Yep. "The nation has returned to the era of the robber barons (so-named for exploiting the system for personal gain), in which political influence is in the hands of the very wealthy, and the wealth gap is expanding ... even the richest of the Rockefeller and Vanderbilt crowd [would] blush."

Welcome to the American petrostate By Michael E. Mann | Nov 7, 2024 @BulletinAtomic The U.S. is now a failed Democratic state. With the reelection of Donald Trump..the U.S. is now poised to become an authoritarian state ruled by plutocrats & fossil fuel interests. thebulletin.org/2024/11/welc...

A sobering fact: We’ve lost around 3 billion birds in North America since 1970. A new report (StateOfTheBirds.org) offers a snapshot of the struggle of several groups. About 1 in 3 American bird species need our help. We're fighting to save birds and other wildlife. Join us at SaveLifeOnEarth.org

It is wonderful to see Bison thriving in the UK. With any luck we will see much more of it this year! 🦬🦬 youtube.com/watch?v=bJVi...

All that winning… Or, how to destroy world class institutions in a year. Bravo, boys.

Autotranslate from Trumpese: WAKE UP EUROPE

A year ago this week, he openly mused, also at Mar-a-Lago, about making Canada, Greenland and Panama parts of the United States." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/u...

The most accurate analysis so far: "Trump has no interest in restoring Venezuelan democracy, or in helping the people who have suffered the rule of Maduro...Plunder is the only word for it. The motivation is simple, and ancient: empire. Saturday marked the formal debut of an imperial America." 🎁🔗

Humans have emitted 2750 gigatons of CO2 since the industrial revolution from burning fossil fuels and land use change. To put this in perspective, this is more than the (dry) mass of all living things on earth and everything humans have ever built combined:

Our current agricultural system is choking birds out of existence + farmers out of business. The report identifies a need for: - better agri-environment schemes to protect grass margin + fallow habitats - engagement with farmers to support bird-friendly practices www.birdguides.com/news/farmlan...

ICYMI: We were proud to be featured in @theguardian.com last month for organizing a letter from 230+ groups calling on Congress to stop new data centers. We need stronger regulations and a better understanding of these facilities’ massive impacts!

"This bridge fuel narrative — the argument that we need to develop an entirely new fossil fuel resource, unconventional shale gas, in order to solve climate change — wasn’t accurate in 2009 when advisors to former president Barack Obama first laundered the idea into the mainstream..."

“It’s clear that AI is both drowning out and obscuring other stories about the wobbling American economy. That’s a concern. But even worse: What if AI’s promise for American business proves to be a mirage? What happens then?”

Went for a New Year's Day snowshoe hike across our property and came across what I think are bobcat tracks. There were snowshoe hare tracks everywhere, and those animals are the primary prey for bobcats. Brisk, invigorating hike at 12°F (-11°C) and a perfect way to welcome in the New Year!

German broadcaster DW examines why the EU reversed itself on the killing of wolves -- because of attacks on livestock. But farmers who embraced livestock guardian dogs and electric fencing saw wolf attacks stop. Others just want to kill wolves. (In English but subtitles needed on occasion.)

Let's put these guys in a rocket and blast them into space. "...A.I. and space industry leaders are growing increasingly worried that data centers will eventually require more energy and land than are available on Earth. Perhaps the only solution, they say — is to start building them in space."

AI overlords: "we are all-knowing and will deliver higher intelligence that will solve all of the world's problems" Also AI overlords: "we are going to build all of the water hungry data centers in areas without water"

Whenever you hear someone say "energy transition," remember this chart from the FT. Renewables are only slowing the *growth* in fossil fuels, not replacing them. It's energy addition, not transition. Renewables on top of fossil fuels. And this is electricity, the easiest sector to decarbonize! (1/2)

How's the 'energy transition' going? Rigzone: - Equinor Makes Discovery Near Tyrihans Field - CNOOC Makes 'Major' Oil Discovery in Bohai Sea - Shell, INEOS Hit New Gas Discovery in US Gulf - 'Significant' Undiscovered Resources in GC Haynesville - Eni Announces 'Significant' Find Offshore Indonesia

Planting millions more acres of corn and soybeans for feedstock for "sustainable aviation fuel" means less flowering plants and less habitat for all pollinators -- not just honeybees. Every "solution" we come up with for the problems of human-caused pollution inevitably causes more harm. (1/2)

Surely we can figure out a way to tax these people more? "The world’s 500 richest people added a record $2.2 trillion to their collective fortunes this year, as booming markets in everything from equities to cryptocurrencies to precious metals sent the value of their holdings soaring."

I just made my year-end donation to Xerces. If you care about the fate of insects and other invertebrates, this is the organization for you. Xerces is on the frontlines of the fight to save these critical species. Please consider a tax-deductible gift to support their important work.

Governments -- like Brazil's -- would rather focus on gimmicks like the "Tropical Forest Protection Fund" to distract what they're actually going to do, which is to continue extracting fossil fuels wherever they can find them.

