Albert Norström

✈️ Off to COP30 in Belém.
Time to move from negotiation to delivery — and to treat 1.5 °C as a binding obligation, not an aspiration.

Two new court rulings (ICJ + IACtHR) now frame climate stability as a human right.
A legal + moral turning point.
👉 lnkd.in/d8u7MGvc

“What happens in the ocean doesn’t stay in the ocean.” 🌊

Commission Science Director @albertnorstrm.bsky.social spoke to @svtnyheter.bsky.social on the urgent need to protect our oceans as rising emissions drive ocean acidification.

📺 Watch the story (in Swedish): www.svtplay.se/video/KqPy2m...

4.6 Billion Years On, the Sun Is Having a Moment In the past two years, without much notice, solar power has begun to truly transform the world’s energy system.

“California is so far using forty per cent less natural gas to generate electricity than it did in 2023, which is the single most hopeful statistic I’ve seen in four decades of writing about the climate crisis.”

www.newyorker.com/news/annals-...

Public Statement on Supporting Science for the Benefit of All Citizens TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE We all rely on science. Science gave us the smartphones in our pockets, the navigation systems in our cars, and life-saving medical care. We count on engineers when we drive acr...

1,900 scientists accuse Trump of ‘wholesale assault’ on science. In an open letter, several National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine members warn that Trump’s overhaul of U.S. science has created a “climate of fear.” docs.google.com/document/d/1...

How Trump is following Project 2025’s radical roadmap to defund science Much of the Trump administration’s agenda for research is laid out in the 900-plus-page blueprint. Nature read it so you don’t have to.

How Trump is following Project 2025’s radical roadmap to defund science www.nature.com/articles/d41...

‘Orchestrated assault’: New tsunami of NIH grant cuts hits South Africa hard Agency moves to terminate nearly 1000 awards, including programs involving “DEI”

‘Orchestrated assault’: New tsunami of NIH grant cuts hits South Africa hard | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

The new U.S. government is at war with science and knowledge.
Read this post carefully and support your local scientists in these terrifying times.

RealClimate: Andean glaciers have shrunk more than ever before in the entire Holocene RealClimate: Glaciers are important indicators of climate change. A recent study published in the leading journal Science shows that glaciers in the tropical Andes have now retreated further than at a...

And a really good summary on Realclimate: www.realclimate.org/index.php/ar...

Recent tropical Andean glacier retreat is unprecedented in the Holocene Tropical glaciers have retreated over recent decades, but whether the magnitude of this retreat exceeds the bounds of Holocene fluctuations is unclear. We measured cosmogenic beryllium-10 and carbon-1...

Tropical Andean glaciers are likely smaller now than at any point in the last 11,700 years (Holocene), an unprecedented retreat due to recent warming. This makes the tropics a key region for understanding climate change impacts on ice!!! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Heat exposure on Western Australian coral reefs is literally off the charts.

24 Degree Heating Weeks now at Ningaloo - the highest ever recorded.

6-8 DHW is lethal for most branching corals.

>20 is catastrophic.
coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/product/vs/m...

French scientist denied US entry after phone messages critical of Trump found France’s research minister said the scientist was traveling to Houston for a conference when his phone was searched

Land of the free ...

”Measures to help attract US-based researchers are also being considered by the European Commission. Ekaterina Zaharieva, the commissioner responsible for research and innovation, told the same meeting of MEPs that she was considering the creation of “a special passport” for science.”

Tackling plastic pollution is critical for food security. New study estimates that microplastics could lead to annual losses of up to 360.87M MT in crops and 24.33M MT in seafood, putting them on par with climate change impacts. bit.ly/3DzhZdw
#Microplastics #FoodSecurity

Brazil, as host of COP30 in November 2025, lays out its vision for the summit. With the climate crisis at a critical point, Brazil emphasizes mutirão (collective action) and just transitions as key to push global climate governance into a new era. #COP30 #ClimateAction #Amazon
bit.ly/3FuYQtD

🚨 We're hiring! 🚨

We’re looking for two research assistants to join our team! If you're interested in contributing to research on making Swedish and global food systems more sustainable, resilient, and healthy, make sure to apply by 16 February! 🌱🍽️

Learn more: https://buff.ly/2Lu3mgn

Global biodiversity loss from outsourced deforestation - Nature An analysis of global deforestation linked to consumption of products in the supply chains of large economies finds greater losses for vertebrate species’ ranges outside these countries than in them.

Globalization lets countries outsource environmental costs like biodiversity loss. New research shows that deforestation driven by developed nations' consumption significantly impacts species ranges globally. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

This is a venn diagram showing how 69 Trump actions map onto domains covering: undermining democratic institutions; suppressing dissent and media; dismantling social protections; attacking science and education; destabilising the global order. A table version is available here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LZN7QnbSyFfUZJG8Sn1MWpK0VnfBtb0OSyZ1jxP3xBk/edit?usp=sharing

🧵"So this is how liberty dies..."

