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Dr. Helena Wright

@hwright.bsky.social
4.9K followers 859 following 122 posts

Executive Director, Climate Policy Monitor. Interested in climate, food, oceans, bees & saving the planet. New mum. Views my own.

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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 11h
Thank goodness for antibiotics! Hope humanity will be able to hang onto their efficacy...
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
"The FAO Cereal Price Index increased by 5.1 percent from August, averaging 17.2 percent higher than its September 2025 level" #climatechange #climateshocks #costofliving #hunger @climatenews.bsky.social @eciu.net @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social
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John Marsham @johnmarsham.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Most people underestimate how concerned everyone else is about climate crisis. Number-1 most read on BBC news...
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Also this book just launched by @charliejgardner.bsky.social looks really relevant for this whole discussion bsky.app/profile/char...
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
It looks like this recent book by @charliejgardner.bsky.social is very relevant to this debate bsky.app/profile/char...
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 23/09/2026
UK shares findings of damning climate crisis national security report suppressed under Starmer
theguardian.com
UK shares findings of damning climate crisis national security report suppressed under Starmer
El Niño poses critical threat to nations’ defences, says Ed Miliband in presentation to global foreign ministers The UK has warned countries around the world that the climate and nature crises and the coming El Niño threaten their national security and defence, presenting foreign ministries with the findings of an explosive report suppressed under Keir Starmer. Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary, made a presentation to the foreign ministers of the EU as well as Kenya and other countries on Wednesday night at a private meeting during the UN general assembly in New York, based on the report by the UK’s spy chiefs that found the collapse of natural systems around the world would lead to conflict, migration and food shortages. Continue reading...
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Leo Hickman @leohickman.carbonbrief.org · 23/09/2026
'Miliband will appoint a new special representative for climate security, as well as a new ministerial taskforce on “the national security and resilience risks of a changing climate and nature loss”, with military and security experts as well as climate scientists.'
theguardian.com
UK shares findings of damning climate crisis national security report suppressed under Starmer
El Niño poses critical threat to nations’ defences, says Ed Miliband in presentation to global foreign ministers
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I agree, think it's about balance, and making some effort to *try* to decarbonise - for example, we were the first on our road to install solar panels which led to two other neighbors doing it! But also, not going on about it (as that could also put people off!)
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
There's also a certain percentage of people who don't bother voting - 40% in the UK! Because they think "they're all the same"... or generally mistrust politics...
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The lawyer for the Venezuelan man shot by ICE yesterday says he was discharged from the hospital and transferred to ICE detention while the bullet was still inside of him, and that in Pearsall he's not received any pain meds and was forced to sleep on the floor.
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Brilliant game someone made with Claude using real world data. It takes a few seconds. If you were to be reborn today as a random animal, what animal would you be? I got male chick.... what did you get? spawn-again.app
spawn-again.app
Lottery of Life
See which life you get in a probability-weighted draw based on real-world estimates.
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Human brain cells are transplanted into mice. Please don't do this. Just because you can do something, it doesn't mean that you should. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Part-human part-mouse brain developed in science breakthrough
Researchers at Stanford University genetically altered mice to be able to receive and function with human brain cells.
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Really recommend this new book which debunks a lot of junk science promoted by the Wellness Industry - an interesting read! @uclhealthpublic.bsky.social
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
This part is interesting: "Intriguingly, the same report finds a mere 2.7% gap between the performance of the top AI model in the US compared to China’s top model despite the latter being far cheaper and more energy-efficient to run"
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Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 11/09/2026
AN URGENT EXCLUSIVE: Ahmed Soliman, the 30-year-old gay man ICE expelled in April to Equatorial Guinea, a country he has no ties to, was arrested this morning and cannot be located, his attorneys say. They fear he may be in one of EG's torture prisons. prospect.org/2026/09/11/i...
prospect.org
Immigrant Trump Sent to African Hotel Prison Arrested After Speaking With Media, Lawyers Say - The American Prospect
Ahmed Soliman’s attorneys fear he may have been sent to one of Equatorial Guinea’s notorious torture prisons.
