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Alex Howlett

@alexhowl.bsky.social
124 followers 177 following 17 posts

Journalist - Al Jazeera, FT, TLS etc Author - www.hurstpublishers.com/book/wander… Investigations & Press - Environmental Justice Foundation More - alexhowlett.my.canva.site

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Alex Howlett @alexhowl.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
My latest in Lost Art Media, a profile of sculptor Rufus Martin and his series of sculptures based on Milton's Paradise Lost in London's Bowman Gallery: www.lost-art.media/art/an-angel...
lost-art.media
An Angel Walks Into a Pub… and Falls: Sculptor Rufus Martin on Humanity — LOST ART
While people can’t stop time, sculptors have the rare gift of capturing a moment – something which sculptor Rufus Martin is both joyfully, and painfully, aware of…
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John Munro @johnmunro.bsky.social · 23/11/2025
I dunno, convert some of the endless paved space reserved for cars into green space that can absorb water, maybe? Sorry, forget it. That could result in a car owner being inconvenienced, which would of course be far worse than the flooding of our cities and towns.
bbc.co.uk
Is there anything we can do to alleviate flash floods in the West Midlands
Experts say housebuilding and concrete drives are making floods worse, but that there are things we can do.
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SOS MEDITERRANEE @sosmediterranee.org · 12/09/2025
"In a sea of silence, abandonment and violence, they offer the rarest thing: someone is still looking for you. […] That your life matters." Journalist @alexhowl.bsky.social was onboard the #OceanViking during 2 rescues and the shootings by Libyan Coast Guard. 👇 www.service95.com/the-reality-...
service95.com
The Reality Of Europe’s Border Crisis: This Is Life Onboard Migrant Rescue Ships
It was late afternoon, the heat thick and unmoving, when the call came through. I was the only journalist aboard the Ocean Viking, a search-and-rescue ship patrolling the Central Mediterranean, wh
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Alex Howlett @alexhowl.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
My story for @service95stories.bsky.social on @sosmediterranee.org's Ocean Viking. The Libyan 'coast guard' opened fire, risking the lives of survivors and crew. It was a privilege to see them in action - truly incredible people #searchandrescue #Mediterranean www.service95.com/the-reality-...
service95.com
The Reality Of Europe’s Border Crisis: This Is Life Onboard Migrant Rescue Ships
It was late afternoon, the heat thick and unmoving, when the call came through. I was the only journalist aboard the Ocean Viking, a search-and-rescue ship patrolling the Central Mediterranean, wh
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Alex Howlett @alexhowl.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
On Sunday I was on board the Ocean Viking when the Libyan coast guard opened fire, circling the vessel several times and shooting while crew and survivors were on the bridge and deck. This direct attack on the lives of at-sea rescuers is unprecedented and demands swift & decisive action from the EU
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Alex Howlett @alexhowl.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
My review of Barbie Latza Nadeau's book 'Every Body Counts: Money, lies and the hidden trade in human lives' in the TLS: the-tls.com/regular-feat... As human trafficking becomes the fastest growing criminal industry in the world, Nadeau's book is nothing less than essential reading
the-tls.com
Forced to watch
In 2015, more than 900 migrants on board a fishing vessel crossing from Libya to Italy drowned when the overcrowded vessel sank. Headlines at the time
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Earthsight @earthsight.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
THE HIDDEN PRICE OF LUXURY: uncovering leather handbags in the EU and UK exposed to illegal deforestation and land grabs in Brazil’s Amazon. Our findings raise questions about the supply chains of luxury fashion. 📖 Read the full report: www.earthsight.org.uk/news/hidden-...
earthsight.org.uk
The hidden price of luxury: What Europe’s designer handbags are costing the Amazon rainforest
Leather suppliers to luxury fashion brands are linked to illegal cattle ranching in the Amazon rainforest, where COP30 will take place this year
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SOS MEDITERRANEE @sosmediterranee.org · 23/06/2025
After 3 days sailing from Malta’s SAR region, we reached the distant port of #Savona to disembark 73 survivors. It was our first time here. Despite the distance, we were met with warmth. One survivor said quietly: “لا مزيد من الناس السيئين” - “no more bad people.”
