Doug Parr

UN environment report 'hijacked' over fossil fuels - top scientist The US and other governments derailed an agreement on a global environment study, its co-chair says.

Obviously it's not new, but it is once again striking how the United States, Saudi Arabia & Russia amongst others think they can deal with the environmental crisis by ignoring the evidence and cosying up to existing interests

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Synthetic chemicals in food system creating health burden of $2.2tn a year, report finds Scientists issue urgent warning about chemicals, found to cause cancer and infertility as well as harming environment

Staggering statistic on the health burden of phthalates, bisphenols, pesticides & “forever chemicals" in the FOOD SYSTEM. Mad

$2.2 trillion is about half the annual healthcare spend of the USA

There's also a further cost of approx $640bn ecological damage

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

UK soars past wind power generation record for second time in two months - edie Great Britain’s maximum wind generation record was broken on Friday, 5 December, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) has confirmed.

A new record - on 5 December wind power produced enough electricity for 3/4 of UK homes

At 23.8GW it meant that even during winter peak demand, it was still providing nearly half the country's power needs

Still a way to go though....

www.edie.net/uk-soars-pas...

The heat isn't going away. 2025 on track to tie second warmest year ever

Climate change is generating food-price inflation in Europe, catastrophic flooding in south-east Asia

Likely this warmth will continue into next year with further impacts. It may be permanent

www.ft.com/content/9e0e...

Powering Britain’s future: Greenpeace’s battle for offshore wind - Greenpeace UK In 25 years, offshore wind power went from niche concept to the backbone of the UK's energy system. But this success wasn't inevitable.

It's 25th anniversary of the 1st offshore wind turbine in the UK this week

Offshore wind now provides over 1/6 of UK power

Success was not inevitable, and it continues to be a battle against the fossil fuel industries

Greenpeace UK has been part of the fight

www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/powerin...

Britain’s grid overhaul means hundreds of energy projects unable to connect this decade Connection priority given to those ready to build in bid to meet clean power 2030 target

The British electricity system was over 50% renewables last year

The system operator is expecting by 2030 grid companies will connect 34.5GW batteries, 32.1GW offshore wind & 29.9GW solar

Considerably more than any of those sectors has operating in Britain today

www.ft.com/content/9913...

Over a pint in Oxford, we may have stumbled upon the holy grail of agriculture | George Monbiot I knew that a revolution in our understanding of soil could change the world. Then came a eureka moment – and the birth of the Earth Rover Program, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

This is such a good story of how random interaction can lead to potentially huge impact from new science

It’s on one of the major frontiers of science- understanding the soil that grows pretty much all our food

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

High levels of ‘forever chemical’ found in cereal products across Europe – study Pesticide Action Network Europe study finds average concentrations 100 times higher than in tap water

PFAS, or 'forever chemicals', are among the most widely used pesticide active substances in UK

27 known PFAS active ingredients are used in UK, 6 of which are highly hazardous

"Our findings underscore the urgent need for an immediate ban" say PAN-Europe

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

UK farmers lose £800m after heat and drought cause one of worst harvests on record Many now concerned about ability to make living in fast-changing climate after one of worst grain harvests recorded

2025 was heat and drought. 2024 was incessant rain

Three of the five worst British harvests on record have now occurred since 2020

Some farmers are asking whether the growing impacts of the climate crisis are making it too financially risky to sow their crops

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

The food industry must face up to nature-related risk Boardrooms need to acknowledge that without healthy soils and reliable seasons the system could face collapse

New CEO of Diageo writes:

"Environmental shocks, from flooding to soil degradation to heat stress, pose direct threats to commercial viability

Recent evidence found that the share prices of companies most exposed to biodiversity risk underperformed those less exposed"

www.ft.com/content/5094...

‘The Chinese will not pause’: Volvo and Polestar bosses urge EU to stick to 2035 petrol car ban Exclusive: Swedish carmakers push to retain target as Germany lobbies to help its own industry by softening cutoff date

There's a move to delay EU phaseout date of petrol & diesel cars because of domestic auto industries are struggling to change

But head of Volvo says “If Europe doesn’t take lead in this transformation [to electric] rest assured, other countries will do it for us”
www.theguardian.com/business/202...

