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Ido Liven

@idoliven.com
133 followers 294 following 573 posts

Writer. Migrant. Dad for future. I have a weakness for wild berries. And climate justice. Views my own etc. 🌐 www.IdoLiven.com

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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 21/09/2026
"One minute for your safety. Do you know where to take shelter in an emergency?" A government banner in central Warsaw.
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 11/09/2026
Quite hard to believe that like 2000 people around the world took photos of the skies today -- because Cloud Appreciate Day. (See them all here: www.memorycloudatlas.org). Maybe there is some hope for humanity.
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 09/09/2026
In fact, the entire Ojców national park, Poland's tiniest, is truly wonderful.
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 09/09/2026
Real exciting to have spotted bats in a cave. Triple, quadruple that watching the kid's awe meeting bats in the wild.
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 07/09/2026
So, Politico has a new energy newsletter and it's sponsored by an American fossil fuel lobby. There's a reason why public trust in mainstream media is plummeting.
A screenshot of Politico's latest newsletter Surge. Under the title of a recent sendout, a line that says "Presented by AFPM | We Make Progress", circled in red by yours truly. As per Wikipedia, "American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) is an American trade association, founded in 1902 as the National Petroleum Association. ... AFPM represents companies including Chevron Corporation, ExxonMobil, Koch Industries, Marathon Petroleum and Valero Energy".
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 05/09/2026
Went to check out the views from Warsaw's newest lookout point (ostensibly, also the tallest building in the EU), and all I could see was vast potential space for solar.
A view from the top of Varso Tower towards southwest shows several building at the foreground with mostly flat, dark, empty roofs. In the center of the photo, a vast open, green space which is the Filtry waterworks complex, occupying around 30 ha. of the city center.
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 24/08/2026
The numbers of casualties are absolutely staggering. Imagine the public outrage had these been victims of, not fossil fueled heatwaves but terror attacks.
A graph from the story titled "European Heat Deaths" with columns representing the annual figures:
2022: 63,000
2023: 48,000
2024: 63,000
2025: 15,000
2026: 20,000 (preliminary estimate)
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 23/08/2026
Family achievement this weekend: finishing a puzzle that features all of Poland's 23 national parks. That was fun!
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 19/08/2026
Nearly two years since the 2024 floods, the remains of a footbridge in Głuchołazy, southern Poland, are still hanging as a monument to climate chaos.
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 10/08/2026
Not far, Mihas Mishuk's diver is now fully of the water, probably a month after it was installed. (See reform.news/en/a-diver-s...).
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 10/08/2026
Actually, the water level at the nearby gauge stood at 102cm -- ostensibly a historical low, as per @imgwmeteo.bsky.social.
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 10/08/2026
Feels like this small art exhibition about the polycrisis is quite aptly placed on Warsaw's riverfront -- next to a faux sandy beach above the Vistula when the water level keeps dropping.
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 07/08/2026
Na samej stacji znajduje się tabliczka informująca, że rekordowo niski stan wody wyniósł 44 cm i odnotowano go 25 sierpnia 2018 r. Czy moglibyście Państwo to wyjaśnić?
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 05/08/2026
It was 36°C today in Warsaw today, and I bet that even the mermaid by the Vistula was sweating. How exceptional is it? Well, apparently it's 13°C(!!) above the average temp for this date, as per the excellent Reuters Climate Monitor (www.reuters.com/graphics/CLI...)
A bronze statue of the Warsaw Mermaid, the Polish capital's symbol, holding a shield in her left hand and a sword lifted up high in her right, as she looks to the north. In the background is the Świętokrzyski bridge over the Vistula river, Poland's largest. A screenshot from the website of the Reuters Climate Monitor with a map, all in warm orange, with Warsaw at the center. Below are two white boxes. One reads "Today's high (Aug 5-6) 36°C Forecast, +13.0 Above average". Another titled "How this year compares" with a graph of temperatures throughout the months showing the historic norm in black and a red line denoting this year with temperatures above the norm throughout most of the past seven months, except January and February below and April just about the historic norm.
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 31/07/2026
Oops. Forgot the photo:
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 31/07/2026
Apropos, young nature defenders are planning a kayak tour next month to protest plans to develop the Oder river for inland navigation: wwf-jugend.de/saveoder/
The English language leaflet is here: https://wwf-jugend.de/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/260121_Kanuposter-EN.pdf
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 31/07/2026
A truly lovely day at Germany's Lower Oder Valley national park. With so few people on the trails, even in the middle of the summer, it felt off-the-beaten track. And there's a wonderful visitor center which the kid loved exploring --
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 24/07/2026
If photos of the so-called crooked forest in northwestern Poland made it onto your feed, you probably wouldn't be surprised to know that, while a nice little curiosity, this bunch of curved pines is quite overhyped.
