Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Martin Hodson

@martinjhodson.bsky.social

2.5K followers 990 following 320 posts

Work at both universities in Oxford, UK. Teach climate and biodiversity loss. Research in plant, archaeological and environmental science. Investigating carbon sequestration in phytoliths within the soil. Principal Tutor for www.cres.org.uk

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Martin Hodson @martinjhodson.bsky.social · Jun 21

🧪 I am very grateful to Oxford Brookes University for publishing a blog post about my phytolith and plant silica work. 43 years working on it and counting! www.brookes.ac.uk/about-brooke...

Environmental scientist spends more than four decades researching a potential climate game-changer - Oxford Brookes University

In the ongoing fight against climate change, one remarkable discovery has gained significant attention over the past years: phytoliths.

www.brookes.ac.uk

2 6 27

Martin Hodson @martinjhodson.bsky.social · 7h

Totally agree!! I reckon your course sounds pretty good!!

Martin Hodson @martinjhodson.bsky.social · 9h

Yes. Really just a way fossil fuel interests can keep burning their product into the future. Getting it to work (even if it can) will take many years. Meanwhile, you can roll out renewables in days!

1 1

Martin Hodson @martinjhodson.bsky.social · 21h

This is exactly what scientists have been saying for years:
oilprice.com/Energy/Energ...

The Collapse of Confidence in Carbon Capture | OilPrice.com

Carbon Capture and Storage, once seen as a lifeline for the oil and gas industry, is facing mounting doubts as delays, high costs, and poor performance cast serious doubts on its future viability.

oilprice.com

1 3 8

Reposted by Martin Hodson

megatronmumma.bsky.social @megatronmumma.bsky.social · 2d

Leaf cellular structure model at Sparsholt College today! How many parts can we all remember from our O Level or GCSE Biology lessons?! #palisademesophyll #spongymesophyll #stomata #waxycuticle #guardcells #chloroplast #hortigeek #plants #plantbiology

3 6

Reposted by Martin Hodson

Unofficial BBCNews (World) Bot @bbcnews-world-rss.bsky.social · 1d

Renewables overtake coal as world's biggest source of electricity

Developing countries lead the historic clean energy charge but the US and EU rely more on fossil fuels than before, a think tank study shows.

www.bbc.com

1 38 83

Reposted by Martin Hodson

Canary Media Inc. @canarymedia.com · 5d

Investors are the world are pouring more money into renewable energy than ever — even as they pull back on spending in the U.S.

Chart: Global investment in renewables hits record even as US falters

Over the first six months of this year, a total of $386 billion flowed to renewable-energy projects — 10% more than one year prior.

www.canarymedia.com

10 14

Reposted by Martin Hodson

National Trust @nationaltrust.org.uk · 6d

Climate change is already damaging the nature, beauty and heritage we care for. Without deep and sustained cuts to emissions, nature faces an even more perilous future and the places people love will continue to suffer.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Tories pledge to scrap landmark climate legislation

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch says her party would axe legally binding targets to cut emissions.

www.bbc.co.uk

10 80 230

Reposted by Martin Hodson

Damian Carrington @dpcarrington.bsky.social · 7d

Review article: Destabilization of Earth system tipping elements

- Key candidates include the Greenland Ice Sheet, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, the South American monsoon system and the Amazon rainforest.

#climatecrisis
($)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Destabilization of Earth system tipping elements - Nature Geoscience

A review of observation-based evidence suggests that four interconnected Earth system tipping elements have moved towards their critical thresholds, highlighting the need for better monitoring and increased mitigation efforts.

www.nature.com

1 16 21

Reposted by Martin Hodson

Simon Evans @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org · 7d

I like this one, although it doesn't show temperature outcomes
www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-sol...

1 4 12

Martin Hodson @martinjhodson.bsky.social · 7d

Last Saturday night I was speaking at St Mary's, Watford, and I got to the section on household energy..... @billmckibben.bsky.social Great book!

1 4

Reposted by Martin Hodson

Bill McKibben @billmckibben.bsky.social · 9d

Fun true fact: the yield of chardonnay grapes goes up 60% when grown in a field with solar panels.
Chardonnay--helping solar, hurting coal. It's working hard, man!

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 9d

Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Fox: "We're announcing today expanded programs to help the American coal industry. We're helping it because for years it has been under assault. It was out of fashion with the chardonnay set in San Francisco, Boulder, and NYC ... coal just makes the world go round."

17 55 270

Reposted by Martin Hodson

Ordo Fraterna Fibonacci @ordofibonacci.bsky.social · 19d

Down with the roots. Phytoliths as biocultural traces in historical olive agroecosystems of Sicily
Frontiers
www.frontiersin.org/journals/eco...

Frontiers | Down with the roots. Phytoliths as biocultural traces in historical olive agroecosystems of Sicily

Within the multidisciplinary framework of historical ecology, in this study plant morphology, oral history, and soil analyses are combined with phytoliths to...

www.frontiersin.org

1 2

Reposted by Martin Hodson

Jan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · 9d

Trump claimed last week at the UN: “They [China] build them, but they have very few wind farms. So why is it that they build them and they send them all over the world, but they barely use them?”

The answer is: they actually do. China has more wind power than any other country in the world.

