Chris Gee / ◣ ◢ \

River Wye pollution prompts UK's largest environmental lawsuit Livestock and water companies are accused of “extensive” pollution in the Wye, Lugg and Usk rivers.

BBC News - Thousands join biggest-ever UK environmental lawsuit over river pollution
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Alarming number of people now vape, says WHO More than 100 million people, including at least 15 million children, use e-cigarettes, fuelling a new wave of nicotine addiction, say experts.

BBC News - Alarming number of people now vape, says WHO - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Sorry I’m late for work. I was briefly the prime minister of France…

Why did our friends stop posting on social media? BBC Special Correspondent Katty Kay and writer Kyle Chayka discuss the ways that social media is changing – and what that means for how we live our lives online.

"they're also betting that the human-generated content will be replaced gradually with AI-generated content.,, which is obviously infinite and cheap, but also meaningless, in my opinion." www.bbc.com/worklife/art...

‘The perception of Fairphone being too high-priced? That’s something we needed to take away’: Fairphone CEO on the Fairphone 6 and the ‘myth’ behind the cost of sustainability Exclusive: Raymond van Eck on the Fairphone 6's surprising low price and the difficulties of selling sustainability alone

"the total cost of ownership for a consumer is lower if you hold onto a phone longer" www.techradar.com/phones/fairp...

Data from BeBroadcast & Cast from Clay show number of broadcast media mentions 1 Jan-1 Sep 2025:
-LABOUR: 924,693=2,249 per MP (411 MPs)
-GREENS: 31,053=7,763 per MP (4 MPs).
-TORIES: 121,252=1,002 per MP (121 MPs)
-REFORM: 353,660=70,732 per MP (4 MPs)

bebroadcast.co.uk/politics-who...

With Kemi Badenoch saying the Tories would take the UK out of the ECHR, our poll in June found the public wanted to remain members by 51% to 27%

yougov.co.uk/topics/inter...

A changing electoral landscape is putting us in uncharted territory “The future is already here,” William Gibson once said, “it is just not evenly distributed.”

The Reform UK threat is real. The voting system will help them - "fragmentation has only accelerated since, creating a chaotic political environment where small shifts in the level and distribution of parties’ support can have a massive impact on the outcome." www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

The EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy, sustainable, and just food systems The global context has shifted dramatically since publication of the first EAT–Lancet Commission in 2019, with increased geopolitical instability, soaring food prices, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacer...

New #EatLancet report is out! What does it state? I've watched the livestream so you don't have to. Here's a summary of the findings
🍊🥓🍒

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Groundbreaking study shows how solar panels age after 30 years of use: 'It's an important message to the photovoltaic industry' "Everything that goes into a panel ... has a great influence on performance."

We may find that solar panels are still working well after half a century. Could this have implications on the future of financing?

"A study of six, three-decade-old arrays in Switzerland found them to still be working well, retaining more than 80% of their initial power."

Doughnut 3.0 is here | DEAL The Doughnut, updated, now monitors global trends in social shortfall and ecological overshoot over the 21st century

DOUGHNUT 3.0 IS HERE! 🎉

Today, DEAL is launching the latest update of the global Doughnut, now monitoring trends in social shortfall and ecological overshoot across the 21st century.

#DoughnutEconomics
Check out the link below to see all the resources and dive in:

Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah: Mum settles legal action over air pollution death Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, who lived near London's South Circular Road, had a fatal asthma attack in 2013.

The campaigning that followed this death played a major role in this change. www.bbc.com/news/article...

London Ulez reduced nitrogen dioxide to legal limit, mayor says The mayor of London says the fall in airborne toxins is due to the Ultra low emission zone expansion.

Asthma sufferers celebrate in London! Sad it took so long for action but well done to all the clean air campaigners www.bbc.com/news/article...

In @theguardian.com - drop in support for digital ID since summer & govt announcement. From 54-18 support to 31-45 opposed, a real shift: suggests govt didnt get comms on use right, opponents did; but also risk govt unpopularity means they have reverse Midas right now
theguardian.com/politics/2025/…

More pointedly, the pope said, "Someone who says, I'm against abortion, but is in favor of the death penalty is not really pro-life. Someone who says, I'm against abortion but I'm in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States, I don't know if that's pro-life."

