Clare Hickman

'If we take action, we might survive' 'This is no longer a risk, it is an emergency,' explain climate experts to more than a thousand British MPs and civil society leaders.

'This is no longer a risk, it is an emergency,' explain climate experts to more than a thousand British MPs and civil society leaders.

theecologist.org/2025/dec/01/...

At least 8,000 illegal waste sites in UK, research suggests Exclusive: Concerns over impact on health and environment, as well as £1.63bn in avoided landfill tax

There's absolutely no restrictions on what goes into an illegal landfill which means no control on what seeps out of them into water, soil + air. We've heard reports of substances like asbestos at illegal sites, others of waste burning + acrid smoke.
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www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Love Arcadia so much! Saw a touring version of it in 2 different locations when I was doing my PhD (in garden history so I was marginally obsessed with it) 💔

'The British Academy has redoubled its call for a “comprehensive” review of higher education funding in the wake of the government’s levy on international student fees.' 1/3

Poster for the South Korean stage production of Macbeth showing Lady Macbeth whose back is turned to us, and Macbeth posed towards us with his hand on the back of his wife's neck. The long cut in the back of her dress reveals skin in the shape of a sword/dagger that Macbeth seems to be holding.

Poster for the South Korean stage production of Macbeth showing Lady Macbeth facing us with her cleavage cut into three pointy triangles. Macbeth is kneeling in front of her, away from us, his face in his wife's chest. The exposed skin of Lady Macbeth looks like a crown that aligns with the top of Macbeth's head.

These posters for the South Korean stage production of Macbeth are the greatest thing ever? #art

This is a great blog of a stimulating and fun event we ran recently in Newcastle. Take a look! 👀 Thanks to @catherinemax.bsky.social for writing it up.

(When I’ve made it through the vast marking piles 😅 I’ll try and do something similar from the All Footsteps perspective)

In Memphis, where people fear Elon Musk’s supercomputer is making them ill Colossus, an xAI supercomputer, is blamed for worsening air pollution in a historic black community

“While Shelby County has recorded the dirtiest air in Tennessee for many years — half the state’s admissions for childhood asthma come from there — local residents say the arrival of Colossus has made things worse.”

A light-up acrylic Dickensian snowman.

"Dickensian"

Are you an early-career environmental historian or interested in the challenges aspiring environmental historians face? Join our panel discussion with
@askehn.bsky.social @kathiescharf.bsky.social @tidetales.bsky.social and @wilkohardenberg.bsky.social et al., hosted by @eseh.bsky.social #envhist

best summary I've read of COP, noting the increasing militarisation of the event - to protect fossil fuel interests.

Great to read this table, the week after my institution announces a voluntary severance programme, to see the government introducing a policy that will cost us an extra *£13 million*

🙌🙌🙌

Exeter scholars secure significant research funding to investigate the early history of Smallpox and Measles The early histories of smallpox and measles – and the insight they might offer to contemporary health and medicine – will be under the microscope of a new research project. Pustules, Palaeogenetics an...

I am very pleased and grateful to share this announcement of our recent award from the @wellcometrust.bsky.social for a project on history of smallpox and measles #histmed #histsci news.exeter.ac.uk/faculty-of-h... The project will be based @exeter.ac.uk @cceh-u24.bsky.social led by ... 1/2

Mouse 'midwives' help their pregnant companions give birth Scientists have observed mice helping each other when they encounter difficulties during birth, prompting a rethink of caregiving among rodents and other animals

"Mice seem to assist pregnant females when they get into difficulty giving birth, with experienced mothers being the most helpful. This is thought to be the first official sighting of such assistance in non-primates, and so expands our knowledge of caregiving behaviours across the animal kingdom."

An ITV video here about Mary Ann Macham, and her history in North Shields -

www.itv.com/watch/news/s...