9 57 130

Reposted by Martin Hodson

Seth Klein @sethdklein.bsky.social · 10d

Norway puts our backtracking to shame:

Norway’s uptake of EVs is nearly 100%. August set a new record of 98.4% of all new sales (with plug-in hybrids a mere 1.5%). The government has a goal of ending the sale of fossil-fuelled cars by the end of this year.

cleantechnica.com/2025/09/09/e...

EVs At A Record 98.4% Share In Norway — KGM Musso Arrives - CleanTechnica

August saw plugin EVs at a record 98.4% share in Norway, up from 95.7% year on year. BEVs alone took 96.9% share.

cleantechnica.com

10 67 190

Reposted by Martin Hodson

Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 11d

The first steam-powered passenger rail trip was on 27th Sept 1825 (200th bday is nuanced - regular passenger steam slightly later). Here's transport carbon footprint today - Eurostar easily cleanest cos fully electrified. I hope the next 200 yrs has even more (electric) trains! With lower prices...

52 220 960

Reposted by Martin Hodson

Gregory Norminton @gregorynorminton.bsky.social · 12d

Bloody solar panels, cluttering up the countryside and preventing desertification while providing clean energy and growing food.

Lewis Standing @lewis-standing.bsky.social · 14d

www.reuters.com/sustainabili...

China is halting the expansion of the gobi desert by planting goji berries beneath solar panels.

The shade reduces heat and water stress on the plants.

Excellent

China enlists solar panels in war to halt desert sands

In arid northern China, dozens of workers prune goji berry bushes that stretch out under the protective shade of thousands of solar panels.

www.reuters.com

7 130 420

Reposted by Martin Hodson

Journal of Experimental Botany @jxbotany.bsky.social · 14d

🪰🌾 REVIEW 🌾🪰

🪰🌾 Bathoova et al. summarize the current research regarding the effect of silicon application on phloem sap-feeding and chewing insect pest performance, and on plant resistance against these pests 🪰🌾

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/...

#PlantScience 🧪

Fig. 1 (shortened, full legend in paper): Defence reactions of the host plant to chewing insects and to phloem-feeding insects when cultivated without (–Si, left) and with Si amendment (+Si, right). When plants are supplemented with Si, a physical barrier is created in the form of Si deposits (blue outline) strengthening the cell walls of the epidermis. Chewing insects can directly damage their mouthparts on this barrier. The application of Si helps to better maintain the cell turgor and integrity of the host plant challenged by insect pests. After the penetration of a phloem feeder, Si triggers a more rapid induction of callose deposition associated with decreased feeding efficiency manifested by reduced honeydew production in the case of aphids. Application of Si induces a faster and more intense production/activity of phenols, flavonoids, peroxidase (POX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and glucanase (GLU)...

8 21

Reposted by Martin Hodson

Daisy Dunne @daisydunne.carbonbrief.org · 14d

Today's @carbonbrief.org Daily Briefing factchecks the false climate claims in Donald Trump's tirade to the UN

www.carbonbrief.org/daily-brief/...

3 23 29

Martin Hodson @martinjhodson.bsky.social · 16d

"An odd time to talk about peace?" A blog post that I wrote for #Creationtide 2025 at the invitation of Bible Reading Fellowship.
www.brf.org.uk/an-odd-time-...

BRF | Leading Christian charity enabling ministry and mission | An odd time to talk about peace?

The second of three articles to mark Creationtide. Martin Hodson understands why many people might think this is an odd time to talk about peace.

www.brf.org.uk

1 1

Martin Hodson @martinjhodson.bsky.social · 17d

No event near me in the UK, but the sun is out, and our solar panels are continuing to provide us with a nice income even in late Sept. Finished your latest book yesterday- loved it!

1 1

Reposted by Martin Hodson

Bill McKibben @billmckibben.bsky.social · 17d

If you're housebound today (or in South Dakota, where there's no event), join us for a virtual Sun Day extravaganza!
actionnetwork.org/events/think...

Think Global, Act Local! A Sun Day Climate Action Party

Sun Day is a global day of action on September 21st, 2025, celebrating the unstoppable rise of clean energy. We’ll come together to showcase the power of the sun and wind, the energy sources that can ...

actionnetwork.org

4 56 140

Reposted by Martin Hodson

Nature Portfolio @natureportfolio.nature.com · 20d

A paper in Nature suggests a quarter of heatwave events from 2000-23 would have been near impossible without anthropogenic climate change. The paper also indicates that major carbon emitters are responsible for around 50% of the increase in intensity of these events. ⚒️ 🧪

Systematic attribution of heatwaves to the emissions of carbon majors - Nature

Climate change made 213 historical heatwaves reported over 2000–2023 more likely and more intense, to which each of the 180 carbon majors (fossil fuel and cement producers) substantially contributed.

go.nature.com

68 140

Reposted by Martin Hodson

Petr Kuneš @petrkunes.bsky.social · 26d

Two very successful PhD defences in #paleorudolph lab. Amanda Mateo Beneito explored multi proxy climate reconstruction and it's effect on vegetation dynamics. Kristýna Hošková paved new avenues in phytolith analysis and its use in environment reconstruction. Both with cum laude, congratulations!

2 9

Reposted by Martin Hodson

Sarah Thorne @sarah-thorne14.bsky.social · Sep 2

Really excited that this is finally out: new paper by Katie Shaw showing how the effects of Si vary depending on how drought stress is imposed (with Julie Gray, Andy Fleming, and @suehartley.bsky.social)
www.frontiersin.org/journals/pla...

www.frontiersin.org

1 1