Tim Smedley
@timsmedley.bsky.social
14K followers 1.9K following 730 posts
That environmental writer. Editor of The New Climate (medium.com/the-new-climate). Author of The Last Drop (https://a.co/d/i5grqa9) & Clearing the Air (https://a.co/d/6AynmFZ). Climate columnist for @prospectmagazine.co.uk (https://shorturl.at/eCU5h).
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timsmedley.bsky.social
If you're wondering 'WTF is going on with the weather?!', wherever you are in the world, my latest climate column for @prospectmagazine.co.uk explains it.

(Headline could equally be "why is it raining so much?")

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/enviro...
Why isn’t it raining?
One statistic helps us understand climate change—and why we are lurching from droughts to floods to droughts again
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
Reposted by Tim Smedley
prospectmagazine.co.uk
Wind and solar came close to surpassing global gas power generation in April, for the first time, writes @timsmedley.bsky.social.

As Bill McKibben says, “Everything is going wrong, except this one big thing.”
The great 2025 solar boom
One massive thing is going really well, according to veteran climate campaigner Bill McKibben
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
Reposted by Tim Smedley
gregorynorminton.bsky.social
Fascism in its purest form.
theatlantic.com
Stephen Miller is portraying opposition to Donald Trump in any form, including by judges issuing legal rulings, as an illegal rebellion, Jonathan Chait argues:
Stephen Miller Lays Out the Plan in Public
The White House aide equates opposition to Trump’s agenda with terrorism—and pushes for the use of state power to suppress it.
bit.ly
Reposted by Tim Smedley
prospectmagazine.co.uk
Some rare good climate news: wind is vying to be the cheapest form of electricity generation there is, and solar adoption figures have surpassed all expectations, writes @timsmedley.bsky.social.
The great 2025 solar boom
One massive thing is going really well, according to veteran climate campaigner Bill McKibben
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
timsmedley.bsky.social
Thanks for reading and sharing Emma!
Reposted by Tim Smedley
emmarosepoetry.bsky.social
There IS good happening in our world!

I highly recommend #reading Tim’s article if you’d like to learn about progress being made in an area it’s truly needed 💚

#GoodNews #News #Positivity #Optimism #Climate #Care #Nature #NatureLovers #Sustainability #Solar #Environment #ClimateAction #ClimateHope
Reposted by Tim Smedley
ziyatong.bsky.social
“It’s easier to talk here than it is in America," the comedian told an audience at the Riyadh Comedy Festival.

He could not be that ignorant. How callous. What an insult to the life of Jamal Khashoggi.
Reposted by Tim Smedley
markgongloff.bsky.social
"Spain’s rapid renewables build-out means its power prices were set by fossil generation just 19% of the time, down from 75% in 2019. As a result, wholesale electricity was almost a third cheaper than the EU average"

Imagine having cheaper power

Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Spain’s Renewable-Energy Boom Loosens Gas’s Grip on Power Prices
Soaring renewables output in Spain is weakening gas’s grip on electricity prices, setting the country apart from much of Europe where fossil fuels still dictate the cost of power.
www.bloomberg.com
Reposted by Tim Smedley
premnsikka.bsky.social
Thames Water's bidders ask to be excused from fully complying with rules on pollution until 2035-40.

Rule of law?

Anything given to TW can't be denied to others. Sewage will be dumped. Customers will be fleeced. Returns will be extracted.

One law for corporations, another for lesser mortals.
Thames Water creditors ask for up to 15 years’ leniency from river pollution rules
Lenders say a ‘full return to legal, regulatory and environmental compliance’ under new rescue plan would not be completed until at least 2035-2040
www.theguardian.com
Reposted by Tim Smedley
mythicaldragoness.bsky.social
🇨🇦 Ahem, #Canada? 👋

How Germany outfitted half a million balconies with #solar panels
The country’s residents installed 200MW of balcony solar during the first half of 2024. It’s becoming an increasingly popular way to take #climate action in Germany.

