India Bourke

What animals can teach us about overcoming tyranny Some animal societies are ruled by despots with an iron fist, while others seem naturally egalitarian – and they all have lessons for us.

Just the most astonishing, zeitgeisty piece on animal ‘tyrants’ by @chrisbaraniuk.com for our BBC Earth team:

“In some cases, circumstances can lead to the removal of aggressive leaders. And some animal societies that work together appear able to evade despotism.”

www.bbc.com/future/artic...

Bureau of Land Management says bison are not livestock, obstructing plans for a huge private prairie reserve The American Prairie nonprofit seeks to create a 5,000-square-mile prairie reserve in Montana where buffalo may roam and antelope play.

a few years ago i became fascinated by the american prairie project in montana - bring back bison! - and the dark money campaign to stop it and 'save the cowboy'

sad to see the US govt has reversed its decision to let the bison graze on public lands

reason.com/2026/01/23/b...

Free Solo’s Alex Honnold on iconic male loners: “Nobody really operates in isolation” The rockstar rock-climber discusses relationships, sex and Donald Trump.

Re-reading my 2019 interview with @alexhonnold for @newstatesman in light of his new Netflix ‘event’ coming out. ‘Skyscraper Live’.

One of my fave interviewees (and among my fave pieces of writing to read back on) www.newstatesman.com/world/2019/0...

Please shout if you have any Substack must-read faves … esp on any kind of combination of nature, climate, environment, AI, animals, and early motherhood!

New Years Resolution 2026: get more into Substack, both reading and writing.

Below is one I’m excited to follow, on climate loss and damage, by the beautiful writer @sophiastories.bsky.social. And I’ve already been enjoying Diana Savarin’s, on thoughtful living that galvanises the soul.

Seven quiet wins for climate and nature in 2025 Here are the year's breakthroughs for the climate and nature you might have missed.

Via IUCN - Seven quiet wins for climate and nature in 2025 - @indiabourke.bsky.social Isabelle GERRETSEN, Sophie HARDACH, Martha HENRIQUES, @kathla.bsky.social Lucy SHERRIFF, Jocelyn TIMPERLEY BBC

www.bbc.com/future/artic...

And a 7month lead time!

Five adults sit and stand around a dining table, playing a colorful board game in a warmly lit kitchen and dining area. The table is covered with game boards, cards, wine glasses, bottles, and plates with some leftover food. A woman on the right, standing and wearing red corduroy overalls over a striped shirt, is explaining how to play while holding the rules. Three people seated on the left are focused on the board, with one man wearing a dark green hoodie that says “HAWAII” and glasses, while the others watch intently. A woman sitting near the center is pointing at the game board. In the background, the kitchen has light-colored cabinets, brass pendant lights, and counters with bottles and snacks.

Nine adults are gathered around a long dining table, smiling for a group photo in a warmly lit living and dining area. The person in the front left is taking the selfie, smiling broadly toward the camera. The table is set with wine glasses, bottles, cups, plates, and a colorful board game spread across the middle. Some cards, scoreboards, and pieces are visible on the table.

We solved climate change! At least in the climate game, Daybreak. All it took was some climate reporters and scientists working together, an all-out effort to decarbonize the world and enhance natural carbon sinks, and CO₂ removal (CDR) and solar radiation modification (SRM) deployments. Easy. 1/2

I returned to the super @bbcstudios.bsky.social Science team yesterday after maternity leave - clutching my coffee tightly ☕

I'm looking into stories on London air pollution, biocomputing, and animals in the age of AI, among others. (Please shout if these are on your mind too!)

While there remains uncertainty about the timing and sequence of catastrophic earth system tipping points, they are very real.

Hi - Fascinated by this collection. Would be keen to learn more about your work.

Omg this stresses me out so much!

How eating insects became a conspiracy theory Insect protein is healthy and sustainable. But now it is also at the centre of a far-reaching conspiracy theory.

Super explainer from my @bbcstudios.bsky.social colleague @rileyfarrell.bsky.social - busting the myths about bug-eating and showing how the far-right has twisted this subject to its own ends: www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...

Taken from across the pond what must have been only an hour or so earlier….

Like Virginia Woolf, I now treasure a routine of my own | Aeon Essays I once exalted in the extraordinary. But as I’ve learned from Virginia Woolf, indelible beauty is also found in the everyday

New essay up at @aeon.co about the obsession I had in my 20s for excitement -- and the fear I had of the mundane. In the piece, more on my journey to find the treasure in everyday life. aeon.co/essays/like-...

When Diana Saverin writes, I put aside everything else I need to do (as soon as the baby is asleep) and read - or rather drink in her words like sacred wine…

Just arrived in San Francisco for a week (with 9month baby). Please shout if any must see/eat recommendations!

By chance we just stumbled upon the delightful Rick and Ann’s restaurant in Berkeley, which is apparently closing after 36years. Feel lucky to have caught the end of its 90s time warp.

I know Bluesky is much nicer than the other place so I’m just going to be totally real:

It’s tough being a small charity, we’re trying something new, and we need your help.

Please share, and please support positive climate action if you can.

www.wearepossible.org/climatethousand

2023 will be remembered as a record year for the N.Atl, but it does not mark a paradigm change. This event takes place within a physical framework that is understood and anticipated by models. It illustrates the importance of rigorous scientific comm as pointed out here :

tinyurl.com/2s4eszff
11/14

Is it finally safe to ditch your phone case? I put it to the test With smartphones tougher than ever, a new wave of phone minimalists say cases are for cowards. I joined the case-free cult, called the experts and braced for the sound of broken glass.

Fun piece @thomasgermain.bsky.social: are phones now shatterproof enough to ditch the casings?

London’s pavements have battered my previous devices so I’m not yet brave enough to risk going naked.

But the nod to combatting swift turnover feels like a ray of good: www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...

We Need To Rewild The Internet  | NOEMA The internet has become an extractive and fragile monoculture. But we can revitalize it using lessons learned by ecologists.

Read the email and thought: MUST BE A MISTAKE

...

but

"We need to rewild the internet" by @robin.berjon.com + me for @noemamag.com will be in this year's

Best American Science and Nature Writing anthology!!!!!

Thank you, @jaimealyse.bsky.social and @susanorlean.bsky.social ky.social

BREAKING: DEFRA asks England’s biggest landowners to come up with plans to restore nature.

The new National Estate for Nature is a bold move by Labour, summoning landowners who own a tenth of the country to report on their stewardship.

With comment from me:

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Judge demands ‘some kind of evidence’ from Trump’s EPA to halt climate grants Federal judge Tanya Chutkan issues restraining order pending new filings over billions in axed research grants

Judge demands ‘some kind of evidence’ from Trump’s EPA to halt climate grants

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

When poaching destroys not just individuals but a whole group’s “love language”…

Yes

Please just shout if you’re passing through London!

Daybreak: the board game about stopping climate change. Administratively intense… but engrossing!
With @zdboren.bsky.social @oliviarudgard.bsky.social @lukewbarratt.bsky.social

Oh gosh - what’s that?! (Still learning this place)

Amazing! Would love to connect properly

Amazing thank you!