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ForthWrite2

@forthwrite2.bsky.social
450 followers 676 following 578 posts

Scottish & European. Writer mostly, now; was lecturer. Love literature, culture, languages, natural world. Environment & climate issues. Fed up with X.

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Wolfgang Blau @wblau.bsky.social · 3h
next time someone suggests ‘climate realism’ or ‘climate pragmatism’: sure thing, how about being ‘realistic’? Wouldn’t that be nice, your ‘pragmatism’?
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 04/10/2026
Trump: "I take an aspirin a day. I don't know if it works but psychologically I need it. It thins the hell out of your blood I guess ... They want me to go down to the 80. I take the 386. I don't know what the hell it is. It's a monster. They said, 'Sir, you don't need that!'"
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Climate Tracker @climate.skyfleet.blue · 04/10/2026
Revealed: Government quietly dropped plan to prepare England for wildfires #Climate
theguardian.com
Revealed: Government quietly dropped plan to prepare England for wildfires
FOI request shows wildfire risk scheme scrapped, as data highlights many fire services lack proper protective gear
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
As climate scientists, it sucks to be defunded. But it adds insult to injury to be defunded by this moron who has access to the best climate science and data in the world and still says asinine things like this.
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Eric Lipton NYT @ericlipton.nytimes.com · 03/10/2026
JUST POSTED: Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have pushed a multibillion oil deal with Russia as part of peace talks that will bring profits to their family business partners. A new front for Trump-era conflicts of interest. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/03/u...
nytimes.com
U.S.-Russia Talks on Ukraine Now Involve an Oil Deal Tied to Trump Allies (Gift Article)
President Vladimir V. Putin brought up a sale of Russian energy assets with President Trump’s envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, pushing a deal that raises new questions about conflicts of inter...
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Seth Abramson @sethabramson.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
You've been had, MAGAs.
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Mike Hudema @mikehudema.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Around 1 million species now face extinction, many within the next few decades. We are facing multiple crises at the same time. No time to waste. Protect nature and ourselves. #ActOnClimate #climate #biodiversity #nature #rewilding #animals #cop16 #cop16cali
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Woodland Trust Scotland @wtscotsocial.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
#ClimateAction is happening across the UK and #ScotlandsClimateWeek is a chance to celebrate efforts and invite everyone to get involved. 💪 There are lots of ways you can take action with #WoodlandTrust, here's how 👉️ buff.ly/Pa85mxk #ScotClimateWeek
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Will Hayward - Wales Journo @willhaycardiff.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
EXCLUSIVE Reform MP Sarah Pochin asked a question about the impact second homes have on rural areas, just 48 hours before buying a £800k second home in Wales… willhaywardwales.substack.com/p/reform-mp-...
willhaywardwales.substack.com
Reform UK MP buys £800k Welsh second home just days after questioning their impact
Is this a case of politicians saying ‘do as I say, not as I do’?
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Trees for Life @treesforlife.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Our spring 2027 #RewildingWeeks are here! 🎉 Get hands-on with #rewilding alongside our team and a small group of like-minded #volunteers. 🌳 Every week is a chance to make a real contribution to the recovery of Scotland’s wild #forests 👉 treesforlife.org.uk/support/volu...
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Henry Dyer @direthoughts.com · 02/10/2026
Intrigued to see the Conservative conference will feature a speech on "press freedom" next week while they ban lobby journalists such as @josiahmortimer.bsky.social from attending their conference.
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Annie Leymarie @annieleymarie.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Always worth looking at the wider context...
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Turns out we don’t have to invoke weapons of mass destruction when talking about ocean heat uptake. The ocean absorbed a record-breaking 23 zettajoules of heat last year, equivalent to 40 times the energy used by humanity. It’s not going to end well.
theguardian.com
World’s oceans absorbed record heat equal to 40 times annual global energy use
The injection of thermal energy comes amid an increasing rise in sea levels and continuing acidification
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(Wee G ) Wake Up Scotland @chaillich.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Plans submitted for 'world's largest' data centre at former nuclear power station 👇 Plans have been submitted to create a £16.5bn data centre at the site of the former Chapelcross nuclear power station near Annan. news.stv.tv/west-central...
news.stv.tv
Plans submitted for 'world's largest' data centre at former nuclear power station
The Scottish Greens have warned that the proposal would put a massive strain on Scotland’s energy grid
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Gregory Norminton @gregorynorminton.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
People support clean energy but think others don't. People support clean air but think others don't. People support low traffic neighbourhoods but think others don't. And they think others don't because vested interests and right-wing media work hard to create that impression.
