James Bullock

Reform fury as someone else wins by Our By-election Editor Tim Shipsink The losing candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election, Matt Goodwhinge, has demanded an immediate re-run of the election on the grounds that he lost comprehensively to someone else. "It's totally unfair and rigged," said Goodwhinge. "I shouldn't be required to sit there and suck it up, just because I lost." Mr Goodwhine continued, *I can't believe that all those voters I demonised failed to back me. Especially after I was endorsed by Tommy Robinson and ten million Russian bots on X. "We have clear evidence of family voting, where people voted in order for me to stop deporting their families." Mr Badloser concluded. "I'm the victim of colour prejudice. They didn't vote for me simply because I'm not green." Reform leader Mr Farage, speaking from a sun lounger on a rock near the Chagos Islands said, "It's a tragedy that the people of Manchester won't see Matt in Westminster, but my constituents don't see me in Clacton either." PLUMBER DEFEATS MATT GOODWIN Photo of Hannah Spencer with speech bubble saying… I've stopped the cock

Beautiful from Private Eye on the massive toddler-tantrum that Matt Goodwin and Reform are having, because they got whooped in Gorton and Denton.

As the ‘growth agenda’ is increasingly dominating UK research funding, we scientists also need to push back against this drive to line the pockets of the super rich

Global economy must stop pandering to ‘frivolous desires of ultra-rich’, says UN expert Olivier De Schutter says new economic agenda needed to tackle crises of rising inequality and ecological collapse

“politicians must stop prioritising socially and ecologically destructive growth that only increases the profits of the world’s richest individuals and corporations”

So says a UN rapporteur

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

I think we can be more scientific- eg work we doing on projecting biodiversity responses to climate change scenarios & assessing what species & communities might be able to persist under these scenarios

Well, we suggest experimental approaches to see what works out & to contain risks under uncertainty. We applied ecologists are actually quite knowledgeable about implementation.

Can you share reports, papers, etc?

Revisiting the case for assisted colonisation under rapid climate change Maintaining functioning ecosystems in a hotter world will require mass-scale assisted colonisation, so appropriate conservation policy, legislative frameworks and regulating bodies must be urgently d...

So, you might be interested in our paper

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

As climate change presents us with unprecedented environmental conditions for our time

To what extent should we look to the past to guide nature recovery?

Or should we be totally rethinking our approaches to conservation?

In The Woodlanders, Hardy writes about the multiple traditional uses of woods in my home patch of Dorset - certainly a lot of human activity even in the late 19th century

And maybe heavy human use historically to some extent did what large herbivores had done previously

Taxonomic homogenization of woodland plant communities over 70 years Abstract. Taxonomic homogenization (TH) is the increasing similarity of the species composition of ecological communities over time. Such homogenization re

Interestingly, our study of more recent history showed English woodlands becoming more shaded through the 20th century

Likely due to declining use by humans (not by chickens, despite the doi image!)

doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

Dense, dark forests in Europe are a modern phenomenon A new, comprehensive study shows that Europe’s landscapes over the past more than 20 million years have predominantly been a mosaic of grasslands, scrub and woodlands of varying density. A light...

Dense, dark forests in Europe are a modern phenomenon - Europe’s landscapes for 23 Myr were mostly tree- & flower-rich mosaics shaped by large herbivores, not dense #forests, see our new synthesis www.eurekalert.org/news-release... #forests #woodlands #paleoecology #nature #trees #refiorestation

Nature security assessment on global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security This strategic assessment explores how global biodiversity loss and the collapse of critical ecosystems could affect the UK’s resilience, security and prosperity.

“Protecting & restoring ecosystems is easier, cheaper & more reliable”

The Government’s Nature Security report has been criticised, but this conclusion about the way ahead makes all the right noises

www.gov.uk/government/p...

Nature security assessment on global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security This strategic assessment explores how global biodiversity loss and the collapse of critical ecosystems could affect the UK’s resilience, security and prosperity.

“Protecting & restoring ecosystems is easier, cheaper & more reliable”

The Government’s Nature Security report has been criticised, but this conclusion about the way ahead makes all the right noises

www.gov.uk/government/p...

What this says to me is that lots of people support Green policies but don't support the party because they don't think they can win

Once they realise they can win, everything shifts

If research is supposed to be timely, Research Councils really need to speed up the review process

We recently heard about grant success 6 months after submission

Given that they set deadlines for submission, there is no excuse for such a slow turnaround

One of my bugbears is when an action is reported to increase biodiversity compared to that on intensive agricultural land

Fine, but how does it compare to intact, healthy ecosystems?

Comparators are important - finding an improvement compared to a worst case is not a powerful argument

I would still like to see a comparison against more nature rich possibilities

A, say, 200% increase in a very small number remains a very small number

One of my bugbears is when an action is reported to increase biodiversity compared to that on intensive agricultural land

Fine, but how does it compare to intact, healthy ecosystems?

Comparators are important - finding an improvement compared to a worst case is not a powerful argument

No more illegal wars. Introduce a prevention of military intervention act and put human rights at the heart of foreign policy. Review all UK arms sales and make us a force for international peace and justice.

The majority of people in this country do not want us to be involved in this war.

Keir Starmer of a few years ago wouldn't have supported this war.

The only reason he does now is he will do anything Donald Trump wants - and it makes us all less safe.

Anyone who suggests we should spend more on the military because of increased defence needs

Should consider at how “offence” can be re-named “defence” by politicians & the military to justify aggressive acts

Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez: “Today more than ever, it is essential to remember that one can be against a hateful regime as is the case with the Iranian regime…and at the same time be against an unjustified, dangerous military intervention outside of international law.”

NEW: The Lib Dems are demanding MPs get a vote on allowing the US to use UK air bases.

Leader Ed Davey says:

“No matter how the Prime Minister tries to redefine offensive as defensive, this is a slippery slope. He must not let Trump drag Britain into another prolonged war in the Middle East.”

Even organisations that might be less than excited about lynx reintroductions

agree that they predominantly prey on deer, and that sheep form a minor part of the diet
www.gwct.org.uk/policy/brief...

This War Will Destabilize The Entire Mideast Region And Set Off A Global Shockwave Of Anti-Americanism vs. No It Won’t

I can't fucking believe we're doing this again.

“The system also locks us into never-ending cycles of imperialist violence”

We can move beyond the capitalist model and save the climate – here are the first three steps | Jason Hickel and Yanis Varoufakis Capitalism cares about our species’ prospects as much as a wolf cares about a lamb’s. But democratise our economy and a better world is within our grasp, say Jason Hickel and Yanis Varoufakis

“Capitalism cares about our species’ prospects as much as a wolf cares about a lamb’s. But democratise our economy and a better world is within our grasp”

Excellent article on how capitalism is destroying the planet + how to overcome the dictatorship of capital
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

*AND* Mission Systems Wimborne is owned by Eaton, makers of F35A fighter jet parts used in genocide

🚨Eaton profits from genocide
🚨UK Government is complicit
🚨UK arms sales destroy lives and our planet

We demand: STOP arms sales. STOP fuelling genocide.

#GazaGenocide
#wimborne

How many more books do we need about British woodlands?