Mike Berners-Lee

A world that can't even stop the Gaza genocide doesn't stand a hope of dealing with climate or any other global social or environmental issue or facet of the wider poly/meta crisis. This now makes Gaza the critical point of focus for anyone who cares about anything beyond short term self interest.

Gaza is establishing a wider precedent that it is ok to allow mass deaths. In that world every one of us is left hoping that no one we care too deeply about is in the next group to go. Ghastly for all of us. (And especially troublesome for those who try to care about everyone)

The relationship between Amazon and Trump: profiting from power | Ethical Consumer Amazonism and Trumpism are a partnership, with each providing support and services to the other. Amazon benefits from Trump’s tax cuts and attacks on labour; while the US government benefits from Amaz...

Every time we spend money we push for one future or another. Here are even more reasons not to buy from Amazon and a link to pledge not to do so in August - but why stick to just one month? The other 11 are also great opportunities for spending thoughtfully.

bit.ly/458vs5B

I agree. Gaza is establishing a wider precedent that it is ok to allow mass deaths. In that world every one of us is left hoping that no one we care too deeply about is in the next group to go. Ghastly for all of us. (And especially troublesome for those who try to care about everyone)

YouTube video by Carne Ross Is our government complicit in genocide?

Here's a compelling video from former senior foreign office diplmat @carneross on UK complicity in genocide. youtu.be/rLN7SrfTeZ4

(And a note from me for climate campaigners: A global community that allows genocides doesn't stand any hope of dealing with climate.)

Missed the launch of Carbon Commons at London Climate Action Week?

Here's @mikebernerslee.bsky.social to take you through it.

More ⬇️

Reeves to say cuts to City red tape will bring trickle-down benefits to households Chancellor to announce raft of deregulation changes as City regulators move to pare back transparency rules

Oh no! This is such a load of nonsense. This government needs some incredibly basic training on joined up thinking.
www.theguardian.com/business/202...

MP Watch Fossil fuel companies are fuelling climate breakdown, buying public trust through advertising and sponsorship. Just as we banned tobacco advertising to protect public health, it's time to apply the sa...

This briefing beautifully sums up the argument for banning fossil fuel adverts. Parliamentary debate July 7th 4.30. Please encourage your MP to be there.

Well done @victoriaharvey.bsky.social for putting this together and @chrisgpackham.bsky.social for the forward.

www.mpwatch.org/fossil-fuel-...

On 7 July MPs debate a ban on fossil fuel ads and sponsorship.

A tobacco ad ban in 2003 was effective. Fossil fuels will kill more people than tobacco through climate change - we need a ban now.

Dr Victoria Harvey from our team has written this briefing:
drive.google.com/file/d/1uede...

A Climate of Truth: Why We Need It and How To Get It | Bradford Literature Festival Join renowned environmental researcher, Mike Berners-Lee, for a compelling presentation on his latest book, A Climate of Truth.

Looking forward to talking about A Climate of Truth in Bradford tomorrow (Sat 28th). There are still seats left.

www.bradfordlitfest.co.uk/event/a-clim...

One final follow point is that, in order to raise standards, even if you think everyone falls short, it is very important to support the least unfit option that stands a chance.

What we need is a ‘Me too’ moment on political deceit. To be deliberately misled on a matter of politics is to be abused. Most of us wouldn’t vote for someone who had kicked us, spat at us or groped us. So why put up with this?

Or to put it more optimistically , if we can radically raise standards of honesty in politics, media and business we might , for the first time, be able to start making progress. It doesn’t matter if you think this is difficult because without it we have had it.

Whatever social or environmental issue you care most about - or if, like me, you see it all as an interconnected meta crisis - raising standards of honesty is the point of greatest leverage. We can’t get anywhere on anything without it.

I explicitly call out some of those bad actors in my book ‘A Climate of Truth’ which call for a national wake-up on political, media and corporate deceit. I spell out the consequences, illustrate with plenty of examples and lay out what we can all do.

