Sign in

Ariel Brunner

@arielbrunner.bsky.social
2.3K followers 926 following 523 posts

Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia with @birdlifeeurope.bsky.social

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Ariel Brunner
Giulio Mattioli @giuliomattioli.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This is so tragic. In 2022, Italian environment minister Cingolani was arguing that we shouldn't go too fast on EVs because the Chinese will continue to buy combustion engine vehicles www.quattroruote.it/news/industr... In 2026, China has 50%+ BEV sales - the EU lags at 20%-27%
79525
Reposted by Ariel Brunner
Dr. Raphael Weyland @raphaelweyland.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The @consilium.europa.eu (through #COREPER) just agreed on the mandate for the Regulation on Speeding-Up Environmental Assessments (aka #RSEA). It's no simplification, but complexification + deregulation. It does neither deliver on the recent AT call for better regulation! #HandsOffNature @eeb.org
222
Reposted by Ariel Brunner
Renewables Grid Initiative @renewablesgrid.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
📘 Our 2025 Annual Report is out! From bird protection in the field to COP30 and the European Grids Package: how RGI turned the energy transition's toughest questions into workable answers. Read the full report 👇 buff.ly/syO4xQD
042
Reposted by Ariel Brunner
Thomas Krumenacker @thomaskrumenacker.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Italien plant die längste Hängebrücke der Erde. Naturschützer warnen: „Die Straße von Messina ist Europas drittwichtigster Vogelzugweg“, sagt @arielbrunner.bsky.social. „Eine Vogelfalle in Form einer Brücke ist ökologischer Frevel, den Europa nicht zulassen darf.“ www.riffreporter.de/de/umwelt/me...
riffreporter.de
Gigantische Brücke nach Sizilien bedroht europäischen Vogelzug
Die italienische Regierung plant eine 3,7 Kilometer lange Brücke über die Straße von Messina. Naturschützer warnen vor massenhaftem Vogeltod an einem der wichtigsten Zugkorridore Europas.
1139
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Congratulations to our CEO Martin Harper for winning this prestigious Spanish award: www.lavanguardia.com/vida/2026092...
lavanguardia.com
Estos son los 10 galardonados de la cuarta edición de los Premios Vanguardia
Isidro Fainé, Noah Higón, Joan Manuel Serrat, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Eloi Planes, Amaia Romero, Antonio Díaz (Mago Pop), BirdLife International, Caterina Biscari y Montserrat Caballé
051
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Solidarity to our Italian Partner LIPU and their brave volunteers in the Naples region who have been victim of an intimidatory arson attack. They have been working against the illegal shooting of migratory birds for 20 years, and have no intention to stop.
1148
Reposted by Ariel Brunner
BirdLife International @birdlifeglobal.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
One Partnership. One extraordinary week in Kenya. 🌍🐦 There aren’t enough characters on Bluesky to capture everything that happened in Nairobi... So join us as we look back at the people, moments and milestones that made it an unforgettable week for conservation. www.birdlife.org/news/2026/09...
0145
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Good coverage of our new milestone assessment of the state of migratory birds www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
One in nine migratory birds threatened with extinction, global report says
Findings on decline of species such as Arctic tern and turtle dove published alongside flyways pledge at Kenya summit
1149
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Another study finds farm subsidies to have hardly any impact on the the main objective used to justify them- food security. www.tagesschau.de/inland/innen...
tagesschau.de
Ernährungssicherheit: Wie sinnvoll sind die Maßnahmen der Politik?
Braucht es Agrarsubventionen, um die Lebensmittelversorgung in Europa zu sichern? Eine neue Studie des NABU stellt ein zentrales Argument von Bundeslandwirtschaftsminister Rainer infrage. Von Eva Hube...
02615
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
So now the obvious has been scientifically proven. MEPs with personal farm interests vote 3 times for often against environmental reforms than those without, once you control for party affiliation. So much of what is wrong in our society is basically down to various forms of corruption.
2126
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
After Hungary had to run don it's nuclear plant due to dry river, now jellyfish are shutting down EDF's nuclear plant in Gravelines. Despite spending hundreds of thousands in preventive measures. The #climate breakdown has a certain sense of humor.
