Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Prof Nick Cowern 🌍

@nickcowern.bsky.social

1.1K followers 950 following 460 posts

We're beginning to see the true sensitivity of climate to greenhouse gases, and it's bigger than almost anyone expected. A huge challenge to us all to avoid runaway climate. Energy transition, justice, sustainable buildings / agriculture / horticulture.

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Prof Nick Cowern 🌍 @nickcowern.bsky.social · Feb 7

Rapid climate change is absolutely no surprise. Earth's energy imbalance has been rising as atmospheric aerosol concentrations fall and global temperature rises, creating clearer skies > more incident solar radiation. Noticed the frequent bright white evening sun? www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Hottest January on record mystifies climate scientists

EU monitor says global temperatures were 1.75C above preindustrial levels, extending run of unprecedented highs

www.theguardian.com

1 8 30

Prof Nick Cowern 🌍 @nickcowern.bsky.social · 1d

With apologies to New Zealand

Reposted by Prof Nick Cowern 🌍

🌹ᴀʟᴀɴ ᴇ ʜɪʟʟ @alanehill.com · 6d

19 80 540

Reposted by Prof Nick Cowern 🌍

Jeremy Kasperson @jeremykasperson.bsky.social · 1d

It only takes a 4th grade education to realize that shipping billions of dollars every HOUR to foreign nations for energy is a losing economic policy.

Yet, the USA is that dumb.

Prof Nick Cowern 🌍 @nickcowern.bsky.social · 1d

China, as an electrostate, is set to wipe the floor with Trump's regressive petro-America. There's going to be hell to pay when the USA finally wakes up to what corporate fossil fuels have done to it.
share.google/vlTIx2w7KSmP...

How we made it: will China be the first electrostate?

Beijing dominates in solar, wind, electric cars, rail and batteries

share.google

1 1

Prof Nick Cowern 🌍 @nickcowern.bsky.social · 1d

How we made it: will China be the first electrostate?

Beijing dominates in solar, wind, electric cars, rail and batteries

share.google

2 24 80

Prof Nick Cowern 🌍 @nickcowern.bsky.social · 4d

Lengthening pub opening hours to early morning will reduce productivity and increase NHS costs, leading to less, not more, economic growth.
Is Starmer really incapable of seeing something so transparently obvious?
www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Pubs to stay open until early hours in push for UK growth

Exclusive: Plans for England and Wales would help the ailing hospitality sector but have attracted criticism from health experts

www.theguardian.com

1 4

Prof Nick Cowern 🌍 @nickcowern.bsky.social · 4d

There are plenty of extreme events where attribution has shown a clear signature of climate change and has been reported exactly as such. The fact that climate scientists can't do this with EVERY event that may seems intuitively obvious, should give you some confidence that the science is robust!

Prof Nick Cowern 🌍 @nickcowern.bsky.social · 4d

Hi Steve, done, thank you.

Reposted by Prof Nick Cowern 🌍

Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 5d

Jenrick could have visited Handsworth to listen to residents – he chose to pass through and make a judgement based on the colour of their skin. Instead of getting to know our nation of neighbours, he chose racism.

The Tories, Reform and Labour want to divide us.

The Greens say enough is enough.

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 6d

Robert Jenrick complained of ‘not seeing another white face’ in part of Birmingham

Shadow justice secretary criticised for suggesting he could tell how integrated Handsworth was based on 90-minute visit Robert Jenrick complained about visiting an area of Birmingham where he “didn’t see another white face” and said it was not the kind of country he wanted to live in. After highlighting the lack of white people, the shadow justice secretary said it was not about “the colour of your skin or your faith” and he wanted people to live alongside each other. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

83 530 1.8K

Reposted by Prof Nick Cowern 🌍

Prof Nick Cowern 🌍 @nickcowern.bsky.social · 5d

Birmingham, despite its challenges, is a fine, vibrant city and conurbation, primarily thanks to its people of all colours, including white, Robert.

1 1 2

Prof Nick Cowern 🌍 @nickcowern.bsky.social · 5d

Birmingham, despite its challenges, is a fine, vibrant city and conurbation, primarily thanks to its people of all colours, including white, Robert.

1 1 2

Prof Nick Cowern 🌍 @nickcowern.bsky.social · 5d

There's a special kind of hell for those lacking basic morals or empathy who try to gain power by sowing discord
#Jenrick

1 1

Reposted by Prof Nick Cowern 🌍

Saul Staniforth @saulstaniforth.bsky.social · 6d

Can you imagine if Russia attacked and seized a UK vessel in international waters & kidnapped the people on board, including UK citizens, and the only response from the UK govt was to say that's "a matter for the Russian govt".

No, me neither.

20 270 710

Reposted by Prof Nick Cowern 🌍

Prof Nick Cowern 🌍 @nickcowern.bsky.social · 6d

What happens when the insurrection is headed by a sitting president?
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Trump news at a glance: President mulls use of insurrection act as national guard deployment faces legal issues

The president threatened the use of emergency powers after a federal judge temporarily halted national guard deployment in Portland. Key US politics stories from 6 October at a glance

www.theguardian.com

1 3 5

Prof Nick Cowern 🌍 @nickcowern.bsky.social · 6d

This industry has been characterised by near exponential growth for decades now. Certain countries have always led the change, but others follow in the tail wind of falling prices and technical advance. This will pan out no differently. Within 10 years, fossil fuels will be history.

