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Ken Cousins, PhD

@kencousins.bsky.social
3.6K followers 2.2K following 465 posts

Ecological Economist, valuing nature-based solutions. I believe that sustainability—broadly realized—is a necessity for healthy, just, and vibrant societies. I have been active in the sustainability movement for over 35 years. My views are my own.

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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
theguardian.com
Comebacks for wild tigers, tuna and sea turtles prove nature loss can be reversed, scientists say
A landmark report reveals that the world must change the way it produces food to avoid a biodiversity collapse
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
theguardian.com
Revealed: Government quietly dropped plan to prepare England for wildfires
FOI request shows wildfire risk scheme scrapped, as data highlights many fire services lack proper protective gear
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
anthropocenemagazine.org
Solar panels have (another) surprising side effect: Stopping dust storms in their tracks
In a first, researchers realistically calculated how solar farms in the Gobi Desert improve air quality in northern Chinese cities
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
This is INFURIATING.
neowin.net
Microsoft keeps adding AI to Windows 11, and most users can't fully disable it
Find out which built-in AI features in Windows 11 you can disable depending on which edition of Windows you're running.
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
nytimes.com
Trump Administration Moves to Gut a Core Endangered Species Protection
An internal memo reinterprets the law so that only the intentional killing of animals, not collateral harm, is illegal.
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Plant more trees in cities.
scienceblog.com
Los Angeles coated its streets with a gray reflective layer to fight extreme heat, and the pavement itself really did run more than 10 degrees cooler, but the people walking on it felt hotter, because...
A clever fix for urban heat had an uncomfortable side effect: redirecting the sun's energy straight toward pedestrians instead of into the ground.
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
grist.org
America’s air monitors are disappearing. So is your power to expose polluters.
Across several states, a quiet chemical industry campaign is making it harder to hold polluters accountable.
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
We show that soil and crop management practices could reduce antimicrobial resistance. Monocultures harbor more abundant resistomes with greater transmission potential. In contrast, lower-input systems with diversified crops maintained lower abundance, diversity, and transmission potential.
pnas.org
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
grist.org
Wendell Berry's life on Earth
Throughout his long career, the writer and farmer found joy in a world without end.
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
grist.org
When ocean temperatures increase, so does child malnutrition on land
Researchers have discovered this troubling consequence of climate change, but they still don't know why it happens.
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Thermohaline circulation. The most important thing you've never heard of.
youtube.com
Earth is Warming Everywhere Except Here
YouTube video by New Scientist
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
It is difficult to overstate the magnitude of danger presented by a melting permafrost. Two words: methane hydrates
theguardian.com
The threatening thaw: climate professor on heatwave risks to tipping point of permafrost
Prof Gustaf Hugelius warns wildfires could accelerate release of methane and carbon as vast regions approach irreversible thresholds
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
aa.com.tr
Europe's rivers hit record lows as heat, drought grip continent
Italy's Po, Poland's Vistula and France's small waterways all hit critical conditions as a relentless summer of heat and rainfall deficits drains the continent's water reserves. - Greenline
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
aa.com.tr
Wildfires burn 70,000 hectares in Italy, up 133% from long-term average: Report
Across Europe, some 435,000 hectares already burned so far this year, around 100,000 hectares more compared to same period in 2025, according to environmental organization WWF. - Greenline
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
So far ...
aa.com.tr
European wildfires cause up to $22B in total damage
Extreme heat and prolonged drought fuel blazes that burned more than half million hectares in Europe. - Greenline
0116
Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Born this day in 1938, Herman Daly was one of the leading voices in Ecological Economics, helping to found the journal of that name. This podcast explores his ideas and his legacy, through interviews with former colleagues, students, family, and friends. #ecologicaleconomics
lnk.to
A Cities 1.5 Podcast Mini Series
Go to A Cities 1.5 Podcast Mini Series.
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
whenjustice.org
WHEN Justice - WHEN Is NOW
Now is the time to hold accountable those who degrade environmental and human health in pursuit of profit.
