Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun

@eaterofsun

Author, Editor @ The Economist, Chair @ The Degrees Initiative. Climate change, planetarity, critical zones, tv, burdens of life, etc. Reposts are not endorsements

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Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· 18d

”[And] Research funding began to flow into the sector.” It really didn’t. There’s a peak in 2012 from government sources (probably mostly UK, in response to Royal Society report) but the real action is almost a decade after Superfreakonomics srm360.org/funding-trac...

Charts showing the total annual funding of SRM research 2007-24 with breakdowns for governmental, philanthropic and commercial money. There is an outlying peak at 2012 which is almost entirely governmental. The real take off is much more apparent in the late 2010s.

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· 18d

I just point to the opening of my book, The Planet Remade www.google.co.uk/books/editio...

In March of 2012, in a large-windowed conference hall on the snowy campus of the University of Calgary, I heard two simple questions. The man asking them was trying to help his audience get the most out of their day by giving them a clear understanding of where they, and others, stood when it came to action on climate change. To that end he asked them:
Do you believe the risks of climate change merit serious action aimed at lessening them?
Do you think that reducing an industrial economy’s carbon-dioxide emissions to near zero is very hard?

Morton, Oliver. The Planet Remade: How Geoengineering Could Change the World (p. 1). (Function). Kindle Edition.

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· 18d

So where do we disagree? Well Ted is more worried about termination shock than I am.

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· 18d

Back to agreement. Again, this chimes. It’s not universal, but it’s a real thing.

From Ted's text:
The environmental community, mostly, continues to insist that climate change is an existential crisis but not so existential that it might justify geoengineering. The loudest climate advocates are overwhelmingly also loud opponents of geoengineering, insisting that it is a false solution and that the crisis can be averted through a mass mobilization of the global economy to rapidly transition to renewable energy.

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· 18d

This is true both geophysically (an earth system in sudden flux may respond in peculiar ways) and politically (cf Carl Schmitt – “who makes the exception makes the rule”)

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· 18d

Again, strong agree. The idea of solar geoengineering as a hail mary when all else has failed is one that I adamantly oppose. That would be the worst possible time to make such decisions.

From Ted's post
Geoengineering has been promoted as a “break in case of emergency” technology in the event that climate change gets really bad. But this framing of geoengineering presumes that there is a clear and observable threshold of badness where it is clear that emergency action is required. It should already be obvious that no such threshold exists.

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· 18d

I wouldn’t put it this way, but I basically agree. By decoupling a large set of climate outcomes from cumulative emissions, solar geoengineering does focus the mind in ways that the climate debate as a whole tends not to. That makes it interesting and potentially fruitful.

From Ted's post: Geoengineering was interesting to me discursively because it usefully separated concern about the consequences of climate change from all of the priors that had been mapped onto the issue from its emergence as a public concern in the late 80s and early 90s. The notion of modifying the atmosphere intentionally seemingly had the potential to disrupt the polarized battle lines that had hardened around the climate issue, making it less of a proxy for the environmental movement’s long-standing regulatory and soft energy obsessions.

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· 18d

First off, disclosure: @tednordhaus.bsky.social is a friend and a highly valued interlocutor from whom I have learned a great deal. Also I was frequently a guest of the Breakthrough Institute at its excellent midsummer Marin-county dialogues.

Panel image from Breakthrough Dialogue 2022 featuring me and Ted

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· 22d

I always get Cotton Mather and Cotton McKnight mixed up...

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· 26d

If you want to know more about Crutzen and geoengineering and have an hour to spare this morning/lunchtime (US) or afternoon (UK) you might like to come along to this : us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

announcement of an online webinar on the history of geoengineering -- it shows pictures of the three participants, Sikina Jinnah, David Keith and me

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· 29d

I watched it most recently at Goonhilly Down during the 2019 Apollo+50 festival, which was a pretty ace setting for it. www.cornwalllive.com/whats-on/mus...

A smoky view from the stage at the Apollo+50 showing kit for a band in the foreground, then the audience, and loomig over it all the 26m Arthur dish, centrepiece of the Goonhilly Ground Station

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· Jul 1

Excerpt from the piece:
On one level the name “SpudCell” is just a joke. Dr Adamala’s colleagues had taken to referring to their creations as “Adamala cells”, which she disliked. “‘Just call it anything you like–call it potato if you like,’” she remembers saying. “And Drew said, ‘Okay, it’s a potato, it’s a SpudCell.’” But the silly-sounding name might have a semi-serious resonance. Dr Endy draws an analogy between SpudCells and Sputnik, the Soviet Union’s first satellite. Sputnik itself was small and useless. But the “Sputnik moment” kicked off the superpower rivalry which drove the Space Age. Dr Endy and the others at Biotic likewise hope that the “SpudCell moment” has arrived.