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
It reminds me of the study by IMF which showed that whales can capture carbon by spreading nutrients www.imf.org/en/publicati...
imf.org
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Interesting thanks for sharing, the article says there are 170 bison "grazing in an area of 48 km2" so presumably they are not being eaten by people (only 170 anyway) but left to roam. Sounds like a small & free-roaming population in balance with nature may have these benefits 👍
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The problem is that overgrazing is a problem too. See for example this recent blog post: drawdown.org/insights/eig...
drawdown.org
Eight reasons regenerative grazing can’t make beef climate-friendly
An influential regenerative grazing movement continues to grow. But here's why the science doesn't back up the purported climate benefits.
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Would argue given the situation we are not it is not either/or but both - we need to plant trees to draw down emissions whilst we continue with scaling renewable power 🌱🌿☀️🔌
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Though even a limited amount of change towards healthier food consumption could make a major difference & some research has gone into policies on this too e.g. targets in the food and land sector, joined up thinking on climate, nature & health in agri-food policy! See e.g. UK national food strategy
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
I made some similar points in the op-ed I wrote on Medium earlier on in 2019, with a similar title. I think that the points still stand! drhelenawright.medium.com/do-we-really... "The longer we leave it, the worse it will get..."
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James Murray @james-bg.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Whether it's politics, social media, the environment or countless other issues, there's intense debate over the need for new policies and legislation when so often what is required is simply the proper enforcement of existing rules and regulations.
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Also, saving forests isn't just a "nice to have" - tropical forests are essential for the world's water supplies, rainfall patterns and climate stability #nature #investment #ecosystem
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Some positive news: UK offers $541 million loan to Brazil-led tropical forest fund 💚👏🌱🌳🌴 www.reuters.com/business/env...
reuters.com
UK offers $541 million loan to Brazil-led tropical forest fund
Britain will provide a £400 million ($541.04 million) loan to the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, a Brazil-led ​initiative designed to finance the protection of endangered forests.
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Covering Climate Now @coveringclimatenow.org · 02/09/2026
This summer, many, many news reports failed to make the connection between extreme weather events and climate change. So we wondered — have journalists made the connection between the deadly glacier collapse and flooding in Nepal and climate change? The good news? Many. Here's a thread...
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Daniel Moser @dmoser.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Pollution levels in London after 10 years of advancing sustainable transport.
Map showing Lower Pollution levels in London after 10 years of advancing sustainable transport.
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
"Analysts warn that the rate of ice melt in the Himalayas threatens water security for up to 1.65 billion people in the wider region" Climate change impacts hit Nepal... Awful this also coincides with Musk's cuts to emergency aid budgets. www.independent.co.uk/asia/south-a...
independent.co.uk
Flash floods have devastated Nepal. Climate change could make them routine
Nepal and Tibet are reeling from unprecedented floods that have killed more than 600 people. Experts tell James C. Reynolds that a warming planet could make these disasters more common and threaten wa...
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
This is sad news for an iconic museum. Visited recently & it was very busy. Also went there as a child and had wondered if my kids would get to visit the museum another 30-40 years time
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Given approximately 50-75% of Twitter is made up of bots (probably on the high end!), aren't Guardian, Times and Telegraph doing a disservice to their advertisers by relying on bot-driven news stories? I would say their advertisers have some questions to ask them.
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Aruna Chandrasekhar @arunacsekhar.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Summer in Mumbai was brutal and endless. The monsoon's poster child was running out of water. In a dispatch for @equatormag.bsky.social, I wrote about living with extreme heat in a broken city and limits to resilience. With🔥 images by @ishantankha.bsky.social www.equator.org/articles/cit...
equator.org
City of Sweat • EQUATOR
A vision of our overheated future on the streets of Mumbai
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
This is really sad, that Mumbai has lost tree cover in recent years: "Only 1.7% of the city’s green cover comprises urban parks. In just the five years between 2016 and 2021, the metropolis lost 2,028 hectares of urban tree cover." - Maybe the trees can be replanted?
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
I would also say there is a case for electrification, in general, as it builds resilience and reduces pollution. An example is using induction hobs for cooking: they release less excess heat so it is cooler in your home when you cook during a heatwave!
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
I am curious about the role of Musk's Twitter algorithms. As the Private Eye piece points out, articles in Times/Guardian et al are often driven by clicks.
