Sebastian Bechtel

Assessing public support for degrowth: survey-based experimental and predictive studies | Journal paper Using representative surveys in the UK and US with over 5,000 participants, a new study by CUSP fellow Dario Krpan and colleagues Fred Basso, Jason Hickel, ...

Assessing public support for degrowth // New study by CUSP fellow @krpd.bsky.social and colleagues finds that—contrary to common political and media claims—the majority of respondents support #degrowth when presented with the full proposal, regardless of the label. → cusp.ac.uk/themes/aetw/...

#BehindTheScenes

#AarhusPRTRsMoPs delegates greet Ella Behlyarova, UNECE #AarhusConvention Secretary, as she celebrates her birthday.

Australian households to get free electricity three hours a day Saying there is enough solar power for everyone in the daytime, the federal government will direct retailers to provide three hours of free power every day to consumers.

Australia to introduce power cuts... no, wait, free power for 3 hours a day, as the solar boom has reached its, what's the new word?, abundance phase.

HT @volts.wtf www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...

Scores of MEPs hold side jobs in sectors where they steer EU laws [FREE TO READ] FT analysis identifies paid work that has not been declared as a potential conflict of interest

Great work by @lauramdubois.ft.com breaking out just how much European MEPs earn in their side jobs — side jobs that often overlap with policy areas they work on in parliament.

on.ft.com/4okX8MT

Watchdog report points to major failures in EU environment policy Despite cuts in emissions and cleaner air, the EU is on track to meet only two of 22 environmental targets by 2030, Europe's environment agency has warned

Watchdog report points to major failures in EU environment policy

Deleting texts to save space, Ursula? ‘It’s not the 1990s.’ Tech experts debunk the European Commission’s policy of deleting its president’s phone messages to “save space.”

My comment on @politico.eu. The European Commission's explanation for Ursula von der Leyen deleting messages on instant messengers “due to lack of space” sounds bizarre in 2025. Security is important. But so is public transparency for officials. www.politico.eu/article/dele...

MAJOR UPDATE: Seven of nine planetary boundaries now breached – ocean acidification also in the danger zone.

Read the new Planetary Healthcheck 2025 report here: www.planetaryhealthcheck.org

📢We’re suing the French government for inaction on the Dieselgate scandal📢

10 years after the Dieselgate scandal broke, the French govt has failed to hold carmakers accountable. Evidence shows millions of vehicles likely have emissions-cheating devices: www.clientearth.org/latest/press...

Animals that spread seeds are critical for climate solutions When a toucan plucks fruit from a tree in the Amazon Rainforest, it’s doing more than just finding lunch. Moving to a new location and depositing seeds via its droppings could be crucial in…

New research analyzing more than 3,000 tropical forest sites reveals that areas with fewer seed-dispersing animals store up to four times less carbon than forests with healthy wildlife populations.

The study found that 81% of tropical trees rely on animals to disperse their seeds.

If you live in BXL, you know the struggle: the never-ending traffic jams at rush hour, the badly-insulated flats, and your weather app's air quality index always looming on "Moderate".

This win means that the long-overdue clean-up of Brussels’ air can continue, protecting the health of everyone.

Portugal broke international law in the licensing process of Europe’s largest lithium mine without transparency. Now a UN ruling confirms what the locals said all along.

The Barroso mine still threatens water, biodiversity, and heritage. This fight isn’t just about lithium - it’s about democracy.

The EU and the Aarhus Convention – taking stock of the Union’s progress towards Environmental Democracy The Aarhus Convention continues to be widely celebrated as a beacon of environmental democracy and has played a considerable role in advancing the notion of procedural environmental rights in the…

Join us on 24 September at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel or online for a workshop on:

The EU & the Aarhus Convention: Taking Stock of Progress Towards Environmental Democracy

🔗 Register by 12 Sept: 2035legitimacy.fi/the-eu-and-t...

#AarhusConvention #EU #AccessToJustice #EnvironmentalDemocracy

⚡ ⚖️ 🌐 happening now: #ClimateLitigation court hearing in Zug, Switzerland 🇨🇭, in 𝐴𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑎 𝑣. 𝐻𝑜𝑙𝑐𝑖𝑚.
This civil law case seeks to hold one of the largest carbon major accountable for climate harms.
🧵 live reporting from the Court house, with summary of legal arguments and key elements of context👇

Civil society is the backbone of Europe’s democracy - driving participation, protecting rights, and pushing for climate and social justice.

The EU Civil Society Strategy is a unique chance to strengthen CSOs and democracy.

The D4T Coalition’s position paper shows how 👉 eeb.org/wp-content/u...

💄The EU Commission is about to make it easier for toxic chemicals to end up in cosmetics and everyday products - and they only held industry-skewed "Reality Check" workshops about this instead of consulting the public.

Our reaction: ➡️ www.clientearth.org/latest/press...

BJPolS abstract discussing the effects of extensive media exposure on public perceptions and normalization. It references specific research surveys conducted on Sky News UK and Australia, analyzing changes in public attitudes and policy effects due to media strategies.

