Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Ali Sheridan @alisheridan.bsky.social · 3d

“Although global GDP doubled between 2000 and 2022 … only modest improvements were achieved in reducing social shortfalls worldwide, whereas ecological overshoot increased rapidly, disrupting the critical planetary processes on which all life depends.“

@doughnuteconomics.bsky.social

Kate Raworth @kateraworth.bsky.social · 6d

Big Doughnutty News.
Just out in Nature: the all-new 2025 Doughnut. Transformed from a single-year snapshot to an annual global monitor of 21st century social & ecological thriving. Available to all in an open-access paper by @andrewlfanning.bsky.social and me. 🧵 1/
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Ali Sheridan @alisheridan.bsky.social · 4d

“Every September, the Civil Contingencies Agency runs Preparedness Week, educating the public on preparing for emergencies… Voluntary civil defence groups receive ongoing basic training in first aid, food handling, language skills and flood management.”

www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Ella McSweeney: After Storm Éowyn, Ireland must do what Sweden did 20 years ago

Storm Gudrun shocked the Nordic country into building a new, climate-proofed power grid. Will Ireland follow suit?

www.irishtimes.com

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Ali Sheridan @alisheridan.bsky.social · 6d

Dublin's Metrolink project has been granted planning permission jrnl.ie/6832816

Dublin's Metrolink project has (finally) been granted planning permission

The 18.8km route will connect Dublin Airport to the city centre.

jrnl.ie

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Reposted by Ali Sheridan

Kate Raworth @kateraworth.bsky.social · 6d

Big Doughnutty News.
Just out in Nature: the all-new 2025 Doughnut. Transformed from a single-year snapshot to an annual global monitor of 21st century social & ecological thriving. Available to all in an open-access paper by @andrewlfanning.bsky.social and me. 🧵 1/
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Reposted by Ali Sheridan

Drilled @drilledmedia.bsky.social · 6d

In this week's episode, we dig into the psychology of mis/disinformation and why it works so well. We thought we knew a lot about disinformation, and then we talked to these experts!

drilled.media/podcasts/dri...

S14, Ep3 | The Psychology of Misinformation: Why Does It Work So Well?

Investigating the obstacles to action on climate change.

drilled.media

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Ali Sheridan @alisheridan.bsky.social · 6d

‘Solar power is reshaping economies, industrial systems and geopolitics, largely under the radar of mainstream debate. We are living through an energy transition that, for once, feels exponential rather than incremental.’

@hannahdaly.ie

www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Let the sun shine: solar is fast becoming the world’s new energy superpower

Solar power is reshaping economies, industrial systems and geopolitics

www.irishtimes.com

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Ali Sheridan @alisheridan.bsky.social · 11d

“We are on a path to breach the 1.5°C multi-decadal boundary within the next 5 to 10 years. Here, we must admit failure. Failure to protect peoples and nations from unmanageable impacts of human-induced climate change. But we don’t have to keep failing…

Failure is not inevitable. It is a choice.”

The window to a manageable climate future is still open. Failure isn't inevitable. It's a choice.

This week I had the honor of addressing heads of state, ministers and world leaders at the UN Secretary General’s Climate Summit during the United Nations General Assembly High-level Week 2025 in New ...

www.linkedin.com

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Ali Sheridan @alisheridan.bsky.social · 15d

“Countries are now collectively planning even more fossil fuel production than 2 years ago, with projected 2030 production exceeding levels consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C by more than 120%.”

productiongap.org/wp-content/u...

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Ali Sheridan @alisheridan.bsky.social · 16d

A long term vision, creating the conditions for change and society wide engagement…

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solu...

He got an entire country running on clean energy. Can he do it again?

Ramón Méndez Galain helped Uruguay decarbonize its grid in just five years, with 98 percent of its energy coming from renewable sources.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Ali Sheridan @alisheridan.bsky.social · 18d

“From innovations in the financial sector to community-scale organizations, pockets of bold and ambitious action are already emerging. It is only by helping them to flourish that we might better face up to life in a harsher and less predictable world.”

www.chathamhouse.org/publications...

Are we ready for life beyond 1.5°C of global warming?

We are on the verge of crossing the threshold set out in the Paris Climate Agreement. David Gunn and Matthew Harris explore the ideas that may help us navigate a world of more frequent and severe clim...

www.chathamhouse.org

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Ali Sheridan @alisheridan.bsky.social · 21d

“These numbers represent real people who have lost their lives,” said Friederike Otto, a co-author of the study. “If we continue on the path that we are now — continue burning fossil fuels — these deaths will only increase.”

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Climate Change Led to At Least 16,500 Heat Deaths in Europe This Summer

A new study tracked the effects of higher temperatures in hundreds of European cities.

www.bloomberg.com

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Ali Sheridan @alisheridan.bsky.social · 25d

“Almost 1,500 hectares of land is now being managed by 250 farmers and landowners to conserve the corncrake.”

Irish corncrake numbers have increased by a fifth, while breeding territories for the endangered bird have increased substantially

www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Surge in Irish corncrake numbers and in breeding territories, survey shows

Farming community key to success in recovery of bird threatened with local extinction

www.irishtimes.com

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Ali Sheridan @alisheridan.bsky.social · 29d

“1-in-5 children live in families below the poverty line when housing costs are accounted for… This rate is largely unchanged in recent years and differs little from that seen from 2007 to 2009 when the financial crisis was unfolding.”

www.tcd.ie/news_events/...

