Laura Pereira's Avatar

Laura Pereira

@laurap18.bsky.social

South African sustainability scientist. Prof in Sustainability Transformations and Futures at Global Change Institute, Wits University and researcher at Stockholm Resilience Centre. IPBES expert, Earth Commissioner and general academic traveller

2,565 Followers  |  341 Following  |  77 Posts  |  Joined: 04.10.2023  |  2.1834

Latest posts by laurap18.bsky.social on Bluesky


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Support Tareq and his family in Gaza I am supporting my friend Tareq in Gaza, this is his story in his own words:

Support Tareq and his family in Gaza chuffed.org/project/1440...

20.02.2026 15:47 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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🚨 HUGE NEWS! 🚨

All Will Rise is now LIVE on Kickstarter! Fundraising has begun to bring our revenge fantasy against the powerful to life.

Want to try before you fund? All Will Rise currently has a demo on Steam too!

Kickstarter: www.kickstarter.com/projects/spe...

#IndieGame #GameDev #IndieDev

16.02.2026 13:48 β€” πŸ‘ 232    πŸ” 127    πŸ’¬ 8    πŸ“Œ 38
The political effects of X's feed algorithm
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10098-2
Received: 16 December 2024
Accepted: 4 January 2026
Published online: 18 February 2026
Open access
β€’ Check for updates
Germain Gauthier,5, Roland Hodler?5, Philine Widmer35 & Ekaterina Zhuravskaya3,4,5 m
Feed algorithms are widely suspected to influence political attitudes. However, previous evidence from switching off the algorithm on Meta platforms found no political effects'. Here we present results from a 2023 field experiment on Elon Musk's platform X shedding light on this puzzle. We assigned active US-based users randomly to either an algorithmic or a chronological feed for 7 weeks, measuring political attitudes and online behaviour. Switching from a chronological to an algorithmic feed increased engagement and shifted political opinion towards more conservative positions, particularly regarding policy priorities, perceptions of criminal investigations into Donald Trump and views on the war in Ukraine. In contrast, switching from the algorithmic to the chronological feed had no comparable effects.
Neither switching the algorithm on nor switching it off significantly affected affective polarization or self-reported partisanship. To investigate the mechanism, we analysed users' feed content and behaviour. We found that the algorithm promotes conservative content and demotes posts by traditional media. Exposure to algorithmic content leads users to follow conservative political activist accounts, which they continue to follow even after switching off the algorithm, helping explain the asymmetry in effects. These results suggest that initial exposure to X's algorithm has persistent effects on users' current political attitudes and account-following behaviour, even in the absence of a detectable effect on partisanship.

The political effects of X's feed algorithm https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10098-2 Received: 16 December 2024 Accepted: 4 January 2026 Published online: 18 February 2026 Open access β€’ Check for updates Germain Gauthier,5, Roland Hodler?5, Philine Widmer35 & Ekaterina Zhuravskaya3,4,5 m Feed algorithms are widely suspected to influence political attitudes. However, previous evidence from switching off the algorithm on Meta platforms found no political effects'. Here we present results from a 2023 field experiment on Elon Musk's platform X shedding light on this puzzle. We assigned active US-based users randomly to either an algorithmic or a chronological feed for 7 weeks, measuring political attitudes and online behaviour. Switching from a chronological to an algorithmic feed increased engagement and shifted political opinion towards more conservative positions, particularly regarding policy priorities, perceptions of criminal investigations into Donald Trump and views on the war in Ukraine. In contrast, switching from the algorithmic to the chronological feed had no comparable effects. Neither switching the algorithm on nor switching it off significantly affected affective polarization or self-reported partisanship. To investigate the mechanism, we analysed users' feed content and behaviour. We found that the algorithm promotes conservative content and demotes posts by traditional media. Exposure to algorithmic content leads users to follow conservative political activist accounts, which they continue to follow even after switching off the algorithm, helping explain the asymmetry in effects. These results suggest that initial exposure to X's algorithm has persistent effects on users' current political attitudes and account-following behaviour, even in the absence of a detectable effect on partisanship.

A new paper shows that less than 2 months of exposure to Twitter’s algorithmic feed significantly shifts people’s political views to the right.

Moving from chronological feed to the algorithmic feed also increases engagement.