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 16/07/2026
But the real treat is the next door, temporary exhibition about the moths, mold and other predators threatening museum specimens -- and how the climate crisis forces even pest control to adapt. (See: www.nhm.at/en/its_not_j...)
2-meter tall photos of various museum beetles at the center of the room, surrounded by photos of infested museum specimens.Several examples of infested specimens that look like from a horror movie. In particular, a cat in defensive pose - arching its back and showing teeth - with fur-less legs. Above it, a bird that's been eaten up almost to its bones.
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 16/07/2026
I have a soft spot for museums that include behind-the-scenes sections. The Görlitz museum's is small but rich, paying tribute to the scientists and museum staff responsible for collection, research, archiving etc.
An overview of the hall, at its center a black vitrine with screens, glass casings and collection drawers.One drawer open featuring around 20 butterfly specimens.
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 16/07/2026
Besides a geology hall, the one dedicated to raw materials has a decent section on fossil fuels -- including an easy-to-miss note on the end of German black coal mining. Quite apt in a region with a long history of coal mining.
A corner of the energy raw materials exhibition with multiple German-language information boards. The title is Fossil Raw Materials, and beneath it, a small glass casing with four lumps of different coal types.
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 16/07/2026
Görlitz's @sgn.one natural history is truly wonderful. Much of its exhibition is dedicated to the biodiversity of Lausatia. Unlike many other museums, charismatic species - a wolf or crane - are on equal footing as mushroom, insects and pigeons. No dinos here. >> A Thread🧵
One of the regional biodiversity halls in the museum featuring several glass casings and inside exhibits such as a taxidermied crane or species typically inhabiting stonewalls.
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 09/07/2026
Two controversial areas earlier slated for gas exploration are now absent from the ministry's map. Both were targeted by Israeli enviro groups over risk to marine habitats, and both overlap Palestinian-claimed waters. But a new exploration zone could spark civil society protest for similar reasons.
The Israeli energy ministry's officially released map of gas exploration zones. Five of them in blue - A, B, C, F, J - are earmarked for new exploration. Three others - I, 22, 31 - in lighter blue are already licensed but not yet developed. Ten more, in green, have already been leased for current, future and past production.
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 04/07/2026
Surely there are Polymarket bets on whether Netanyahu is actually coming back to Israel.
Screenshot of a Ynet headline: "Netanyahu, Trump agree to meet in US amid Iran deal tensions".
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 02/07/2026
A fossil fuels giant sponsoring fire brigades must be the climate equivalent of the tobacco industry subsidizing oncology wards.
A large billboard in a residential area depicting the silhouette of a firefighter emerging from the smoke. Next to them, a text in Polish reads "first (to arrive) where help is needed". Below it, a much smaller text states "since 25 years, with energy, we're helping the firefighters." In another corner the logo of fossil energy giant Orlen.
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 27/06/2026
This is climate adaptation. (It's now 33°C in Warsaw.)
A screenshot of a map of Warsaw featuring icons of several colors. The orange ones represent "cooling spaces", the blue ones water fountains and the green ones publicly available toilets. A few dark blue icons indicate the locations of water sprayers in key public spaces.A sign that reads "cooling space" in Polish. At the entrance to one of many public libraries across Warsaw.
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 26/06/2026
It’s great we’re talking about the climate connection to Europe’s heatwave. There should be more of this. But can we just stop framing actual climate disasters as a foretaste of a coming chaos? More here: www.linkedin.com/posts/idoliv...
An asphalt road leading forward on a very hot day, with a heat mirage towards the horizon.
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 26/06/2026
Don't look up.
A screenshot of the current weather forecast for Warsaw, Poland. Max temperatures (in Celsius): Friday 32, Saturday 35, Sunday 39, Monday 38. Keep hydrating!
