Prof. Simon Blockley

Now with correct link: doi.org/10.1038/s415...

AI thrives where education has been devalued | The Observer A culture that views knowledge as a means to an end invites the misuse of new technology

“It is less that AI is the cause of degradation in reading and thinking, and more that the creation of a culture that views knowledge primarily in an instrumental manner has made it easier to misuse AI.” My ‪@theobserveruk.bsky.social column: observer.co.uk/news/opinion...

The depressing, awful reality of where we are as a society.

People are made to feel guilty for literally saving human lives.

Two graphs from the paper. The left graph shows US net greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 to 2022. The official EPA estimates decline fairly steadily from 6.6 gigatonnes per year in 2005 to 5.5 in 2022 (17% below 2005 levels), largely reflecting natural gas displacing coal for electricity generation. The adjusted estimates, which reflect independent measurements of methane emissions from oil and gas infrastructure, end at 6.3 gigatonnes per year in 2022 (only 5% below 2005 levels). The right graph shows 2022 emissions increasing linearly with the assumed global warming potential of methane. Climate scientists are divided on whether to use the 100-year GWP, 20-year GWP, or something in between. With methane warming impacts assessed via the 20-year GWP, the central 2022 emissions estimate is 7.9 gigatonnes per year - 20% *above* the EPA's official 2005 estimate. Caption: Figure 1: Left: United States net greenhouse gas emissions over time. Right: Scaling of 2022 net emissions with methane’s GWP. After adjustment to reflect recent measurements of methane emissions from natural gas infrastructure, United States net emissions remain nearly as high as their 2005 level.

New paper. I wish this wasn't the case, but most progress on reducing US greenhouse gas emissions is likely spurious. Why? EPA underestimates methane emissions from oil and gas. Relevant today as Repubs vote to gut IRA's methane monitoring/mitigation program. 🧵

authors.elsevier.com/a/1lL4K_6se4...

Really Labour get a grip you are alienating your own members and supporters

Israeli strikes over past 24 hours killed at least 38 people in Gaza, Palestinian officials say Civil defence agency says some people are still under rubble after attacks on Deir al-Balah and Jabaliya

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

The Guardian view on billionaire Britain: tax wealth fairly or face democratic unravelling | Editorial Editorial: Without bold reform which makes the rich pull their weight, rising inequality risks eroding public trust and fracturing social stability

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Chris Packham calls sea bass labelling in UK supermarkets a ‘dereliction of duty’ The TV naturalist’s comments come after a Guardian investigation into the complex supply chain behind the fish on sale on Britain’s high streets

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

The hidden cost of your supermarket sea bass Revealed: an investigation shows how consumers buying fish in the UK are playing a role in food insecurity and unemployment in Senegal

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Four in 10 universities face financial challenges A drop in international student numbers has driven the worsening financial position, a report says.

This really does encapsulate the stupidity of the UK's migration debate.

In order to reduce net migration we restrict visas to foreign students. Student numbers fall. Universities cut courses and go bankrupt. Fewer university places for British students.

Stupidity.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The Guardian view on Labour and immigration debate: time to change the frame | Editorial Editorial: The way to win an argument with Reform is to bring economic reality and positive stories of migrant contribution back into the picture

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Come for the mastodon, stay for the women in science history!

A must read for all palaeo histsci fans, and a great aperitivo for the weekend's Palaeontology in Public launch.

cc @chrismanias.bsky.social

Volodymyr Zelensky is not an obstacle to peace with Russia.

He is the leader of a nation defending an entire continent from Russian brutality and imperialism.

That is why Putin, and apparently Trump, want to remove him.

Britain’s biggest unions call for much closer UK-EU ties amid ‘volatile’ global economy Exclusive: union umbrella body calls for new cooperation agreement ahead of Keir Starmer’s reset talks with Brussels

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

It’s quite clear by now that the answer to “why is the Trump administration doing x terrible thing?” is that they are *trying* to dismantle America and destabilize the entire world.

Nothing to see here

Fall in overseas students fuels threat to English universities despite rise in fees Higher tuition costs have already been ‘wiped out’ by government tax hikes, critics claim

The fall in international student numbers is putting fragile university finances under further pressure. The Observer reports a new study from @britishfuture.bsky.social showing most of public would not want to see a drop in students to cut immigration numbers
www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Just saying @teamlabouruk.bsky.social

The government needs to support UK academia due to our huge economic, social & intellectual potential. The problems in the sector are inherited, but our institutions are in crisis. There was no plan before the election and there seems to be no plan now. I am a lifelong Labour voter, but hurry up!

The Guardian view on campus cuts: academics pay a high price for Westminster’s mistakes | Editorial Editorial: The government should not stand aloof as a crisis unfolds in our universities. A new settlement is needed

This with absolute bells on!!!!

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The main building of PIK, photographed in the snow

🚨 Job Alert 🚨 New 3 year postdoc position available working with myself and @rahmstorf.bsky.social on past AMOC 🌊 variability at PIK. For more information:
potsdam.pi-asp.de/bewerber-web...

Sign the Petition SAVE CARDIFF UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MUSIC

When asked to cut arts funding during World War II, Winston Churchill famously replied, "Then what would we be fighting for?”

The arts are essential to human experience.

Please sign this petition to save the Music Department at Cardiff University.

www.change.org/p/save-cardi...

That was definitely memorable. And a road would absolutely ruin the view.

Always love a fieldtrup with you and those were very memorable. I don't have a handy picture of a road cut, this is more of a flank collapse, but am sure you remember it.

"Fieldwork-based research and education in ecology are under multiple threats and are progressively declining."

This issue is linked to the erosion of natural history training in general.

I wrote about this couple of years ago as it was the invited keynote lecture i delivered at the European Parliament. It's not just the billionnaire class but the entire system that supports overconsumption, greed, aspirational elitism, unfettered economic ideologies of growth & more. Read it here:

I hate the direction lab equipment design has gone in recent years.

I don't want touchscreens, I don't want wifi integration, I don't want centrifuges demanding to know what time zone they're in.

I just want reliable instruments - with physical buttons - that do the one task they were made for.

Oh gosh, those dangles are what becomes Hallstatt-type. That’s very cool indeed. Another thing pointing south.

At Climate Summit, presenter has long list of advantages to making more sustainable choices and addressing #ClimateChange. Audience member asks “what if it’s a big hoax and we create a better world for nothing?”

15 years old, but still completely relevent — and if we had acted 15 years ago, the “better world” we could be creating today would be a LOT better and easier to reach. There are real consequences we’re just starting to see to not heeding this cartoon a lot sooner. Heed it now. #ClimateCrisis