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Paul Behrens

@profpaulbehrens.bsky.social
9.1K followers 151 following 457 posts

Prof at Oxford Martin School working on food, energy, and climate change. Book: The Best of Times The Worst of Times: Futures from the Frontiers of Climate Science shorturl.at/lzCTZ #ClimateChange #ClimateAction

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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Plant-rich diets are the food system's electrification. Petrol cars only see 18-25% of their fuel energy get to the wheels; EVs 87-91%. Heat pumps are 2 or 3 times more efficient. Food has its own combustion engine: a chicken turns about 13% of its feed calories into food, worse than a petrol car.
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
575 climate scientists, health professionals, and conservationists, me included, have asked the PM to reject Rosebank The field could emit up to 254 Mt of CO₂e. Total UK emissions was 367 Mt in 2025 As the IEA & others say we need no new fossil infrastructure 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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Akshat Rathi @akshatrathi.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
It was great talking to Paul Behrens on the Zero podcast about how to fix our fragile food system. If you've not heard the episode yet, please check it out. 🎁🔗 www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Had a great chat with @akshatrathi.bsky.social on the Bloomberg Zero podcast recently (links below). Here are three clips: 1) on misinformation, 2) on underestimation, and 3) on opportunities. link to full conversation here: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
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Dr Ella Gilbert @drgilbz.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Climate change adds extra, relentless pressure on food systems. And we're all paying the price at the supermarket. Speaking to @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social about food systems and climate. Check out the full episode here: youtu.be/zMxj5c28YiE (also available wherever you get your podcasts!)
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
It was good to talk with Ella about food, climate change, energy, and much more. Rarely have the opportunity to talk a bit more widely. You can see from the sheen that it was recorded during one of the heatwaves.
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Dr Ella Gilbert @drgilbz.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
I spoke to @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social about the impacts of climate heating on food systems. He's worried, and so am I. Watch the full conversation in ep. 2 of my new podcast, here: youtu.be/zMxj5c28YiE
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
"This is not a new normal. Going forwards, this will be the new abnormal." Three moments from Sky News last week: the harvest, what the government's security assessment says about land and diets, and how badly we underestimate each other.
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
I was on BBC Business Today yesterday on what's happened and what's coming for UK food. 34 million litres less milk this June. Around 60 million pints. Wheat is down 13%. Wholesale potato prices +40%, lettuce +90% We covered a Great Food Transformation: diet, waste, production, communities.
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National Emergency Briefing @nebriefing.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Must-listen interview with NEB food expert, @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social, on the looming food crisis. Paul speaks about the #NationalEmergencyBriefing from 22:44. @novaramedia.com #TimeToStepUp #PEBuk www.youtube.com/live/206_bow...
youtube.com
Britain Could Face Food Crisis As Droughts Continue | Novara Live
YouTube video by Novara Media
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
One third of global farmland is doing two-thirds of the damage, to the climate and wildlife. Regions causing both harm largely overlap. Cattle alone drive 29% of the farm carbon cost and 41% of the biodiversity cost. New paper today in @nature.com food-led by Baoxiao Liu doi.org/10.1038/s430...
doi.org
High-resolution carbon and biodiversity mapping shows correlated losses across space and agricultural products - Nature Food
Food systems substantially impact carbon storage and biodiversity, with food consumption driving four-fifths of losses on agricultural land, particularly through animal-sourced foods. Targeted interve...
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
I spoke to @thetimes.com on horrible yields and how there is no "new normal" "As bad as this year’s harvest is proving to be, Behrens warned against seeing it as a “new normal”. “Until we get our carbon emissions down things will continue to get much, much worse.”" www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
thetimes.com
Heatwave forces farmers to abandon crops as harvests fail
Extreme weather and rising costs see growers diversifying into alternative businesses, raising severe concerns over the future of British food security
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
I spoke with @owenjones.bsky.social recently about the withheld Joint Intelligence Committee report on food system pressures, and more. I mentioned that one report makes the point that "a wholesale change in consumer diets would be required" Full conversation here: youtu.be/nTYISpFTIq8?...