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· Jun 30

Sorry, meant to add source. It's from a note about public service which he wrote in July 1954: www.trumanlibrary.gov/node/404594

It takes seven years of hard study and equal number of practice to make a doctor. Then he must have the desire to be one. Equally as much time is required to make a good lawyer. Some doctors and a great many lawyers never get out of the mediocre class.

It takes a lifetime of the hardest kind of work and study to become a successful politician. A great doctor is known by the size of his practice and his ability as a diagnostician. A great lawyer is known by his knowledge of the law and his ability to win cases and properly advise his clients. A great financier is known by the money he controls.

A great politician is known for the service he renders. He doesn't have to become President or Governor or the head of his city or county to be a great politician. There are mayors of villages, county attorneys, county commissioners or supervisors who render just as great service locally as do the heads of the government.

No young man should go into politics if he wants to get rich or if he expects an adequate reward for his services. An honest public servant can't become rich in politics. He can only attain greatness and satisfaction by service.

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· Jun 29

Fun fact: Dinant (which is lovely, as this watercolour by Turner shows) is twinned with Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire, just outside of which I was born (and which isn't--hence Turner's lack of interest).

A watercolour of Dinant by JMW Turner showing the cliffs looming above the Collegiate Church of Notre Dame, with its distinctive onion spire, and the Meuse.

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· Jun 27

The analyst remarked on changes at the site in a digital intelligence tool, but that tool wasn’t linked up to the official intelligence database that the US uses to develop strike targets and the information was never conveyed to military commanders, according to people familiar with the matter who declined to be named discussing sensitive matters.

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· Jun 27

Lede:

L.P. Hartley’s novel “The Go-Between”, written in the 1950s but set in 1900, made that summer’s heatwave perhaps the most famous in English literature. As Leo, the 12-year-old protagonist, becomes more deeply enmeshed in the events that will lead to his breakdown, the heat weighs on him ever more heavily. It is made all the worse by the fact that at first he delights in it, even urging it on: “The thermometer stood at eighty-four: that was satisfactory but I was confident it could do better.”

On June 25th thermometers all over Europe were doing considerably better. AFP, a news agency, calculated that 380m Europeans experienced temperatures above 30ºC (86ºF) that day. That included 63m people in France—94% of the population. On June 26th World Weather Attribution, an international scientific collaboration that looks at the degree to which climate change is responsible for various sorts of weather, concluded that this was the most severe heatwave on record in its study area (broadly speaking, western Europe).

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· Jun 24

...I am rather happy about the headline my colleagues chose, and the prominent place in the piece given to this:

A screengrab from the Economist article. It says:
"What makes an unexceptional weather pattern lead to exceptional heat? The obvious answer—climate change driven by greenhouse gases—is the correct one."

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· Jun 23

Unpaid endorsement www.fairliqueurs.com/liqueurs/fai...

Picture of a bottle of Fair elderflower liqueur from the company's website

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· Jun 22

Any suggestion that my colleagues made their original mistake in order to run this correction are scabrous inventions and should be ignored. www.economist.com/culture/2026...

Correction (June 19th 2026): We erroneously used a Republican-red icon for Harry Truman on a version of the chart in this piece. Dewey feel bad? We do. Apologies.

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· Jun 17

Publicity still for Chandler&Co (1994) featuring Peter Capaldi and Barbara Flynn

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· Jun 16

Happy Sussex Day to those who celebrate

The flag of Sussex (six martlets or on background azur) flying above Lewes town hall, seen through my window

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· Jun 16

The Eagle transporter is one of the great fictional spacecraft. That said, not quite sure where the fuel goes. But it's a wonderful design

Side elevation of the Eagle transporter from https://i.etsystatic.com/39479489/r/il/a969f4/5219672279/il_fullxfull.5219672279_rss6.jpg

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· Jun 10

mailchi.mp/b612foundati...

