helenczerski

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

helenczerski, 7 months ago to science

People of Sheffield, I'll be speaking about the ocean and Blue Machine at Off The Shelf this weekend:

https://offtheshelf.org.uk/event/blue-machine-how-the-ocean-shapes-our-world/

and do join us in Leeds on Sunday for a discussion following the Cosmic Shambles film Rapid Motion through Space:

https://leedsheritagetheatres.com/whats-on/rapid-motion-through-space-screening-2023/

#science #speed #ocean

helenczerski, 7 months ago to books

Before you get too enthusiastic about audiobooks on Spotify, bear in mind that it's not clear authors will get any benefit from their work being there (therefore they probably won't) and that this lack of transparency appears to be a feature, not a bug:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/oct/11/spotify-audiobook-streaming-devastating-effect-authors

#books #spotify #Authors #audiobooks

sellathechemist, 7 months ago to random

here at UCL we have just received a "security alert" from a senior (panicky) manager in our Estates Team about possible "disruption" from #JustStopOil . Maybe I should send him this graph (courtesy of @peter_glen). We have to cut our emissions by ½ by 2030 and 80% by 2040… This is not a rehearsal. So maybe it's time we focused our concerns about safety and security somewhere more appropriate? A bunch of pensioners with paintpots and glue aren't a risk to our "business model".

helenczerski, 7 months ago to ocean

It appears that Science magazine has just been very nice about Blue Machine (The Blue Machine in the USA): https://www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.1126/science.adj7198

Do spread the word if you know anyone who needs to know what the ocean really is and why it's important.

#ocean #books #Earth

helenczerski, 7 months ago to climate

Just finished Chris vT's excellent book Ultra-Processed People & found these two paragraphs. They ring so true, because this is not just tobacco or health or food, but it's exactly the problem we have with COP28, with the UAE's national oil chief in charge:

"No-one thinks that tobacco legislation should be written by charities funded by British American Tobacco... the relationship cannot be one of partnership"

This needs to be written everywhere: regulators CANNOT be partners

#climate #COP28

helenczerski, 7 months ago (edited 7 months ago) to ocean

I am often asked "what are some of the mysteries that we still don't understand about the deep ocean", because people are more interested in mysteries than the wonders we do know.

But it's just occurred to me that the one thing we REALLY don't know about the deep ocean is whether we can leave it alone.

Do we have the self-control to NOT mine, modify, meddle etc in the deep sea? And just for once, not spoil it and then regret it, like we have done with everything else?

#ocean #DeepSea

helenczerski, 7 months ago to climate

This sort of thing isn't unusual, but this was particularly brazon:

Request from a production company, wanting me to be an expert contributor to a documentary about the rocks/chemicals supplied by Saudi Arabia that might contribute to net zero "that will be aired on major platforms", and they refused to tell me the context or other content, show me the plan for the whole documentary, or tell me who is funding it.

Helping COP28 greenwashing? No thank you.

#climate #COP28 #KSA

helenczerski, 7 months ago to climate

I think I'm still in recovery from learning a few weeks ago that Canadian fossil fuel companies tell people that because it's "natural" gas that they produce, burning it can't hurt the environment. And people believe them. I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, remember that and 🤯🤯🤯🤯

#climate #oil #gas #natural

MichelleMartin, 7 months ago to random

Where are people most active these days? Twitter, Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky? Do you have a favourite in one but cross post to any others?
I’ve hardly been active since the issues started but I do miss the public social interactions.
(Posting to Mastodon, Threads, X as part of the experiment)

helenczerski, 7 months ago to ocean

It's publication day for The Blue Machine in the US and Canada. Same book, with a different subtitle and miles in some places instead of km (but still mostly SI units, yay!).

If you're an ocean scientist and your family don't understand what you do and why, this might help.

"I love Helen Czerski’s writing, and this is her richest work yet—as clear as springwater, yet as filled with fascinating things as the ocean itself."- Sarah Bakewell

https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324006718/about-the-book/reviews

#ocean #books #BlueMachine

helenczerski, 7 months ago to Rats

I love this piece "In Defense of the Rat", and I am more than halfway convinced (although I never found them that icky in the first place):

https://hakaimagazine.com/features/in-defense-of-the-rat/?omhide=true&utm_source=Hakai+Magazine+Weekly&utm_campaign=3b98bcde67-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_09_06_COPY_03&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0fc1967411-3b98bcde67-121628661

"In a world at war with the rat, a defense of the enemy might seem hopeless. Yet the second reason to mount that defense is that there is new evidence in the rat’s favor. A growing body of research paints a picture of the accused that is far less vile than has been portrayed, and that may even charm the jury. "

#Rats #Animals

davidho, 7 months ago to random

Climate science is too depressing so I've decided to become a photographer.

See my work here: https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324006718

helenczerski, 8 months ago to Trains

Well, that's a new one. I'm on a train to Carlisle which has been stuck at Preston for a while (after a load of people got on here), and was already overcrowded because the train before it was cancelled. They’ve just announced that the train is overcrowded and they will not let the train move until some people leave the train. So now everyone is looking at everyone else, wondering who is going to move.

WHY are we underfunding railways to the point where this is even an option?

#trains

helenczerski, 8 months ago to climate

This is a horrendous decision: Rosebank, the largest untapped oilfield in UK waters, has been approved by the UK government. This comes via the regulator, the North Sea Transition Authority, which is in severe need of reform.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been working on a podcast series about the structure and ownership of the UK oil sector, because this is essential understanding for dismantling it. It’s been eye-opening, but empowering. It’ll be out in 2-3 weeks.

#Rosebank #oil #climate

helenczerski, 8 months ago to liveaboard

Science/coastal hivemind, I need your help. We’re working on the underwater acoustics of small all-electric boats (almost certainly far less underwater noise pollution than engines). We would like to do some trials - just measuring the sound near an electric boat - but we’re struggling to find someone in (or very near) the UK who has an electric boat we could use/hire. Has anyone got any ideas or know anyone who owns an electric boat?

#boats #electric #sea