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 09/06/2026
How it started How it's going
Screenshot of a Politico story titled "US oil producers pledge to help stabilize Iran if regime falls", January 13, 2026
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/13/u-s-oil-producers-iran-00726363Screenshot of a Politico story titled "Oil industry warns Trump administration of price spikes within weeks", June 4, 2026
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/04/oil-price-spike-white-house-hormuz-00949435
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 25/05/2026
Dining cars are awesome. Yes, including this unpretentious Hungarian wagon. @diningcar.at
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 17/05/2026
Apropos of nothing
"Thanks ​to the measures being implemented by our government, we can confidently speak about macroeconomic stability and promising plans to modestly but steadily increase economic growth rates year after year," Peskov said. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/kremlin-says-russian-government-has-ensured-economic-stability-despite-growth-2026-05-12/
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 07/05/2026
Even if this referendum actually goes ahead, good chance Nawrocki is in for a surprise. A Eurobarmeter released last June showed that 74% of Polish respondents support the EU's 2050 climate neutrality goal.
A graph titled "81% of respondents support the EU objective of becoming climate-neutral by 2050". It shows the levels of support in each country ranging from 46% in Estonia to 94% in Malta with the EU average at 81%. Poland - a column circled in red by yours truly - shows 74%.
Source: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_1376
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 07/05/2026
Now Shell reporting ~$7bn in profits in just three months. Or 24% above the same period in 2025.
Screenshot of the title of a BBC story: "Shell latest oil giant to see profits surge due to Iran war impact" by Nick Edser and Jennifer Meierhans. Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce3p0x54drwo
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 06/05/2026
1Q2026 fossil energy war profiteering are in:
Screenshot of the title of a Reuters story: "Equinor profit hits 3-year high in first quarter on record output, soaring prices" by Nerijus Adomaitis and Nora Buli. Source: https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/equinor-first-quarter-profit-rises-more-than-expected-2026-05-06/Screenshot of the title of a Guardian story: "BP profits more than double as oil prices soar in Iran war" by Jillian Ambrose. Source: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/28/bp-profits-oil-gas-prices-iran-war-first-quarter
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 20/04/2026
I love historical biodiversity illustrations. And @biodivlibrary.bsky.social's Flickr account is such an incredible treasure trove: www.flickr.com/photos/biodi... Some teasers:
Seven different but stunningly colorful parrots sitting on tree branches against what looks like a marsh in a tropical forest.
Monographie des perroquets
Cassel :[s.n.],1878-1883
https://flic.kr/p/2kVZfi7A range of flowering plants - white, blue, yellow, pink - at the bottom of lush mountain landscape in, I guess, springtime. There's even a bee hovering between them. The title of the image reads 'Alpine flowers in the Tyrol'.
The natural history of plants
London,Blackie,1894-1895.
https://flic.kr/p/2m6bHxxA plate with 18 beautiful butterfly species organised in three columns.
Butterflies and moths
London,Longmans, Green, and Co.,1894.
https://flic.kr/p/2m4Zitb
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 18/04/2026
After climate direct action groups Just Stop Oil and Letzte Generation, now Poland's @ostatniepokolen.bsky.social announced it is winding down. And not without achievements. www.facebook.com/share/v/18ck... Something tells me they too will have successors.
A frame from a video posted to Ostatnie Pokolonie's Facebook page. The activist speaking to the camera takes off a hi-viz vest. Behind him, the famous statue of the Warsaw Mermaid holding a sword and a shield. At the bottom of the frame, an auto-translated excerpt from the video description reads "The end of Last Generation does not mean the end of the resistance."
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 12/04/2026
I donated to the Lebanese Red Cross. I hope you will, too: donate.redcrossredcrescent.org/lb/supportLRC Stop the war!
Image source: https://x.com/RedCrossLebanon/status/2041861078603214869
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 08/04/2026
In fact, this deluge came less than three decades after what was then dubbed 'flood of the millennium', which was at least as destructive. Now, the most visible testimony are inconspicuous, blue metal plates on a number of buildings that read 'flood level'.
On the corner of the monastery building - a closer look at the spot in the image in the previous post - a woman stands in front of a tourist information sign about the church complex. I added a yellow arrow pointing to the metal plate indicating the water level during the July 1997 floods. This plate is about three-four meters above ground.A closer look at another plate of the same kind indicating the water level, in English and Polish, during the July 1997 floods. This one is about a meter above ground level.
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 08/04/2026
Spent a couple of hours in Kłodzko, one of the Polish towns worst hit by the September 2024 climate-fueled floods. 19 months later, this truly lovely, historic town is recovering but some scars are still visible.
