Bob Kennard

The strikes on Iran show why quitting oil is more important than ever Oil isn’t a normal commodity – it shapes politics around the world.

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The strikes on Iran show why quitting oil is more important than ever

Find out more: theconversation.com/the-str...

#ClimateAction

Why the British government is spending more on hedgerows They are stitching the countryside back together

Why the British government is spending more on hedgerows
economist.com/interactive/...
from The Economist

The idea the North Sea is some great goldmine waiting to be tapped is entirely at odds with reality.

A print from a lithograph of a painting, depicting a huge borown horned ox, behing which a man can be seen apparently measuring the beast, while another stands nearby noting down its immense statistics. It is entitled ‘Portrait of T. W. Coke and North Devon Ox’, by W. H. Davis, c.1837, animal painter to the Queen from 1839. The ox was bred at Holkham in Norfolk and was considered to be the perfect specimen. Image courtesy of the Museum of English Rural Life, obviously.

119 years ago today, that most prestigious of journals Nature published Francis Galton’s account of a visit to the West of England Fat Stock and Poultry Exhibition at Plymouth. You may know the story... 🧵

NEW ANALYSIS: UK emissions fell 2.4% in 2025 as coal fell to a 400-year low. Incredibly, we used less coal last year than than in 1600, when Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne and Shakespeare was writing Hamlet.

All the details in our article: www.carbonbrief.org/...

UK must double down on renewables as wars drive up energy costs, experts say Fossil fuel price surge after US-Israeli attacks on Iran prompts calls to end dependence on ‘volatile’ energy source

Why can’t we just cut the tie between renewable electricity prices and the gas price?
Where it has been done renewables have taken off and people have saved money.
Am I missing something thing (apart from the fossil fuel lobby)?
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

‘Tinderbox’ UK may be one shock away from food riots, experts say Weakened food security could tip into unrest after a cyber-attack, extreme weather or conflict, analysis finds

www.theguardian.com/food/2026/fe...

Coral keepers: The communities keeping Mauritius' reefs alive In Mauritius, scientists and fishermen are working together to rescue damaged coral reefs and help revive the once bountiful coastal waters.

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Coral keepers: The communities keeping Mauritius' reefs alive - Oceanographic Magazine

We need to take urgent #ClimateAction right now to avoid the worst of Climate Change!

More: oceanographicmagazine.com/f...
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Fear boosts support for climate policies - but dread shuts it down Researchers surveyed 418 UK adults and found that fear increases support for climate policies while dread decreases it.

When motivating people to take action on climate, we must link a clear-eyed look at the risks with clear action steps. #climatechange #climateaction

Making light work: solar’s potential to lift rural Indians out of poverty An ambitious programme combines solar power with mobile connectivity to revolutionise the prospects for people living in rural India

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Making light work: solar’s potential to lift rural Indians out of poverty - Positive News

More: positive.news/society/makin...

#ClimateAction

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More EV models can power your home in emergencies during blackouts U.S. drivers have bought about 630,000 electric cars and trucks capable of discharging electricity at levels strong enough to power a home or apartment, turning their vehicles into backup power.

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More EV models can power your home in emergencies during blackouts - Los Angeles Times

Find out more: www.latimes.com/environment...

#ClimateAction

While we’re seeking to fix what’s wrong with Britain, look hard at our policy-lite, sensation-seeking media | Roger Mosey Mandelson, Trump, Send: all need explanation with thought and clarity. We must end this obsession with ‘hot takes’, says Roger Mosey, former head of BBC TV News

Well said!
Most of the public actually needs media they can trust, rather than distorted news values, which are based on personalities not policies. The rise of Farage is just one result of this media mindset.
To start, tighten the rules on media ownership.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

When will most people realise what this man and party are up to?

‘Seasons have become confused’: the people struggling in UK’s relentless rain A thatcher, gardener and others on keeping their business afloat in the bad weather – and their fears for the future

How much bitter experience does it have to take for everyone to understand that we are the cause of the awful weather, and it will only get worse as long as we are not prepared to make changes in our lives.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Trump’s EPA repeals landmark climate finding in gift to ‘billionaire polluters’ Endangerment finding rollback will make families ‘sicker and less safe’, environmental advocate says

This is a crime against humanity, and those responsible should be held to account.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

China is installing more new solar generation per year than the US has installed in its entire history.

