Pete Ballantine

was briefly so excited reading this until I realised he meant Davos

This thread responds to Prof. Christian Dunn’s Telegraph piece on #climate communication.

I argue it misdiagnoses public disengagement, underplays escalating scientific risk, & reproduces a media narrative that has actively shaped, not merely reflected, public resistance to climate action 🧵

🧵A political/media guide to the "truth" about net-zero

1) Add up costs to install & run a net-zero energy system
2) Pretend fossil-fuelled alternatives wld be free
3) Do say "eco zealots are bankrupting us"
4) Don't say "free cars if we scrap net-zero" cos it sounds ridiculous
5) That's it!

1/10

The #FIFA Peace Prize entitles you to one free military campaign in the CONMEBOL state of your choice.

🥳

Maccabi Tel Aviv v Hapoel Tel Aviv called off by police after disorder The Israeli Premier League derby between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv is cancelled before kick-off and nine people are arrested.

The Universe’s mission to troll Starmer continues…

🔥 The never-ending narrative…
This week, I’ve once again heard prominent climate researchers dismiss individual action as either irrelevant or a distraction instigated by the fossil fuel industry.

Here’s a 🧵 on why this argument frustrates me to no end and why I think it misses the bigger picture.

Don’t be too hard on him now. He’s just saying what Chat GPT tells him to say

Remember that the UK Government is choosing to maintain an energy system that shafts everyone. They could start undoing this today if they wanted to.

Spanish government hits back at UCI criticism over Vuelta protests The Spanish government has issued a forceful reply to the UCI after cycling’s governing body criticised Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in the wake of the…

The Spanish Government has a point here. The UCI can’t fly the neutrality flag when convenient, especially given the ongoing UCI ban of Russian cyclists competing under the Russian flag. Calling out the ongoing 🇵🇸 genocide by any means obviously takes precedent over sporting spectacle

My experience of how this is unfolding is devastating. Courses cut, teaching staff left with unmanageable workloads, administrative services unable to function. All done with little regard for staff or student health & wellbeing. And yet management think more cuts can be made!

Barcelona in Miami; Milan in Perth? Welcome to the league of anywhere | Jonathan Liew What goes on tour, stays on tour as Uefa meets on Thursday to discuss La Liga’s and Serie A’s request to play competitive matches abroad

Obviously this is the next stop on football’s journey to unwatchable corporate hell product but i can’t wait for AC Milan - Como at McDiarmid Park, followed by St Johnstone - Arbroath at the San Siro.

The main issue facing any UK government isn't actually the number of people seeking asylum, in the grand scheme, proportionally, we aren't talking about huge figures, especially when compared per capita to countries such as France, but the constant images we see in the media. 1/

Surely it’s George Square?!

Someone means business! Will certainly try and get into town for this (unless there’s going to be a Borders event too..?)

Ministry of Defence admits UK is training Israeli military IN BRITAIN It is clearer than ever that the UK is not just complicit in Israeli genocide in Gaza: it is an active participant

Ministry of Defence admits UK is training Israeli military IN BRITAIN

It is clearer than ever that the UK is not just complicit in Israeli genocide in Gaza: it is an active participant
www.thecanary.co/trending/202...

This is incredible

We need council homes.

The vital question is how much of the governments spending will actually result in more council homes?

Saying big numbers is worse than meaningless if it's actually lining the pockets of property developers to build more empty unaffordable buildings.

Words of condemnation are being issued now as leaders wake up to the scale of the violence being inflicted upon Palestinians and their complicity in this through continued military and logistical support and resources. Blood is on their hands and they only just noticed.

"Apologists for Israel might want to reject the charge of genocide [and] suggest its hyperbole or even antisemitic, but the actual experts on genocide know a genocide when they see one - and they see one in Gaza."

My receipts on all the experts who say Gaza *is* a genocide.
zeteo.com/subscribe

Caveat that the decision comes from a planning reporter on appeal. It’s not a decision from the actual Scottish Ministers…

Loch Lomond Flamingo Land resort set for approval after appeal The theme park operator wants to build a £40m resort with a waterpark, monorail, hotel and restaurants.

A bit late to this but FUCK OFF! If a national park is meant to foster sustainable development you need to look at the “sustainable”part as well as the “development” part. Undemocratic, ill-judged decision making here from the Scottish Ministers (if approved)

Forestry, finance and nature - the cracks are beginning to show at Stobo Hope - parkswatchscotland Having been investigating for some time the way in which Scotland’s forestry grants have been used to destroy nature and release carbon into the atmosphere in the Cairngorms National Park, I did not f...

I wasn’t aware of that example! I was thinking more of community resistance to such “just transition” narratives in general, like the following, so it’s interesting to see opposition to a Gresham House project too, and again with public funding.

parkswatchscotland.co.uk/2024/12/16/f...

Scottish Borders, where I’m doing my PhD research on the just transition. Gresham House activities aren’t limited to here though. They’re one of the biggest landowners in Scotland

Great piece, Rosie. Around where I live, aside from public sector forestry, Gresham House are the biggest owners of woodland (and have been paid handsomely by the Scots Govt to plant a lot of these trees). They argue it’s a just transition. Not sure the locals would agree with that definition!

The smoke is black because they chuck some old tyres from the pope mobile on the fire

This guy nails it. If Wes Streeting is correct and Reform are now Labour’s biggest rivals, maybe actually try constructively critiquing and opposing what they are saying and doing rather than just aping them. You’ll never outflank Reform on immigration so perhaps just don’t try

Tony Blair calls for radical reset of climate change policies in major intervention Former PM warns climate policy has become disconnected from ‘political, public, and economic reality’ and claims COP is struggling to ‘deliver change at the speed required’

The same Tony Blair has been paid to advise oil rich autocratic states including Azerbaijan, UAE and Kazakhstan

This should be included in *every* story about his net zero comments

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

Huge news! It will take communities a huge amount of work to get to this point but what a confidence boost to know that success is possible www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...