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Barry Saxifrage

@bsaxifrage.bsky.social

Reporting about climate change at http://nationalobserver.com/u/barry-saxifrage and http://VisualCarbon.org

3,410 Followers  |  429 Following  |  11 Posts  |  Joined: 08.11.2024
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Posts by Barry Saxifrage (@bsaxifrage.bsky.social)

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Biggest study yet shows plug-in hybrids use over 300% more fuel than claimed As EU mulls new regulations, a real-world study of a million PHEVs shows even when charged up, they still use 3x as much gas as claimed.

New study from the Fraunhofer Institute based on nearly 1M PHEVs in Europe concludes that they use much more fossil fuels than advertised. πŸ§ͺπŸ”ŒπŸ’‘β˜€οΈπŸ’¨πŸ’§πŸ”‹ a 🧡 electrek.co/2026/02/19/b...

21.02.2026 19:26 β€” πŸ‘ 136    πŸ” 50    πŸ’¬ 12    πŸ“Œ 13
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β€˜Don’t go to the US – not with Trump in charge’: the UK tourist with a valid visa detained by ICE for six weeks Karen Newton was in America on the trip of a lifetime when she was shackled, transported and held for weeks on end. With tourism to the US under increasing strain, she says, β€˜If it can happen to me, i...

A retired British primary school administrator with a British passport and a valid visa was shackled, chained and detained for six weeks by ICE

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

21.02.2026 06:54 β€” πŸ‘ 7225    πŸ” 4202    πŸ’¬ 250    πŸ“Œ 631
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Electric Vehicle Sales Boom as Ethiopia Bans Fossil-Fuel Car Imports The East African country is making use of cheap hydropower and Chinese electric vehicles to ditch the internal combustion engine.

Two years ago, Ethiopia did something no other rich country has yet. It banned the import of new fossil fuel cars. In that time, the country went from less than 1% of its vehicles being electric to more than 6% β€” higher than the global average. Read our feature:

πŸŽπŸ”— www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

18.02.2026 06:04 β€” πŸ‘ 145    πŸ” 57    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 11

A green transition deal was worked out in Spain...

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

12.02.2026 05:57 β€” πŸ‘ 36    πŸ” 10    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 2
A mountain-top pavement comprised of glacier-polished brownish cross sections of cabbage-like concentric fossilized blue-green algae.

A mountain-top pavement comprised of glacier-polished brownish cross sections of cabbage-like concentric fossilized blue-green algae.

If you take a breath today remember to be grateful to the bottom of your lungs to these guys that made it all possible. Ice-polished ~1.5 billion yo Proterozoic fossil cyanobacterial stromatolite pavement, at Grinnell Glacier, Glacier NP, MT. Oldest fossils I have ever seen!

07.02.2026 14:11 β€” πŸ‘ 1315    πŸ” 158    πŸ’¬ 31    πŸ“Œ 8
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Opinion: What’s the future of electric vehicles when even Elon Musk wants out? The Tesla founder and CEO said last week the company would stop production of its model S and X cars

C'mon, @theglobeandmail.com. Are you kidding us with this nonsense?

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/com...

05.02.2026 02:46 β€” πŸ‘ 209    πŸ” 46    πŸ’¬ 29    πŸ“Œ 9
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Thinking about lying Climate denial taught our leaders shamelessness

β€œWhere the GOP learned to lie as a matter of course is an interesting question, and I’m afraid I’ve had a front row seat. I think it’s the climate fight, more than anything else, that taught them to regard reality as optional.”

Read @billmckibben.bsky.social on how we reached this moment

05.02.2026 04:32 β€” πŸ‘ 188    πŸ” 75    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 5
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Breaking: Washington Post gutting its climate team Clean energy dies in darkness. Courtesy of Jeff Bezos.

I don't say this often but: I'm so proud to be a climate and environment reporter. We cover an issue that is vitally important to humanity and the natural world. 14 of my climate colleagues at the Post were laid off today and I'm devastated.

www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/washington...

05.02.2026 02:17 β€” πŸ‘ 1949    πŸ” 580    πŸ’¬ 51    πŸ“Œ 42
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How Environmental Enforcement Has Dropped Under Trump Federal officials have been going after fewer polluters in court, according to a new report by an environmental watchdog group.

