Biosphere in Crisis
@cathobrian.bsky.social
The biosphere is in crisis due to factors that include global warming, biodiversity loss, overpopulation, overshoot, & plastic pollution. My aim is to increase awareness of urgency for action
Pinned
#Climate collapse is just one of the polycrises humanity faces as a result of #overshoot, which is the extent to which human activity is exceeding the carrying capacity of the planet. The key drivers of overshoot, population growth and consumerism, must be contained to meaningfully address this.
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
I don't say this often but: I'm so proud to be a climate and environment reporter. We cover an issue that is vitally important to humanity and the natural world. 14 of my climate colleagues at the Post were laid off today and I'm devastated.
www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/washington...
www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/washington...
Breaking: Washington Post gutting its climate team
Clean energy dies in darkness. Courtesy of Jeff Bezos.
www.climatecoloredgoggles.com
February 5, 2026 at 2:17 AM
I don't say this often but: I'm so proud to be a climate and environment reporter. We cover an issue that is vitally important to humanity and the natural world. 14 of my climate colleagues at the Post were laid off today and I'm devastated.
www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/washington...
www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/washington...
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
The Washington Post has laid off least 14 climate journalists, newsroom sources told @sammyroth.bsky.social, effectively decimating one of the most important reporting teams in American climate journalism.
A sad, terrifying, enraging day for the planet.
A sad, terrifying, enraging day for the planet.
Breaking: Washington Post gutting its climate team
Clean energy dies in darkness. Courtesy of Jeff Bezos.
www.climatecoloredgoggles.com
February 4, 2026 at 10:49 PM
The Washington Post has laid off least 14 climate journalists, newsroom sources told @sammyroth.bsky.social, effectively decimating one of the most important reporting teams in American climate journalism.
A sad, terrifying, enraging day for the planet.
A sad, terrifying, enraging day for the planet.
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
And world coal production.
Has anyone called the peak of global coal production yet, or just the use by China?
Has anyone called the peak of global coal production yet, or just the use by China?
February 5, 2026 at 2:18 AM
And world coal production.
Has anyone called the peak of global coal production yet, or just the use by China?
Has anyone called the peak of global coal production yet, or just the use by China?
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
Forest soils increasingly extract methane from the atmosphere, long-term study reveals
phys.org/news/2026-02...
phys.org/news/2026-02...
Forest soils increasingly extract methane from the atmosphere, long-term study reveals
Forest soils have an important role in protecting our climate: They remove large quantities of methane—a powerful greenhouse gas—from our atmosphere. Researchers from the University of Göttingen and t...
phys.org
February 5, 2026 at 3:23 AM
Forest soils increasingly extract methane from the atmosphere, long-term study reveals
phys.org/news/2026-02...
phys.org/news/2026-02...
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
Forecasts now suggest that the disrupted vortex could send repeated waves of cold air into parts of North America, Europe, and Asia during the coming weeks. 🥶
www.ecoticias.com/en/meteorolo...
sharp freezes ➜ brief thaws ➜ new plunges #WeatherWhiplash
#ResistanceEarth #ClimateChange
www.ecoticias.com/en/meteorolo...
sharp freezes ➜ brief thaws ➜ new plunges #WeatherWhiplash
#ResistanceEarth #ClimateChange
Meteorologists warn that an anomaly in the polar vortex is approaching, and that its speed and shape do not match what textbooks taught decades ago
Polar vortex anomaly speeding up over Arctic, defying forecasts and triggering concern across Europe, Asia, and North America.
www.ecoticias.com
February 4, 2026 at 9:05 PM
Forecasts now suggest that the disrupted vortex could send repeated waves of cold air into parts of North America, Europe, and Asia during the coming weeks. 🥶
www.ecoticias.com/en/meteorolo...
sharp freezes ➜ brief thaws ➜ new plunges #WeatherWhiplash
#ResistanceEarth #ClimateChange
www.ecoticias.com/en/meteorolo...
sharp freezes ➜ brief thaws ➜ new plunges #WeatherWhiplash
#ResistanceEarth #ClimateChange
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
The destabilisation of the Atlantic Ocean circulation #AMOC is no longer a distant scenario - it’s a national and global security risk. In this article, PIK director Johan Rockström and Iceland’s Climate Minister Jóhann Páll Jóhannsson explain what to do about it. www.linkedin.com/pulse/climat...