This is so well deserved! @estelledehon.bsky.social had a huge role in fending off the Cumbria Coal Mine. Just a shame she had to spend her time on this fight that would never have had to have been fought if it hadn’t been for numerous bad actors pushing that mine along with bogus arguments.

This is nuts. We shouldn’t have to be fighting needless battles like this. So annoying. Just like the coal mine farce, mad ideas like this just get in the way of sensible policy making for improving lives and dealing with climate.

Great to see our Landscape Carbon Tracker launch.

We're inviting local authority teams across the UK to come and join a discussion on the merits of territorial and consumption-based emissions assessments.

Join our webinar on 17 June here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/how-should...

Very pleased to have this chance to talk to health professionals about the importance of their sector enabling systemic change. Especially by modelling critical values: kindness to all, honesty and, of course, respect for environment.

Challenge use of ‘nefarious’ news sources, says environmentalist Mike Berners-Lee tells Hay festival audience to make spread of political deceit more socially embarrassing

Very happy to have been in conversation with the wonderful Rosie Boycott at the Hay Festival yesterday, talking about my book ‘ A Climate of Truth’

www.theguardian.com/books/2025/m...

"...The human stories of people trying to do the right thing, or of convincing themselves their industry is not as bad as it seems, are as compassionate as they are critical."

3/3

"This eye-popping, engaging and rigorous book lifts the lid on the huge and rapidly rising cost of plastic in our lives. It exposes the pivotal role that deception has played over the decades through well-funded lobbying of government and deliberate misinforming of consumers..."

2/3

'Eye-popping, engaging and rigorous' Mike Berners-Lee, author of A Climate of Truth and There is No Planet B. Book cover of 'Consumed', How Big Brands Got Us Hooked on Plastic, by Saabira Chaudhuri.

I was lucky enough to be asked to review 'Consumed' by Saabira Chaudhuri, an investigation into the role that big brands have played in getting us hooked on plastics.

It's published today in the UK, available in the bookstore or audio store where you choose to spend your money.

1/2

I'll be at London Climate Action Week on 24 + 25 June with the Small World team. Here's where we'll be:

Yes. Increasingly I’m not keen on the term ‘populism’ because sounds benign whereas it needs to be seen for exploitative abuse that it is.

Tory energy spokesman claims UN climate experts are ‘biased’ Exclusive: Andrew Bowie says Kemi Badenoch could pull UK out of Paris climate agreement

Having said this one thing Andrew Bowie has shown himself permanently unfit for office. The same goes for any colleagues who don’t challenge him.

The rationale for this is laid out in my book ‘A Climate of Truth’ - which, to be clear, is not party political.

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

YouTube video by Simon Oldridge - Environmental Content Scientists speaking outside Parliament

Something's wrong when scientists have to protest outside Parliament to be heard, whilst ministers hold cosy meetings every day with lobbyists for the companies destroying our environment.
#ScienceToPolitics #ScientistsForSurvival #ActOnFacts
@mikebernerslee.bsky.social
@chrisgpackham.bsky.social

If only clean energy automatically replaces fossil fuel, as many assume or wishfully hope. It doesn’t. Without a fossil fuel constraint, we just end up having both. So the ‘techno-fix’ has to start with clean energy + carbon price.

Holding placard THE UK PUBLIC WANT STRONGER CLIMATE ACTION Bring Science to Politics

Back of a t shirt FOR CLIMATE TRUTH AND JUSTICE ACI NOW

Banner CLImate EMERGENCY

Trilobite chewing gum

Wonderful to meet so many scientists and activists today - great speeches on the importance of following the science not the hustlers and lobbyists (aka also hustlers) also a piece of chewing gum evolving into a trilobite

‘Bullshit’ means any narrative that is designed to persuade without regard to which bits of it, if any, are true. In politics, another term for it is populism. It is poisonous. The consequences for all those who suck it up are devastating. If we allow it to remain so normal, we will suffer for it.