Sonny Whitelaw
@ecomigrant.bsky.social
Australian-born novelist and coastal geomorphologist migrated to Aotearoa New Zealand. Climate change technical advisor; curator of http://climatechange.org.nz
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
New Zealand’s land and sea temperatures in 2025 were the highest in 151 years of records, prompting a new campaign from @climateclubnz.bsky.social to swap one car trip a week to walking, cycling or public transport.
newsroom.co.nz/2026/01/16/2...
newsroom.co.nz/2026/01/16/2...
2025 was New Zealand's hottest year on record
Following NZ's hottest-ever year, a new campaign is asking Kiwis to switch just one car trip a week to active or public transport.
newsroom.co.nz
January 15, 2026 at 10:20 PM
New Zealand’s land and sea temperatures in 2025 were the highest in 151 years of records, prompting a new campaign from @climateclubnz.bsky.social to swap one car trip a week to walking, cycling or public transport.
newsroom.co.nz/2026/01/16/2...
newsroom.co.nz/2026/01/16/2...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Makes sense: “Until now, the ocean was largely overlooked in the standard accounting of the social cost of carbon even though the degradation of coral reef ecosystems, economic losses from fisheries impacts and damage to coastal infrastructure are well documented and adversely impact millions.”
Damage to the ocean nearly doubles economic cost of climate change, new study finds
Scientists have factored damage to the ocean to the social cost of carbon for the first time -- finding it nearly doubles the economic impact from climate change.
abcnews.go.com
January 15, 2026 at 11:56 PM
Makes sense: “Until now, the ocean was largely overlooked in the standard accounting of the social cost of carbon even though the degradation of coral reef ecosystems, economic losses from fisheries impacts and damage to coastal infrastructure are well documented and adversely impact millions.”
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Ocean heat content increased by 23 billion trillion joules, which was around 39 times greater than global primary energy use this year. This is the largest rise in OHC since 2017; overall OHC has increased by over 500 zettajoules since the 1940s.
January 14, 2026 at 2:53 PM
Ocean heat content increased by 23 billion trillion joules, which was around 39 times greater than global primary energy use this year. This is the largest rise in OHC since 2017; overall OHC has increased by over 500 zettajoules since the 1940s.
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
🚨🚨Breaking: "Sweden has sent military to Greenland".
Denmark's message: The Kingdom's soldiers will shoot back if Greenland is attacked.
"It is at the request of Denmark," writes PM Ulf Kristersson. 🧵
www.expressen.se/nyheter/varl...
Denmark's message: The Kingdom's soldiers will shoot back if Greenland is attacked.
"It is at the request of Denmark," writes PM Ulf Kristersson. 🧵
www.expressen.se/nyheter/varl...
JUST NU: Danska beskedet – skjuter tillbaka vid attack
Danmarks besked: Kungarikets soldater skjuter tillbaka om Grönland attackeras. Sverige har skickat militär till ön – mitt i den inflammerade dragkampen om den. ”Det är på förfrågan från Danmark”, skri...
www.expressen.se
January 14, 2026 at 5:25 PM
🚨🚨Breaking: "Sweden has sent military to Greenland".
Denmark's message: The Kingdom's soldiers will shoot back if Greenland is attacked.
"It is at the request of Denmark," writes PM Ulf Kristersson. 🧵
www.expressen.se/nyheter/varl...
Denmark's message: The Kingdom's soldiers will shoot back if Greenland is attacked.
"It is at the request of Denmark," writes PM Ulf Kristersson. 🧵
www.expressen.se/nyheter/varl...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
In 2025, the Ocean Stored a Record-Breaking Amount of Heat, Again.
Read the full article here: doi.org/10.1007/s003...
@michaelemann.bsky.social #AcademicSky @eos.org #SeaandAtmosphere 🌊
Read the full article here: doi.org/10.1007/s003...
@michaelemann.bsky.social #AcademicSky @eos.org #SeaandAtmosphere 🌊
In 2025, the Ocean Stored a Record-Breaking Amount of Heat, Again - Eos
The ocean soaked up more heat last year than any year since modern measurements began around 1960, according to a new analysis published in Advances in Atmospheric Science.
eos.org
January 12, 2026 at 2:55 PM
In 2025, the Ocean Stored a Record-Breaking Amount of Heat, Again.
