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Rob Larter

@polarrobs.bsky.social
2.8K followers 1K following 1.7K posts

Polar marine scientist. UK Science Lead in Science Coordination Office of International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration. Views are my own. On Mastodon @PoLaRobs@fediscience.org

PostsRepliesMedia
Rob Larter @polarrobs.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
ALERT! Antarctic sea ice extent today tied with that in 2023 for the record low for the date, and on the present trajectory it is about to set new records. Graphic by @zacklabe.com zacklabe.com/antarctic-se...
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Prof William Ripple @williamripple.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Scientists worldwide: We invite you to sign the World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity: A Third Notice. Thirty-five years after the first warning, we now declare a planetary emergency. Please read, sign, and share by going to this link: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... @ecowarriorss.bsky.social
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Rob Larter @polarrobs.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
🧵🧪❄️ Shockingly, Swiss #glaciers have lost about 2 km³ of ice, 5.5% of their remaining volume this summer. Over the past 5 years the losses total about 10 km³. www.bluewin.ch/en/news/swit...
bluewin.ch
blue News | bluewin E-Mail | News, Politik, Sport, People
News und Sport aus der Schweiz & International, Politik, Wetter, People und Livestreams - Webmail Login für Bluewin E-Mail
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Covering Climate Now @coveringclimatenow.org · 01/10/2026
Oatly, the world’s largest producer of oat milk, is sending a new message to its consumers: Most people want their governments to take action on climate change. buff.ly/MjTYo8R #the89percent
buff.ly
The world's largest oat milk producer has joined an unusual climate journalism campaign
The world’s largest producer of oat milk, Oatly, is pushing its customers and their governments to act on climate change, in a new milk carton campaign that's taking off in Europe and is expected in t...
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Athanasios Nikolaou @thanasisnikolaou.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
‘Explosion of melt rates’: 20% of Swiss glaciers lost in five years www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘Explosion of melt rates’: 20% of Swiss glaciers lost in five years
Alpine regions in Europe experiencing extreme glacier collapse due to heat-trapping effects of fossil fuel pollution
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Rob Larter @polarrobs.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
🧵🧪🌊❄️ This headline refers to the annual maximum in mid-September. Since then Antarctic sea-ice extent has been decreasing unusually rapidly for the time of year and is now second lowest for the date (after the record year of 2023). www.carbonbrief.org/concerning-l...
carbonbrief.org
‘Concerning’ low sea ice persists as Antarctic hits third-lowest winter peak - Carbon Brief
Antarctic sea ice has recorded its third-smallest winter peak extent since satellite records began 48 years ago, new data reveals.
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Green Alliance @green-alliance.org.uk · 29/09/2026
This summer didn't just break records for extreme heat, the amount of work required of London's emergency services also set new records. In the latest episode of our podcast, deputy mayor of London, Mete Coban, explains why this should be an alarm bell for action on adaptation.
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Sam Carana @samcarana.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
On September 26, 2026, Antarctic sea ice extent was 1.46 million km² lower than 1981-2010, the second lowest on record for that day and a deviation of -3.54σ. The blue band in the middle indicates one standard deviation from the 1981-2010 average. arctic-news.blogspot.com/2026/09/tele...
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Rob Larter @polarrobs.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
For where I live this tells me "In your area, the average daily high during June, July and August was 26C, according to provisional Met Office data." "This is 3.7C above the long-term summer average between 1991 and 2020." Not 3.7C above pre-industrial. Above 1991-2020 🥵
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Rob Larter @polarrobs.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The scariest aspect of this is that we may not know we've passed the tipping point until it has already happened. @rahmstorf.bsky.social in 2024: "Nothing dramatic happens at the tipping point. That just means AMOC is then doomed and it will slowly die, but that process could take 50 to 100 years."
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Rob Larter @polarrobs.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
It appears that Antarctic sea-ice may already have reached its maximum extent this year at 17.6 million km². If this turns out to be the case it has occurred earlier than usual and is the third lowest maximum on record. Graphic by @zacklabe.com zacklabe.com/antarctic-se...
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friendsofthecam.bsky.social @friendsofthecam.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Fantastic talk from Cameron Adams on the myth of water availability for Cambridge growth plans. Recording and slides will soon be on our web pages.
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Rob Larter @polarrobs.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Tonight in Cambridge.
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Rob Larter @polarrobs.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
"... what we need people to understand is that net zero is literally a description of scientific fact. If we don’t reach net zero emissions, we will see temperatures continue to rise.” This cannot be repeated too often.
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Steven J Phipps @stevenjphipps.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
