Paul van Brakel
@paulvanbrakel.bsky.social
Retired enviro eng
1st cab off the rank will probably be AMOC
Net Zero = BAU Marketing Strategy
Embrace Biodiversity
No profile = no follow
Smile while you work
Aotearoa New Zealand
1st cab off the rank will probably be AMOC
Net Zero = BAU Marketing Strategy
Embrace Biodiversity
No profile = no follow
Smile while you work
Aotearoa New Zealand
Pinned
One species of New Zealand's endemic bees in Maramaratotara Bay.
One hovering and the other on a flax flower.
One hovering and the other on a flax flower.
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
When global temperatures shot up by ~6°C about 56 million years ago, plants were unable to thrive
The reduced ability of vegetation & soils to capture & store carbon may have kept temperatures elevated for >100,000 years
Today Earth is warming ~10 times faster than it did 56 million years ago
The reduced ability of vegetation & soils to capture & store carbon may have kept temperatures elevated for >100,000 years
Today Earth is warming ~10 times faster than it did 56 million years ago
56 million years ago, the Earth suddenly heated up – and many plants stopped working properly
It could be a sign of what’s to come.
theconversation.com
December 5, 2025 at 4:06 AM
When global temperatures shot up by ~6°C about 56 million years ago, plants were unable to thrive
The reduced ability of vegetation & soils to capture & store carbon may have kept temperatures elevated for >100,000 years
Today Earth is warming ~10 times faster than it did 56 million years ago
The reduced ability of vegetation & soils to capture & store carbon may have kept temperatures elevated for >100,000 years
Today Earth is warming ~10 times faster than it did 56 million years ago
Sharing is caring? Endemic bees and honeybees swarming over the pohutukawa out the back doorstep.
Cooks beach Aotearoa New Zealand
#biodiversity
Poor photo sorry
Cooks beach Aotearoa New Zealand
#biodiversity
Poor photo sorry
December 9, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Sharing is caring? Endemic bees and honeybees swarming over the pohutukawa out the back doorstep.
Cooks beach Aotearoa New Zealand
#biodiversity
Poor photo sorry
Cooks beach Aotearoa New Zealand
#biodiversity
Poor photo sorry
Next in the ring, Terrible vs terribly dumb.
Although we despise both it'll amuse until Luxon at the ready with the towel will throw it in early so as not to expose the cracks...
#nzpol
Ruth Richardson agrees to debate country's fiscal position with Nicola Willis www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...
Although we despise both it'll amuse until Luxon at the ready with the towel will throw it in early so as not to expose the cracks...
#nzpol
Ruth Richardson agrees to debate country's fiscal position with Nicola Willis www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...
Ruth Richardson agrees to debate country's fiscal position with Nicola Willis
The former finance minister has accepted the challenge from current Finance Minister Nicola Willis to debate her.
www.rnz.co.nz
December 9, 2025 at 6:30 AM
Next in the ring, Terrible vs terribly dumb.
Although we despise both it'll amuse until Luxon at the ready with the towel will throw it in early so as not to expose the cracks...
#nzpol
Ruth Richardson agrees to debate country's fiscal position with Nicola Willis www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...
Although we despise both it'll amuse until Luxon at the ready with the towel will throw it in early so as not to expose the cracks...
#nzpol
Ruth Richardson agrees to debate country's fiscal position with Nicola Willis www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
Sharks are ancient animals who have existed for more than 400 million years, long before the dinosaurs, but they soon may be gone forever
as humans kill more than 10,000 sharks every hour
We must act now before it is too late
meatyourfuture.com/2017/05/shar...
as humans kill more than 10,000 sharks every hour
We must act now before it is too late
meatyourfuture.com/2017/05/shar...
Sharks Survived 5 Mass Extinctions, But May Not Survive Humans
Sharks have existed for over 400 million years, long before dinosaurs, and are critical to ocean ecosystems. But we humans are driving them to extinction.
meatyourfuture.com
December 8, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Sharks are ancient animals who have existed for more than 400 million years, long before the dinosaurs, but they soon may be gone forever
as humans kill more than 10,000 sharks every hour
We must act now before it is too late
meatyourfuture.com/2017/05/shar...
as humans kill more than 10,000 sharks every hour
We must act now before it is too late
meatyourfuture.com/2017/05/shar...
