Up is down; black is white; and habitat destruction doesn't hurt endangered species.

430.07 parts per million (ppm) CO2 in air 02-Jul-2026 keelingcurve.ucsd.edu

The Trump administration is trying to permanently kill off one of the most unambiguously successful public policy instruments of the last half-century.

Nice tribute to algae from @alanburdick.bsky.social:

Heat records are getting broken. Electricity prices are soaring. The administration's response? Let's gut energy efficiency rules for appliances.

What's causing record temperatures? Hmmm, I have an idea...

The no-analog future we are creating is arriving:

Really hard to know whether to laugh or cry over this one:

A new executive proclamation opens parts of three Pacific marine national monuments, including Rose Atoll and Papahānaumokuākea, to commercial fishing. The Trump administration cites economic opportunity, while conservationists and Native Hawaiian groups warn of severe threats to endemic wildlife.

This was a fun piece to write:

I realize we are way beyond wake-up calls. But if we weren't, this would be one:

Much of Europe is sweating in an exceptional heat wave. Heat in Europe has increased 4 times more than in other mid-latitude areas, which has been linked to the Atlantic #coldblob in several studies. #AMOC Slide from a talk I'm about the present at London Climate Action Week #LCAW2026. 1/

The latest from the spiraling debacle that is the Reflecting Pool:

Do you see a pattern here?

This headline on the NYT homepage running next to a headline that reads: "Interior Dept. Moves to Relax Rules for Drilling on Public Lands.

The Art of the Deal:

“Carbon dioxide has once again reached a record annual peak. Unsurprisingly, it’s another reminder that greenhouse gas levels are still rising and the climate system is responding.” In case you missed our latest climate science briefing, check out the recording here: youtu.be/xJ2SiFMGMP0?...

Depend on the Trump administration to defend polluters:

A metaphor for our time?

“I think that attracting, hiring, and retaining great scientists to the EPA after this administration is going to be incredibly difficult.” In an interview with Elizabeth Kolbert, a former EPA researcher details the agency's assault on science.

The ripple effects of these firings will be brutal. From @elizkolbert.bsky.social:

Just what the world needs: less information about what's happening to the oceans.

My friend Lawrence Douglas has written a history book that is, unfortunately, all too relevant:

Maybe it's not a good time for the U.S. to dismantle its public health agencies?

Two indigo buntings visited the front yard this morning. A rare and wonderful sight in New England.

The USPS has trouble delivering letters to the right address!

Why does everyone treat falling birth rates as some kind of calamity? It may reflect young people's concerns about calamity, but in itself it is not calamity. In fact, it could be argued, just the opposite.

ICYMI: Lee Zeldin is undoing decades of environmental protection at EPA. Will America's health and the environment survive it? @elizkolbert.bsky.social of New Yorker with @npr.org's Terri Gross: bit.ly/3R1B2n0 @sherrodbrownoh.bsky.social @amyactonoh.bsky.social @ohdems.bsky.social

Under Lee Zelden the EPA, which was founded to protect the environment and human health, has cancelled safety regulations, supported coal, and stopped caring about climate change. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202... via @elizkolbert.bsky.social

Climate news stories across the globe have dropped nearly 40% since 2021, notes @maxboykoff.bsky.social, director of UC Boulder’s Media and Climate Change Observatory. www.loe.org/shows/segmen...

If Bessent needs information on the causes of climate change, he should consult "The Causes of Climate Change," available to all on NASA's website. (Spoiler alert: "Human activities are driving the global warming trend observed since the mid-20th century.")

👇!

Dr. Strangelove visits the Strait of Hormuz:

One is reminded of the story of King Croesus, who, before attacking Persia, consulted the oracle. The oracle told him that if he proceeded, he would destroy a great nation. What Croesus didn't realize was that the nation would be his own.

In which @elizkolbert.bsky.social witnesses the birth of a sperm whale and notes the reaction of sober-minded scientists to this wild wonder: "Everyone raced to the front of the boat to get a better view. “Oh, my God,” one of the scientists said, clutching his head. “Oh, my God, oh, my God.”

It was a pleasure speaking to the members of the @scifri.bsky.social book club. Thanks so much for reading "Life on a Little-Known Planet"!

In 2023, researchers witnessed a rare event—a sperm whale being born. Their findings suggest a previously unknown level of coöperation among whales. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/LdFF2o

This kind of story makes me want to cry (or drink too much).

"The deal is an extraordinary transfer of taxpayer dollars to a foreign company for the purposes of boosting the production of fossil fuels, a main driver of climate change, while throttling offshore wind power."

Sea ice is a record low for this time of year in the #Arctic (see zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-i...). One of the drivers of this is related to an extreme event ongoing in the Sea of Okhotsk, where current conditions are not even close to any other year in our satellite record (similar to May). Yikes! 🌊

Calling all conservation biologists and communicators: nominate someone for the 21st BBVA Foundation Biodiversity Awards!

It was a pleasure speaking about the parlous state of the world with the great Flora Lichtman of @scifri.bsky.social:

Your tax dollars at work: the Trump Administration wants to pay Total $1 billion NOT to build wind farms.

I will be live-streaming with the @scifri.bsky.social book club on March 27 at 4 PM ET. Join us!

This month’s SciFri Book Club pick is here! 📚 We’re reading “Life on a Little-Known Planet: Dispatches from a Changing World” by @elizkolbert.bsky.social for March and April. Start reading with us: buff.ly/WaRgEwO

“The American dream turns into the American nightmare as we start to look at what we’re doing to biodiversity and systems that we depend on as humans."

UK readers -- I'm excited to announce that my new book, "Life on a Little-Known Planet," will be the Kindle Daily Deal on February 28th, on sale for 99p!

Renewing one's faith in the American people:

A small bit of good news:

It was a pleasure speaking to Willow Defebaugh about the Nature Of, well, everything: