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Simon Lewis

@simonlewis.bsky.social

2.4K followers 550 following 100 posts

They say I’m outspoken. Professor of Global Change Science at UCL and University of Leeds. Author, The Human Planet. Trying to understand the world and change it too.

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Simon Lewis may refer to:Simon Lewis (writer), British novelist and screenwriter Simon Lewis , a character in The Mortal Instruments series of novels Simon Lewis, director of communications for PM Gordon Brown Simon Lewis Simon Lewis (lifeguard), Australian volunteer lifesaver .. more

Environmental science 69%

Geography 18%

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Simon Lewis @simonlewis.bsky.social · 4d

Protest only works because it is cumulative. It takes time and energy to engage people and change the conversation. If this went ahead, protest would not work. This Labour government under Starmer is terrifyingly authoritarian.

Josiah Mortimer @josiah.writes.news · 4d

On reports the Home Secretary plans to grant police more powers to prevent ‘repeated protests’, Greenpeace UK:

“Protest works because it is repetitive. If police had told the Suffragettes or civil rights activists ‘you’ve made your point,’ they would never have won the victories we all enjoy today"

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Reposted by Cas Mudde, Nandita Sharma, Simon L. Lewis , and 12 more Cas Mudde, Nandita Sharma, Simon L. Lewis, Mel Bartley, Tom Shakespeare, Serge Guimond, Elizabeth Stokoe, Dirk Pilat, Stacy D. VanDeveer, José Antonio Noguera, Leah Stokes, Mauro Gatti, Tom Louwerse, Judith Pollmann, Christina Pagel

News Eye @newseye.bsky.social · 4d

NEW: Extraordinary scenes in Amsterdam this afternoon (Sunday, Oct 5).

An estimated 250,000 bring the city to a standstill; people all wearing red to show solidarity with Palestine 🇵🇸

(🎥 Ahmed Zantac)

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Reposted by Simon L. Lewis, Alison Phipps

Josiah Mortimer @josiah.writes.news · 4d

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Reposted by Simon L. Lewis, Michael H. Whitworth, Aurélien Mondon

Peter Walker @peterwalker99.bsky.social · 4d

NEW: Home Office announces planned new anti-protest powers, mainly aimed at pro-Gaza protests like those for Palestine Action. Police will be able to consider the "cumulative impact" of repeated protests and potentially order that they be relocated.

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Simon Lewis @simonlewis.bsky.social · 6d

Not to say COPs aren’t limited, problematic, failing in many ways etc. but he careful what you wish for.

At the very least during COP, for one time a year, the world as a whole focuses on climate. Which is an unequivocally good thing.

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Simon Lewis @simonlewis.bsky.social · 6d

Care needed not to trash multilateralism in a way Trump does.

Simon Lewis @simonlewis.bsky.social · 6d

It’s absolutely not true that COPs “have done nothing to reduce emissions”. Small island states getting 1.5 C as target, against scientists’ + major polluters’ desires, moved the Overton window. Overall, emissions trajectories were 4-6 degrees C warming by 2100, now down to 2.5 ish.

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Reposted by Simon L. Lewis, Alex Coad

Damian Carrington @dpcarrington.bsky.social · 6d

‘Planetary health diet’ could save 40,000 deaths a day, landmark report finds

- Diet allows modest meat consumption and would also slash food-related climate emissions by half, says report by 70 leading experts from 35 countries

Story by me
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

‘Planetary health diet’ could save 40,000 deaths a day, landmark report finds

Diet allows modest meat consumption and would also slash food-related climate emissions by half, says report by 70 leading experts from 35 countries

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Simon L. Lewis, Steve Peers, Andréas Nilsson

Simon Evans @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org · 9d

NEW: Something remarkable happened recently and hardly anyone noticed – GB electricity demand was 100% covered by clean power

We took a look at the data and this has happened for a record 87 hours in 2025 to date, twice as often as ever before

🧵

www.carbonbrief.org/...
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Reposted by Simon L. Lewis, Lesley A. Hall

Parody Keir Starmer @parodypm.bsky.social · 12d

When Reform's Nathan Gill is sentenced for bribery, he will be the third of Nigel Farage's former MEPs to be jailed for being corrupt, after Tom Wise (expenses fraud) and Ashley Mote (falsely claiming benefits). What is it about Farage that attracts crooks?

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Simon Lewis @simonlewis.bsky.social · 13d

No.3. How is Starmer and his team so idiotic at every turn.

In reality, the UK is so broken due to the never-ending housing crisis. Fix that and most people have more disposable income and other problems become manageable.

Zoe Gardner @zoejardiniere.bsky.social · 13d

Ok. They’ve pissed me off.

I’m back to tell you 3 things about ID cards:

1. Migrants ALREADY HAVE biometric ID cards & govts have been trying to digitise them for years w repeated fuckups & failures causing complete chaos - they don’t work, you do not want that system for you.

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Reposted by Simon L. Lewis, Richard Betts

Ian Fraser @ianfraser.bsky.social · 13d

🚨 This is serious. Ex Reform UK leader in Wales, Nathan Gill, 52, pleads guilty to accepting bribes in exchange for making pro-Russia statements in the European Parliament when serving as a UKIP MEP.

Ex-Reform leader pleads guilty to Pro-Russia bribery charges

The former leader of Reform UK in Wales has pleaded guilty to numerous bribery charges relating to pro-Russian statements.

caerphilly.observer

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Reposted by Simon L. Lewis, Steve Peers, Lesley A. Hall , and 3 more Simon L. Lewis, Steve Peers, Lesley A. Hall, Christina Pagel, Debora Weber-Wulff, José Pina-Sánchez

Zoe Gardner @zoejardiniere.bsky.social · 13d

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Simon Lewis @simonlewis.bsky.social · 20d

The media has a great sway over people’s minds.

Polling USA @usapolling.bsky.social · 20d

"If you had to guess what percentage of American adults are transgender..."

Survey Guess: 21%

Actual Share of the US Population: Less than 1%

- YouGov -

Reposted by Paul I. Palmer, Mathias Disney

Simon Lewis @simonlewis.bsky.social · 20d

The Congo Basin Science Initiative (CBSI) is advertising for a Director of Science. Based in Kinshasa, 4 yrs position. Work with me, amazing students and great scientists to transform our understanding of the world’s second largest area of tropical forests. www.nature.com/naturecareer...

CBSI Director of Science - Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Rep.) (CD) job with University of Kinshasa | 12843735

The Congo Basin Science Initiative (CBSI) is looking for a Director of Science to provide scientific leadership and coordination.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Simon L. Lewis

Polling USA @usapolling.bsky.social · 20d

"If you had to guess what percentage of American adults are transgender..."

Survey Guess: 21%

Actual Share of the US Population: Less than 1%

- YouGov -

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Reposted by Simon L. Lewis, Devon Greyson, Karen Benjamin Guzzo , and 3 more Simon L. Lewis, Devon Greyson, Karen Benjamin Guzzo, Joanna L. Grossman, Farah Mendlesohn, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Ryan Marino, MD @ryanmarino.bsky.social · 22d

A program in Flint, MI, gave $1,500 to any/all pregnant people and $500/month for the first year of their infant’s life.

Among the benefits, those babies experienced lower rates of prematurity and low birth weight, which resulted in fewer NICU admissions, saving the city of Flint $6.2 million/year.

The US town that pays every pregnant woman $1,500: ‘We’re not OK with our babies being born into poverty’

Infants in Rx Kids in Flint, Michigan, saw lower rates of prematurity and other issues, saving millions in NICU visits

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Martin McKee, Simon L. Lewis , and 4 more Jonathan Portes, Martin McKee, Simon L. Lewis, James M. Bullock, Christopher McCabe, Tom Shakespeare, Stuart White

Stop Trump Coalition @ukstoptrump.bsky.social · 25d

Yesterday, the largest far-right protest in UK history marched through London, led by racist Tommy Robinson.

Today, we say: They don’t speak for us — and they won’t have the last word.

This Wednesday we come together against Trump and for a better future. Do everything to be there.

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Simon Lewis @simonlewis.bsky.social · Sep 6

There are 100 of my scientific papers and books there. If there is something I can do to add pressure, I’m all ears.

Reposted by Simon L. Lewis

Stop Rosebank @stopcambo.bsky.social · Sep 6

BREAKING🚨: People across the UK are showing up to demand the UK Government #StopRosebank.

Rosebank is the UK’s biggest undeveloped oil field, & it’s a bad deal for all of us.

Scenes from London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Aberdeen

Take digital action now👉 www.stopcambo.org.uk/doa-digital

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Reposted by Simon L. Lewis

The Bear @bearlypolitics.co.uk · Aug 25

The two deadliest wars in history claimed about 70 journalists between them.

The ongoing war in Gaza has killed 192 Palestinian journalists in less than two years.

History will remember this not as a conflict, but as the mass execution of witnesses.

Four journalists among 15 killed in Israeli strike on hospital in Gaza, say health officials
Deaths take to at least 192 the number of Palestinian journalists killed in the conflict since 7 October 2023

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Reposted by Scott C. Doney, Pierre Friedlingstein, Simon L. Lewis , and 4 more Scott C. Doney, Pierre Friedlingstein, Simon L. Lewis, Jesse H. Kroll, Tuomas Mattila, Santiago Gassó, Vinayak Sinha

Colette Heald @coletteheald.bsky.social · Aug 25

Are you interested in biosphere-atmosphere interactions, global modeling, and living in Zurich? If so, this postdoc position might be for you! Please share with any interested colleagues: jobs.ethz.ch/job/view/JOP...

Postdoctoral Researcher in Atmospheric Chemistry

jobs.ethz.ch

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Reposted by Simon L. Lewis

Climate News @climatenews.bsky.social · Aug 18

Sally Rooney dedicates all British book sale proceeds to Palestine Action.

Source | The Irish Times
@politicsjoe.bsky.social

POLITICS JOE:

Sally Rooney dedicates all British book sale proceeds to Palestine Action

Source | The Irish Times

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Reposted by Simon L. Lewis

John Marsham @johnmarsham.bsky.social · Aug 15

Two new exciting job opportunities at @universityofleeds.bsky.social machine-learning forecasting for West Africa.
ML is revolutionising forecasting, so this is a major opportunity.
jobs.leeds.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx...
jobs.leeds.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx...

Job Opportunity at University of Leeds: Research Fellow in African Sub-seasonal Weather Prediction

This role will be based on the university campus, with scope for it to be undertaken in a hybrid manner. We are also open to discussing flexible working arrangements.Are you an atmospheric scientist l...

jobs.leeds.ac.uk

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Reposted by Simon L. Lewis, Stephen Ryan, Brian Weatherson

News Eye @newseye.bsky.social · Aug 9

Well said, Mo Salah.

Suleiman al-Obeid was shot dead by IDF forces whilst waiting for food aid in southern Gaza.

Mo Salah respond to a post by UEFA with:

Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?

The UEFA post reads:

Farewell to Suleiman al-Obeid, the 'Palestinian Pelé'.

A talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times

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Simon Lewis @simonlewis.bsky.social · Aug 3

I also think the same. AI is a revolution like writing or computing. But on a much shorter timescale.

Reposted by Rob Marchant, Ben Bond‐Lamberty

Simon Lewis @simonlewis.bsky.social · Jul 30

Huge new work in the central Congo peatlands, showing that the peatlands began forming 42,000 years ago. Culmination of around 15 major expeditions over the past decade, and a huge effort by many people.

Bart Crezee @bartcrezee.bsky.social · Jul 30

Our new study, led by Greta Dargie and published yesterday in Environmental Research Letters, shows that the Congo Basin peatlands are twice as old as previously thought. www.leeds.ac.uk/main-index/n... @congopeat.bsky.social @simonlewis.bsky.social @iopp-environment.bsky.social

World’s largest tropical peatlands revealed to be more than 40,000 years old

A peatland complex in the Congo Basin which is known to be a globally important carbon store is twice as old as previously thought, according to a new scientific study.

www.leeds.ac.uk

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Reposted by Simon L. Lewis

Bart Crezee @bartcrezee.bsky.social · Jul 30

World’s largest tropical peatlands revealed to be more than 40,000 years old

A peatland complex in the Congo Basin which is known to be a globally important carbon store is twice as old as previously thought, according to a new scientific study.

www.leeds.ac.uk

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Simon Lewis @simonlewis.bsky.social · Jul 29

It’s not OK for the UK to continue oil and gas exploration. And my advice to DRC, as basic economics, is not to try build what is a new industry in DRC, that is also a dying industry. Invest effort in the industries of the future.

Simon Lewis @simonlewis.bsky.social · Jul 29

It is!