Nick Johnston
@nifjnick.bsky.social
Lapsed biochemist at Queen's University Belfast
Ed Admin for @jrlepp.bsky.social
Project Manager for Foresighters @foresighters.bsky.social
Support for Environmental and Spatial Governance (ENSGOV) Research Group (https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/ensgov/)
Ed Admin for @jrlepp.bsky.social
Project Manager for Foresighters @foresighters.bsky.social
Support for Environmental and Spatial Governance (ENSGOV) Research Group (https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/ensgov/)
Reposted by Nick Johnston
Ine more downside i had not considered
Datacenter rush will create ‘tsunami’ of discarded electronics, report says
Global push will triple toxic e-waste annually in 25 years, filling enough shipping containers to circle globe six times
www.theguardian.com
September 16, 2026 at 12:49 PM
Ine more downside i had not considered
Reposted by Nick Johnston
Anyone thinking about the different flavors of “critical AI studies”? Or deployments of appropriate, effective, responsible, ethical, critical AI use?
September 16, 2026 at 12:38 PM
Anyone thinking about the different flavors of “critical AI studies”? Or deployments of appropriate, effective, responsible, ethical, critical AI use?
Reposted by Nick Johnston
Critical AI
Critical AI Literacy (CAIL) from my perspective.
olivia.science
September 16, 2026 at 12:39 PM
Reposted by Nick Johnston
CAST job alert: We are hiring for an Impact and Communications Associate to join us at our centre hub (University of Bath) and help shape climate policy and practice through world-leading social science research. 📣
Deadline: Tuesday 29 September 2026
Apply now: cast.ac.uk/cast-careers/
Deadline: Tuesday 29 September 2026
Apply now: cast.ac.uk/cast-careers/
September 16, 2026 at 11:01 AM
CAST job alert: We are hiring for an Impact and Communications Associate to join us at our centre hub (University of Bath) and help shape climate policy and practice through world-leading social science research. 📣
Deadline: Tuesday 29 September 2026
Apply now: cast.ac.uk/cast-careers/
Deadline: Tuesday 29 September 2026
Apply now: cast.ac.uk/cast-careers/
Holy cr@p - according to Wikipedia, the Gates Foundation was holding $91 billion at the end of last year!!?!!
It's back of the sofa change, in order to stockpile more money...
It's back of the sofa change, in order to stockpile more money...
this is just to control them, deskill them, impoverish them more
The Gates Foundation has pledged to spend at least $1 billion over the next two years to expand global access to A.I. and help “narrow gaps between the richest and poorest rather than widening them.”
September 16, 2026 at 10:44 AM
Holy cr@p - according to Wikipedia, the Gates Foundation was holding $91 billion at the end of last year!!?!!
It's back of the sofa change, in order to stockpile more money...
It's back of the sofa change, in order to stockpile more money...
This was a tough read for me personally for a variety of reasons, but it's worth it. Amazing people are out there
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
The girl with a will to live: the love, hope and pain of raising Elsie – my one in 163 million daughter
She was born with an ultra-rare genetic disorder. After my decades working in film PR, I now face the biggest campaign of all: the fight for her life
www.theguardian.com
September 16, 2026 at 10:29 AM
This was a tough read for me personally for a variety of reasons, but it's worth it. Amazing people are out there
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
Reposted by Nick Johnston
If there's a single graph you need to see to understand the AI extinction debate, it's this. To survive, frontier AI giants need to burn $10 trillion (a tenth of world GDP) over nxt 5 years. But they will only earn $3 trillion - a financial blackhole of $7 trillion. Who is going to go extinct?
September 15, 2026 at 8:31 PM
If there's a single graph you need to see to understand the AI extinction debate, it's this. To survive, frontier AI giants need to burn $10 trillion (a tenth of world GDP) over nxt 5 years. But they will only earn $3 trillion - a financial blackhole of $7 trillion. Who is going to go extinct?
Reposted by Nick Johnston
This summer, 35,000 heat deaths in Europe got one news cycle. Last week, a probability estimate about a hypothetical AI apocalypse got seven. The warnings may be sincere—but notice what they justify: fossil fuel plants.