Climate risk becomes a matter of security
The destabilisation of the #AMOC is no longer a distant scenario - it’s a national and global security risk. Iceland’s Climate Minister Jóhann Páll Jóhannsson and I outline actions to tackle this thre...
www.linkedin.com
February 4, 2026 at 5:34 PM
The destabilisation of the Atlantic Ocean circulation #AMOC is no longer a distant scenario - it’s a national and global security risk. In this article, PIK director Johan Rockström and Iceland’s Climate Minister Jóhann Páll Jóhannsson explain what to do about it. www.linkedin.com/pulse/climat...
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
Has Chinese coal use peaked?
I don't think so.
I don't think so.
February 4, 2026 at 11:26 AM
Has Chinese coal use peaked?
I don't think so.
I don't think so.
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
Greenhouse gases absorb heat radiation, causing more heat to accumulate in the oceans and lower atmosphere (the troposphere).
But the higher layers of the atmosphere cool down.
This will continue until a new Earth's Energy Imbalance is reached with the greenhouse gas forcing.
By @edhawkins.org:
But the higher layers of the atmosphere cool down.
This will continue until a new Earth's Energy Imbalance is reached with the greenhouse gas forcing.
By @edhawkins.org:
February 4, 2026 at 1:59 PM
Greenhouse gases absorb heat radiation, causing more heat to accumulate in the oceans and lower atmosphere (the troposphere).
But the higher layers of the atmosphere cool down.
This will continue until a new Earth's Energy Imbalance is reached with the greenhouse gas forcing.
By @edhawkins.org:
But the higher layers of the atmosphere cool down.
This will continue until a new Earth's Energy Imbalance is reached with the greenhouse gas forcing.
By @edhawkins.org:
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
And you can also almost see in that graphic the “blanket” of greenhouse gases trapping the heat underneath it.
This graphic from @zacklabe.com for July 2025 over the Northern hemisphere shows that “blanket” effect slightly more clearly:
This graphic from @zacklabe.com for July 2025 over the Northern hemisphere shows that “blanket” effect slightly more clearly:
February 4, 2026 at 2:21 PM
And you can also almost see in that graphic the “blanket” of greenhouse gases trapping the heat underneath it.
This graphic from @zacklabe.com for July 2025 over the Northern hemisphere shows that “blanket” effect slightly more clearly:
This graphic from @zacklabe.com for July 2025 over the Northern hemisphere shows that “blanket” effect slightly more clearly:
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
"Nearly half the places that once hosted the Winter Olympics may not have the right climate conditions to ever do it again."
www.cbc.ca/player/play/...
www.cbc.ca/player/play/...
How a warming climate is changing the Winter Olympics
Nearly half the places that once hosted the Winter Olympics may not have the right climate conditions to ever do it again. For The National, CBC News chief correspondent Adrienne Arsenault travels hig...
www.cbc.ca
February 4, 2026 at 2:21 AM
"Nearly half the places that once hosted the Winter Olympics may not have the right climate conditions to ever do it again."
www.cbc.ca/player/play/...
www.cbc.ca/player/play/...
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
Next study that the Arctic will burn big time
Its a compost heat drying out essentially
So many processes of self amplification now at play...
Soil moisture is a real feedback kicker in various ways
#earth #climate
Its a compost heat drying out essentially
So many processes of self amplification now at play...