According to the latest analysis by @zekehausfather.com and @carbonbrief.org, the 2026 El Niño event remains on track to smash the all-time record. As of 19 September, the sea surface temperature anomaly in the tropical Pacific Ocean has tied the all-time record.
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Damian Carrington @dpcarrington.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
How Saudi oil scientists ended up working on the world’s most important climate reports - Guardian investigation reveals fossil fuel links of IPCC authors, with experts declaring the body’s conflict of interest policy ‘not fit for purpose’ #climatecrisis www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
How Saudi oil scientists ended up working on the world’s most important climate reports
Guardian investigation reveals fossil fuel links of IPCC authors, with experts declaring the body’s conflict of interest policy ‘not fit for purpose’
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Prof Ian Hall @ianhall.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
“Our conclusions are that Rosebank is not compatible with the UK Government’s national and international obligations to protect communities from the adverse effects of climate change.” I’m one of the 575. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
independent.co.uk
Burnham urged to reject new North Sea drilling days before first Trump meeting
Almost 600 climate scientists, health professionals and conservationists have warned against approving the Rosebank oil field
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
@sammyroth.bsky.social gets it. “Ho’s point is well taken. Wouldn’t it be nice if news outlets, politicians and business titans took climate devastation as seriously as they did a hypothetical AI apocalypse?”
climatecoloredgoggles.com
Artificial insanity
A conversation with investigative journalist Amy Westervelt that is NOT about AI killing us all.
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Rob Larter @polarrobs.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
For a vision of the future of the East Anglia's Fenland, see this. But hey, don't let that get in the way of building a desperately needed new reservoir on land at present day sea level and not far from tidal rivers.
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Rob Larter @polarrobs.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
In case anyone is still under the illusion that there is any coordinated planning for new transport infrastructure around Cambridge. It has been clear for several years that @greatercambs.bsky.social couldn't organise a drinks party in a brewery.
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Rob Larter @polarrobs.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/news/big-que... 🧵 'The government approved the controversial £192million busway, designed by the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP), last week but acknowledged “limitations and uncertainties in relation to the extent of some claimed benefits”.'
cambridgeindependent.co.uk
Big questions remain over benefits of £192m busway
Government admits the busway won’t improve congestion east of Grange Road.
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Kees van der Leun @sustainable2050.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Glaciologist @matthias-huss.bsky.social shows that the centre of the Great Aletsch glacier in Switzerland (the biggest in the Alps) lost 6 meters(!) of thickness just this summer. "No words...", he adds on LinkedIn.
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Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 09/09/2026
Last month was the all-time hottest month on record globally (albeit very close to July 2023). This was not surprising at all unfortunately... Graphic from zacklabe.com/climate-chan... using ERA5 data.
Graph showing monthly-mean global mean near-surface air temperatures for 2026 using a red line. There is a strong seasonal cycle, with a peak during the boreal summer season. There is a long-term warming trend. 2025 is also indicated, which was the warmest year on record. The other years from 1940 to 2025 are shown with sequential coloring for purple to yellow in each respective line. Data is from ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis. The graphic is updated through August 2026.
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Rob Larter @polarrobs.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
This decision is a clear case of development at all costs and stuff the environment. Pave paradise and put up a guided busway.
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Rob Larter @polarrobs.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
The greening continues. This sequence of photos shows the change over just 2 weeks since the #drought was broken in South Cambridgeshire. The capacity of #grass to recover after appearing to be entirely dead really is remarkable.
A lawn that appears entirely dead on 26th August. Some trees and bushes can be seen in the background, there is a garden fence on the left and a greenhouse on the right.The same scene as in the previous photo on 2nd September, in which some green tufts of grass have appeared.The same scene as in the previous photos today (8th September), but there is now green grass over most of the lawn.
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The News Agents @thenewsagents.co.uk · 05/09/2026
"The magician’s spell is broken and the story has changed... Farage knew that was the risk." Will a new investigation into Reform funding bring the party down or, as its supporters tell Lewis Goodall, is it just the work of "sad, stupid lefties"? www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/has-...
thenewsagents.co.uk
Has Reform’s spell finally been broken? | The News Agents
The 2026 Reform UK conference is set to be overshadowed by a new funding controversy for Nigel Farage and his associates, after an undercover investigation exposed plans to take overseas money. Can…
