Paul Brannen

I'll be speaking on a webinar for Meshwork by Mesh Energy on Wed 8th Oct, 12 - 1 pm. Pros & cons of insulation from a climate perspective will be discussed. Please follow the link below if you'd like to join. Select meshwork.mesh-energy.com/events/timbe...

New campaign aims to champion British-grown C16 timber Traditionally, assumptions have been that imported C24 timber is always the stronger or more suitable choice.

Good to see this new campaign that champions British-grown C16 timber. Too often people are unnecessarily choosing to buy C24 which is almost certainly will have been imported.
www.forestryjournal.co.uk/news/2551362...

…. to show ourselves to be a people united, throw our arms around those who are grieving, but to be united in our love for one another and our common humanity, which transcends all our religious, political and other traditions.” 2/2

David Walker, Bishop of Manchester, on R4: “The principal purpose of terror attacks is to try to divide us, to separate us off into hostile communities not trusting each other & so the best way to defy terrorism is not to seek revenge, it's to draw ever closer together… 1/2

Labour must fight rightwing billionaires undermining net zero, says Ed Miliband Exclusive: Energy secretary will hit out at the Tory and Reform ‘culture war’ and unveil target of 400,000 new jobs in clean energy

Exc - Labour is in a fight against “global network of right-wing billionaires” who want to undermine net zero for their “vested interests”, the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, has said.

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

How do we build homes without damaging the climate? At Labour's conference Andrew Orriss of the Confederation of Timber Industries made the climate case for timber as a low carbon construction material at a
@labourhousinggroup.bsky.social
fringe meeting, see sitemanagerpro.co.uk/learn/qualit...

Reform UK's ex-Wales leader Nathan Gill admits pro-Russia bribery Nathan Gill admits eight charges of bribery while being a Member of the European Parliament.

Why isn’t this a bigger story? It’s not there on the top 12 BBC political stories. It was obvious during my time in the European Parliament that Farage & his fellow MEPs like Gill were ‘Putin’s little helpers’ but the media weren’t interested.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Newcastle today.

Limberlost Place: Toronto’s timber tower aims high Limberlost stretches building codes and gives architects and engineers a new system of open-sourced solutions

Canada has built another large outstanding mass timber building. Part of George Brown College its 10 storeys can hold
3,400 students & staff and houses classrooms for the college’s School of Architectural Studies and its Brookfield Sustainability Institute.
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

It's time to tell the racists to fuck off Anti-racism norms are good and should be socially enforced

This by @jamesomalley.co.uk is good.

Timber’s role in tackling climate change explained.

Prime Minister Carney launches Build Canada Homes to supercharge homebuilding across the country Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, launched Build Canada Homes – a new federal agency that will build affordable housing at scale.

Canada makes a significant move for factory-built & prefabricated construction with the creation of Build Canada Homes who will facilitate the building of affordable homes at scale. www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/news...

Commissioned by the Irish Gov’s housing agency ‘Embodied Carbon & the Climate Impact of our Housing’ considers the housing & climate crises. Easy wins by swapping high carbon, fossil fuel materials for bio-based. www.housingagency.ie/publications...

. @paulbrannenne.bsky.social and @garethdennis.uk in good company in the @riasbookshop.bsky.social in Edinburgh

I'm looking forward to speak at and taking part in the discussions at the Northern Forestry Conference next Thursday 11th September in my home city of Newcastle upon Tyne.
www.northwoods.org.uk/events/north...

Latest report from The European Environment Agency states p10 ".. an increase of biomass use in long-lasting products – such as construction materials – could also increase carbon storage in harvested wood products."
www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/...

Step back and take it in: the US is entering full authoritarian mode | Jonathan Freedland Trump’s dictator-like behaviour is so brazen, so blatant, that paradoxically, we discount it. But now it’s time to call it what it is, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland

If you read only one article this weekend read this one:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Clearly not enough trees.
If views like these don't change - and fast - we are going to fail to adequately address climate breakdown including downstream flooding.
In other words "the unspoilt view" will be the death of us.

How can we build 1.5 million homes without breaking the carbon budget? » Green Alliance Green Alliance is an independent think tank and charity focused on ambitious leadership for the environment

Great to see Green Alliance in the UK asking and setting out to answer one of the most important questions we face.
Sign up here for next Wednesday's online meeting, 3rd September 1pm:
green-alliance.org.uk/event/how-ca...

It would seem that the USA is on an increasingly slippery slope that will result in the whole country ending up in very bad place.

‘By the company you keep.’

Despite the USA owning the car it seems it’s Trump who’s is being taken for a ride.

Well done, Alaska.

BP used to have a strategy of moving ‘Beyond Petroleum’. Not anymore. One would hope that their reneging of moving towards a more sustainable business approach would result in a consumer and investor backlash.
Note: Shell have done the same.

Sunday Brunch: Can timber deliver what other carbon capture technologies cannot? The use of timber in buildings continues to grow, driven by a mixture of environmental and financial considerations. One less explored aspect is the ability of construction timber to lock up carbon fo...

'Can timber deliver what other carbon capture technologies cannot? The use of timber in buildings continues to grow ... Could this be a lower cost way of delivering carbon capture & storage?' www.thesustainableinvestor.org.uk/sunday-brunc...

You are right. And it’s quite simple. If we going on building the way we currently build, with the materials we currently use, we cannot possible meet the 2050 net zero target. A point I expressed last week to the EU Commission.

No. But it is a common conundrum faced by English people who go on holiday to Spain in the summer months.

Sir David Attenborough's WWF video on forests, timber & climate change is 6 years old but it remains pertinent. Key lines include "... so we also have to farm trees just like we do other crops & create a new generation of plantations".
WWF video lnkd.in/eJxuZmqv

I think if you look closely you’ll find that’s a canoe not an otter.