around science, and the possibility of collective action.

Ten years ago, many believed that the impossible might finally become possible, that we could redirect the trajectory of a warming world.

The years that followed reveal a story of both real progress and deep contradictions.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/ten-years-of-the-paris-agreement?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

#climate

Switzerland recently voted down a proposal to tax extreme wealth ...

2025-12-03T15:59:41Z

Switzerland recently voted down a proposal to tax extreme wealth to fund large-scale climate action. 79% said no.

We say we care about inequality. We say we care about climate change. Yet when faced with policies that might actually shift power or alter the status quo, resistance prevails.

From obscene wealth concentration to the climate crisis, today I' m thinking about the chasm between our proclaimed values and our political choices.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/the-age-of-the-untouchable-rich?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

GDP tells us how much we produce - not how well we live. It ...

2025-11-20T07:53:29Z

GDP tells us how much we produce - not how well we live.

It worked after WWII, but today we need new metrics that reflect how long we live, how secure we are, and whether our environment can sustain us.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03721-1

UN secretary António Guterres is right. “Every fraction of a ...

2025-11-06T15:07:51Z

UN secretary António Guterres is right.

“Every fraction of a degree higher means more hunger, more displacement, more economic hardship and more lives and ecosystems lost."

Fossil fuel companies are deceiving the public and undermining climate progress. Every dollar poured into subsidies for fossil fuels is a dollar diverted from our health, our communities and shared future.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/06/missing-15c-climate-target-is-a-moral-failure-guterres-tells-cop30-summit

#cop30

The impacts of climate change are already brutal, and global, and ...

2025-11-05T13:24:38Z

The impacts of climate change are already brutal, and global, and yet, many still imagine it as a distant or abstract phenomenon, picturing melting ice and distant storms, as something that happens “elsewhere” or in some imagined future.

The 2025 Lancet Countdown report shatters that delusion. It lays bare a world already in crisis, where environmental breakdown is not a forecast, but a lived reality.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/hotter-sicker-poorer-why-climate?r=1qy42b&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

I often wonder what those two fearless Washington Post reporters ...

2025-11-01T11:18:38Z

I often wonder what those two fearless Washington Post reporters who exposed the Watergate scandal would think if they were suddenly transported from 1972 into today, forced to witness what has become of their nation, the democracy, and the moral values of its people.

I imagine the shock, the heartbreak,perhaps even the urge to flee back to a time when truth and integrity still held some weight.

Both are still alive today, now in their 80s. Aging, after all, is its own kind of time travel.

When a Sleeping City Met a Toxic Dawn On the night of December 3, ...

2025-10-31T13:18:17Z

When a Sleeping City Met a Toxic Dawn

On the night of December 3, 1984, the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal released a dense cloud of methyl isocyanate-a colorless, highly toxic gas.

It burst into the night and drifted close to the ground, seeping through open doors and windows. People awoke choking, their eyes burning, their lungs on fire, as panic spread through the dark streets in a desperate search for air that was no longer safe to breathe.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/bhopal-when-a-sleeping-city-met-a?r=1qy42b&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

Iran’s President has warned that Tehran’s severe water ...

2025-10-30T14:56:57Z

Iran’s President has warned that Tehran’s severe water shortages and environmental pressures have made the city unsustainable, calling relocation of the capital a necessity, not a choice.

Over-urbanization and agivulture intensify the crisis, while rising heat and declining rainfall show a climate-driven aridification

Tehran’s situation is not unique. Many major cities are facing water stress so severe that their long-term survival is now in doubt.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/02/iran-must-move-its-capital-from-tehran-says-president-as-water-crisis-worsens

Climate change will have serious consequences – particularly ...

2025-10-28T18:46:36Z

Climate change will have serious consequences – particularly for people in the poorest countries – but it will not lead to humanity’s demise, Gates said today.

True, climate change may not end humanity entirely, just millions of people, countless species, and the ecosystems that keep the rest of us alive.

But at least wise billionaires will still be around to advise us.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/28/business/bill-gates-climate-change

How Europe’s skies are subsidized at the expense of rail, the ...

2025-10-24T10:51:51Z

How Europe’s skies are subsidized at the expense of rail, the climate, and our patience.

Trains are greener, calmer, and more comfortable than planes. So, why do they cost so much more than a flight?