Looking forward to speaking at the 'Air Matters' Symposium tomorrow organised by Tatiana Konrad and Savannah Schaufler. Lots of interesting papers! Free to join online. More info here airproject.univie.ac.at

'The Innovation for Growth Summit, taking place at the Science Museum in London on 24 November, will focus on the “central role” of research and innovation in the government’s growth agenda and industrial strategy. It comes two days before the chancellor delivers her... autumn budget.' 1/3

Thanks for coming along and contributing to the discussion in such a thoughtful way!

Thanks so much to all our speakers & participants. It was a really stimulating discussion and great to meet so many new people with similar interests! #signs #objects #barriers #inclusion #ContestedSpaces

If you ask historians of medicine what keeps them up at night, many will not say a new plague or bioterrorism, they will answer, "antibiotic resistance."

The screening study will target hidden exposure to lead in children and lays the groundwork for nationwide testing. The initiative follows a two-year FT investigation that revealed millions of Britons may be unknowingly exposed to the toxic metal. on.ft.com/47K8Ivp

[Scene is a kitchen - a middle aged woman called JANET is boiling peas at the stove. A younger more colourfully dressed woman named LIZ approached her.] JANET: Ugh... LIZ: What's up? JANET: I am so bored of cooking peas! LIZ: Have you tried... AI peas? JANET: AI peas? LIZ: They're peas with AI! [Liz holds up to us a packet of peas labelled: Pea-i AI - Peas with AI]. LIZ: Al-powered peas harness the potential of your peas JANET: What LIZ [Now a voiceover as we cut to a whizzy technology diagram of peas all connected by meaningless dotted lines] Why not take your peas to the next level with Al Peas' new Al tools to power your peas? [Show a techno diagram of a pea with a label reading 'AI' pointing to a random zone in it] LIZ: Each pea has Al in a way we haven't quite worked out yet but it's fine [Show Janet and Liz now in a Matrix-style world of peas] LIZ: With Al peas you can supercharge productivity and make AI work for your peas! JANET: What LIZ: Shut up LIZ: Our game-changing Pea-Al gives you the freedom to unlock the potential of the power of the future of your peas workflow From opening the bag of peas to boiling the peas to eating the peas To spending millions on adding Al to the peas and then having to work out what that even means. JANET: Is it really necessary to- LIZ [Grabbing Janet by the collar]: THE PEAS HAVE GOT AI, JANET [Cut to an advert ending screen, with the bag of peas and the slogan: AI PEAS: Just 'Peas' for god's sake buy the AI peas. [Ends]

Every ad now

I'm really looking forward to contributing to this event next week (18th November) around inclusion in public spaces - there's still time to book a place!

Let me know if you would like to come along! :)

I'm not sure if others have noticed this, but interesting that one of the Prescott criticisms of the BBC is based on those of the 'History Reclaimed' group, which is also associated with the 'Restore Trust' group's attacks on & so far unsuccessful attempts to take control of the National Trust. 1/3

PhD Fellowship in Museum Education (288983) | University of Stavanger Job title: PhD Fellowship in Museum Education (288983), Employer: University of Stavanger, Deadline: Sunday, January 4, 2026

My colleague Marie-Theres Fojuth has advertised a fully funded 3-year PhD Fellowship in Museum Education @unistavanger.bsky.social with the «Into the Fjords: Blue Museums as Arenas of Learning about Vulnerable Ecosystems (FJORDS)» project. Perfect for Scandinavian-speaking #envhum #envhist people!

GitHub - Living-with-machines/whose_news: Code for the CHR paper "Whose News? Critical methods for assessing bias and missingness in large historical datasets" Code for the CHR paper "Whose News? Critical methods for assessing bias and missingness in large historical datasets" - Living-with-machines/whose_news

One final note... Do check out the blog post breaking down the "Whose News" article. It would be a good place for students or those new to computational methods to start before tackling the article itself!

github.com/Living-with-...

The AI boom comes to America’s loneliest place Plans for a 230-mile transmission line threaten Nevada’s wilderness and have united hunters and wildlife groups

power, data and birds on the loneliest road in america: www.ft.com/content/729d...

💥Opportunity @mrcwarwick.bsky.social.