Dirk Van de Vyver

Interesse in mensen en opinies. Oost-Vlaming met een oog op de wereld. Tweets and opinions are strictly personal.

[Maarten Keulemans @mkeulemans]

Rampenfilm The Day After Tomorrow in slowmotion. 🤔

Op opwarmende wereld is er één plek die *afkoelt*: de precieze plek waar smeltwater van Groenland de Golfstroom (AMOC) uitdrukt. 😐

Prognose: eeuwen kutweer in Europa. 😭

[𐌁𐌉Ᏽ 𐌕𐌉𐌌𐌉 @OrevaZSN]

We were given a planet that grows its own food, overflowing with trees, fruit, water, medicine, and sunlight, where life itself is abundant and generous. Yet we built systems of debt, competition, division, and war instead of learning to live in balance with it.

[MetJam @MetJam_]

Oxford, the longest running continuous weather station in UK history, with temperature observations stretching back to 1815, has preliminarily broken its maximum temperature record for May yesterday by OVER 3ºC with a temperature of 33.7ºC. Unprecedented in its 211-year history.

[Peter Dynes @PGDynes]

Large parts of India have been approaching “feels like” temps near 50°C. Some coastal regions may reach ~33°C wet-bulb. At 35°C wet-bulb, heat and humidity overwhelm the human body’s ability to cool itself. Survival becomes measured in hours, especially for the elderly & infants

[Prof. Katharine Hayhoe @KHayhoe]

This article says climate change is “believed to have played a role” in the UK's extreme heat this week.

As a climate scientist, let me fact-check that.

First, climate change is not a religion. No belief is required. It is about evidence.

And the evidence has been crystal clear for more than two decades: climate change is making heat waves hotter, longer, more frequent and more dangerous.

In fact, science has advanced far beyond saying climate change merely “played a role.” Today, we can quantify how much more likely and how much hotter climate change made a specific event.

Here's the bottom line:

Climate is changing. Humans are responsible. And we are experiencing the impacts now. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that solutions already exist, and the majority of people care - 89%, around the world!

But meaningful action depends on helping people understand not just what is happening: we need to know how it affects our lives (this heat wave being example A today) and what we can do about it.

That’s the opportunity this reporting missed.

https://t.co/vYfPDKcWWf

[Dr Elaine Cox 🍃 💚 🍃🌽🥬🐦‍⬛🐌🇬🇧 @ElaineCox11]

Uncut grass keeps the ground at around 19.5°C
Grass cut to 10 cm raises the ground temperature to about 24.5°C
Bare ground in the middle of summer rises to over 40°C
It's important to raise awareness #NoMowMay

[Bruno Brezenski @bbbrezenski]

Eai, quem disposto a ir pra Índia nos próximos dias? 🇮🇳🥵
Boa parte do país terá sensação térmica acima de 50°C, alguns pontos chegando nos 55°C.

Pensa na loucura.🫠

Detalhe, essa região que atingirá a sensação de 55°C, significa também que vai atingir 33°C do bulbo úmido.
Lembra do que eu sempre falo sobre o bulbo úmido letal?

Acima de 35°C do bulbo úmido, quando a umidade está saturada e a temperatura do ar acima de 35°C temos o BULBO ÚMIDO LETAL. Nesse nível NENHUM ser humano resiste por mais de 2 horas, idosos e bebês cerca de 30 minutos para entrar em colapso térmico.

A Índia é um grande exemplo de uma nação a beira de uma catástrofe, e estamos falando do país mais populoso do mundo, quase 1.5 bilhão de pessoas.

Com o aumento na média da temperatura mundial em 3°C até 2050, essa região irá atingir o bulbo úmido letal várias vezes, significa que teremos migração de milhões de pessoas nas próximas décadas, isso só falando da Índia.

Esse é o caos que muitos analistas geopolíticos não estão incluindo nas suas análises sobre a mudança na ordem global.
Eu incluo porque é o fator principal, estamos falando em colapso civilizatório global, isso conta muitos mais do que as loucuras dos EUA em desespero pelo seu declínio hegemônico.

Os países precisam correr para conseguir fazer adaptações climáticas profundas, com o atual modelo de governança assimétrico e imperialista, não está sobrando dinheiro para as nações investirem nem na transição energética para reduzir a velocidade em que o planeta aquece.

É uma loucura ver isso e saber que um país está tentando sabotar a sobrevivência de várias nações e a estabilidade internacional.
Insanidade pura.

[Amazing Physics @amazing_physics]

Looks like Galaxy. One of the world's largest fireworks (single blast bomb), launched over Nagaoka Japan🇯🇵

[Peter Hoogmoed @PeterHoogmoed]

IUCN: 1 op 5 Europese bijensoorten met uitsterven bedreigd, volgens de onderzoekers bedreigt die afname ons voedselsysteem.

Oorzaken: Intensieve landbouw, pesticiden, stikstof en klimaatverandering

@LTONederland @ministerLVVN

https://t.co/sj5TbMJve8

[Geoffrey Lean @GeoffreyLean]

This is truly scary. The breakup of Antarctica’s Thwaites glacier would raise levels by over three meters and inundate coastal cities worldwide. And yet we continue to slow efforts to combat global warming.
https://t.co/PTBx7ibEbR

[GO GREEN @ECOWARRIORSS]

He has reminded us of the beauty of the Earth and how fragile Earth really is from the insatiable demands of humans
“Every breath of air we take, every mouthful of food that we take, comes from the natural world. And if we damage the natural world, we damage ourselves.”

