Sign in

Jason Walters

@globalsherpa.bsky.social
887 followers 1.2K following 121 posts

Advocate for nature, sustainability, and inclusion. Posts may include native plants, wildlife and trail cam pics, maps and data, and occasional world tour cycling references. Chicago-based.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Jason Walters
Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 3h
Adam Hamilton keeps racking up endorsements from retired senior Kansas Republican office holders, who seem to have a very low opinion of the incumbent Sen Roger Marshall.
326861
Reposted by Jason Walters
John Bistline @bistline.bsky.social · 1h
🚨 New study 🚨 Decarbonization has a public health bonus. Three U.S. energy models: PM2.5 mortality rates down 28 to 73% by 2050 under net zero.
194
Reposted by Jason Walters
leftylady.bsky.social @leftylady.bsky.social · 7h
Talarico delivered this line at a campaign rally in Texas, drawing a direct contrast between how aggressively the govt pursues undocumented workers versus how little it pursues wealthy predators & tax cheats. Talarico leads Paxton 48% to 45% in a state no Democrat has won statewide since 1988.
11395143
Reposted by Jason Walters
explore.org @explore.org · 30/09/2026
Legend of the Falls - Chunk and 602 - the Floatato.
17973123
Reposted by Jason Walters
Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 30/09/2026
generative AI ends up being used where you want to create the outward appearance of accuracy or quality without either of those things actually being involved
29033
Reposted by Jason Walters
Erin Kissane @kissane.myatproto.social · 29/09/2026
A thing I learned about Meta when I was trying to understand how their statements relate to their actions a few years ago is that *they just tell absolutely indefensible lies* and journalists almost always let them. They believed no one would ever punish them for it in any way that matters.
121259395
Reposted by Jason Walters
David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Wtaf is this question my university just asked me about my project?
Does the project involve any work that could be interpreted as promoting DEIA, climate change research, or non-compliant to any Presidential Executive Orders?
15145881293
Reposted by Jason Walters
Prof Gavin Yamey MD MPH @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
A striking thing about the various estimates of how many people Musk killed when he shuttered USAID is that, while of course the exact number is unknown, the estimates all point to a figure of about 750,000 deaths within a year, of which 500,000 were kids Mass murder isn’t “ill fated cost-cutting”
218978
Reposted by Jason Walters
Ada Palmer @adapalmer.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
A 300-million-year-old tree species declared extinct in the wild in the 1990s now numbers around 10,000 mature trees. China’s cliff cypress survives in and around Chongqing’s Xuebaoshan reserve, the product of two decades of seed-banking and propagation work buff.ly/cGHwM0M #ShareGoodNewsToo
chinadaily.com.cn
Species classified extinct makes comeback in Chongqing reserve
After being declared extinct, the ancient cliff cypress — a 300-million-year-old "living fossil" — has staged a stunning comeback in Southwest China's Chongqing, thanks to a two-decade-long…
6354113
Reposted by Jason Walters
Jaap Burger @jaapburger.eu · 09/09/2026
Wait, what? Is the German Energiewende actually happening in reality? If you spend too much time on certain platforms, you might think it was a gigantic failure.
23810
Reposted by Jason Walters
Scott Dworkin @dworkin.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
They ignored 625,000 public comments opposing the destruction of 45 million acres of our National Forests. They are betting you'll feel defeated and just walk away. Let's show them what happens when they ignore the public. Prove them wrong right now: 👇 actionnetwork.org/letters/tell...
actionnetwork.org
Tell Congress: Stop Trump from destroying 45 million acres of our National forests
Contact Congress today!
19960519
Reposted by Jason Walters
Alex Papadopoulos @egeasri.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