0105
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
The current political concensus is that "nature conservation has gone too far". Sadly, the reality is the very opposite. Predicted decline in common bird and butterfly species even under conservation policy scenarios in Europe | Nature Ecology & Evolution share.google/KnsJvVsTNy6E...
share.google
02819
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-84-... For the moment, we are not even trying to stop making things worse. Let alone trying to fix the problems.
carbonbrief.org
Analysis: 84% of nations miss deadline to identify ‘nature-harming’ subsidies by 2025  - Carbon Brief
Most countries failed to meet a 2025 target to identify all of their subsidies that could be “harmful” to biodiversity, according to Carbon Brief analysis.
14617
Reposted by Ariel Brunner
Eoghan Daltun 🌍 @irishrainforest.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
I'm screaming inside reading this. The implications are beyond comprehension.
921680
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Have just experienced 38C in Berlin. In Brussels we've had basically a month of no rain and multiple exceptional heat waves. Just unbelievable that our society is still in denial.
13417
Reposted by Ariel Brunner
BirdLife Europe & Central Asia @birdlifeeurope.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Birds on the € notes!? You can make it happen! 🐦✨ Vote now for your favourite design! www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/banknot... The European Central Bank is redesigning the euro banknotes and is asking the public for feedback. And one of the themes is birds and rivers...😈
216383
Reposted by Ariel Brunner
🌊Markus Knigge🐟 @oceanknigge.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Seems 🐦‍⬛🐦🦉 watchers were much more successful than recreational anglers🎣in advocating for design of future 💶 banknotes. Your work @arielbrunner.bsky.social? No 🐟🦈🦀, but U might want to support biodiv motives 👉 lnkd.in/eF4SrCmT @birdlifeglobal.bsky.social @nabu.de @kostyabiodiv.bsky.social
273
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Meanwhile the farm lobby has successfully lobbied for: More fossil fuel based fertiliser More methane emissions More diesel subsidies Easier destruction of wetlands Harder transition to resources saving &healthier plant based diets. "Food security" is weaponised to destroy our actual food security.
14834
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Societal death spiral, French edition. The new law that allows destroying wetlands and facilitates water grabbing pushes the more extremist farm lobby to promote water theft. Meanwhile, the Loire runs dry, and the country burns as far north as Bretagne.
275
Reposted by Ariel Brunner
Damian Carrington @dpcarrington.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Revealed: how Europe’s most powerful farming lobby killed EU’s #pesticides law - High-level documents show how Copa Cogeca worked to weaken legislation to protect climate and wildlife By @zdboren.bsky.social @grilledmedia.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
theguardian.com
Revealed: how Europe’s most powerful farming lobby killed EU’s pesticide law
Exclusive: High-level documents show how Copa Cogeca worked to weaken legislation to protect climate and wildlife
04127
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Another day, another damning report. @fao.org state of food security argues that EU CAP subsidies have been making healthy food choices harder. Healthy food prices been growing faster than unhealthy food due to skewed subsidies. #agriculture @agri.europarl.europa.eu @ec.europa.eu
154
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
During the green deal, the farm lobby killed the attempt to reduce farmers dependence on nitrogen fertiliser. Now the EU just spent 540 milion €, in one go, on extra fertiliser subsidies. This is money taken from taxpayers and handed to Russian and Gulf regimes.
422473
Reposted by Ariel Brunner
Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
New investigation from @grilledmedia.bsky.social & @theguardian.com Documents from inside Europe's most powerful farming org show how it lobbied "in the same way as the tobacco industry" (their own words!) to block policies for public health & the environment www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
theguardian.com
Revealed: how Europe’s most powerful farming lobby killed EU’s pesticide law
Exclusive: High-level documents show how Copa Cogeca worked to weaken legislation to protect climate and wildlife
29669
Reposted by Ariel Brunner
Dr Paul Dorfman @drpauldorfman.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Solar power provided a quarter of the European Union’s electricity for the first time in June 2026 Solar generated a record 52TWh of electricity during the month, accounting for 25% of EU power generation. www.energylivenews.com/2026/07/14/s...
