Samuel Smith

Analysis: UK could approve 13 new oil and gas projects despite North Sea pledge - Carbon Brief The UK government could approve 13 new oil and gas projects in the North Sea, with the fuel produced emitting 350m tonnes of CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e)

In light of the Guardian's front page today, just reupping my story from August reporting that Labour could approve up to *13* new oil and gas projects like Rosebank

These are projects that have a license but still need to obtain development consent from gov

www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-uk-...

Oh yes, and we are building a *brand new railway*, East-West Rail, which will be running *diesel trains* because we couldn’t commit to funding wires (which saves money long term)

This is the *only new railway being built in any developed nation in the world* which will not be fully electrified

YouTube video by Associated Press Trump's executive orders on climate and environment

Here is a video interview I just did with the Associated Press about Trump's [expletive deleted] executive orders on climate and energy. www.youtube.com/watch?v=20OI...

Trump orders USDA to take down websites referencing climate crisis Forest service website among many sites affected as agencies scramble to comply with president’s orders

Outright denial of one of the greatest, and most pressing threats to humankinds survival

He is awful for so many reasons

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Wise advice for these troubled times from Sociologist Jennifer Walter

Rachel Reeves confirms backing for third runway at Heathrow – UK politics live The chancellor says she wants plan for runway brought forward by summer and criticises Conservatives for not acting to build runway

A "potential" 0.43% increase in GDP *by 2050* - in return for torching the UK's climate leadership and adding vast amounts of carbon to the atmosphere - is simply not worth it.

No third runway. Grow the green economy, not airports.

www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

Good stuff from Green Alliance on transport decarbonisation.

In sum: government should throw the kitchen sink at this.

Get the shift to greener transport right and we’ll also boost prosperity, improve health and give people access to better, more affordable, transport options. Sounds good to me.

DeepSeek updates - Chinese AI chatbot sparks US market turmoil, wiping $500bn off Nvidia Nvidia's market value dropped more than $500bn after the emergence of DeepSeek - a low-cost chatbot built by a Chinese AI firm.

"...then it stopped, deleting that response, and wrote: “Sorry, that’s beyond my current scope. Let’s talk about something else.”

How Chinese Deepseek AI responds when asked about Tiananmen Square.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cj...

‘She couldn’t walk, she couldn’t talk’: music therapy helped Joni Mitchell recover from a stroke – could it ward off depression and dementia too? When his friend, the legendary songwriter, had a catastrophic stroke, neuroscientist Daniel Levitin put together a programme of music therapy. Now he’s recommending it for a whole range of conditions

Playing music is like a workout for the brain: "it invokes memory, emotion, reward systems, hand-eye coordination, planning...". Nice piece on the healing powers of music, something I feel everyday www.theguardian.com/books/2025/j...

The rich are getting richer: billionaire wealth has risen 3x faster in 2024 than 2023.
It doesn't have to be this way www.oxfam.org/en/research/...

for the first time ever, solar power generation overtakes coal in the eu

the change since 2011 is staggering (and will continue widening)

NEF analysis suggests there's no economic benefit to airport expansion, and that it will wipe out any emissions savings from the Clean Power 2030 Plan! So what is driving this bonkers plan, while our ecological systems are so clearly struggling?

The huge cost burden for allowing an unhealthy food system in the UK to thrive. Thank you for making the case for transformation clear & strong
ffcc.co.uk/publications...
@proftimjackson.bsky.social @suepritch.bsky.social

Would have loved to join this. Fantastic to see this Sue and also hear about the new work with Tim Jackson

Food has a huge climate problem.

But we can fix it. A thread.

Feels like a whole load of folks that I was following on X.. Are now popping over to Bluesky! Wonderful to see this. I wonder why 🤔

5 ‘No-Regrets’ Actions for Tumultuous Times | Common Dreams In the shadow of uncertainty, let’s invest in the actions that enable us to both cope with crises and step into opportunities.

Even when you don't know what's going to happen next there are always things worth doing. My contribution to this moment of pre-US election collective breath holding. www.commondreams.org...

How Elon Musk’s X Account Dominates the Platform Ahead of the Election The billionaire has effectively become the star of his social media platform, transforming X into a reflection of his personal views before the election.

Elon Musk has posted more than 3,000 times on X in the last month — including dozens of unfounded claims about the election — according to a tally by The New York Times. The repercussions of his centrality on the platform while campaigning heavily for Donald Trump could be profound.

30 seconds of sunset in the kitchen window two poles of the washing line and the last gasp of the solar disk brief red follows / then grey to dark gulls and geese eastbound

2/11/24

Right on

"A vote for Donald Trump next week is a vote for Elon Musk. Just as Trump is using Musk, Musk could be using Trump as a springboard to perhaps even greater power...".

‘We were trapped like rats’: Spain’s floods bring devastation and despair Residents describe impact of floods and downpours – with some places hit with a year’s worth of rain in just eight hours

“With every fraction of a degree of fossil fuel warming, the atmosphere can hold more moisture, leading to heavier bursts of rainfall. These deadly floods are yet another reminder of how dangerous climate change has already become at just 1.3C of warming”

www.theguardian.com/world/2024/o...

Woodland Trust Tree of the Year 2024 -The Skipinnish Oak in Lochaber, Scotland

How delightful. The 2024 Tree of the Year: The Skipinnish Oak in Lochaber, Scotland www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-...

BBC Sounds - The Coming Storm - Available Episodes Listen to the latest episodes of The Coming Storm on BBC Sounds.

Just finished The Coming Storm s2, an entertaining, fascinating yet troubling podcast examining the explosion of conspiracy theories in USA - what’s behind them and what they tell us. Great journalism @ggatehouse @licyproctor @BBCsounds www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/serie...

Tucker Zimmerman: Dance of Love Read Stephen Thomas Erlewine’s review of the album.

I do love playing this album at the moment. Tucker Zimmerman - Dance of Love. A collab with Big Thief, who provide the backing band. It's like they are jamming in your living room. Adrianne Lenker's voice harmonises beautifully with Zimmermans
pitchfork.com/reviews/albu...

British cuisine. Best in the world.

Carbon Brief explains IEA's good news about solar and wind.

Aviation soon will require more action: "In 2023, energy demand in the transport sector increased by close to 4%.... Much of this stemmed from increased aviation activity, which rebounded to over 90% of pre-pandemic 2019 levels."

Tommy Robinson jailed for contempt of court He was jailed for republishing and distributing untrue claims about a Syrian refugee.

Tommy Robinson claims to have been "silenced". He was never silenced. He's in jail because his speech & actions undermined legal processes and caused deformation, which led to harm. My view is that he's racist, weaponising the concept of #freespeech and is exactly where he deserves to be.

There's a lot of dark energy here that will not make American great again. Sending my thoughts to those over the pond, and encouraging you to get out and vote, and vote for hope and civility, over division, arrogance, bluster and retribution

It can.