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National Emergency Briefing @nebriefing.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
NEB food expert Prof Paul Behrens interviewed by @owenjones.bsky.social. Why Britain is heading towards a food crisis unless we change direction urgently. To find out more, watch the People's Emergency Briefing film: www.nebriefing.org/screening-map #NationalEmergencyBriefing #TimeToStepUp #PEBuk
youtube.com
Britain Is on a “Pathway to Collapse”, Expert Warns
YouTube video by Owen Jones
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
I spoke with @owenjones.bsky.social recently about the withheld Joint Intelligence Committee report on food system pressures, and more. I mentioned that one report makes the point that "a wholesale change in consumer diets would be required" Full conversation here: youtu.be/nTYISpFTIq8?...
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Katharine Hayhoe @katharinehayhoe.com · 31/07/2026
When you're an athlete, climate impacts can hit hard. But for many, awareness also catalyses action! I asked two pro soccer/football players to give me their first-hand accounts in Talking Climate this week ⬇️
talkingclimate.ca
The future of sports depends on climate action
Pro soccer players Imani Dorsey Kunzweiler & Jasmyne Spencer on sports in a warming world
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Climate Centre @climatecentreuk.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
"This is the climate signal picking up, and it will drive food price inflation." England has had three of its five worst harvests on record, all since 2020. Heatwaves driven by climate change are putting crops, fruit, veg and livestock under strain. @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social on Times Radio.
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Oxford Martin School @oxmartinschool.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
What if national averages are hiding some of the biggest opportunities to improve both health and sustainability? 📈🍎 A new global study involving researchers from @oxmartinschool.bsky.social challenges the idea that one-size-fits-all food policies are enough 👇 bit.ly/4q3g4BX
oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk
Tailored food policies could cut emissions and improve health, global…
The Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford brings together the best minds from different fields to tackle the most pressing issues of the 21st…
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Caroline Lucas @carolinelucas.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Episode 2 out today! Thanks so much Paul - it was a huge pleasure to have you on the podcast & to talk about how we can overcome the UK’s enormous vulnerability to food shocks @therestpolitics.bsky.social
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
"We, the undersigned, urge the Prime Minister to convene a live, televised emergency briefing, delivered by independent experts." We've an open letter in the FT today calling on Andy Burnham to hold a national emergency briefing on climate and nature.
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
1/ We've a new paper: The highest-impact diets belong to the people with the most choices. In @nature.com Food, led by Oliver Taherzadeh and Hongyi Cai: across 165 countries, the highest dietary emissions per person are among highly educated urban men aged 15-34. doi.org/10.1038/s43016-026-01389-y
doi.org
Dietary environmental impacts and quality differ by socio-demographic characteristics - Nature Food
Dietary intake and supply chain data from 165 countries reveal demographic disparities in diet-related environmental impacts. Impacts are greatest among young, highly educated urban men, and healthier...
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
One minute you're okay, the next you're not. "bad luck" will happen far more often. This is climate change. June cereal yields were +2%, 18 days later and this. Heat hit at grain fill. As 60% ish of euro cereals goes to feed, this will also impact animal food prices. www.ft.com/content/c528...
ft.com
European heatwave wiped €2bn from value of grain crop, analysis estimates
France and Hungary worst hit by lost production of maize and wheat
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National Emergency Briefing @nebriefing.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Andy, we totally agree. Over 100 MPs back our Parliamentary Call for a live televised emergency briefing on the climate and nature crisis. www.nebriefing.org/parliamentar... Another 28 have signed the EDM edm.parliament.uk/early-day-mo...
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
An ex-general Richard Nugee and former diplomat @snellarthur.bsky.social on why the people who assess threats for a living now count ecosystem collapse as one of them. Ep 1 of @carolinelucas.bsky.social new 4-part series on The Rest Is Politics I'm in ep 2 out Fri www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJUK...
youtube.com
The Secret Security Threat The Government Don’t Want Us To Know. | FIRST LOOK
YouTube video by The Rest Is Politics
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
An ex-general Richard Nugee and former diplomat @snellarthur.bsky.social on why the people who assess threats for a living now count ecosystem collapse as one of them. Ep 1 of @carolinelucas.bsky.social new 4-part series on The Rest Is Politics I'm in ep 2 out Fri www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJUK...