1 1

Prof Nick Cowern 🌍 @nickcowern.bsky.social · 6d

What happens when the insurrection is headed by a sitting president?
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Trump news at a glance: President mulls use of insurrection act as national guard deployment faces legal issues

The president threatened the use of emergency powers after a federal judge temporarily halted national guard deployment in Portland. Key US politics stories from 6 October at a glance

www.theguardian.com

1 3 5

Prof Nick Cowern 🌍 @nickcowern.bsky.social · 6d

This is the final step before global demand for fossil fuels collapses. Well done BP, perfect timing 🙄

AP美联社新闻摘要实时更新｜非官方 @apnewscn.nzcow.com · 6d

📢 A new analysis of solar and wind power shows its generation worldwide has outpaced electricity demand this year.

Solar and wind power has grown faster than electricity demand this year, report says

apnews.com

1 2

Prof Nick Cowern 🌍 @nickcowern.bsky.social · 6d

The guy always was a scumball but now he's advertising the fact for political gain.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Robert Jenrick complained of ‘not seeing another white face’ in Birmingham neighbourhood

Shadow justice secretary criticised for suggesting he could tell how integrated Handsworth was based on short visit

www.theguardian.com

Prof Nick Cowern 🌍 @nickcowern.bsky.social · 6d

New study shows disruption of ocean currents that stabilize the global climate - Inside Climate News share.google/Yoz14Ein0vBJ...

New Study Shows Disruption of Ocean Currents That Stabilize the Global Climate - Inside Climate News

Clam shell growth rings contain clues about the looming potential for a tipping point into climate collapse.

share.google

4 7

Prof Nick Cowern 🌍 @nickcowern.bsky.social · 10d

Nigel Farage’s Reform wants to bring back fracking in England. We need to lock the current ban in law. Join me and tell the Prime Minister: make the fracking ban permanent.
@friends_earth 👇
foe.uk/ksojs

Tell Keir Starmer to make the fracking ban permanent

Nigel Farage's Reform party has declared it wants to “drill baby drill” if it wins the next general election. There’s a temporary pause on fracking in England, but it’s not even written into law. So i...

foe.uk

1 4

Prof Nick Cowern 🌍 @nickcowern.bsky.social · 11d

How the policies of Farage and Badenoch play out FOR REAL
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Farage, Trump, Musk: your boy Javier Milei just took one hell of a beating. Why so quiet? | Aditya Chakrabortty

The wild politics and chainsaw made Argentina’s president an economic hero for the right. And now, with his nation’s finances in chaos: silence, writes Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty

www.theguardian.com

3 4

Prof Nick Cowern 🌍 @nickcowern.bsky.social · 13d

Clearly with less support (considerable hindrance, actually) in the US and better conditions elsewhere.

Prof Nick Cowern 🌍 @nickcowern.bsky.social · 13d

The fossil fuel industry's total grip on the US, right down to forbidding words that communicate simple facts, is pushing the world's largest economy towards failure. Only its huge size is currently masking its growing weakness.

PG Holmlov @pgho.bsky.social · 13d

In addition to “climate change” and “green”, EERE at the Energy Dept forbid officials from using “emissions” to avoid the implication that they are a negative… Other terms officials must ditch include energy transition, sustainability, clean or dirty energy… www.politico.com/news/2025/09...

Energy Dept. adds ‘climate change’ and ‘emissions’ to banned words list

It is the latest in a series of Trump administration efforts to dispute, silence or downplay climate change.

www.politico.com

1 2

Prof Nick Cowern 🌍 @nickcowern.bsky.social · 14d

Big news! Columbia announces First International Conference for the Phase-Out of Fossil Fuels
144890623.hs-sites-eu1.com/colombia-con...

Colombia Conference Announcement

144890623.hs-sites-eu1.com

1 1

Prof Nick Cowern 🌍 @nickcowern.bsky.social · 15d

Consider the annihilation of agricultural land alongside the genocide – and grasp the chilling totality of this attempt to eliminate all life. George Monbiot.
#genocide + #ecocide = #holocide
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Israel’s ecocide in Gaza sends this message: even if we stopped dropping bombs, you couldn’t live here | George Monbiot

Consider the annihilation of agricultural land alongside the genocide – and grasp the chilling totality of this attempt to eliminate all life, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

www.theguardian.com

3 5

Reposted by Prof Nick Cowern 🌍

WBCSD @wbcsd.bsky.social · 16d

“On Climate Change, the Market Is Wrong Again”- Fiona Watson, Vice President at WBCSD

Fiona Watson highlights how financial markets are failing to account for the true scale of climate risk, a crisis that could surpass 2008 in its systemic impact.

www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/c...

On Climate Change, the Market Is Wrong Again

Fiona Watson warns that the financial system is failing to price in potentially catastrophic risks.

www.project-syndicate.org

1 2