Dr. Sarah Fortner
@erthsarah.bsky.social
5.2K followers 2.4K following 760 posts
Climate, sustainability, environmental justice through education, research, action, & advocacy.
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Reposted by Dr. Sarah Fortner
carlzimmer.com
Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
nyti.ms
erthsarah.bsky.social
Increased costs to add connection now will come from rate payers.

Currently, thousands of solar arrays, wind farms, battery storage systems & gas-fired power plants are waiting to connect to the nation’s electrical grids, according to various reports...

www.startribune.com/energy-indus...
Energy grants canceled by Trump administration could push up power bills
President Trump’s Energy Department said the two multimillion-dollar grants would lead to more expensive, less reliable energy. But advocates see it leading to higher rates for customers.
www.startribune.com
erthsarah.bsky.social
An inequality engine amplifies with fossil love.

“Fossil fuel donors poured $96m into Trump’s 2025 presidential campaign and affiliated action committees, and contributed $11.8m to Trump’s second inauguration.”

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
More than 40 Trump administration picks tied directly to oil, gas and coal, analysis shows
Report looks at White House nominees and appointees and agencies dictating energy, environment and climate policy
www.theguardian.com
erthsarah.bsky.social
Very cool @carleton.edu geology team & others on your @geosociety.bsky.social story that will help people with designing effective district geothermal systems. www.geosociety.org/GSA/GSA/GSAT...
erthsarah.bsky.social
Our understanding of vulnerability & increased risks are really only just starting to build…
erthsarah.bsky.social
Have been thinking about the increased climate risks we face in places where people live & work, & schools. One thing this reminded me of was trying to pull data on schools in Ohio that had air conditioning…it was only possible by reaching out by district.

www.brookings.edu/articles/sch...
Schools' vulnerability to climate hazards according to FEMA's Risk Index | Brookings
See your school's exposure to climate hazards induced by climate change, including heat waves, flooding, and hurricanes.
www.brookings.edu
erthsarah.bsky.social
I definitely feel like the numbers part is disconnected from the reflection on how to adapt to specific context & implement. In campus sustainability there is a really long way of tallying food receipts & thinking about too many categories, when really one metric is powerful & respectful of time.
erthsarah.bsky.social
From a higher ed implementation perspective I see three opportunities. 1) tracking red meat purchasing & trying to reduce it, 2) creating education & educator community around high emissions reduction behaviors, 3) ensuring we invite culture & connection with how to implement & not shame.
erthsarah.bsky.social
A reality check for me was working with students on an internal carbon accounting platform that Bon App our food provider uses. Beef was less than 5% of our purchases but around 50% of our food emissions even with international work to be plant forward.

apnews.com/article/plan...
A recipe for avoiding 15 million deaths a year and climate disaster is fixing food, scientists say
Scientists are presenting new evidence that the worst effects of climate change can’t be avoided without a major transformation of food systems.
apnews.com
erthsarah.bsky.social
There is no investment in future.

“There’s a focus on dismantling rather than building. It’s hard to see. We’re not present for a major global issue and are ceding that ground to our competitors, which is not good for the United States.”

www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Trump’s hatred for renewables means the US is falling behind the rest of the world
As well as embracing ‘beautiful coal’, the president has set about obliterating clean energy projects
www.theguardian.com
erthsarah.bsky.social
Indeed, its almost like we have records of past temperatures or even crazier forecasts that help us determine what’s next under different choices….
erthsarah.bsky.social
In my childhood we’d hit temperatures above 90 once or twice every other yr in September. Now it’s much more common. It’s 90 today in the Twin Cities & even out of the heat island in Northfield…in October.

Deleting data, & federal support doesn’t lessen change.

bringmethenews.com/minnesota-we...
Temperatures hit 90F in Twin Cities, an increasingly common landmark in September
The mercury hit 90 at 12:39 p.m. Tuesday.
bringmethenews.com
Reposted by Dr. Sarah Fortner
aclu.org
ACLU @aclu.org · 7d
Journalists should never have to fear government retaliation for reporting on government activity, and showing up to work shouldn't result in your family being torn apart.
erthsarah.bsky.social
Well said, Carrie Jennings, Freshwater Policy Director reflecting on the policy landscape for data centers.

“what we currently lack is a very clear path for stakeholders to figure out who to talk to” when it comes to standing up for their communities.”

www.womenspress.com/data-center-...
DATA CENTER SERIES: The Impact on Minnesota Waters
Residents worry that the data center will overshadow their own water needs, especially in the summer months. Tract developers convinced city officials to let data centers use municipal water supplies ...
www.womenspress.com
erthsarah.bsky.social
Best part of the UMACS meeting, hearing from students about what they valued, for many it was a first professional meeting & their values truly reflect their individual identities in sustainability & climate work.
erthsarah.bsky.social
At the UMACS meeting I was so thrilled to hear of many campus-community joint climate resilience efforts in Northfield, Collegeville, Morris, Bemidji, LaCrosse, Stephens Point. Colleges are deeply joined with climate planning & implementation in these communities.