John Vaillant
@johnvaillant.bsky.social
I write about collisions between human ambition and the natural world: The Golden Spruce, The Tiger, The Jaguar's Children,
FIRE WEATHER: @pulitzerprizes.bsky.social
10 Best Books: @nytimes.com
https://www.lyceumagency.com/speakers/john-vailla
FIRE WEATHER: @pulitzerprizes.bsky.social
10 Best Books: @nytimes.com
https://www.lyceumagency.com/speakers/john-vailla
Crazy idea:
People walk more in places that make it easier to walk.
Want to walk more without trying? Move here
Researchers found that walkable city design—not personal motivation—was the key factor behind people taking 1,100 more steps per day
www.scientificamerican.com
February 18, 2026 at 2:26 PM
Crazy idea:
Reposted by John Vaillant
PM Carney 🇨🇦 on Marco Rubio's Munich speech (French): "Mr. Rubio has spoken, and the American administration from time to time talks about, Christian nationalism ... It is not Canadian nationalism. Canadian nationalism is civic nationalism." #cdnpoli
February 18, 2026 at 8:44 AM
PM Carney 🇨🇦 on Marco Rubio's Munich speech (French): "Mr. Rubio has spoken, and the American administration from time to time talks about, Christian nationalism ... It is not Canadian nationalism. Canadian nationalism is civic nationalism." #cdnpoli
Reposted by John Vaillant
Catastrophic Valencia #floods in 2024 made more intense by human caused warming of #climage that increased moisture supply, invigorated the storm through latent heat release & altered cloud microphsyical processes based on high resolution physical-based attribution modelling: doi.org/10.1038/s414...
February 18, 2026 at 10:56 AM
Catastrophic Valencia #floods in 2024 made more intense by human caused warming of #climage that increased moisture supply, invigorated the storm through latent heat release & altered cloud microphsyical processes based on high resolution physical-based attribution modelling: doi.org/10.1038/s414...
Reposted by John Vaillant
This is what a society that believes in the rule of law would do.
Paris prosecutors open two new Epstein probes and call on victims to come forward
One investigation will focus on sex abuse crimes and the other on financial wrongdoing following the release of millions of files by the US Justice Department.
www.lemonde.fr
February 18, 2026 at 1:15 PM
This is what a society that believes in the rule of law would do.
Reposted by John Vaillant
Reposted by John Vaillant
ProPublica published children's letters and drawings documenting their sadness and suffering at Dilley. And Dilley staff are now retaliating by confiscating kids' letters and drawings.
www.sacurrent.com/news/san-ant...
www.sacurrent.com/news/san-ant...
February 18, 2026 at 1:14 PM
ProPublica published children's letters and drawings documenting their sadness and suffering at Dilley. And Dilley staff are now retaliating by confiscating kids' letters and drawings.
www.sacurrent.com/news/san-ant...
www.sacurrent.com/news/san-ant...
"Throughout the 2010s, plastics were pitched as an answer for the glut of natural gas in Appalachia. Today, the industry is showing signs that such predictions were overblown. Many fossil fuel companies are now selling off or restructuring their plastic and chemical assets altogether..."
Pennsylvania Spent Big on a ‘Petrochemical Renaissance.’ It Never Arrived.
Visions of a booming hub that would bring jobs and prosperity to Appalachia faded, but the plastic “nurdles” remain.
capitalandmain.com
February 18, 2026 at 1:45 PM
Reposted by John Vaillant
The world has never needed climate journalism more than it does right now. Yet last year climate got less coverage than at any point since the pandemic
www.colorado.edu/today/2026/0...
www.colorado.edu/today/2026/0...
Climate change media coverage fell 14% in 2025
Despite rising impacts, climate change received less attention in media around the world in 2025. CU Boulder sociologist Max Boykoff shares the reasons and
www.colorado.edu
February 18, 2026 at 1:32 PM
The world has never needed climate journalism more than it does right now. Yet last year climate got less coverage than at any point since the pandemic
www.colorado.edu/today/2026/0...
www.colorado.edu/today/2026/0...
Parable of the Climate Denier:
February 18, 2026 at 1:44 PM
Parable of the Climate Denier:
Reposted by John Vaillant
Jackson, who was an associate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., became one of the most influential civil rights activists in the country.