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Investing in nature & nature-based solutions in general. There are so many examples of nature providing resilience benefits: mangroves protecting coastal areas from storms, urban trees providing shade and cooling, forests providing flood and drought protection! #nature #climate
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
More costs of #climatechange for the UK Thames Barrier may need to be replaced decades earlier at a cost of 20bn: "this is due to an increase in extreme weather brought about by climate change which has put the defence system under strain." eandt.theiet.org/2026/08/17/t...
eandt.theiet.org
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Eric Lipton NYT @ericlipton.nytimes.com · 15/08/2026
What a terribly sad outcome. We as a society and too judgemental and prone to celebrate misstepa by others. Social media plays a major role. Very sad. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/14/w...
nytimes.com
Jason Arday, Cambridge Professor Accused of Plagiarism, Is Found Dead
Mr. Arday resigned last week after the university announced an investigation into allegations of plagiarism and fabrication.
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Natalie Bennett @nataliegreenpeer.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
#ClimateEmergency - very much a #PublicHealth issue www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
Extreme heat more dangerous for people 60 and over than previously thought
Study finds older adults could face harmful heat stress at just 1.5C of warming above preindustrial levels
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Definitely in need of good news these days 😃
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
"The move has prompted legal and ethical questions" #insidertrading #corruption www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Trump Media: More than 10 firms pay up to $100,000 a month for fast-access data feed
Trump Media expects the controversial service, which launched this month, to provide a new revenue stream, as it posts a quarterly loss.
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Trump has amassed staggering wealth in ‘most openly corrupt’ US presidency. $2.2bn in 2025 by amassing cryptocurrency, benefiting from wealthy foreign interests, expanding his Truth Social business and more. Trump takes corruption it to new depths. What have the cronies been promised?
theguardian.com
Trump has amassed staggering wealth in ‘most openly corrupt’ presidency
Ethics experts and Democrats express alarm as Trump uses office to grow his personal fortune to ‘unprecedented’ level
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Imagine if they had focused this media coverage on something worthy such as the current impacts of the climate crisis this summer: the extreme heat and drought the UK, and the impact on food prices and water supplies.
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Revealed: just 20 out of of 6,600 Defra staff working on climate adaptation, as UK burns in fifth heatwave of this summer - FOI request by me @andyburnham.bsky.social needs to level with the country about the climate crisis & set out radical plan to tackle it 🧵 www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Just 20 of 6,600 Defra staff working on climate adaptation amid drought and wildfires
Exclusive: England ‘desperately unprepared’ for effects of crisis including water shortages and heatwaves
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
If you have a silent platform on Twitter, would you be willing to return purely to try to help combat misinformation?
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
This week I found out Turkmenistan is the 5th largest global methane emitter (!) And the major of these methane emissions are from infrastructure leaks which are easy and cost-effective to fix... #methane #crisis #leaks www.theguardian.com/environment/...
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Trump & Musk & their colleagues seem to be trying to undermine the progress made in the past few decades.
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Agree. There are no jobs on a dead planet. How many schools had to close during the recent heatwaves, and how many farmers are facing crop losses due to the recent drought. I thought Labour's Manifesto promised to stick to environmental commitments?
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 05/08/2026
Young people may find it difficult to believe but, in my living memory, there was a broad consensus in US politics that air pollution -- not GHGs, just old fashioned particulates, NOx, etc. -- is bad & worth fighting. Now that concern is going overboard in the pursuit of AI.
nytimes.com
Trump’s Push for More A.I. Data Centers Will Mean Major Air Pollution
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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Burning fossil fuels makes wildfires more frequent and more intense. Of course those who have made record profits causing the problem should pick up the bill.
Zack Polanski calls for higher taxes on oil and gas profits to fund wildfire prevention
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Ed Zitron @edzitron.com · 01/08/2026
One of the (many) reasons I think people are so anti-AI is that it’s a gratuitous display of wealth inequality. The average person’s life is difficult, expensive, and getting any kind of loan sucks - unless you’re raising billions of dollars to build an AI data center.
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Dr. Helena Wright @hwright.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
"This is not some kind of a flower-power, tree-hugging exercise. This is core economics. This is core financial stability, core price stability.” www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
ECB official warns climate crisis poses growing threat to ‘core financial stability’
Exclusive: As wildfires rage across Europe, Frank Elderson tells the Guardian nature loss poses a growing risk to the global economy
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