Jess Zionts

DPhil Student at Oxford University
Food Systems lead at Oxford Net Zero
Figuring out how to feed the world without destroying it
(views are my own)

[Jess Zionts @JessZionts]

I'm excited to have a paper published in Nature today from my time at WRI. The Carbon Harvest Model (CHARM) shows that we have to get the accounting right on all land-based products, not just food. Forestry is not exempt from the need to 'produce, protect, reduce, and restore.'

[WRI Food @WRIFood]

WRI researchers' newest paper estimates that global wood harvests will add 3.5 to 4.2 billion tons of CO2e to the atmosphere yearly over the coming decades. That is more than 3X annual emissions from aviation ⬇��

https://t.co/3sGp4gBhev

[Tim Searchinger @TSearchinger]

New report today, using model from recent Nature explains why using more wood in construction likely to increase emissions and requires huge increase in harvesting wood. https://t.co/X84x0sb0jK - Hint, wood is not carbon neutral & only small amount gets into buildings.

[Nature Portfolio @NaturePortfolio]

A @Nature paper presents a model that uses time discounting to estimate the present and future carbon costs of global wood harvests under different scenarios, suggesting an underappreciated option to address climate change. https://t.co/c5IymfdKTv

[grist @grist]

Wood is often touted as carbon-neutral, but a new study shows that cutting down trees for paper, furniture, and fuel emits three times more carbon than flying. https://t.co/5NnqAemu8q

[Justin Catanoso @jcatanoso]

My latest for @MongabayOrg concerns a new study in @Nature on the global impact of logging for timber/biofuel on emissions. Most media have ignored; they shouldn't. https://t.co/EnMZ6nCCP9 @billmckibben @ElizKolbert @chriscmooney @dwallacewells @WRIClimate @guardianeco @YaleE360

[Tim Searchinger @TSearchinger]

New Nature paper: Yearly emissions from global wood consumption likely to avg 3.5-4.2 billion tons of CO2e for next three decades. Equals 10% of annual CO2 emissions. = deforestation from ag. But mostly ignored by science & policy. Consump to grow 54%.
https://t.co/FbXtHju9g5

[Jess Zionts @JessZionts]

Congratulations to my colleagues @peng_liqing @waiterich and @TSearchinger

[Jess Zionts @JessZionts]

I'm excited to have a paper published in Nature today from my time at WRI. The Carbon Harvest Model (CHARM) shows that we have to get the accounting right on all land-based products, not just food. Forestry is not exempt from the need to 'produce, protect, reduce, and restore.'

[WRI Food @WRIFood]

WRI researchers' newest paper estimates that global wood harvests will add 3.5 to 4.2 billion tons of CO2e to the atmosphere yearly over the coming decades. That is more than 3X annual emissions from aviation ⬇��

https://t.co/3sGp4gBhev

[Jess Zionts @JessZionts]

@jtemple @waiterich @JoshEttinger wrote a thesis about this

[Jess Zionts @JessZionts]

Do what you can, when you can, and always remember that 100 companies are responsible for 71% of emissions...

[The Cut @TheCut]

We asked experts about which individual actions really make a difference https://t.co/MnWNFVCgop

[Jess Zionts @JessZionts]

If you follow me, you probably talk about climate on a daily basis anyways, so why not contribute to this awesome campaign in the run-up to COP26? My friends from @ecioxford are fighting climate silence one conversation at a time!

[Talk Climate Change @ClimateChats]

Climate Conversations = Climate Action

✨ https://t.co/gJ3gfskiCw ✨
💬 Have a conversation
📝 Submit it
🌏 Spread the word

Please share this video far and wide and help fight climate silence!

[Jess Zionts @JessZionts]

@waiterich I read someone call them "shrimp of the sky" and now I can't think about anything else

[Dr. Josh Ettinger @JoshEttinger]

Scientists are not machines – they are human beings. Being open about how one feels about the data doesn't undermine objectivity, it actually builds authenticity.

[Jess Zionts @JessZionts]

An absolute must-read for anyone who still thinks burning wood is a climate solution. Another great piece from Michael Grunwald.

[Michael Grunwald @MikeGrunwald]

I went deep into the wildest story in climate policy: Burning trees in the name of clean energy. https://t.co/REjuAGr2WW

[Hannah Ritchie @_HannahRitchie]

Soy is one of the leading drivers of deforestation.

People often think of soy milk, tofu & similar products. But these make up only 4% of soy consumption.

More than three-quarters (77%) of global soy goes to animal feed.

From our work on deforestation: https://t.co/c7h2RPqbK6

[Jess Zionts @JessZionts]

Methane is indeed methane. If humans didn't demand beef and dairy, there would be no cows, and no methane. That's the real counterfactual here.

[Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek]

Methane is methane. And the consensus from IPCC and its affiliated scientists is that agriculture is the largest human-caused source, not fossil fuels. https://t.co/1znAT1bbiy

Of course both are large & could flip positions in the near future. Let's address both with urgency.

[Jess Zionts @JessZionts]

A great piece by @jennysplitter, and my media interview debut! Be skeptical of industries diminishing their contribution to climate crisis with buzzwords like "climate neutrality." There is no free lunch, and we need to reduce all emissions NOW. @waiterich @WRIFood

[Undark Magazine @undarkmag]

When a forest is converted to farmland, it is no longer able to sequester carbon, and instead is released into the atmosphere. Taking land use into consideration makes a huge difference in emissions calculations for foods like beef and dairy.

https://t.co/U9zccW3ZLq

[Janet Ranganathan @JRanganathanWRI]

Right. When burned, trees generate more CO2 emissions per unit of energy generated than fossil fuels. Biomass is rarely a climate friendly energy -only when it's truly from waste. https://t.co/OhSMO3iRK8

[Jess Zionts @JessZionts]

@WW_Anderson Exactly! They don’t call it a “fire climax community” for nothing!

[Tim Searchinger @TSearchinger]

Thanks to David Powlson, Rober Boddey, Ken Cassman, Pauline Chivenge, Ken Giller, Keith Goulding, Jan Willem van Groenigen, Chris van Kellel, Cheryl Palm for superb, short summary of what is possible and not possible with soil carbon sequestration on working agricultural lands.

[SoGE, University of Oxford @oxfordgeography]

What can scientists learn from screenwriters? SoGE doctoral researcher @JoshEttinger explains how Hollywood tricks of the trade can enhance science communication. @nresearchnews https://t.co/AoFlD3XsDk
@oxsocsci @OxHumanities @WorcCollegeOx