Sonny Whitelaw
@ecomigrant.bsky.social
Australian-born novelist and coastal geomorphologist migrated to Aotearoa New Zealand. Climate change technical advisor; curator of http://climatechange.org.nz
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Please spread this far and wide, as stories don't get much bigger than this. When the government blocks even the intelligence services from telling us we're heading for environmental catastrophe, you know we have a problem. A very big problem.
Thank you.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Thank you.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The UK government didn't want you to see this report on ecosystem collapse. I'm not surprised | George Monbiot
It took an FOI request to bring this national security assessment to light. For ‘doomsayers’ like us, it is the ultimate vindication, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com
January 28, 2026 at 7:18 AM
Please spread this far and wide, as stories don't get much bigger than this. When the government blocks even the intelligence services from telling us we're heading for environmental catastrophe, you know we have a problem. A very big problem.
Thank you.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Thank you.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Paywall now lifted: One in 27 homes now has rooftop solar, with more than 73,000 registered systems in the latest data from the Electricity Authority, which runs to the end of 2025.
The top five solar adopting regions are not necessarily the five sunniest.
newsroom.co.nz/2026/01/26/w...
The top five solar adopting regions are not necessarily the five sunniest.
newsroom.co.nz/2026/01/26/w...
Which regions lead NZ in rooftop solar – and which ones lag behind
The South Island accounts for four of the top five regions for solar installs, but some of NZ's sunniest regions are stragglers, new data shows.
newsroom.co.nz
January 26, 2026 at 10:54 PM
Paywall now lifted: One in 27 homes now has rooftop solar, with more than 73,000 registered systems in the latest data from the Electricity Authority, which runs to the end of 2025.
The top five solar adopting regions are not necessarily the five sunniest.
newsroom.co.nz/2026/01/26/w...
The top five solar adopting regions are not necessarily the five sunniest.
newsroom.co.nz/2026/01/26/w...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
North Sea states aim for “world’s largest energy hub” with major offshore wind investment plan
“Every offshore wind project that connects Europe is making us more resilient,” DE energy min Reiche said
www.cleanenergywire.org/news/north-s...
“Every offshore wind project that connects Europe is making us more resilient,” DE energy min Reiche said
www.cleanenergywire.org/news/north-s...
January 26, 2026 at 4:46 PM
North Sea states aim for “world’s largest energy hub” with major offshore wind investment plan
“Every offshore wind project that connects Europe is making us more resilient,” DE energy min Reiche said
www.cleanenergywire.org/news/north-s...
“Every offshore wind project that connects Europe is making us more resilient,” DE energy min Reiche said
www.cleanenergywire.org/news/north-s...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
I finally got a chance to spend some time with this piece and it's as remarkable as everyone says it is.
Here's a gift link, set aside some time for it when you can.
Here's a gift link, set aside some time for it when you can.
Welcome to the American Winter
In the frozen streets of Minneapolis, something profound is happening.
www.theatlantic.com
January 26, 2026 at 5:12 PM
I finally got a chance to spend some time with this piece and it's as remarkable as everyone says it is.
Here's a gift link, set aside some time for it when you can.
Here's a gift link, set aside some time for it when you can.
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Today from The Detail: Extreme weather may be the trigger for deadly and devastating slash, but the lines on who is responsible for prevention and clean-up are blurred.
Storms make forestry slash inevitable, so who's legally responsible?
newsroom.co.nz
January 26, 2026 at 6:12 PM
Today from The Detail: Extreme weather may be the trigger for deadly and devastating slash, but the lines on who is responsible for prevention and clean-up are blurred.
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
More than 2,000 farmers, chefs and policymakers gathered in the Philippines to champion food systems rooted in biodiversity, Indigenous knowledge and local resilience.
As climate risks grow, the meeting pushed agroecology and regional cooperation as alternatives to industrial agriculture.
As climate risks grow, the meeting pushed agroecology and regional cooperation as alternatives to industrial agriculture.
