Serena Renner
Journalist and editor with an eye on climate, science, Indigenous sovereignty, and the coast. Associate Editor @earthislandjournal.bsky.social. Opinions my own.
- Reposted by Serena RennerThe Washington Post was consistently doing some of the best climate reporting out there in recent years. This is a huge loss (h/t @sammyroth.bsky.social) open.substack.com/pub/climatec...
- Reposted by Serena RennerScientists at @projectceti.bsky.social record and listen to sperm whales off Dominica to decode their complex communication. The research is moving us closer to interspecies communication, opening up legal and ethical questions as well as opportunities for conservation, writes Georgia Good.
- Beautiful writing about finding sanctuary in the night sky. A balm for a heavy week in a mad world. By @gabriel-furshong.bsky.social, in the Winter 2026 issue of @earthislandjournal.bsky.social.
- For the Winter 2026 issue, writer @gabriel-furshong.bsky.social visited a Dark Sky Sanctuary in Montana and lost himself in the endless night sky. “Darkness decentered me. It frightened me,” Furshong writes, but it also delivers us from distraction and provides sanctuary that has no bounds.
- Reposted by Serena RennerThrough unchecked resource extraction and fossil fuel consumption, “we’re doing nothing less than cooking ourselves,” writes @coxstan.bsky.social in today’s opinion column. The exit path is #degrowth, which would not only help us stave off collapse but also usher in a better, more beautiful world.
- Reposted by Serena Renner“Treating individual fish as interchangeable reinforces the belief that they are livestock at best, that there’s not much going on in the underwater world,” writes @tkdano.bsky.social in her Winter 2026 Beyond Human column. Read about her discovery of fish blindness and a desire to see.
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- Reposted by Serena RennerThe solution to protecting loons from lead poisoning is straightforward, writes @cestmoilanglois.bsky.social. Yet efforts to educate anglers about the dangers of lead tackle and convince them to switch gear have hardly moved the needle. Why? In two words: gun rights. From @biographic.bsky.social
- Reposted by Serena RennerThis past year ICE arrested and put zip ties on children Shot *priests* in the head with nonlethal rounds Raided an entire apartment building (which led to zero arrests) And today, proved Tim Walz right by shooting and killing a woman-a citizen-in Minneapolis Republicans When does it end
- @billmckibben.bsky.social today in @earthislandjournal.bsky.social providing crucial perspective on US imperialism and #Greenland — namely on the country's two-mile-thick ice sheet and #climateaction the world could learn from. Republished from billmckibben.substack.com.
- Reposted by Serena RennerWith Venezuela effectively “handing over” oil to the US, the Trump administration is now ramping up threats to acquire Greenland. But “there’s only one truly vital strategic asset in Greenland,” writes @billmckibben.bsky.social, “one thing that could change the world. And that’s the ice... ”
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A bit of good news: An effort to turn California forests into a feedstock for biomass energy in the UK went down in flames, via @earthislandjournal.bsky.social www.earthisland.org/journal/inde... - Reposted by Serena RennerWho drops a feature two days before Christmas? I do. And I hope you'll read it! It's about a bird I love dearly, and how its survival has somehow gotten tangled up with American gun culture. Oh, and it's got some Mary Oliver in it. www.biographic.com/why-are-loon...
- Reposted by Serena RennerJoel Sartore is on a mission to photograph every last species living in the world’s zoos and sanctuaries — before it’s too late. @serenarenner.com offers a sneak peek of the photographer and his online Photo Ark, which invites viewers to discover both the wonder and fragility of nature.
- Reposted by Serena RennerIsrael’s war and occupation in Palestine has damaged vast amounts of cropland. In the West Bank, a social enterprise is equipping farmers with the resources they need to cultivate their lands and establish autonomy over food production. @pragathiravi.bsky.social www.earthisland.org/journal/inde...
- To better understand the atmospheric rivers flooding Washington State and British Columbia — and some solutions for managing water more holistically, especially in former lakes and wetlands — check out my 2023 feature "A River Runs Above Us," published in the erstwhile Hakai Magazine. #AR #floods
- Reposted by Serena RennerAfter 175 years, @yuroktribe.bsky.social in Northern California is regaining ownership of a village site and section of Prairie Creek, where it will restore salmon, native plants, and Indigenous sovereignty. It's a first-ever co-management partnership with national and state parks on #triballand.
