Jenny Bratburd

Join the next AGU Geohealth Quarterly Seminar: Future Wildfire Smoke and Health in a Changing Climate 🔥

Friday, November 21, 2025, 1 -2 pm EST

Registration link: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

We are now accepting applications for the 2026 OpenAQ Clean Air Community Ambassador Program!

This annual program supports 10 emerging air quality leaders in low- and middle-income countries to advocate for clean air.

Learn more about eligibility and apply 👇🏽
ambassadors.openaq.org/apply

Air Pollution From Industrial Facilities Is Far Worse Than Estimated The Trump administration has put a stop to EPA rules that would have required more than 130 industrial facilities to install air monitors to measure pollution. Millions of people living near these pla...

More than 5 million people face an increased cancer risk because they live near a type of industrial plant that would have been subject to rules put forward by the Biden.

The Trump administration is rolling them back

By the inimitable @lisalsong.bsky.social

www.propublica.org/article/epa-...

Roger Pielke Jr.’s Appallingly Bad Analysis of Billion Dollar Disasters – Economics from the Top Down In a recent paper called Scientific integrity and U.S. “Billion Dollar Disasters”, Roger Pielke Jr. published a chart that's so bad I've devoted a whole essay to debunking it.

this is a very impressive analysis of some of the statistical "oddities" in Pielke Jr's analysis that normalized climate impacts are declining. Everyone should read this.
economicsfromthetopdown.com/2025/10/26/r...

The grant to protect the village in Alaska that lost all it's homes this week, with houses literally floating away in the flood, was only $20 million 🫠
bsky.app/profile/napa...

More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days. The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And near...

NEW: The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did.

We found more than 170 such incidents since the start of the second Trump administration. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes nearly 20 children, two of whom have cancer.

White words on a black background read: 50+ Immigration agents have the authority to detain whom they reasonably suspect are in the country illegally. We found more than 50 Americans who were held after agents questioned their citizenship. They were almost all Latino. ~130 Agents also can arrest citizens who allegedly interfered with or assaulted officers. We compiled cases of about 130 Americans, including a dozen elected officials, accused of assaulting or impeding officers. ~20 Among the citizens detained are nearly 20 children, including two with cancer.

Hi, I'm the ProPublica reporter who's been tracking an unusual stat: U.S. citizens grabbed by immigration agents.

I did it because the government isn’t.

This is what I found.

Alaska storm damage so bad many evacuees won’t go home for at least 18 months, governor says Damage to remote Alaska villages hammered by flooding last weekend is so extreme that many of the more than 2,000 people displaced won’t be able to return to their homes for at least 18 months.

“In one of the hardest hit villages, Kipnuk, an initial assessment showed that 121 or homes — or 90% of the total — have been destroyed”

More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days. The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And near...

BREAKING from PP

We found immigration agents have held more than 170 *citizens*

The govt doesn't track citizens held. So we did. We tallied:

Nearly 20 kids, two w/ cancer

More than 20 citizens held for day or more, incommunicado

www.propublica.org/article/immi...

by @nicolefoy.bsky.social

Only two more days to apply to our Local Science Partners program! Interested in building relationships with your members of Congress in DC and learning how to navigate federal funding uncertainty (like a shutdown)? Apply by Oct 15: lite.spr.ly/6006zyZw #scipol #scienceadvocacy

The Trump administration wants to repeal the 2009 "Endangerment Finding", arguing that greenhouse gases don't actually harm health and well-being. A group of 100+ experts reviewed the literature and disagrees. We brought the receipts (400+ references). Full comment at zenodo.org/records/1728...

Proud to be part of the Expert Working Group on Climate Change and Health that just put together a report summarizing the evidence of health harms of climate change to date. Report is here: zenodo.org/records/1728... 🛟 #climatesky

Science on the 7th: October 2025 Join us on Tuesday, October 7, 2025 for a new Science on the 7th livestream episode. We will discuss satellites and air quality with Tracey Holloway.

Join us in just 2 weeks for our #ScienceOnThe7th Livestream!

We will meet with guest Tracey Holloway, @uwmadison.bsky.social to discuss satellites and air quality.

📅 Oct 7
⏰ 9 AM EDT | 1 PM GMT
🔗 tinyurl.com/ywmwwnu2

Top Scientists Find Growing Evidence That Greenhouse Gases Are, in Fact, a Danger

🧪 New National Academies report concludes that rising greenhouse gas levels imperil public health and the 2009 endangerment finding “has stood the test of time.” Game on.