😀

A strawberry could have 'forever chemicals' [PFAS] because they can be added to pesticides "to help them stick to the fruit, so when it rains it doesn't wash off"

Wine could carry greatest risk as it concentrates 100s of grapes in each bottle. As wider pesticides break down, PFAS are left behind

I have high levels of forever chemicals in my blood - what can I do about it? The chemicals would

The 'forever chemicals', which don't breakdown, in the blood of this BBC reporter at levels that can impact health will be replicated in many across the UK population

That they've been allowed into products and into the food chain is a monstrous failure of regulation

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Wood-burning stoves to face partial ban in Labour’s updated environment plan Exclusive: Pollution targets set out alongside nature recovery projects to allay concerns over housebuilding

The World Health Organization recommends annual limit on fine particulate air pollution of 5ug/m3

The UK Govt Environmental Improvement Plan will align UK’s standards with EU's - 10ug/m3 by 2030

This means in some places wood-burning stoves will be restricted

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Europe’s water reserves are drying up - freshwater storage shrinking across S & central Europe, & parts of UK

Satellite data on changes in gravitational field show changes in available water as it's heavy

Climate breakdown can be seen in the data say scientists
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Budget 2025: the Chancellor’s 'Whack-a-Mole' Budget - Greenpeace UK What the 2025 Budget means for energy bills and climate action, as seen by Greenpeace’s policy team.

Greenpeace UK assessment of climate side of Budget 2025

"a budget without a vision.... playing energy policy whack-a-mole – reacting to problems as they popped up without a coherent strategy"

Energy bills, nuclear, oil & gas, electric vehicles all in here

www.greenpeace.org.uk/resources/bu...

And as a rough comparison:

Hinkley Point C:
- estimate now up to £35bn+
- 6 million homes
- proposed 2008, ready approx 2030

Dogger Bank Wind Farm:
- sub £10bn
- 6 million homes
- proposed 2008, already producing power

Yes. And they will be guarded by herds of flying pigs

So it's now news Hinkley Point C will be really expensive?

FFS, I & others were trying to tell people this over a decade ago, before contracts were signed

But the nuclear-political establishment thought they knew better

They didn't. Not for the first time

www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202...

"The amount of children's clothes being thrown into landfill in the UK each year would reach 244 times the height of Mount Everest if it was all stacked in one giant clothes pile"

Britain declared 'worst offender' for throwing children's clothes into landfill Study finds nearly half of UK parents admit to throwing children's clothes in the bin

The UK throws 216 million pieces of children's clothing into landfill each year

Britain is the 'worst offender' across Europe in contributing to the children's clothing waste mountain

www.businessgreen.com/news/4522463...

✅

Should say the pipeline faces strong opposition

The President of the Coastal First Nations Great Bear Initiative condemned governments for failing to consult indigenous groups

“We will never allow our coast to be put at risk of a catastrophic oil spill, this pipeline project will never happen.”

Mark Carney agrees to new pipeline project to bolster oil exports to Asia Canadian PM’s deal with premier of Alberta is condemned by environmentalists and indigenous groups

Tar sands have a good claim to be the most polluting form of oil on the planet

So sad to see the once-green Carney approve a pipeline, enhancing output, over to Canada's west coast

www.ft.com/content/29e0...

UK could be hit by gas shortages in 2030s, energy system operator warns Report raises questions over government’s energy strategy as North Sea production falls

UK national security risks in going slow with exiting fossil fuels

UK system operator "said there's a risk of gas supply shortages in scenario where Britain moved to lower carbon energy slower than planned... the system might not cope with loss of a major piece of infra"
www.ft.com/content/7c5b...

It’s not really a relaxation of any significance as it puts in place a permanent ban on new licence and *all* tie backs = less than 1/10 Rosebank

Hoo boy, another fictitious "EV market slows" headline from the Times

*EU EV sales are up 25.6% in 2025*

Receipts in thread.

For one thing much attention is being paid to the small number of salmon potentially being saved

Whereas what the system is really for is to stop the deaths of fish that seabirds eat, so depriving them of food - twaite, shad & herring

Does ‘fish disco’ show we’re dancing to the wrong tune on regulations? Hinkley Point C’s fish protections have been criticised as a waste of money but environmental charities said the outrage was manufactured

“Govt’s propaganda machine is working overtime to perpetuate the false narrative that nature blocks development,” say Wildlife Trusts, with “confected outrage about a fish disco”

The claim that a system to avoid killing fish at Hinkley C is slowing development weak

www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...