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
Reposted by John Vaillant
@iolahughes.bsky.social:
"Since 2020, gigafactory capacity has increased six-fold and is set to more than double again by 2030.
To celebrate #InternationalBatteryDay, @benchmarkminerals.bsky.social data chart top 5 battery producers by capacity between 2020 & 2030 to see how the market has evolved"
"Since 2020, gigafactory capacity has increased six-fold and is set to more than double again by 2030.
To celebrate #InternationalBatteryDay, @benchmarkminerals.bsky.social data chart top 5 battery producers by capacity between 2020 & 2030 to see how the market has evolved"
February 18, 2026 at 4:42 PM
@iolahughes.bsky.social:
"Since 2020, gigafactory capacity has increased six-fold and is set to more than double again by 2030.
To celebrate #InternationalBatteryDay, @benchmarkminerals.bsky.social data chart top 5 battery producers by capacity between 2020 & 2030 to see how the market has evolved"
"Since 2020, gigafactory capacity has increased six-fold and is set to more than double again by 2030.
To celebrate #InternationalBatteryDay, @benchmarkminerals.bsky.social data chart top 5 battery producers by capacity between 2020 & 2030 to see how the market has evolved"
"Effectiveness of firebreaks: a review"
via @mikeflannigan.bsky.social, et al. #wildfires
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
via @mikeflannigan.bsky.social, et al. #wildfires
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Effectiveness of firebreaks: a review - Fire Ecology
Background Firebreaks—areas where fuels are removed—are widely implemented to reduce wildfire spread and support suppression efforts. Despite their global use, concerns remain about their effectivenes...
link.springer.com
February 18, 2026 at 4:44 PM
"Effectiveness of firebreaks: a review"
via @mikeflannigan.bsky.social, et al. #wildfires
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
via @mikeflannigan.bsky.social, et al. #wildfires
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by John Vaillant
E.P.A. Faces First Lawsuit Over Its Killing of Major Climate Rule www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/c...
E.P.A. Faces First Lawsuit Over Its Killing of Major Climate Rule
www.nytimes.com
February 18, 2026 at 2:16 PM
E.P.A. Faces First Lawsuit Over Its Killing of Major Climate Rule www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/c...
Reposted by John Vaillant
If you care about the Big Bend, this is a good time to start paying attention to the border wall plans. CBP told me there will be "new infrastructure or upgrades" as part of the smart wall within both the national park and the state park. insideclimatenews.org/news/1702202...
Border Wall Closes in on Big Bend - Inside Climate News
Residents and elected officials are speaking out against a proposed border barrier through Texas’ biggest state park and one of the jewels of the national park system.
insideclimatenews.org
February 18, 2026 at 3:54 PM
If you care about the Big Bend, this is a good time to start paying attention to the border wall plans. CBP told me there will be "new infrastructure or upgrades" as part of the smart wall within both the national park and the state park. insideclimatenews.org/news/1702202...
Reposted by John Vaillant
🏜️Today, the longest piece I've ever written is publishing, on how public lands along the southern border are being damaged or otherwise pulled from public hands and militarized with little pushback. Length doesn't determine quality, of course, but I am proud of it.
To celebrate, a small 🧵
To celebrate, a small 🧵
Trump admin is blowing up national park sites in the name of border security
The administration is also transferring public land to the Defense Department.
www.sfgate.com
February 18, 2026 at 2:58 PM
🏜️Today, the longest piece I've ever written is publishing, on how public lands along the southern border are being damaged or otherwise pulled from public hands and militarized with little pushback. Length doesn't determine quality, of course, but I am proud of it.
To celebrate, a small 🧵
To celebrate, a small 🧵
Reposted by John Vaillant
Two years ago, Ethiopia did something no other rich country has yet. It banned the import of new fossil fuel cars. In that time, the country went from less than 1% of its vehicles being electric to more than 6% — higher than the global average. Read our feature:
🎁🔗 www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
🎁🔗 www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Electric Vehicle Sales Boom as Ethiopia Bans Fossil-Fuel Car Imports
The East African country is making use of cheap hydropower and Chinese electric vehicles to ditch the internal combustion engine.
www.bloomberg.com
February 18, 2026 at 6:04 AM
Two years ago, Ethiopia did something no other rich country has yet. It banned the import of new fossil fuel cars. In that time, the country went from less than 1% of its vehicles being electric to more than 6% — higher than the global average. Read our feature:
🎁🔗 www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
🎁🔗 www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Reposted by John Vaillant
We're horseposting post your horses.
February 18, 2026 at 3:17 PM
We're horseposting post your horses.
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...