Soil moisture is a real feedback kicker in various ways
#earth #climate
Amplified Arctic–boreal fire regimes from permafrost thaw feedbacks - Nature Geoscience
The Arctic–boreal fire regime is greatly affected by biophysical and biological feedbacks from permafrost degradation, according to long-term observations of soil active layer thickness from 1997 to 2...
www.nature.com
February 4, 2026 at 12:56 AM
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
Calling desert land “healthier” because it’s greener assumes deserts are degraded versions of something else. They aren’t. They’re complete ecosystems optimized for low water, low nutrients, and extreme variability.
Changing those constraints doesn’t restore deserts; it replaces them.
Changing those constraints doesn’t restore deserts; it replaces them.
"Rather than harming the desert ecosystem, the study found that areas under and near the solar panels were healthier than untouched desert."
www.futura-sciences.com/en/china-con...
www.futura-sciences.com/en/china-con...
China's desert solar farms could transform local ecosystems - Futura-Sciences
Research in China shows solar panels can improve desert ecosystems – boosting vegetation, soil health, and creating thriving microclimates alongside clean energy.
www.futura-sciences.com
February 3, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Calling desert land “healthier” because it’s greener assumes deserts are degraded versions of something else. They aren’t. They’re complete ecosystems optimized for low water, low nutrients, and extreme variability.
Changing those constraints doesn’t restore deserts; it replaces them.
Changing those constraints doesn’t restore deserts; it replaces them.
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
De-extinction narratives promise restoration without restraint. But conservation today isn’t about resurrecting symbols. It’s about honoring what remains, reducing harm, and refusing to pretend irreversible loss can be undone.
www.technology.org/2...
www.technology.org/2...
February 4, 2026 at 12:27 PM
De-extinction narratives promise restoration without restraint. But conservation today isn’t about resurrecting symbols. It’s about honoring what remains, reducing harm, and refusing to pretend irreversible loss can be undone.
www.technology.org/2...
www.technology.org/2...
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
162 square miles of solar panels.
This is a scale problem.
Land conversion, biodiversity loss, altered albedo, massive material and maintenance inputs. Energy demand has grown so large that every solution now carries planetary consequences.
This is a scale problem.
Land conversion, biodiversity loss, altered albedo, massive material and maintenance inputs. Energy demand has grown so large that every solution now carries planetary consequences.
“The Talatan solar project is on sandy soil with sparse vegetation used as grazing lands by ethnic Tibetan herders. “ www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/b...
Why China Built 162 Square Miles of Solar Panels on the World’s Highest Plateau
www.nytimes.com
February 4, 2026 at 2:54 PM
162 square miles of solar panels.
This is a scale problem.
Land conversion, biodiversity loss, altered albedo, massive material and maintenance inputs. Energy demand has grown so large that every solution now carries planetary consequences.
This is a scale problem.
Land conversion, biodiversity loss, altered albedo, massive material and maintenance inputs. Energy demand has grown so large that every solution now carries planetary consequences.
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
Your 'moment of doom' for Feb. 4, 2026 ~ Dark black truths.
“The scale of the buildout is staggering. In 2025 alone, China commissioned more coal power capacity than India did over the entire past decade.”
www.euronews.com/green/2026/0...
“The scale of the buildout is staggering. In 2025 alone, China commissioned more coal power capacity than India did over the entire past decade.”
www.euronews.com/green/2026/0...
'Staggering' rise in coal plants in China despite clean energy gains
More than 50 large coal units were commissioned in 2025, up from fewer than 20 a year over the previous decade.
www.euronews.com
February 4, 2026 at 2:28 PM
Your 'moment of doom' for Feb. 4, 2026 ~ Dark black truths.
“The scale of the buildout is staggering. In 2025 alone, China commissioned more coal power capacity than India did over the entire past decade.”
www.euronews.com/green/2026/0...
“The scale of the buildout is staggering. In 2025 alone, China commissioned more coal power capacity than India did over the entire past decade.”
www.euronews.com/green/2026/0...
