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Paul Brand

@paulb62.bsky.social
22 followers 36 following 27 posts

Consultant, telecoms and IT infrastructure, nerd

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Paul Brand
PIK_climate @pik-potsdam.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
“There is a certain threshold when there is no more stopping the total breakdown of the AMOC.” PIK’s @rahmstorf.bsky.social explains how global warming could weaken the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation AMOC by adding more freshwater to the North Atlantic. www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNOS...
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Kees van der Leun @sustainable2050.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
On average, the Dutch think that 20% of the people here is Muslim (it's 5%). They overestimate our income tax rate by 28%. They think the number of homicides is on the rise (it's falling). And that agriculture takes 19% of our land area (it's 60%). And they have strong opinions on all of the above.
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Annie Leymarie @annieleymarie.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
"The anomalously warm temperatures that most of the globe will see during this El Niño event are a 'postcard from the future': while they feel anomalous now, they will become normal just a few decades into the future." impactlab.org/research/451...
impactlab.org
451,000 at Risk - Climate Impact Lab
Scientists project that global land temperatures will be 1.2°C/2.1° F above normal in the coming months due in large part to the current “Super El Niño” that began in June and is expected to last thro...
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Katharine Hayhoe @katharinehayhoe.com · 21/09/2026
I say that here. And it goes a little deeper …
nytimes.com
Opinion | I’m a Climate Scientist Who Believes in God. Hear Me Out. (Gift Article)
Global warming will strike hardest against the very people we’re told to love: the poor and vulnerable.
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Paul Brand @paulb62.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Small data centers are a very small part of the problem. Don't know for Germany, but in the Netherlands: about 50 big datacenters (>10 GWh/yr) together use about 5000 GWh/yr, while hundreds of small ones add up to only 400 GWh/yr. So addressing the big ones is definitely a good start.
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Janne M. Korhonen @jmkorhonen.fi · 17/09/2026
Did a bit of sleuthing about calls to "pace" #AI research, and specifically to find out whether it's 1. a ploy to make money (no doubt), and/or to 2. freeze out future competition (likely), or 3. motivated by weird cultist beliefs (absolutely), or 4. a genuine concern (also likely true!) 🧵
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Rich countries owe Nepal climate reparations.
bbc.co.uk
Nepal floods: Climate change played role in disaster, study finds
More than 1,400 people were killed and thousands remain missing following the deluge on 26 August.
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Jaap Stronks @jaapstronks.nl · 15/09/2026
Organisaties hebben technische leiderschapsposities nodig (CTO’s, chief digital officers, etc). Dat is dé voorwaarde om digitale/rechnische expertise in-house op te bouwen. Management/bestuur zonder IT-kennis zal altijd kiezen voor outsourcing omdat ze anders zelf verantwoordelijkheid dragen
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Kees van der Leun @sustainable2050.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
The crazy amounts already needed for climate adaptation make serious climate action look like a walk in the park (financially). The man responsible for protecting the Netherlands against rising waters: "We'll need to double our water management expenses from 1% to 2% of GDP" nos.nl/artikel/2630...
nos.nl
Miljarden extra nodig voor wateraanpak, maar zelfs dan niet alle schade te voorkomen
Nu gaat zo'n 1 procent van het bbp naar de wateraanpak toe, ruim 11 miljard euro. Deltacommissaris Co Verdaas waarschuwt dat dat bedrag moet worden verdubbeld.
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Nick Varga @karaoke-god.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
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Andy Scollick @andyscollick.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
@geofflean.bsky.social: We were warned. Four months ago top Himalayan experts reported the rate of ice loss doubling since 2000, with glaciers shrinking by a fifth since 1990. “This isn’t a distant problem” they said. “It’s happening in real time”. They predicted “catastrophe”.
icimod.org
Hindu Kush Himalaya glaciers losing ice at double the rate since 2000, new ICIMOD report confirm - ICIMOD
Kathmandu, 18 March 2026 – Glaciers across the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) are melting at an accelerating rate, with ice loss rates doubling since the year 2000, according to two new landmark reports th...