This is one of the most concerning papers I’ve read in awhile.

19.02.2026 18:57 β€” πŸ‘ 4213    πŸ” 2066    πŸ’¬ 118    πŸ“Œ 237

β€˜Give your love a book or something’ ❀️ πŸ₯€

13.02.2026 21:56 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Then we need to make a plan!

12.02.2026 06:39 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
A view of the IPBES 12 Plenary in Manchester former railway station.

A view of the IPBES 12 Plenary in Manchester former railway station.

IPBES Chair David Obura.

IPBES Chair David Obura.

Working Group 1 Co-Chair Eeva Primmer providing an update during the stocktaking plenary.

Working Group 1 Co-Chair Eeva Primmer providing an update during the stocktaking plenary.

Working Group 2 Co-Chair Hesiquio BenΓ­tez DΓ­az providing an update during the stocktaking plenary.

Working Group 2 Co-Chair Hesiquio BenΓ­tez DΓ­az providing an update during the stocktaking plenary.

This morning, delegates at #IPBES12 heard about progress across negotiation groups

The @ipbes.net Plenary is wrapping up on Sunday and delegates need to finalize their consideration of the #BizBiodiversity Assessment and other outstanding matters before then

06.02.2026 12:32 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
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Reimagining coral reef futures - npj Ocean Sustainability npj Ocean Sustainability - Reimagining coral reef futures

New Paper ❗️
πŸͺΈReimagining #CoralReef futures

Where we develop aspirational visions for coral reefs towards a #SafeAndJust space
πŸ‘‡πŸ½
doi.org/10.1038/s44183-025-00179-6
With @joachimclaudet.bsky.social @jessicablythe.bsky.social @vbrn.bsky.social et al @sthlmresilience.bsky.social

05.02.2026 18:11 β€” πŸ‘ 13    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

*DEADLINE EXTENDED* February 8

Submit your suggestions and nominate (yourself or others) as a co-author for the 2026 edition of the 10 New Insights in Climate Science

05.02.2026 08:31 β€” πŸ‘ 18    πŸ” 16    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 2
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⚑ #BreakingNews ⚑ / 🚨 Paper Alert! 🚨

πŸš€ The Ocean Equity Index is out! πŸ«‚ 🎣 🐟

The Ocean Equity Index (#OEI) is a tool to guide the development of more equitable #ocean #governance and #management.

πŸ“° doi.org/10.1038/s415...

05.02.2026 07:58 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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🚨 Paper Alert! 🚨

πŸͺΈπŸŸπŸŽ£πŸ«‚ Reimagining #CoralReef futures 🌟🌠🌌

♾️ Visions + narratives constitute key stepping stones to reimagining desirable relationships between people and coral reefs and speak to both anticipatory and adaptive pathways toward desired change.

doi.org/10.1038/s441...

05.02.2026 08:10 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Today’s crises aren’t just about what we do but who decides and what we value.

Commissioner @laurap18.bsky.social highlights the need to rethink the goals and power structures shaping our economic and governance systems.

A #SafeAndJust future means changing direction, not just speed.

04.02.2026 08:57 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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The Ocean Equity Index - Nature The Ocean Equity Index provides a systematic, twelve-criteria framework to assess and improve equity in ocean initiatives, projects and policies, producing structured data that guide evidence-bas...

🌊 The global community has made ambitious commitments to advancing ocean equity – what is missing is a transparent & replicable way to measure equity and track progress 🐠

πŸ“’ Our new @nature.com paper, the #OceanEquityIndex, offers a simple yet robust solution: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

28.01.2026 19:14 β€” πŸ‘ 26    πŸ” 13    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 4
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Honoured to be able to speak today on the #BBNJ and #oceangovernance and what this means for #Africa here on the @greenpeace.org #RainbowWarrior 🌈 🌊

23.01.2026 09:25 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Opinion | In Minneapolis, I Glimpsed a Civil War

"But when I landed in Minneapolis and saw the size, scope and lawlessness of the federal onslaught unfolding here, I understood that Good’s killing was emblematic of its true mission: to stage a spectacle of cruelty upon a city that stands in stark defiance of Trump’s dark vision of America."

