This teacher-turned-cognitive scientist shared a disturbing reality that left the room stunned. “Our kids are LESS cognitively capable than we were at their age.” Every previous generation outperformed its parents since we began recording in the late 1800s. So, what happened? Screens. Dr. Jared Horvath explained: “Gen Z is the first generation in modern history to underperform us on basically every cognitive measure we have, from basic attention to memory, to literacy, to numeracy, to executive functioning, to EVEN GENERAL IQ, even though they go to more school than we did.” “So why? … The answer appears to be the tools we are using within schools to drive that learning (screens).” “If you look at the data, once countries adopt digital technology widely in schools, performance goes down significantly, to the point where kids who use computers about five hours per day in school for learning purposes will score over two-thirds of a standard deviation LESS than kids who rarely or never touch tech at school. And that’s across 80 countries.” But screens aren’t just decimating learning and making new generations less intelligent than the ones before them. They’re doing something far worse. And when you take a closer look, it isn’t pretty. 🧵

Using dragonflies instead of chemicals, a farmer lowers the fly around his cattle

~45% of US corn production is now used to make ethanol, mostly for mixing into gasoline. That's ~13% of all US crop land already used for energy production. Using some of the same land for solar panels would capture 50-100 times more energy per acre.

The US already devotes more than 40 million acres to growing corn for ethanol fuel production. If only ~1/3 of that land were converted to solar PV, it could generate enough electricity to cover the entire country's electricity needs.

AMOC are the four most important letters in my life. Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is the main ocean current system in the Atlantic Ocean. Scientists are predicting its collapse. That means the UK would cool by an average of 10°C and Norway by 15°C. A new ice age. As much as half of the world’s viable area for growing corn and wheat could dry out. Even if we truly understood even a little of what is at stake, we would be spending days unable to speak - traumatised by horror and terror. And then we would know what we are going to be doing for the rest of our lives. Doing whatever it takes to stop this from happening.

Dit wordt een kabinet vol paradoxen. Ik tel er ten miste tien:

Why do American cities feel less "alive" than their European counterparts? It's because of something called the "missing middle". A century ago, American cities looked completely different... (thread) 🧵

1/8 Veelgehoorde reactie op resultaten coalitieakkoord: "Zijn de plannen van GL-PvdA dan beter voor koopkracht van mensen? Voor extra banen? Minder armoede? Meer geld voor onderwijs, veiligheid en internationale samenwerking?" Laten we kijken naar wat het @CPBnl zelf zegt:

RT @think_or_swim: Stop whatever you’re doing and take a few minutes to listen to this breathtaking speech by @laurensunfl0wer telling oil…

MEET THE PHOTOVOLTAIC GOATS OF THE GOBI DESERT The 2.2GW Talatan Solar Park is the second largest solar installation in the world. It also accidentally greened the desert. Before the panels arrived starting 2012, it was a barren landscape, 98.5% desert, and so windy the swept-up pebbles and sand threatened to ding the expensive equipment. Workers planted grass seeds to try and minimize the damage. What they didn’t expect was due to the panels buffering wind and slowing evaporation, the grass grew too tall and too well, threatening to shade out the sun. Enter the photovoltaic goats! They now eat the grass and leave their droppings behind, further greening the solar park. As of 2022, 80% of the ground is covered by plants and there are 20,000 goats roaming the park and providing extra income for local herders, who also take on the task of washing off the panels. I don’t know to what degree this story might have been idealized to make a feel-good tale, but from what I can tell it’s a rare W for agrivoltaics!

Why did anyone have children if they are going to sit back and let this happen? I honestly don’t get it. What do people think their kids will say in ten years time? ‘It’s OK you knew and did nothing? You didn’t even protest? I love you anyway.’ [clip from BBC’s The Trick’ #bbclaurak #chrispackham

We doen het gewoon nog een keer - omdat het zo belangrijk is. Een reconstructie van het gehalte aan CO2 in de atmosfeer van de afgelopen 800.000 jaar. Hoe dan? Nou, door diep in de ijskap van Antarctica te boren, en de luchtbelletjes in het oude ijs te analyseren. 🧵👇

🚨’Farmers are warning of food shortages as record rainfall threatens to bring the first season without a harvest on some farms since the end of the Second World War... ‘ Welcome to the new normal. Except this isn’t the new normal. It’s going to get worse and worse and worse. Reminder: David Attenborough says the collapse of the global food supply is on the horizon: youtu.be/8kKe_x1YEoA?si=ZJ6v… Another reminder: The Daily Telegraph has aggressively denied or suppressed the science of climate change for the last 30 years: thelondoneconomic.com/news/d… telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04…

🏡 The Active House Alliance would like to express its gratitude to everyone who participated today during the ceremony of the #ActiveHouseAwards2024. 🌍 Over 60 colleagues from around the world participated in the ceremony. A great success!

👀 Watch Aotearoa New Zealand MP Chlöe Swarbrick deliver the most formidably cogent summary of the 20th century economic order - and how it ruined everything.

Deze rood gekleurde kaart van Nederland zegt alles: ons stroomnet raakt overvol en 'Afrikaanse' toestanden dreigen, met stroomuitval en blackouts. Een noodplan is nodig met: (i) grote investeringen in netverzwaring; (ii) focus op slimme energieopslag; (iii) extra arbeidskrachten

Almost 25 years ago, I moved to Las Vegas. The next year, I got a job briefly as a web designer for the Southern Nevada Water Authority. (I was not a good fit. 😂) I took tours of the water system from Lake Mead to take pictures for the website. I was confused.

In many parts of China Bees have already disappeared and people are employed with feather dusters to try and pollinate crops EU has approved toxic Glyphosate for another 10 years and farmers outraged at attempts to save Bees This is the future that Europe and world is striving

Austria was in February whooping 6.7 ° C above the 1961-1990 not pre industrial 🏭 this is unbelievable insane and no melt water from snow can mean drought for Italy 🇮🇹 and Germany 🇩🇪 a very dangerous situation. We should consider new approaches like cooling with mirrors and ice management and compost toilets 🚽 simply everything and no small incremental steps people! We need nothing more than a fucking emergency 🚨

If it was 2050 it would be shocking - but look at the calendar its February 2024 and its happening now Meanwhile airport expansions, road expansions, dying Arctic being used to drill for even more oil, economic growth the priority even as water levels disappear in parts of Spain