Climate change is existential now.
electricnotes.news/p/pick-your-...
Climate change is existential now.
electricnotes.news/p/pick-your-...
Pick Your Apocalypse: Climate vs. AI Doom
Some Thoughts On the *Other* Existential Threat
electricnotes.news
September 14, 2026 at 11:06 PM
This summer, 35,000 heat deaths in Europe got one news cycle. Last week, a probability estimate about a hypothetical AI apocalypse got seven. The warnings may be sincere—but notice what they justify: fossil fuel plants.
Climate change is existential now.
electricnotes.news/p/pick-your-...
Climate change is existential now.
electricnotes.news/p/pick-your-...
Reposted by Nick Johnston
Not the one they should have.
What weapon could the US have put into space?
What weapon could the US have put into space?
The announcement by the US points to a developing field of modern warfare in the Earth's orbit.
www.bbc.co.uk
September 15, 2026 at 3:18 PM
Not the one they should have.
Reposted by Nick Johnston
So please read and see what is really going on. It's far from the picture painted by some in the media and in politics that migrants exploit the system. If anything, the system often exploits them.
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026...
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026...
Government makes £5bn a year from immigration fees while applicants…
Home Office’s fees are up to 10 times the processing cost – and rising every year
www.thebureauinvestigates.com
September 15, 2026 at 6:59 AM
So please read and see what is really going on. It's far from the picture painted by some in the media and in politics that migrants exploit the system. If anything, the system often exploits them.
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026...
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026...
Reposted by Nick Johnston
Like @sianberry.bsky.social told us: “Now, when they have a chance to make things better, they have not only gone quiet but are set to massively increase charges for migrants”.
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026...
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026...
Government makes £5bn a year from immigration fees while applicants…
Home Office’s fees are up to 10 times the processing cost – and rising every year
www.thebureauinvestigates.com
September 15, 2026 at 6:56 AM
Like @sianberry.bsky.social told us: “Now, when they have a chance to make things better, they have not only gone quiet but are set to massively increase charges for migrants”.
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026...
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026...
Reposted by Nick Johnston
The UK government is making upwards of £4.9bn in profit from visa fees, citizenship fees & the immigration health surcharge. Meanwhile, people are getting into thousands of pounds of debt or going without food just to afford to these immigration fees.
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026...
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026...
Government makes £5bn a year from immigration fees while applicants…
Home Office’s fees are up to 10 times the processing cost – and rising every year
www.thebureauinvestigates.com
September 15, 2026 at 6:41 AM
The UK government is making upwards of £4.9bn in profit from visa fees, citizenship fees & the immigration health surcharge. Meanwhile, people are getting into thousands of pounds of debt or going without food just to afford to these immigration fees.
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026...
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026...
Reposted by Nick Johnston
Next time a proponent tells you that they have solved the cooling water problem with data centers....
‘Tidal wave’ of Pfas being launched to satisfy AI industry, campaigners warn
Big manufacturers planning to produce more of the forever chemicals to meet demand from datacentres
www.theguardian.com
September 14, 2026 at 1:22 PM
Next time a proponent tells you that they have solved the cooling water problem with data centers....
🚨🌡️ The future of today’s climate refugia will depend not only on how much the planet warms but also how far temperatures overshoot 1.5°C and how quickly they decline afterwards.
Every additional increment of warming is expected to increase biodiversity loss: tyndall.ac.uk/news/limitin...
Every additional increment of warming is expected to increase biodiversity loss: tyndall.ac.uk/news/limitin...
Limiting global warming offers greatest protection for climate refugia globally - Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
Climate action compatible with limiting global warming to 1.5°C could more than halve the combined loss of today’s climate refugia compared with current climate policies, even after accounting for…
tyndall.ac.uk
September 14, 2026 at 12:09 PM
Important thread about path dependency, ignorance, and making mistakes now that will come back to haunt us (if haunt means wreak even more catastrophic climate chaos)
Still thinking about this. How come the BBC producer, the editor, or the journalist himself did not simply google what Coutinho claimed?