- Reposted by Serena RennerExcellent new @commsdeclare.bsky.social work out today - read the whole thing here: commsdeclare.org/wp-content/u... The Shell-funded education program urging students to 'design their own CCS' inspired me to re-share an original artwork of mine from a few years ago:
- LIsa Wills: "Why fossil fuel influence in children's education is a democratic problem, not just a climate problem" #ThePoint thepoint.com.au/opinions/251...
- Reposted by Serena RennerOur Winter 2026 print issue is out soon. Inside, you’ll find features about the post-wildfire future of a historic French wine region, one of the last oak groves in southern Syria, an all-women Maasai ranger team in Kenya, and more. Can't wait? Then subscribe! donate.earthisland.org/page/20964/d...
- Reposted by Serena RennerI can't stop thinking about the purported drug smugglers being murdered by the US military. The punishment for drug offenses isn't the death penalty. This is just bloodlust and men in suits playing with lives they don't care about. It's truly grotesque and gravely compromises this country.
- Reposted by Serena RennerOur Winter 2026 issue starts rolling out online this week (with print copies coming soon)! And the magazine begins with a renewed call for the environmental movement to keep pushing toward justice and inclusion despite inevitable growing pains (and potential hit pieces by the likes of @nytimes.com).
- In my pursuit to educate myself about Indigenous struggles in the US, I really appreciated today's feature in @earthislandjournal.bsky.social that traces the history of mining in the Black Hills of South Dakota — sacred to the Great Sioux Nation — and the current fight. #Thanksgiving #gratitude
- Reposted by Serena Renner🦇🦍🦉 Do you root for the weird, wild, under-appreciated species of the world? The slime molds and sunflower stars; the cormorants and caddisflies? So do we. And we need your help! A donation of any amount goes straight to supporting narrative journalism about biodiversity. Pls spread the word! 🐢🐛🌵
- Reposted by Serena RennerIf you’re one of the millions of Americans aiming to score new electronics this #BlackFriday, "you might want to consider the real costs of that sale-priced gizmo," writes @vincebeiser.bsky.social. From environmental harm to child labor, the metals in these products cost far more than you think.
- Reposted by Serena Renner"Prime Minister Carney — who as UN Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance described climate change as the world’s greatest existential threat— is juggling climate and economic priorities, with climate taking a back seat, despite the fact they are interdependent."
- Reposted by Serena Renner"Despite the difficulties getting everyone to agree on how to tackle climate change, real-world solutions are being implemented at speed almost everywhere." Love this #COP30 takeaway from @georginarannard.bsky.social. Just because countries aren't acting at scale doesn't mean the rest of us can't!
- Reposted by Serena RennerIt's that time of year. Time to wonder: Why do we change the clocks? This story, originally published by @us.theconversation.com, centers an Indigenous approach to question why we "fight against our biological presets" to favor productivity when we "need winter to rest and summer to bloom."
- Reposted by Serena RennerLast week, as a who's who of climate scientists warned that global society is “hurtling toward climate chaos,” @billgates.bsky.social released a memo saying the opposite. As @jasondovemark.bsky.social writes, the memo is “standard issue delay, only now dressed in the good vibes of philanthropy.”
- Reposted by Serena RennerBill Gates sure picked an interesting day to downplay the threat of climate change
- "Bill Gates makes a stunning [i.e. misguided] claim about climate change" by David Goldman for @cnn.com: www.cnn.com/2025/10/28/b...
- Reposted by Serena RennerJournalists and news outlets everywhere are invited to participate, even if they aren’t CCNow partners. Visit 89Percent.org to access links to the studies, a branding kit, and ways to get in touch about anything else you might need. Follow along on social media via #The89Percent.
- Reposted by Serena RennerUCLA now manages more than 90 percent of its grounds without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. The university has also worked to remove turf and dramatically increase plantings of drought-tolerant native species, one of a number of US campuses committed to rewiliding their school grounds.
- Thought-provoking story by Fred Nadis about the possibility of bringing grizzlies back to California. And fun to help edit a piece so close to home (with the story's main editor Zoe Loftus-Farren) as one of my first duties with @earthislandjournal.bsky.social! www.earthisland.org/journal/inde...
- “The question is not whether Aboriginal title can exist over fee simple lands, but whether fee simple interests can exist on Aboriginal title lands,” said [Justice] Young. “In my view, the law has evolved, and the answer...is ‘yes.’” @zoeyunker.bsky.social @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/News/2025/08...
- Reposted by Serena RennerIt’s true the ocean off the Central Coast is some of the richest in the world. But stressors like overfishing and climate change are threatening its productivity and the ways of life that depend on it. @serenarenner.com reports. 🌊
- Reposted by Serena RennerSea stars—26 species—have been dying by the billions from Mexico to Alaska, their arms tearing off, their bodies dissolving, w/huge consequences for the sea. Experts finally figured out why— and gave @biographic.bsky.social exclusive access. Can we save them? www.biographic.com/unmasking-th...