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Dr. Jonathan Foley @globalecoguy.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Instagram is train wreck for climate. While *actual* climate scientists have their content suppressed, accounts that spew total nonsense thrive. Vapid “lifestyle influencers” pretending to care about climate are everywhere. And “doomers” that share nonsense pseudo-science are spreading, too.
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Annie Leymarie @annieleymarie.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Himalayan landscapes have always experienced landslides, avalanches and floods. But climate warming is changing the background conditions: glaciers are retreating, slopes are being destabilised, new lakes are forming, large volumes of loose sediment are being exposed—making hazards more connected.
theconversation.com
Nepal’s devastating floods reveal the danger of ‘cascading hazards’ in Himalayas
One disaster can create the conditions for the next.
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Nick Young @nickofnz.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Adapting to climate change without ending the fossil fuel industry.
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Katharine Hayhoe @katharinehayhoe.com · 23/08/2026
I've heard thousands of climate denial arguments over the last few decades. But do you know they all fall into one of 5 categories? 1. It's not real 2. It's not us 3. It's not bad 4. We can't fix it 5. You can't trust the info/experts Source: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A classification tree showing the breakdown of climate denial arguments.
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Philipp Markolin @philippmarkolin.eurosky.social · 18/08/2026
In 2026, there is no longer any lab leak hypothesis you can state consistently with the available evidence. Despite this, it has been the dominant media narrative for six years. Read my new data-driven investigation: www.protagonist-science.com/p/biased-med...
protagonist-science.com
Biased media coverage and the lab leak theory
Gain-of-function fearmongering and blame gets the glitzy NYT visual treatment as Republicans weaponize the lab leak theory again in attacks on Dr. Anthony Fauci
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Paul Brand @paulb62.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
It's a cohort study, so the big improvement is simply from these children growing up; the message is in the differences between the cohorts. Original is here www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
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Kees van der Leun @sustainable2050.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
"If we'd eat a little less meat, as recommended for health reasons too, our nitrogen deposition problem (harming nature in the Netherlands) would be halved, and we wouldn't have to import fodder." Sounds like a plan!
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Paul Brand @paulb62.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Crazy amounts all around. Not sure whether this is typical, but I paid 9000 euro for a hybrid heatpump in the Netherlands, including install, and I received 2400 euro in subsidies.
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Prof. Stefan Rahmstorf @rahmstorf.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
"Es gibt Anzeichen, dass in der Klimawissenschaft die Leute zu vorsichtig waren. Weil sie Angst davor hatten, als alarmistisch eingestuft zu werden. Das war aber nicht alarmistisch, sondern alarmierend. Das ist ein großer Unterschied." @lewan.uk Stimmt. www.br.de/nachrichten/...
br.de
Weltklimabericht 2021: Welche Prognosen waren richtig?
Vor fünf Jahren hat der Weltklimarat IPCC in seinem "Sachstandsbericht" den damaligen Stand der weltweiten Klimaforschung zusammengefasst. Sind die darin enthaltenen Prognosen eingetroffen?
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Paul Brand @paulb62.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Also, I would argue that the "unique receptacle" being proposed by UL kind of defeats the purpose of simple plug-in solar. The European approach is different: the device itself has to ensure touch safety, and the power is limited to 800W to minimize the risk of overcurrent.
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Søren Have @sorenhave.dk · 03/08/2026
Reminded me of this brilliant Letzte Generation come-back (from around 2023): ‘We are allowed to do this. We have a tractor.’ 👌🏻👏🏻
3 climate activists blocking a road. One to the left sitting on a plastic, toy tractor. One to the right holding a drawing of a tractor. One in the middle holding a cardboard sign saying (in German): We are allowed to this. We have a tractor.
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Paul Brand @paulb62.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Nice! Where do I find that list? (Note that it's not so much about changing the law, since this EU rule dates from after Brexit. But maybe you have a similar one, and I just didn't find it)
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Paul Brand @paulb62.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Should have stayed in the EU - all DCs in EU countries do have an obligation to disclose energy and water use. See link.europa.eu/q7x39t for the totals.
link.europa.eu
Qlik Sense
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Paul Brand @paulb62.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Modern DC's don't use much water, but most of it is indeed evaporated. Older DC's use a lot more water, and release it at a higher temperature, but like you suggested it has to be retreated. Water treatment facilities are often the bottleneck.
