Simon Donner
@simondonner.bsky.social
Climate scientist, prof at UBC, writer, speaker, aquatic mammal, dragger of sand into the house.
Pinned
Simon Donner
@simondonner.bsky.social
· Dec 16
Why our imaginations are the key to solving climate change | Dr. Simon Donner | TEDxSurrey
YouTube video by TEDx Talks
youtu.be
If you're looking for some positivity... my TED talk was about the overcoming doubts and embracing solutions to climate change. The final piece of advice comes from a friend in Kiribati.
youtu.be/CZ_MPbjA78I?...
youtu.be/CZ_MPbjA78I?...
Reposted by Simon Donner
Climate change blames individuals when it is big corporations at fault, say teens. @simondonner.bsky.social was one of the experts at the event. www.cbc.ca/kidsnews/pos... via @cbcnews.ca @ubcgeography.bsky.social @ires.ubc.ca
WATCH — We asked 100 kids how hopeful they are about their futures
In a townhall meets game show, CBC Kids News asks 100 kids in Vancouver, British Columbia, about their futures. Are they hopeful?
www.cbc.ca
February 4, 2026 at 4:26 PM
Climate change blames individuals when it is big corporations at fault, say teens. @simondonner.bsky.social was one of the experts at the event. www.cbc.ca/kidsnews/pos... via @cbcnews.ca @ubcgeography.bsky.social @ires.ubc.ca
So glad to see the growing resistance to the unlawful and despicable behaviour of ICE... though melt the ice is a tough rallying cry if you are climate scientist. www.cbc.ca/news/world/r...
Red hats sweeping the U.S. as resistance knitters embrace 'melt the ICE' pattern | CBC News
If the marching resistance to U.S. President Donald Trump's first term had a colour, it was probably pussy-hat pink. But knitted protest headwear has a new look in 2026, thanks to the popularity of a ...
www.cbc.ca
February 3, 2026 at 11:41 PM
So glad to see the growing resistance to the unlawful and despicable behaviour of ICE... though melt the ice is a tough rallying cry if you are climate scientist. www.cbc.ca/news/world/r...
Years ago, when a severe storm closed the road to the family cottage, I drove down a distant dirt road I'd never been on, ditched the car, and navigating several miles through a forest and wetland back to the cottage, without a phone, GPS or map. Yet I can't seem to cancel an online subscription.
February 2, 2026 at 8:25 PM
Years ago, when a severe storm closed the road to the family cottage, I drove down a distant dirt road I'd never been on, ditched the car, and navigating several miles through a forest and wetland back to the cottage, without a phone, GPS or map. Yet I can't seem to cancel an online subscription.
If you're interested in the implications of the Canada-China deal that cuts tariffs on some Chinese EVs, I recommend this episode of Shift Key heatmap.news/podcast/shif...
What the China-Canada EV Trade Deal Really Means
Rob talks with McMaster University engineering professor Greig Mordue, then checks in with Heatmap contributor Andrew Moseman on the EVs to watch out for.
heatmap.news
January 28, 2026 at 10:26 PM
If you're interested in the implications of the Canada-China deal that cuts tariffs on some Chinese EVs, I recommend this episode of Shift Key heatmap.news/podcast/shif...
Record investment in clean energy last year. Electrified transport, renewable electricity generation and electricity grids accounted for 90% of investment, with transport up 20% despite all the talk in North America of things slowing down.
From: about.bnef.com/insights/fin...
From: about.bnef.com/insights/fin...
January 27, 2026 at 2:56 PM
Record investment in clean energy last year. Electrified transport, renewable electricity generation and electricity grids accounted for 90% of investment, with transport up 20% despite all the talk in North America of things slowing down.
From: about.bnef.com/insights/fin...
From: about.bnef.com/insights/fin...
Happy International Day of Clean Energy to all who are observant. www.un.org/en/observanc...