How is it too hard to type "beis electricity system costs" into a search bar and read THE FIRST result?
How is it too hard to type "beis electricity system costs" into a search bar and read THE FIRST result?
September 14, 2026 at 10:34 AM
Important thread about path dependency, ignorance, and making mistakes now that will come back to haunt us (if haunt means wreak even more catastrophic climate chaos)
I wish Chris Boucher was still with us so I could toast him for this quite brilliant insult. So many suitable recipients these days...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP7b...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP7b...
Doctor Who: Possibly the best line in all the show
YouTube video by AlternateThirteenth
www.youtube.com
September 13, 2026 at 9:18 PM
I wish Chris Boucher was still with us so I could toast him for this quite brilliant insult. So many suitable recipients these days...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP7b...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP7b...
Strong Golgafrinchan 'B' Ark vibes
As I keep pointing out, does no one understand Ricardian comparative advantage anymore.
FACT: China produces over 1 million engineering graduates per year
FACT: To date, China has not produced a single internationally marketable game show format
Where does it look like our advantage lies?
FACT: China produces over 1 million engineering graduates per year
FACT: To date, China has not produced a single internationally marketable game show format
Where does it look like our advantage lies?
A cheery message from the new minister responsible for research funding for the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences (and the subjects that the majority of UK taught undergraduate and Masters students study).
September 11, 2026 at 1:26 PM
Strong Golgafrinchan 'B' Ark vibes
I know it’s a bummer to say out loud, but in academics, beware of the self-appointed AI boosters who will see how they can get ahead by positioning themselves with emerging anti-reading and surveillance discourses.
Anthropic Is Building a Predictive Surveillance System to Monitor Activists - The American Prospect
New hires and comments in interviews show that the AI giant is using its capabilities against dissenters.
prospect.org
September 10, 2026 at 4:07 PM
Reposted by Nick Johnston
Thank you. My dream is to put full CLD (Fig 2.4) onto a very large whiteboard then have a number of deep thinkers on the transition (I see you!) to really kick the tyres. It's a work in progress, no doubt needing to evolve.
September 9, 2026 at 5:12 PM
Thank you. My dream is to put full CLD (Fig 2.4) onto a very large whiteboard then have a number of deep thinkers on the transition (I see you!) to really kick the tyres. It's a work in progress, no doubt needing to evolve.
Reposted by Nick Johnston
The Local Power Plan has set a target of 8 GW of #CommunityEnergy by 2030. That's only achievable if the right support reaches the right communities at the right time.
Built with Community Energy England and Ashden Climate Solutions, that's what Community Energy GO is designed to do.
Explore more👇
Built with Community Energy England and Ashden Climate Solutions, that's what Community Energy GO is designed to do.
Explore more👇
Home - Community Energy GO
Welcome to Community Energy GO — Turn your renewable energy idea into reality. We connect community groups across England with expert advice, practical tools and hands-on support to make your project happen.
communityenergygo.org.uk
September 9, 2026 at 10:25 AM
The Local Power Plan has set a target of 8 GW of #CommunityEnergy by 2030. That's only achievable if the right support reaches the right communities at the right time.
Built with Community Energy England and Ashden Climate Solutions, that's what Community Energy GO is designed to do.
Explore more👇
Built with Community Energy England and Ashden Climate Solutions, that's what Community Energy GO is designed to do.
Explore more👇
Reposted by Nick Johnston
My new article about LLMs is finally out in AI & Society! It argues that LLMs produce text metaphorically, through juxtaposing tokens that are related in some dimensions yet unrelated in others. This is why we see misaligned citations in scientific articles.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
LLMs are metaphor machines: orbital argumentation, misaligned citations, and scientific fabrication in AI-generated writing - AI & SOCIETY
Large language models are metaphor machines: they generate text based on similarities and proximity in their training data. I argue that this metaphor-based text generation leads to what John Gallaghe...
link.springer.com
September 9, 2026 at 8:46 AM
My new article about LLMs is finally out in AI & Society! It argues that LLMs produce text metaphorically, through juxtaposing tokens that are related in some dimensions yet unrelated in others. This is why we see misaligned citations in scientific articles.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Nick Johnston
British universities are both thinner and greedier now. They’re thinner in that they’re doing less and offering less (fewer courses, fewer modules, fewer assessments, fewer staff, far less student and staff support). They’re greedier in that they demand more of both students and staff: more money…
'Students are attending less, reading less, participating less, and often treating university as one commitment among many.'