Gift link:

Top Scientists Find Growing Evidence That Greenhouse Gases Are, in Fact, a Danger www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/c...

Deadline extended to 18 Sept!

The Trump administration has proposed overturning the EPA’s endangerment finding, the science-based determination that greenhouse gases threaten public health.

Join 650+ of your peers who have signed AGU’s letter to defend climate science.

➡️ buff.ly/lLPmLZe

Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science - Madison, Wisconsin, United States Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.Job Category:FacultyEmployment Type:Regula...

My department @uwmadison.bsky.social is hiring an assistant professor with expertise in environmental politics. Send us your application. jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/assista...

Early-career researchers are the backbone of U.S. science. But many face crushing living costs, low stipends and inadequate benefits.

That’s why at #GeoCVD25, scientists are urging Congress to support the RESEARCHER Act.

📣 Take 2 minutes to email your legislator today: buff.ly/RXLoOaV

🚨 The deadline is today! Hurry to submit your application to the Freilich Competition!

👉 Supporting students working in data visualization, enter for a chance to win a $3,000 grant to attend AGU25 in-person or online: buff.ly/msrlMzh

White House Orders Agencies to Escalate Fight Against Offshore Wind

The assault on wind is very similar to the assault on vaccines - ginning up evidence to support a desired policy that harms public health. Offshore wind is good for climate, air quality, and overall grid reliability.

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/c...

Silhouette of a child running outdoors with blue sky and mountains in the background. Large text reads: “Clean air can prevent 8.1 million deaths. THE RACE IS ON.” At the bottom are logos for the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, UNEP, and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition.

Today is #CleanAirDay.

Clean air can prevent 8.1 million deaths each year, boost economies, slow global warming, and unlock new opportunities.

Solutions exist.

Join the race: www.cleanairblueskies.org

Scoop: The Draft Order that Offshore Wind Opponents Sent to Trump If even only a few of these ideas are enacted, it would be a harbinger of doom for wind energy in America.

In January I reported that anti-wind orgs floated a draft policy roadmap to the Trump transition team to completely destroy the U.S. wind energy industry

Much of the roadmap has now already come to pass, down to RFK Jr commissioning a study on whether wind turbines make people sick

As national medical, scientific, public health and patient organizations, we call for the resignation of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to ensure the health of the American people. Read our statement: asm.org/press-releas...

My resignation letter from CDC. Dear Dr. Houry, I am writing to formally resign from my position as Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective August 28, 2025, close of business. I am happy to stay on for two weeks to provide transition, if requested. This decision has not come easily, as I deeply value the work that the CDC does in safeguarding public health and am proud of my contributions to that critical mission. However, after much contemplation and reflection on recent developments and perspectives brought to light by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., I find that the views he and his staff have shared challenge my ability to continue in my current role at the agency and in the service of the health of the American people. Enough is enough. While I hold immense respect for the institution and my colleagues, I believe that it is imperative to align my professional responsibilities to my system of ethics and my understanding of the science of infectious disease, immunology, and my promise to serve the American people. This step is necessary to ensure that I can contribute effectively in a capacity that allows me to remain true to my principles.

The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people. The data analyses that supported this decision have never been shared with CDC despite my respectful requests to HHS and other leadership. This lack of meaningful engagement was further compounded by a “frequently asked questions” document written to support the Secretary’s directive that was circulated by HHS without input from CDC subject matter experts and that cited studies that did not support the conclusions that were attributed to these authors. Having worked in local and national public health for years, I have never experienced such radical non-transparency, nor have I seen such unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people. It is untenable to serve in an organization that is not afforded the opportunity to discuss decisions of scientific and public health importance released under the moniker of CDC. The lack of communication by HHS and other CDC political leadership that culminates in social media posts announcing major policy changes without prior notice demonstrate a disregard of normal communication channels and common sense. Having to retrofit analyses and policy actions to match inadequately thought-out announcements in poorly scripted videos or page long X posts should not be how organizations responsible for the health of people should function. Some examples include the announcement of the change in the COVID-19 recommendations for children and pregnant people, the firing of scientists from ACIP by X post and an op-ed rather than direct communication with these valuable experts, the announcement of new ACIP members by X before onboarding and vetting have completed, and the release of term of reference for an ACIP workgroup that ignored all feedback from career staff at CDC.