From messy booking systems to hidden subsidies, I write about the absurd economics pushing travellers into planes over trains.

🚆✈️ 🚄

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/lets-talk-about-trains?r=1qy42b&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

In 2022, Ireland did something bold. It trusted its artists. 2000 ...

2025-10-23T03:46:03Z

In 2022, Ireland did something bold. It trusted its artists. 2000 creators received €325 a week, no strings attached. The result was more art, less anxiety, stronger communities, and even economic gains.

The program is now permanent, making Ireland the first countryto prove that supporting imagination pays off.

Trusting people does not weaken societies, it makes them stronger, more inventive, and more resilient. I hope other nations will find the courage to follow.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/what-happens-when-a-nation-invests?r=1qy42b&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

So, Prince Andrew retreats from public duty yet continues to ...

2025-10-21T04:49:32Z

So, Prince Andrew retreats from public duty yet continues to style himself as a prince and live within the comfort of Windsor Castle.

This isn’t accountability but a tactical evasion, an act of damage control rather than remorse, as though canceling a schedule of ceremonial ribbon-cuttings were a meaningful sacrifice.

And the longer this charade persists, the more it erodes the credibility of the institution he claims to serve.

Scientists have identified more than 40 methane cracks - vents in ...

2025-10-18T08:54:47Z

Scientists have identified more than 40 methane cracks - vents in the seafloor that release the potent greenhouse gas- in the shallow waters of Antarctica’s Ross Sea.

These seeps are appearing in areas where none had been observed before, pointing to “a fundamental shift in regional methane release” likely linked to warming temperatures, shifting sea levels, and Ice Age–era glacier melt.

“What was once considered rare now appears to be rapidly becoming commonplace.”

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/10/climate/methane-seeps-antarctica

In 2022, Ireland did something bold. It trusted its artists. 2000 ...

2025-10-15T09:11:35Z

In 2022, Ireland did something bold. It trusted its artists. 2000 creators received €325 a week, no strings attached. The result was more art, less anxiety, stronger communities, and even economic gains.

Now the program is permanent. Ireland becomes the first country to prove that supporting imagination pays off.

This is a vision of what a humane society can be. If we can trust artists to create, why not teachers, caregivers, or researchers?

Who will follow?

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/ireland-basic-income-artists-program-permanent-1234756981/

Ubisoft canceled an Assassin’s Creed game set after the Civil ...

2025-10-13T12:41:10Z

Ubisoft canceled an Assassin’s Creed game set after the Civil War, where a freed slave takes on the Ku Klux Klan.

Apparently the game has been considered “too controversial” for today’s “political climate” in the US.

This is where we’ve come to. The KKK, a terrorist gang whose atrocities are deeply embedded in American history is now considered a controversial topic.

Welcome to 2025, where stabbing Templars is fine but confronting white supremacy is off-limits.

https://www.techradar.com/gaming/ubisoft-reportedly-canceled-an-assassins-creed-game-featuring-a-black-assassin-confronting-the-ku-klux-klan-during-the-1800s-due-to-yasuke-backlash-and-the-political-climate-in-the-us

In other news, we sometimes forget that Elon Musk did not buy ...

2025-10-12T10:49:26Z

In other news, we sometimes forget that Elon Musk did not buy Twitter on his own, but with money from Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia was already Twitter’s biggest shareholder before Musk bought it and reportedly planted engineer-spies inside the company to unmask dissidents.

After the acquisition, they gained more influence over the algorithm using it “to silence government critics and human rights activists, or to further state-sponsored disinformation campaigns.”

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/09/twitter-saudi-arabia-deep-ties-elon-musk-prince-mohammed

The Nobel Peace Prize 2025 has been awarded to Venezuelan ...

2025-10-10T09:42:58Z

The Nobel Peace Prize 2025 has been awarded to Venezuelan democracy activist María Corina Machado for her tireless work promoting democratic rights and for her struggle to achieve a just & peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.

Machado has been forced to live in hiding. Despite serious threats against her life, she has remained in the country.

When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognise courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist.

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c1l80g1qe4gt

A few years ago, hardly anyone outside green politics had heard ...

2025-10-08T12:24:36Z

A few years ago, hardly anyone outside green politics had heard of Zack Polanski. Today he leads the Green Party of England & Wales and is at the heart of a remarkable transformation in British politics.