So far, the Trump administration has filed about 80% fewer court cases against polluters than during the president's first term.

05.02.2026 07:00 β€” πŸ‘ 35    πŸ” 37    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 1

β€œThere’s a tendency in certain government departments to trivialise the impacts of #climate on the economy so as to avoid making difficult choices today. This is a big problem – the consequences of delay are catastrophic.” - Mark Campanale, CEO of @carbontracker.bsky.social

05.02.2026 06:44 β€” πŸ‘ 67    πŸ” 23    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 1
Figure of Western U.S. snow cover area from 2001 to 2026 illustrates a staggering decline in current coverage compared to historical norms. While the historical data for mid-January typically clusters between 400,000 and 600,000 square miles, the line for 2026 sits in unprecedented territory at the very bottom of the graph. On January 15, 2026, the snow cover area plummeted to a record low of 142,700 square milesβ€”less than one-third of the median and the lowest point in the entire 25-year satellite record. This visual gap emphasizes a severe "snow drought," with the 2026 data point trailing significantly behind even the previous record lows, highlighting an extreme and alarming anomaly in winter precipitation.

Figure of Western U.S. snow cover area from 2001 to 2026 illustrates a staggering decline in current coverage compared to historical norms. While the historical data for mid-January typically clusters between 400,000 and 600,000 square miles, the line for 2026 sits in unprecedented territory at the very bottom of the graph. On January 15, 2026, the snow cover area plummeted to a record low of 142,700 square milesβ€”less than one-third of the median and the lowest point in the entire 25-year satellite record. This visual gap emphasizes a severe "snow drought," with the 2026 data point trailing significantly behind even the previous record lows, highlighting an extreme and alarming anomaly in winter precipitation.

The western U.S. faces its lowest snowpack on record despite average or above-average rainfall. Warmer temperatures mean more precipitation falls as rain rather than snow, and will worsen droughts in areas like the Pacific Northwest and the Colorado River Basin.

science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-...

03.02.2026 06:26 β€” πŸ‘ 298    πŸ” 149    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 24
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How cold has this winter been so far? The first 2/3 of winter 2025-26 is the 7th warmest on record for the Contiguous U.S.

02.02.2026 03:22 β€” πŸ‘ 104    πŸ” 38    πŸ’¬ 7    πŸ“Œ 7
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LNG Canada has been flaring up to 15 times more gas than expected, documents reveal Problem with the Kitimat facility’s flaring equipment has resulted in LNG Canada burning significantly more gas β€” and it could take three years to fix

Flaring Hell πŸ”₯

LNG Canada has been flaring up to 15 times more gas than expected, Vancouver Sun
share.google/GsdDR3S23vwT...

02.02.2026 05:04 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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A Secret Panel to Question Climate Science Was Unlawful, Judge Rules

Oh! β€œA federal judge on Friday ruled the Energy Department violated the law when Secretary Chris Wright handpicked five researchers who reject the scientific consensus on climate change to work in secret on a sweeping government report on global warming.”

30.01.2026 23:07 β€” πŸ‘ 373    πŸ” 145    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 6
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La NiΓ±a is Dissolving Rapidly, Marking the Start of a Major Atmospheric and Oceanic Shift for 2026 La NiΓ±a is now starting to dissolve, signaling a major weather shift for the United States and Canada from Summer into Winter 2026/2027

#HeadsUp La NiΓ±a is Dissolving Rapidly πŸ”₯

La NiΓ±a is Dissolving Rapidly, Marking the Start of a Major Atmospheric and Oceanic Shift for 2026 Β» Severe Weather Europe share.google/gP8VXKYfnR11...

30.01.2026 03:33 β€” πŸ‘ 17    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
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The accidental climate scientist who uncovered an unexpected force of global warming | CNN The Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences has awarded the Crafoord Prize to climate scientist Veerabhadran Ramanathan. He discovered a powerful force of global warming.

One molecule of a CFC could have the same warming effect as up to 10,000 molecules of carbon dioxide

www.cnn.com/2026/01/29/s...

30.01.2026 06:44 β€” πŸ‘ 10    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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β€˜Creeping snow drought’: Canadian research shows less snowpack a concern New research shows less snowpack in certain regions of Canada can have wide-ranging effects on everything from farms and wildlife to the broader economy.