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Paul Brand @paulb62.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Yes, almost all houses have wet central heating, with people installing underfloor heating whenever they have a major renovation. So an air/water heatpump fits right in.
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Paul Brand @paulb62.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
This was the reason we went for air/water; we didn't want to install a unit into every room and we didn't have air (HVAC) conduits. The air/water unit works very well with the existing central (mostly floor) heating.
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Bob Berwyn @bberwyn.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Fossil fuel company execs carry the biggest burden of climate guilt, but elected and appointed government officials are not far behind.
insideclimatenews.org
Governments Knew the Risks of Global Warming as They Chose Fossil-Fueled Growth in the 1950s and ’60s - Inside Climate News
A new report suggests that some governments have ignored legal obligations to prevent climate harm for decades.
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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Issue of the public mandate for Net Zero and climate action is beautifully captured by 3 headlines in the Guardian today Exhibit A: climate change impacts getting real. University of Exeter Wildfire Lab says Climate change is making wildfires more likely 1/4🧵🧵 www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
theguardian.com
UK in ‘firewave’ as extreme heat provides ideal conditions for wildfires, experts warn
National Fire Chiefs Council say emergency services dealing with 19 wildfires across Britain, many near urban areas
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Prof. Stefan Rahmstorf @rahmstorf.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Die große Mehrheit der Menschen hat verstanden: Klimaschutz darf auch in Krisenzeiten nicht vorübergehend hintenanstehen! 66% machen sich große oder sehr große Sorgen, dass der Klimawandel unsere Lebensgrundlagen zerstört. Das zeigt auch die Wissenschaft. Die Politik muss endlich mehr tun!
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Jan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
We seem to have hit a nerve with this one and I'm completely blown away by the response. Close to 100,000 views in 24 hours for an academic paper on tabloid framing and the German heating law. I suspect it's because so many countries are watching the same playbook unfold at home.
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Prof Ian Hall @ianhall.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
The “we’re only 1%” argument is a bit like everyone on a sinking ship refusing to bail water because their bucket is too small. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘But we’re just 1% of emissions’: do smaller countries’ climate efforts matter?
Past and present leaders of wealthy nations such as UK and Germany have argued their actions are insignificant
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Bert Hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @berthub.eu · 02/07/2026
Recent nodigde SURF me uit & daar presenteerde ik "Digitale Autonomie 2.0: en nu echt", met speciale aandacht voor hoe we politiek, bestuur en IT-afdelingen mee kunnen krijgen. Hier een opgeleukt transcript, samenvatting & sheets van de presentatie, tjokvol met links: berthub.eu/articles/pos...
berthub.eu
Digitale Autonomie 2.0: en nu echt - Bert Hubert's writings
Afgelopen 25 juni deed ik het openingspraatje van de Surf Privacy en Security Conferentie. Nou heb ik vaker over digitale autonomie gesproken, maar deze keer heb ik het nadrukkelijk meer over wat er n...
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Nicely Nicely Jones @nicelynicelyjones.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
This is important, as it validates what has been long suspected but rarely proven with hard facts: media monopolies are being used shape and change political sentiment to suit their owners’ and paymasters’ objectives.
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Dr. Aaron Thierry @thierryaaron.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
You can get to a high-warming world without high emissions . That's the part of this week's "RCP 8.5 is implausible" discussion that's getting missed. A short thread on why the relief is premature 🧵
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Kate Aronoff @katearonoff.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
I went deep on RCP8.5, and how a climate scenario that's well over a decade old became the subject of a ridiculously bad-faith culture war newrepublic.com/article/2108...
newrepublic.com
Trump Twisted a Climate Debate Beyond Recognition
​Researchers concluded that one future climate scenario is unlikely to happen. Right-wingers went wild.
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Paul Brand @paulb62.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Dutch policymakers seem to have understood this; every pilot project where local governments try to wean people off their natural gas pipes uses heat pumps and induction cooking. There are currently approx 40 of these pilot projects.