Russia invaded Ukraine, has slaughtered thousands of Ukrainians. Putin has indicated Finland and Poland are next on his hit list. It is to America's shame that Trump and his team are enabling this murderer. Ukraine must win #SlavaUkraine

The current policies for the international aviation sector put it on a trajectory where sectoral CO2 emissions in 2050 will be nearly *double* the threshold for a "Critically Insufficient" rating. I think they should come up with a new category, "Catastrophically Failing".

"An ambitious data-center project in Utah is going to need about one-quarter of the power the entire state currently uses... [but] can’t get it from the electric grid. Instead, the project plans to make its own electricity—by purchasing more than 700 natural-gas-fueled generators from Caterpillar."

If you want to know what's actually going on with the U.S. oil industry, read this 👇

As I keep pointing out..... You ain't seen nuthin' yet www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Hoverflies are incredible pollinators that don't get the respect they deserve for their immense value. We're all aware of bees, but these guys are just as important. This piece from New Scientist explains why. I first learned about the critical role of hoverflies from @xercessociety.bsky.social.

I cannot imagine living like this.

Here's my latest example of the "enshittification" of the web. I was searching for a quote from Joan Dye Gussow, a luminary in the local food movement who died in March. The very first search "result" was an Amazon ad for "Shop Joan Gussow" - "Find deals and low prices on joan gussow at Amazon."

Landscape scale ecological restoration. When we reduce grazing pressure nature flourishes. Images with permission from National Trust for Scotland

At Population Connection, we argue that lower fertility is a very positive development because it is driven by choice and charts a path to a more sustainable population size, which will take pressure off our already heavily overburdened planet. 👇 populationconnection.org/blog/no-huma...

This is a great story. New England needs to bring the wolf back, too, for many reasons. "Studies have found that wolves in the Midwest and Canada not only keep deer populations in check, but they also alter deer behavior in ways that help prevent car crashes and save human lives."

It’s #winter. The buzzing has stopped - mostly. So what’s happened to all the #bees? Let me explain. Please #repost this thread. Don’t just like/look. It literally takes you a second. Costs you nothing. Bees are in trouble and need you good people to help. Thank you. #share #nature #education 1/14

Giant Texas feedlots, with the pollution from their industrial-scale mountains of manure and their antibiotic-fed cows, should not hold any "lessons" for Scottish farmers.

"Denmark is not doing it's job and not being a good ally" , according to Vance. Offensive and provocative. It is time for the EU to stop playing "nice" with this explicit agressive behaviour by the US.

This climate-wrecking data center/AI bubble is going to do us all in. "Data centre developers are turning to aircraft engines and fossil fuel generators to power the AI boom, as supply chain shortages and long waits to connect to the grid delay cheaper and cleaner alternatives."

"Need an excuse to travel?" You don't. "God forbid that we should stay home. I keep thinking that what we’re doing is escaping our lives… Let’s make our lives worth staying home for. Find something that’s worth staying home for, and then stay home, and don’t fly all around the world." - Joan Gussow

Latest in @theatlantic.com . Naval warfare seems heading in one direction--sinking ships will be easier than protecting them. Ukraine understands that--I am not sure the USA does. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...

A great summary of where things stand in the Arctic. It's a short 3:45 minute piece and will bring you up to speed. But it's grim. I was surprised NOAA was able to put this out. I fear it will be the last one they do under this regime.

From monarchs a& bumble bees to fireflies & freshwater mussels, we are working to make a difference for the animals that capture your imagination—but we need your support to be successful. For a 2025 tax deduction, be sure to get your donations in before midnight ET on Dec 31! 🌻 xerces.org/give

We need wolves back in New England, too.

Just for fun, I wouldn’t be surprised if the key to lowering drought & fire risk in the wooded boreal (the middle bit of Canada) will be encouraging beavers to come back and back flood the land www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti....

"Rather than trying to placate Donald Trump’s America, we must stand taller, recommit to our own values, and hold out hope that the ideological confusion across the Atlantic soon passes. Barring that, it is not us who will be committing civilizational suicide."

Perpetual reminder: extreme rainfall events increase due to #globalheating. Weather station data show what has been predicted for over 30 years by climate scientists. These extremes are now far outside the historical climate. Study: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

I spent years trying to combat weather control conspiracy theories. I was always told to ignore the sideshow and stop giving them attention. Now they're in charge

I do not know why we can't tax these people out of existence. "The top 10 US tech founders and CEOs possessed nearly $2.5 TRILLION in cash, equity and other investments at the close of trading on Christmas Eve, according to Bloomberg." That's just 10 people with $2.5 trillion between them.

This will end well, I'm sure. "The data centers will require cheap land, abundant electricity and water. India’s whole territory is packed with farmland, and much of it suffers from *unreliable power grids and scarce water supply*. It does need jobs ... but data centers require minimal staffing."

The Permian Basin will be a wasteland for centuries. "Shale drillers ... produce copious amounts of toxic, salty water, which they pump back into the ground. Now, some of the reservoirs that collect the fluids are overflowing—and the producers keep injecting more. It is creating a huge mess."