Heather Short
@drshort.bsky.social
PhD Earth sciences, climate literacy educator, located near Tiohti:áke/Montreal, Quebec, Canada https://drheathershort.com/
Backstory here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/first-person-climate-change-education-support-young-people-1.6186611
Backstory here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/first-person-climate-change-education-support-young-people-1.6186611
Reposted by Heather Short
Reposted by Heather Short
There is already life after oil for workers.
No more boom & bust.
No re-training required.
Steady, high-paying work.
Less isolated, closer to home...
It's geothermal drilling to heat and cool new housing!
👋 @thestar.com
www.thestar.com/from-the-oil...
No more boom & bust.
No re-training required.
Steady, high-paying work.
Less isolated, closer to home...
It's geothermal drilling to heat and cool new housing!
👋 @thestar.com
www.thestar.com/from-the-oil...
From the Oil Patch to Toronto: Drilling for Geothermal in Toronto
For the last five years, Benji Perry has been drilling for geothermal heating in the GTA.
www.thestar.com
February 6, 2026 at 6:21 PM
There is already life after oil for workers.
No more boom & bust.
No re-training required.
Steady, high-paying work.
Less isolated, closer to home...
It's geothermal drilling to heat and cool new housing!
👋 @thestar.com
www.thestar.com/from-the-oil...
No more boom & bust.
No re-training required.
Steady, high-paying work.
Less isolated, closer to home...
It's geothermal drilling to heat and cool new housing!
👋 @thestar.com
www.thestar.com/from-the-oil...
Reposted by Heather Short
Tenure enables freedom of speech, which is why aspiring tyrants don’t like it.
Breaking, from me: An executive order from Oklahoma's governor directs most of the state's public colleges to "phase out tenure." #AcademicSky #HigherEd @chronicle.com
www.chronicle.com/article/tenu...
www.chronicle.com/article/tenu...
Tenure Will Be Eliminated at Most of Oklahoma’s Public Colleges, Governor Says
Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, directed the state’s two-dozen regional universities and community colleges to phase out the practice. Existing faculty members will be grandfathered in.
www.chronicle.com
February 6, 2026 at 8:20 PM
Tenure enables freedom of speech, which is why aspiring tyrants don’t like it.
Reposted by Heather Short
Of course, the main problem that is holding back effective conservation is not the lack of evidence
It’s vested interests preventing the transformative change needed in the scale & ambition of conservation actions
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
It’s vested interests preventing the transformative change needed in the scale & ambition of conservation actions
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Biodiversity conservation has an evidence problem — it’s time to fix it
Globally, more than one million species are threatened with extinction, but often interventions intended to protect biodiversity are not rooted in robust research. The field has an opportunity to chan...
www.nature.com
February 6, 2026 at 1:43 PM
Of course, the main problem that is holding back effective conservation is not the lack of evidence
It’s vested interests preventing the transformative change needed in the scale & ambition of conservation actions
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
It’s vested interests preventing the transformative change needed in the scale & ambition of conservation actions
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
this seems bad
Strong environmental laws depend on strong public scientific capacity. Cutting ECCC science & policy capacity weakens enforcement, accountability, & the protections Canadians rely on for clean air, water, and a stable climate.
Carney’s government is cutting hundreds of environment and science jobs. Here’s what that means for Canadians | CBC Radio
Scientists and labour leaders are warning that cuts to Environment and Climate Change Canada could significantly impact the health and safety of Canadians as well as Canada's wildlife and environment.
www.cbc.ca
February 6, 2026 at 3:51 PM
this seems bad
Reposted by Heather Short
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology
She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.
www.nature.com
February 6, 2026 at 9:09 AM
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Heather Short
In a new study, published today in Nature Climate Change, we explore how carbon dioxide removal (CDR) – approaches that take CO2 out of the atmosphere – may affect #biodiversity. 🦎🐌 doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Biodiversity implications of land-intensive carbon dioxide removal - Nature Climate Change
Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) plays an important role in decarbonization pathways to meet climate goals, but some methods are land-intensive. Multimodel analysis reveals conflicts between biodiversity ...
doi.org
January 30, 2026 at 11:53 AM
In a new study, published today in Nature Climate Change, we explore how carbon dioxide removal (CDR) – approaches that take CO2 out of the atmosphere – may affect #biodiversity. 🦎🐌 doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Reposted by Heather Short
I don't think biodiversity conservation has an evidence problem
I think it has a most of the world's biggest industries depend on destroying nature problem
This isn't an information deficit issue, we pretty much know what to do. The problem is that govs prioritise capital growth over survival
I think it has a most of the world's biggest industries depend on destroying nature problem
This isn't an information deficit issue, we pretty much know what to do. The problem is that govs prioritise capital growth over survival
Biodiversity conservation has an evidence problem — it’s time to fix it
Globally, more than one million species are threatened with extinction, but often interventions intended to protect biodiversity are not rooted in robust research. The field has an opportunity to chan...