- Reposted by Serena Renner“[The] the mist is lifting, revealing not just the lay of the land (and sea), but the benefits of working together to protect the whole ecosystem.” 👀 On our radar: Uniting to safeguard the Great Bear Sea ✍️ @serenarenner.com @biographic.bsky.social
- Reposted by Serena RennerAfter a four-year investigation, a breakthrough study reveals the cause of sea star wasting disease (SSWD). A strain of the bacterium Vibrio pectenicida is the culprit behind the marine epidemic that has killed billions of sea stars since 2013. Read the study: 🔗https://tinyurl.com/4rcb3xpf
- Reposted by Serena RennerImportant news in the California wildfire world. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
- Reposted by Serena RennerThat new usual suspects (Curry, Spencer, Christy, McKitrick, Koonin) Trump EPA climate denier report? (www.energy.gov/sites/defaul...)? I asked chatGPT to evaluate it. It had no trouble producing a succinct and convincing refutation:
- Reposted by Serena RennerIt is an extraordinary loss of intellectual expertise that the American people invested millions in developing Every scientist who earns a graduate degree in the US is the product of an investment by the public This is like setting money on fire
- 4,000 NASA workers are leaving through deferred resignation. "The cuts amount to an estimated 20% of NASA's workforce" www.npr.org/2025/07/26/n...
- Reposted by Serena Renner“The burden of proof is always on First Nations and never on the Canadian government. That’s what needs to shift.”
- Reposted by Serena RennerFirst Nations in British Columbia were instrumental in protecting the Great Bear Rainforest from logging. And given the ecological threads connecting everything from the mountaintops to the seafloor, Indigenous elders have long advocated to extend the protections of the rainforest out to sea... 🧵
- It feels like we're going backward, but there are hopeful projects underway, like the MPA network off the British Columbia coast. If done right, it “could be a real, meaningful model for reconciliation” with First Nations. My latest in @biographic.bsky.social. www.biographic.com/welcome-to-t...
- Reposted by Serena RennerWildfires are making glaciers retreat faster, but not how you might think. Instead of the heat from the flames melting the glacier, the smoke is darkening the snow and ice. This causes the glacier surface to absorb more energy from the sun and melt faster. @kristendejager.bsky.social reports. 🗻🔥
- Reposted by Serena RennerA study just published in Geophysical Research Letters, led by Hakai Institute scientist and UNBC professor Brian Menounos, reveals that glaciers in western Canada, the US, and Switzerland lost around 12% of their ice between 2021 and 2024. Full press release: 🔗https://tinyurl.com/439yk6vf
- On this Juneteenth and eve of summer, I'm appreciating this poignant @earthislandjournal.bsky.social essay/book adaptation by Hannah Palmer about how the legacy of segregation in the South has meant the privatization of pools and waterways—to the detriment of all. www.earthisland.org/journal/inde...
- Reposted by Serena RennerKeep celebrating the wins. And keep pushing for more.
- Reposted by Serena RennerCongratulations to Tula Communications’ @serenarenner.com for her Best News Coverage nomination in the Canadian Digital Publishing Awards. Her finalist Hakai Magazine feature is about the historic land-back agreement between the Haida Nation and British Columbia. Full story 🔗 tinyurl.com/mpm7ndzn
- Another HUGE CONGRATS to @judeisabella.bsky.social (along with photographer and videographer Kat Pyne) for TWO nominations in the DPAs for this compelling Hakai Magazine feature about how non-native pink salmon are taking over Norway. Read the feature here: hakaimagazine.com/features/whe...
- 🌸 Where The Rivers Run Pink @biographic.bsky.social Finalist for Best Feature Article: Long at the 2025 Digital Publishing Awards Congrats to @judeisabella.bsky.social 🔗 zurl.co/YGpG3 #DigitalPublishingAwards #DPA25
- Thanks to @canadamediaawards.bsky.social for nominating my Hakai Magazine story about last year's agreement between the @haidanation.bsky.social and British Columbia recognizing Haida title, or ownership, to the entire archipelago of Haida Gwaii. Read it here: hakaimagazine.com/news/in-coas...
