When people magnify the environmental impacts of renewables, the implication is that they must somehow be worse than the existing energy system In reality the existing energy system is not just more destructive than renewables - it's more destructive than anyone even realises

Big welcome to @pperc.bsky.social - do follow along for vital research on people, place and energy...

A really important initiative that you can help advance by signing this petition.

Climate extremes are reshaping global food systems and the challenge of agricultural resilience. 🎬Climate Extremes: Agriculture features Dr Monika Zurek, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, on food systems adaptation under climate change. Full documentary: youtu.be/AhpQFBEDvzY

Important new UK Parliament report draws on evidence from Prof Jim Hall, ECI, Oxford on drought resilience and integrated water planning. Drought risk is now a long-term systems challenge driven by climate change, demand growth and infrastructure constraints. www.eci.ox.ac.uk/news/uk-face...

The bike cooperative Broken Spoke is looking for creative volunteers to brainstorm ideas to make their workshop space more inviting, including planning more building signage. If you have strong opinions about interiors and design and like bikes, register your interest on www.bsbcoop.org/volunteer

40+ scientists (incl. me) warn that new methane accounting metrics such as "no additional warming", "temperature neutrality” are being used to grandfather high emitters, penalise developing countries, and undermine the Global Methane Pledge. Full statement: methanescience.org

Pramod Khargonekar's seminar (Data Center Growth: Challenges and Opportunities for Electric Power Systems) slides and video are now available to view on the energy website www.energy.ox.ac.uk/events/event... An inspiring seminar - well worth a look!

I moved back to the UK around 18 months ago, after 20 years away, and the country I left no longer exists. A thread on UK climatic changes and how it's left me feeling... 🧵

For many years I have been posting little observations online. What you may not know is that for many years, artists have been illustrating them - for no reason other than they wanted to respond. Below is a thread of some of these beautiful drawings because they should be seen 🧵

Wes Streeting is far from being the only politician who is guilty of this, but it is always weird to me how you can write a paragraph on the challenges the world faces and not mention climate change.

For three years I scoured the world for answers to Europe’s big problems – here’s what I found

How can green spaces benefit psychiatric patients and staff? Dr Katrin Wilhelm (SoGE + @oxfordpsychiatry.bsky.social) collaborated on a therapeutic garden at Warneford Hospital's psychiatric intensive care unit for young people, part of a new study ⬇️

Anders is a great speaker - you won't want to miss this event! (But if you do, the talks are recorded and you can catch up on the @oxfordenergy.bsky.social YouTube channel).

Tonight's @businessgreen.bsky.social Overnight Briefing is quietly despairing.

Having installed a heat pump about a year and a half ago, today our house is going to be disconnected from the gas network, free of charge. Thanks SGN. #energysky

This is a really good, inspiring film. So interesting to see how artists bring creativity & originality to engaging their neighbourhood on the energy transition.

Sarah Sparrow's Oxford Energy Network talk this afternoon is on"Boosting energy system resilience in the face of future weather extremes" @oxfordclimatealumni.org @mplsoxford.bsky.social @socsci.ox.ac.uk

We have an *extremely* important announcement to make. From Wednesday, we will be launching our puffin live cam, coming to you from the Farne Islands. So you can watch puffins all day long. In celebration, please enjoy this clip of puffins being really busy for 39 seconds straight.

In a rational world the government would be asking people to respond to the current fossil fuel crisis by car sharing, turning lights off, and generally saving fuel and energy. And yet Ministers can’t even propose better efficiency standards for tumble dryers without the right wing press going mad.

@sovacool.bsky.social, Bennett Director, will speak at the Climate Justice Working Group Launch Event on 6th May. His keynote explores energy justice, fair distribution, inclusive decision‑making, and new research frontiers shaping justice‑aware energy policy. RSVP & more info: tinyurl.com/2zw43yvm

#MayMorning seems a perfect time to notice that the swifts are back in Oxford. Happy May Day! @morethanadodo.bsky.social

Next week's Oxford Energy Seminar features Sarah Sparrow, Department of Engineering Science. Tuesday 5th May, 5pm - 6.15pm, Diversity Room, School of Geography OX1 3RF. Registration and details here: www.energy.ox.ac.uk/events/event... @oxengsci.bsky.social All welcome.

Watch last night's Energy Network seminar given by Gaurav Gharde on 'Decarbonising the UK - lessons from two decades' www.energy.ox.ac.uk/events/event... @tyndallcentre.bsky.social @mplsoxford.bsky.social @socsci.ox.ac.uk @climateoxford.bsky.social

We're really looking forward to this term's Nature series of lectures. Open to everyone, they start up again next week, with a bonus talk on Tuesday! Online and in person, followed by a drinks reception. See you there! bookwhen.com/oxfordbiodiv... @ecioxford.bsky.social @biology.ox.ac.uk

Tomorrow, Tuesday 28th at 5pm, we are welcoming Gaurav Gharde from @tyndallcentre.bsky.social to speak on "Decarbonising the UK revisited: Lessons from two decades of energy scenario development" All welcome! @mplsoxford.bsky.social @socsci.ox.ac.uk bit.ly/4eKwlYA

If pundits tell you that “no one wants to talk about climate anymore”, it’s just not true. Maybe we could try talking about climate differently — focused more on solutions and co-benefits beyond climate — but “climate hushing” is not the right approach.