www.nature.com
February 6, 2026 at 12:51 PM
I don't think biodiversity conservation has an evidence problem
I think it has a most of the world's biggest industries depend on destroying nature problem
This isn't an information deficit issue, we pretty much know what to do. The problem is that govs prioritise capital growth over survival
I think it has a most of the world's biggest industries depend on destroying nature problem
This isn't an information deficit issue, we pretty much know what to do. The problem is that govs prioritise capital growth over survival
Reposted by Heather Short
The world is going to blow past the 1.5 C goal of the Paris Accords. Even limiting global warming to 2 C will be very hard.
But we might still be able to pull it off if we change tactics, and focus more attention on climate “Emergency Brakes”.
globalecoguy.org/hitting-the-...
But we might still be able to pull it off if we change tactics, and focus more attention on climate “Emergency Brakes”.
globalecoguy.org/hitting-the-...
Hitting the “Emergency Brake” on Climate
There’s a hard truth about climate change: Meeting the Paris Accords — and limiting global warming to 1.5˚C or “well below” 2˚C — requires…
globalecoguy.org
February 5, 2026 at 7:49 PM
The world is going to blow past the 1.5 C goal of the Paris Accords. Even limiting global warming to 2 C will be very hard.
But we might still be able to pull it off if we change tactics, and focus more attention on climate “Emergency Brakes”.
globalecoguy.org/hitting-the-...
But we might still be able to pull it off if we change tactics, and focus more attention on climate “Emergency Brakes”.
globalecoguy.org/hitting-the-...
Reposted by Heather Short
Retreat, retreat, after retreat.
The climate backsliding under Carney is hard to watch...
The climate backsliding under Carney is hard to watch...
More back-sliding on climate: Carney is eliminating the Electric Vehicle Availability Standard that would have mandated 100% EVs by 2035. New target is 75% EVs by 2035, 90% by 2040 but it's not clear if not-yet-finalized policy will achieve this www.canada.ca/en/innovatio...
Prime Minister Carney unveils Canada's new automotive strategy to protect jobs and position our country as a global leader in next-generation vehicle manufacturing - Canada.ca
Canada is, and will remain, a nation that builds cars. For over 100 years, the automotive industry has been a cornerstone of our economy, underpinning advanced manufacturing, driving innovation and su...
www.canada.ca
February 5, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Retreat, retreat, after retreat.
The climate backsliding under Carney is hard to watch...
The climate backsliding under Carney is hard to watch...
Reposted by Heather Short
This story is about B.C., but really it's about any place that's being forced to choose between conservation or extraction.
In terms of long-term local economic benefits, protecting nature will always beat the short term of fossil fuel mining.
https://bit.ly/3NRoI7n
In terms of long-term local economic benefits, protecting nature will always beat the short term of fossil fuel mining.
https://bit.ly/3NRoI7n
Protecting the environment is good for B.C.’s economy | The Narwhal
Job creation, tax revenue, small business support: why don’t B.C. politicians value the economic benefits of environmental protection?
bit.ly
February 5, 2026 at 5:08 PM
This story is about B.C., but really it's about any place that's being forced to choose between conservation or extraction.
In terms of long-term local economic benefits, protecting nature will always beat the short term of fossil fuel mining.
https://bit.ly/3NRoI7n
In terms of long-term local economic benefits, protecting nature will always beat the short term of fossil fuel mining.
https://bit.ly/3NRoI7n
This this this. The time to 'give up' is never.
"It’s not whether or not we are F-ed, it’s a question of how F-ed we are...
We can’t avoid climate danger, climate damage because it’s here, but what we can do is try to limit that damage." - @michaelemann.bsky.social
We can’t avoid climate danger, climate damage because it’s here, but what we can do is try to limit that damage." - @michaelemann.bsky.social
The Best Climate Science You've Never Heard Of
In an event co-sponsored with Scientific American, climate scientist Michael Mann and Saleemul Huq, director of the ICCCAD in Bangladesh, brief journalists on some surprisingly hopeful developments.
coveringclimatenow.org
February 5, 2026 at 12:23 PM
This this this. The time to 'give up' is never.