NEW -

Media Platforming and the Normalisation of Extreme Right Views - cup.org/4mmVIAL

"exposure to uncritical interviews increases agreement with extreme statements and perceptions of broader support in the population"

- @dianebolet.bsky.social & @florianfoos.bsky.social

#OpenAccess

Corporate lobbyists will weaponise European Parliament's plan for 'impact assessments' Impact assessments have been used by the EU Commission for many years, but until now the European Parliament has been hesitant to introduce them. But this has changed now the EU has enthroned ‘competitiveness’ — ie deregulation and corporate profits — above all other considerations, plus a rightwing majority in the parliament, warns Corporate Europe Observatory.

Corporate lobbyists will weaponise European Parliament's plan for 'impact assessments'

The mathematics of starvation: how Israel caused a famine in Gaza Israel controls the flow of food into Gaza. It has calculated how many calories Palestinians need to stay alive. Its data shows only a fraction has been allowed in

It cannot be denied: this is a deliberate and coldly-calculated famine, engineered by a technologically-advanced state which knows exactly what it is doing.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

The European Central Bank updates its collateral framework to account for climate - Reclaim Finance The ECB has today announced measures to integrate climate considerations into its collateral framework to address its support to carbon intensive companies.

📣 BIG NEWS! The @ecb.europa.eu takes steps to green its monetary policy.

Read our press release to find out how. ⤵️

Where there’s political will, there’s a way to stop tropical deforestation, study finds Political will is among the most important factors in preventing tropical deforestation, according to a group of experts surveyed for a new study — with strong political commitment often arising out…

A study focused on why deforestation rates have slowed in Indonesia and the Brazilian Amazon revealed that political will was a critical factor, often as a result of pressure from civil society and diplomacy to conserve forests.

🔥 ⚖️ 🌐HAPPENING NOW: Historic #ClimateJustice Ruling being delivered by the 🇺🇳 🧑‍⚖️ International Court of Justice.
🚨This ruling could signal a new dawn for climate law & accountability
📝 🧵 Live thread below with context, summary & analysis 👇
#ClimateJusticeAO #AOLetsGo

❓What has the European Commission’s EUR 1 billion Energy Support Package for the Western Balkans achieved?
❗We tried to find out, but could only trace EUR 163 million in worthwhile spending.

Read our new report: bankwatch.org/publication/...

#GAWBNavigator
#GreenAgendaNavigator

New research reveals the best attack lines to use against Reform How to stop Farage...

🔴 New research reveals the best attack lines to use against Reform

👇👇

Landmark ruling says Spanish pig farm pollution breaches human rights The community looks forward to its reservoir becoming ‘a place of life again’, where residents can walk, swim and drink without fear.

In legal first, court rules Spain pig farm megapollution breached residents’ human rights

Demokratieabbau stoppen – Zivilgesellschaftliche Rechte in Brandenburg verteidigen! Noch vor der Sommerpause des Landtages soll ein Artikelgesetz verabschiedet werden, das Beteiligungs- und Klagerechte der anerkannten Naturschutzverbänden deutlich einschränkt. Das Artikelgesetz strei...

Freunde, #bluesky - Power, habt ihr dem #Kahlschlag an Beteiligungs- und Umweltrechten in #Brandenburg schon widersprochen? Wenn nicht, hier gleich noch machen, danke! #Verbandsklage #Demokratie cc @spiskol.bsky.social @s4f-bebb.bsky.social @campact.de weact.campact.de/petitions/de...

Maximising Climate Bank – EIB operations in sustainable transport T&E's analysis of gaps and opportunities for the European Investment Bank’s transport lending.

NEW: The European Investment Bank (EIB) lent €7 billion to dirty transport projects between 2021 and 2024 – including new roads and airport expansions – despite declaring itself a ‘climate bank’.

These loans undermine the EIB’s environmental and climate goals adopted in 2021.
🧵⤵️
bit.ly/44nELjf

Across Europe, the financial sector has pushed up house prices. It's a political timebomb | Tim White We’ve been living in a great experiment: can finance provide basic human rights such as housing? The answer is increasingly no, says researcher and writer Tim White

I have an article in the Guardian today on how finance capitalism is wreaking havoc on housing across Europe www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Tax on ultra-rich: 'France has the opportunity to lead the way,' say Nobel Prize-winning economists OP-ED. As public deficits balloon and extreme wealth explode, creating a minimum tax on the assets of billionaires should be a priority, argue seven Nobel Prize-winning economists in an op-ed for Le M...

Think how much you pay in taxes. Now think about this: The ultra-wealthy pay between 0% and 0.6% of their wealth in individual income tax – around 0.6% in a country like the United States and 0.1% in a country like France.
We wrote about it in @lemonde.fr www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/a...

EU watchdog warns Ursula von der Leyen against rushing deregulation European Commission risks eroding trust by using urgent procedures to cut red tape, ombudsman says

Someone seems to have forgotten the lessons from the Santer Commission. "European Ombudsman Teresa Anjinho said that the commission risked eroding trust by pushing through its simplification drive without consulting civil society" www.ft.com/content/c322...

Pushback grows against nickel mining in Indonesian marine paradise of Raja Ampat JAKARTA — The Indonesian government has suspended nickel mining in the Raja Ampat archipelago, citing multiple environmental violations by companies operating in the ecologically sensitive islands.…

The Indonesian government has suspended nickel mining in the Raja Ampat archipelago following public outcry and investigations that revealed environmental violations, including illegal mining on small islands and deforestation by several companies.