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John Vaillant

@johnvaillant.bsky.social
5.3K followers 1.3K following 2K posts

I write about collisions between human ambition and the natural world: The Golden Spruce, The Tiger, The Jaguar's Children, FIRE WEATHER: @pulitzerprizes.bsky.social 10 Best Books: @nytimes.com www.lyceumagency.com/speakers/john-…

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Lynda Steele 🇨🇦 @steeletalks.bsky.social · 20h
Why is it so hard to talk about climate change? Why does it trigger people who lean right politically? Talking wildfires, storms and other climate related concerns with the best selling author of Fire Weather @johnvaillant.bsky.social - new pod drops Thur www.youtube.com/@changemymin...
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Adrian Harewood @caradrianh.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
From June 2025: On my @ricochetmedia.bsky.social podcast “Canada’s Far Right and the Canadian Anti-Hate Network w/ #EvanBalgord ” podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/i...
podcasts.apple.com
Canada’s far right and the Canadian Anti-Hate Network w/ Evan Balgord
Podcast Episode · In Bed with the Elephant · June 5, 2025 · 37m
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Crawford Kilian @crof.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Jack Smith Found Proof Beyond “Reasonable Doubt” of Trump’s Guilt newrepublic.com/post/215971/... via @newrepublic.com
newrepublic.com
Jack Smith Found Proof Beyond “Reasonable Doubt” of Trump’s Guilt
The former special counsel testified he would prosecute anyone, regardless of political party, based on the evidence he found about Donald Trump.
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PM2.5 Kills ~9 Million People Each Year Worldwide @tkovach.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"Keeping costs affordable for Cleveland residents is a priority. This project allows us to put underused land back to work by generating energy locally, lowering energy costs, and ensuring our clean energy investments deliver real value to the people who live here.”
clevelandohio.gov
City of Cleveland Launches Two Solar Projects to Provide Locally Generated Clean Energy and Savings
W. 11th Street and Kolthoff Drive solar projects will transform underused former landfill properties into solar farms
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The Walrus @thewalrus.ca · 29/09/2026
We're hiring! We are currently accepting applications for The Walrus Editorial Fellowship. This paid one-year educational fellowship begins on Monday, November 16, 2026. For more information, visit: thewalrus.ca/about/careers/#editori…
thewalrus.ca
Careers & Fellowships | The Walrus
Jobs, fellowships, and internships at the Walrus Foundation
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Warning more homes will be uninsurable due to flood risk. 6.3m homes & businesses in England at risk of flooding. 115,000 new homes will be built in flood zones in the next decade People will struggle to sell/insure property. Problems for years to come. Sue builders and planners.
bbc.co.uk
Aviva boss warns more homes will be uninsurable due to flood risk
Aviva boss Amanda Blanc said England was "for sure" building homes that might be uninsurable at some point in the future.
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ERROR 404 ▼ @antyfaszysta.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
⭕Le Bureau des droits de l'homme des #Nations-Unies a identifié 214 entreprises de 11 pays comme impliquées dans des activités commerciales spécifiques liées aux implantations #Israéliennes dans les territoires palestiniens occupés. #PALESTINE-ONLINE
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John Vaillant @johnvaillant.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
If you think this is a good idea, talk to the citizens and doctors in Kitimat who bear the brunt of the pollution - and the noise . . .
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Climate Tracker @climate.skyfleet.blue · 29/09/2026
Which AI Models Use the Most Energy? #Climate
heatmap.news
Which AI Models Use the Most Energy?
A new dashboard from the Sustainable AI Group, founded by artificial intelligence alums, estimates the relative energy intensity of proprietary tools.
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John Vaillant @johnvaillant.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Anthropic, devoted a third of its IPO prospectus to warnings of the “existential risks to humanity” of its technology.' @evansolomon.bsky.social www.economist.com/internationa...
economist.com
Agreeing to make AI safer may be impossible
It is technically feasible, but American labs and the American authorities are at odds, as are America and China
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John Vaillant @johnvaillant.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
#LNG is @ 90% methane - a -far- more potent greenhouse gas than CO2. It is not a 'transition fuel'. Anyone investing in #LNG is investing in climate breakdown.
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Lynda Steele 🇨🇦 @steeletalks.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Love the player, hate the game? Best selling author @johnvaillant.bsky.social says it's possible to give credit where credit is due to the energy industry while admitting it's costing us billions of dollars in climate related disasters. New pod drops Thursday. www.youtube.com/@changemymin...