youtube.com
The Secret Security Threat The Government Don’t Want Us To Know. | FIRST LOOK
YouTube video by The Rest Is Politics
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Zero Hour: the campaign for climate and nature @zero-hour.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
🚨 Heatwaves, wildfires, droughts. Food insecurity, infrastructure closures, hospitals stretched. 🌿 Andy Burnham has a choice. Prioritise people or polluters. 💥 Donate to our Crowdfunder, and help us call on Andy to act now to Secure Our Future. 👉 crowdfunder.co.uk/p/secure-our-future-for-us
youtube.com
🌍 Donate to Zero Hour’s Crowdfunder—and help call on Andy Burnham to Secure Our Future 💥
YouTube video by Zero Hour: the campaign for climate and nature
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
MPs "have demanded full publication of an explosive report by the UK’s spy leaders that found the collapse of ecosystems overseas would have catastrophic consequences for the UK’s national security." www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
theguardian.com
UK has ‘no future’ if it fails to act on ecosystem collapse threatening national security
MPs demand publication of full report that outlines catastrophic consequences amid concerns for food security
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
MPs "have demanded full publication of an explosive report by the UK’s spy leaders that found the collapse of ecosystems overseas would have catastrophic consequences for the UK’s national security." www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
theguardian.com
UK has ‘no future’ if it fails to act on ecosystem collapse threatening national security
MPs demand publication of full report that outlines catastrophic consequences amid concerns for food security
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Richard Burgon MP @richardburgon.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
This extreme weather of the past week isn't a one-off. It's part of a dangerous new norm. The oil and gas companies fuelling the climate crisis - and driving up your energy bills - shouldn't be funding our politics. I've tabled an Amendment to ban oil and gas donations to political parties.
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Johanna Vogel @johannavogel.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
"New research from the @oxmartinschool.bsky.social and Leiden University estimates that the world's highest-consuming 10% are responsible for up to $5.7 trillion in environmental damage every year. ... the costs rival the global funding required to address climate and biodiversity crises, ... 1/
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Oxford Martin School @oxmartinschool.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
What will it take to achieve healthier, more sustainable diets? 🥦🥕 The new Chellaram Programme for Healthy and Sustainable Diets brings together researchers from across @ox.ac.uk to investigate one of the defining challenges of our time. 🔗 Read more: www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/news/chellar...
oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk
Chellaram Foundation £5 million gift to Oxford launches new programme…
The Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford brings together the best minds from different fields to tackle the most pressing issues of the 21st…
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Pete Scarborough @petescarbs.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Great to start work on this exciting new research programme on healthy and sustainable diets! Working with some amazing teams at Oxford to explore how to enable and encourage dietary change in the UK and beyond.
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James Dyke @jamesgdyke.info · 23/06/2026
Gave an interview to @news.sky.com earlier this evening about heatwaves. I said I gave a very similar interview 10 years ago (that time to BBC) about heatwaves. Politicians have failed to act. Societies have failed to adapt. And here we are. We are in dangerous climate change.
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
New paper out: The environmental bill of the top 10% of consumers is more than $1.7 to $5.7 trillion a year. "The top 10%" sounds like billionaires but it's essentially the middle class of the wealthy world & up: more than 60% live in the US & EU, 2% in India 🧵 www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘Mega-consumers’ of food and energy cost environment $5.7tn a year, study finds
Top 10% generate climate and biodiversity damage bill that exceeds economies of most countries, say researchers
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
New paper out: The environmental bill of the top 10% of consumers is more than $1.7 to $5.7 trillion a year. "The top 10%" sounds like billionaires but it's essentially the middle class of the wealthy world & up: more than 60% live in the US & EU, 2% in India 🧵 www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘Mega-consumers’ of food and energy cost environment $5.7tn a year, study finds
Top 10% generate climate and biodiversity damage bill that exceeds economies of most countries, say researchers
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 18/06/2026
‘Mega-consumers’ of food and energy cost environment $5.7tn a year, study finds
theguardian.com
‘Mega-consumers’ of food and energy cost environment $5.7tn a year, study finds
Top 10% generate climate and biodiversity damage bill that exceeds economies of most countries, say researchers The environmental damage bill racked up by the highest-consuming 10% of the world’s population has reached up to $5.7tn a year – larger than the economy of every country except the US and China, a study has found. Mega-consumers in this group are concentrated in the global north, accounting for more than half the population of the US and 40-45% of people in the EU. Continue reading...