Credits: Francesca Volpi / SOS MEDITERRANEECredits: Francesca Volpi / SOS MEDITERRANEECredits: Francesca Volpi / SOS MEDITERRANEECredits: Luigi Lanza
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Women for Refugee Women @4refugeewomen.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
📣 #RefugeeWeek event! Join us for a lively panel discussion with authors of Wander Women, @alexhowl.bsky.social‬ and Alexandra Blanchard, and Dr. Ayla Emminck of @sosmediterranee.org‬. 📍 Pimlico Library, London ⏰ Weds 18 June, 6:15 - 7:15PM 🎟️ Free tickets:
refugeeweek.org.uk
Wander Women talks with SOS Méditerranée and Women for Refugee Women
Join us at Pimlico Library during Refugee Week to celebrate the contributions and resilience of refugees and people seeking asylum with a special panel talk, led by Alexandra Blanchard and Alex…
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Yarno Ritzen @yarnoritzen.com · 16/06/2025
More issues with SMS 2fa. Only use SMS 2FA if there is no other option. Use a code generator instead. (or, if possible, use a hardware token like Yubikey or a passkey).
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Alex Howlett @alexhowl.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
If you’re around on 18th June please come to Pimlico Library for a #refugeeweek panel with @sosmediterranee.org and @4refugeewomen.bsky.social where women will be talking about search and rescue & experiences of the U.K.‘s asylum system refugeeweek.org.uk/event/wander...
refugeeweek.org.uk
Wander Women talks with SOS Méditerranée and Women for Refugee Women
Join us at Pimlico Library during Refugee Week to celebrate the contributions and resilience of refugees and people seeking asylum with a special panel talk, led by Alexandra Blanchard and Alex Howlet...
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The Bureau of Investigative Journalism @tbij.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
Our latest community journalism pilot, Bradford StoryHub, has just recently launched! In partnership with Bradford Community Broadcasting, we’ll be supporting locals in Bradford to develop the skills and confidence to tell their own stories and hold power to account
thebureauinvestigates.com
Bradford StoryHub launches to champion community storytelling
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Alex Howlett @alexhowl.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
If you’re around on 18th June please come to Pimlico Library for a #refugeeweek panel with @sosmediterranee.org and @4refugeewomen.bsky.social where women will be talking about search and rescue & experiences of the U.K.‘s asylum system refugeeweek.org.uk/event/wander...
refugeeweek.org.uk
Wander Women talks with SOS Méditerranée and Women for Refugee Women
Join us at Pimlico Library during Refugee Week to celebrate the contributions and resilience of refugees and people seeking asylum with a special panel talk, led by Alexandra Blanchard and Alex Howlet...
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Zoe Gardner @zoejardiniere.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
The government has FROZEN ALL DECISIONS for Syrians applying for asylum or settlement for nearly 6 months😱😱😱 Roughly 7,000 people left in limbo & denied the right to work - this is completely INSANE.
screenshot of a BBC article on the frozen Syrian claims
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
Reform UK exemplifies a new model of politics shaped by the logic of the attention economy, where virality and outrage matter more than governance, delivery, or outcomes. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Reform UK fulfils pledge to scrap LTNs in its council areas as none exist
All 10 council areas controlled by rightwing party tell the Guardian they have no low-traffic neighbourhoods
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SOS MEDITERRANEE @sosmediterranee.org · 17/05/2025
Italian authorities have assigned @sosmediterranee.org a distant PoS in #Ancona 1497km away, approx. 4d of travel. Onboard are 276 survivors, including 6 children and 3 babies. This decision keeps us away for many days from the area at sea where most vital lifesaving operations take place
Javier Alvarez / SOS MEDITERRANEE
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Seebrücke Frankfurt @seebruecke-frankfurt.de · 15/05/2025
„So trieben wir, Leute wurden krank. Einige starben … Einige hatten denselben Traum, dasselbe Ziel, aber sie kamen nie an.” Abdou hat es vom #Senegal nach #Tenerife geschafft u. konnte s. Geschichte @ejfoundation.org erzählen. Tausende werden sie nie erzählen können. @oceanographicmag.bsky.social
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Alex Howlett @alexhowl.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
“So, we stayed there and people started getting sick. Some died. May their souls go to paradise. Some of them had the same dream and purpose, but they never arrived.” @oceanographicmag.bsky.social new long read from @ejfoundation.org latest report oceanographicmagazine.com/features/the...
oceanographicmagazine.com
The deadly route to Europe: Senegal's illegal fishing crisis
The Environmental Justice Foundation investigates how illegal fishing in Senegal is forcing young fishers to take desperate choices.
