Jonathan Overpeck
@greatlakespecktwo.bsky.social
2.6K followers 540 following 450 posts
Environmental/Climate scientist for 35+ years; NAS Member. Samuel A. Graham Dean, @UMSEAS @UMICH. Tweets my own. Thinking grad school? Join us at @UMSEAS.
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greatlakespecktwo.bsky.social
Wildfire risks will keep rising until climate change is stopped. “It is unambiguous and it is clear climate change is playing a role. These aren’t just bigger fires, they’re fires occurring under increasingly extreme weather conditions that make them unstoppable.” www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
Wildfires are getting deadlier and costing more. Experts warn they’re becoming unstoppable
Of 200 fires in the past 44 years, half of the fires that cost US$1bn or more were in the last decade
www.theguardian.com
greatlakespecktwo.bsky.social
Excellent EV update. “The stakes could not be higher. The decisions made today will determine whether the US reasserts & secures its position as the world’s leading economic & technological power or continues to cede ground in industries critical to its future”
www.newsweek.com/chinas-ev-su...
China’s EV supremacy raises national security concerns for the US
China is in the driver’s seat when it comes to EV technology—which poses huge defense implications for the U.S.
www.newsweek.com
greatlakespecktwo.bsky.social
The US is only hurting itself economically…”On Wednesday in New York, countries lined up to say they would accelerate their efforts to cut greenhouse-gas emissions. In staying away, the U.S. was all but alone.” www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/c...
At Global Climate Summit This Week, U.S. Isolation Was on Full Display
www.nytimes.com
greatlakespecktwo.bsky.social
In case you missed it, droughts are rarely "natural" now. They are hotter and more severe thanks to climate change.
E.g.,
www.cnn.com/2023/04/27/a...
greatlakespecktwo.bsky.social
African drought continues to worsen: "Ethiopia is grappling with the worst drought it has experienced in 70 years—an unprecedented climate crisis marked by extreme weather and a deepening food insecurity situation."
capitalethiopia.com/2025/09/21/e...
capitalethiopia.com
greatlakespecktwo.bsky.social
This is what climate change and associated sea level rise looks like… “Erosion, rising seas and churning storms have caused the collapse of a dozen homes on that stretch of seashore over the past five years.”

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
Watch the sea claim yet another house on N.C.’s Outer Banks
Erosion, rising seas and churning storms have caused the collapse of a dozen homes on that stretch of seashore over the past five years.
www.washingtonpost.com
greatlakespecktwo.bsky.social
As a scientist who has studied climate variability & change for decades, I am sounding the alarm. Climate change is already costing untold lives & livelihoods, & it's worsening. But, there is also huge opportunity in leaving fossil fuels behind: an economic & health jackpot.
greatlakespecktwo.bsky.social
US solar/storage industry surprisingly optimistic: "The general consensus among conference goers seemed to be that though political headwinds are blowing hard, economic tailwinds are blowing harder. Here are three reasons why I think they are right..."
www.canarymedia.com/articles/sol...
The solar industry threw a party in Vegas, and it actually wasn’t sad
After relentless setbacks from the Trump administration, solar and storage pros are finding solace in booming demand for electricity.
www.canarymedia.com
greatlakespecktwo.bsky.social
US solar/storage industry surprisingly optimistic: "The general consensus among conference goers seemed to be that though political headwinds are blowing hard, economic tailwinds are blowing harder. Here are three reasons why I think they are right..."
www.canarymedia.com/articles/sol...
The solar industry threw a party in Vegas, and it actually wasn’t sad
After relentless setbacks from the Trump administration, solar and storage pros are finding solace in booming demand for electricity.
www.canarymedia.com
greatlakespecktwo.bsky.social
A good read: In the 60's and 70's climate scientists were simulating climate change futures for the first time: "In the decades since Manabe’s groundbreaking work, study after study has stacked evidence to confirm the startling accuracy of his prediction."
www.quantamagazine.org/the-climate-...
The Climate Change Paradox | Quanta Magazine
Earth’s climate is chaotic and volatile. Climate change is simple and predictable. How can both be true?
www.quantamagazine.org
greatlakespecktwo.bsky.social
It's the same the world over - the economic costs of climate change are increasing. "This summer’s droughts, heat waves & floods have cost the European Union an estimated €43 billion this year, knocking nearly half a percentage point off the region’s economic output"
www.politico.eu/article/clim...
Climate change is burning a €43B hole in Europe’s pocket
Global warming is making droughts, fires and floods more likely.
www.politico.eu
greatlakespecktwo.bsky.social
I bet just about everyone who played sports as a kid has memories like I do of practicing or playing on the really hot days. It could be miserable. And it's getting worse as it also becomes a more serious health risk to kids. Be careful.
time.com/7316742/extr...
The Rising Threat of Extreme Heat for Young Athletes
As climate change makes sports seasons more dangerous, we must teach a new generation how to navigate a warming world.
time.com
greatlakespecktwo.bsky.social
Climate change is increasing drought frequency, severity and durations in Central America, and this has very tangible costs for many nations of the world who use the Panama Canal. These costs will continue to grow until we halt climate change.
www.cnbc.com/2025/09/13/p...
Inside the Panama Canal's mega-project plan to engineer its way through severe droughts of the future
For Panama Canal, drought is an economic and existential risk. New dam and land bridge projects will help trade move, but won't be ready before next El Niño.
www.cnbc.com
greatlakespecktwo.bsky.social
Don’t be fooled, fossil fuels are yesterday’s answer. "renewables as a whole hit nearly 28%" of the country's electricity generation in the first half of 2025”

apple.news/Ap8BbfBbYRFy...
New report reveals surprising truth about where US is getting its electricity: 'We are on the board' — The Cool Down
apple.news
greatlakespecktwo.bsky.social
It's rather odd for the USDA to be spending a $B to help livestock producers recover from climate change super-charged floods and wildfires while the DOE and EPA are claiming climate change doesn't harm lives and livelihoods.
www.usda.gov/about-usda/n...
www.usda.gov
greatlakespecktwo.bsky.social
Stop underestimating what is taking place. The clean energy tipping point has arrived..."Every previous large-scale shift in energy – from muscle power to wood to coal to oil – has taken decades or even longer. The “renewable revolution” is happening far faster."
theconversation.com/climate-acti...
Climate action can feel slow – but the fastest energy leap in history has begun
Weaning ourselves off fossil fuels is glacially slow – isn’t it? This pessimistic narrative doesn’t stack up against evidence of very rapid change in the real world.
theconversation.com
greatlakespecktwo.bsky.social
Campus farm comes to campus, and it’s popular! Go Blue!
greatlakespecktwo.bsky.social
Another one of those days when the Great Lake region looks especially great…as climate change takes a toll further south.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...