Read the full article here: doi.org/10.1007/s003...
@michaelemann.bsky.social #AcademicSky @eos.org #SeaandAtmosphere 🌊
Read the full article here: doi.org/10.1007/s003...
@michaelemann.bsky.social #AcademicSky @eos.org #SeaandAtmosphere 🌊
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
The costs for maintaining and updating reference quality datasets are far less than those needed to recover from just one billion-dollar disaster.
The Looming Data Loss That Threatens Public Safety and Prosperity - Eos
Cuts to funding and staff needed to maintain trusted datasets of reference Earth system observations could limit their availability and quality, undermining hazard predictions and risk assessments.
eos.org
January 12, 2026 at 4:30 PM
The costs for maintaining and updating reference quality datasets are far less than those needed to recover from just one billion-dollar disaster.
The quackery fascinated me and enabled me to write 5 Stargate novels and a thesis on why people believe in bullsh*t.
Clearly, von Däniken was a quack. However, he is absolutely the inspiration for Daniel Jackson on Stargate, so if Chariots of the Gods got us Stargate SG-1, I'm pretty pleased.
Famed pseudoarchaeological content creator Erich von Däniken, best known for his popularization and promotion of ancient aliens claims, has died at age 90.
January 11, 2026 at 7:56 PM
The quackery fascinated me and enabled me to write 5 Stargate novels and a thesis on why people believe in bullsh*t.
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Meanwhile on the planet
"Ocean Warming Breaks Record for Ninth Straight Year" | Great piece by Johnny Sturgeon of @insideclimatenews.org on our new ocean heat article: insideclimatenews.org/news/0901202...
Ocean Warming Breaks Record for Ninth Straight Year - Inside Climate News
Every second of last year, the Earth’s oceans absorbed the equivalent in energy to 12 Hiroshima-sized atomic bombs. Global ocean heat content (OHC) increased for the ninth consecutive year in 2025, a...
insideclimatenews.org
January 9, 2026 at 5:35 PM
Meanwhile on the planet
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
A revolutionary new building at Parliament to house 30 MPs and their staffers is built from Kiwi timber, not Chinese steel.
How to build a green Parliament
newsroom.co.nz
January 9, 2026 at 6:03 PM
A revolutionary new building at Parliament to house 30 MPs and their staffers is built from Kiwi timber, not Chinese steel.
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
In today’s NZ Herald
January 8, 2026 at 5:06 PM
In today’s NZ Herald
Orwellian inversion of reality (and that's me not shouting).
The year ahead: We need balance, argues Minerals Council CEO Josie Vidal. We can’t produce things that no one can afford. Some of our native critters get way better treatment than some of our people.
Please stop shouting, no one listens when you shout
newsroom.co.nz
January 8, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Orwellian inversion of reality (and that's me not shouting).
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
BREAKING:
The White House plans to withdraw the U.S. from the United Nations framework climate treaty, according to reports.
Here's @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social with what we know:
heatmap.news/sparks/us-wi...
The White House plans to withdraw the U.S. from the United Nations framework climate treaty, according to reports.
Here's @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social with what we know:
heatmap.news/sparks/us-wi...
The U.S. Will Exit UN’s Framework Climate Treaty, According to Reports
The move would mark a significant escalation in Trump’s hostility toward climate diplomacy.
heatmap.news
January 7, 2026 at 11:41 PM
BREAKING:
The White House plans to withdraw the U.S. from the United Nations framework climate treaty, according to reports.
Here's @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social with what we know:
heatmap.news/sparks/us-wi...
The White House plans to withdraw the U.S. from the United Nations framework climate treaty, according to reports.
Here's @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social with what we know:
heatmap.news/sparks/us-wi...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Analysis: Canterbury is, once again, putting freshwater issues front and centre – not just for the province itself but arguably for the country, in an election year, writes David Williams.
Court decision sets up a big year for freshwater
newsroom.co.nz
January 7, 2026 at 6:46 PM
Analysis: Canterbury is, once again, putting freshwater issues front and centre – not just for the province itself but arguably for the country, in an election year, writes David Williams.