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Alex Howlett @alexhowl.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
New report from @ejfoundation.org covered by @apnews.com “I get so angry when (foreign nations) complain about immigration because they are the real pirates and what they did is worse than clandestine immigration. It’s theft, plundering our resources ... while we suffer" apnews.com/article/migr...
apnews.com
Foreign overfishing in Senegal fuels migration to Spain, a report finds
A report from a London-based environmental group says illegal overfishing and destructive practices by foreign vessels are responsible for increased irregular migration to Spain from Senegal in West A...
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Environmental Justice Foundation @ejfoundation.org · 13/05/2025
The consequences of industrial fishing are contributing to the troubling increase in migrant deaths at sea. Senegal’s fisheries must be returned to the Senegalese people. Senegal's government, the European Union, and industrial fishing entities must ensure stronger governance and transparency now.
youtube.com
Adrift: Senegal’s coastal crisis and the deadly route to Europe
YouTube video by Environmental Justice Foundation
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Environmental Justice Foundation @ejfoundation.org · 13/05/2025
The route from Senegal to the Canary Islands is one of the deadliest. Tragically, there were over 3,000 deaths in 2023 alone. Our film follows one young Senegalese fisher, Abdou, who is forced to make this journey. He says, “some people had the same dream and purpose as me, but they never arrived.”
Abdoulaye Sady, stands next to the sea in Tenerife View of Tenerife from the seaThieboudienne - a traditional rice and fish dish from Senegal.
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Environmental Justice Foundation @ejfoundation.org · 13/05/2025
📣 New report and film Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and overfishing in Senegal are devastating fish populations and coastal communities, leading to increased forced migration to Europe across the world’s most deadly migration route. Hear their stories 🎬
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Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 14/04/2025
Breaking news: The European Commission is issuing burner phones and basic laptops to some US-bound staff to avoid the risk of espionage — a measure traditionally reserved for trips to China www.ft.com/content/20d0...
Old mobile phones and keyboards. Overlaid text reads: FT Exclusive: EU issues US-bound staff with burner phones to avoid espionage
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Harriet Barber @harrietbarber.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
"I became like a slave, without any capacity to think or act or do.” 43 women in Argentina have accused Opus Dei – a secretive Catholic group – of coercing them as children and adolescents into a life of domestic servitude. This is their story. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
theguardian.com
‘I became like a slave’: why 43 women are suing the secretive Opus Dei Catholic group in Argentina
Lured by promises of an education but allegedly trapped in servitude and self-mortification, the former members are suing the ultra-conservative organisation over their ‘exploitation and abuse’
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Alex Howlett @alexhowl.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
Shocking & important story on treatment of migrant fishing crew from @heldavidson.bsky.social featuring @ejfoundation.org. After one Indonesian crew member died at sea, his family were given £9.60 as compensation. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
theguardian.com
An unexplained death, ‘abuse and slavery’: Indonesian fishers reveal life on long haul vessels
The death of a fisher on a Chinese-owned trawler in the Indian Ocean illustrates the lack of accountability in the seafood industry, say advocates
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Environmental Justice Foundation @ejfoundation.org · 18/03/2025
Fishing is often these communities’ only source of income. Their livelihoods are severely impacted by plastic pollution, as fish that could be caught and sold are instead entangled in these nets. To address this issue, Net Free Seas connects communities with recyclers, who pay them directly.
youtube.com
Net Free Seas: ridding Thailand's waters of ghost nets and reducing plastic pollution
YouTube video by Environmental Justice Foundation
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Alex Howlett @alexhowl.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
“Their families don’t have any idea whether they are still alive or not" @nytimes.com coverage of @ejfoundation.org new report revealing that Chinese fishing vessels used North Korean labour in breach of UN sanctions. The NK crew spent up to 10 years at sea www.nytimes.com/2025/02/24/w...
nytimes.com
North Koreans on Chinese Tuna Boats Boost Revenue for Kim Jong-un (Gift Article)
Thousands of miles from home, North Koreans work on Chinese tuna longliners in the Indian Ocean for pay that goes to their leader, a new study says.
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
Standing up to the authoritarian wave requires more than cheerleading for democracy; it demands making democratic societies more participatory, responsive, and adaptable at all levels, from local to national, in response to the societal shifts driven by the Internet over the past 15 years.
