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Rachel Donald

@racheldonald.bsky.social
18K followers 372 following 314 posts

I investigate why the world is in crisis: www.planetcritical.com I also investigate what to do about it: www.planetcoordinate.com Join subscribers in 188 countries. OOO until Nov.

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Reposted by Rachel Donald
Simon Evans @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org · 03/08/2026
🧵Right-leaning newspapers are trying to blame Europe's raging wildfires on everything EXCEPT fossil fuels 1. The Wall Street Journal Frontpage story: "Greece fights wildfires as Europe crisis spreads" WSJ editorial: "How green policies fuel fires in Europe"
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Reposted by Rachel Donald
Brooke Harrington @ebharrington.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
"don't make enough money" is a fig leaf All those degree programs--social work, art, etc.--have disproportionately female student bodies. This is designed to make it harder for women to attend college--college education being a key factor in women's autonomy from men & left-leaning voting pattern.
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Invasive species management has little to do with ecology and everything to do with economics Which is exactly why some introduced species, like 'cattle', are not treated as invasive while anything that harms it is Full ep with @clarefollmann.bsky.social: www.planetcritical.com/clare-follmann/
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Hopefully his cohost will be more amenable in future to dialoguing about a.i. rather than insisting that there is no debate to be had about the technology's deployment—this seems an unusual position from someone who built their public reputation as an elected representative of the people.
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
I'm grateful @alastaircampbell2.bsky.social reads my work, and extremely grateful he drew attention to the outrageous proposal for a data centre on Scottish soil: www.planetcritical.com/plans-for-ma...
planetcritical.com
One of the biggest data centres in the world is being planned on Scottish soil. The plans for it are so obviously bullshit the developers must think we're fools.
Locals are rallying against the CATO, an allegedly "net zero", "zero waste" data centre which will "harvest rainwater" while providing "data sovereignty".
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
You know what is a science? All of the academic work warning us about our natural resource depletion, rapidly changing climactic conditions, and geopolitical insecurity, each worsened by much of Silicon Valley's technologies, and certainly the political habits of the tech billionaires.
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
The only "science" behind the inevitability of a.i. is the slick propagandist narratives which are manufacturing consent for its development at the expense of our communities, job security, natural resources and democracies.
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Stewart said the global markets are betting on a.i. On this we agree: the bubble is keeping the global economy afloat as investors pour money into these loss-making companies in the vain hope this energy and materials-intensive technology will one day turn a profit—because betting is not a science.
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
These are false comparisons. A.i. is not an energy source (wind), nor an energy converter (steam). Instead, a.i. is a huge energy and materials consumer. This is what makes it economically valuable—and vulnerable. A.i. adds to GDP because of how it consumes, not what it produces.
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
This morning on @therestpolitics.bsky.social, @rory-stewart.bsky.social said my position on a.i not being an inevitability was "essentially wrong". He compared the development of a.i. to the industrial revolution, and made subsequent comparisons between the technology and energy: wind, steam etc.
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
I listened this morning! I think that his opinion is of a different era. Were we having this conversation in the 90s, then yes, perhaps the sprawl of a.i. would be "inevitable". But our ecological and social reality is very different to then. We are simply confronted with energy and material limits.
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Scotland has no need of a technology which is only causing massive lay-offs, widening the wealth gap, and perpetuating racist and sexist biases. The locals want no part in it. Help them resist it now. www.planetcritical.com/plans-for-ma...
planetcritical.com
One of the biggest data centres in the world is being planned on Scottish soil. The plans for it are so obviously bullshit the developers must think we're fools.
Locals are rallying against the CATO, an allegedly "net zero", "zero waste" data centre which will "harvest rainwater" while providing "data sovereignty".
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
These centres are anti-democratic, anti-ecological, and anti-independence. Not only do they undermine local public infrastructure and damage local ecosystems, they deepen the pockets of some of the most dangerous men in the world.
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
This data centre will dwarf the neighbouring village of Auchtertool in Fife. It's being proposed by a renewable energy developer who allegedly have a habit of building national infrastructure and selling it off to the highest foreign bidder.
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
One of the world's biggest data centres is being proposed five miles from where I grew up. The planning proposal is total nonsense—but they're not fooling any locals. I attended the public meeting against the centre. Read my report: www.planetcritical.com/plans-for-ma...