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John Vaillant @johnvaillant.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The Oldest Evidence of Drug Use is Also a Story About Addiction - nautil.us/the-oldest-e...
nautil.us
The Oldest Evidence of Drug Use is Also a Story About Addiction - Nautilus
A 25,000-year-old cautionary tale
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Tom Carter @thcarter123.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Leonard Leo consiglieri, Mark Paoletta, is trump chief on DC destruction and renaming public monuments. Neither Leo or Paoletta role is ever mentioned is viral media coverage. Who knew Lincoln was assassinated at trump theater? www.ms.now/news/trump-f...
ms.now
Trump aides explore attaching president’s name to Ford’s Theatre
The playhouse where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated has been mentioned among federal properties that could carry the president’s name, people familiar with the effort told MS NOW.
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Dakota Smith @weatherdak.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The incredible full day, high resolution view of Hurricane Polo today.
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Mark Gongloff @markgongloff.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Private jets exemplify what economists call a free-rider problem: They crowd & pollute the airspace & environment that belongs to everyone without paying an appropriate cost. In fact, we keep giving them tax breaks Gift link to my @opinion.bloomberg.com column: www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
bloomberg.com
Private Jets Have a Free-Rider Problem
If you try to take a free ride on, say, public transit in New York City, you’ll get in trouble with the law. If your mode of transportation is a private jet, on the other hand, there’s a high risk you...
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Jan O’Brien @irishnan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I've signed. Will you? Add your name to help make wildfire prevention and climate resilience a national priority, and stand with the communities affected by wildfires. campaigns.nationaltrust.org.uk/page/196457/...
campaigns.nationaltrust.org.uk
I've signed. Will you? Add your name to help make wildfire prevention and climate resilience a national priority, and stand with the communities affected by wildfires.
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John Vaillant @johnvaillant.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
"The second before the sun went out we saw a wall of dark shadow come speeding at us. We no sooner saw it than it was upon us, like thunder. It roared up the valley. It slammed our hill and knocked us out. It was the monstrous swift shadow cone of the moon..."
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 17/09/2026
Annie Dillard, Pulitzer prize-winning author of nonfiction and nature essays, dies aged 81
theguardian.com
Annie Dillard, Pulitzer prize-winning author of nonfiction and nature essays, dies aged 81
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, published when Dillard was 28, skyrocketed her to become one of the most prominent nonfiction writers of her generation
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Lit Hub @literaryhub.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Annie Dillard has died at 81. buff.ly/RNQwniF
buff.ly
Remembering the great Annie Dillard.
Annie Dillard, the masterful stylist and brilliant thinker, has died at 81. Her death was confirmed by her literary executor, Maggie Nelson. Dillard, who wrote in many forms and experiments, was an…
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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Flew over BC's spectacular Coast Mountains again on my way back home to Whitehorse today... gorgeous as usual but my, those glaciers are getting smaller every year! #climatechange
aerial view of icefields, mountains,  and valley glaciers
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isaac @sevier.io · 21/09/2026
"what stood out to me about the process of photographing these devices was geography: they exist at the boundaries of rich neighborhoods like Piedmont to track who enters; they exist embedded into poor neighborhoods to track the people who live there. Place exposes their purpose."
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Seth Klein @sethdklein.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Wonderful speech from Grand Chief Stewart Phillip: youtu.be/uvlKjreIk7M?...
youtu.be
Understanding DRIPA: Grand Chief Stewart Phillip on the future direction of DRIPA
YouTube video by Union of BC Municipalities
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Ian Carrillo @iansociologo.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
youtube.com/shorts/JCCjz...
youtube.com
Estrena documental: "Llamarse Olimpia"
YouTube video by AJ+ Español
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Trump and Rubio are going to extreme lengths to protect Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu from the highly meritorious criminal cases against them. Or is it because Trump intends himself to commit similar war crimes? Enquiring minds want to know. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
wsj.com
Exclusive | Trump Ramps Up Bid to Dismantle International Criminal Court
The U.S. administration is preparing sweeping sanctions that would cut the court off from much of the global financial system.
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Doug Saunders @dougsaunders.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Assange was never a leaker or whistleblower. He was a middleman who intercepted and brokered other people’s leaks, delaying them and horse-trading them for his organization’s profit and, in the case of damaging Russian leaks, preventing their publication. And colluding to bring monsters to power
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John Vaillant @johnvaillant.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Thank you, @aircanada.bsky.social! On 9/2 our YVR-Pearson flight diverted to Windsor due to thunderstorms. When it was clear we'd miss our connection, AC texted a list of hotels + meal vouchers. Despite weather being a force majeur (act of god), they took care of us, and I really appreciate it!
