Vanesa Castan Broto
@vanesilla.bsky.social
Working to deliver responses to climate change embedded in places and communities. Based at the Urban Institute, University of Sheffield. #climateurbanism
“global temperatures are on a trajectory which may even see 2027 nearing 2C warming above pre-industrial levels for the first time.” Not in 2100, not in 2050, but in freaking 2027. #climatecrisis www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07...
Record-smashing El Niño points to spring of drought and fires
Despite El Niño being months away from peaking, it could potentially trigger Australia's hottest spring on record.
abc.net.au
Only for subscribers, but if correct confirms that a transition to sustainable energy is possible. My take: experimentation with off grid solar has facilitated the expansion of technology through the development of engineering skills, social acceptance of solar, and adaptation to local uses.
Ada Palmer@adapalmer.bsky.social · last wk.Africa is smashing all the solar records. The continent installed more grid-connected solar in the first half of 2026 than in all of 2025, and with projects under construction the year could finish at triple the previous record. buff.ly/NirgzLn #ShareGoodNewsToo
This report is intense and demonstrates how narratives of denialism were deliberatedly advanced by Shell. I do not like this idea of a World shaped by heroes and villains but sadly the influx of character caricatures makes it difficult to imagine reality in any other way.
Rebecca John@rebeccajohn.bsky.social · last wk.As Shell faces a landmark climate lawsuit, "confidential" documents from the 1960s show British scientist James Lovelock warning executives of the risks of burning fossil fuels. See his June 1966 memo published in full for the first time with my latest for @desmog.com
"Starting July 19, 2026, the European Union officially banned large fashion companies from destroying unsold clothes, shoes, and accessories. Instead of sending perfectly good products to landfills or burning them, companies must now donate, recycle, or repurpose them." via No one Cares
Destroy actual culture to create synthetic culture. I am seeing human culture devour itself literally, in front of my eyes. These machines calculate that anything written after 2022 could contain synthetic writting! No wonder teens today do not want to read. elsolitario.org/en/2026/07/2...
Rare Books: Why AI Scans and Destroys Them
AI companies buy rare books in bulk, scan them with machines that cut the spine, then destroy the original: a judge ruled the practice legal as fair use.
elsolitario.org
"The most troubling ethical problem with Nolan’s Odyssey concerns the decision to film part of the movie in the occupied territory of Western Sahara, thus normalising the ongoing violence against the indigenous Sahrawi people."
EMILY WILSON@emilyrcwilson.bsky.social · last wk.I wrote about the Nolan Odyssey for the LRB. I'll summarize some of my main points below, in case you don't feel like reading all that. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Data centres are the dams of our times, ravishing landscapes, wildlife, resources and populations. The secret weapons of developers: secrecy and speed
Hobbes@flawedfacade.blacksky.app · last wk.Squished in the middle of this story was this heartbreaking paragraph. Unconscionable.
Urbanization is one of the challenges examined by the project RURBANISE, which I presented at #RC21 www.tampei.org/post/project...
Project RURBANISE: Bridging the Gap Between Rapid Urbanization and Climate Resilience
How Six Organizations Unite to Safeguard the Philippines’ Most Vulnerable CitizensUrbanization is a double-edged sword. This is more than a statistic in the Philippine context; it is a daily reality f...
tampei.org
It was a real pleasure to deliver the closing keynote at the RC21 conference in Vienna rc21-vienna2026.org
Last year I was very ill and had to put all non essential work aside. My online presence has vannished. I struggle to use social media and I feel that withdrawal is the answer, but then I go to events and realise that people only know you by what they find online, and reduce you to an AI summary.
Anna Viebrock's Terminal Piece installation at mumok, Vienna, is a glorious journey of self exploration while also reflecting on the practice of disconnection through showcasing other artists' pieces
Among the many pieces in MOMA's exhibition Architects of Liberation, there is this map belonging to the Nigerian Federal Capitol Masterplan
Among the many discussions and stakeholder meetings over a week with the Independent Groupt of Scientists at the UN, NY we made a briefing to Member States presenting the key themes we are considering in the forthcoming 2027 Global Report on Human Settlements
Our paper on community energy and sustainable energy transitions was publish bringing together a wealth of work across six academic teams in four countries www.nature.com/articles/s44...