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
"We do not think that these extinctions are “destroying the conditions that make human life possible” and will presumably not cause the “collapse of civilization”
Since 2015 we've added 800 million more humans who eat 10% more meat/person. There is more cat & dog biomass than wildlife on land ... 🤫
Since 2015 we've added 800 million more humans who eat 10% more meat/person. There is more cat & dog biomass than wildlife on land ... 🤫
December 5, 2025 at 1:46 PM
"We do not think that these extinctions are “destroying the conditions that make human life possible” and will presumably not cause the “collapse of civilization”
Since 2015 we've added 800 million more humans who eat 10% more meat/person. There is more cat & dog biomass than wildlife on land ... 🤫
Since 2015 we've added 800 million more humans who eat 10% more meat/person. There is more cat & dog biomass than wildlife on land ... 🤫
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
60,000 African penguins starve to death after sardine numbers collapse – study
60,000 African penguins starve to death after sardine numbers collapse – study
Climate crisis and overfishing contributed to loss of 95% of penguins in two breeding colonies in South Africa, research finds
More than 60,000 penguins in colonies off the coast of South Africa have starved to death as a result of disappearing sardines, a new paper has found.
More than 95% of the African penguins in two of the most important breeding colonies, on Dassen Island and Robben Island, died between 2004 and 2012. The breeding penguins probably starved to death during the moulting period, according to the paper, which said the climate crisis and overfishing were driving declines. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:10 AM
60,000 African penguins starve to death after sardine numbers collapse – study
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
Toxins in the soil is the symptom. Toxin production and usage is the cause.
We know that we can't hide our toxic trash and toxic lives forever, so we distract ourselves with uppers, downers, politics and the economy.
We know that we can't hide our toxic trash and toxic lives forever, so we distract ourselves with uppers, downers, politics and the economy.
December 3, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Toxins in the soil is the symptom. Toxin production and usage is the cause.
We know that we can't hide our toxic trash and toxic lives forever, so we distract ourselves with uppers, downers, politics and the economy.
We know that we can't hide our toxic trash and toxic lives forever, so we distract ourselves with uppers, downers, politics and the economy.
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
To mark Remembrance Day for Lost Species, which falls on 30 November each year, I am republishing something I wrote a few years ago.🧪🌏
thenaturebeat.substack.com/p/unhappy-en...
thenaturebeat.substack.com/p/unhappy-en...
Unhappy endlings
What tales of the last days of extinct and dying species can bring to our own story
thenaturebeat.substack.com
November 30, 2025 at 9:44 AM
To mark Remembrance Day for Lost Species, which falls on 30 November each year, I am republishing something I wrote a few years ago.🧪🌏
thenaturebeat.substack.com/p/unhappy-en...
thenaturebeat.substack.com/p/unhappy-en...
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
Some powerful summer storms can “overshoot” Earth’s troposphere, sending clouds up into the usually stable and pristine stratosphere. In the process, these clouds are bringing moisture and particles from wildfire smoke, too. 🧪🔥☁️
Some Summer Storms Spit Sooty Particles into the Stratosphere - Eos
Earth’s typically pristine stratosphere is filling with particles from wildfires and additional moisture due to strong convective storms.
eos.org
November 30, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Some powerful summer storms can “overshoot” Earth’s troposphere, sending clouds up into the usually stable and pristine stratosphere. In the process, these clouds are bringing moisture and particles from wildfire smoke, too. 🧪🔥☁️
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
Incredible timelapse showing the retreat of Franz Joseph Glacier (NZ) over only 7 years (2012-2019)! 🧊🔥
The ice flow velocity (up to 2 m/day!) combined with the incredible rate of retreat of the front (900 m over this period!) is simply mind-boggling! 🤪
📽️ Brian Anderson
vimeo.com/443262699?fl...
The ice flow velocity (up to 2 m/day!) combined with the incredible rate of retreat of the front (900 m over this period!) is simply mind-boggling! 🤪
📽️ Brian Anderson
vimeo.com/443262699?fl...
Franz Josef Glacier retreats 900 metres
A timelapse camera, installed in 2012, records the retreat of Franz Josef Glacier/Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere. Until 2019 the glacier retreated about 900 m. These…
vimeo.com
November 23, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Incredible timelapse showing the retreat of Franz Joseph Glacier (NZ) over only 7 years (2012-2019)! 🧊🔥
The ice flow velocity (up to 2 m/day!) combined with the incredible rate of retreat of the front (900 m over this period!) is simply mind-boggling! 🤪
📽️ Brian Anderson
vimeo.com/443262699?fl...
The ice flow velocity (up to 2 m/day!) combined with the incredible rate of retreat of the front (900 m over this period!) is simply mind-boggling! 🤪
📽️ Brian Anderson
vimeo.com/443262699?fl...
