Alison Tomlin
@alisontomlin.bsky.social
3.3K followers 500 following 2K posts
Prof @ Leeds Uni in energy & environment. For clean air, net zero, trees, Latin drumming & exercising my right to roam. Suspect professional Northerner.
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
alisontomlin.bsky.social
Ah, the source ID seems to work for some and not others. The rapid fluctuations are weird. No weather forecast predicts on these timescales. The presentation of large sources is also not a neutral choice because the largest source of primary PM is made up of lots of small sources...
alisontomlin.bsky.social
Looks useful but would be more so if there was an underlying map that allowed you to identify sources. Am trying to figure out the likely source of the major plume in Leeds.
alisontomlin.bsky.social
A quick trip to Marsden to see a very old Preston pal and the jazz fest. This is the end of Standedge Tunnel, the longest, highest, and deepest canal tunnel in the UK. It's like summer out there.
The North of England Centre for Music and Arts, Standage tunnel, Marsden.
alisontomlin.bsky.social
Good morning from the woods where the current vibe is spiritual jazz and sunlit autumn colours.
alisontomlin.bsky.social
Yeah, and not just Leeds,but Meanwood. I did a workshop with them a few weeks ago and ended up playing on stage for one track. Their attitude to music and collaboration was quite inspiring. The choir in this picture are their old friends. Glad you like them.
alisontomlin.bsky.social
I used to wonder who was making the beautiful sounds that came from above the pet shop on my old street. It was these guys, and they've just launched their new album at the Howard Assembly Rooms. Superb gig.
Reposted by Alison Tomlin
bd-angry.bsky.social
My take on why everyone should come to #Bradford2025 to see #TurnerPrize - even frequent TP visitors are finding something fresh & new in #Bradford - but it’s attracting artistically unseasoned eyes, too.
Brilliant art, brilliant setting, all in brilliant Bradford!
Reposted by Alison Tomlin
jamesallanatmos.bsky.social
The UK emissions inventory for 2023 has been published (naei.energysecurity.gov.uk). Been picking through the numbers and one thing that's reassuring is that it appears that the downward trend in NOx from transport is continuing post-COVID. We've still got a way to go, but it's good news.
Reposted by Alison Tomlin
solarchase.bsky.social
(Sorry. I am annoyed by The Guardian's war on ultraprocessed foods, not because an ultraprocessed diet is in your best interests (it isn't. Eat vegetables!), but because the Guardian is making spurious arguments as to why.

The main dietary driver of environmental impact is animal products!)
alisontomlin.bsky.social
The leaves they are a turning. What a poser. ##getdownshep
Border collie Shep standing against autumn trees in Meanwood, Leeds.
alisontomlin.bsky.social
Nothing is off the table I guess. I can see sails being used for efficiency gains.
alisontomlin.bsky.social
The discussion was around hard to decarbonising sectors. For cars, electric wins on efficiency, because of the large thermal losses from ICEs. But we are likely to need alternative liquid fuels for aviation and marine.
alisontomlin.bsky.social
I was pointing out the huge inefficiency compared to not eating meat. Poultry is horribly intensely farmed and problematic in other ways. I cant really explain the debate but my point was, why are we shocked about the inefficiency of alternative fuels when meat production is so inefficient.
Reposted by Alison Tomlin
rickardsisters.com
Hello America & Canada, it’s publication day for This Slavery!

It’s the story of two sisters living in 1910s UK who work in cotton weaving factories. It’s about women’s place in industrial capitalism, and how marriage can be about power & control.

It’s also an inch-thick comic with a dog in it
alisontomlin.bsky.social
Ive been at a v interesting DfT meeting where there was a slightly warm debate about the thermodynamic efficiency of producing E fuels and the land use required for energy crops. The energy efficiency of beef production is <2% yet somehow we find this acceptable.

ourworldindata.org/land-use-diets
If the world adopted a plant-based diet, we would reduce global agricultural land use from 4 to 1 billion hectares
We could reduce the amount of land used for grazing and croplands used to grow animal feed.
ourworldindata.org
alisontomlin.bsky.social
Wow the hours i spent in this beautiful library as an undergrad: revising, arguing about politics and sharing sweets across the cubicals. We even got to sneak to the stairs for a fag. Unthinkable now. spotlight.leeds.ac.uk/edward-boyle...
Edward Boyle Library
On what would have been the 100th birthday of Edward Boyle, read memories of the iconic library.
spotlight.leeds.ac.uk
Reposted by Alison Tomlin
ianwalker.bsky.social
"The single most important behaviour, design or regulation for creating streets conducive to walking and cycling, was physical separation between the modes"

We've got a new study out, learning from a broad mixture of street users, planners and designers

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Highlights
    For marginalised street users mode separation is the key to human-scale movement.
    Streets conducive to walking and cycling have functional, safe and accessible design.
    Professionals must approach street design, regulation and user behaviour holistically.
    Combinations of influencing factors persuade people to either use or avoid a street.
    There are no easy fixes to the public realm that will work for all non-drivers.
alisontomlin.bsky.social
Do your best people.
joneshowdareyou.bsky.social
Dr Jane Goodall filmed an interview in March 2025 with the understanding it would only be released after her death. This is her final message.
alisontomlin.bsky.social
Did I just see a strictly contestant playing the repique? A step in the right direction. I'm sure i recognised someone on the front row.
alisontomlin.bsky.social
Back at #Bradford2025 for Rizwan Muazzam Qawwals. The only other Qawwali band I ever saw was their uncle, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in the 80s (also at St George's Hall), so this was a treat. Not quite as big a treat as the Master himself but hey. Highly energised. Loving the audience response.
Reposted by Alison Tomlin
organiccarbon.bsky.social
One of the things i loved about Britain, despite its other failings, was a cross-party understanding and respect for evidence. Climate action was supported by Thatcher, Cameron, Johnson and May. Now, the Tories have been fully captured by ideology over evidence.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Kemi Badenoch vows to repeal Climate Change Act
Tory leader says she would replace it with ‘cheap energy’ strategy, ending decades-long consensus on climate
www.theguardian.com
Reposted by Alison Tomlin
roisinmoriarty.com
“You have to feel depressed, but then there’s something that says: ‘There is still an awful lot left and that’s what we’ve got to fight to save.’

“So then you get extra energy. I have days when I feel like not getting up,…
Jane Goodall, world-renowned primatologist, dies aged 91
Jane Goodall Institute says ‘tireless advocate’ for natural world died in California during US speaking tour
www.theguardian.com
alisontomlin.bsky.social
Well it was the earliest start of the year and the year's best weekend. Join the start of Bradford Progress with the beautiful Paraorchestra (that voice!) and the enthusiasm of @commonerschoir.bsky.social as we began the march over Ilkley Moor. From Handel to True North. youtu.be/TMvDrNggZ04?...
youtu.be