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 20/02/2025
Breaking News: The Trump administration plans to cut 84% of staff at the office that funds the U.S.'s disaster recovery, raising questions about how the country will rebuild from hurricanes, wildfires and other calamities made worse by climate change.
nytimes.com
Trump Team Plans Cuts at HUD Office That Funds Disaster Recovery
Staff at the office, a branch of the U.S. housing department that Congress uses to address the worst catastrophes, would be reduced by 84 percent.
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Colin Yeo @colinyeo.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
1. Quick 🧵 on the change to policy that, on the face of it, bans refugees from ever acquiring British citizenship. @sonial77.bsky.social has published a short article on Free Movement: freemovement.org.uk/good-charact... And I've done a follow up on my Substack: open.substack.com/pub/wewanted...
open.substack.com
New change to Home Office policy permanently blocks refugees from citizenship
Change is bad in principle and breaches the Refugee Convention
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Environmental Justice Foundation @ejfoundation.org · 11/02/2025
Bottom trawling is a destructive fishing method that involves dragging weighted nets across the seabed. In France, it is still carried out in 77% of marine Natura 2000 sites. Over the last five years, about 200,000 hours of trawling were recorded each year in French MPAs, when there should be none.
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Environmental Justice Foundation @ejfoundation.org · 11/02/2025
With Défense des Milieux Aquatiques, we have launched legal action against France for failing to protect Natura 2000 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). We're taking our case to 🇫🇷's courts to stop bottom trawling in the Chausey & Bancs des Flandres MPAs, which violates national & EU law.
 “It’s high time the responsible authorities in France act to protect France's invaluable marine biodiversity hotspots. How else can France lead global action for our blue planet and credibly host the upcoming UN Ocean Conference in Nice?” Marie Colombier
Senior Ocean Campaigner
Environmental Justice Foundation"In the run-up to the United Nations Conference on the Oceans, the government must put its money where its mouth is and finally ensure real protection for marine protected areas." Mathilde Ollivier
French Senator"Proper enforcement of existing regulations in MPAs could revitalise small-scale coastal fishing, a low-impact and sustainable practice, and boost local economies.” Philippe Garcia
President
Défense des Milieux Aquatiques"Today the preservation of marine biodiversity is a matter of law and the State must ensure it is effectively enforced." Raphaëlle Jeannel
Senior Lawyer 
Huglo Lepage Avocats
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Attracta Mooney @attractamooney.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
“Astonishing and, frankly terrifying” - hottest Jan on record shocks scientist as emerging La Niña fails to dampen record temperature on.ft.com/3WQI51X with @janatausch.bsky.social
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Emma Hancox @emmahancox.carbonbrief.org · 31/01/2025
This week's climate newsletter from CB: bit.ly/4glefJN For this edition's 'spotlight', I spoke to a young female journalist from Kenya’s Dadaab refugee complex. Via the camp's radio station, Fardowsa is documenting how, more and more, people are arriving in her community because of climate change.
bit.ly
DeBriefed 31 January 2025: Closing Africa’s power gap; UK needs forest ‘twice size of London’ to offset airport plans; Kenya’s climate refugees - Carbon Brief
This week, Carbon Brief speaks to a young female journalist from Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp
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Alex Howlett @alexhowl.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
"Khaira Hassan Mohammed has lived in the camp since the 2011 famine, and is now 99 years old and in need of medical care. She had six children, but she has buried them all since arriving." @ejfoundation.bsky.social @theecologist.org @stevetrent.bsky.social theecologist.org/2025/jan/23/...
theecologist.org
Meet Kenya’s climate refugees
Climate refugees in Dadaab struggle to survive despite Kenya implementing Refugee Act.
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Jonathan @renewableenergy.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
This is some bombshell, scandelous, spy-novel-esque news in the climate space: It’s alledged that a lobbying firm representing ExxonMobil engaged in hacking and targeting 128 climate activists and/or environmental organizations involved in climate ligation to discredit those individuals/groups.
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Kat Tenbarge @kattenbarge.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
It's difficult to overstate just how much professional journalists have been trained to fear defamation lawsuits and how much it has impacted the ability to tell the truth
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Elise Bell @eliseybell.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
I wonder whether the shruggish assumption of “find a rich partner” / “all writers have had to marry rich”, is partly because there is an expectation (from some corners) to be discreet about non-writing 9-5s?