Civil Rights Icon Jesse Jackson Dies At 84
Jackson, who was an associate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., became one of the most influential civil rights activists in the country.
www.forbes.com
February 17, 2026 at 10:35 AM
Jackson, who was an associate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., became one of the most influential civil rights activists in the country.
Reposted by John Vaillant
30% of US citizens are pro-Christian Nationalism. Among the GOP it's over 50%
mostly concentrated in the South and Midwest, which is where the Klan was from, so that tracks
mostly concentrated in the South and Midwest, which is where the Klan was from, so that tracks
Mapping Christian Nationalism Across the 50 States: Insights from PRRI’s 2025 American Values Atlas
One year into the second Trump administration, a new national survey examines support for Christian nationalism across all 50 states and examines connections between support for Christian nationalism ...
prri.org
February 17, 2026 at 3:36 PM
30% of US citizens are pro-Christian Nationalism. Among the GOP it's over 50%
mostly concentrated in the South and Midwest, which is where the Klan was from, so that tracks
mostly concentrated in the South and Midwest, which is where the Klan was from, so that tracks
Reposted by John Vaillant
They don’t want you to know!
February 18, 2026 at 1:35 PM
They don’t want you to know!
Reposted by John Vaillant
Large electric powered container ships are already a reality.
When posting about this 2 years ago the so-called “experts” said it is impossible.
Can people stop listening to oil and gas “experts” soon?
When posting about this 2 years ago the so-called “experts” said it is impossible.
Can people stop listening to oil and gas “experts” soon?
China Starts Sea Trials for Largest Electric-Powered Containership
China’s first 10,000-ton electric containership is beginning sea trials. The shipyard is billing the ship as the largest of its kind and a further bre...
maritime-executive.com
February 12, 2026 at 4:31 PM
Large electric powered container ships are already a reality.
When posting about this 2 years ago the so-called “experts” said it is impossible.
Can people stop listening to oil and gas “experts” soon?
When posting about this 2 years ago the so-called “experts” said it is impossible.
Can people stop listening to oil and gas “experts” soon?
Reposted by John Vaillant
Reposted by John Vaillant
⚡️Poland is preparing reparations claims from Russia for decades of Soviet-era crimes and economic damage.
Poland Prepares Russia Reparations Claim for Soviet-Era Atrocities
Poland’s government orders a broad review of Soviet-era crimes and costs, preparing a potential reparations demand from Russia, a terrorist state.
united24media.com
February 17, 2026 at 8:56 PM
⚡️Poland is preparing reparations claims from Russia for decades of Soviet-era crimes and economic damage.
Reposted by John Vaillant
Human-induced climate change amplification on storm dynamics in Valencia’s 2024 catastrophic flash flood
It increased 6-hr rainfall rate by 21%, expanded the area with >180 mm of rain by 55%, and raised total rain volume in the Jucar River catchment by 19% (+pre-ind)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
It increased 6-hr rainfall rate by 21%, expanded the area with >180 mm of rain by 55%, and raised total rain volume in the Jucar River catchment by 19% (+pre-ind)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Human-induced climate change amplification on storm dynamics in Valencia’s 2024 catastrophic flash flood - Nature Communications
This study reveals how climate change altered storm dynamics during the 2024 Valencia floods. Warmer seas fueled stronger updrafts, increasing rainfall intensity by 20% and significantly amplifying fl...
www.nature.com
February 18, 2026 at 5:57 AM
Human-induced climate change amplification on storm dynamics in Valencia’s 2024 catastrophic flash flood
It increased 6-hr rainfall rate by 21%, expanded the area with >180 mm of rain by 55%, and raised total rain volume in the Jucar River catchment by 19% (+pre-ind)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
It increased 6-hr rainfall rate by 21%, expanded the area with >180 mm of rain by 55%, and raised total rain volume in the Jucar River catchment by 19% (+pre-ind)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by John Vaillant
I can’t help thinking there’s so much money changing hands wrt ICE detention that there aren’t even enough investigative reporters to track
www.michiganpublic.org/criminal-jus...
www.michiganpublic.org/criminal-jus...