ICYMI: β€œNew research shows less snowpack in certain regions of Canada can have wide-ranging effects on everything from farms and wildlife to the broader economy.” www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-... - CTV News

#Canada #CanadianRockies #Environment #GreatLakes #Hydrology #Okanagan #Quebec #SnowDrought

30.01.2026 06:47 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 10    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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β€˜Situation is dire’ for Sicily town teetering on cliff edge after landslide 1,500 people evacuated from Niscemi after battering by Cyclone Harry triggers 4km-long chasm in hillside

"The Italian gov on Mon declared a state of emergency for southern regions battered by Cyclone Harry last week. The powerful storm brought relentless rain & waves as high as 9m...[destroying] roads &coastal defences, sweeping away beach resorts. The cost of the damage is estimated at more than €1bn"

28.01.2026 02:27 β€” πŸ‘ 48    πŸ” 24    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 2
Chaetoceros socialis - a colonial diatom- imaged with the lisst holo2, an underwater camera that takes 3D images of microscopic particles. The squiggly chains of individual cells grow together in balls that are actually visible by eye if you hold the seawater up to the light. Images are black and white because a laser is used to take 3D images.

Chaetoceros socialis - a colonial diatom- imaged with the lisst holo2, an underwater camera that takes 3D images of microscopic particles. The squiggly chains of individual cells grow together in balls that are actually visible by eye if you hold the seawater up to the light. Images are black and white because a laser is used to take 3D images.

The lisst -holo2, an underwater camera that takes 3D images of microscopic particles getting ready for deployment in the land aboard the RV Sikuliaq

The lisst -holo2, an underwater camera that takes 3D images of microscopic particles getting ready for deployment in the land aboard the RV Sikuliaq

The CTD rosette (the workhorse of oceanography) getting ready to be sent to the bottom of the ocean. The lisst holo2 is mounted on the bottom of the rosette and saves 1 image/second as the rosette descends

The CTD rosette (the workhorse of oceanography) getting ready to be sent to the bottom of the ocean. The lisst holo2 is mounted on the bottom of the rosette and saves 1 image/second as the rosette descends

To study the distribution of phytoplankton🦠 and marine snow❄️, we are sending a holographic camera down on the CTD rosette to a take a 3D image every second. Then we can reconstruct bio volume and export! The most common phytoplankton on this cruise has been Chaetoceros socialis (⬇️) #oceanography πŸ‡¦πŸ‡ΆπŸ§πŸŒŠ

28.01.2026 03:41 β€” πŸ‘ 42    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
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Ventilation of the North Atlantic is Weakening 20 January 2026 / Kiel. The renewal of deep waters in the North Atlantic has slowed markedly over the past three decades. This is shown by a new study from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Resear...

"The results also indicate that current #climate models underestimate the magnitude of the observed changes. This is caused most likely by a too simplistic representation of deep mixing processes in the ocean in numerical models"

#AMOC
#FasterThanExpected

26.01.2026 02:35 β€” πŸ‘ 116    πŸ” 60    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 4
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We escaped the ice and have been science hard for 2 days - four full stations and a big factorial experiment setup! Very tired but very happy to be working. We caught Antarctic krill at one station, and lots of salps at all stations. Love the Green krill guts full of phytoplankton! #oceanography πŸŒŠπŸ‡¦πŸ‡ΆπŸ¦

23.01.2026 03:54 β€” πŸ‘ 1390    πŸ” 111    πŸ’¬ 54    πŸ“Œ 9
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Arctic sea ice volume is at a record low for the time of year, it has been at a record daily low for well over a year. The image shows Arctic sea ice volume through January 22, 2026. arctic-news.blogspot.com/2026/01/gree...

23.01.2026 05:42 β€” πŸ‘ 10    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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One ship load of solar PV is worth more to the grid than 100 ships of coal: IEA says fossil fuels losing race One container ship of solar PV modules can make the same amount of electricity as 100 ships of coal, according to the IEA's latest report.

"Single ship load of solar PV – which can ultimately deliver 170 terawatt hours of PV once installed, is now worth 120 coal carries, or 57 LNG tankers"

23.01.2026 05:51 β€” πŸ‘ 132    πŸ” 68    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 7
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Shell, Mitsubishi exploring sale options for their stakes in LNG Canada: Reuters exclusive Shell and Mitsubishi are exploring sale options for their respective stakes in the $40-billion LNG Canada project, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

BC friends, take note! This is a pretty major development that should be getting more attention: Both Shell & Mitsubishi appear to be seeking to offload their stakes in LNG Canada...

www.ctvnews.ca/business/art...

