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Paul

@pe1st.bsky.social
220 followers 1.3K following 108 posts

Environmental consultant. Interested in transport, uk and international politics, nature, climate change, international relations, defence, history. Orienteering missionary. Cricket, rugby, cycling, college football. Cumbria patriot. In Oxford.

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James Fitzgerald @jamesfitzjourno.bsky.social · 25/05/2025
This.
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
🚨This is a HUGE escalation and a deliberate effort to use the government against Trump's enemies. Weaponizing the Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification against Harvard to punish them for pushing back is a new low — and needlessly punishes thousands of innocent students.
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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
The thing about Rachel Reeves I really don’t understand is a seeming total lack of interest in system-wide tax reform. UK tax system is riddled with cruft, Labour needs money, UK needs growth.
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Leo Hickman @leohickman.carbonbrief.org · 15/05/2025
Quite possibly the biggest climate story of the year (especially when we look back on this in a few years' time) For the first time on record, China's emissions are falling due to clean energy growth, not slow power demand...
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Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
extraordinary that Thames Water executives are getting *new* bonuses, this time as a result of the £3bn rescue loan from the spring - which loads the company with interest rates of nearly 10% via me and Gill Plimmer www.ft.com/content/1f6d...
ft.com
Thames Water executives to receive bonuses from £3bn emergency loan
Utility’s chair tells MPs that retention payments are needed to prevent rivals ‘picking off’ staff
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Sarah O'Connor @sarahoconnorft.ft.com · 13/05/2025
In Britain, the fast-rising minimum wage is catching up with the bottom rungs of white-collar work. In fact, it appears that a rising number of people who earn annual salaries & don't work in low-paid sectors are now being paid below the legal minimum... www.ft.com/content/5f69...
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The Observer @theobserveruk.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
Is the UK paying the price for world’s most expensive visas? Competing political and economic goals on immigration are resulting in the loss of valuable skills and talent in the UK. ✍️ @rachelsylvester.bsky.social Read more:
bit.ly
Is the UK paying the price for world’s most expensive visas? | The Observer
Competing political and economic goals on immigration are resulting in the loss of valuable skills and talent in the UK
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James Murray @james-bg.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
Those lentil-weaving hippies at the London Stock Exchange Group reckon the global green economy is worth $7.9tr, is the fourth largest sector in the world, and has grown faster than every industry barring technology over the past decade. www.businessgreen.com/news/4413438...
businessgreen.com
London Stock Exchange puts value of global green economy at $7.9tr
Report confirms global green economy has enjoyed a compound annual growth rate of 15 per cent over the past decade, putting it second only to technology as the world's fastest growing sector
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Bronwyn Jones @bronwynjones.bsky.social · 11/05/2025
www.theguardian.com/media/2025/m... in very not good news and I thought this party was about restoring these cuts?
theguardian.com
Ministers demand BBC World Service plan for cuts as aid budget slashed
Exclusive: David Lammy asks BBC bosses to draw up tightened budget amid criticism move could harm UK’s global influence
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Pascal @pascallth.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
Banning algorithmic feeds would be immensely unpopular with those companies but probably positive for our information environment And it wouldn't even be a free speech limit
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Leigh Jones @leighsus.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
EXCL: Auditors for Ben Houchen's TVCA have written to Angela Rayner after it had "limited engagement" from the authority when trying to complete its audit. It comes only a month after Rayner's department issued TVCA with a Best Value Notice.
teesside.thelead.uk
TVCA auditor writes to Angela Rayner criticising 'limited engagement' from Ben Houchen authority
Auditors into TVCA write to government over concerns surrounding Ben Houchen-led TVCA
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Stephen Frost @sfrost.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
“Right now, the sun is shining on hundreds of thousands of car parking spaces across the country which could be used to power our homes and businesses” - Miliband Gov to launch a call for evidence on requiring solar canopies to be built over outdoor car parks.
thetimes.com
Every new car park may have to be covered with solar panels
Solar canopies would be compulsory under proposals estimated to save £28,000 on electricity bills at an 80-space car park
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
A critical point in today's post. A lot of people assume that Labour places going Reform mean Labour voters are going Reform. But it doesn't.