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
"there are folks who think feudalism and colonialism are the future so long as they're enabled by AI and crypto, that eugenics is a good idea that just got a bad rap, that if you're smart enough you can cheat death, and that most people are too dumb to know they're serfs."
Greenland is back in the news so I am compelled to remind folks that while yes, there are rare earth minerals there, the tech weirdos who have infiltrated the government have also been obsessed with Greenland as part of their network state plan for a long time.
drilled.media/news/network...
drilled.media/news/network...
What the Technofascists and Religious Fanatics Have in Common: End Days Theology
Silicon Valley elite want to “disrupt” democracy with feudalism. Understanding their new and evolving ideology is critical to grappling with what’s happening in the U.S. today.
drilled.media
January 7, 2026 at 3:55 PM
"there are folks who think feudalism and colonialism are the future so long as they're enabled by AI and crypto, that eugenics is a good idea that just got a bad rap, that if you're smart enough you can cheat death, and that most people are too dumb to know they're serfs."
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Seb Kennedy is a great gas market analyst. And he has lived and worked in Venezuela. His take on things is definitely worth your time.
Venezuela: what happens next?
Chaos looms after audacious decapitation of Maduro regime
www.energyflux.news
January 4, 2026 at 6:47 PM
Seb Kennedy is a great gas market analyst. And he has lived and worked in Venezuela. His take on things is definitely worth your time.
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
The year ahead: Our job is to make Aotearoa a country that our children and mokopuna want to come home to, writes former Te Arawhiti Māori-Crown Relations chief executive Lil Anderson.
'Having to argue with a lady in Taupō about my right to call myself tangata whenua'
newsroom.co.nz
January 4, 2026 at 10:34 PM
The year ahead: Our job is to make Aotearoa a country that our children and mokopuna want to come home to, writes former Te Arawhiti Māori-Crown Relations chief executive Lil Anderson.
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Your daily #Thwaites update 04.01.2026
HERE WE GO
The sea ice is finally imploding in the "Bay" area
Icebergs are on the move in all areas .
(Not shown, sea ice outside the area is also breaking up)
15.12 -04.01.2026 GIF (2 photos)
#ClimateCrisis #cryosphere #Antarctica
HERE WE GO
The sea ice is finally imploding in the "Bay" area
Icebergs are on the move in all areas .
(Not shown, sea ice outside the area is also breaking up)
15.12 -04.01.2026 GIF (2 photos)
#ClimateCrisis #cryosphere #Antarctica
January 4, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Your daily #Thwaites update 04.01.2026
HERE WE GO
The sea ice is finally imploding in the "Bay" area
Icebergs are on the move in all areas .
(Not shown, sea ice outside the area is also breaking up)
15.12 -04.01.2026 GIF (2 photos)
#ClimateCrisis #cryosphere #Antarctica
HERE WE GO
The sea ice is finally imploding in the "Bay" area
Icebergs are on the move in all areas .
(Not shown, sea ice outside the area is also breaking up)
15.12 -04.01.2026 GIF (2 photos)
#ClimateCrisis #cryosphere #Antarctica
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Humans have emitted 2750 gigatons of CO2 since the industrial revolution from burning fossil fuels and land use change. To put this in perspective, this is more than the (dry) mass of all living things on earth and everything humans have ever built combined:
January 2, 2026 at 6:49 PM
Humans have emitted 2750 gigatons of CO2 since the industrial revolution from burning fossil fuels and land use change. To put this in perspective, this is more than the (dry) mass of all living things on earth and everything humans have ever built combined:
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
"Today, 85 percent of Brazilian soybeans are grown using the bacteria fertilizers Hungria and her colleagues developed. Their work saves farmers about $25 billion on fertilizer costs and prevents 54 million cars’ worth of greenhouse gas emissions every year." wapo.st/49yANXj by Nicolás Rivero
These farmers are cutting pollution and fighting hunger — with bacteria
Mariangela Hungria won the 2025 World Food Prize for her work on microbes that feed plants nitrogen, allowing farmers to slash fertilizer costs and pollution.
wapo.st
January 1, 2026 at 6:35 PM
"Today, 85 percent of Brazilian soybeans are grown using the bacteria fertilizers Hungria and her colleagues developed. Their work saves farmers about $25 billion on fertilizer costs and prevents 54 million cars’ worth of greenhouse gas emissions every year." wapo.st/49yANXj by Nicolás Rivero
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Looking back to @wwattribution.bsky.social studies in 2025 showed again, in stark terms, how unfairly the consequences of human-induced climate change are distributed. The world does not have to be like this, we have a lot of agency to make it better. www.worldweatherattribution.org/unequal-evid...