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
arxiv.org
AI-Mediated Communication Can Steer Collective Opinion
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into the online platforms where humans exchange opinions; large language models (LLMs) now polish users' posts on LinkedIn and provid...
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
nytimes.com
See How Europe’s Heat Waves Melted the Alps’ Glaciers
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
nytimes.com
Heat Wave Updates: New York Hits 100 Degrees as High Temperatures Stifle Eastern U.S.
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
greenpeace.org
World’s richest 0.01% estimated to have nearly US$1 trillion in annual climate debt – Greenpeace report - Greenpeace International
“We are learning that the climate impact of extreme wealth is far greater than previously understood. Yet governments often urge ordinary people to carry the burden of climate action while paying far ...
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
grist.org
For first time, Americans are getting more of their electricity from solar than coal
Solar provides more than twice the share of electricity it did five years ago.
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
anthropocenemagazine.org
Solar-powered device extracts freshwater and lithium from the sea
A physicist borrowed a trick from spilled coffee to build laser-etched solar panels that pull fresh water from the ocean without producing toxic brine
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
OFFS.
nytimes.com
Trump Lifts Restrictions on Off-Road Vehicles on Public Lands
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
aa.com.tr
'Eco-paralysis': Expert warns of growing mental health toll of climate crisis
Psychiatrist Nevzat Tarhan tells Anadolu that climate anxiety can develop into hopelessness, social withdrawal and inaction, particularly among young people. - Greenline
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
anthropocenemagazine.org
Coal plants are dimming the world's solar panels
Pollution from coal plants is canceling out roughly a third of every year's new solar capacity. The fix is obvious. The phase-out isn't.
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
morethanjustparks.substack.com
Beware the Dangerous Lie of “Unused” Public Land
When politicians call it empty, they’re telling you what they want to take.
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
washingtonstatestandard.com
Feds officially cancel conservation rule for public lands • Washington State Standard
The United States Bureau of Land Management on Monday formally cancelled the so-called “Public Land Rule,” which required the agency to consider conservation and development equally in land-use decisi...
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
This give me hope.
nytimes.com
Republicans Had an Earth Day Plan to Limit Species Protections. It Flopped.
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Reposted by Ken Cousins, PhD
Earth Economics @eartheconomics.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Do you need help promoting nature-based solutions in your community? Apply for no-cost assistance from Earth Economics by June 12, through the Ingrid Rasch Legacy Fund. ow.ly/BBsa50YNEmu
ow.ly
Earth Economics | Ingrid Rasch Legacy Fund
The Ingrid Rasch Legacy Fund The Ingrid Rasch Legacy Fund enables Earth Economics to provide technical assistance to one non-profit or community-based organization each year to advance local solutions to environmental injustice, climate hazards, or threats of displacement. 2025 recipientLower Columb…
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Reposted by Ken Cousins, PhD
Earth Economics @eartheconomics.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Dose of Nature promotes the mental health benefits of spending time in nature, from higher levels of serotonin to lowered stress hormones. Studies have shown it to be cost-effective, while outperforming conventional therapy by 14-17 percent. #natureheals ow.ly/NLO550YOyMc
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
wmo.int
Extreme heat pushes agrifood systems to the brink
Rome/Geneva (FAO/WMO) – Extreme heat events threaten the livelihoods, health and labour productivity of over a billion people. Agricultural workers and agrifood systems are on the frontlines.
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
offshorewind.biz
European Company to Make All Wind Turbine Blades 100 Pct Recyclable, Plans to Build Six Recycling Factories
A Denmark-based company Continuum plans to make all wind turbine blades fully recyclable and stop landfilling and their emissions-intensive processing into cement with six industrial-scale recycling f...
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
This, in the state where the Administration wants to move the headquarters of the USFS.
govtrack.us
Text of S. 941: A bill to prohibit natural asset companies from entering into any agreement with respect … (Introduced version) - GovTrack.us
Text of S. 941: A bill to prohibit natural asset … as of March 11, 2025 (Introduced version). S. 941: A bill to prohibit natural asset companies from entering into any agreement with respect to land i...