Child poverty at similar levels to financial crisis when housing costs accounted for

The latest ESRI report on child poverty was co-authored by Trinity economists Barra Roantree, Mide Griffin, and Tara Mitchell.

www.tcd.ie

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Ali Sheridan @alisheridan.bsky.social · Sep 7

Ireland’s climate transition should not only address emissions, but also existing inequalities.

We have a unique opportunity to harness the climate transformation ahead to deliver better, safer and fairer futures for everyone.

Some great inspiration here:

10 ways to make Dublin better: From public baths to scrapping gated communities

Open schoolyards at weekends, softer lighting and more places to sit down would help

www.irishtimes.com

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Ali Sheridan @alisheridan.bsky.social · Sep 3

“Provisional Met Éireann data shows that summer 2025 is the warmest on record since 1900, when this temperature dataset began…Future projections show that summer temperatures are expected to continue increasing under moderate and high emission scenarios.”

jrnl.ie/6806023

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Ali Sheridan @alisheridan.bsky.social · Sep 2

“We have to change the way people think about oil, gas and coal, which are responsible for 86% of the CO2 emissions that are trapped in our atmosphere. The world is on track to produce 110% more oil, gas and coal by 2030 than we can ever burn if we want to keep global warming below 2C…”

‘Every company wants to produce the last barrel sold’: the treaty to stop fossil fuel production

Tzeporah Berman’s campaign group believes Cop30 will help its initiative to phase out oil, coal and gas take shape

www.theguardian.com

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Ali Sheridan @alisheridan.bsky.social · Aug 29

“When the AMOC collapses, the Northwestern European climate changes drastically and this will likely induce severe societal impacts.”

Rapid climate action is needed to avoid the increasing risk of a climate transition that is by disaster rather than by design.

Physics‐Based Indicators for the Onset of an AMOC Collapse Under Climate Change

Multiple AMOC collapses are simulated in the CESM under transient climate change scenarios A physics-based indicator derived from surface buoyancy fluxes is proposed for the onset of an AMOC coll...

agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Ali Sheridan @alisheridan.bsky.social · Aug 25

“The faster our world heats up, the faster the divide between the cooled and the cooked will widen. Ultimately, it is symptomatic of the larger injustice of the climate crisis, which is that the people who have done the least to cause it are the ones who will suffer the most from its impacts.”

Opinion | The New American Inequality: The Cooled vs. the Cooked

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Ali Sheridan

The Irish Times @irishtimes.com · Aug 23

Blackwater mass fish kill confirmed as due to pollution incident

Marine Institute experts are not yet able to identify chemical involved in Co Cork incident or where it came from

www.irishtimes.com

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Ali Sheridan @alisheridan.bsky.social · Aug 23

Hundreds of people have died in Pakistan from deadly flooding.

Rising temperatures due to burning fossil fuels allow the atmosphere to hold more moisture, leading to heavier downpours during storms.

Pakistan is responsible for less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Monsoon floods kill more than 700 in Pakistan, with heavy rains set to continue

Heavy monsoon rains and flash floods have killed at least 739 people across Pakistan since late June, displacing thousands and destroying homes and crops, with more severe weather expected in the week...

news.un.org

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Ali Sheridan @alisheridan.bsky.social · Aug 15

Storm Éowyn was most expensive weather event in history for Irish insurers, costing €301m
Breakdown of figures shows 33,768 claims were lodged following storm

#ClimateRisk

www.irishtimes.com/business/202...

Storm Éowyn was most expensive weather event in history for Irish insurers, costing €301m

Breakdown of figures shows 33,768 claims were lodged following storm

www.irishtimes.com

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Ali Sheridan @alisheridan.bsky.social · Aug 15

“Fossil fuels accounted for 81.4 per cent of overall Irish energy consumption last year, an increase of 0.7 per cent on 2023.”

Unless the increase in renewable energy is permanently displacing fossil fuels, it is not a climate transition.

www.irishtimes.com/business/202...

Ireland relied on fossil fuels for 80% of energy use in 2024

Ireland ranks eighth out of top 10 countries for renewable electricity use, Energy Institute report says

www.irishtimes.com

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Ali Sheridan @alisheridan.bsky.social · Aug 14

“The enormity of the yes vote said Ireland had changed. That people are kind...It benefitted everyone – that’s what fairness does. Everyone felt better for it. It made Ireland, society, feel more open, not just for same-sex couples. Being a fair and just society is good for everyone.“

Paula Fagan: 'The marriage referendum was healing, being a fair and just society is good for everyone'

What a Difference a Day Makes: "...and the people in the house all shouting: ‘It’s a yes from us too’. It was just joy, to feel that support, no hesitation – ‘It’s a yes from us’."

www.irishexaminer.com

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Ali Sheridan @alisheridan.bsky.social · Aug 13

Commissioners of the Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health have issued an urgent open letter on extreme weather to the governments and health authorities of the WHO European Region.

“This is no longer a distant threat..It is a public health emergency unfolding in real time.”

Extreme weather events in the European Region are a health emergency not just a climate one

An open letter from the Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health

www.who.int

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Ali Sheridan @alisheridan.bsky.social · Aug 13

“This summer, like every summer now, has been exceptional in terms of extreme heat around the world….This is what climate change looks like, and it will only get worse.”

Until we stop burning fossil fuels, climate change will continue to make the world more dangerous.

Temperature records broken as extreme heat grips parts of Europe

Unprecedented temperatures causing difficulties in south-west France, Croatia, Italy and Spain with wildfire destruction across Europe up 87%

www.theguardian.com

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