What a line from the Pope! I am so pleased he is carrying on Pope Francis’ advocacy for immigrants.

The protein craze is here. Why are climate activists sounding the alarm? Consumers are eating more animal products as they up their protein intake. What does this mean for the sustainable food movement?

"The opportunity here is really shifting people's perceptions of what protein is and pushing people beyond their gut reaction of 'I need more protein and therefore I need to eat a chicken,'" www.newsweek.com/2025/10/10/p...

Third Cranswick pig farm faces animal abuse allegations Animal Justice Project filmed employees at Mere Farm, Barton upon Humber, North Lincolnshire.

BBC News - Third Cranswick pig farm at centre of abuse claims
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Zurich votes to ban petrol leaf blowers Residents of Zurich voted Sunday to ban the use of petrol-fuelled leaf blowers and leaf vacuums over noise and air pollution concerns in public and private spaces.

Go Zurich. Zurich votes to ban petrol leaf blowers share.google/ufg77ss63R1W...

China offers unlikely glimmer of hope in fight against plastic pollution Subtle shift in Asian industrial giant’s position sparks optimism for further talks to control plastics.

"While China is the world's top consumer and producer of plastic, the country has also ushered in several restrictions on the production, sale and consumption of single-use plastics in a bid to stem a national pollution crisis."
www.politico.eu/article/chin...

Johnson says he will never use government ID

I wonder if this guy is related to "Boris Johnson" who introduced "voter id" as Prime Minister in 2023 ... off the back of some crazy US conspiracy theories ... and in the process, made digital ID pretty much inevitable.

Communities near petrochemical plants pay the price for plastic convenience Plastics are cheap but their production harms refinery communities through pollution and toxic emissions. At the recent Geneva talks, disagreements between petrochemical-rich nations and others over p...

Communities near petrochemical plants pay the price for plastic convenience india.mongabay.com/2025/09/comm...

The messy history behind your favorite McDonald's order For McDonald's, 'paper or plastic?' has always been a devil's bargain

"Today, recycling remains McDonald's first line of defense—its shield against laws that would ban or tax throwaway packaging, or force it back to the reusable containers the McDonald brothers cast off in 1948." www.aol.com/articles/im-...

Ed Davey, "I'm afraid Nigel Farage should be apologising for helping cause this problem in the first place"

"Before Brexit we didn't have a small boats problem because we had 27 return agreements with EU countries and we could return people"

-Maybe we should call them Farage's Brexit Boats

It would signal the the de facto end of nearly all immigration to this country, from those coming to work to those who come for love. It would crater our economy, tear up relationships, remove status from millions of European, result in endless legal battles and leave us as an international pariah.

Farage vows to scrap indefinite leave to remain, placing thousands at risk of deportation Reform UK plans to force non-citizens to apply for visas with high salary thresholds and no access to NHS services

Thousands of Londoners have indefinite leave to remain.

They have legal rights and are our friends, neighbours and colleagues, contributing hugely to our city.

Threatening to deport people living and working here legally is unacceptable.

It would be good if the only political pushback against Nigel Farage's plans to mass deport hundreds of thousands of our neighbours, friends, family and colleagues didn't just come from a handful of backbench MPs and one regional mayor

From waste to worth: reuse is the global revolution - Oak Foundation Reuse systems are gaining momentum across the globe. Supported by Plastic Solutions Fund, learn how organisations and businesses are replacing single-use plastics with sustainable alternatives.

“The conversation isn’t whether or not we need the solutions, or indeed whether or not these solutions will happen, but how they will happen,” says Nicky. “And the next ten years will be about making it happen.” oakfnd.org/from-waste-t...

Meanwhile in North Korea.

wrote about this last year and sure I wasn't in any way the only one but imo people voting for populist politics in the 21st century *is* a sign that they do just have too much faith in institutions, as opposed to not enough - they want to have their little tantrum but assume things will just hold

Ministers yet to seek climate advice on Heathrow expansion The government faces calls to give the Climate Change Committee a bigger role in advising on airport expansion.

BBC News - Ministers yet to seek climate advice on Heathrow expansion - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...