- 🌲 In Coastal British Columbia, the Haida Get Their Land Back @biographic.bsky.social Finalist – Best News Coverage At the 2025 Digital Publishing Awards Congratulations to Serena Renner and Hakai! 🔗 zurl.co/Mr3ho #DigitalPublishingAwards #DPA25
- Reposted by Serena Renner🌲 In Coastal British Columbia, the Haida Get Their Land Back @biographic.bsky.social Finalist – Best News Coverage At the 2025 Digital Publishing Awards Congratulations to Serena Renner and Hakai! 🔗 zurl.co/Mr3ho #DigitalPublishingAwards #DPA25
- Reposted by Serena RennerIf you read this and are so moved, purchases for @dcbookstoprisons.bsky.social are doubled now through May 5. bookshop.org/wishlists/a6...
- "What our incarcerated readers demonstrate is that true literary autonomy is about the right to seek what speaks to our individual humanity rather than institutional expectations." @jackiesnow.bsky.social on what she learned about reading from DC Books to Prisons. lareviewofbooks.org/article/read...
- Aw, Hakai Magazine's last feature ever—@toughcitywriter.bsky.social's amazing piece about Indigenous first responders—gets a very well-deserved nomination from the @canadamediaawards.bsky.social! Congratulations Adrienne and @shannabaker.bsky.social (as editor)! 👏 hakaimagazine.com/features/the...
- 🏆 Finalist | #NMA25 The First First Responders By @toughcitywriter.bsky.social | @biographic.bsky.social (Hakai Magazine) When disaster strikes along British Columbia’s coast, Indigenous rescuers are often the first on the scene. Finalist – Long-Form Feature Writing | #NMA25 🔗 zurl.co/qYafS
- Congratulations to the talented @judeisabella.bsky.social for her @canadamediaawards.bsky.social nomination for best feature! 🎉 This entertaining Hakai Magazine story introduces you to the owl next door and asks important questions about coexistence. Read it now! hakaimagazine.com/features/the...
- I am so thrilled and honoured. Much thanks to the judges for including my story. Congratulations to all the nominees, and to @evaholland.bsky.social this year's Gala host!
- Reposted by Serena RennerProud of my alma mater’s president for his leadership and resolve in this crisis. He’s setting a great example.
- Reposted by Serena RennerElle is great on sciencey stuff, but I'm so glad she's turned her attention at last to what really matters:
- Reposted by Serena RennerA big thank you to Akshay Kulkarni at the CBC for covering a new Hakai study showing endangered sunflower sea stars (Pycnopodia helianthoides) finding refuge from sea star wasting disease (SSWD) in the fjords of BC’s Central Coast. Read the full story here 🔗 tinyurl.com/4mcyn3tc
- Reposted by Serena RennerA new paper featuring Hakai Institute researchers reveals that the tidal swamps of the Pacific Northwest, alongside mangroves in Mexico, stash away the largest amounts of carbon on the Pacific coast of North America. Full paper with vital regional estimates🔗 tinyurl.com/mteynyzw
- Reposted by Serena Rennerno witty response. just rage. those responsible for climate chaos have names and job titles.
- Science and the future of our planet are under attack. Consider signing this open letter to implore the US Congress to protect scientific funding, employees, and processes. Life on Earth is at stake. 🌲👩⚕️🧬🌍🔬🦧🌊 www.ucsusa.org/about/news/s...
- Finally had a chance to read this fascinating CBC interactive by @jaelabernstien.bsky.social and Emily Chung about buried rivers across Canada and around the world being "daylighted." Congrats on the recent award from @aaas.org @kavlifoundation.bsky.social! newsinteractives.cbc.ca/features/202...
- Reposted by Serena RennerPierre Poilievre used a lot of his speech today to really, really insist that he’s not a “MAGA-MAN.” You know who doesn’t have to try so hard to make that argument? Someone who hasn’t spent years making it really, REALLY clear that he’s absolutely a maga-man.
- Reposted by Serena RennerNew from me: American government scientists are being barred from meeting with Canadian counterparts. I've obtained internal NOAA memos ordering all international scientific collaboration meetings be submitted for review www.cbc.ca/news/science... #ClimateChange #UsPoli #AAASmtg
- Reposted by Serena RennerDepartment of Transportation orders all personnel to "identify and eliminate" every order, directive, rule, regulation, policy, notice, guidance document, funding arrangement, or program that even mentions climate change, diversity, or environmental justice www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.go...
- Reposted by Serena RennerFrom a journalist friend: Just spreading the word. The CDC is purging data, so people should archive their favorite CDC datasets today, namely ones around race/ethnic diversity, LGBTQ, and reproductive health. Also health data involving climate. The youth risk behavior survey has already gone down.