Reposted by Heather Short
In short: the #AMOC is weakening, may collapse this century, &even small shifts could trigger abrupt change
These tipping points are a major national security blind spot, threatening food, energy &global stability, they must be addressed urgently
As argued here by @laurielaybourn.bsky.social et al
These tipping points are a major national security blind spot, threatening food, energy &global stability, they must be addressed urgently
As argued here by @laurielaybourn.bsky.social et al
The security blind spot: Cascading climate impacts and tipping points threaten national security | IPPR
The new UK government has initiated a Strategic Defence Review and is undertaking a review of national resilience. Security threats resulting from climate
www.ippr.org
February 5, 2026 at 8:05 AM
In short: the #AMOC is weakening, may collapse this century, &even small shifts could trigger abrupt change
These tipping points are a major national security blind spot, threatening food, energy &global stability, they must be addressed urgently
As argued here by @laurielaybourn.bsky.social et al
These tipping points are a major national security blind spot, threatening food, energy &global stability, they must be addressed urgently
As argued here by @laurielaybourn.bsky.social et al
Reposted by Heather Short
Regulators called on to make managing climate risk an explicit part of fiduciary duty
Economic models used by governments and investors inaccurately represent climate risk - new report by @UniofExeter and think-tank @CarbonBubble
www.sustainableviews.com/economic-mod...
Economic models used by governments and investors inaccurately represent climate risk - new report by @UniofExeter and think-tank @CarbonBubble
www.sustainableviews.com/economic-mod...
February 5, 2026 at 11:28 AM
Regulators called on to make managing climate risk an explicit part of fiduciary duty
Economic models used by governments and investors inaccurately represent climate risk - new report by @UniofExeter and think-tank @CarbonBubble
www.sustainableviews.com/economic-mod...
Economic models used by governments and investors inaccurately represent climate risk - new report by @UniofExeter and think-tank @CarbonBubble
www.sustainableviews.com/economic-mod...
Reposted by Heather Short
William Nordhaus is the father of the fossil-fuel propaganda that "climate change won't cost that much, but net zero will be too expensive."
Here's how Nordhaus lowballs climate damages in his economic models (screenshot from The Language of Climate Politics):
1/3
Here's how Nordhaus lowballs climate damages in his economic models (screenshot from The Language of Climate Politics):
1/3
February 5, 2026 at 11:46 AM
William Nordhaus is the father of the fossil-fuel propaganda that "climate change won't cost that much, but net zero will be too expensive."
Here's how Nordhaus lowballs climate damages in his economic models (screenshot from The Language of Climate Politics):
1/3
Here's how Nordhaus lowballs climate damages in his economic models (screenshot from The Language of Climate Politics):
1/3
Reposted by Heather Short
You’ll never guess but the solution to people not having money is to give them money.
"By the end of the two-year period, 94% of participants reported they were housed."
A million pilot programs show the same thing: when people are given enough money to afford housing, homelessness ends.
Other supports matter, but housing comes first. Not policing. Not moralizing. Homes.
A million pilot programs show the same thing: when people are given enough money to afford housing, homelessness ends.
Other supports matter, but housing comes first. Not policing. Not moralizing. Homes.
Homeless Oregon youth got $1,000 a month for two years. Most found housing after • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Oregon is the second of its kind in the nation to implement the direct cash transfer program after New York City.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
February 4, 2026 at 10:21 PM
You’ll never guess but the solution to people not having money is to give them money.
Reposted by Heather Short
Authoritarians are paid for with fossil fuel dollars. Why climate activism and resistance to ICE and other excesses of the current regime go hand in hand.
@emorwee.bsky.social
heated.world/p/actually-i...
@emorwee.bsky.social
heated.world/p/actually-i...
Actually, I do know how to do this
In retrospect, paying attention to polluters may be one of the best ways to understand what’s currently happening in the United States.
heated.world
February 3, 2026 at 8:54 PM
Authoritarians are paid for with fossil fuel dollars. Why climate activism and resistance to ICE and other excesses of the current regime go hand in hand.
@emorwee.bsky.social
heated.world/p/actually-i...
@emorwee.bsky.social
heated.world/p/actually-i...
"much of this suffering is preventable."
So we have a duty to act to prevent it however we can.
So we have a duty to act to prevent it however we can.
I’m pleased to share my latest article in @uk.theconversation.com
It asks what overheated apartments, flooded rice fields, & invisible policy failures have in common, & how preventable harm becomes the slow violence of necropolitics in the Chthulucene.