Pakistan is installing more new solar generation per year than Canada has installed in its entire history.

(Quote on BBC World Service overnight)

#WATO

NEW ANALYSIS: China's CO2 has now been 'flat or falling' for 21 months

* Down in 2025
* Still below Mar 2024
* Clean energy wave a key factor

If this is China's peak (TBC) it's the climate story of the century so far…

www.carbonbrief.org/...

“I think Greenland was a wake-up call. There is more talk [in Brussels] about replacing one dependency with another.”

This is what I told the Wall Street Journal about Europe’s increasing dependence on US LNG following the end of Russian pipeline gas.

UK and US sink to new lows in global index of corruption Countries’ drop in scores in annual table comes amid ‘worrying trend’ of backsliding in established democracies

In International Corruption table UK drops from 7th place to 20th over 10 years. A challenge to Labour to reverse the trend!

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

This is the key point that is lost in so much Westminster bubble talk on net zero. It is popular. It’s hugely popular with Labour’s base and with the progressive voters it needs to vote tactically to defeat Reform. And it’s even popular with Tories who Labour needs not to switch to Reform.

Installations of solar panels, heat pumps and batteries hit highs in 2025 Record numbers of renewable technologies, from heat pumps to solar panels, were installed in UK homes and small businesses in 2025, figures show. Data from MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme), ...

Every time we put the central heating on we are also heating the planet! Vital to cut the 'natural gas' i.e. methane. nation.cymru/news/install...

We owe it to Epstein’s victims and to British democracy to demand historic change | Gordon Brown The abuse of women by figures such as Epstein, and of political power by the likes of Mandelson, must be confronted. As far as I am able, I will play my part, says former UK prime minister Gordon Brow...

Get cracking, Keir!

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Snowdrops at Drovers Retreat holiday cottage in the Welsh Borders

Spring really IS on its way!
Come and stay at the secluded 4* Drovers Retreat holiday cottage in the Welsh Borders for a great unwind in the peace and quiet of nature.
For a 20% discount for a stay in February or March use the code 20MARCH when booking.

Neil Kinnock: Labour is ‘100 per cent wrong’ on Reform The former Labour leader on his party’s ‘mortally stupid’ response to Nigel Farage, and what Rachel Reeves must do next

An excellent overview from Kinnock on the state of British politics, and reasona for the rise of the right.
open.substack.com/pub/alanrusb...

Australia’s grid now relies on renewable energy as much as coal. Those who doubted it look foolish Solar met the majority of electricity demand between 9am and 6pm in the past week as much of the country cranked air conditioners

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

THE NHS ISN'T SAFE IN REFORM UK'S HANDS ATTACK THE NHS "We need to move to an insurance-based system of healthcare" Nigel Farage YOU CAN'T TRUST NIGEL FARAGE WITH OUR NHS

We must keep our NHS away from Farage!

#NeverVoteReform

What happened when I asked ChatGPT where I could find out about mutton:

Chat: list of various sources

Me: what about Much Ado About Mutton?

Chat: Oh yes, written by John Ramsden. It’s one of the best sources.

Me: the author was me, not John Ramsden.

Chat: “You are absolutely right.”

Hmmm….

Holiday let tax changes could wipe out tourism in Wales, warns PASC Controversial tax rules for people running holiday lets are like a

2nd homes in Wales are a problem, but this is not how you solve it.
In rural areas especially, with visitors to Wales down 29%, filling 182 nights is almost impossible.
Owners either operate at a loss or pay £000s in tax. Is the Welsh govt out to kill tourism?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Quick reminder to anyone unsure. Yes, the US can still have major cold blasts with record low temperatures in a warming climate. 🧪

Here's why:

(image credit: NOAA)

Electric car sales edge above petrol in EU for first time Sales of fully ​electric cars surpassed those of petrol-only vehicles in the European Union for the first time in December, data from ‌the auto industry group ACEA showed on Tuesday, even as hybrids h...

Electric car sales edge above petrol in EU for first time - www.reuters.com/business/aut...