Students are not disengaged, they are adapting to a thinner university
For Fredrick Agboma and Andrew Doyle, the question isn't whether students are less committed, but what culture they're asked to inhabit
wonkhe.com
September 9, 2026 at 7:35 AM
British universities are both thinner and greedier now. They’re thinner in that they’re doing less and offering less (fewer courses, fewer modules, fewer assessments, fewer staff, far less student and staff support). They’re greedier in that they demand more of both students and staff: more money…
Hugely significant quote
"...decisions are being made every day about heat. Boilers are changed every 12 to 15 years. Each year of delay locks in another generation of fossil heating."
New housing has to be locked into these future plans, rather than kicking it down the road for someone else.
"...decisions are being made every day about heat. Boilers are changed every 12 to 15 years. Each year of delay locks in another generation of fossil heating."
New housing has to be locked into these future plans, rather than kicking it down the road for someone else.
Heat is half of global energy use yet barely mentioned.
Soon Britain gets eleven Regional Energy Strategic Plans, covering electricity, gas and hydrogen as one system. Biggest shift in energy governance since privatisation.
Our @ukerc.bsky.social project studies it:
ukerc.ac.uk/news/regiona...
Soon Britain gets eleven Regional Energy Strategic Plans, covering electricity, gas and hydrogen as one system. Biggest shift in energy governance since privatisation.
Our @ukerc.bsky.social project studies it:
ukerc.ac.uk/news/regiona...
Regional Energy Planning is Back, for the First Time Since Privatisation. Heat Will Decide if it Works.
If you've never heard of a RESP, you're not alone. But if you care about how Britain decarbonises heat, you should...
ukerc.ac.uk
September 9, 2026 at 9:41 AM
Hugely significant quote
"...decisions are being made every day about heat. Boilers are changed every 12 to 15 years. Each year of delay locks in another generation of fossil heating."
New housing has to be locked into these future plans, rather than kicking it down the road for someone else.
"...decisions are being made every day about heat. Boilers are changed every 12 to 15 years. Each year of delay locks in another generation of fossil heating."
New housing has to be locked into these future plans, rather than kicking it down the road for someone else.
Reposted by Nick Johnston
Heat is half of global energy use yet barely mentioned.
Soon Britain gets eleven Regional Energy Strategic Plans, covering electricity, gas and hydrogen as one system. Biggest shift in energy governance since privatisation.
Our @ukerc.bsky.social project studies it:
ukerc.ac.uk/news/regiona...
Soon Britain gets eleven Regional Energy Strategic Plans, covering electricity, gas and hydrogen as one system. Biggest shift in energy governance since privatisation.
Our @ukerc.bsky.social project studies it:
ukerc.ac.uk/news/regiona...
Regional Energy Planning is Back, for the First Time Since Privatisation. Heat Will Decide if it Works.
If you've never heard of a RESP, you're not alone. But if you care about how Britain decarbonises heat, you should...
ukerc.ac.uk
September 9, 2026 at 8:58 AM
Heat is half of global energy use yet barely mentioned.
Soon Britain gets eleven Regional Energy Strategic Plans, covering electricity, gas and hydrogen as one system. Biggest shift in energy governance since privatisation.
Our @ukerc.bsky.social project studies it:
ukerc.ac.uk/news/regiona...
Soon Britain gets eleven Regional Energy Strategic Plans, covering electricity, gas and hydrogen as one system. Biggest shift in energy governance since privatisation.
Our @ukerc.bsky.social project studies it:
ukerc.ac.uk/news/regiona...
Way ahead of his time, this is the first #stoptheblokes I can find on Bluesky
September 8, 2026 at 4:54 PM
Way ahead of his time, this is the first #stoptheblokes I can find on Bluesky