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
The current 1-year running mean for the temperature anomaly is just under 1.45°C.
According to the Climate 8-Ball, the 1-year running mean should bottom out at about 1.40°C by early Summer before making a sharp turn back up later this year, finishing the year above 1.52°C.
According to the Climate 8-Ball, the 1-year running mean should bottom out at about 1.40°C by early Summer before making a sharp turn back up later this year, finishing the year above 1.52°C.
February 4, 2026 at 2:42 PM
The current 1-year running mean for the temperature anomaly is just under 1.45°C.
According to the Climate 8-Ball, the 1-year running mean should bottom out at about 1.40°C by early Summer before making a sharp turn back up later this year, finishing the year above 1.52°C.
According to the Climate 8-Ball, the 1-year running mean should bottom out at about 1.40°C by early Summer before making a sharp turn back up later this year, finishing the year above 1.52°C.
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
"The last 11 years have been the warmest 11 years on record, and this sequence is UNLIKELY to end anytime soon."
theconversation.com/climate-fing...
theconversation.com/climate-fing...
Climate ‘fingerprints’ mark human activity from the top of the atmosphere to the bottom of the ocean
The ocean is warming as the upper atmosphere is cooling – both as a result of excessive greenhouse gas emissions.
theconversation.com
February 4, 2026 at 1:17 PM
"The last 11 years have been the warmest 11 years on record, and this sequence is UNLIKELY to end anytime soon."
theconversation.com/climate-fing...
theconversation.com/climate-fing...
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
Your 'doom quote' for today:
"Never before have people been so infantilized, made so dependent on the machine for everything; as the earth rapidly approaches its extinction due to technology, our souls are shrunk and flattened by its pervasive rule."
www.thriftbooks.com/w/future-pri...
"Never before have people been so infantilized, made so dependent on the machine for everything; as the earth rapidly approaches its extinction due to technology, our souls are shrunk and flattened by its pervasive rule."
www.thriftbooks.com/w/future-pri...
Future Primitive: And Other Essays (New... book by John Zerzan
Buy a cheap copy of Future Primitive: And Other Essays (New... book by John Zerzan. Zerzan's writing is sharp, uncompromising, and tenacious. -- Derrick Jensen John Zerzan's importance does not only c...
www.thriftbooks.com
February 4, 2026 at 2:33 PM
Your 'doom quote' for today:
"Never before have people been so infantilized, made so dependent on the machine for everything; as the earth rapidly approaches its extinction due to technology, our souls are shrunk and flattened by its pervasive rule."
www.thriftbooks.com/w/future-pri...
"Never before have people been so infantilized, made so dependent on the machine for everything; as the earth rapidly approaches its extinction due to technology, our souls are shrunk and flattened by its pervasive rule."
www.thriftbooks.com/w/future-pri...
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
If we assume long-term accelerated warming, then we'll be breaking the Paris limit of 1.5°C before the year is out.
February 3, 2026 at 2:52 PM
If we assume long-term accelerated warming, then we'll be breaking the Paris limit of 1.5°C before the year is out.
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
Why is the UK government not doing this?👇
Irish citizens to receive emergency preparedness booklets covering the growing threat of extreme weather, based on advice from the Dept of Defence.
What is the UK Government's plan to forewarn and protect its citizens?
UK is not prepared. See video clip below
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...
What is the UK Government's plan to forewarn and protect its citizens?
UK is not prepared. See video clip below
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...
All households in Ireland to get emergency preparation booklet in coming weeks
Department of Defence body prepared the advice for handling extreme weather and other crises
www.irishtimes.com
January 27, 2026 at 9:01 PM
Why is the UK government not doing this?👇
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
2 new papers by Cooper, Armour & co use past climates, from the Last Glacial Maximum 21,000 yrs ago & the Pliocene 2.6-5.3 million yrs ago, to infer that the planet will warm about 3 degrees C for a doubling of CO2 as a best estimate for present day.
doi.org/10.1126/scia...