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Dr. Aaron Thierry @thierryaaron.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Brilliantly insightful talk by @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social speaking at @gsiexeter.bsky.social on the systemic risks facing our food system. Unfortunately the sound quality is quite poor, but I found that I could follow along ok with the captions turned on.
youtube.com
Professor Paul Behrens - 'Fragility by Design: Rethinking Resilience for a Turbulent Century’
YouTube video by University of Exeter
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Annie Leymarie @annieleymarie.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Another brilliant explainer on food systems, their impacts and the solutions, by @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social (tldw? Short 🧵with 5 key slides below) www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkzd...
youtube.com
Professor Paul Behrens - 'Fragility by Design: Rethinking Resilience for a Turbulent Century’
YouTube video by University of Exeter
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Jeremy Clarkson has changed his view on climate change but doesn't know what to do about it. Let's get him along to the @nebriefing.bsky.social so he can find out! I'm also available for briefings and no one has to know! Can anyone get in touch with him? www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttDS...
youtube.com
Temperature records “are now broken everyday” says Jeremy Clarkson #farm #farming #climate #topgear
YouTube video by Climate Centre
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Zero Hour: the campaign for climate and nature @zero-hour.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
⚡ Great to see @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social in the @theguardian.com, urging MPs like Andrew George to pick up the Nature + National Security Bill and help build a more resilient, affordable and healthier future for Britain. 🔗 www.theguardian.com/environment/...
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
I wrote to the Guardian on the need for a Nature and National Security Bill as proposed by @zero-hour.bsky.social - national security isn't just jets and ships but whether we can feed ourselves and keep homes dry... www.theguardian.com/environment/...
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Dr. Aaron Thierry @thierryaaron.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Important letter in @theguardian.com from @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social "This is not alarmism. As the @thecccuk.bsky.social report shows, our high-grade farmland in England & Wales could collapse from 40% to just over 10% by 2050, striking at our ability to feed ourselves."
theguardian.com
The climate is changing, and so too must Britain | Letters
Letters: Readers respond to warnings from the Climate Change Committee and the fact that heatwaves are becoming the norm
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Mark Fabian @markfabian.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
New episode of ePODstemology! Prof Paul Behrens from Oxford is on to discuss the role of demand management in mitigating climate change with a special focus on food systems. If UK residents only ate meat twice a week, we could recover land equal to Scotland! www.buzzsprout.com/1763534/epis...
buzzsprout.com
Eat your way to a better world - ePODstemology
Paul Behrens is British Academy Global Professor at the University of Oxford and Reapra Senior Research Fellow at the Wellbeing Research Centre there. He is an industrial ecologist examining how the w...
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Global Systems Institute @gsiexeter.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Remember to join us tomorrow for our talk with @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social, who will discuss the fragility of vital systems and their vulnerability to shocks from the climate crisis. You can sign up to attend online or in-person using this very short form forms.office.com/e/Tp8EaV3VK8 #GSIExeter
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Another scorching day. The Climate Change Committee's ratings on how ready the UK is for climate change. 🟥 Red: Insufficient 🟧 Orange: Limited 🟨 Yellow: Partial 🟩 Green: Good Delivery: 0 good. Policies/plans: just 3. We're sleepwalking into this... but hard to sleep in the heat. 🧵 1/2
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Our new statement urges countries not to weaken ambition w/ revised "temperature neutrality" goals & metrics that justify them. Methane is a powerful lever, and high-emitting countries can do more than simply keep emissions stable. We have the tech & knowledge insideclimatenews.org/news/2005202...
insideclimatenews.org
Top Climate Scientists Accuse the Livestock Industry of Pushing Fuzzy Math to Downplay Its Climate Warming Emissions - Inside Climate News
An alternative emissions-calculating methodology underpins revised, less ambitious methane-reduction targets.
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
40+ scientists (incl. me) warn that new methane accounting metrics such as "no additional warming", "temperature neutrality” are being used to grandfather high emitters, penalise developing countries, and undermine the Global Methane Pledge. Full statement: methanescience.org
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
New documentary out about climate impacts on food now on Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhpQ... Climate change is affecting global agriculture in many complex ways. The documentary is a great way to start understanding what is happening and how we can address it.
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
On the back of the Climate Change Committee's Well-Adapted UK report today I've been part of this call on the urgency of addressing food and nutrition security. Letter below
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
If you're in the UK, please support and share this petition to hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks. It's growing fast, let's get to 10,000 by the end of this week! Then the government will respond to it 100,000 and it is debated in parliament petition.parliament.uk/petitions/76...
petition.parliament.uk
Petition: Hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks
The UK faces growing risks from climate and nature breakdown - from extreme weather to economic disruption and national security threats. Yet the public has never been given a clear national briefing ...
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