19.01.2026 16:51 β€” πŸ‘ 591    πŸ” 198    πŸ’¬ 9    πŸ“Œ 10

πŸ’™So excited for this epic project with @joachimclaudet.bsky.social @sebasvillasante.bsky.social and the e rest of the team @inspiriprojecteu.bsky.social
🌊Watch this space over the next 3 years πŸ’ͺ🏾

17.01.2026 11:35 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
INSPIRI Project Launch Video
YouTube video by INSPIRI PROJECT_ EU INSPIRI Project Launch Video

🌊 How do we imagine the future of European oceans and waters? We proudly introduce INSPIRI – an EU funded Horizon Europe project dedicated to co-designing actionable visions for a restored ocean and water system in the EU by 2030 and 2050.

Watch our launch video below to learn more!

16.01.2026 13:48 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 2
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The Importance of Accounting for Stakeholder Values, Power Relationships and Language in Constructing Relevant and Trustworthy Climate Information Accounting for stakeholder values, power relationships and language is important to construct user-relevant climate information These aspects cannot be treated separately as they influence each o...

After a long journey: why user values, power relationships and language have to be accounted for to construct user-relevant trustworthy climate information: agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/... @wegenercenter.bsky.social @stefansobo.bsky.social @laurap18.bsky.social @leabdiaz.bsky.social

14.01.2026 11:16 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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U.S. Invasion of Venezuela Violates International Climate Law Too The Trump administration’s oil grab and plans to expand Venezuelan production flouts last year’s landmark climate ruling from the International Court of Justice.

"The Trump administration’s oil grab and plans to expand Venezuelan production flouts last year’s landmark climate ruling from the International Court of Justice"

@ninalakhani.bsky.social's first piece for @drilledmedia.bsky.social:

drilled.media/news/Venezue...

12.01.2026 19:43 β€” πŸ‘ 43    πŸ” 11    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Great thread here πŸ‘‡πŸ½

12.01.2026 20:47 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

As I often say, you cannot distinguish justice as a research or policy objective from epistemic injustice and knowledge politics - if our research is based on positivist models of Western science, we won't see the real problems - and maybe not even the solutions. I recommend reading both papers...

12.01.2026 15:01 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Indian police raid home of environmental activists over anti-fossil fuel campaign Sarat Sampada founders Harjeet Singh and Jyoti Aswati say allegations are β€˜baseless, biased and misleading’

Solidarity with climate warriors @harjeet11.bsky.social & Jyoti Aswati, whose Delhi home was raided by Indian authorities amid outrageous claims their fossil fuels campaign is funded by foreign actors and threatens national security - part of a global crackdown
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

07.01.2026 21:09 β€” πŸ‘ 29    πŸ” 12    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
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β€œWe cannot withdraw from the fact that over 1 million species of plants and animals face extinction.” πŸ§ͺ

IPBES remains committed to its mandate to provide the most credible science and evidence about biodiversity to all decision makers and actors. 🌍

08.01.2026 20:07 β€” πŸ‘ 158    πŸ” 86    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 6
Split-screen image on a deep green background. Left side contains a statement from Dr David Obura, IPBES Chair, regarding the US withdrawal from IPBES and extinction threats to over 1 million species. Right side shows a photograph of a man wearing glasses, dressed in a dark jacket and grey shirt, seated at a conference table with a microphone. The IPBES logo appears at the bottom with the tagline "Science and Policy for People and Nature". The design features white typography on the dark green background, creating a professional contrast. Several small pins or badges are visible on the speaker's jacket.

Split-screen image on a deep green background. Left side contains a statement from Dr David Obura, IPBES Chair, regarding the US withdrawal from IPBES and extinction threats to over 1 million species. Right side shows a photograph of a man wearing glasses, dressed in a dark jacket and grey shirt, seated at a conference table with a microphone. The IPBES logo appears at the bottom with the tagline "Science and Policy for People and Nature". The design features white typography on the dark green background, creating a professional contrast. Several small pins or badges are visible on the speaker's jacket.

β€œWe cannot withdraw from the fact that over 1 million species of plants and animals face extinction.”

IPBES remains committed to its mandate to provide the most credible science and evidence about biodiversity to all decision makers and actors.