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
“The question is not whether we can afford to remain within the Convention [ECHR]. It is whether, in an increasingly dangerous world, we can afford not to” Political liars and lightweights, like Badenoch and Farage, must never be allowed to take that risk. www.lawgazette.co.uk/commentary-a...
The Law Society
Gazette

In short, if Britain were to leave the ECHR, it would not be
'taking back control. It would be surrendering influence over the rules and institutions that help keep us safe.
The debate about the ECHR is too often conducted as though it were a choice between national sovereignty and international law. That is a false choice.
The Convention advances British interests because it reflects British values: liberty under law, democratic government and the accountability of power.
Walking away would not make Britain freer. It would make Britain weaker.
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
🔴 We asked Tony Blair's think tank about charging businesses £500k for political access at party conferences and why one of its sponsor's logos disappeared after our reporting last week on TBI's alleged cash for access scheme This is what they said
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justtransitionw.bsky.social @justtransitionw.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/business/202... So homes built in #FloodProne areas likely to become uninsurable, but the courts say #Persimmon has the right to build them on the #SomersetLevels despite advice. Someone is heading for a fall and as always, the #taxpayer will pick up the tab... time to say no!
theguardian.com
New UK homes in flood-risk areas could become uninsurable, says Aviva boss
Amanda Blanc says flooding threat is ‘absolutely increasing’, as she also warns ministers over ‘kite flying’ before budget
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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Based on current building patterns 115,000 new homes will be built in England’s flood zones in the next 10 years Many could become uninsurable in the future due to the risk of flooding, says Insurance company Aviva Which would make those houses essentially useless www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Aviva boss warns more homes will be uninsurable due to flood risk
Aviva boss Amanda Blanc said England was "for sure" building homes that might be uninsurable at some point in the future.
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Giorgio Graffino @giorgiograffino.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
About damn time. Human-made climate change should be treated as an emergency, and be at the top of everyone's worry and every party's policy plan. Whatever issue we can think of (economy, war, immigration,...), climate change is making it worse. We can win this battle, but we must want to.
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George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸 @gtconway.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
“The president has repeatedly exhibited bizarre conduct in the public eye. Not only does that include taking naps during public events, but also erratic behavior, slurred speech, appearing lost or disoriented, and sporting mysterious bruises.” newrepublic.com/post/215938/...
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molly taft @mollytaft.com · 28/09/2026
i did a little Climate Week postmortem on data centers: co2 emissions are far & away the most alarming part of the buildout. but there hasn't been much of a reckoning beyond climate spaces kind of wondering when it'll enter the larger convo, if at all, and what that may look like
wired.com
The Data Center Backlash Should Also Be a Climate Reckoning. It Isn’t Yet
Climate groups are latching onto the data center opposition movement, but it remains to be seen if they can get people to care about the facilities’ impact on the atmosphere.
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Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Imagine sympathising with someone who encouraged more violence while riots were taking place
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Covering Climate Now @coveringclimatenow.org · 26/09/2026
"How Should We Cover the Climate Story?" That’s the question answered by a roundtable of esteemed climate editors & journalists, including @emorwee.bsky.social (Heated), @katbagley.bsky.social (@grist.org), @adamlmahoney.bsky.social (@capitalb.bsky.social), and many more: buff.ly/4EmE1gI
buff.ly
How should we cover the climate story?
Speaking with climate reporters about staying on the beat—because, as Bill McKibben put it, “for better or for worse, by this time next year, there’s no doubt in my mind that climate coverage will be…
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ForthWrite2 @forthwrite2.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Along with many other people, I've called on the UK government to scrap anti-protest laws which attack our hard won democratic freedoms. Please can you defend the right to protest too by signing the petition? act.gp/3pIM9ns
act.gp
If you agree the govt should not strip away our right to protest, add your name
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UCU Edinburgh @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Amazing turn out from students and staff at the University of Edinburgh, in protest at senior management's greed and manufactured cuts. This is what solidarity looks like - as our campaign of industrial action begins this coming week in protest at the cuts. www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/blog/student...
ucuedinburgh.org.uk
900+ at inaugural Student & Staff Assembly! — UCU Edinburgh
More than 900 students and staff gathered for the inaugural Student-Staff Assembly on Thursday 24 September.