International Day of Clean Energy | United Nations
International Day of Clean Energy is a platform to drive the adoption of policies and practices to promote awareness on the sustainable use of energy resources and to strengthen collaboration and coop...
www.un.org
January 27, 2026 at 2:45 PM
Happy International Day of Clean Energy to all who are observant. www.un.org/en/observanc...
Yet more reason to trust projections that global oil demand will soon level off and decline
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
India Is Electrifying Faster Than China Using Cheap Green Tech
Developing countries are taking advantage of falling prices for solar, wind and batteries.
www.bloomberg.com
January 25, 2026 at 1:09 AM
Yet more reason to trust projections that global oil demand will soon level off and decline
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Simon Donner
Not all waves are created equal. Analysis of #Kiribati’s Tarawa lagoon shorelines show future flooding risk will not be uniform across the atoll based on wave direction line up. oceans.ubc.ca/2026/01/21/n... @simondonner.bsky.social #JuliaMayer @ubcgeography.bsky.social @ires.ubc.ca
January 21, 2026 at 6:22 PM
Not all waves are created equal. Analysis of #Kiribati’s Tarawa lagoon shorelines show future flooding risk will not be uniform across the atoll based on wave direction line up. oceans.ubc.ca/2026/01/21/n... @simondonner.bsky.social #JuliaMayer @ubcgeography.bsky.social @ires.ubc.ca
My calculation is based on sales from 3rd quarter of 2025, which is after the big decline (from letting the rebates expire). So, yes, sales would still be below previous levels of nothing else changes.
January 17, 2026 at 3:13 AM
My calculation is based on sales from 3rd quarter of 2025, which is after the big decline (from letting the rebates expire). So, yes, sales would still be below previous levels of nothing else changes.
It's a pretty small dent in sales, not a EV strategy on its own... my math involved some very generous assumptions (Chinese EVs replace gas vehicle sales, the 49,000 is per year, etc).
January 16, 2026 at 9:12 PM
It's a pretty small dent in sales, not a EV strategy on its own... my math involved some very generous assumptions (Chinese EVs replace gas vehicle sales, the 49,000 is per year, etc).
How would the new deal to cut tariffs on up to 49,000 Chinese EVs affect uptake? By my math, in the maximum case, battery EVs would move from 5.5% of sales to 8.1% of sales. This is potentially a *small* start of a much-needed overhaul of EV strategy in Canada. What comes next matters the most.
January 16, 2026 at 8:06 PM
How would the new deal to cut tariffs on up to 49,000 Chinese EVs affect uptake? By my math, in the maximum case, battery EVs would move from 5.5% of sales to 8.1% of sales. This is potentially a *small* start of a much-needed overhaul of EV strategy in Canada. What comes next matters the most.
Sure, but breaking records every year creates a trend...
January 15, 2026 at 12:22 AM
Sure, but breaking records every year creates a trend...
I say "steady" because there is less year-to-year natural variability in total ocean heat content than in air temperatures. The figure is from a new paper in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Client Challenge
link.springer.com
January 14, 2026 at 5:45 PM
I say "steady" because there is less year-to-year natural variability in total ocean heat content than in air temperatures. The figure is from a new paper in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Because the ocean absorbs >90% of the heat trapped in the climate system due to human enhancement of the greenhouse effect, the best and most steady measure of global warming is the change in ocean heat content.
It continues to break records every year:
It continues to break records every year:
January 14, 2026 at 5:45 PM
Because the ocean absorbs >90% of the heat trapped in the climate system due to human enhancement of the greenhouse effect, the best and most steady measure of global warming is the change in ocean heat content.
It continues to break records every year:
It continues to break records every year:
This is from the HadCRUT5 (UK dataset). Other datasets have similar orders. Before 1850, global average temperature is estimated via proxies, rather than direct measurements, and annual values have greater uncertainty.
January 14, 2026 at 5:06 PM
This is from the HadCRUT5 (UK dataset). Other datasets have similar orders. Before 1850, global average temperature is estimated via proxies, rather than direct measurements, and annual values have greater uncertainty.
Warmest years, in order, since records began in 1800s. Seeing a pattern here...