21.01.2026 01:48 β€” πŸ‘ 37    πŸ” 11    πŸ’¬ 6    πŸ“Œ 1
This line graph illustrates the percentage change in agency staff levels from the previous year for nine major U.S. federal scientific and health organizations between the fiscal years 2016 and 2025. The agencies tracked include the CDC, Department of Energy, EPA, FDA, NASA, NIH, NIST, NOAA, and NSF. For the majority of the timeline between 2016 and 2023, the agencies show relatively stable fluctuations, generally staying within a range of +5% to -5% change per year. However, there is a dramatic and uniform plummet starting in the 2024–25 period. Every agency depicted shows a sharp downward trajectory, with staffing losses ranging from approximately -15% to over -25%. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows the most significant decline, dropping to roughly -26%, while the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shows the least severe but still substantial drop at approximately -15%.

This line graph illustrates the percentage change in agency staff levels from the previous year for nine major U.S. federal scientific and health organizations between the fiscal years 2016 and 2025. The agencies tracked include the CDC, Department of Energy, EPA, FDA, NASA, NIH, NIST, NOAA, and NSF. For the majority of the timeline between 2016 and 2023, the agencies show relatively stable fluctuations, generally staying within a range of +5% to -5% change per year. However, there is a dramatic and uniform plummet starting in the 2024–25 period. Every agency depicted shows a sharp downward trajectory, with staffing losses ranging from approximately -15% to over -25%. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows the most significant decline, dropping to roughly -26%, while the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shows the least severe but still substantial drop at approximately -15%.

This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.

www.nature.com/immersive/d4...

20.01.2026 22:53 β€” πŸ‘ 14458    πŸ” 8322    πŸ’¬ 90    πŸ“Œ 764
Four speakers hold up a chart that reads "2025 Progress Report; BC's Climate Emergency Response." They stand in front of Canada Place with fire banners behind them.

Four speakers hold up a chart that reads "2025 Progress Report; BC's Climate Emergency Response." They stand in front of Canada Place with fire banners behind them.

Today we launched our 2025 Climate Action Progress Report, evaluating the #BCgov.

The result? 8 failing grades, and 2 grades of minor progress. The worst outcome in 4 years.

FULL REPORT: bcclimateemergency.ca/progress-rep...

@cape-bc.bsky.social @myseatosky.bsky.social @ubcic.bsky.social

19.01.2026 23:30 β€” πŸ‘ 47    πŸ” 32    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 3

I heard a story on the radio that I really liked, and I wrote to the reporter to express my appreciation. This is the reply I received:

"Thank you David - your appreciation note is rare and came right when I needed it."

We should do this more often. Journalism is so important to a free society.

19.01.2026 23:57 β€” πŸ‘ 591    πŸ” 65    πŸ’¬ 9    πŸ“Œ 6

"The time for a strong stance on climate change will always be now, we owe it to our children, grandchildren, and all future generations." Grand Chief Stewart Phillip @ubcic.bsky.social #bcpoli #climatesky

20.01.2026 04:52 β€” πŸ‘ 24    πŸ” 11    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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One ship loaded with solar PV is now worth more to the grid than 120 coal-carriers Technology gains mean that one ship load of solar PV panels is now worth more to the grid than 120 coal carriers, or 57 LNG tankers.

One ship went to so.. went to solarize the medow ⚑

One ship loaded with solar PV is now worth more to the grid than 120 coal-carriers

reneweconomy.com.au/one-ship-loa...

17.01.2026 03:57 β€” πŸ‘ 30    πŸ” 15    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1
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2025 Wasn’t the Hottest Year on Record. Earth Is Still Barreling to the Climate Brink Global warming surpassed 1.5 degrees Celsius for the past three years, meaning Earth is currently on track to breach the Paris climate agreement by the end of the decade

Global warming surpassed 1.5 degrees Celsius for the past three years, meaning Earth is currently on track to breach the Paris climate agreement by the end of the decade

14.01.2026 13:45 β€” πŸ‘ 431    πŸ” 259    πŸ’¬ 18    πŸ“Œ 20