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Robert Rohde @rarohde.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Let's talk about the weather and climate changes that preceded the Nepali glacier collapse and landslide. It's well known that Nepal is warming, but we can do better and estimate the changes at the 5200m elevation site where the mass of ice and rock ultimately broke loose. A thread. 🧵🧪
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The Bear @bearlypolitics.co.uk · 03/09/2026
There are very few things that will get me to break my no-writing-at-night rule these days. An undercover @channel4news.bsky.social investigation into Reform UK, foreign money, hidden polling arrangements and some truly remarkable quotes? That's definitely one of them.
bearlypolitics.co.uk
What Else Don’t We Know About Reform UK’s Money?
Channel 4 has uncovered one alleged route for undisclosed political funding. The obvious question is whether there are others.
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Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Stop whatever you’re doing & watch this now! Reform’s magic money tree has been bust wide open. Huge kudos to undercover reporters Verbatim via @channel4news.bsky.social youtu.be/aXut3s90rUI?... huge
youtu.be
Undercover: Exposing Reform's secret donations plot
YouTube video by Channel 4 News
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Rob Larter @polarrobs.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
What a difference a week and some #rain make, after the driest summer in South Cambridgeshire since records began. Photos comparing last Wednesday vs today. It's amazing how quickly the ground starts to turn #green again.
Entirely brown grass verge on 26th August with beech hedge on the left, asphalt footpath on the right and a rose bush right of centre.Entirely brown lawn containing bare patches on 26th August, with fence panels on the left, greenhouse on the right and some bushes and trees in the centre beyond the lawn.Tufts with new shoots of green grass appearing in lawn on 2nd September, with fence panels on the left, greenhouse on the right and some bushes and trees in the centre beyond the lawn.New shoots of green grass on the same verge on 2nd September, with beech hedge on the left, asphalt footpath on the right and a rose bush right of centre.
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Met Office - weather and climate @metoffice.gov.uk · 01/09/2026
Summer 2026 is provisionally the UK’s warmest summer on record with the season’s mean temperature made around 130 times more likely due to human-induced climate change. Here, we delve into the numbers 🧵
Mean temperature for 2026 in the UK. The map shows widely above average temperature, particularly in the south. Rainfall amounts in summer 2026 in the UK compared to average. The maps shows widely dry conditions, though the west of Scotland is slightly wetter than averageSunshine duration in summer 2026 compared to average. The map shows widely sunny conditions in the season, with the south of the country particularly sunny.
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Bill McKibben @billmckibben.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
billmckibben.substack.com/p/the-growin... That glacier collapse left 99 percent of the ice up there—and there are tens of thousands of glaciers in the region If we’re serious about stopping this, we need all-out climate action now
billmckibben.substack.com
The growing rumble
Politics--alas--is what we need
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friendsofthecam.bsky.social @friendsofthecam.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Where will we get the water for us to continue living in Cambridgeshire? Let alone for the growth planned by the Greater Cambridge Development Corporation. Join us as Cameron Adams addresses this, with his years of experience working for the Environment Agency. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/where-and-...
eventbrite.co.uk
Where and how will we get our water?
Growth planned for Cambridge is unrealistic as drought declared across the region; chalk streams are in peril; and reservoirs run low.
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Rob Larter @polarrobs.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
"The foolish shortsightedness of it all is that even though there is, ... a sense that glaciers and floods and famines are happening all the way over there, their knock-on effects and food supply challenges, and political and refugee crises, will affect us all." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
The Nepal floods seem a world away – but make no mistake, climate breakdown will affect us all | Nesrine Malik
Richer countries might have more resources to deal with catastrophe, but this problem grips the entire planet, however much leaders may want to deny it, says Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik
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The Weather Network @weathernetwork.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Experts who research both glacier hydrology and the effects global warming is having on the frozen parts of the planet known as the cryosphere say this was the kind of catastrophe they've been warning about for years, particularly in the Himalayas. ow.ly/KeIs50ZH235
ow.ly
Scientists fear Nepal's disaster a preview of carnage climate change could cause - The Weather Network
Global warming contributes to conditions that make a glacier collapses, floods more likely, experts say
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Andy Burge 🇬🇧🇪🇺 @andygjburge.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
I wrote about this below and Londoners should heed my words. Go to the hustings. Ask him the real reason he wants to remove your rights and when he lies, hit the bastard with facts. The Tories are every bit as extreme as Reform now. Londoners should tell him so to his face 3/3 tinyurl.com/4e33m85e
tinyurl.com
The ECHR and the Far-Right
A battle for the soul of the UK
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Kevin Anderson @kevinclimate.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Emit today & fix it tomorrow. Proposal by Loo/Allen/etc for new N.Sea oil & gas developments to be conditional on fossil-fuel execs promising to neutralise emissions thro' future CCS & “engineered removals”. static1.squarespace.com/static/6356a... My response: climateuncensored.com/response-to-...