β€” @davidobura.bsky.social , @ipbes.net Chair

08.01.2026 18:13 β€” πŸ‘ 178    πŸ” 115    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 15
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Voyage to the Weddell Sea: Establishing a baseline for one of Earth’s last pristine ecosystems Centre researcher Susa Niiranen is setting sail for the Eastern Weddell Sea, Antarctica, joining a team of nearly 40 scientists on a major expedition to monitor one of the most remote marine…

There, the expedition aims to establish a 'zero baseline' for monitoring biodiversity in the Eastern Weddell Sea.

Read more about the expedition and Susa Niiranens role on our webpage: buff.ly/dS4W6tM

And follow the expedition here: buff.ly/b03rFUO

09.01.2026 08:01 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Expert Comment: The illegality of the US attack against Venezuela is Professor Janina Dill,Β Dame Louise Richardson Chair in Global Security at the Blavatnik School of Government, outlines why the biggest problem for international law is not the invasion of Venezuela

'Every state not calling out this blatant aggression helps hold the axe that shatters the international order.'

Why the biggest problem for international law is not the invasion of Venezuela and capture of President Maduro, but how the US and the world made sense of it ⬇️

08.01.2026 11:50 β€” πŸ‘ 18    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1
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Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says the US crossed an 'unacceptable line' following attacks on Venezuela and the capture of its president, Nicolas Maduro.

04.01.2026 09:32 β€” πŸ‘ 2473    πŸ” 787    πŸ’¬ 78    πŸ“Œ 47

Me too?

02.01.2026 17:39 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Accelerating sea level rise in Africa and its large marine ecosystems since the 1990s - Communications Earth & Environment Sea-level rise in African large marine ecosystem has accelerated markedly since 2010, mostly due to ice sheet loss and land subsidence, with the Red Sea and Guinea Current rising fastest, according to...

🌊Sea-level rise in African large marine ecosystems has accelerated markedly since 2010, mostly due to ice sheet loss and land subsidence, with the Red Sea and Guinea Current rising fastest.

πŸ‘‰Read more here:
www.nature.com/articles/s43...

15.12.2025 15:40 β€” πŸ‘ 12    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 3

"If you don’t worry about it now, it’s too late later on."
"We are passing on extremely grave problems for our children when the time to solve the problems… is now."
"The overall picture is, I think, quite clear and quite widely understood and accepted."
- Carl Sagan to congress, December 10, 1985

10.12.2025 17:50 β€” πŸ‘ 62    πŸ” 28    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 4
United Nations Environment Assembly, December 2025. UNEP Executive Director, Inger Andersen, and UK’s Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature , Mary Creagh MP, sign the Host Country Agreement for the upcoming #IPBES12. They are joined by IPBES Executive Secretary, Luthando Dziba, and Chair David Obura.

United Nations Environment Assembly, December 2025. UNEP Executive Director, Inger Andersen, and UK’s Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature , Mary Creagh MP, sign the Host Country Agreement for the upcoming #IPBES12. They are joined by IPBES Executive Secretary, Luthando Dziba, and Chair David Obura.

United Nations Environment Assembly, December 2025. UNEP Executive Director, Inger Andersen, and UK’s Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature , Mary Creagh MP, sign the Host Country Agreement for the upcoming #IPBES12. They are joined by IPBES Executive Secretary, Luthando Dziba, and Chair David Obura.

United Nations Environment Assembly, December 2025. UNEP Executive Director, Inger Andersen, and UK’s Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature , Mary Creagh MP, sign the Host Country Agreement for the upcoming #IPBES12. They are joined by IPBES Executive Secretary, Luthando Dziba, and Chair David Obura.

United Nations Environment Assembly, December 2025.  Executive Secretary, Luthando Dziba, and Chair David Obura, are joined by UK's Parliamentary Under Secretary for Nature, Mary Creagh MP.

United Nations Environment Assembly, December 2025. Executive Secretary, Luthando Dziba, and Chair David Obura, are joined by UK's Parliamentary Under Secretary for Nature, Mary Creagh MP.

At #UNEA7, IPBES Executive Secretary, Dr. Luthando Dziba, and Chair @davidobura.bsky.social joined UNEP’s Executive Director, IngerAndersen.bsky.social, and Mary Creagh MP as they signed the #IPBES12 Host Country Agreement.

Thanks to the UK for hosting, and we look forward to a successful event!

12.12.2025 13:15 β€” πŸ‘ 14    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

@laurap18 is following 20 prominent accounts