Dan Ashby

NEW: Calls for plastic exports ban as investigation reveals hundreds of boys and men killed in recycling factories in Turkey.

Boy Wasted, our three-part podcast exposes hundreds of deaths in recycling facilities. Search for it now wherever you get your podcasts.

Produced by the award-winning team behind the BBC's 'Buried' series and published by @endsreport.com & @groene.nl

With incredible reporting from Adnan Khan, hosted by
@danielashby.bsky.social & @lucytaylorpro.bsky.social, & UK probing by me & @pippaneill.bsky.social.

Lovely to see our BBC pod The Last Witness shortlisted for a True Crime Award, and even more so that it's for community impact. We cannot ignore the legacy of forget chemicals.

Welsh Government has intervened after our investigation revealed carcinogenic chemicals at 140 x the background rate in a Caerphilly woodland. But the land has not been declared officially 'contaminated'. Instead, they're fencing it all off. Does that mean it should have been all along?

Pleased to be headed back to Derry with @niscifest.bsky.social to talk at the Playhouse about "Uncovering Mobuoy" - the biggest recycling scandal in UK history. More here: www.derryplayhouse.co.uk/event/uncove...

The first 3 eps could have filled 5-6 EPs easily. I rarely hear pods that I say should be longer, but this is one. Brilliant. I truly hope there's some justice at the end of this story though, as it feels (as billed) ...v dark.

It's like nothing else on radio at the moment. Kinda 90s in style, packed with access, and investigative revelations. A British answer to one of my all-time favourite podcasts "Hunting Warhead".

In Dark Corners 2 is v much my top podcast recommend for January. Utterly gripped and also deeply worried.
@axrenton.bsky.social is given a secret list of 300 prominent paedophiles.

The 20 best podcasts of 2024 Is Avril Lavigne really dead? Can Michael Sheen save us from chemical poisoning? And exactly how X-rated does Lily Allen get? Here are our top picks of the year’s hottest podcasts

Thrilled to see Buried "The Last Witness" as Number 3 podcast of the Year! www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

A photo of a magazine page from the Radio Times, showing the top podcasts of the year

A Christmas bonus for @danielashby.bsky.social and me - our investigative podcast Buried: The Last Witness is in the top ten podcasts of the year from the Radio Times 🎉

MAPPED! Today’s bathing water classifications for England! Explore the Watershed Pollution Map to find out how the Environment Agency rates your waters.
watershedinvestigations.com/home/find-ou...

One of the more startling analyses I've come across. This from @carbonbrief.org on how different temperature rises affect flood damages. Been a while since I've seen a 6000%+ rise in anything! We'll be covering Storm Bert in our COP29 special on Inside Europe.

6. A stunning investigation by Global Witness has supercharged the debate about whether COP29 is fit for purpose, and there are now high-level calls for it to be reformed, coming from former world leaders.

5. China has been commended by some for being highly engaged at COP29, and serious about change, albeit still with an enormous fossil fuel industry. We cannot win this without them.

4. UK will be first country in the world to pledge carbon reductions in line with 1.5C, though it needs to make more progress on action + financial help to others. It was also one of 3 countries that submitted new pledges. Some are talking about London as a world leader on climate.

3. I spoke at length to @niklashoehne.bsky.social, IPCC author. He told me that all the signs suggest President Trump can't completely derail this progress. If he enacts anti-climate policies within the US, it would put temperatures up by 0.04C by end of century, far less than I imagined.

2. The world got a deal. Yes, according to developing nations, it's an awful deal. But at least, in this polarised world, democratic and authoritarian regimes did make a multi-lateral agreement. The direction of travel continues.

1. The predictions for where we will 'land' on global warming has dropped significantly in last 10 years, down from 3.5C to around 2.7C - 2.9C (ish). It's possible it could end up at 1.9C, if action is accelerated. That's not great, but it could be far worse.

Over the past week I've been speaking to some of the world's leading climate scientists and data journalists for our COP29 special programme. There's much to be scared about. But for a change, I thought I'd pull out some of the things to be cautiously hopeful about.

New text dropped at COP29. Developed countries offering global south $250bn to fight climate crisis, far below hoped-for contribution. Though 'calls for' 1.3trn, from other finance. Some orgs calling for it to be rejected. But seems the start of a path to a deal. Higher than current funding by a lot

Producing special COP coverage this week. And though it's not new, I can never quite get over that even IF countries meet current pledges, we're on course for estimated 2.6C rise (max). It's difficult even to get countries to promise to save the world, let alone do it.

If this legal challenge goes ahead, this could be a milestone in the UK's relationship with forever chemicals. We know of several others in the offing. amp.theguardian.com/environment/...

This headshot of me was hastily found, and is from 5 years ago, when I had more hair.

I look nothing like this, nor am I ever this happy.

But @bsky.app is fast-moving, so I had to be too.

Next week, we are guest producing and presenting a 30-minute special segment on Deutsche Welle's 'Inside Europe' about the climate summit COP29. Looking for guests.

Given it's a news-show, and not Buried, I guess people don't want to hear me bickering with Lucy.

Searching for environment journalists and people. Found @carbonbrief.org @leohickman.carbonbrief.org @sejorg.bsky.social and a few others...but BlueSky still seems quite under-populated by the big hitters? Unless I'm getting searches wrong

Lol...my old stomping ground Glasto. Grew up not far from it. Many memories not for recounting here...

Hello new world. Gulp. Will this one be better?