Philippines hosts new Asia-Pacific hub for sustainable agriculture, cuisine
BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — For five days last November, the city of Bacolod in the central Philippine province of Negros Occidental became a crossroads of food cultures from across Asia and the…
news.mongabay.com
January 25, 2026 at 12:10 AM
More than 2,000 farmers, chefs and policymakers gathered in the Philippines to champion food systems rooted in biodiversity, Indigenous knowledge and local resilience.
As climate risks grow, the meeting pushed agroecology and regional cooperation as alternatives to industrial agriculture.
As climate risks grow, the meeting pushed agroecology and regional cooperation as alternatives to industrial agriculture.
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Gotta laugh...and we all need a laugh.
❄️🧪💙📚
#scicomm
#climate
#science
God Punishes Trump by Turning US into Greenland open.substack.com/pub/borowitz...
❄️🧪💙📚
#scicomm
#climate
#science
God Punishes Trump by Turning US into Greenland open.substack.com/pub/borowitz...
God Punishes Trump by Turning US into Greenland
The Almighty declared, “Prayers answered, jerkwad.”
open.substack.com
January 24, 2026 at 6:55 PM
Gotta laugh...and we all need a laugh.
❄️🧪💙📚
#scicomm
#climate
#science
God Punishes Trump by Turning US into Greenland open.substack.com/pub/borowitz...
❄️🧪💙📚
#scicomm
#climate
#science
God Punishes Trump by Turning US into Greenland open.substack.com/pub/borowitz...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
I am a climate scientist and this is correct.
As the planet warms, storms like the one today are getting stronger… and as the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the mid latitudes, it increases the risk of the “freezer door” swinging open.
Technical explanation here: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
As the planet warms, storms like the one today are getting stronger… and as the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the mid latitudes, it increases the risk of the “freezer door” swinging open.
Technical explanation here: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
January 24, 2026 at 6:38 PM
I am a climate scientist and this is correct.
As the planet warms, storms like the one today are getting stronger… and as the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the mid latitudes, it increases the risk of the “freezer door” swinging open.
Technical explanation here: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
As the planet warms, storms like the one today are getting stronger… and as the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the mid latitudes, it increases the risk of the “freezer door” swinging open.
Technical explanation here: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
WHO statement on notification of withdrawal of the United States
WHO regrets the United States’ notification of withdrawal from WHO – a decision that makes both the United States and the world less safe.
Full statement: bit.ly/46dT0HF
WHO regrets the United States’ notification of withdrawal from WHO – a decision that makes both the United States and the world less safe.
Full statement: bit.ly/46dT0HF
January 24, 2026 at 8:35 PM
WHO statement on notification of withdrawal of the United States
WHO regrets the United States’ notification of withdrawal from WHO – a decision that makes both the United States and the world less safe.
Full statement: bit.ly/46dT0HF
WHO regrets the United States’ notification of withdrawal from WHO – a decision that makes both the United States and the world less safe.
Full statement: bit.ly/46dT0HF
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Your regular reminder that when folks say "its cold outside where I live, what happened to global warming?" that the world is big, and weather still exists.
January 23, 2026 at 7:40 PM
Your regular reminder that when folks say "its cold outside where I live, what happened to global warming?" that the world is big, and weather still exists.
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
#Landslides
#Storms
#OceanHeat
#RapidIntensification
#Precipitation
#ExtremePrecipitation
#Floods
#ExtremeWeather
#AtmosphericRivers
#PolarVortex
#JetStream
#CostOfInaction
#Infrastructure
#FossilFuelPollution
#AnthropogenicGlobalWarming
#Landslides
#Storms
#OceanHeat
#RapidIntensification
#Precipitation
#ExtremePrecipitation
#Floods
#ExtremeWeather
#AtmosphericRivers
#PolarVortex
#JetStream
#CostOfInaction
#Infrastructure
#FossilFuelPollution
#AnthropogenicGlobalWarming
'Warzone': East Coast flooding damage comes to light
Te Araroa on the East Coast remains cut off by road, while over 300 in the region are without power.
www.rnz.co.nz
January 22, 2026 at 1:29 AM
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
The confusion relates to whether the attribution is by concentration vs by emissions. In the concentration case, trop O3 is separate from CH4, while if you do this by emission that gets folded in to the CH4 term (since CH4 is a O3 precursor). I would argue that by emission is the most sensible way.