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John Vaillant @johnvaillant.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
👇👇👇
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Ed Maibach @maibached.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
RIP @joeromm.bsky.social. Thanks for all you did to wake us up to the risks of climate change and the possibilities for climate solutions. @mason4c.bsky.social @docsforclimate.bsky.social @tccollab.bsky.social @coveringclimatenow.org @michaelemann.bsky.social
web.sas.upenn.edu
Remembering Dr. Joe Romm
It is with great sadness that the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media shares news of the passing of PCSSM Senior Research Fellow Dr. Joe Romm. Please find below an obituary prepared ...
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John Vaillant @johnvaillant.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Wake up, Canada. Just four companies control 80% of oilsands production. 60% of those companies' stock is owned by Americans. How is being an American petro colony in the "national interest", @mark-carney.bsky.social?
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Ed Maibach @maibached.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
The stench of this fossil fueled corruption of justice can be smelled from sea to shining sea. @docsforclimate.bsky.social @coveringclimatenow.org @ucs.org
floodlightnews.org
Judges overseeing Louisiana's landmark oil cases have financial stakes in defendants
Federal judges held stock, bonds and leased mineral rights to Exxon, Chevron and others while hearing cases against the companies alleging damage to the La. coast.
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Andrew Thrasher @tituslegaldesign.com · 20/09/2026
Loudon County, VA: "At least 13 times between March 2025 and July 2026, deputies (...) called ICE to report where an immigrant neighbor could be found. Five had been pulled over for routine traffic violations. Four were involved in car accidents. Three had called 911 for help. One was a bystander.."
peoplesworld.org
FOIA request reveals extent of Virginia police collaboration with ICE
LEESBURG, Va.—A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request made by New Virginia Majority and ICE OUT of Loudon has resulted in the acquisition of records documenting a level of collaboration between th...
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◉●○•° @cosmoecology.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Chris Hedges in conversation with @johnvaillant.bsky.social, including a discussion about Alberta politics, tarsands, tailing ponds, and fire weather from 2024.
youtu.be
Fire weather: climate chaos is already here | The Chris Hedges Report
YouTube video by The Real News Network
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Ada Palmer @adapalmer.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
The world’s largest battery-electric aircraft flew for the first time on the 12th of August, a 27-minute test flight over upstate New York that cost about five dollars in electricity. Heart Aerospace’s 30-seat prototype is a big step toward a commercial version. buff.ly/i3f0PhR #ShareGoodNewsToo
techspot.com
The largest all-electric plane ever flew for 27 minutes, on $5 of electricity
Heart's X1 demonstrator flew for 27 minutes from a regional airport in upstate New York, running on battery power the entire time. The aircraft reached 1,100 feet...
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John Vaillant @johnvaillant.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
"Take a closer look at the label on “Canadian” oil. The companies that dominate oil sands production are predominantly foreign owned, largely by American investors. Tens of billions of dollars flow out of the country through dividends and share buybacks." thetyee.ca/Analysis/202... #cdnpoli
thetyee.ca
Why Patriotic Calls to Support ‘Canada’s’ Oil Ring Hollow | The Tyee
As Trump’s US rakes in oilsands profits, we’re sold a clouded narrative of energy sovereignty.
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
In the Russian city of Ulan-Ude, high sign-on bonuses and so-called “coffin money,” the payout benefits for fallen soldiers, are fueling an economic boom. New apartments, businesses and cars are popping up across the city while graves are piling up in the local cemetery. www.wsj.com/world/russia...
wsj.com
The Wartime ‘Coffin Money’ Transforming Russia’s Poorest Regions
Watch how Putin’s war pay is changing everyday life in remote Russian cities.
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Trump's Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota—a second draft of history by Emily Witt. Between Dec 2025, and Feb 2026, more than 3,000 federal immigration agents were deployed in Minneapolis—detaining nearly 4,000 immigrants, and killing two US citizens. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
newyorker.com
What Happened in Minneapolis
Living through Operation Metro Surge, and what came after.