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
🔴 BREAKING: BP, Uber, Amazon and more paying Tony Blair's think tank $25,000 for “networking” opportunities with politicians and policy makers at party conferences Experts say "looks and smells like cash for access" Full story on Democracy for Sale democracyforsale.substack.com/p/breaking-t...
democracyforsale.substack.com
BREAKING: Tony Blair Institute’s $25,000 corporate network “smells like cash for access”
Exclusive documents show Tony Blair's think tank offers corporate members such as BP and Uber "networking" at party conferences and "a stronger voice" in policy debates.
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CHRSTPHR//JMS @jameschristopher.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The degradation of our arts is a systematic, insidious failing in the UK, and it begins with the slow but sure loss of venues; a decline that can’t be arrested once they have gone. It’s to our shame that this is such a familiar story. There is no civilisation without artists. Please share.
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Michael E. Mann @michaelemann.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Global average sea surface temperature anomaly (departure from the climatological seasonal average) is poised to set a new record, thanks to steady warming combined with a monster El Niño event: pulse.climate.copernicus.eu
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Mrs. G @janbellina.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The RNLI would have done the same if it had been Daniel Thomas (aka Danny Tommo), and they knew it. I hope the man they rescued makes a full recovery; it was a long fall.
plymouthplus.co.uk
Seriously injured man rescued by RNLI after falling 40ft onto Plymouth Hoe rocks
A seriously injured man was rescued by the RNLI after falling approximately 40ft onto rocks at Plymouth Hoe.
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Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Mind-blowing story in Private Eye about how the Telegraph's chief reporter reached out to James Orr (or meant to) after the Channel 4 donation revelations


...within hours of journalists on either the *Guardian* or *Sunday Times* contacting Reform for comment on the same stories ahead of them publishing their own investigations. Reform deputy leader Richard Tice and his fiancée, supposed journalist Isabel Oakeshott, even crowed online about their spoiler tactics.

Not that the *Telegraph* doesn't do its own leg work when reporting on Reform. After James Orr, the party's head of policy, had to resign after a sting by *Channel 4 News* (see "*Right Orr Wrong*, p14"), *Telegraph* chief reporter Rob Mendick texted Orr: "I was hoping to talk to you entirely on background," he schmoozed. "You must be feeling very bruised and I totally Appreciate [sic] the sensitivities. I suspect you deserve better and I wanted to see how I can put the record straight in some way." Alas, instead of the Reformer and Cambridge theologian, Mendick messaged someone else, who shared it with the *Eye*!
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Little Green Space @lgspace.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
A request! We can't grow this account fast enough. So please follow us if you aren't already, and please share this post to spread the word. Help us do our bit to share positive solutions to the nature & climate emergencies, and bring more nature into people's lives. Thank you 😊🐝
A bumblebee on a yellow dandelion
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Gary Lawrence @garysworld.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I've followed, have you? 🤔
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WATERSHED Investigations @watershed-i.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Most had high levels of PFOA - a Group 1 carcinogen, banned internationally, + linked to health conditions including kidney + testicular cancer, ulcerative colitis + thyroid disease. www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
Our story on PFAS exposure in Thornton-Cleveleys, continued on page 4 of the Times.
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WATERSHED Investigations @watershed-i.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
We tested people living near a chemical plant in Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire. 70% of people tested had levels of PFAS in their blood that, in the US, would be classed as 'high-risk' for adverse health effects. 1 person had the highest levels of PFAS ever recorded in anyone's blood in the UK.
Our PFAS pollution story on the front page of the Times today
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Dr Maha @maharafiatal.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I investigated Reliance Greens, the corporate enclave where Ambani's scandal-ridden zoo is based, for my book: cup.columbia.edu/book/when-co... The enclave is part of a wider project to use corporate "social responsibility" to promote Hindu nationalism. @newcastleucu.bsky.social my DMs are open.
cup.columbia.edu
When Companies Rule | Columbia University Press
Company towns are back. From Indian oil refineries to Kenyan canned food factories to Amazon warehouses, companies today rule over the daily lives of around ... | CUP
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This chart published by the Economics Laboratory, shows that the UK social spending is 23% of GDP, covers NHS, social security and support services. It is a useful rebutal to neoliberals calling for cuts to the NHS, state pension and other benefits. www.linkedin.com/posts/charto...