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· May 22

Has a story about films at Cannes been on the NYT front page this year? (genuine question)

Grab of the NYT front page online at 21:44 GMT May 22nd, The story highlighted has the headline
"15 Unforgettable Looks at the Cannes Film Festival
From John Travolta’s beret to Barbara Palvin’s elegant pregnancy style, the red carpets from the festival in France had many memorable moments."
The associated picture is of Barbara Palvin in Miu Miu with Dylan Sprouse and is credited to Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· May 21

You amaze me

A grab of part of the NYT website. There is a picture of a dart, wih stars and stripes fletching stuck into some fibreboard. Below, it says
"Opinion
"Trump and His Advisers Clearly Haven't Actually Read Thucydides"

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· May 15

Second Thursday of the month www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/ana...

The North American Multi-Model Ensemble (NMME) average, including the NCEP CFSv2 [Fig. 6], favors El Niño to form by next month and persist through Northern Hemisphere winter 2026-27. While confidence in the occurrence of El Niño has increased since last month, there is still substantial uncertainty in the peak strength of El Niño, with no strength categorization exceeding a 37% chance [Figs. 7 & 8]. The strongest El Niño events in the historical record are characterized by significant ocean-atmosphere coupling through the summer, and it remains to be seen whether this occurs in 2026. Stronger El Niño events do not ensure strong impacts; they can only make certain impacts more likely (see CPC outlooks for probabilities of seasonal anomalies). In summary, El Niño is likely to emerge soon (82% chance in May-July 2026) and continue through Northern Hemisphere winter 2026-27 (96% chance in December 2026-February 2027).

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· May 15

Clip from X [https://x.com/jeff_foust/status/2054927754840113399]
Beginning of a post from NASA Administrator Isaacman replying to Lori Garver saying:

"Lori - always appreciate the interest and commentary!

"We never officially moved the timing of Artemis III to 'late' 2027. A reporter wrote that after misinterpreting my quick response to a..."

This is being reposted by Jeff Foust (who I take to be the reporter Mr Isaacman is referring to) with a link to video of Mr isaacman here: https://www.youtube.com/live/iRbb1C0v2G8?t=5864s

Jeff writes:
"Let's go to the tape:

"'I've received responses from both vendors, both SpaceX and Blue Origin, to meet our needs for a late 2027 rendezvous, docking, and test the interoperability out of both landers in advance of a landing attempt in 2028.'"

The quote Jeff provides is from Mr Isaacman in the linked video

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· May 11

This is the core of a strong piece by @labourlewis.bsky.social which he posted elsewhere

Text taken from https://x.com/labourlewis/status/20535382 38384787606
Reads: This is what bond market dependency actually looks like. It is not an abstract fiscal condition. It is the consequence of a state that has been stripped of the supply-side tools that would let it cure the problems it now pays, indefinitely, to manage. And here is the paradox the Treasury refuses to confront. The countries that borrow most cheaply are often those that have retained the public investment model Britain abandoned. The spread between UK and Dutch borrowing costs has widened sharply not because markets fear public investment, but because they have lost confidence in a model that borrows to subsidise private failure while never addressing its causes.

This is the connection Britain’s defence debate is missing. The familiar framing, that social spending is what must be sacrificed to meet the NATO target, is not merely politically toxic. It is strategically illiterate. Cutting the foundations of social cohesion to fund the hardware of national defence is self-defeating. You end up with planes and no pilots, submarines and no crew, an army that cannot recruit because the society it is meant to protect has stopped believing in itself.

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· May 8

When I clicked and saw this flow chart I thought it was really cool www.nytimes.com/2026/05/07/o...

A flow chart as follows - "Here’s How Freaked Out You Should Be About the Hantavirus Cruise Ship"
Are you on board the MV Hondius cruise ship now?
YES --> You should worry. You should already be quarantining on the ship. The full quarantine may be up to eight weeks.
NO--> Were you on board the MV Hondius recently?
YES -->You should worry. If you were one of the 40 or so passengers who have disembarked, you should contact your local health department to be checked for symptoms and evaluated for quarantine.
NO --> Were you on a flight with anyone ill from the MV Hondius?
YES --> There is some risk. Health officials are already contacting the small number of people who shared a flight with someone who was sick.
NO --> Are you around wild rodent feces, urine or saliva?
YES --> Take precautions. If in a rodent-infested area, always wear gloves and a mask and use disinfectant or bleach when cleaning. Avoid dry sweeping to prevent inhaling of virus particles. The virus is still extremely rare and from only a few specific rodent species.
NO --> You do not need to worry.

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun@eaterofsun· May 3

You sure? I thought CO2e was in the 540ppm range and for long-lived alone (ie not methane) still below 500 gml.noaa.gov/aggi/aggi.html