Wim Thiery
LightNews LightNews
banner
wimthiery.bsky.social
Wim Thiery
@wimthiery.bsky.social
680 followers 340 following 94 posts

Climate scientist modelling extreme events in a changing climate, Associate Professor @vubrussel.bsky.social. Previously research fellow @kuleuvenuniversity.bsky.social and @ethz.ch. Website: https://sites.google.com/site/wimthiery/ .. more

Videos
Environmental science 62%
Geography 18%
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
wimthiery.bsky.social
Wim Thiery @wimthiery.bsky.social · May 12
Will you live an unprecedented life?

In our new paper in @nature.com and accompanying @savethechildren.org report, we detect who will face unprecedented lifetime exposure to climate extremes (🧵) 1/n
Report: resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/document/bor...
Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Born into the Climate Crisis 2. An unprecedented life: Protecting children’s rights in a changing climate | Save the Children’s Resource Centre
The climate crisis is not a distant threat; it is a pressing reality that children are facing today. Despite having contributed the least to the climate crisis, the inherent intergenerational injustic...
resourcecentre.savethechildren.net

Reposted by Peter Thorne, Wim Thiery

joerirogelj.bsky.social
Joeri Rogelj @joerirogelj.bsky.social · 3d
New text @cop30brazil.bsky.social provides a glimpse of where #COP30 might land.

Some reflections on references to science and evidence. /1

unfccc.int/sites/defaul...
unfccc.int

Reposted by Stefan Rahmstorf, Fabrice Ardhuin, Wim Thiery , and 2 more

swinda.bsky.social
Swinda Falkena @swinda.bsky.social · 4d
📢 New paper on the impacts of AMOC collapse on European hydroclimate. 🌊

We find an AMOC collapse would exacerbate drought conditions across Europe, linked to reduced precipitation. In combination with climate change droughts are expected to become more frequent and severe.

doi.org/10.5194/hess...
Changing European hydroclimate under a collapsed AMOC in the Community Earth System Model
Abstract. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is expected to weaken or even collapse under anthropogenic climate change. Given the importance of the AMOC in the present-day climate,...
doi.org

Reposted by Wim Thiery, Gerald Friedman, Bessma Momani , and 1 more

janrosenow.bsky.social
Jan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · 5d
First electric cars and buses, now trucks: in the past we were often told that electric trucks would not be feasible.

But the market is picking up speed and electric trucks have become a reality. Expectations are for significant market expansion in the coming years.

wimthiery.bsky.social
Wim Thiery @wimthiery.bsky.social · 6d
"Door de persoonlijke contacten tijdens de COP-diplomatie hebben we al veel gewonnen voor het klimaat" vrtnws.be/p.YbnN9ol0R
Zijn vliegreizen voor klimaattop te verantwoorden? "Diplomatie werkt en je moet fysiek aanwezig zijn" | VRT NWS: nieuws
De vooruitgang die door directe diplomatie op een VN-klimaattop kan worden gemaakt, weegt vele keren zwaarder door dan de uitstoot die de verplaatsingen naar zo'n COP veroorzaken. Dat blijkt uit een a...
vrtnws.be

Reposted by Wim Thiery, Clark Gray

pfriedling.bsky.social
Pierre Friedlingstein @pfriedling.bsky.social · 12d
Time is up for 1.5°C. The remaining carbon budget for 1.5°C is virtually exhausted: 170 GtCO2, equivalent to 4 years at the 2025 emissions levels.
Remaining carbon budget charts

Reposted by Wim Thiery, Richard Waite

pfriedling.bsky.social
Pierre Friedlingstein @pfriedling.bsky.social · 12d
Annual emissions from permanent deforestation declined over 2015–2024 but remain high at around 3.9 GtCO2. Removals through permanent af/reforestation are 2.2 GtCO2 per year over the same period.
Net is still a source...

Reposted by Wim Thiery, Christopher Wright, Brett Christophers

pfriedling.bsky.social
Pierre Friedlingstein @pfriedling.bsky.social · 12d
1) Fossil fuel
Still no peak. Emissions are projected to increase by 1.1% in 2025, reaching 38.1 GtCO2. An all time high.
Global fossil CO₂ emissions

Reposted by Glen P. Peters, Scott C. Doney, Olivier Honnay , and 3 more

pfriedling.bsky.social
Pierre Friedlingstein @pfriedling.bsky.social · 12d
Published today in Earth System Science Data: The Global Carbon Budget 2025
essd.copernicus.org/preprints/es...
Global Carbon Budget 2025
Abstract. Accurate assessment of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and their redistribution among the atmosphere, ocean, and terrestrial biosphere in a changing climate is critical to bette...
essd.copernicus.org

wimthiery.bsky.social
Wim Thiery @wimthiery.bsky.social · 12d
New study led by Louise Busschaert @kuleuvenuniversity.bsky.social showing that the area of profitable rainfed maize production in Europe may shift north and expand with global warming.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Future projections of European maize yields using AquaCrop with an adaptive growing season
Securing maize crop production is essential in our changing world. However, it remains unclear to what extent climate conditions and farmers’ practice…
www.sciencedirect.com