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Wendell Berry, The Pleasures of Eating (1991): “I begin with the proposition that eating is an agricultural act. Eating ends the annual drama of the food economy that begins with planting and birth.” harpers.org/archive/1991...
harpers.org
Know that what you eat you are, by Wendell Berry
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 01/09/2026
If you're in Seattle, come and see me chat with Leah about her new book on Sep. 14 at Town Hall!
townhallseattle.org
Leah C. Stokes with David Roberts | Town Hall Seattle
They were perhaps an unlikely trio: the professor Leah Stokes, the policy wonk Sonia Aggarwal in the White House, and the DC insider Adrian Deveny in the Senate, but together, they crafted the boldest...
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John Vaillant @johnvaillant.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
#EnergyTransition can't stop won't stop
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Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Some things never change! 😂 The oldest known written customer complaint dates back almost 4,000 years! An angry customer called Nanni complained to his copper merchant about poor quality product, lack of refund, and rude customer service! Sound familiar? 📷 Zunkir #EpigraphyTuesday #Archaeology
The image by Zunir shows a tall, rectangular ancient clay tablet densely covered with rows of cuneiform text, displayed upright on a clear stand against a dark museum background. The tablet is Nanni’s famous letter of complaint, written on a clay tablet to a copper merchant named Ea-nasir. Nanni complains that he has been sent low-grade copper, rather than the high quality copper agreed. Ea-nasir has treated Nanni and his messengers with contempt, sending them back without a refund, and telling them "If you want to take them (the copper ingots) take them, if you do not want to take them, go away!" 😮 

The complaint was inscribed on a clay tablet using cuneiform script, one of the earliest systems of writing, characterized by its wedge-shaped characters. Tablet dimensions: height 11.6 cm, width 5 cm. Old Babylonian period, 1750 BC. 

The tablet was excavated by Sir Leonard Woolley at the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur in modern-day Iraq in the 1920-30s. Acquired in the division of finds.
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The Tonearm @thetonearm.com · 31/08/2026
“Had James followed Robert Johnson by dying in mysterious circumstances while still in his prime, he would surely have attained the same mythical aura. Instead … a living, flesh-and-blood artist is never quite as legendary as a sepia-tinted wraith.”
uncut.co.uk
Skip James' Devil Got My Woman: the haunting last stand of a rediscovered bluesman - UNCUT
Recovered from obscurity, Skip James delivers a haunting late-career masterpiece on Devil Got My Woman, his final studio album
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John Vaillant @johnvaillant.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
What are the main sources of methane in the atmosphere? And why you should care: www.ghgsat.com/resources/wh...
ghgsat.com
What are the main sources of methane in the atmosphere? - GHGSat
Methane (CH4) is a hydrocarbon that is a main component of natural gas. It is also a greenhouse gas, meaning that its presence in the atmosphere affects the Earth’s climate and temperature.
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John Vaillant @johnvaillant.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Who's tool are you, @developers.google.com @newsfromgoogle.bsky.social @searchliaison.bsky.social ? #DontBeEvil
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Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Well, looks like the “don’t do evil” phase is well and truly over.
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My Zero Carbon #ClimateAction @myzerocarbon.org · 31/08/2026
. Canada announces US$50 billion plan to boost clean energy Find out more: www.channelnewsasia.com/wor... #ClimateAction
channelnewsasia.com
Canada announces US$50 billion plan to boost clean energy
MONTREAL: Canadian officials announced plans on Monday (Aug 17) to massively enhance wind and hydropower generation in the eastern part of the country, in a project Ottawa called "the largest clean energy investment in North American history."The ten
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Akshat Rathi @akshatrathi.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Bloomberg News was among the first to give serious coverage to the methane problem, with this explainer from 2021 among them. www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
bloomberg.com
The Easy Climate Solution That Buys the Planet Time
Finding and stopping human-made methane leaks around the world is one of the easiest, cheapest, and most feasible ways to slow climate change.
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Akshat Rathi @akshatrathi.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Great to see Turkmenistan continuing to make slow progress on methane. Bloomberg Green had a big feature about the country's giant gassy problem in 2021, which is still among the best stories to read about the problem. www.bloomberg.com/features/top...
bloomberg.com
The Reclusive Dictator Behind a Global Climate Catastrophe
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
In New Mexico the hot issue is the bizarre relationship between the Trump administration and major fentanyl distributors. The Trump administration made a conscious decision to take no action against the fentanyl smugglers, and the NM AG is demanding to know why. And he's subpoenaing documents.
abqjournal.com
AG goes to federal court for DEA 'fentanyl walking' records
Raúl Torrez seeks federal records on why large fentanyl shipments were not seized during New Mexico investigations.
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