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Dylan Difford @dylandifford.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
So, yes, Labour are not losing no voters to Reform, but Reform having already use up about two-thirds of that potential. By comparison, Labour are losing more voters to progressive parties, but those parties have only squeezed about 25-30% of their potential gains out from Labour so far.
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Dylan Difford @dylandifford.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
As I've said before, everything about current British politics can be summed up by 'the (electoral) beatings will continue until morale improves'.
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James Murray @james-bg.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
What makes it so enraging is there’s a vision Labour is already committed to that would transform the UK’s infrastructure, upgrade its homes, reindustrialise, and improve health and well-being. Net zero should be the overarching strategy, and yet it’s rarely positioned in those terms.
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Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Morgan: hear me out guys, what if we do badly among both our old base AND our new base?
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Dylan Difford @dylandifford.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
The other hand to Reform's gains are the Tories' horrific losses (41% of all seats). Not just poor for the opposition, but relative to total seats, it is the worst set of local election results for any party in British history, surpassing the Tory result in 1971 (losses at 38% of all borough seats).
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Duncan Stone @drcricket.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
Should be taxed into oblivion. Dangerous, so heavy they damage roads, and don’t even fit on certain roads.
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Damian Carrington @dpcarrington.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
‘Alarming’ bug splat decline on UK cars raises fears for flying insect numbers - Annual survey of number plates from more than 25,000 journeys reveals 63% fall in squashed bugs since 2021 Story by @patrickbarkham.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘Alarming’ bug splat decline on UK cars raises fears for flying insect numbers
Annual survey of numberplates from more than 25,000 journeys reveals 63% fall in squashed bugs since 2021
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Paul @pe1st.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
Is there a way of halting the BBC's gratuitous use of American English? It's getting rediculous.
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Alexander Clarkson @aphclarkson.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
The New Observer seems to be part of a predominant paradigm among UK centre-left media and politics in which punching out at its core supporter base is seen as an edgy way of gaining acceptance among the commentator cool kids rather than as an act of political and commercial suicide.
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Will Yeates @wyeates.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
‘Alarming’ increase in levels of forever chemical TFA found in European wines www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘Alarming’ increase in levels of forever chemical TFA found in European wines
Wines produced after 2010 showed steep rise in contamination of trifluoroacetic acid, analysis finds
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Gerard McCarthy @germac.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
We published a signal-to-noise analysis of AMOC observations in GRL. TLDR: Direct observations (RAPID) of the AMOC do show a decline in line with climate model projected weakening (~1 Sv/decade) but the noise is still very large in comparison to the signal. Paper: doi.org/10.1029/2025...
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Paul @pe1st.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
So Ukraine gets nothing? Not sure that'll wash.
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AFP News Agency @en.afp.com · 23/04/2025
An unprecedented coral bleaching episode has spread to 84 percent of the world's reefs in an unfolding human-caused crisis that could kill off swathes of the essential ecosystems, scientists have warned. u.afp.com/SSrP
Underwater photo shows bleached and dead coral around Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef.
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Sam Bright @writesbright.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
The right-wing press has spread a load of baseless falsehoods about heat pumps. That’s the main reason why the technology is politically ‘controversial’. By banning Evan Davis from doing a podcast about heat pumps, the BBC is dancing to the tune of people pushing out blatant misinformation
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Glen Peters @glenpeters.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
The EU has released its latest GHG emission inventory, with data up to 2023. The good news, GHG emissions continue a downward trend, currently 37% below 1990 levels. The bad news, a significant downward revision of land-use removals (LULUCF). 1/
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Glen Peters @glenpeters.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
The EU forest sink is getting much weaker, with some major revisions based on updated data, particularly from Germany. LULUCF in 2020 was -270MtCO2, but is now -220MtCO2 (approx the same in 2010). The EU has a target of -300MtCO2! See details of the German revision: bsky.app/profile/robb... 2/2
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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
BBC muzzling one of its best presenters from making an excellent, wholly factual programme because heat pumps are “controversial”. An organisation badly in need of new leadership.