Really interesting, must admit I didn't realise there was such a gendered difference in how women and men view nuclear power.

#DIBLives Finally, in our series for #EarthDay is John Tyndall, the scientist who first answered the question ‘why is the sky blue’. He also conducted the first study of London pollution and opened up public debate into the greenhouse effect on earth's atmosphere. www.dib.ie/biography/ty...

The world is warming. Every country is warming. www.ShowYourStripes.info #ShowYourStripes

The Oxford Energy Network Seminar Series starts again next week. Tuesday 28th April, 5pm School of Geography. See attached term card to register for this term's seminars www.energy.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/u...

NEW ANALYSIS: My new article in @natenergy.nature.com argues Europe keeps responding to energy crises by changing supplier. 95% of EU oil and 88% of gas was imported in 2024. The structural fix: reduce fossil fuel demand through electrification and efficiency. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

. Six key climate truths It’s real It’s us Experts agree It’s bad Others care There’s hope We need to take urgent #ClimateAction right now to avoid the worst of Climate Change! More: recorder.com/2026/04/19/col... .

‘Britain is facing the biggest energy price shock in a generation’. Dr Anupama Sen and Cassandra Etter-Wenzel comment on new policies announced today in response to a growing energy crisis amid rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Find out more ⬇️ https://bit.ly/4dVjvq9

Excellent and timely paper on governance & energy led by my doctoral student @ewanab.bsky.social. Just taking a moment to bathe in the reflected glory - I had no involvement in this publication. @oxfordgeography.bsky.social

Not often you come across poetry celebrating the emotional value of energy saving.... #energysky

Inspiration from nature (a couple of weeks ago) to help start the week.

Today’s poem is called ‘On Tender Hooks’.

“Not just the scale of losses & damages, but the governance and support needed to respond.” — Dr Selam Kidane Abebe, Senior Research Fellow at the Environmental Change Institute, a Lead Author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change AR7. Read more: netzeroclimate.org/five-members...

Without energy efficiency, the EU would need — and pay — 31% more for energy today. Since 2000, efficiency has removed 265 Mtoe of demand from the market entirely. The best protection against a price shock is not finding cheaper oil and gas. It's needing less of it.

These blogs / reviews of Oxford Energy Network seminars are written by students, many studying MSc Energy Systems and MSc Environmental Change and Management. A remarkably talented bunch of writers! @ecioxford.bsky.social @oxengsci.bsky.social

For the first time ever, heat pumps outsold gas boilers in Germany in 2025. 48% of all new heating systems installed last year were heat pumps. Gas fell to just 39%. A decade ago, heat pumps had a 7% market share. The transformation has been remarkable.

Captures the 'returning to work after a bank holiday' mood perfectly...

This Talking Climate features excellent research by my colleague @samhampton.bsky.social & others on the power of everyday climate leaders & communicators. In this case hairdressers.

Brilliant study of Corn Buntings at Westmill, published this week. The research shows that these endangered birds thrive when living near to solar parks, finding nesting materials and food on site. Visit us to find out how we work with nature: westmillenergy.coop/visit-westmi... #Nature #Renewables

It's only worth going back to the Moon if it makes us look properly again at Earth, and appreciate how beautiful, precious and fragile what we have here is. The most famous images from Apollo aren't about the Moon - they're pictures of Earth. We need to stop taking our home for granted.

We’re recruiting Associate Members of Common Room (AMCR). Open to academics and professionals beyond our core membership and the University, being an AMCR offers the opportunity to take part in College life and connect across disciplines. Details: https://reuben.ox.ac.uk/vacancies#tab-3550371

Sad to see this. My first teapot was a Denby. They’ve been going for over 200 years and employ 500+ people. They’ve launched a #SaveDenby campaign if you want to support or share. www.denbypottery.com/pages/save-d...

A tube map cycle lane system is to be rolled out in Oxford with different colour lanes for each ‘line’. Cyclists will be able to follow a painted 1.5m-wide strip to their destination. A County Council spokesperson said: “Paint is not protection, but it looks nice. Also, it’s cheap.”

We have a wonderful archive of energy talks on all sorts of topics available on our YouTube channel. For last term we also posted short 3-4 minute interviews with speakers, which give an overview of their talks, for the time-poor! #energysky @mplsoxford.bsky.social www.youtube.com/@oxfordenerg...