January 21, 2026 at 10:02 PM
The confusion relates to whether the attribution is by concentration vs by emissions. In the concentration case, trop O3 is separate from CH4, while if you do this by emission that gets folded in to the CH4 term (since CH4 is a O3 precursor). I would argue that by emission is the most sensible way.
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
January 20, 2026 at 10:53 PM
This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Reminder: the NACT government closed the Climate Emergency Fund established to deal with climate emergencies.
Whoops.
#nzpol
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Whoops.
#nzpol
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Weather live: Person swept away in river, floods close highways, red rain warnings
Up to 350 millimetres are forecast to hit parts of the North Island as states of emergency are declared and residents warned to prepare.
www.rnz.co.nz
January 21, 2026 at 12:38 AM
Reminder: the NACT government closed the Climate Emergency Fund established to deal with climate emergencies.
Whoops.
#nzpol
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Whoops.
#nzpol
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
The beach may have been lovely yesterday, but the big picture is alarming:
"Scientists warn of a potential “regime shift” in the oceans, as rapid growth of huge mats of seaweed appears to be driven by global heating and excessive enrichment of waters."
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
"Scientists warn of a potential “regime shift” in the oceans, as rapid growth of huge mats of seaweed appears to be driven by global heating and excessive enrichment of waters."
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Scientists warn of ‘regime shift’ as seaweed blooms expand worldwide
Study links rapid growth of ocean macroalgae to global heating and nutrient pollution
www.theguardian.com
January 19, 2026 at 9:56 PM
The beach may have been lovely yesterday, but the big picture is alarming:
"Scientists warn of a potential “regime shift” in the oceans, as rapid growth of huge mats of seaweed appears to be driven by global heating and excessive enrichment of waters."
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
"Scientists warn of a potential “regime shift” in the oceans, as rapid growth of huge mats of seaweed appears to be driven by global heating and excessive enrichment of waters."
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Crucial vote looms over fate of a murky river
Canterbury’s water regulator is criticised for stating its intent not to take enforcement action over an irrigation company consent breach
newsroom.co.nz/2026/01/19/c...
Canterbury’s water regulator is criticised for stating its intent not to take enforcement action over an irrigation company consent breach
newsroom.co.nz/2026/01/19/c...
Crucial vote looms over fate of a murky river
Canterbury’s water regulator is criticised for stating its intent not to take enforcement action over an irrigation company consent breach.
newsroom.co.nz
January 19, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Crucial vote looms over fate of a murky river
Canterbury’s water regulator is criticised for stating its intent not to take enforcement action over an irrigation company consent breach
newsroom.co.nz/2026/01/19/c...
Canterbury’s water regulator is criticised for stating its intent not to take enforcement action over an irrigation company consent breach
newsroom.co.nz/2026/01/19/c...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
2024: can Europe defend itself ALONGSIDE America?
2025: can Europe defend itself WITHOUT America?
2026: can Europe defend itself AGAINST America?
2025: can Europe defend itself WITHOUT America?
2026: can Europe defend itself AGAINST America?
January 18, 2026 at 10:12 AM
2024: can Europe defend itself ALONGSIDE America?
2025: can Europe defend itself WITHOUT America?
2026: can Europe defend itself AGAINST America?
2025: can Europe defend itself WITHOUT America?
2026: can Europe defend itself AGAINST America?
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Following extreme events with severe impacts, public interest is generated in its causes.
One of the dominant questions is: “Was this event caused by #ClimateChange?”
This WWA guide is intended to help journalists navigate this question👇
www.worldweatherattribution.org/reporting-ex...
One of the dominant questions is: “Was this event caused by #ClimateChange?”
This WWA guide is intended to help journalists navigate this question👇
www.worldweatherattribution.org/reporting-ex...