Since his election as party leader in early September 2025, the Greens have become the fastest-growing political party in the country, attracting new members and media attention, and positioning themselves as a credible alternative to the long-established parties.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/who-is-zack-polanski?r=1qy42b&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

Just when it seems things could not get more surreal ... Peter ...

2025-10-01T08:43:45Z

Just when it seems things could not get more surreal ...

Peter Thiel, the billionaire cofounder of Palantir Technologies, a company long tied to surveillance and law enforcement, has reportedly warned that regulating artificial intelligence could actually speed up the arrival of the Antichrist.

https://www.thetimes.com/article/05d08343-125c-4cfe-b8d4-dbcfd7f9a198?shareToken=c36e82343b70972addbe47c634358269

‪Take lessons from England. When essential utilities are handed ...

2025-09-25T12:20:02Z

‪Take lessons from England. When essential utilities are handed over to private profiteers, the public and the environment always pay the price.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/sep/25/united-utilities-underspent-work-windermere-water-company-pollution

The Day Humanity Fixed the Sky September 16 is not only a day to ...

2025-09-21T10:41:08Z

The Day Humanity Fixed the Sky

September 16 is not only a day to remember the ozone layer, but also a day to remember what humanity is capable of when it puts aside division. We literally fixed the sky.

(New post from the Climate Historian)

https://theclimatehistorian.substack.com/p/the-day-humanity-fixed-the-sky

There is no excuse for men who moved in Jeffrey Epstein’s ...

2025-09-11T15:05:04Z

There is no excuse for men who moved in Jeffrey Epstein’s orbit. Those who try to dismiss his crimes as the excesses of the powerful should ask themselves: would you accept your girlfriend, sister, or daughter, being reduced to one of those “girls”, used, bought, and discarded by wealthy men?

This is not about poor choices; it's about complicity in abuse. To shrug and look the other way is to participate in the same system that allows money and power to strip the vulnerable of their dignity.

Men and their guns. Because nothing asserts masculinity like ...

2025-09-03T11:08:18Z

Men and their guns. Because nothing asserts masculinity like needing a weapon to feel powerful.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7545p2px5no

In Greece, neo-Nazis like the Spartans posed as “helpers” ...

2025-08-28T06:13:37Z

In Greece, neo-Nazis like the Spartans posed as “helpers” shopping for the elderly, escorting voters then entered into parliament.

Now UK extremists are copying the same playbook. They call it “concierge nationalism,” with street patrols, escort apps and fake charities that sell hate as care.

Don't be fooled. This isn’t protection. It’s fascism repackaged.

https://bylinetimes.com/2025/08/27/concierge-nationalism-how-the-far-right-is-selling-extremism-as-a-lifestyle-service/

"For years, I refused to use the word 'genocide.' But ...

2025-08-24T07:49:42Z

"For years, I refused to use the word 'genocide.' But now I can't hold back from using it, after what I've read in the newspapers, after the images I've seen and after talking to people who have been there."

David Grossman, Israeli author

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-08-01/ty-article/leading-israeli-author-david-grossman-calls-gaza-war-a-genocide/00000198-6606-dc50-a9bf-ef7702510000

#Gaza #israel

France's Constitutional Council on Thursday blocked a ...

2025-08-08T14:16:39Z

France's Constitutional Council on Thursday blocked a provision in the Duplomb law that would have reintroduced acetamiprid, a pesticide banned in France since 2018 for harming bees and other pollinators.

The court ruled the measure failed to protect the environment and future generations, violating France's constitutional commitment to environmental protection while allowing the rest of the farming law to stand.

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2025/08/07/french-constitutional-council-strikes-down-return-of-banned-pesticide_6744172_7.html

#France #politics #environment

Financial Times has a breaking story today “BP has made its ...

2025-08-04T10:19:26Z

Financial Times has a breaking story today

“BP has made its biggest oil and gas discovery in 25 years after drilling a successful well in a field off the coast of Brazil, in a boost to the energy giant as it refocuses on fossil fuels.”

That means more oil to burn, just what the climate needed.

Profits come first, our future second.

https://www.ft.com/content/f793e403-904b-47e6-9749-9e20a4aa9173

#climatechange #fossilfuels