First born in the wild in 30 years. . Nature is precious
#biodiversity
#biodiversity
A spot of hope for these snail at the brink is my news to me good news for Nov 23 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries wildlife.org/watch-once-e...
Watch: Once extinct, reintroduced snails glow with hope - The Wildlife Society
Conservationists conduct the largest release ever of recovering extinct-in-the-wild snails
wildlife.org
November 23, 2025 at 5:31 PM
First born in the wild in 30 years. . Nature is precious
#biodiversity
#biodiversity
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
NINE DAYS LEFT ….
That’s all the water Tehran has after years of droughts and maladministration.
Things are so bad that unless there is a sudden massive downpour of rain like nothing anyone has ever seen, parts of Tehran if not all of the city, will eventually have to be evacuated southward. The
That’s all the water Tehran has after years of droughts and maladministration.
Things are so bad that unless there is a sudden massive downpour of rain like nothing anyone has ever seen, parts of Tehran if not all of the city, will eventually have to be evacuated southward. The
November 13, 2025 at 12:46 PM
NINE DAYS LEFT ….
That’s all the water Tehran has after years of droughts and maladministration.
Things are so bad that unless there is a sudden massive downpour of rain like nothing anyone has ever seen, parts of Tehran if not all of the city, will eventually have to be evacuated southward. The
That’s all the water Tehran has after years of droughts and maladministration.
Things are so bad that unless there is a sudden massive downpour of rain like nothing anyone has ever seen, parts of Tehran if not all of the city, will eventually have to be evacuated southward. The
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
A Dutch company dredged through a highly sensitive coral area for TotalEnergies’ liquefied natural gas project in Mozambique.
Environmental groups warn that the environmental impact assessments for TotalEnergies’ project and three others in the same waters are inadequate.
Environmental groups warn that the environmental impact assessments for TotalEnergies’ project and three others in the same waters are inadequate.
Construction of TotalEnergies pipeline cuts through coral reefs in Mozambique
Over the past year, a dredger operated by Dutch company Van Oord cut through a coral reef off the coast of northern Mozambique, part of the construction of French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies’…
news.mongabay.com
November 19, 2025 at 5:14 PM
A Dutch company dredged through a highly sensitive coral area for TotalEnergies’ liquefied natural gas project in Mozambique.
Environmental groups warn that the environmental impact assessments for TotalEnergies’ project and three others in the same waters are inadequate.
Environmental groups warn that the environmental impact assessments for TotalEnergies’ project and three others in the same waters are inadequate.
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
Social media data can be valuable for identifying ecological patterns. Cats are a major predator of wild animals worldwide, including invertebrates, and this study documents new observations of cat-arthropod interactions #RESInsectConsDiv resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Social media highlights the overlooked impact of cats on arthropods
The impact of domestic cats on vertebrate biodiversity is unequivocal; however, we still know little about their effects on arthropods. By analysing over 17,000 photos and videos from social media p...
resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 19, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Social media data can be valuable for identifying ecological patterns. Cats are a major predator of wild animals worldwide, including invertebrates, and this study documents new observations of cat-arthropod interactions #RESInsectConsDiv resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
Oh my.
James Talarico is incredibly skilled in dismantling Christian Nationalists.
Get this man in the Senate.
James Talarico is incredibly skilled in dismantling Christian Nationalists.
Get this man in the Senate.
November 19, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Oh my.
James Talarico is incredibly skilled in dismantling Christian Nationalists.
Get this man in the Senate.
James Talarico is incredibly skilled in dismantling Christian Nationalists.
Get this man in the Senate.
Does this remind you of anyone in office here in Aotearoa New Zealand ?
#nzpol
#nzpol
"at least seven Republican lawmakers had rooftop panels. Three of them acknowledged using the federal tax credit to help pay for the arrays....Another had leased a solar system that was indirectly subsidized via a separate tax credit for installers...."
www.eenews.net/articles/mee...
www.eenews.net/articles/mee...
Meet the Republicans who killed solar subsidies — after using them
POLITICO’s E&E News examined satellite imagery of more than 100 homes owned by Republican lawmakers to see if they have solar panels. Seven had rooftop
www.eenews.net
November 12, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Does this remind you of anyone in office here in Aotearoa New Zealand ?
#nzpol
#nzpol
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
"The lake's waters reached 41ºC, or 105.8ºF — hotter than most spa baths."
"You couldn't put your finger in the water."
Just terrible. There's no other way to describe this.
News: www.cbsnews.com/news/dolphin...
Peer reviewed: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
🌎 🧪
"You couldn't put your finger in the water."