September 5, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Following extreme events with severe impacts, public interest is generated in its causes.
One of the dominant questions is: “Was this event caused by #ClimateChange?”
This WWA guide is intended to help journalists navigate this question👇
www.worldweatherattribution.org/reporting-ex...
One of the dominant questions is: “Was this event caused by #ClimateChange?”
This WWA guide is intended to help journalists navigate this question👇
www.worldweatherattribution.org/reporting-ex...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
If you are in Seattle, please go patronize this store because this is amazing content/promo 😂 (laughing to keep from crying, and I do kind of low-key want that orange spider plant I have never seen that before)
Source: www.instagram.com/reel/DTQrTqZ...
Source: www.instagram.com/reel/DTQrTqZ...
January 17, 2026 at 1:33 AM
If you are in Seattle, please go patronize this store because this is amazing content/promo 😂 (laughing to keep from crying, and I do kind of low-key want that orange spider plant I have never seen that before)
Source: www.instagram.com/reel/DTQrTqZ...
Source: www.instagram.com/reel/DTQrTqZ...
Fond memories of driving my son around in #Greenland
January 17, 2026 at 5:10 AM
Fond memories of driving my son around in #Greenland
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Fantastic, inspiring story: The Women Saving America’s Climate Data
"A couple weeks after Donald Trump was elected president for the second time, a group of federal data-watchers gathered in Denice Ross’ dining room."
"A couple weeks after Donald Trump was elected president for the second time, a group of federal data-watchers gathered in Denice Ross’ dining room."
The Women Saving America’s Climate Data
Meet the network saving federal environmental data. But, as Trump enters his second year, how long can this effort last?
time.com
January 16, 2026 at 3:36 PM
Fantastic, inspiring story: The Women Saving America’s Climate Data
"A couple weeks after Donald Trump was elected president for the second time, a group of federal data-watchers gathered in Denice Ross’ dining room."
"A couple weeks after Donald Trump was elected president for the second time, a group of federal data-watchers gathered in Denice Ross’ dining room."
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
New Zealand’s land and sea temperatures in 2025 were the highest in 151 years of records, prompting a new campaign from @climateclubnz.bsky.social to swap one car trip a week to walking, cycling or public transport.
newsroom.co.nz/2026/01/16/2...
newsroom.co.nz/2026/01/16/2...
2025 was New Zealand's hottest year on record
Following NZ's hottest-ever year, a new campaign is asking Kiwis to switch just one car trip a week to active or public transport.
newsroom.co.nz
January 15, 2026 at 10:20 PM
New Zealand’s land and sea temperatures in 2025 were the highest in 151 years of records, prompting a new campaign from @climateclubnz.bsky.social to swap one car trip a week to walking, cycling or public transport.
newsroom.co.nz/2026/01/16/2...
newsroom.co.nz/2026/01/16/2...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Makes sense: “Until now, the ocean was largely overlooked in the standard accounting of the social cost of carbon even though the degradation of coral reef ecosystems, economic losses from fisheries impacts and damage to coastal infrastructure are well documented and adversely impact millions.”
Damage to the ocean nearly doubles economic cost of climate change, new study finds
Scientists have factored damage to the ocean to the social cost of carbon for the first time -- finding it nearly doubles the economic impact from climate change.
abcnews.go.com
January 15, 2026 at 11:56 PM
Makes sense: “Until now, the ocean was largely overlooked in the standard accounting of the social cost of carbon even though the degradation of coral reef ecosystems, economic losses from fisheries impacts and damage to coastal infrastructure are well documented and adversely impact millions.”
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Ocean heat content increased by 23 billion trillion joules, which was around 39 times greater than global primary energy use this year. This is the largest rise in OHC since 2017; overall OHC has increased by over 500 zettajoules since the 1940s.
January 14, 2026 at 2:53 PM
Ocean heat content increased by 23 billion trillion joules, which was around 39 times greater than global primary energy use this year. This is the largest rise in OHC since 2017; overall OHC has increased by over 500 zettajoules since the 1940s.