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Adam Vaughan

@adamvaughan.bsky.social
15K followers 818 following 863 posts

Environment Editor at The Times. Clean it Up water campaign. When not working, usually running. Previously New Scientist and Guardian. adam.vaughan@thetimes.co.uk Insta: www.instagram.com/adamvaughanjourna…

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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
Severe drought has been declared in England for the first time ever. Covers six counties. Comes after serious concerns over two reservoirs running extremely low, including Ardingly, which I wrote about earlier this week: www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
thetimes.com
Verifying Device
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
Energy industry chiefs and regulators have warned that data centres could push up household energy bills and prompt a backlash from the British public. Story 👇 www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
thetimes.com
Data centre expansion could push up energy bills, energy chiefs warn
Regulators warn of a backlash against data centres if a big increase in their numbers leads to households paying more for power
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Fahnbulleh says she is "incredibly exercised about affordability" and it's one of her two key priorities, alongside electrification.
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
One thing Labour and Tories agree on. "Oil and gas will, of course, remain part of our energy system for decades to come," says Fahnbulleh. Her shadow Andrew Bowie said today: "It is widely accepted that this country will continue to maintain a demand for oil and gas for decades to come."
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
New energy secretary @miattafahnbulleh.bsky.social says government has made "huge progress" towards 2030 clean power target, but implies it's less of a focus for her than Ed Miliband. "We know the public doesn’t measure the success of our energy system in gigawatts… they measure it in bills."
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Energy suppliers in the UK headed for a “doom loop” over growing pile of consumer debt to companies, warns ScottishPower chief executive Keith Anderson. He also calls on UK to “stay the course on electrification”.
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Energy industry leader @dharavyas.bsky.social tells UK government that watering down the warm homes plan, ie cutting grants for heat pumps in the budget as reported this week, sends “mixed signals” to businesses. She warns some have already folded due to energy policy uncertainty
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
The chance of seeing hedgehogs in the wild is now vanishingly rare, according to research which revealed that their population has collapsed by more than two thirds 👇🦔 www.thetimes.com/life-style/w...
thetimes.com
Hedgehog numbers collapse from farming, climate and cars
Surveys show a dramatic fall over the last 40 years especially in rural areas — but there is some hope, if gardeners do their bit
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Sorta bonkers hearing in which a UK farmer keeps saying solar power on farmland is not the end of the world, won't take up that much land and provides a useful diversified source of income, while MPs keep instisting to him to that solar on farmland is a nightmare parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/...
parliamentlive.tv
Parliamentlive.tv
Public Accounts Committee
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
In a tiny corner of the world, the cao vit gibbon sings for joy. Conservationists fear the species could fall silent for ever. Report from a remote corner of Vietnam on the world's second most endangered ape. www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
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Met Office - weather and climate @metoffice.gov.uk · 06/10/2026
Today is the 117th consecutive day somewhere in the UK has recorded a temperature of 20°C or higher. The 11th of June was the last time we didn't reach this threshold. Fresher air comes in on Wednesday allowing temperatures to fall, and likely to stay just below 20°C.
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Britain will not deploy controversial technologies designed to bounce sunlight away from the Earth and cool the planet, the government has said www.thetimes.com/uk/science/a...
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Installing solar panels and a battery in a UK home saves £681 a year on average, the first study of its kind has found: www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
thetimes.com
Solar panels and a battery cut energy bills by two thirds
Private installations reduce costs even during winter months and would pay for themselves in 17 years, researchers found after analysing data from bills
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Made me laugh that I'm on the same media call as you and one of the other panellists just called it a Godzilla El Niño!
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Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 10/09/2026
🚨 Last month was easily the hottest August on record globally. In fact, it was over 0.1°C warmer than the prior record (2023/2024)! This was estimated to be about 1.65°C warmer than a pre-industrial (1850-1900) average Summary by @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social at climate.copernicus.eu/surface-air-...
Orthographic map showing 2-m air temperature anomalies in August 2026 relative to a 1981-2010 baseline. This visualization shows North and South America. Most all areas are warmer than average.Orthographic map showing 2-m air temperature anomalies in August 2026 relative to a 1981-2010 baseline using ERA5 data. This visualization shows Africa, Europe, and western Asia. Most areas are warmer than average.Orthographic map showing 2-m air temperature anomalies in August 2026 relative to a 1981-2010 baseline using ERA5 data. This visualization shows Australia, Antarctica, and Asia. Most areas are warmer than average, except for parts the Antarctic.
