Eric Sanderson
@ewsanderson.bsky.social
Ecosystem and landscape ecologist, author of Mannahatta, VP of urban conservation @NYBG, interested in conservation here, there, everywhere
During #COP30, NYBG's Emma Grover moderated a discussion between @ewsanderson.bsky.social and Dr. Alexandre of @rbgkew.bsky.social. They joined CAF to discuss the unique roles of botanical gardens in scaling nature-based solutions for the adaptation and mitigation of climate change.
Nurturing Nature The Role of Botanical Gardens in Climate Resilience | COP30
YouTube video by CAF -banco de desarrollo de Latam y el Caribe-
youtube.com
Today at #COP30, NYBG’s @ewsanderson.bsky.social and @rbgkew.bsky.social’s Alexandre Antonelli discussed how plant-based approaches to mitigate and adapt to climate change can be scaled through the unique capacities of botanical gardens.
On @nytimes.com, hear from @ewsanderson.bsky.social, VP for Urban Conservation Strategy, as he shares how understanding NYC’s past topography—and expanding our imagination as to what nature can do in the future—benefits ongoing efforts to answer the flooding question.
What New York Can Do to Survive Flooding
Adaptation is a matter of survival, and the city may have to throw every solution available at a worsening situation.
nytimes.com
Danish wind giant installs its first commercial 15MW wind turbine, the first of 64 to be installed at an offshore wind farm off the coast of Germany
Vestas installs huge 15 MW wind turbine – first of 64 at German offshore project
Danish wind giant installs its first commercial 15MW wind turbine, the first of 64 to be installed at an offshore wind farm off the coast of Germany.
reneweconomy.com.au
University boosts its installed solar capacity to 5.8 MW with completion of what is being described as the largest urban solar farm in the state
State’s “largest urban solar farm” and battery switches on to help power university
University boosts its installed solar capacity to 5.8 MW with completion of what is being described as the largest urban solar farm in the state.
reneweconomy.com.au
New research finds that spring runoff consists of more "old" water than new snowmelt, whereas "new" snowmelt infiltrates to replace previously stored water. Forests likely depend on groundwater that has been stored for multiple years. Funded by Natl Science Foundation www.nature.com/articles/s43...
Groundwater dominates snowmelt runoff and controls streamflow efficiency in the western United States - Communications Earth & Environment
Snowmelt runoff in the western US is composed primarily of older groundwater, with precipitation taking 5.7 years on average to exit as streamflow, indicating that annual streamflow is a function of m...
nature.com
Because no one spends as much on science as the US does, destroying NIH, NSF, NOAA, NASA, EPA, USDA, USGS, etc. is leading to a brain drain, but it's not to other countries but rather from science. This senseless destruction of US science will hurt the US and the world for a very long time.
David Ho@davidho.bsky.social · last yr.To see why destroying the US science enterprise is so detrimental to the world, we have to realize that the US spends more on research and development than any other country in the world (by far), and if we remove China and Japan, the US spends almost as much as ALL other countries combined.
I think a lot about what Carl Sagan said in one of his final interviews.
Wind-Water-Solar crushes nuclear in Australian national election "Anthony Albanese promised renewable energy and healthcare improvements, while rival Peter Dutton focused on immigration cuts and nuclear power." Albanese crushes Dutton www.nzherald.co.nz/world/austra...
Anthony Albanese crushes rival to win Oz election, Dutton humiliated by losing seat
Voters deserted hard-nosed opposition leader Peter Dutton in droves.
nzherald.co.nz
Driverless trucks are officially running their first regular long-haul routes, making roundtrips between Dallas and Houston. www.cnn.com/2025/05/01/b...
The first driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes | CNN Business
Driverless trucks are officially running their first regular long-haul routes, making roundtrips between Dallas and Houston.
cnn.com
A worst-quake scenario: The Cascadia subduction zone might not be on the minds of most Californians, but it was for more than a dozen geologists and other scientists in a recent study analyzing flood risks along the Pacific coast www.latimes.com/california/s... ⚒️ 🌊 #geosky
Monster earthquake could sink swath of California, dramatically heightening flood risk, study says
A long-feared monster earthquake off the coast of California, Oregon and Washington could cause some areas to sink by more than 6 feet, dramatically heightening the risk of flooding.
latimes.com
During a tough week, I find it helpful to note that 77% of the country opposes cuts to medical research, 70% oppose the government dictating how private universities operate, and 61% oppose cuts to environmental regulations for oil and gas. Our work is in the majority. #EHWorks
I’m still baffled at how America took one of the basic principles of the presidency — the occupant shouldn’t be able to benefit financially from the office — and just said, nah, that just doesn’t count for this one guy.
Phil Williams@philinvestigates.com · last yr.An international trucking logistics firm is buying as much as *** $20 MILLION *** worth of President Donald Trump’s crypto coins to influence the administration’s trade policy. www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...