Here's a short thread on some key points 🧵
It asks what overheated apartments, flooded rice fields, & invisible policy failures have in common, & how preventable harm becomes the slow violence of necropolitics in the Chthulucene.
Here's a short thread on some key points 🧵
Preventable suffering is both widespread and socially produced.
February 3, 2026 at 1:12 PM
"much of this suffering is preventable."
So we have a duty to act to prevent it however we can.
So we have a duty to act to prevent it however we can.
Reposted by Heather Short
We will forever regret not doing something about PFAS.
Environmentalists decry ‘crushingly disappointing’ Pfas action plan for UK
Ministers’ proposals to tackle ‘forever chemicals’ fail to match tougher stance taken in Europe, say experts
www.theguardian.com
February 3, 2026 at 11:24 AM
We will forever regret not doing something about PFAS.
Reposted by Heather Short
A huge 89% majority of global people [56% even in the United States] want stronger action to fight the #ClimateCrisis, but mistakenly believe they’re in a minority.
The “silent majority” for #ClimateAction needs to get loud.
People want action. Smart cities need to go much further, much faster.
The “silent majority” for #ClimateAction needs to get loud.
People want action. Smart cities need to go much further, much faster.
Activate climate’s ‘silent majority’ to supercharge action, experts say
Making concerned people aware their views are far from alone could unlock the change so urgently needed
www.theguardian.com
February 2, 2026 at 2:00 AM
A huge 89% majority of global people [56% even in the United States] want stronger action to fight the #ClimateCrisis, but mistakenly believe they’re in a minority.
The “silent majority” for #ClimateAction needs to get loud.
People want action. Smart cities need to go much further, much faster.
The “silent majority” for #ClimateAction needs to get loud.
People want action. Smart cities need to go much further, much faster.
Reposted by Heather Short
Methane pollution from US oil and gas infrastructure causes more climate change than the entire economies of all but seven nations on earth.
(This is with methane's climate impacts conservatively evaluated over a 100-year time frame. Evaluated over shorter time frames, methane's impacts are worse.)
(This is with methane's climate impacts conservatively evaluated over a 100-year time frame. Evaluated over shorter time frames, methane's impacts are worse.)
Accounting for methane from natural gas infrastructure in United States greenhouse gas emission estimates
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that United States net greenhouse gas emissions have declined over the last two decades and are no…
www.sciencedirect.com
February 1, 2026 at 11:50 PM
Methane pollution from US oil and gas infrastructure causes more climate change than the entire economies of all but seven nations on earth.
(This is with methane's climate impacts conservatively evaluated over a 100-year time frame. Evaluated over shorter time frames, methane's impacts are worse.)
(This is with methane's climate impacts conservatively evaluated over a 100-year time frame. Evaluated over shorter time frames, methane's impacts are worse.)
Reposted by Heather Short
nice thread alert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The optimist vs pessimist divide in #climate debates isn’t usually about the data.
It’s about how the same graphs are read, what people emphasise, what they discount, and how they interpret pace and stakes.
Here’s what I mean 🧵👇
It’s about how the same graphs are read, what people emphasise, what they discount, and how they interpret pace and stakes.
Here’s what I mean 🧵👇
February 2, 2026 at 9:36 AM
nice thread alert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reposted by Heather Short
Likely the same in many oil/gas zones.
Cleaning up Alberta's fossil fuel industry could cost an estimated $260 billion, internal regulatory documents warn.
The staggering financial liabilities for the energy industry’s graveyard of spent facilities
www.nationalobserver.com/2018/11/01/n...
Cleaning up Alberta's fossil fuel industry could cost an estimated $260 billion, internal regulatory documents warn.
The staggering financial liabilities for the energy industry’s graveyard of spent facilities
www.nationalobserver.com/2018/11/01/n...
Alberta regulator privately estimates oilpatch's financial liabilities are hundreds of billions more than what it told the public
The staggering estimate of $260 billion in financial liabilities for the oil and gas industry’s graveyard of spent facilities were spelled out by a high-ranking official of the Alberta Energy Regulato...
www.nationalobserver.com
February 1, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Likely the same in many oil/gas zones.
Cleaning up Alberta's fossil fuel industry could cost an estimated $260 billion, internal regulatory documents warn.
The staggering financial liabilities for the energy industry’s graveyard of spent facilities
www.nationalobserver.com/2018/11/01/n...
Cleaning up Alberta's fossil fuel industry could cost an estimated $260 billion, internal regulatory documents warn.
The staggering financial liabilities for the energy industry’s graveyard of spent facilities
www.nationalobserver.com/2018/11/01/n...