helenczerski

helenczerski, 5 months ago to random

Wow... a 787 Dreamliner has just landed in Antarctica: https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/787-in-antarctica/?mc_cid=6a49e43194&mc_eid=f7e7a6b028

That's potentially a step change for Antarctic science logistics. 🧪

helenczerski, 6 months ago to science

If you're one of those organised people who is already thinking about Christmas presents, the FT has just named Blue Machine as one of its best science books of 2023.

And one of the nicest things about the reaction to it has been that even people who have no initial interest in the ocean really love it, as well as those who start as fans. Do give the gift of the ocean this festive season!

https://www.ft.com/content/03cccd68-3eb7-4ea2-bbde-dfc567ecdf4b

#science #books #ocean

helenczerski, 6 months ago to random

Hooray for better solar technologies! But we should not speak or design on the assumption that covering water is automatically a cost-free option - underwater ecosystems rely on light. It is true that in some places, reducing evaporation would be really helpful. But the tone here is that anything underwater has no value, and we should be well past making that sort of mistake.

"Floating factories of artificial leaves could make green fuel for jets & ships"

https://tinyurl.com/2y5pehnu

helenczerski, 6 months ago to food

It's just occurred to me that in medicine, we have clinical trials that consider the effect of a drug on the whole system - a whole human body. If you get a brain tumour from a kidney treatment, they'll notice.

But for food/farming, that's not the case. We never do trials on the whole system - the natural environment. It's only ever local - effects on yield in one field. And maybe that's why modern food systems cause problems, for the climate, human health etc.

#food #science #climate #farming

helenczerski, 6 months ago to science

The key point that I think a lot of engineers still don't get is that their job is not about making widgets that get plonked on top of the world. This is about changing the shape of things inside a working system (Planet Earth) to shift how it operates. Those widgets become part of that system - it's like operating on a living human. The engineers of the future mustn't see their job as creating things external to the world. #science #engineering #climate #Earth

helenczerski, 6 months ago to Florida

What's interesting about Florida is that they are generally suspicious of electric cars, and yet they've got electric micromobility TOTALLY sorted. There are golf carts everywhere. There are apparently even new developments where they have double-width sidewalks with a separate track for golf carts.

#EVs #Florida #micromobility

helenczerski, 6 months ago to music

Here's a lovely bit of positive news... 1202_Alarm have just made an album which is about to be the first music album to land on the Moon with the Peregrine Lander, and all sorts of fun people feature in in (I had a very peripheral role with a theremin). Here's an interview with Steve Thompson, the ace instigator of it all: https://www.psaudio.com/blogs/copper/steve-thompson-and-1201_alarm-create-the-first-music-album-destined-to-land-on-the-moon?mc_cid=34115bc0ea&mc_eid=bdd84aa5e1

#Music #Moon

helenczerski, 6 months ago to climate

The third episode of our four-part podcast series on the UK oil sector is out now, all about regulation. If we want to dismantle this industry, we need to understand it. That’s the only way we’re going to pull the right levers to get rid of it well. It’s important, because it would be very easy to do it badly - for the climate, the country, and all the people affected.

https://www.intelligencesquared.com/tides-of-transformation/

#climate #oil #podcasts

davidho, 6 months ago to random

David Lappartient, the president of pro cycling's governing body UCI, wants to make pro cycling carbon-neutral by 2030.

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/the-race-to-net-zero-exclusive-interview-with-the-ucis-president-on-pro-cycling-sustainable

helenczerski, 6 months ago to science

I look forward to the day when we have to explain the oil industry to the next generation in the same way that our history teachers explain that yes, it used to be common to use lead in makeup, to smoke on planes, and to teach workers using radioactive paint to lick their brushes.

#science #oil #history

helenczerski, 6 months ago to mastodon

Maybe you all knew about this, but @davidho has just introduced me to this useful tool for expanding your Mastondon world:

https://followgraph.vercel.app/#searchForm

It looks at the people you follow and the people they follow and ranks them by the number of follows from your followed. Hopefully you will find some people who were on here all along but who you hadn't found yet - I did.

#mastodon #network

helenczerski, 6 months ago to random

The UK oil industry has mostly operated in near-invisibility, and now it's time for it to go. So what actually is this thing that needs to be dismantled? The second episode of our 4-part IQ2 podcast series on all this is out now, asking who owns oil.

https://www.intelligencesquared.com/tides-of-transformation/

If you think oil should go (and I do) you need to know what we're up against. Making this was fascinating, because this is the stuff that tells you where the effective levers are.

helenczerski, 6 months ago to climate

It is completely ludicrous that anyone is still talking about hydrogen for home heating - it’s far less efficient, less safe, more expensive and less flexible than heat pumps. This report is the last nail in a coffin that is already more nail than coffin.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/oct/21/hydrogen-boiler-home-heating-uk?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

#climate #hydrogen

helenczerski, 6 months ago to books

I'll be on the east coast of the US soon, to talk about The Blue Machine and the ocean. If you're in one of these places, do come along: 🧪

10/30: CUNY https://tinyurl.com/29mcz234

10/31: Half King Reading Series, NYC https://t.ly/Cd56B

11/1: University of Rhode Island https://t.ly/zT6hD

11/2: Jacksonville FL https://t.ly/BB1_1

(and if you need convincing, here's the Science book review: https://t.ly/9Sf_7 )

#books #ocean #science

helenczerski, 7 months ago to science

Reviewing scientific papers would be much more fun if the actual science wasn't so often obscured by so many basic errors of grammar, communication and logic. It's often like marking 1st year UG projects.

No-one should be talking about scientists learning the skills to communicate with the public, policymakers etc until those scientists can actually communicate to start with.

And sloppy writing betrays sloppy thinking, so it matters.

#Grump #science #SundayReview

helenczerski, 7 months ago to climate

The oil industry has mostly operated in relative invisibility, and now lots of us want to see the back of it. But how does it operate, who controls and own it, how deep do its tentacles go into everyday life, and who will be impacted by getting rid of it?

To find out, do listen to our 4-part Intelligence Squared podcast Tides of Transformation (first part now out), looking at all of those questions, mostly in relation to the North Sea: https://www.intelligencesquared.com/tides-of-transformation/

#oil #climate #NorthSea

helenczerski, 7 months ago to climate

I keep thinking about Chris vT's suggested approach to ultra-processed food: put yourself on a two week 80% UPF diet BUT read/educate yourself throughout about harm it's does you. It will become revolting, and you'll be weaned off it.

Would this work for climate change? Yes, fly to NZ for just 3 days, binge eat beef, splurge on fast fashion, drive everywhere etc, but HERE is your reading list while you do all that... ? Maybe? Has anyone tried?

#climate #UPF #habits