#Energy
www.canarymedia.com/articles/sol...
How Germany outfitted half a million balconies with solar panels
The country’s residents installed 200MW of balcony solar during the first half of 2024. It’s becoming an increasingly popular way to take climate action…
www.canarymedia.com
Reposted by Tim Smedley
Reposted by Tim Smedley
rahmstorf.bsky.social
Having promised to peak emissions this decade, barely 50 years after it began to industrialise in earnest, China looks set to achieve that. And in the process, become a world leader in wind power, solar energy and electric vehicles. theconversation.com/when-china-m...
When China makes a climate pledge, the world should listen
Beijing has a track record of only promising what it plans to deliver. But too often the world’s attention is elsewhere.
theconversation.com
timsmedley.bsky.social
And wind & solar will surpass gas generation (globally!!) any month now, having lagged by close to 20% just six years ago. This is rapid progress, people! As McKibben writes in Here Comes The Sun, “Everything is going wrong, except this one big thing.”
Line graph titled "Global electricity generation from wind and solar is quickly catching up to gas power." The vertical axis shows the share of electricity generation (%) ranging from 0% to 25%, and the horizontal axis spans from April 2019 to April 2025.

Two lines are plotted:

Black line for gas power, which remains fairly stable around 22–24% throughout the period.

Green line for wind and solar, which rises steadily from around 7% in 2019 to meet gas power at about 21% by April 2025.

The graph shows wind and solar generation catching up to gas by the end of the timeline, and set to soon surpass it within coming months. Source: Monthly electricity data, Ember.
timsmedley.bsky.social
Couldn't fit these @ember-energy.org graphs in the piece, but check out just how rapidly solar is taking off in Africa. You love to see it:
A multi-panel line graph titled: "20 African countries imported a record amount of solar panels in the 12 months to June 2025. Rolling 12 months imports of solar panels from China, megawatts." All graphs show a sharp increase in imports in 2025.

Each small graph represents a different African country, showing solar panel imports from January 2021 to June 2025. The countries shown are:

Top row: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Congo (DRC)
Second row: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya
Third row: Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone
Bottom row: Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia

source: https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/the-first-evidence-of-a-take-off-in-solar-in-africa
Reposted by Tim Smedley
jack-bailey.co.uk
Talk about an opening paragraph. About sums it up!
timsmedley.bsky.social
There once was a boozer from Bristol,
Who thought he could hold in his piss, till
He got in the car
And travelled too far
So he wee-ed in a bag in the footwell.
Reposted by Tim Smedley
lorak.bsky.social
Please - stop doing the screenshot no link thing on Bluesky. This platform does not punish you for posting a URL. You picked up the habit from Meta apps? Stop doing Mark Z's bidding. Link ESPECIALLY to authors, reporters, bloggers, etc. where you quote the work.
Reposted by Tim Smedley
duncanrobinson.bsky.social
Shot, chaser

Young men more likely to vote Green than Reform. Young men second most progressive group of any demographic. Combined right-wing vote barely bigger than Green vote alone for young men
Reposted by Tim Smedley
sturdyalex.bsky.social
Podyssey Season 2 @alexpodyssey.bsky.social is now very close to reality - threshold is being able to pay production costs and expert contributors for 10 episodes (season will be 20 episodes, but will pick up numbers/support as it goes).

Please, become a monthly supporter.

www.ko-fi.com/podyssey
timsmedley.bsky.social
This month's The New Climate newsletter, for your perusal. Lots of good climate stories from a truly international team of writers. 🌍

medium.com/the-new-clim...
The New Climate. New(s)letter #20
Going in circles: the economy, food choices, composting and weather patterns
medium.com
Reposted by Tim Smedley
weegingerdug.bsky.social
Sky News and the BBC repeatedly mention the "migrant crisis" in doing so they are normalising and legitimising far right talking points. There is no "migrant crisis", there is only migrant hysteria, which the British media is feeding into instead of countering.
Reposted by Tim Smedley
garethlpowell.bsky.social
Just a reminder that if you enjoy a book, please leave a quick review on Amazon or Bookshop dot org, or wherever. Even if it's only a sentence, it really, really helps get the word out to other readers.
Reposted by Tim Smedley
gregorynorminton.bsky.social
Bloody solar panels, cluttering up the countryside and preventing desertification while providing clean energy and growing food.
Reposted by Tim Smedley
irishwol.bsky.social
A fun repost for a change
Reposted by Tim Smedley
emilycgb.bsky.social
Wtf is this headline!!

Killed by whom, ghosts????
npr.org
NPR @npr.org · 13d
In 2024, 7,100 pedestrians were killed on the road, and in recent years, more than 1,000 cyclists have been hit and killed annually. Safety experts explain how bikers and walkers can stay safe.
8 walking and biking safety tips that just might save your life
In 2024, 7,100 pedestrians were killed on the road, and in recent years, more than 1,000 cyclists have been hit and killed annually. Safety experts explain how bikers and walkers can stay safe.
n.pr