December 30, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Looking back to @wwattribution.bsky.social studies in 2025 showed again, in stark terms, how unfairly the consequences of human-induced climate change are distributed. The world does not have to be like this, we have a lot of agency to make it better. www.worldweatherattribution.org/unequal-evid...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
In 2025, Mongabay found stalled funding for Indigenous land rights, weak representation at climate talks, and rising mining pressure.
We exposed shady carbon deals and limited crackdowns, but also reported hope: women forest guardians and micro-hydro in remote Philippine villages.
We exposed shady carbon deals and limited crackdowns, but also reported hope: women forest guardians and micro-hydro in remote Philippine villages.
Top 10 Indigenous news stories that marked 2025
2025 saw a mix of news sweep through Indigenous communities around the world, touching on issues both new and old. Efforts to increase direct funding to support Indigenous peoples’ land rights have…
news.mongabay.com
December 30, 2025 at 7:18 PM
In 2025, Mongabay found stalled funding for Indigenous land rights, weak representation at climate talks, and rising mining pressure.
We exposed shady carbon deals and limited crackdowns, but also reported hope: women forest guardians and micro-hydro in remote Philippine villages.
We exposed shady carbon deals and limited crackdowns, but also reported hope: women forest guardians and micro-hydro in remote Philippine villages.
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Belgium is testing “dune-by-dike” systems — engineered sand dunes built in front of dikes — to buffer storm surges and sea-level rise.
Early pilots show promise, though they depend on ongoing sand dredging to maintain beaches.
Early pilots show promise, though they depend on ongoing sand dredging to maintain beaches.
As storms surge & the sea rises, Belgium builds dunes for protection
OSTEND, Belgium — In late October, Storm Benjamin blew across Belgium and other parts of Western Europe, bringing strong winds and rain that knocked down trees and damaged homes. Powerful waves…
news.mongabay.com
December 24, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Belgium is testing “dune-by-dike” systems — engineered sand dunes built in front of dikes — to buffer storm surges and sea-level rise.
Early pilots show promise, though they depend on ongoing sand dredging to maintain beaches.
Early pilots show promise, though they depend on ongoing sand dredging to maintain beaches.
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Comment from the University of Otago: Previously ‘essential’ workers are being told society is a meritocracy, and their situation is their own fault for not seeking roles of actual value to society.
An 'unmeritocracy' – a modest proposal
newsroom.co.nz
December 24, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Comment from the University of Otago: Previously ‘essential’ workers are being told society is a meritocracy, and their situation is their own fault for not seeking roles of actual value to society.
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
Things are really not good around the North Pole. Anomalous warmth continues, alongside record low #Arctic sea ice conditions. Nearly every time I check the data, there seems to be yet another new record this fall.
More graphics: zacklabe.com/arctic-tempe...
More graphics: zacklabe.com/arctic-tempe...
December 23, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Things are really not good around the North Pole. Anomalous warmth continues, alongside record low #Arctic sea ice conditions. Nearly every time I check the data, there seems to be yet another new record this fall.
More graphics: zacklabe.com/arctic-tempe...
More graphics: zacklabe.com/arctic-tempe...
Reposted by Sonny Whitelaw
The pulled “60 Minutes” episode on the CECOT prisoners is down on that YouTube link but up now here: www.muellershewrote.com/p/watch-the-...
WATCH: The 60 Minutes CECOT Segment
I was sent the CECOT segment anonymously in a group chat.
www.muellershewrote.com
December 23, 2025 at 12:03 AM
The pulled “60 Minutes” episode on the CECOT prisoners is down on that YouTube link but up now here: www.muellershewrote.com/p/watch-the-...