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Guardian Australia @australia.theguardian.com · 18/04/2025
Revealed: world’s largest meat company may break Amazon deforestation pledges again
theguardian.com
Revealed: world’s largest meat company may break Amazon deforestation pledges again
Brazilian ranchers in Pará and Rondônia say JBS can not achieve stated goal of deforestation-free cattle * Bibles, bullets and beef: Amazon cowboy culture at odds with Brazil’s climate goals * The life and death of a ‘laundered’ cow in the Amazon rainforest The world’s largest meat company, JBS, looks set to break its Amazon rainforest protection promises again, according to frontline workers. Beef production is the primary driver of deforestation, as trees are cleared to raise cattle, and scientists warn this is pushing the Amazon close to a tipping point that would accelerate its shift from a carbon sink into a carbon emitter. JBS, the Brazil-headquartered multinational that dominates the Brazilian cattle market, promised to address this with a commitment to clean up its beef supply chain in the region by the end of 2025. Continue reading...
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Steve Chambers @planningtransport.co.uk · 12/04/2025
Haven't even opened every station yet and already seeing high demand. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Northumberland Line longer trains plan as railway fills up
Despite only half its stations being open, passenger numbers on the new rail route exceed estimates.
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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
The Trump Administration's war on climate science, its mania for fossil fuels and its torching of environmental regulations risk doing far more damage than its tariff policy. Yet the former hardly flickers on the news radar by comparison with the latter.
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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
This chart was made in America by skilled artisans. It also provides important context for understanding our current tariff situation.
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Ben Walker @benwalker.org.uk · 10/04/2025
Real eye opener. Labour underperform my model by 10pts, Reform overperform by 10.
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Joseph Cotterill @jsphctrl.ft.com · 10/04/2025
JPMorgan estimates the US average effective tariff rate actually went *up* yesterday with the 125% tariff on China, from 23% to 25%. But it would go down to 12% in the “extreme case where Chinese imports shrink to zero.”
JPMorgan table of effective tariff rates, static estimates. Before April 2nd, the rate was 10%. From April 2nd to April 9th, it was 23.3%. As of yesterday - 125% on China, others ex Canada and Mexico at 10% - it is 25%, but 12% if China's import share goes to zero.

“Source: J.P. Morgan. Based on 2024 trade shares. CA/MX is the midpoint of a 1%-3% estimated range, as the share of goods that can be made USMCA compliant is not certain. For autos, the non-US content of CA/MX parts will eventually be taxed, but is not included here.”
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Naomi Klein @naomiaklein.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Get this: Commerce is slashing $ to Princeton's world-renowned climate research b/c modeling changes to Earth systems is "contributing to a phenomenon known as 'climate anxiety,' which has increased significantly among America’s youth." No research, no problem! www.commerce.gov/news/press-r...
commerce.gov
Ending Cooperative Agreements’ Funding to Princeton University
On Tuesday, April 8, 2025, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick announced that nearly $4 million in funding is ending to Princeton University after a detailed, careful, and thorough review of the...