The role of community energy in mediating sustainable energy transitions in East and Southern Eastern Africa - npj Clean Energy
npj Clean Energy - The role of community energy in mediating sustainable energy transitions in East and Southern Eastern Africa
nature.com
Want to know about a community developing a feminist perspective on energy transitions? Visit JustGESI www.justgesi.com
JustGESI | Explore Energy Justice Today
Stay updated with JustGESI's latest news on gender, social inclusion, and sustainable energy transitions across Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
justgesi.com
This is phenomenal news! Congratulations to @vanesilla.bsky.social and @theurbaninstitute.bsky.social for this prestigious accolade.
Urban Institute@theurbaninstitute.bsky.social · 10mo agoHuge congratulations to Vanesa Castán Broto, Professor of Climate Urbanism, for being selected by the United Nations to join a new group of scientists to help advance science-driven acceleration of the Sustainable Development Goals. sheffield.ac.uk/urban-instit...
📑 Most read article in the latest issue of IDPR Informal economy in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: urban livelihoods and policy issues, by Huynh Ngoc Thu & Le Thi My Ha Available online: bit.ly/Informal-economy @devcomms.bsky.social @hamstertowers.bsky.social @vanesilla.bsky.social #DevelopmentStudies
Can’t help but reflect on the *5 years of strikes* we did to defend our pensions, on this, the day USS announce their £10 billion surplus.
Pam Bondi pardoned a plastic surgeon who allegedly pretended to give children Covid vaccines and sold Covid vaccination cards ($50 a pop) to over 1,900 people. She said the government’s will shouldn’t be imposed on patients (except when it comes to abortion and gender-affirming care, I guess).
Doechii is the best thing to ever land in my playlist
"Professors are the enemy, professors are the enemy. Write that on the blackboard 100 times and never forget it." A short history of a long-running refrain from the American right. Already seeing echoes of this in the UK from Badenoch and Farage ... www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Trump’s war on Harvard was decades in the making. This letter proves it | Bernard Harcourt
A message tucked into an old book serves as a reminder that the assault on the institution is part of a long-planned effort
theguardian.com
Tanks, fighting vehicles and howitzers arrive in Washington, D.C. ahead of next week's military parade. They departed from Texas on June 2.
Our new paper on "Place-based solidarity: Crisis, austerity and the devolution of responsibility" authors: Coco Huggins and Mia Gray is now available free online: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Funny but also marking our changing relationship with infrastructure and appliances
🅡🅞🅑 🅜🅔🅢🅤🅡🅔@robmesure.bsky.social · last yr.I have been logged out of my toothbrush.
Still in time to attend this important lecture!
Infrastructural Geographies@infrastructuralgeo.bsky.social · last yr.The Infrastructural Geographies 2nd Annual Lecture: Professor Louise Amoore "What Kind of Infrastructure is an Algorithm?" 29th of May, 2025, Univ of Cambridge, Dept of Geography, Small Lecture Theatre Join us!
Born on this day in 1471, the incomparable Albrecht Durer. Just a complete dandy in his 1498 self portrait. I mean, the cap! The braided strap! And the gloves!! Not to mention the long curly locks.
The big “why do you hate AI?” Thread got comments and quotes turned off, but here’s the main reason I hate AI: It’s being developed by the worst people on the planet solely to enrich themselves at the expense and labor of the world’s vulnerable populations. Everything else stems from that
How are you supposed to report on the weather when weather data is disappearing? www.niemanlab.org/2025/05/how-...
How do you report on the weather when data is disappearing?
"The U.S. has a system that is the best in the world, but we're actively sabotaging it."
niemanlab.org