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Climate protesters who were attacked while disrupting Nigel Farage’s speech at the Reform UK conference have called on Robert Jenrick to apologise for “trivialising” the violence. @ben-cooke.bsky.social reports 👇 www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
thetimes.com
Activists attacked at Reform conference demand apology from Robert Jenrick
The climate protesters, who interrupted Nigel Farage’s speech, accuse the party’s economics spokesman of ‘trivialising’ the violence from audience members
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
More details in letter here: committees.parliament.uk/publications... And the non-contribution around the time of the COP30 climate summit and budget last year: www.thetimes.com/uk/article/b...
committees.parliament.uk
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The UK is loaning £400m to the TFFF, Brazil's pioneering fund to fight deforestation of rainforests. Make of this what you will, but this got go-ahead under Burnham less than two months after he became PM. Under Starmer, it was deemed bad optics to loan £400m for trees ahead of the autumn budget.
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UN Environment Programme @unep.org · 02/09/2026
Global warming is set to cross 1.5°C, pushing climate risks and impacts to increasingly dangerous heights, a new UNEP report warns.   Predicted impacts include extreme weather and threats to human health and economies.
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
I’m sure he will Andrew, yes. I’ll ask
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
UK prime minister Andy Burnham has confirmed he will attend #COP31, the climate conference in Nov. Interesting he chose to announce it early, to avoid any "will-he-won't-he" stories as has happened with previous PMs. Also deliberate bit of climate leadership as he could've just sent Miliband.
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
The Forestry Commission barred public access to some of its forests over fears that warning signs would not be enough to avoid the risk of people accidentally starting wildfires. Interview with new FC chair, Baroness Young 👇 www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
thetimes.com
Public banned from Forestry Commission land over wildfire fears
Barbara Young, chair of the commission, calls for firebreaks, lakes in woodlands and aerial support to combat blazes
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
@zackpolanski.bsky.social: Put the brakes on data centres due to climate and water impact The Greens and @friends-earth.bsky.social are calling for a moratorium until environmental concerns are addressed 👇 ttps://www.thetimes.com/uk/environment/article/zack-polanski-data-centres-greens-vsz2jmv0l
thetimes.com
Zack Polanski: Put the brakes on data centres due to climate impact
Green Party leader warns of water shortages and higher energy bills, after it was revealed that nearly 200 more centres are being built
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Simon Birkett, Clean Air in London @cleanairlondon.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Must-read by @adamvaughan.bsky.social | Defra launches sign-up texts for ‘HIGH’ days but still refuses to alert the news media or match warnings issued during all other ‘RED’ weather events eg rain. Simon Birkett says he’s “furious” about it cc @metoffice.gov.uk @carolinerussell.bsky.social
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
The gap between deaths linked to the coldest and hottest days has narrowed in England and Wales as a growing proportion is estimated to be due to extreme heat. Heat-related deaths are starting to converge with those from cold as climate change continues, says ONS 👇 www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
thetimes.com
Heat-related deaths rising as sweltering summers become the norm
The number of deaths linked to hot weather is catching up to those linked to cold snaps, which used to be far higher, the Office for National Statistics says
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
What should we expect from this year’s “super” El Niño? Listen on the @thetimes.com The Story podcast 🎧🌍 podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/w...
podcasts.apple.com
Why an extreme weather pattern has everyone worried
Podcast Episode · The Story · 25 August · 23min
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
The world's oceans had their warmest day on record on Saturday, due to a combination of climate change and El Niño. Full details via @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social data site here: pulse.climate.copernicus.eu
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
No, a little bit of rain doesn't overturn months of below average rainfall. South East England, where I live, has had 5% of the rainfall it would usually have in August. We are going to be living with drought & restrictions for a while... www.gov.uk/government/p...
gov.uk
Dry weather and drought in England: 14 to 20 August 2026
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
A Reform UK council has been warned that its cuts to net zero plans could end walking and cycling schemes, putting more children at risk of air pollution, car accidents and obesity. Story 👇 www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
thetimes.com
Cut net zero schemes and you risk harming children, Reform council told
The party in Essex has been warned against ending walking and safe cycling projects in attempt to save £3 million
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
London's clean air zone linked to improvement in health of London children’s lungs www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Here's how the extreme heat and drought have affected farming in England this summer. “I feel like we are in unknown territory,” said @tommlancaster.bsky.social. Story 👇 www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
thetimes.com
How close are we to running out of food because of the drought?
As heatwaves become more frequent, leaving fields parched, struggling farmers warn ‘we are in unknown territory’
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Firefighters were warning a year ago about exactly the sort of grassland wildfires in the Midlands yesterday. "Homes on the edge of towns ‘will soon be at risk of wildfires’", story from April 2025: www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
thetimes.com
Homes on the edge of towns ‘will soon be at risk of wildfires’
After a surge in spring fires up and down the country, firefighters are looking abroad for ways to prevent and fight the flames
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Don’t give in to North Sea oil lobby, climate scientists urge minister. “Atmospheric physics doesn’t care about what pleases the industry or is perceived as politically palatable,” said @profbillmcguire.bsky.social @frediotto.bsky.social & more Story 👇 www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
thetimes.com
Don’t give in to North Sea oil lobby, climate scientists urge minister
More than 50 researchers have written to Miatta Fahnbulleh to tell her that the evidence does not support approval of drilling at Jackdaw and Rosebank
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Homeowners will be encouraged to lease their electric car chargers to neighbours to cope with demand from motorists. Story feat @joelteague.bsky.social, @thecccuk.bsky.social and Louise Marix Evans 👇 www.thetimes.com/uk/transport...