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Leana Hosea @leanahosea.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The insidious nature of PFAS pollution - people who've only ever tried to do the best for their family's health realising something harmful has crept in. ITV News covered the tests we ran on PFAS levels in people's blood in Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire: www.itv.com/news/2026-09...
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Braverman should be asked if she rejects Ed Miliband being English (Jewish European parents). It would be highly racialised to say "no, Jews can't be Englieh for 5-6 generations" which is her logic. But perhaos even more racist to say "Miliband yes, Sunak no" (on visible skin colour, not ancestry)
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Patrick Bresnihan @pbresnihan.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Data centre electricity use has gone up nearly 600% since 2015, 'cannibalising' all new renewable energy generation. This has not only made decarbonisation harder, deepening dependency on volatile fossil fuels. It has also increased household bills through grid costs and electricity costs. 3/6
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ForthWrite2 @forthwrite2.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
#Scotland - think very carefully & wisely about massive downsides of hyperscale AI data centres. Don't be fooled by high- tech pressure @snp.org
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Patrick Bresnihan @pbresnihan.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
And here is an op-ed we wrote for the @irishexaminer.bsky.social 6/6 www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...
irishexaminer.com
Households are paying the price for energy-guzzling data centres
Data centres increased wholesale electricity costs in Ireland by €360 for the average household between 2015 and 2023
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Patrick Bresnihan @pbresnihan.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Myself, Seán Fearon and Pat Brodie have published a report today examining the exaggerated benefits and significant costs of data centres to Ireland. Below is a short thread on some of the key takeaways. Read the full report here: mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/id/eprint/21... 1/6
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Michael Stambolis @mstambolis.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
They say Toulouse will have a North African climate soon because of heat and drought. Our campus is already looking like it.
Photo: a campus with all the grass dead and a lone pine tree.Photo a campus with blue sky and dead grass.
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Reform would only be the third largest party in a hung parliament, were an election held today, according to a new YouGov MRP. Labour would likely need the support of the Lib Dems and SNP in order to govern
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UK Politics News // Papernaut @ukpolitics.papernaut.co · 24/09/2026
THE INDEPENDENT: A new YouGov poll puts Reform on 123 seats, behind Labour on 241 and the Conservatives on 130, reversing 2025 projections. Labour could seek support from the Liberal Democrats and Greens; Reform and the Tories cannot form a majority together. - by Athena Stavrou
independent.co.uk
Reform would win fewer seats than Labour and Tories in major blow to Farage, new poll suggests
Reform UK slide from first place to third in serious setback in latest YouGov MRP polling
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WATERSHED Investigations @watershed-i.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Law firm Leigh Day is bringing legal action on behalf of one local resident. Read the full story here 👇 share.google/AwmBkidB5SOP...
share.google
Blood tests find high levels of cancer-causing forever chemical in residents near factory
People living near a major chemical factory in Lancashire are told they could be at risk of serious health conditions.
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WATERSHED Investigations @watershed-i.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
We organised blood tests for people living near a chemical factory in Thornton-Cleveleys where we uncovered high emissions of PFAS forever chemicals, including internationally-banned, cancer-causing PFOA. Last night, BBC News spoke to people as they received their test results:
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WATERSHED Investigations @watershed-i.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
TONIGHT: 10pm, BBC + ITV News, + in The Times online We tested people living near a chemical plant in Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire for PFAS. Tune in to find out what we uncovered. More on the background to the situation in Thornton-Cleveleys via the link below: share.google/g2HJYCoTglTs...
share.google
Thornton families' cancer fears in shadow of 'forever chemical' plant
People in Thorton in Lancashire had been advised not to eat locally-grown produce over contamination fears.
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Wtaf is this question my university just asked me about my project?
Does the project involve any work that could be interpreted as promoting DEIA, climate change research, or non-compliant to any Presidential Executive Orders?
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