Just terrible. There's no other way to describe this.
News: www.cbsnews.com/news/dolphin...
Peer reviewed: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
🌎 🧪
Hundreds of dolphins found dead in Amazon lake were in water hotter than a jacuzzi, study finds
"You couldn't put your finger in the water," said the lead author of the study, which spotlights the impacts of planetary warming on aquatic ecosystems.
www.cbsnews.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:25 PM
"The lake's waters reached 41ºC, or 105.8ºF — hotter than most spa baths."
"You couldn't put your finger in the water."
Just terrible. There's no other way to describe this.
News: www.cbsnews.com/news/dolphin...
Peer reviewed: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
🌎 🧪
"You couldn't put your finger in the water."
Just terrible. There's no other way to describe this.
News: www.cbsnews.com/news/dolphin...
Peer reviewed: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
🌎 🧪
...between 2001 and 2024, the state lost more than 540 square miles of its tree cover, about the size of the city of Los Angeles...
#biodiversity
#biodiversity
Recommended read 👀
LOGGING OFF: A Veza News longread looked at logging activities threatening “Nigeria’s last rainforest”.
LOGGING OFF: A Veza News longread looked at logging activities threatening “Nigeria’s last rainforest”.
“Forest Is Life” — But Nigeria’s Last Rainforest Is Falling Fast — VEZA
Southern Nigerian communities depend on the rainforest. So do endangered gorillas. But illegal logging, mining and disinformation leave them vulnerable.
veza.news
November 5, 2025 at 5:40 PM
...between 2001 and 2024, the state lost more than 540 square miles of its tree cover, about the size of the city of Los Angeles...
#biodiversity
#biodiversity
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
Extended hurricane category scale, following Wehner&Kossin, Proceedings of the National Academy 2024: www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...
If that scale didn't stop at Category 5 for historic reasons, we would have had several Category 6 tropical cyclones since year 2000.
If that scale didn't stop at Category 5 for historic reasons, we would have had several Category 6 tropical cyclones since year 2000.
November 2, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Extended hurricane category scale, following Wehner&Kossin, Proceedings of the National Academy 2024: www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...
If that scale didn't stop at Category 5 for historic reasons, we would have had several Category 6 tropical cyclones since year 2000.
If that scale didn't stop at Category 5 for historic reasons, we would have had several Category 6 tropical cyclones since year 2000.
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
These two Indian-Americans surpassed Mark Zuckerberg as the world's youngest self-made billionaire: They are college dropouts
->Times of India | More from Lil Dr Glen EcoChat at BigEarthData.ai
->Times of India | More from Lil Dr Glen EcoChat at BigEarthData.ai
These two Indian-Americans surpassed Mark Zuckerberg as the world's youngest self-made billionaire: They are college dropouts
Who are the two Indian-American college dropouts behind Mercor’s $10B AI success. (Photo: LinkedIn @suryamidha From debate team captains to business founders Academic achievements and early career choices The Thiel Fellowship and Mercor’s rapid evolution Funding, growth and global reach...
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
November 2, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
A 1 month GIF of NOAA SSTs
Admire how the Atlantic is 💤💤💤💤💤
Pacific slightly cooling
SO BORING
#ClimateCrisis
Admire how the Atlantic is 💤💤💤💤💤
Pacific slightly cooling
SO BORING
#ClimateCrisis
November 2, 2025 at 5:17 PM
A 1 month GIF of NOAA SSTs
Admire how the Atlantic is 💤💤💤💤💤
Pacific slightly cooling
SO BORING
#ClimateCrisis
Admire how the Atlantic is 💤💤💤💤💤
Pacific slightly cooling
SO BORING
#ClimateCrisis
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
Reposted by Paul van Brakel
Vivian Maier
NYC, 1953
NYC, 1953
October 31, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Vivian Maier
NYC, 1953
NYC, 1953
A Mast is coming Aotearoa New Zealand and it's bad news for bird life. We need to redouble our efforts in pest control.
#biodiversity
Native birds facing extinction from pests after beech seed drop www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
#biodiversity
Native birds facing extinction from pests after beech seed drop www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Native birds facing extinction from pests after beech seed drop
Rats and stoats will explode in numbers, eat all the seeds and look to supplement their diet with birds.
www.rnz.co.nz
October 26, 2025 at 6:49 PM
A Mast is coming Aotearoa New Zealand and it's bad news for bird life. We need to redouble our efforts in pest control.
#biodiversity
Native birds facing extinction from pests after beech seed drop www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
#biodiversity
Native birds facing extinction from pests after beech seed drop www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...