☀️ What if emerging markets simply bypass the old energy system? Africa is expected to install a record 17 GW of solar in 2026 — up 45% — much of it distributed solar that official statistics barely capture. Amazing news! ⚡🌍 #Solar #RenewableEnergy #ESG ember-energy.org/latest-insig...
12211
Reposted by Jason Walters
Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Does replacing parking with bike-lanes hurt restaurant business? Of course not, as this new peer-reviewed STUDY of 15 years of Montreal data showed. ACTUALLY, downtown experienced significant restaurant growth after bike lanes were installed. @momentummag.bsky.social momentummag.com/do-bike-lane...
Separated bike-lane with people riding in Montreal.
13587185
Reposted by Jason Walters
Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · 21/08/2026
Anyway read this article where I was among the folks that said that NOAA is cool and good and we should fund it because it belongs to us www.forbes.com/sites/alanoh...
forbes.com
DOGE Broke America’s Weather Machine. Now Fishermen, Insurers And Farmers Are Paying For It
Elon Musk’s DOGE gutted staffing and budgets at NOAA and the National Weather Service early last year. It left fishing fleets, farmers and insurers exposed to the fallout
281040411
Reposted by Jason Walters
Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Scoop: For nearly a year, NSF has struggled to make new grants. Now we know that it will not catch up. In fact, NSF will award just 6,100 new grants—a 30% y/o/y decline, itself down from a previous avg. of 11,000+. In fact, the last time NSF awarded so few grants was in the early '80s.
nature.com
Exclusive: NSF set to issue lowest number of new grants in four decades
The US science-funding agency is withholding $1 billion of its budget so that the money can go to a special White House project.
14760478
Reposted by Jason Walters
Peter Gleick @petergleick.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
The multifaceted #water crises we’re experiencing now are not normal; they're the direct consequence of accelerating human-caused climate changes on top of decades of neglect and underinvestment in our water institutions and infrastructure. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Drought, water rationing and dry rivers: our water crisis is here | Peter Gleick
It doesn’t have to be this way. We know what needs to be done
37426
Reposted by Jason Walters
TaraT @tarat33.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
"An ICE facility for kids". Read this again. WTF?!?
0128
Reposted by Jason Walters
Federica Genovese @fgenovese.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
If you know Global South climate politics, you already know how awesome the Uruguay power sector decarbonization story is. It happened thanks to the overlap of a pressing crisis, enlightened politicians and accredited experts; it still lives on.
120356
Reposted by Jason Walters
Joshua Foust 🪖🎮 @joshuafoust.com · 19/08/2026
If you’re wondering how no product manager at Meta thought of this use case and build in safeguards, the answer is: they did and they don’t care so they released the product anyway, because feeling first and dominating the category is more important to Mark Zuckerberg than the safety of children.
16419
Reposted by Jason Walters
Emily Johnston @enjohnston.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Wondering again how much we've lost because of GPS, and how wildly that problem is likely metastasizing from heavy use of AI. Brains and bodies want to engage the world; it's work, and that's a good thing. Shortcuts shrink us, mostly.
harvardmagazine.com
Why Taxi Drivers Don’t Die of Alzheimer’s | Harvard Magazine
Explaining taxi and ambulance drivers’ protection against Alzheimer’s disease.
0168
Reposted by Jason Walters
Dominique Baker @bakerdphd.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
"Some university executives are not simply complying with the Trump Administration; they are skillful entrepreneurs who are exploiting and advancing the government’s agenda for their own gain." I will be calling them "authoritarian entrepreneurs" from now on.
Screenshot of article which reads: Where I saw some limited success in slowing the attacks, it seems that others saw an opportunity to upend US higher education’s status hierarchy and advance individual and institutional ambitions. Executives who take up this strategy might be thought of as authoritarian entrepreneurs.