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
If we are to survive as a species, we need ways to assess real-world trade-offs fairly and consistently. Ecological Economics provides a path towards an equitable future in which the entire living world can thrive--this means all humans, as well as the rest of nature.
nytimes.com
How Lee Zeldin Shifted the Mission — and the Message — of the E.P.A.
More than any administrator in decades, Lee Zeldin talks about the Environmental Protection Agency's work in economic terms, reflecting President Trump’s desire to boost industry while downplaying env...
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
theguardian.com
‘Nothing but tree skeletons’: record-breaking wildfires devastate US cattle country
Rising temperatures and extreme drought are driving more destructive spring fires across the Great Plains. This year, forces aligned to create the perfect storm in Nebraska
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Thermohaline circulation is a major driver of ocean currents worldwide. If the AMOC falters, the secondary effects could be catastrophic for all life on Earth.
science.org
Science | AAAS
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Fascinating.
anthropocenemagazine.org
What if the future of mining looked like a farm?
Phytomining promises to extract metals for electric vehicles—not with drills and dynamite but with daisies, grasses, and biology.
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
sciencedirect.com
Mitigating metropolitan carbon emissions with dynamic eco-driving at scale
The sheer scale and diversity of transportation make it a formidable sector to decarbonize. Here, we consider an emerging opportunity to reduce carbon…
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
positive.news
Five ways to turn eco-anxiety into something positive
Feeling stuck in climate anxiety? These five small actions can help you feel more grounded, connected, and purposeful
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
cell.com
Proactive grid investment enables V2G for 100% adoption of electric vehicles in urban areas
Deep electrification of light-duty vehicles in urban areas will put significant stress on the power grid. Vehicle-to-grid can alleviate part of this burden, yet it is insufficient as a standalone reme...
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
grist.org
Why this NASA climate scientist wants you to stay angry
“I don’t think we rebuild science without getting mad.”
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
nytimes.com
Forest Service Will Close Research Stations That Study Wildfire Risk
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
This will devastate forest research.
peer.org
Forest Service Sheds Research Capacity in Move to Utah
USDA Abandons Science, Closing 57 Forest Service Research Stations
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Resilience Districts enable local governments to offer tax incentives to promote investment in projects to mitigate the impacts of sea level rise, extreme heat, drought, wildfire risk, and flooding. #financingresilience ow.ly/4Tbc50YACTa View post: ift.tt/RqCzUTi
bsky.app
Earth Economics (@eartheconomics.bsky.social)
Resilience Districts enable local governments to offer tax incentives to promote investment in projects to mitigate the impacts of sea level rise, extreme heat, drought, wildfire risk, and flooding. #financingresilience https://ow.ly/4Tbc50YACTa
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
theguardian.com
‘A national scandal’: trawlers scour seabeds of supposedly protected UK waters
‘Precious ocean life is being pushed to the brink’ say campaigners, arguing that overfished marine areas are ‘protected only on paper’
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
seattletimes.com
How bad is WA’s summer drought going to get?
WA is headed for an unprecedented fourth year of drought.
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
nytimes.com
Wealthy Investors Are Targeting Foes of Clean Energy, and They Want Revenge
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
“The speed at which salmon are repopulating every nook and cranny of suitable habitat upstream of the dams in the Klamath Basin is both remarkable and thrilling.” —Michael Harris, California Department of Fish and Wildlife ow.ly/v7xz50YyzCH View post: ift.tt/5G1JCM9
bsky.app
Earth Economics (@eartheconomics.bsky.social)
“The speed at which salmon are repopulating every nook and cranny of suitable habitat upstream of the dams in the Klamath Basin is both remarkable and thrilling.” —Michael Harris, California Department of Fish and Wildlife https://ow.ly/v7xz50YyzCH
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Ken Cousins, PhD @kencousins.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
theguardian.com
‘There’s biological treasure here’: Chile’s endemic seals gain protection with new marine park
Sixty years after the discovery of a colony of Juan Fernández fur seals, previously thought to be extinct, a landmark agreement extends ‘no take’ zone around the wildlife-rich archipelago
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