Reposted by Friederike Otto

wimthiery.bsky.social
Wim Thiery @wimthiery.bsky.social · 12d
Many congratulations to the amazing @frediotto.bsky.social for receiving the Hans Oeschger Medal! This career award from the @egu.eu Climate Division underlines the ground-breaking research Fredi did on many fronts, most notably on near-realtime extreme event attribution @wwattribution.bsky.social
frediotto.bsky.social Prof Friederike Otto @frediotto.bsky.social · 14d
I've got a medal! And not just any, but the Hans Oeschger Medal from the EGU, for outstanding contributions to research on climatic changes. www.egu.eu/news/1551/eg...

Reposted by Wim Thiery

frediotto.bsky.social
Prof Friederike Otto @frediotto.bsky.social · 14d
I've got a medal! And not just any, but the Hans Oeschger Medal from the EGU, for outstanding contributions to research on climatic changes. www.egu.eu/news/1551/eg...

wimthiery.bsky.social
Wim Thiery @wimthiery.bsky.social · 15d
10 jaar na de klimaatconferentie van Parijs gaat het deze week in Belém over hoe we dat klimaatakkoord van Parijs in stand kunnen houden: "We moeten daarvoor zes keer meer doen dan wat nu op tafel ligt."

www.vrt.be/vrtmax/luist...
VRT MAX
www.vrt.be

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Richard McElreath, Wim Thiery , and 7 more

janrosenow.bsky.social
Jan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · 15d
Solar’s price drop is astonishing: panels are now 98% cheaper than when I first analyzed them in 2004.

Today, building a fence with solar can be cheaper than using wood.

Reposted by Wim Thiery, Chris Smith

Inga Menke @imenke.bsky.social · 18d
⚖️ Are you working on topics that could be relevant for climate litigation?

➡️ Submit an abstract to our outreach session (which allows you to submit a second abstract)
#EGU26

meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/sessio...

Reposted by Wim Thiery

rahmstorf.bsky.social
Prof. Stefan Rahmstorf @rahmstorf.bsky.social · 19d
Guterres is right.
Even a temporary overshoot could unleash far greater destruction and costs for every nation. It could push ecosystems past catastrophic and irreversible tipping points.
Fossil fuel companies are deceiving the public and obstructing progress. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Missing 1.5C climate target is a moral failure, Guterres tells Cop30 summit
UN secretary general urges opening session in Brazil to bring about a ‘fundamental paradigm shift’
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Du Toit, Wim Thiery

frediotto.bsky.social
Prof Friederike Otto @frediotto.bsky.social · 19d
If we do not seriously move away from burning fossil fuels, hurricanes like Melissa will only become worse. Already today Melissa tested the limits of what preparedness and adaptation can do. These limits are very real for everyone in the Caribbean. www.worldweatherattribution.org/climate-chan...
The wettest 5-day period in each location between 19-29 October 2025, which is related to the passage of Melissa. The track of Hurricane Melissa at 12 hour intervals is shown as a series of pink points. Data from MSWX

wimthiery.bsky.social
Wim Thiery @wimthiery.bsky.social · 19d
@hydr-vub.bsky.social @vubrussel.bsky.social @usyseth.bsky.social @dustybowl.bsky.social @stevendehertogh.bsky.social @jonasjaegermeyr.bsky.social @yadupokhrel.bsky.social @soniaseneviratne.bsky.social

wimthiery.bsky.social
Wim Thiery @wimthiery.bsky.social · 19d
VUB press release about Yi Yao's three publications on irrigation-climate interactions: www.vub.be/en/news/when...
When Irrigation Backfires
Global farming practices are driving heat stress and water strain, VUB researchers warn
www.vub.be

wimthiery.bsky.social
Wim Thiery @wimthiery.bsky.social · 19d
This is the second study analyzing the outputs of the @wcrp-cmip.org endorsed #IRRMIP project. It's also the third paper led by the amazing Yi Yao (VUB PhD graduate), coming out this year. bsky.app/profile/wimt...

wimthiery.bsky.social
Wim Thiery @wimthiery.bsky.social · 19d
For example, irrigation expansion more then doubled the trend in water loss to the atmosphere (P-E) in South Asia after 1960. As a consequence, the local terrestrial water storage (TWS) depletes over time following irrigation expansion.