A view of part of the medieval Old Town from the lower part on a sunny day. In the foreground right, a wooden little house with colorful flowers, and next to it a group of people with a dog. In the background, several tenement houses and a church tower poking behind them.A large sign indicating state support for the post-flood reconstruction of the church and monastery behind it. The sign is placed on a broken brick wall and to the left of it, two piles of concrete pavement slabs. Check out the image from the same spot in the next post.On the wall of a freshly renovated residential building, an address sign and about a meter above it, a black sign that reads (in Polish) "water level, September 15, 2024".A blocked entrance to a bridge and next to it a sign with the name of the river "Nysa Kłodzka". In the foreground, on exposed soil, an array of broken pavement tiles.
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 02/04/2026
Successive Polish governments have refused to commit to exiting coal. But the transition is underway since at least a decade. Yesterday, the famous Wujek mine in Katowice shut down after 127 years in operation: wbj.pl/wujek-mine-c... (Photo: Artur S. / Śląska Opinia)
A group of miners in ceremonial outfits walking. In the center, one miner holding a flower bouquet.
Image from: https://slaskaopinia.pl/2026/04/01/kopalnia-wujek-konczy-dzialalnosc-fotorelacja/
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 28/03/2026
Just realized the U.S.-Israel war on Iran broke the same day the first Gulf War ended, 35 years earlier. And that's pretty much how I remember that war. (The family in the photo isn't mine, but it looked very similar)
In a slightly grainy photo, a family - three kids are seated between their parents - all looking to the camera, wearing gas masks.
Image by Jane Fresco (CC BY 2.0) via Wikimedia Commons.
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 22/03/2026
"Gas, oil, threat". @greenpeace.pl sounding the alarm bells in central Warsaw.
In a tram stop, a large black and white placard reads "Gaz, ropa, zagrozenie" between silhouettes of Putin and Trump facing one another.
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 20/03/2026
Days after @iea.org members agreed the largest ever strategic oil release, executive director Fatih Birol now calls it "a major energy crisis". The 10 contingency measures IEA offers read like a degrowth plan. At least if they become structural changes in the Global North.
Source: https://www.iea.org/news/new-iea-report-highlights-options-to-ease-oil-price-pressures-on-consumers-in-response-to-middle-east-supply-disruptions
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 20/03/2026
Spring equinox in our neighborhood.
For about two weeks a year, a carpet of purple-blue flowers (I believe, Sybirian squill) and their green shoots covers a small, sun-lit yard in front of a residential building. Two and a half grated windows in the background.
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 10/03/2026
An obituary published this morning by Jewish Israeli town Metula honoring priest Pierre al-Rai killed by Israeli fire in the Lebanese village of Qlaya. Maybe some hope?...
An obituary in Hebrew and Arabic published by the Metula municipality this morning. It reads: "The Metula Local Council shares in the grief of members of the Christian community over the death of the Maronie priest Pierre al-Rai from the village of Qlaya in southern Lebanon. The priest was killed during a fire exchange in the area when he rushed to aid the wounded in a house in the village. The Local Council extends condolences and shares in the grief of our residents of the Christian community and wishes for days of calm, security and peace in our region."
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 09/03/2026
#TIL that Iran and Israel both signed the Rome Treaty (which established the International Criminal Court) on the same day, December 31, 2000. Israel withdrew less than two years later. (source: treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDe...)
 The building of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, and in front of it a large blue sign with the court's symbol and name in French and English.
Image by justflix (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 04/03/2026
Who would have thought the American fossil fuel industry would be eyeing Iranian oil? This one from less than two months ago: www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
A screenshot of a Politico story from January 13, 2026, titled "US oil producers pledge to help stabilize Iran if regime falls".
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 02/03/2026
The world's largest LNG supplier, QatarEnergy, halts LNG production. And it's only day 3 of this war. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
A screenshot from a news report on The National: "QatarEnergy halts LNG production after attacks"
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 02/03/2026
On the other hand, check out @iea.org's Fatih Birol's take. From October 2023.
'“Today we are again facing a crisis in the Middle East that could once again shock oil markets,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. That comes on top of the stress on energy markets from Russia’s cutoff of natural gas to Europe over its invasion of Ukraine, he said.

“Put these two things together, and no one can convince me that oil and gas are safe and secure energy choices for countries or consumers,” Birol told The Associated Press [...] “This could further accelerate the energy transition around the world,” with renewable sources like wind or solar offering a “long lasting solution” to energy security issues as well as climate change, he said.'
https://apnews.com/article/energy-renewables-climate-war-oil-7b0cf535f33a3b33a2bfd8a462850ff4
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Ido Liven @idoliven.com · 21/02/2026
It's czulent time.
An oven dish containing a hearty, steaming czulent coming out of the oven. It's a slow cooking stew of root veggies and legume that tastes far better than it looks.
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