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Environmental Justice Foundation @ejfoundation.org · 08/01/2025
Drax power station is the UK’s largest single source of carbon emissions, yet it is being propped up by public money. These subsidies impose a triple cost on the UK public – taxes, higher energy bills, and the impacts of the climate crisis. They must end. More from @alexmackaness.bsky.social 👇
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Alex Howlett @alexhowl.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
Come along to @ejfoundation.bsky.social's screening of 'Radio Dadaab' at the Frontline Club next Weds, followed by panel with MP @chionwurah.bsky.social, @wanderinggaia.bsky.social and @maybulman.bsky.social & drinks 'The Human Cost of the Climate Crisis' www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/panel-the-...
eventbrite.co.uk
Panel: The Human Cost of the Climate Crisis
Protecting the rights of climate refugees in a changing world
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Elise Bell @eliseybell.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
That abortion remains criminalised is a national embarrassment. I don’t think it takes having had an unwanted pregnancy to empathise with this kind of trauma, but it makes for a difficult read. The nightmare they have had to go through…and for what?
theguardian.com
Calls for abortion law change in England after couple sentenced for buying pills
Campaigners say case of Sophie Harvey and her partner exposes harmful and unnecessary criminalisation of women
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Alex Howlett @alexhowl.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
Amazing news that Norway's first licensing round for deep-sea mining in the Arctic has been cancelled 👏👏 “The Arctic Ocean is one of the last pristine frontiers already under significant stress from the climate crisis” @ejfoundation.bsky.social t.co/fGRIMlrN0D
t.co
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2024/12/norway-kills-first-round-of-arctic-deep-sea-mining-permits-amid-opposition/
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Fighting Dirty @fightingdirty.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
This headline doesn't quite get to the nub of the story - over 100 countries broadly agreed we need to reduce single-use plastics. It was a few petrostates and international corporations that torpedoed the talks www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/ar...
bbc.co.uk
Countries unable to agree on UN plastic pollution deal
Environmental campaigners have said they are disappointed that international talks to try to create the first-ever global deal to reduce plastic pollution have failed.
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Rob Davies @byrobdavies.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
Hundreds of hours of painstaking work went into this, from journalists, editors, subs and lawyers. It is available for free in The Observer. For now. www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
Money trail: questions over deposed Bangladeshi elite’s £400m UK property empire
Associates of former Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina have spent millions buying up top-flight property assets in the UK
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Environmental Justice Foundation @ejfoundation.org · 25/11/2024
Today, the final talks to decide on a Global Plastics Treaty started in Busan, South Korea (#INC5). This is a critical moment for the world to come together and take meaningful steps towards ridding our bodies and environment of plastic. ejfoundation.org/news-media/o...
ejfoundation.org
Our health and our planet need urgent progress at this week’s Global…
The Environmental Justice Foundation exists to protect the natural world and defend our basic human right to a secure environment.
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Environmental Justice Foundation @ejfoundation.org · 19/11/2024
New report and film 🚨 #ClimateBreakdown is the issue of our time. In the Horn of Africa, a humanitarian crisis has grown after years of drought and deadly floods. "Dadaab's Silent Crisis" shares the stories of #ClimateRefugees in the region, in their own voices: ejfoundation.org/reports/dada...
ejfoundation.org
Dadaab's silent crisis: an international call for climate justice
This report tells the stories of those on the frontlines of the climate crisis in Dadaab refugee camp, Kenya. These stories highlight the devastating…
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Alex Howlett @alexhowl.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
Watch EJF's new film 'Radio Dadaab' about intergenerational climate refugees living in Kenya's Dadaab Refugee Camp. One woman told EJF during a trip to the camp, "I’m a mother and a father for my kids, and I don’t have anything for them." @ejfoundation.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?si=a7z...
youtube.com
Radio Dadaab
YouTube video by Environmental Justice Foundation
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Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 18/11/2024
And the lesson is: environmental policies are much cheaper than the alternative.
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evy kwong @evystadium.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
as trump posts about using the military to conduct mass deportations, here are the @wired.com tips on encrypting your convos and devices, best VPNs, location data protections and more. things you can literally do on your smartphone *right now* now if you haven’t yet
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Damian Carrington @dpcarrington.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
#ClimateCrisis to blame for dozens of ‘impossible’ heatwaves, studies reveal Exclusive: Stark evidence of how global heating is already supercharging deadly weather beyond anything ever experienced by humanity #COP29 Story by me Data @carbonbrief.org www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Climate crisis to blame for dozens of ‘impossible’ heatwaves, studies reveal
Exclusive: Analyses are stark evidence of how global heating is already supercharging deadly weather beyond anything ever experienced by humanity
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