A kind of policy entrepreneur, authoritarian entrepreneurs are leaders who exploit the opportunities made available by the Trump Administration’s authoritarian politics to influence outcomes in ways that advance their own, often narrow, goals. To be clear, authoritarian entrepreneurs do not have to be authoritarians themselves, and it doesn’t even require bad intentions; only the willingness to engage in enterprising activities that accommodate and advance authoritarian agendas in order to advance their own.Screenshot of article which reads: While the Trump administration and its MAGA counterpart state governments present the most direct threats to academic freedom, authoritarian entrepreneurs pose a more difficult challenge. Status seeking is endemic to higher education, and it is proving hard for campus leaders to set aside individual ambition for common gain. Authoritarian entrepreneurship is likely cropping up all over higher education, and beyond.

When you read the Compact 2.0, you might find some overlap between your own thinking and the questions posed by the administration. Shouldn’t we address how to ensure academic integrity in the face of AI? Isn’t controlling costs for students and families a good thing? These are indeed, in a neutral context, worthy questions. But the context is not neutral. Entertaining the Compact 2.0 legitimizes the Trump Administration’s clear design to impose their ideological preferences on higher education. As academic faculty and staff, it is important to keep in mind that authoritarian entrepreneurs will use the seeming appropriateness of some aspects of McMahon’s letter to draw their campuses into an exercise that subordinates academic independence to Trump’s political authority.
14015
Reposted by Jason Walters
Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
"government overreach designed to disconnect citizens from the truth and advance an authoritarian agenda" "must recognize how critically linked science is to democracy itself and defend its integrity with every tool at their disposal." @science.org www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
218773
Reposted by Jason Walters
NPR @npr.org · 04/08/2026
Far out in the Pacific Ocean, there are tiny islands that few have seen. The oceans around them are full of marine life, from thriving coral reefs to sharks and tuna. The Trump administration is rolling back protections for these places. NPR got a rare visit to a remote area to see what’s at stake.
n.pr
These are some of the last pristine ocean ecosystems. Now, they're losing protections
The largest conservation areas in the U.S. are in the Pacific Ocean, where tiny islands are epicenters of biodiversity. The Trump administration is now opening their waters to commercial fishing, sparking a battle over some of the country’s most pristine ecosystems.
24385212
Reposted by Jason Walters
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 11/08/2026
See also the term "activist scholar," which is applied derogatorily to academics who use their expertise to advocate for Left-leaning policy, but not to Right-leaning academics, even if they take money from Right-wing groups or advocate for Right-wing causes based on dubious evidence or none at all.
231722414
Reposted by Jason Walters
Tom Haddon @tomh-analyst.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
The pie chart that appears when the curtains are drawn back to show the final energy consumption (fallacy) is nothing short of perfection as it is still trotted out to this day as some sort of monolith.
1346
Reposted by Jason Walters
Rob @robertferry.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
“The world looks different now than when we co-founded the climate pledge,” said Margaret Callahan, an Amazon spokeswoman. Yes Margaret. It is hotter and more on fire.
nytimes.com
New Amazon Data Center Stokes Worry It Would Be the Most Polluting Power Plant in the U.S. (Gift Article)
The tech giant is investing in the natural-gas-burning power plant as part of a huge data center in Texas, even as it pledges to honor climate commitments.
34517
Reposted by Jason Walters
Ben Lilliston @handle.invalid · 10/08/2026
An excellent overview by @georginagustin.bsky.social of how a major private dairy, Riverview, is rapidly expanding in MN, SD, ND where state agencies seem unable or unwilling to protect water/account for GHG emissions. insideclimatenews.org/news/0708202...
insideclimatenews.org
A Minnesota Dairy Company’s Rapid Expansion Is Prompting Lawsuits Against Regulators - Inside Climate News
Riverview LLP’s operations are increasingly meeting with pushback amid concerns over its climate and water impacts.
053
Jason Walters @globalsherpa.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Still not good, but higher ed actually doing better in the trust downfall than many other areas, including US medical system (increasingly privatized and profit-driven), banks, religion, etc.
000
Reposted by Jason Walters
Jesse Felder @jessefelder.com · 09/08/2026
‘If built as planned, data center developers’ gas burning plants could release as much pollution in a year as half of all the passenger vehicles in the US, particulates that can contribute to heart disease, asthma, lung cancer, strokes and other ailments.’ www.nytimes.com/2026/08/05/c...
nytimes.com
Trump’s Vision for A.I. Dominance Comes With Major Air Pollution
tk
24284179
Jason Walters @globalsherpa.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
US running low on missiles, jobs, and sanity. There's only one way to vote in Nov - no more of this!
000
Reposted by Jason Walters
Peter Murphy @peterwmurphy1.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Outstanding commentary by talented @fionakatauskas.bsky.social. #death #war #famine #conquest #plague #ClimateChange #AI
03612
Reposted by Jason Walters
John Bistline @bistline.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Amazon is backing a 7.65 GW gas plant in West Texas. I sorted all 14,036 operating U.S. power plants by size to see where that lands. It doesn't land anywhere (nothing on the American grid is that big).
12317
Reposted by Jason Walters
George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
I know he has a lot on, but in the midst of a ferocious drought, fires, heat events and severe threats to food production, it would be quite edifying to hear Andy Burnham mention climate breakdown.
1092656609
Reposted by Jason Walters
Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
We are deciding whether we want to be a country of ethnic cleansing and concentration camps.
661367634
Reposted by Jason Walters
Jocelyn Anderson Photography @jocelynanderson.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Hummingbird Clearwings, a species of Hummingbird Moth, are fondly called "flying lobsters" due to their flared tail. The species Snowberry Clearwing, which looks very similar, also has this nickname.
238349
Reposted by Jason Walters
Dr. Jonathan Foley @globalecoguy.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Balcony solar. A solution coming to your city soon.
36014
Reposted by Jason Walters
Mark Hamill @markhamillofficial.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
SHOUT OUT to Mike Luckovich: one of the all-time great political cartoonists. 🏆 With corporate media doing such a poor job in these most perilous of times, his work is more vital than ever! THANK YOU @mluckovich.bsky.social!!! 🙏
367194255560
Reposted by Jason Walters
Katie O'Reilly @drkatfish.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
My favorite things in one story: wetlands, conservation success stories, and names that make you giggle like a middle-schooler ipmnewsroom.org/at-spunky-bo...
ipmnewsroom.org
At Spunky Bottoms, an Illinois River wetland’s resilience is on display - IPM Newsroom
The Nature Conservancy acquired the roughly 1,300-acre Merwin Preserve at Spunky Bottoms in the late 1990's and allowed the site to return to being a floodplain wetland.
1239
Reposted by Jason Walters
Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 02/08/2026
I worked for New York’s largest medical center at the start of the pandemic. There were morgue trucks on the streets. They set up emergency medical tents in Central Park. Healthcare worker colleagues died. It is horrific that RFK Jr is on national TV lying that ICUs were empty.
22672983710339
Reposted by Jason Walters
Murshed Zaheed @murshedz.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
“Trump has rejected disaster aid for Democratic-run states at the highest rate in the 47-year history of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.” Right now people in blue states are basically paying federal taxes as if they’re colonized territories of red states. www.politico.com/news/2026/03...
Trump has denied most disaster requests from Democratic-led states

