Jen Iris Allan

I have seen a lot of cursed stuff in my time in academia but this is among the *most* cursed.
Grammarly is generating miniature LLMs based on academic work so that users can have their writing ‘reviewed’ by experts like David Abulafia, who died less than two months ago.

Inside Lobbyist Efforts to Gut Federal ‘Forever Chemical’ Regulations More than 500 pages of emails, internal presentations and talking points obtained by NOTUS detail lobbying efforts around the EPA’s decision to walk back standards.

Lobbyist talking points and strategies on the US "forever chemical" rollback. Still questioning the science, even as 3M and others settle liability cases.

www.notus.org/climate-envi...

JOB

Assistant Professor of Political Theory
University of Cambridge
@thecambridgeschool.bsky.social

www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/univers...

Oil prices spike as key shipping route disrupted by Iran attacks There is a risk of an inflation spike as oil and shipping costs surge due to the vulnerability of attack after at least three tankers were hit by missiles.

🔎 0.4% increase to domestic inflation

➡️on average from a 10% increase in global oil cost.
news.sky.com/story/oil-p...

The Silent Spring of our age.

and a much needed antidote for these times

5 postdocs just advertised: Come work with us at the LSE Global School of Sustainability @gsos-lse.bsky.social. With 150 people working full-time on the political economy of decarbonisation, you'd be joining the largest research community on the topic.

jobs.lse.ac.uk/Vacancies/W/...

Is the @ec.europa.eu in a toxic relationship with big polluters?

Our latest analysis by @silviap.bsky.social reveals a striking pattern: the petrochemical industry’s private "wishlist" is becoming Europe's political reality. Progress is moving in reverse ⬇️[1/5]

PFAS – Out of the Frying Pan into the Court Room? - Fenchurch Law Fenchurch Law considers the impact of PFAS on the UK insurance sector, following the rise of litigation progressing through the […]

This is an interesting look at the PFAS court cases. It compares PFAS to asbestos, but notes differences in how liability (& blame) can be traced.

Climate litigation people - is climate a better parallel?
widespread exposure, few producer companies, but many users?
fenchurchlaw.com/pfas-out-of-...

Sizewell C power to cost almost double today’s prices

Nuclear plant is an ‘appalling waste of electricity consumers and taxpayers’ money’, experts claim
www.telegraph.co.uk/business/20...

University Affairs

Political Science and North American Studies @wilfridlaurieruni.bsky.social is hiring for a #TT assistant professor in #politicaltheory with a focus on areas such as #law, #settlercolonialism, #Indigenouspolitics, critical approaches. See link for details: universityaffairs.ca/jobs/job-pre...

Post-it maker 3M on trial in Belgium over 'forever' chemicals Belgians living near a 3M plant called for justice Tuesday at the opening of a trial against the US multinational maker of Post-it and Scotch tape over pollution from so-called forever chemicals.

The forever chemicals court cases continue to pile up

www.france24.com/en/live-news...

Tonight I've discovered one of the most dreaded sentences in the English language:

My neighbours bought a karaoke machine.

⚡⚖️ Continuation (and end) of historic #climatelitigation hearing at Paris Judicial Court this afternoon in historic case against TotalEnergies.
👀 🧵 Follow in thread below for blow-by-blow reporting in English.
🧵 🇫🇷 See also here in French via @notreaffaireatous.bsky.social: bsky.app/profile/notr...

Hi! Do you have suggestions for a 1st year intro to political research type class?

Map of US states and Canadian province, color coded by their largest source of electricity.

www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-what-...

Love a good map

Swedish Armed Forces lose dispute over PFAS contamination - The Nordic Times Forced to pay the equivalent of €3.4 million in damages after contaminating soil and groundwater with environmentally hazardous firefighting foam.

This follows a similar (ish) lawsuit in Sweden
nordictimes.com/the-nordics/...

Transport Canada documents raise concerns over forever chemicals known as PFAS as far back as 1984 | CBC News Files obtained through access to information confirm Transport Canada was concerned about forever chemicals, known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), as far back as the 1980s.

The government knew PFAS was toxic and "likely" persistent.

The chemical manufacturers knew more.

But these are fire fighting foams, so it could be easy to get the tradeoffs wrong with incomplete info
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

The Olympics just saw its first 'forever chemical' disqualifications Waxes containing PFAS are banned at the Milan-Cortina Games. Three athletes already have been disqualified for using them.

The experts on these chemicals talked about ski waxes when they agreed to globally ban a group of forever chemicals.

They agreed the waxes weren't "essential" uses.

grist.org/accountabili...

Except that it is a political choice to stop global warming, in tandem with (or instead of) other goals.

Sorry. Nerds gotta nerd.

Well Turkiye has had strong stances in the UNFCCC in the past, which is why there has been hesitancy around them acting as president (it also came up for COP26)

Dividing up hosting duties / Turkiye's intransigence turns out to be politically convenient.

Hey #academicsky is anyone teaching a first-year undergrad 'intro to critical thinking / method-ish' type of module?

Any great (or awful) resources I should be aware of?
Any tips & tricks?

This is why I got a VPN so I can watch on CBC Gem

Has anyone seen a round up of all the declarations & initiatives launched at COP30? (ahem, @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org )?

This is very near where I'm from.

It's a tiny town that's been through a lot: mines closing and killing the town, then reopening after it had found other ways forward.

Everyone will know someone hurt or killed.

So shocking it even makes the BBC.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cr...

Most plastics, chemicals, artificial fertilisers, pesticides & synthetic fabrics are made from fossil fuels & they emit pollution throughout their life cycle, from extraction to processing to use & disposal. Fossil fuels give birth to so many major pollution sources.

An American called Canada "America light," and "Canada's hat."

Not so diplomatic

Every year, I ask students to do a logframe for a project they'd like to see. This year's entries:
- ending period poverty
- improving access to nutritious food
- protecting women in clubs
- supporting mental health

It's a great list, but also worrying in a way.

US chemical giant to stop producing herbicide called ‘toxic cocktail’ by critics Corteva will discontinue a mixture of Agent Orange and glyphosate, but another of its herbicides will still use Vietnam war-era defoliant

Production Is ending... in the US.

This might be about production costs rather than the environment or health.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...