Their desire to please a political base will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults. Their base should be the people they serve not a political voting bloc. I have always been first to challenge scientific and public health dogma in my career and was excited by the opportunity to do so again. I was optimistic that there would be an opportunity to brief the Secretary about key topics such as measles, avian influenza, and the highly coordinated approach to the respiratory virus season. Such briefings would allow exchange of ideas and a shared path to support the vision of “Making America Healthy Again.” We are seven months into the new administration, and no CDC subject matter expert from my Center has ever briefed the Secretary. I am not sure who the Secretary is listening to, but it is quite certainly not to us. Unvetted and conflicted outside organizations seem to be the sources HHS use over the gold standard science of CDC and other reputable sources. At a hearing, Secretary Kennedy said that Americans should not take medical advice from him. To the contrary, an appropriately briefed and inquisitive Secretary should be a source of health information for the people he serves. As it stands now, I must agree with him, that he should not be considered a source of accurate information. The intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines favoring natural infection and unproven remedies will bring us to a pre-vaccine era where only the strong will survive and many if not all will suffer. I believe in nutrition and exercise. I believe in making our food supply healthier, and I also believe in using vaccines to prevent death and disability. Eugenics plays prominently in the rhetoric being generated and is derivative of a legacy that good medicine and science should continue to shun.

The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud. I am resigning because of the cowardice of a leader that cannot admit that HIS and his minions’ words over decades created an environment where violence like this can occur. I reject his and his colleagues’ thoughts and prayers, and advise they direct those to people that they have not actively harmed. For decades, I have been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community when it comes to critical health topics. I must also cite the recklessness of the administration in their efforts to erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research to support equity as part of my decision. Public health is not merely about the health of the individual, but it is about the health of the community, the nation, the world. The nation’s health security is at risk and is in the hands of people focusing on ideological self-interest. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunities for growth, learning, and collaboration that I have been afforded during my time at the CDC. It has been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated professionals who are committed to improving the health and well-being of communities across the nation even when under attack from within both physically and psychologically. Thank you once again for the support and guidance I have received from you and previous CDC leadership throughout my tenure. I wish the CDC continued success in its vital mission and that HHS reverse its dangerous course to dismantle public health as a practice and as an institution. If they continue the current path, they risk our personal well-being and the security of the United States.

Full resignation letter from Demetre C. Daskalakis, a CDC leader, does not hold back.
"The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud."

The CDC quietly scaled back a surveillance program for foodborne illnesses As of July 1, a critical surveillance program is monitoring for only two pathogens instead of the usual eight.

A federal-state partnership that monitors for foodborne illnesses quietly scaled back its operations nearly two months ago.

As of July 1, the critical surveillance program is monitoring for only two pathogens instead of the usual eight, a spokesperson for the CDC says.

Nominate an Impactful Dataset You are invited to nominate a dataset to be included in a commentary about the impact of Earth, space, and environmental data using the dimensions of people, planet, and prosperity. Selected…

Know a dataset making an impact for people, planet, or prosperity?

🌎 Nominate it for AGU’s upcoming commentary by 10 Oct. You may be featured!

🔗: buff.ly/XLFfYqM
#ImpactfulData #EarthScience

Hello Bluesky! We are excited to join this community! We post satellite observations of global aerosol and air quality events, including wildfires, dust storms, and haze. We focus on NOAA geostationary & polar-orbiting satellite products, but also feature TEMPO and TROPOMI imagery as well.

Sadly, I recently learned that MPLnet is being shut down due to budget cuts. We will lose a precious and unique source of information for monitoring pollution in the country. The loss of this data will impair the future development of new satellite detection technologies.
6/n

🧪🛰️🌍

Today's smoke over the Mid-Atlantic highlights a critical gap in our air quality monitoring.

We rely on satellites and surface data to track long-range pollutants, but we are about to lose a vital part of that network.

1/n

The CDC Shooting Proves How Dangerous Misinformation Can Be Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has refused to acknowledge how his anti-vaccine rhetoric endangers public health workers.

RFK's Covid vax misinfo/disinfo fueled the distrust that has made public health folks' jobs harder & more dangerous. Now, he's using the lack of trust to justify dismantling our public health protections. My latest @opinion.bloomberg.com (🎁 link):

NASA’s acting chief calls for the end of Earth science at the space agency NASA’s charter clearly states the agency should study planet Earth, however.

Studying the Earth is literally in the authorizing charter of NASA and always been part of their mission…

arstechnica.com/space/2025/0...