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
We must stand in solidarity with Jews being attacked by antisemitic criminals and terrorists: no ifs or buts. We must stand in solidarity with Palestinians being murdered by the Israeli government: no ifs or buts. These are not contradictory positions. They are consistent ones. 🧵1/5
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Paul Brand @paulb62.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
An average railway line has 4 feet of space between the rails, and 30 feet on either side between the track and the fence. So why pick the narrow strip, with the largest issues concerning dirt, vibration, etc., when there is so much more space available on the verges??
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Jan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
REVEALED: A French PR executive with gas industry ties linked to a coordinated Facebook network spreading heat pump misinformation. Always the same playbook: manufacture doubt, delay the transition, protect the incumbents. www.desmog.com/2026/04/23/f...
desmog.com
French PR Executive Behind Facebook Network Spreading Heat Pump Hate
A French PR executive with links to the gas industry appears to be behind an online campaign to discredit clean heating, it can be revealed. The new investigation by DeSmog and Politico found boutique...
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
The richest man owns X. The second and fourth richest men control Google. The third richest man owns The Washington Post. The fifth richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. And now the sixth richest could soon take over both Paramount and Warner Bros. See the problem here?
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PIK_climate @pik-potsdam.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Yesterday PIK's Levke Caesar spoke at ChangeNOW in Paris about how climate change is, and will, affect the polar regions - "the greatest risk is not gradual change, but crossing unseen thresholds that can set off cascading tipping points across the earth system."
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Kustaw Bessems @kustaw.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Interessant 👇
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Prof. Stefan Rahmstorf @rahmstorf.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Breaking: A new review paper of the tipping point risk of the Atlantic ocean circulation system known as #AMOC has been published. 🌊 The evidence has broadened over the last years that the present AMOC is in a multi-stable regime, posing a risk of tipping 😨. dx.doi.org/10.1002/wcc....
dx.doi.org
Multi‐Stability of the Present‐Day Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation
There is much supporting evidence (freshwater export, paleo records, model hierarchy) that the present-day AMOC is in a multi-stable regime.
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Kees van der Leun @sustainable2050.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Trump on his war against Iran, for which our (Dutch) government previously showed its 'understanding': “To be honest with you, my favorite thing is to take the oil in Iran but some stupid people back in the US say: ‘why are you doing that?’ But they’re stupid people,” Trump told the Financial Times
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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Pete Hegseth just held a prayer service in which he appealed for God's help in killing our "enemies" with maximal violence and brutality. Hegseth's bloodlust and sadism are drawing sustenance from his particular brand of far-right Christianity. 1/ (new piece from me) newrepublic.com/article/2083...
newrepublic.com
Pete Hegseth Just Revealed the Real Roots of His Sadism and Rage
Does God want America to kill as many of our enemies as we can—in as violent a fashion as possible? We have a defense secretary who apparently thinks so.
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Paul Brand @paulb62.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Is dat "dwarsboomt", of misschien "eist dat de Staat zich aan de regels houdt, en dus in een aanbesteding geen onredelijke eisen stelt"?
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Bert Hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @berthub.eu · 02/03/2026
Motie — houd de btw hier! - berthub.eu/tkconv/docum...
e Kamer,
gehoord de beraadslaging,
constaterende dat de Belastingdienst voornemens is om het beheer en
het onderhoud van de btw-systematiek uit te besteden aan een
Amerikaans bedrijf,!
constaterende dat hierdoor de inning van ongeveer 1,5 miljard euro
btw per week direct afhankelijk wordt van één Amerikaans bedrijf,
overwegende dat dat het nog niet te laat is om deze uitbesteding te
heroverwegen zodat de problematische afhankelijkheid van de
Verenigde Staten niet toeneemt,
verzoekt de regering om het beheer en het onderhoud van de btw-
systematiek van de Belastingdienst binnen Europa te houden, en geen
onomkeerbare stappen te zetten in deze ICT-migratie totdat de Kamer
hierover volledig is geïnformeerd en zich heeft kunnen uitspreken,
en gaat over tot de orde van de dag.
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Prof Bill McGuire @profbillmcguire.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
If you think we are living in a wild west world, this is nothing compared to what #climate breakdown is set to bring Nasty little wars, even nastier big wars, biblical migration, civil strife, plummeting food supplies and clean water availability, and ever more extreme weather All coming to you...
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