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
doi.org/10.1126/scia...
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
Last Glacial Maximum pattern effects reduce climate sensitivity estimates
Ice sheet–driven temperature patterns amplified glacial cooling, implying less future warming than previously estimated.
doi.org
February 3, 2026 at 8:52 AM
2 new papers by Cooper, Armour & co use past climates, from the Last Glacial Maximum 21,000 yrs ago & the Pliocene 2.6-5.3 million yrs ago, to infer that the planet will warm about 3 degrees C for a doubling of CO2 as a best estimate for present day.
doi.org/10.1126/scia...
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
doi.org/10.1126/scia...
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
Lyle’s posts are helping to identify the accounts that have moved over from twitter and thus can be blocked - really nasty stuff
This is desert golf-course logic.
Add shade. Add water. Call it “greening.” Celebrate.
Pretend there were no adverse consequences of diverting water from somewhere else.
Add shade. Add water. Call it “greening.” Celebrate.
Pretend there were no adverse consequences of diverting water from somewhere else.
On the Tibetan plateau, China has installed a 16-17 GW mega solar plant that is turning an alpine desert into a “micro-oasis”: more moisture, more grass, and soils with more carbon under 64 km² of panels
High on the Tibetan Plateau, a vast field of solar panels is not only feeding China’s power grid. According to new research, it is also gently reshaping a
www.ecoticias.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:39 PM
Lyle’s posts are helping to identify the accounts that have moved over from twitter and thus can be blocked - really nasty stuff
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
Fertilisation of the ocean with mineral dust promotes algal blooms that capture carbon, but when the same thing happens in Greenland, it reduces albedo leading to accelerating melting.
A new study analysed dust collected from the Greenland Ice sheet and found minerals essential to algal growth.
A new study analysed dust collected from the Greenland Ice sheet and found minerals essential to algal growth.
February 2, 2026 at 3:17 PM
Fertilisation of the ocean with mineral dust promotes algal blooms that capture carbon, but when the same thing happens in Greenland, it reduces albedo leading to accelerating melting.
A new study analysed dust collected from the Greenland Ice sheet and found minerals essential to algal growth.
A new study analysed dust collected from the Greenland Ice sheet and found minerals essential to algal growth.
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
Very happy to announce the first of Bill's weekly Climate Catch-Ups
This paid content allows access to one exclusive article every week
If you are interested, please subscribe below. Free content is also available
billmcguire.substack.com
This paid content allows access to one exclusive article every week
If you are interested, please subscribe below. Free content is also available
billmcguire.substack.com
February 2, 2026 at 2:55 PM
Very happy to announce the first of Bill's weekly Climate Catch-Ups
This paid content allows access to one exclusive article every week
If you are interested, please subscribe below. Free content is also available
billmcguire.substack.com
This paid content allows access to one exclusive article every week
If you are interested, please subscribe below. Free content is also available
billmcguire.substack.com
Reposted by Biosphere in Crisis
This is desert golf-course logic.
Add shade. Add water. Call it “greening.” Celebrate.
Pretend there were no adverse consequences of diverting water from somewhere else.
Add shade. Add water. Call it “greening.” Celebrate.
Pretend there were no adverse consequences of diverting water from somewhere else.
On the Tibetan plateau, China has installed a 16-17 GW mega solar plant that is turning an alpine desert into a “micro-oasis”: more moisture, more grass, and soils with more carbon under 64 km² of panels
High on the Tibetan Plateau, a vast field of solar panels is not only feeding China’s power grid. According to new research, it is also gently reshaping a
www.ecoticias.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:30 AM
This is desert golf-course logic.
Add shade. Add water. Call it “greening.” Celebrate.
Pretend there were no adverse consequences of diverting water from somewhere else.
Add shade. Add water. Call it “greening.” Celebrate.
Pretend there were no adverse consequences of diverting water from somewhere else.