climateuncensored.com
Response to Open Letter to DESNZ about Rosebank & Jackdaw - Climate Uncensored
Response to a letter from Stephanie Loo, Myles Allen & colleagues to the DESNZ Secretary of State about offsetting continued fossil fuel production with
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Rob Larter @polarrobs.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Reported as if scientists delivering this warning is a new development.
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Jonathan Overpeck @greatlakespecktwo.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
More about the science behind new El Niño research going viral in news this week. Bottomline: El Niño's and their huge costly impacts are likely getting supercharged by human-caused climate change, and will get worse until we stop burning fossil fuels. news.umich.edu/el-ninos-mor...
news.umich.edu
El Niños more intense over last 40 years than previous 1,000, according to U-M study
As an El Niño of historic proportions is taking shape in the tropical Pacific, a University of Michigan study has found that El Niño events have become nearly 40% stronger in the last 40 years than th...
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The Conversation AUNZ @aunz.theconversation.com · 27/08/2026
The glaciers of the Himalayas aren’t safe from climate change. The sudden collapse of a glacier looks to have triggered disaster in Nepal.
theconversation.com
Tsunami of dirt: what caused Nepal’s deadly glacial flood?
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Dr. Wendy Bohon @drwendyrocks.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
It was lovely to work on this article with @meghansmiller.bsky.social and @ahusker.bsky.social. Hopefully it will help answer some of the ongoing questions about the recent destructive earthquakes. theconversation.com/are-earthqua...
theconversation.com
Are earthquakes becoming more common? Here’s what the numbers say
Scientists have been able to catalogue the largest earthquakes for a very long time.
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The Bear @bearlypolitics.co.uk · 26/08/2026
Oh, nice, we’ll just be handing tech firms a bit more freedom to do exactly what they want with our data. What could possibly go wrong? Also, one small point: if we substantially diverge from EU data-protection standards, the big win for small businesses wouldn’t be “freedom from red tape”.
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All Our Yesterdays @allouryesterdays.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Nice piece about carbon capture and storage and Rosebank/Jackdaw by @drandrewboswell.bsky.social graceblakeley.substack.com/p/the-ccs-es...
graceblakeley.substack.com
The CCS Escape Hatch for North Sea Drilling
Supporters of CCS technology say we can mitigate the climate impact of drilling in the North Sea. The science says otherwise.
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Scientific American @sciam.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
The world’s oceans hit 21.10 degrees Celsius last Saturday, breaking a record set in 2024. And it's only going to get worse.
scientificamerican.com
Earth’s oceans just hit their hottest temperature ever recorded
The world’s oceans hit 21.10 degrees Celsius last Saturday, breaking a record set in 2024
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Fossilised technology continues to wreck the climate and the owners of it continue to pump out propaganda saying that we can afford to move away from it slowly. We can't. It is a lie. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
World's oceans hit highest temperature on record as El Niño grows
The record "is another clear signal of an ocean under growing stress", according to Dr Samantha Burgess from the European Copernicus climate change service.
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Dr. Aaron Thierry @thierryaaron.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
In this @insideclimatenews.org article I'm quoted by @bberwyn.bsky.social saying that: “It feels like the #climate issue is actually getting less attention & I find that deeply concerning" Here's a thread with evidence of declines in coverage from UK 🇬🇧, France 🇫🇷, US 🇺🇸 & beyond 🧵 #EndClimateSilence
insideclimatenews.org
Extreme Heat Waves Fuel Political Tensions in Europe - Inside Climate News
At the limits of adaptation, governments face a choice: point fingers, or seize the moment for transformational change.
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Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 23/08/2026
🚨 Preliminary daily data shows we just broke the all-time highest global sea surface temperature in this record... Download high-resolution graphic at zacklabe.com/climate-chan.... This data (extrapolar ocean) is provided by @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social ERA5. 🌊
Graph showing daily global mean sea surface temperatures for 2026. This is also compared to the daily data from the 1981-2010 average and 1991-2020 average. Annotations are also shown to the current year with the other years from 1940 to 2026. There is a seasonal cycle. There is a long-term warming trend. 2023 and 2024 are also indicated, which were the warmest years on record. Data is from ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis and updated through 21 August 2026.
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Andy Burge 🇬🇧🇪🇺 @andygjburge.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... What a lovely article - a delight to read.
theguardian.com
Walking the Peak District, I discovered a wonderful rejection of the right’s monotone vision of England | John Harris
The landscape was striking, but so was the diversity of the hikers. We can make this the new normal – and we should, says Guardian columnist John Harris
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Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
I’m off to Edinburgh today ahead of my seven shows at this year’s Fringe. As ever, my train ‘journey’ has got off to a spectacular start.
The Poet Now Standing at Platform 3A
 