2024
2023
2025
2016
2020
2019
2017
2015
2022
2021
2018
2010
2014
2013
2005
2009
2007
1998
2012
2006
2002
2003
2011
2001
2024
2023
2025
2016
2020
2019
2017
2015
2022
2021
2018
2010
2014
2013
2005
2009
2007
1998
2012
2006
2002
2003
2011
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January 14, 2026 at 5:06 PM
Warmest years, in order, since records began in 1800s. Seeing a pattern here...
2024
2023
2025
2016
2020
2019
2017
2015
2022
2021
2018
2010
2014
2013
2005
2009
2007
1998
2012
2006
2002
2003
2011
2001
2024
2023
2025
2016
2020
2019
2017
2015
2022
2021
2018
2010
2014
2013
2005
2009
2007
1998
2012
2006
2002
2003
2011
2001
I recommend reading the article. The issue isn't that the world won't need oil, but that the market for Canadian heavy oil is predicted to decline sharply.
January 13, 2026 at 7:46 PM
I recommend reading the article. The issue isn't that the world won't need oil, but that the market for Canadian heavy oil is predicted to decline sharply.
This article speaks some honest and blunt about the future of heavy oil in an electrifying world. Canadians are not being told this nearly enough. calgaryherald.com/opinion/colu...
Opinion: Alberta’s oil economy has 10 years before electric takes over. It’s time to invest in the future.
Alberta’s oil economy has 10 years before electric takes over. It’s time to invest in the future.
calgaryherald.com
January 13, 2026 at 7:11 PM
This article speaks some honest and blunt about the future of heavy oil in an electrifying world. Canadians are not being told this nearly enough. calgaryherald.com/opinion/colu...
"The future economy is electric" - incisive article on why Canada needs to quickly pivot its focus from industries of the past to the industries of tomorrow vancouversun.com/opinion/op-e...
Opinion: A 'Build Canada' plan for the 21st (not 20th) century
Opinion: As a clean energy powerhouse thanks to renewable energy and critical minerals, we could create hundreds of thousands of jobs
vancouversun.com
January 12, 2026 at 11:25 PM
"The future economy is electric" - incisive article on why Canada needs to quickly pivot its focus from industries of the past to the industries of tomorrow vancouversun.com/opinion/op-e...
Been wondering about this since Trump returned to office. Too many years of seeing bad map projections or the board game Risk, in which Greenland is needed to defend the Americas.
January 11, 2026 at 4:54 PM
Been wondering about this since Trump returned to office. Too many years of seeing bad map projections or the board game Risk, in which Greenland is needed to defend the Americas.
Reposted by Simon Donner
The Trump Administration's announced withdraw from the IPCC is disappointing, but not surprising. US scientists will continue to play key roles in the @ipcc.bsky.social. A statement from the US Academic Alliance for the IPCC:
January 8, 2026 at 8:08 PM
The Trump Administration's announced withdraw from the IPCC is disappointing, but not surprising. US scientists will continue to play key roles in the @ipcc.bsky.social. A statement from the US Academic Alliance for the IPCC:
If the US "withdraws" from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, as stated in the new executive order, what happens to appointed US authors working on the next set of reports? Anyone know?
January 8, 2026 at 1:51 AM
If the US "withdraws" from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, as stated in the new executive order, what happens to appointed US authors working on the next set of reports? Anyone know?
A truly gonzo Executive Order from the Trump Administration removes US from not just the UN Framework Convention on Climate change, but also the IPCC (!), the IUCN, the IPBES (the IPCC of biodiversity), and all sorts of other organizations. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
Withdrawing the United States from International Organizations, Conventions, and Treaties that Are Contrary to the Interests of the United States
MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United
www.whitehouse.gov
January 8, 2026 at 1:49 AM
A truly gonzo Executive Order from the Trump Administration removes US from not just the UN Framework Convention on Climate change, but also the IPCC (!), the IUCN, the IPBES (the IPCC of biodiversity), and all sorts of other organizations. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...