The ~700k people of DC: —Pay more fed tax per capita than people of any state; —Are more numerous than pop of WY or VT; —Have zero votes in US House or Senate; —Now being told by House GOP that we can't spend *OUR OWN* tax money, which we've already paid Cut the BS Thanks @vanhollen.senate.gov
Senator Chris Van Hollen@vanhollen.senate.gov · last yr.House Republicans created a disaster for D.C. with the CR — restricting the District's ability to use its OWN money to fund its OWN schools, public safety and more. My bill with Senator Collins to fix this passed unanimously in the Senate. House Republicans need to pass it NOW.
These findings are devastating but send a very clear message. Over $300 million of the NSF grants that were illegally terminated in the past few weeks were for STEM Eduction 😢 These cancellations are clearly targeted and designed to undercut (and maybe eliminate) the next generation of US scientists
Noam Ross@noamross.net · last yr.UPDATE: We have data on >1000 terminated #NSF grants at grant-watch.us. Thanks to all who have been contributing data the past few days. We've also added a "Reports" section with some analyses. For NSF, we see that the STEM education directorate has been absolutely pummeled.
All latitude bands have observed unusually warm temperatures over the last three months, except for around the South Pole again [Plot shows zonal-mean temperature anomalies, with latitude = y-axis (not scaled by distance). GISTEMPv4 data shown here using their standard 1951-1980 reference period]
Environmental law is collapsing—cut by Congress, ignored by agencies, and now redefined by the courts. This isn’t drift. It’s the demolition of nature. grist.org/regulation/n...
A forthcoming Supreme Court decision could limit agencies’ duty to consider environmental harms
A forthcoming ruling could allow federal agencies to skip climate analysis when approving major projects — with wide-reaching consequences.
grist.org
Glad to share this short paper, just published, describing work at the National Academy of Medicine to promote broad system change (beyond the health sector) to confront climate change. @thirdactorg.bsky.social @katharinehayhoe.com @maibached.bsky.social www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Charting a path to health for all at net-zero emissions
Climate change is the defining health challenge of the 21st century, with record-breaking temperatures and extreme weather events already exacting an unprecedented toll on human health and wellbeing. ...
thelancet.com
Good morning with more good news: UK cut its electricity CO2 emissions by ~78% from its 2006 level! How? Rapid expansion of wind that generated 1% of UK's electricity in 2006 and 30% in 2024 is a main way! Fossil fuels fell from 81% of UK's electricity in 2008 to 34% in 2024. #energysky
But, renewables are so unreliable and intermittent! Now 42 straight and 83 of 115 100% Wind-Water-Solar days in 2025 in CA. WWS has met 52% of 24-h demand and >100% of demand for an average of 4 h/day in '25 Gas down 45% v '23; 26% v '24 Batteries up 74% v '23; 198% v '24
From Book Bans to Canceled Lectures, the Naval Academy Is Bending to Trump www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/u... John Ismay, a Pentagon reporter based in Washington, was commissioned as an officer from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1999.
From Book Bans to Canceled Lectures, the Naval Academy Is Bending to Trump
Even before the presidential election, the school began preparing for Donald Trump’s potential return to power. Now faculty members are resigning in protest.
nytimes.com
China's Q1 2025 wind generation rose ~15%, compared to Q1 2024. Wind generation rose to ~306 TWh from ~267 TWh! That's a huge amount of electricity. How huge? China is generating enough wind to meet about 25% of US electricity demand. #energysky #greensky ember-energy.org/data/electri...
🚨 A 50% cut to NASA science is on the table for 2026. This would kill missions, halt discoveries, and threaten thousands of jobs. The American Astronomical Society makes it super easy to tell Congress: fund NASA science. Speak up here: aas.org/urge-nasa-su...
NASA SMD Dear Colleague Action Alert | American Astronomical Society
aas.org
Endlessly fascinated by @ewsanderson.bsky.social's now-expanded Welikia Project map. Plug in your NYC address and learn about the ecological history of the place: www.welikia.org/map-explorer...
The Welikia Project
Explore the landscape before New York.
welikia.org
Saving the environmental nonprofit executive orders for Earth Day is fucking maniacal. insideclimatenews.org/news/1804202...
Trump May Target Environmental Nonprofits in Executive Orders - Inside Climate News
Environmental groups say they are preparing for the worst—and preparing to fight back.
insideclimatenews.org
Last night was the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere's midnight ride to warn the Minutemen of approaching British troops. I want to take a moment to share an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence's grievances against King George III. Remind you of anyone?
More in No, Other People: New poll: “America would be better off if more people worked in manufacturing.” • 80% of Americans agree • 20% disagree “I would be better off if I worked in a factory.” • 25% of Americans agree • 73% disagree • 2% currently work in a factory
Bernie Sanders made a surprise appearance at Coachella 2025 last night. So he went from the LA rally to Coachella. He's 83 and fighting like this. This should be an inspiration to all of us. If he can do this, we can all do a little more.
The United States is the richest country in the history of the world. But who benefits from those riches? Consider: the richest 10% of Americans hold nearly 70% of the nation’s wealth – while the bottom 50% hold just 3%. See the problem?