Reposted by Benjamin I. Cook

wimthiery.bsky.social
Wim Thiery @wimthiery.bsky.social · 19d
In our new study @natwater.nature.com led by Yi Yao @ethz.ch, we show that irrigation expansion in many regions substantially decreases the net water influx from the atmosphere to land, further aggravating the existing drying trends caused by climate change www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Irrigation-induced land water depletion aggravated by climate change - Nature Water
The rapid expansion of agricultural irrigation raises concerns about exacerbating water scarcity, but land–atmosphere interactions are often overlooked. This study isolates irrigation impacts from oth...
www.nature.com

Reposted by Wim Thiery

joerirogelj.bsky.social
Joeri Rogelj @joerirogelj.bsky.social · 19d
Two years ago, the @esabcc.bsky.social published its advice on the EU's 2040 emissions reduction target. We indicated a 90-95% reduction relative 1990 levels.

Today, EU climate ministers agreed on a 90% target, with an 66.25-72.5% reduction as part for its new NDC for 2035.
esabcc.bsky.social European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change @esabcc.bsky.social · 20d
Today, EU climate ministers agreed on a 90% net reduction in GHG emissions by 2040. The Council also updated the NDC with an indicative 66.25–72.5% reduction by 2035 The @esabcc.bsky.social contributed to this process by providing independent scientific advice on the 2040 climate target.

Reposted by Michael E. Mann, Peter Thorne, Michel den Elzen , and 2 more

joerirogelj.bsky.social
Joeri Rogelj @joerirogelj.bsky.social · 20d
Today is the official launch of this year's @unep.org #EmissionsGap report.

It's title says it all

OFF TARGET

that's true for progress, NDCs and implementation
unep.org UN Environment Programme @unep.org · 21d
New national climate plans have barely moved the needle on limiting global warming. Yet there is hope.

According to UNEP's latest #EmissionsGap Report, accelerated adoption of renewable energy and falling costs mean we have the tools to cut emissions now: www.unep.org/news-and-sto...
Illustration of a dart missing the bullseye on a colorful target, symbolizing global temperature goals at risk due to inaction.

Reposted by Michel den Elzen, Wim Thiery, Richard Waite

joerirogelj.bsky.social
Joeri Rogelj @joerirogelj.bsky.social · 21d
What is the current state of climate action? What do latest country pledges add up to?
And how much global warming are we in for? 🌍🌡️ 🔥
For the 16th year in a row, we publish the @unep.org #emissionsgap report.
As usual, I looked the assessment of the global gap and its global warming implications.
granthamicl.bsky.social Grantham Institute - Climate Change and the Environment @granthamicl.bsky.social · 21d
NEW: The latest climate pledges under the Paris Agreement have driven only a slight fall in predicted global temperature rise over the course of this century.

The UN Emissions Gap Report finds that implementing current policies would lead to up to 2.8°C of warming, down from 3.1°C. 🧵

wimthiery.bsky.social
Wim Thiery @wimthiery.bsky.social · 22d
"Parijs was speciaal omdat het de eerste keer was dat er een exact temperatuurdoel werd ingesteld. Het stellen van een doel was enorm belangrijk voor landen, ngo's, bedrijven enzovoort. Het geeft een richting aan." vrtnws.be/p.xZpjAKbyl
"Een armageddon is vermeden": wat leverde het klimaatakkoord van Parijs al op? | VRT NWS: nieuws
Dankzij het klimaatakkoord van Parijs stevent onze planeet niet meer af op 4 graden opwarming, maar op 2,6 graden extra. Concreet kunnen we daarmee gemiddeld 57 extreem warme dagen per jaar vermijden....
vrtnws.be

Reposted by Wim Thiery

rahmstorf.bsky.social
Prof. Stefan Rahmstorf @rahmstorf.bsky.social · 23d
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.

wimthiery.bsky.social
Wim Thiery @wimthiery.bsky.social · 25d
@seppelampe.bsky.social @soniaseneviratne.bsky.social @dustybowl.bsky.social @jonasjaegermeyr.bsky.social @jonathanrbuzan.bsky.social @laibaoliu.bsky.social @vubrussel.bsky.social @ethz.ch @natureportfolio.nature.com @ncar-cgd.bsky.social @ncar-ucar.bsky.social

wimthiery.bsky.social
Wim Thiery @wimthiery.bsky.social · 25d
Our results underscore the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, limiting irrigation expansion and improving irrigation efficiency to preserve water resources and decelerate escalating exposure to dry- and moist-heat stress.

wimthiery.bsky.social
Wim Thiery @wimthiery.bsky.social · 25d
In contract, moist-heat extreme event frequency increases substantially due to irrigation (by ≥1600 h yr−1 under SSP3-7.0 in tropics), and irrigation amplifies the hours of exposure (by ≥100 h yr−1 in South Asia), raising the risk of moist-heat-related illnesses & mortality for exposed communities

wimthiery.bsky.social
Wim Thiery @wimthiery.bsky.social · 25d
Irrigation is projected to reduce the occurrence of dry-heat stress under both scenarios, but cannot reverse the warming trend due to greenhouse gas emissions