David Attenborough

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

Freshwater fish populations have collapsed by a staggering 81%.

This dramatic decline is emerging as one of the most severe, yet often overlooked, wildlife crises on Earth, with serious consequences for both river ecosystems and global food security.

According to a major 2024 global assessment, migratory freshwater fish populations plummeted by an average of 81% between 1970 and 2020. This collapse is happening far faster than declines in terrestrial or marine wildlife. The main culprits are human-made barriers such as dams and weirs that block ancient migration routes, combined with pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change.

These fish play a critical role in maintaining the health of rivers and wetlands. Their disappearance disrupts entire ecosystems, affecting everything from nutrient cycling to the survival of other species. For millions of people in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, migratory fish are also a vital source of nutrition and livelihood. Their decline directly threatens food security and local economies.

The good news? Recovery is still possible. Successful conservation efforts (including the removal of obsolete dams, the creation of effective fish passages, and the protection of free-flowing rivers) have already shown promising results in restoring fish populations and river health.

The challenge now is to act quickly and at scale before these vital freshwater systems cross a point of no return.

[World Wildlife Fund. (2025). Living Planet Report 2025: A System in Peril. World Wildlife Fund]

[BONUS🌍 @TheDisproof]

A reminder: CO2 is no more "plant food" than oxygen is human food. CO2 and the right amount of water, the right climate, minerals, lack of pests and disease are needed by plants during photosynthesis to make glucose. The glucose is what plants use for "food" as they respire.

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

Science has now confirmed what anyone who has ever sought shade under a tree on a scorching day already instinctively knew: trees are nature’s ultimate air conditioners.

A single mature tree can release up to 380 liters of water vapor into the atmosphere every day through a process called evapotranspiration. Water drawn up from the roots travels through the trunk and evaporates from the leaves, quietly absorbing heat and cooling the surrounding air in the process.

The scale of this natural cooling is astonishing. According to environmental researchers, one large tree can produce a cooling effect equivalent to running five to ten air conditioners continuously for 20 hours — every single day. It does this silently, without using any electricity, without making any noise, and without emitting a single gram of carbon.

Every tree standing on a hot afternoon is essentially a free, self-powered, zero-emission cooling system that has been working since the day it was planted. Every tree we cut down removes that powerful natural cooling forever. Every tree we plant adds it back.

Nature really did build the perfect climate control system long before we ever invented one.

[Craig Brockie @CraigBrockie]

Dr. Alessio Fasano, leaky gut and autoimmune disease (Clinical Reviews in Allergy & Immunology): https://t.co/0okWE648kY

[Jeremie Vaneeckhout @JeremieVaneeckh]

De cijfers wijzen erop dat de Belgische elektriciteitsbevoorrading de voorbije jaren een stuk robuuster is geworden.

Moh, tiens,…

[Jesse Peltan @JessePeltan]

Electric vehicles are an extremely powerful tool for reducing oil demand.

This is so obvious when you use the same units.

There is a ton of chemical energy in the oil we burn to move cars, but you only need a small fraction in electrical energy for EVs to do the same job.

[Dr Gerald Kutney | Climate Politics @DrKutney]

Hot Disaster Movie has just been released:

"Global Warming 2025"

Every disaster movie starts by the government ignoring a scientist. This time the government is ignoring thousands of scientists. You can guess how it ends.

#ClimateBrawl

[Jeff Berardelli @WeatherProf]

And here’s the last 2000K years. See the red spike at the end? Yeah, it’s happening fast!
#ShowYourStripes

[Anish Moonka @anishmoonka]

Your body has one way to survive real heat: sweating. When the air is too humid, sweat can't evaporate, so your body stops cooling down. In those conditions, a healthy 25-year-old in shade with water can die in about 6 hours. India is now entering the part of the year where this actually happens.

The thermometer lies. A dry 45°C day is brutal but survivable if you find shade and keep drinking. A humid 32°C day can kill older people, sick people, or anyone working outside, because humid air can't hold more water. Your sweat just sits on your skin doing nothing, and your core temperature climbs until your organs start to shut down.

Scientists used to think the human limit was a mix of heat and humidity that felt like 35°C of pure humid air. New research has lowered that line. A 2022 Penn State study put young healthy adults in climate chambers and found they fail about 10°C below the old limit in dry sun. Sydney and Arizona State researchers published follow-up work in 2023 showing the line sits even lower for older adults, especially in dry sun. It moves with age, humidity, sun exposure, and activity level.

India's weather agency just issued its highest red alerts across Rajasthan, UP, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. Forecasts show 45 to 46°C this week, with some districts approaching 50°C (about 122°F) within two weeks. Chennai has already crossed the line where continuous outdoor work becomes unsafe. Coastal cities hit that line every summer.

India lost 181 billion working hours to heat in 2023, worth around $141 billion in lost pay, mostly for farmers. Consulting firm McKinsey estimates this could reach 4.5% of India's entire economy by 2030. Official death tolls look small compared to reality. The Health Ministry logged 360 heat deaths in 2024 and independent analysts counted over 700. Research using Lancet Countdown data estimates the real number is close to 150,000 excess deaths per summer, counting everyone whose heart, kidneys, or lungs gave out because of the heat.

When India glows red on a heat map, the color marks where the human body is being pushed past its physical limits. That zone expands every year.