energylivenews.com
Solar becomes EU’s largest power source for first time in June - Energy Live News
Record solar generation supplied 25% of EU electricity in June, overtaking nuclear, gas and wind
672736874
Reposted by Ariel Brunner
Alexander J. Stein @ajstein.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
The EU depends on imported #fertiliser, as shown again by the war in Iran. But manure—suggested by some as solution—cannot replace mineral fertiliser because the #livestock sector itself is a net consumer of it. Scaling up #manure “production” would increase fertiliser use: doi.org/10.1111/1746... +
Figure 2: Balance of nitrogen (N) flows from mineral fertiliser into animal production and from manure out of it (EU27, 2017/18). An illustrated bar chart shows that 5.1 million tonnes of N from mineral fertiliser are used to produce animal feed, but only 2.5 million tonnes of N from manure are provided to the rest of agriculture -- meaning animal production is a net consumer of 2.6 million tonnes of N from mineral fertiliser.
51911
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
EC assessment of the #Nitrates directive finds what is obvious- the law is good and needed, the problem is Member States not enforcing it. Well done @jessikaroswall.ec.europa.eu
152
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
www.theguardian.com/music/2026/j...
theguardian.com
Dua Lipa calls Albanian protests against Jared Kushner-backed resort ‘inspiring’
Pop star, whose parents are Kosovan Albanian, expresses admiration for demonstrations, which are entering their sixth week
0144
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
According to a mortality monitoring service supported by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organization, EU countries reported 10,650 excess deaths between June 22 and June 28. And this is likely an underestimate. That's the peak of the last heat wave
160
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Nice one- Aalborg water utility in DK suing the government for failure to enforce the #nitrates directive on farmers. It correctly argues that Aalborg citizens should not foot the bill for new expensive treatment plant to clean water that legally should not have been contaminated in the first place.
23613
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Thank you President @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu for a very constructive meeting with ENGOs today. We need the EU to drive a just transition away from fossil fuels, invest in restoring our ecosystem, and enforce, rather than deregulate its good laws that defend the health of both citizens and nature.
1215
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Solidarity with the Director of our Ukrainian Partner USPB whose house and car have been damaged by recent Russian bombing. Our colleagues are fortunately unharmed, and keep working for nature even under the current extreme conditions.
0144
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
The Italian government is trying to take hunting legislation back to the 1980's. In brutal violation of EU law. Against all scientific advice. Threat is to birds from the Arctic to Southern Africa. We need support. Here is our Italian Partner's petition: share.google/g92NXJnrh4pC...
share.google
@GIORGIA MELONI FERMA CACCIA SELVAGGIA!
Un disegno di legge prevede la liberalizzazione dell'attività venatoria, con un impatto distruttivo sugli uccelli migratori e la natura. Aiutaci a convincere la Presidente del Consiglio Giorgia Meloni...
02119
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Another important victory in the fight to save Poland's Vistula river from the misguided #E40 waterway project. savepolesia.org/crucial-vict... @otop-birdlife.bsky.social @birdlifeeurope.bsky.social
savepolesia.org
A crucial victory for the Vistula: сourt dismisses appeal for Siarzewo dam - Save Polesia
On 19 June the Vistula River caught a break. The Provincial Administrative Court in Warsaw dismissed the appeal filed by the state-owned investor, Polish Waters (Wody Polskie)…
01810
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
www.nytimes.com/video/world/... Very good NYT explanation of the illegal construction in Albania's Vjosa-Narta ecosystem and of the damage done. #HandsOffVjosaNarta
nytimes.com
Video: Work at Kushner-Linked Resort in Albania Could Affect Sensitive Landscape
01210
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Some boreal forest species fail to recover even 100 years after clearcutting share.google/Tx0CHYbkxTHf... The forestry lobby keeps defending clear cuts and old growth logging, and opposing strict protection. On the premice that forest is nothing more than a renewable stand of wood.
share.google
Some boreal forest species fail to recover even 100 years after clearcutting
Boreal forests are being clear-cut faster than some of their wildlife and plant species can recover, with a few failing to return even 100 years after harvesting, according to University of Alberta-le...