Michigan ICE detention center owner reports $254 million profit, record new business in 2025
The company that owns Michigan’s North Lake Processing Center, the largest immigration detention facility in the Midwest, reported $254 million in profit last year, up nearly 700 percent from $32 mill...
www.michiganpublic.org
February 17, 2026 at 7:08 PM
I can’t help thinking there’s so much money changing hands wrt ICE detention that there aren’t even enough investigative reporters to track
www.michiganpublic.org/criminal-jus...
www.michiganpublic.org/criminal-jus...
Reposted by John Vaillant
Restored Peatlands Could Become Carbon Sinks Within Decades eos.org/articles/res...
Restored Peatlands Could Become Carbon Sinks Within Decades - Eos
That’s much faster than what most scientists thought.
eos.org
February 17, 2026 at 3:37 PM
Restored Peatlands Could Become Carbon Sinks Within Decades eos.org/articles/res...
Reposted by John Vaillant
NY Fed updates map of U.S. for losses from natural disaters, data covers 2024. www.newyorkfed.org/research/pol...
February 17, 2026 at 3:33 PM
NY Fed updates map of U.S. for losses from natural disaters, data covers 2024. www.newyorkfed.org/research/pol...
Reposted by John Vaillant
Romania has decoupled economic growth from pollution faster than anywhere else in EU. Its net greenhouse gas emissions intensity fell 88% between 1990 & 2023, so each euro’s worth of economic activity heats planet 10 times less. Emissions have plunged by 75%. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘The trend is irreversible’: has Romania shattered the link between economic growth and high emissions?
Emissions have plunged 75% since communist times in the birthplace of big oil – but for some the transition has been brutal
www.theguardian.com
February 17, 2026 at 8:53 AM
Romania has decoupled economic growth from pollution faster than anywhere else in EU. Its net greenhouse gas emissions intensity fell 88% between 1990 & 2023, so each euro’s worth of economic activity heats planet 10 times less. Emissions have plunged by 75%. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by John Vaillant
Here's BC's summary of the provincial Budget, entitled "Securing BC's Future," The word "climate" does not appear once.
news.gov.bc.ca/releases/202...
news.gov.bc.ca/releases/202...
Budget secures B.C.’s future, protects critical services
B.C. makes disciplined spending choices while growing the economy
news.gov.bc.ca
February 17, 2026 at 11:38 PM
Here's BC's summary of the provincial Budget, entitled "Securing BC's Future," The word "climate" does not appear once.
news.gov.bc.ca/releases/202...
news.gov.bc.ca/releases/202...
Wine production is declining:
In 2010, the world produced 5 bottles per person.
In 2020, the world produced 4 bottles per person.
winefolly.com/tips/how-man...
In 2010, the world produced 5 bottles per person.
In 2020, the world produced 4 bottles per person.
winefolly.com/tips/how-man...
How Many Glasses in a Bottle of Wine | Wine Folly
There are 4-5 glasses of wine in a bottle which comes from crushing 300 to 900 wine grapes. Find out more interesting facts about what's inside bottle of wine.
winefolly.com
February 17, 2026 at 11:42 PM
Wine production is declining:
In 2010, the world produced 5 bottles per person.
In 2020, the world produced 4 bottles per person.
winefolly.com/tips/how-man...
In 2010, the world produced 5 bottles per person.
In 2020, the world produced 4 bottles per person.
winefolly.com/tips/how-man...
Reposted by John Vaillant
Reposted by John Vaillant
Sundown tonight marks the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, a time of fasting, prayer, and reflection.
I wish everyone observing Ramadan a blessed and peaceful month. Ramadan Mubarak.
www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/stat...
I wish everyone observing Ramadan a blessed and peaceful month. Ramadan Mubarak.
www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/stat...
Statement by Prime Minister Carney on Ramadan
As this sacred period begins, far too many Muslims in Canada are continuing to face troubling acts of Islamophobia. Combatting hate is a top priority for this government, and Islamophobia has no place...
www.pm.gc.ca
February 17, 2026 at 11:22 PM
Sundown tonight marks the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, a time of fasting, prayer, and reflection.
I wish everyone observing Ramadan a blessed and peaceful month. Ramadan Mubarak.
www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/stat...
I wish everyone observing Ramadan a blessed and peaceful month. Ramadan Mubarak.
www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/stat...