thetimes.com
Share your car charger to ease growing demand, say climate advisers
Letting neighbours use a home electric vehicle charger may encourage those without driveways to switch to greener cars as the UK tries to hit ambitious targets
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
The UK's record heatwaves have made a chunk of voters more worried about climate change and impatient for help from the government Public First polling for Politico found - 36% now more supportive of renewables - over 40% now more concerned about climate www.politico.eu/article/heat...
politico.eu
The heat waves are Andy Burnham’s problem now
Worried voters want action on air conditioning and more clean power, polling shows.
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
100+ travel companies are advertising a Thai resort where an abused elephant killed a British tourist. Tripadvisor, Expedia, Marriott Bonvoy and Booking.com all took down ads for Nong Nooch Pattaya Garden after @ben-cooke.bsky.social contacted them 👇 www.thetimes.com/world/asia/a...
booking.com
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
As efforts to alleviate the effects of climate change go, delivering a small jolt of electricity to clouds is among the more outlandish. Yet that’s exactly what British scientists hope to do next year as part of a £57 million programme to cool the planet. www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
This summer's first two heatwaves led to more than 2,700 excess deaths in England and Wales, experts have estimated. Toll likely to go up due to third heatwave in July, @frediotto.bsky.social said this morning. www.thetimes.com/uk/weather/a...
thetimes.com
North Wales wildfire: UK on alert as heatwaves blamed for 2,700 deaths
UK wildfire alert as residents near Conwy Mountain in north Wales evacuated. See forecast map of fire risk severity
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
A rare extreme marine heatwave has arrived around the UK coast More on what this means in story earlier this week: bsky.app/profile/adam...
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
🌊Some good news for a Friday. The UK has ratified the high seas treaty (BBNJ to the ocean wonks) Britain a little late to the party. The treaty came into force this year after 60 countries ratified it last year. UK should take ratification total to 92 countries. www.gov.uk/government/n...
gov.uk
World’s ocean to be better protected as UK ratifies landmark treaty
UK ratifies the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement.
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Sizewell B nuclear plant to stay open 20 years longer than planned www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
thetimes.com
Sizewell B nuclear plant to stay open 20 years longer than planned
The Suffolk power station will continue generating electricity until 2055 under a provisional deal as other sites are being built
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
@frediotto.bsky.social: “If you don't want to live in a world that gets hotter and hotter, then there is just no other way than getting to net zero. It's not an ideological question." Story in Times T2, pick up a copy in print today. www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
linkedin.com
I had my first story in The Times features supplement T2 today. It's an interview with Friederike Otto, professor of climate science at Imperial College London. She talks heatwaves, the causes, Wo...
I had my first story in The Times features supplement T2 today. It's an interview with Friederike Otto, professor of climate science at Imperial College London. She talks heatwaves, the causes, World ...
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Really interesting, thanks Tim.
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Britain is facing a very rare “extreme” marine heatwave that scientists warn could be the country’s worst on record. They said the exceptional sea temperatures could result in mass die-offs of fish and be contributing to the warm nights on land. Story: www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
that is insanely early. Normally August for us
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
whaaaat? That's crazy early. Normally August round our way
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Anyone finding their fruit trees are ripening much earlier than usual, because of the ongoing hot and sunny weather? I'd like to hear your UK examples, please, for a The Times story later this week. Drop me a message here or email me (adam.vaughan@thetimes.co.uk).
(Photo here of "Impossible - 100 apples, 1000 cherries" by Fabrice Hybert which is at the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art in Paris)
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Chris Baraniuk @chrisbaraniuk.com · 06/07/2026
NEW and EXCLUSIVE: One of the UK's most powerful supercomputers, called Dawn, spent a week offline after the late June heatwave. Uni of Cambridge says full cooling capacity for Dawn and other affected services has now been restored... My first for @thetimes.com: www.thetimes.com/uk/science/a...
thetimes.com
AI supercomputer shuts down in heatwave and cancer work is on hold
University of Cambridge says access to Dawn will be restored after technical problems during last month’s record-breaking temperatures
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Some Tuesday joy. Great video of beaver kits recently born at @healrewilding.org.uk in Somerset www.youtube.com/watch?v=twef...
youtube.com
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 beaver kits
YouTube video by Heal Rewilding
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Thames Water has significantly slowed the rate at which it reports pollution incidents to the authorities, figures released under transparency laws reveal. One campaigner accused the company of showing “contempt for the public”. Story 👇 www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
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