Trump’s first 3 weeks have been a relentless flood of actions. It's incredibly hard to keep up.

I’ve gone through 69 actions & mapped out the pattern - showing how they fall within 5 broad domains consistent with authoritarian states 1/9

Noaa imposes limits on scientists, sparking concerns over global forecasts ‘Crackdown on climate’ predicted as oversight enacted over agency staffers’ email and meetings with foreign nationals

Uncertainty and restrictions hit @noaa.gov impacting forecasts & climate research. Oversight on scientists' emails & meetings, plus potential budget/staff cuts, raise concerns. "Crackdown on climate" predicted. Could limit data access globally. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

@thelancet.bsky.social editorial "American Chaos...Donald Trump's actions domestically and globally are not a measured reappraisal of US priorities. They are a sweeping and damaging attack on the health of the American people and those dependent on US foreign assistance."

‘My boss was crying.’ NSF confronts potentially massive layoffs and budget cuts Trump could propose slashing agency’s budget by two-thirds

"...bombshells hit the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) this week. The first ... Prepare for the possible layoff of half of your 1600-member staff ... The second ... President Donald Trump may ask Congress to cut your $9 billion budget by two-thirds."
www.science.org/content/arti...

Observed multi-decadal increase in the surface ocean’s thermal inertia - Nature Climate Change Analysis of 42 years of daily sea surface temperature data shows increasing persistence of anomalies. These changes, which are attributed to deepening of the mixed layer, reduced oceanic forcing and r...

Ocean surface temperatures are showing increased persistence in anomalies since 1982. This suggests the ocean's ability to absorb excess heat is weakening, with relevance to longer, more intense marine heatwaves. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

It's a sad day today with the formal canceling of the US NNA1 last night. As part of the leadership group, we will find a way to get this important and impactful work out. Do not despair!

Global meta-analysis shows action is needed to halt genetic diversity loss - Nature A comprehensive meta-analysis of global terrestrial and marine genetic diversity covering more than three decades of research demonstrates rapid loss of genetic diversity and identifies conservation i...

A massive meta-analysis of 30+ years of research shows that within-population genetic diversity is declining, and impacted by human activities. This has significant implications for the resilience of populations and ecosystems
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Chaos erupts in US science as Trump’s team declares freeze on federal grants The freeze’s effect on research is still unclear, but scientists fear ‘incalculable’ damage.

"Chaos erupts in US science as Trump’s team declares freeze on federal grants: The freeze’s effect on research is still unclear, but scientists fear ‘incalculable’ damage"
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Should the Swiss economy be forced to respect the limits of nature? On February 9, the Swiss will vote on the "environmental responsibility" initiative. The text requires the economy to respect the planet's limits.

On February 9, the Swiss will vote on the "environmental responsibility" initiative. The text requires the economy to respect the planet's limits. The initiative builds on research from @sthlmresilience.bsky.social and @pik-potsdam.bsky.social, among others. www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss-po...

Global GDP Faces 50% Loss Without Climate Change Action, Study Finds Dr. Jesse Abrams from the University of Exeter said we are “grossly underestimating risk due to climate change and nature-related crises” in an interview.

We are "grossly underestimating risk due to climate change and nature-related crises.” Colleagues from @exeter.ac.uk and @theearthcommission.bsky.social in new analysis saying that global economy could face a 50% loss in GDP unless immediate climate action is taken now www.forbes.com/sites/jamieh...

An image showing speakers talking to attendees during the Science to Action event

Speakers from the event gather outside for pictures and interviews

Speakers from the event, including Earth Commission Co-Chair Johan Rockström, Commissioner Joyeeta Gupta and Executive Director Wendy Broadgate, pose for a picture outside the event venue

It was a great opportunity to share insights in how we can protect people and nature to reach a safe and just world for all.
@arcticbasecamp.bsky.social, @futureearth.bsky.social, @uniofexeteresi.bsky.social sky.social and @earth4all.bsky.social.

In 2024, solar power overtook coal for the first time in the EU. Coal power has been halved since 2011. And this has saved the EU tens of billions €.

Global effort sows seeds to futureproof wheat Climate change and political instability could cripple global food security, but wheat researchers around the world are working together to prevent a crisis.

The key to future food security might lie in the past. Traditional wheat varieties, or landraces, hold a treasure trove of genetic diversity that could be the answer to making wheat more resilient to climate change impacts. #FoodSecurity #ClimateResilience tinyurl.com/37hmne75

Today’s the day…

Earth Commission Co-Chair Johan Rockström, Commissioner Joyeeta Gupta & Executive Director Wendy Broadgate are speaking at #WEF25, with a focus on #SafeAndJust science.

Find out more about our presence at Davos 👇

earthcommission.org/news/earth-c...