A graph  showing Presidential approval rates for disaster requests from Democratic-led states and Republican-led states

Source: POLITICO's E&E News analysis of FEMA records
16154702517
Reposted by Jason Walters
David Dayen @ddayen.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
I know we're all supposed to keep quiet about climate change, even as Americans are fed up with high gas prices. But as Europe burns and the strongest El Niño in history awaits, we're learning that Mother Nature won't wait for political dysfunctions to be sorted out. prospect.org/2026/07/28/c...
prospect.org
The Strongest El Niño in History Is Coming. Get Ready. - The American Prospect
Donald Trump has no ideas, but America is ready for a U-turn on climate change.
27428
Reposted by Jason Walters
Dr. Aaron Thierry @thierryaaron.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
While the lake has experienced droughts in the past that have hit business, Durig said that their frequency has increased. “These droughts are occurring in rapid succession, something we’ve never seen before" 🤔 #YouDon'tSay?
straitstimes.com
Swiss drought dries up Lake Brenets
A severe drought has left Switzerland's Lake Brenets all but drained, stranding boats and impacting tourism amid record low water levels. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.
1209
Reposted by Jason Walters
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 27/07/2026
Congress appropriated billions of dollars for new transit projects. Why is the Trump administration spending none of it? Why are even transit projects in red states going unfounded? New reporting in @nytimes.com (gift link): www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/u...
New capital investment grants signed by administration
29640276
Reposted by Jason Walters
Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
there's a new round of efforts by the GOP and Trump administration to cut Medicaid. a reminder of one of the least discussed effects of Medicaid: health-care coverage lowers crime and promotes safety. (and yet the GOP cuts Medicaid, but doesn't get labeled as endangering safety.)
boltsmag.org
“We Need to See the Bigger Picture”: How Cuts to Medicaid Hurt Public Safety - Bolts
When a state made cuts to Medicaid, depriving people of access to health insurance, the crime rate increased: That’s the finding of a new academic study, supported by the National... Read More
7328149
Reposted by Jason Walters
Photography by Alfie Goodrich @alfie.photography · 25/07/2026
Either full of sewage or off-limits. So happy that here in Japan there are so many rivers you can enjoy.
2183
Reposted by Jason Walters
David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Only one country voted against a UN declaration to reduce crash deaths. Want to guess which one? Info: www.linkedin.com/posts/overwh...
18365111
Jason Walters @globalsherpa.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
The world and media especially needs to talk much more, not less, about climate change, nature loss, and pollution and their very costly, harmful consequences for people, workers, the economy, and society. A small cabal of rich, corrupt con men is leading us in exactly the wrong direction.
020
Reposted by Jason Walters
Clean Energy Wire | CLEW @cleanenergywire.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Solar generated record 25% of EU power in June with Germany, Spain and Poland leading the race With an output of 52 TWh of electricity, solar overtook coal, gas, nuclear, wind and hydropower in June 2026
euronews.com
Solar met 25% of EU power needs in June thanks to quick installations
Solar was ahead of coal, gas, nuclear, wind and hydropower.
055