12518
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
In last week heat wave, Belgium had peak excess mortality higher then at hight of COVID pandemic. Meanwhile both Belgian and EU politicians keep treating climate change has some sort of left wing pet issue, or as a minority hobby. Or actively working to make it worse.
2102
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
theguardian.com
Albania warned EU accession at risk over Jared Kushner-backed resort plans
Proposed development of protected shorelines and wildlife zones violates EU environmental policy, says MEP
0138
Reposted by Ariel Brunner
Annie Leymarie @annieleymarie.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
"The snow and ice accumulated last winter by Switzerland's glaciers is expected to have all melted away by Monday, marking the alarming second-earliest arrival on record of the tipping point known as Glacier Loss Day."
01414
Reposted by Ariel Brunner
BirdLife Europe & Central Asia @birdlifeeurope.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Great news for nature!🎉 Late yesterday afternoon, Member States in the REACH committee voted in support of the Commission’s proposal to restrict lead in gunshot.
14013
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Breaking- EU governments vote to extend lead ban outside wetlands. Very disappointing proposal from the EC who caved in and took out bullets used for hunting and target practice. Still, another significant step foward to #BanLead
1115
Reposted by Ariel Brunner
Abbey @abbeyarletto.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
When reality surpasses fiction! Top: fictional forecast for August 2050, broadcast by French TV in 2014 to warn about the consequences of global warming. Bottom: Real French forecast for yesterday, June 22, 2026.
236168307554
Reposted by Ariel Brunner
Elaine Burke @elaineburke.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
While you're cooking in the heat this week, do bear this in mind.
Screenshot from Politico.
Headline: Europe must choose between AI and climate goals, data center lobby says
Standfirst: Tech sector says only carbon-emitting gas plants are reliable enough today to power the EU’s AI goals.
742103955
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
This week EU government vote on extending ban on lead shots from use in wetlands to comprehensive ban. Should be a no brainer. A few industries milking an outdated technology is no justification for mass poisoning. #BanLead
082
Reposted by Ariel Brunner
Esther Schindler @estherschindler.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
"A solar farm on a rewetted peatland is home to more types of bird than drained agricultural fields nearby, suggesting that land used for renewable energy can make money for landowners, lock away carbon and boost biodiversity at the same time."
newscientist.com
Wildlife thrives in solar farm built on restored peatland
A diverse range of bird species has been recorded at a solar park on rewetted peatland in Germany, suggesting that combining energy generation with habitat restoration could benefit biodiversity, the climate and the economy
101386530
Reposted by Ariel Brunner
Leo Hickman @leohickman.carbonbrief.org · 23/06/2026
"The night from Monday to Tuesday was the hottest ever recorded in France since measurements began in 1947" Prime minister holding a crisis meeting of ministers due to heatwave Garonne River temp reaches 28C, shutting down a nuclear power plant Hospitals: "Some patients can't take it anymore"
9220115
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Breaking: MEP Fiocchi's attempt to derail the banning of lead fishing tackles has been defeated in the EP envi committee. Onwards to #BanLead
0135
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
In Memoriam. May your memory keep flying with the birds. www.birdlife.org/news/2026/06...
birdlife.org
Farewell to a pioneer: Jan Hora (1945–2026)
Jan Hora, recipient of the BirdLife International Conservation Achievement Award, and one of the most influential figures in Czech ornithology and nature conservation, passed away on 12 June 2026, age...
081
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Politics as an extention of family business. www.euractiv.com/news/italian...
euractiv.com
Italian MEP takes aim at EU lead-shot ban | Euractiv
Heir to Fiocchi ammunition dynasty objects to proposed restrictions
064
Ariel Brunner @arielbrunner.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Sad and angry. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
theguardian.com
Israeli attack kills famed turtle sanctuary ecologist in Lebanon
Mona Khalil led decades-long effort to protect nesting site for turtles near her home in south of the country
0154