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Damian Carrington @dpcarrington.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Mackerel populations near breaking point because of overfishing, say experts - Northeast Atlantic mackerel populations depleted: Good Fish Guide says shoppers should look for other options www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Mackerel stocks near breaking point because of overfishing, say experts
Northeast Atlantic mackerel populations depleted, and Good Fish Guide says shoppers should look for other options
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Times Higher Education (THE) @timeshighered.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Bluesky has overtaken its flailing rival X in hosting posts related to new academic research, indicating the platform is fast becoming the go-to place for scholars to share their work #AcademicSky #EduSky
timeshighereducation.com
X’s dominance ‘over’ as Bluesky becomes new hub for research
Data indicates more scholars turning to alternative social media site to post about their work after Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover
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Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
At a time when international students and scholars are turning away from America, instead of seizing this opportunity, Number 10 have a steely focus on winning the Runcorn by-election to help defend their wafer-thin majority of 174 seats.
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Nicolai von Ondarza @nvondarza.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
Important story that might be buried under another day of Trump induced market turmoil - there is mounting evidence that Russian actors had at least knowledge of some of the terror attacks that heavily influenced Germany‘s election campaign before they happened:
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Arthur Snell @snellarthur.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
It’s quite something to reflect that the tariff thing he’s done he doesn’t even have the legal right to do.
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Cenric @cenricc.bsky.social · 06/04/2025
Turtle doves 2 be shot for sport again across Europe as EU lifts hunting ban Ban since 2021 has increased numbers of globally vulnerable pigeon species that is close 2 extinction in UK www.theguardian.com/environment/... EU will allow hunters 2 shoot 132,000 birds across Spain, France & Italy
theguardian.com
Turtle doves to be shot for sport again across Europe as EU lifts hunting ban
Ban in place since 2021 has increased numbers of globally vulnerable pigeon species that is close to extinction in UK
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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 05/04/2025
Useful stuff (as ever) from @tobyn.bsky.social on.ft.com/41ZIqCE Bond investors bet that tariffs will inflict deep damage
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Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 04/04/2025
Britain's latest kick in the face of its universities is a reduction in science spend. Ridiculous. Good luck with your growth mission! There won't be any. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
researchprofessionalnews.com
Ministers confirm UK Research and Innovation budget will fall - Research Professional News
Funding agency’s allocation drops by £300m for 2025-26, despite rising R&D spending at science department
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Alex von Tunzelmann @alexvont.bsky.social · 04/04/2025
As the article (in thread) says, outsize SUVs cost the public purse more in terms of strain on the infrastructure & pollution, and are far more dangerous for pedestrians & cyclists. Yes, we should tax them and their usage heavily. Why on Earth should the rest of us subsidise this obnoxious trend?
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Olga Nesterova @onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 03/04/2025
🧵WaPo: A secret memo from SecDef Hegseth tells military: get ready for war with China over Taiwan. Everything else [Russia, Iran, terror groups] is secondary The memo copies parts of a 2024 Heritage Foundation report, now DOD guidance—almost word for word. The report’s co-author runs Pentagon policy
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hi, no thanks @hmmvryintrstng.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
james surowiecki has discovered where the completely fabricated trump tariff rate has come from for each country "...for every country, they just took our trade deficit with that country and divided it by the country's exports to us."
Just figured out where these fake tariff rates come from. They didn't actually calculate tariff rates + non-tariff barriers, as they say they did. Instead, for every country, they just took our trade deficit with that country and divided it by the country's exports to us.

So we have a $17.9 billion trade deficit with Indonesia. Its exports to us are $28 billion. $17.9/$28 = 64%, which Trump claims is the tariff rate Indonesia charges us. What extraordinary nonsense this is.
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Mike Bird @birdyword.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
Capital Economics: if today's announcements are implemented, the effective US tariff rate will shoot straight past the Smoot-Hawley levels of the 1930s. "The effective tariff rate on all imports will rise from 2.3% last year to around 26%, leaving it at a 131-year high"
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Dmitry Grozoubinski @explaintrade.com · 02/04/2025
1/ To expand on this angry cry from the soul with a bit of substance. Long rant coming, sorry. When Trump first started talking about "Reciprocal Tariffs" he claimed to mean a mirroring. If Barbados has a 15% tariff on US shoes, the US applies a 15% tariff on Bajan shoes to match, and so on...
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