The poet now standing at platform 3A
is the delayed 16.40 speaker for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 
calling at: Longwaite; Anguish; Bleakside;
Much Wallowing-in-the-Mire; Little Hope; 
Hangdog Manor; High Dudgeon; Irk; Fuckham; Mope; 
Doldrum Parkway; Wearyside Central; and Wits End.
                                                 
We are sorry to announce this poet is delayed 
by approximately one hour and fifteen minutes. 
Please listen for further announcements.
We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause.
 
The poet now standing at platform 3A
is the delayed 16.40 speaker for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Please note, this poet will now NOT be stopping at:
Great Ease; Serenity Junction; or Arrival-on-Time.




This poet has been delayed by approximately one hour 
and forty-eight minutes.
Customers are advised to stand well back from the poet, 
who’s on edge.
Please listen for further announcements.
We apologise for the disruption to your journey today.
 
The poet currently standing at platform 3A
is the delayed 16.40 speaker for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
This poet consists of nine elements: 
oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, tedium, delirium, 
odium, caffeine, shortbread, and despair.

A trolley service, featuring mild palpitations and a selection
of hot and cold sweats, is trundling through this poet.
This poet has been delayed by approximately two hours 
and twenty-three minutes.

Please listen for further disruptions.
We apologise for the announcements to your journey today.
There has been a platform altercation.
The agony at platform 3A does not stop here.
The 16.40 speaker for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 
has been disrupted.
Customers should not bore the poet at this time.
 
The platform now standing on poet 3A has been delayed
by approximately three hours and forty-two minutes.
We apologise for the apologies to your disruptions today.

If you hear an announcement that doesn’t sound right,
seek your stash. Or text a local dealer on 61016 
to help you through this. 
He’ll sort it. Seek it. Pay it. Snorted.

Please note that for your safety and comfort 
this station operates a no trains policy.
 



The fringe now standing at festival 16.40 is the delayed 
3A platform for the Edinburgh poet.
We are sorry to announce that this poet has been waylaid
by approximately four hours and twenty-two minutes.
Will passengers intending to travel on this service
make their way to the platform as the poet is now ready to jump.
 
Please note that longings must not be left unattended 
at this station. Any hope left unattended 
may be removed without warning, or destroyed.
 
This is a customer announcement.
The 16.40 speaker for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 
has terminated here.
A bard replacement service will be in operation.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.


Brian Bilston
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Rob Larter @polarrobs.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Informative article on the environmental, economic and energy security issues surrounding decisions on future oil and gas exploration in the North Sea, with commentary from experts exposing the disingenuous nonsense being talked by some politicians. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Drill, Burnham, drill? The oil basin that is a totem for Trump - and a headache for Britain’s new PM
North Sea oil, once the driving force of the UK economy, may be dwindling but it remains a symbol of prestige and a rich resource for political debate
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