planetcritical.com
One of the biggest data centres in the world is being planned on Scottish soil. The plans for it are so obviously bullshit the developers must think we're fools.
Locals are rallying against the CATO, an allegedly "net zero", "zero waste" data centre which will "harvest rainwater" while providing "data sovereignty".
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Within the context of a globally extractive system, no matter the intention, all developments eventually lead down a path of further exploitation, explains @jeremylent.bsky.social, author of 'Eco-Civilization: Making a World That Works For All' out now. Full Ep: www.planetcritical.com/jeremy-lent/
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
I wrote a love letter www.planetcritical.com/for-goodness...
planetcritical.com
For Goodness To Grow
On becoming humus
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Thank you for the invitation! I can't make it this time, but perhaps next year!
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
It was great to have you!
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Reposted by Rachel Donald
David Farrier @david-farrier.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
It was such a pleasure to talk to @racheldonald.bsky.social for the Planet Critical podcast!
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
What is the role of art in any crisis? To understand what is, and to imagine what could be. This is the message of @david-farrier.bsky.social, professor in literature and the author of 'Nature's Genius: Evolutions Lessons for a Changing Planet'. Full Episode: www.planetcritical.com/david-farrier/
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
We've been sold a lie that our purchasing power can somehow change the world And we believe it because, as @michaelmaniates.bsky.social explains, we are yearning for solutions, and this gives us a sense of control over our impact on the planet Full Ep: www.planetcritical.com/michael-maniates/
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
More women at the top isn't going to be good enough. The feminism movement must strive to change the system, not just women's place within it. For the full episode with @natashawalter.bsky.social, whose latest book 'Feminism for a World on Fire' hit shelves last week, go to: lnkd.in/dQu_yXg3
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
@realwhitneywebb.bsky.social Would love to interview you! Please reach out: rachel [at] planetcritical.com
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Most of my corner of the internet is screaming about the collapse of global society. I returned to the land that raised me and learned that whatever we're living through has been going on a very, very long time. www.planetcritical.com/when-the-wor...
planetcritical.com
When the world "collapses"
What we need to recover ourselves.
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
We know what happens to a people when they are removed from their land. But what happens to their culture? It cannot be maintained without practice, without relationship. It cannot exist separate to those who materialise it, without the soil and the flesh. www.planetcritical.com/oil-and-vine...
planetcritical.com
Oil and Vinegar
On land, loss and peace
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
We don't have a choice. Big industry is working with the state to impose overconsumption and dependence on their products. Explains Julia Steinberger - @jksteinberger.bsky.social Professor of ecological economics at Lausanne University. Full episode: www.planetcritical.com/julia-steinberger/
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Incredible energy demands from AI data centres are threatening attempts to ween our societies off of fossil fuels. @parismarx.com, journalist and host of Tech Won't Save us, explains the influence of AI on our energy mix. Full episode: planetcritical.com
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Why aren't we rioting? Because we don't know who we would be without the conditions of our own oppression. www.planetcritical.com/revolutionar...
planetcritical.com
Revolutionary Impotence
We can't tear down the conditions of our oppression because we don't know who we would be without them.
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Thank you! I'm really glad to know they're valuable.
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
When was the last time society was this unequal? Probably under the Pharaohs, says former Minister of Finance, Andrés Velasco. There's one point we didn't disagree on throughout this episode. Listen now: www.planetcritical.com/andres-velasco/
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Do we need growth? Andrés Velasco, Chile's former Minister of Finance, insists we do. He calls for reform—not revolution. But can these institutions be reformed? Listen now: www.planetcritical.com/andres-velasco/
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
What does it mean to be free when our freedoms are curtailed? What does it mean to be free when our nature is limited? What does it mean to be free at all? Huge thanks to @alybatt.bsky.social whose book Free Gifts inspired this meditation. www.planetcritical.com/freedom-at-t...
planetcritical.com
Freedom, at the end of the world
We are nearing the limits of resources, international politics, and war. Can we be free if we do not overcome them?
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
The Founding Fathers were legal revolutionaries. But over two centuries on, the world needs an update. The Founding Mothers is a movement dedicated to universal dignity, human rights, peace and ending war—through empowering women. Listen now: www.planetcritical.com/laura-george/
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Mexicans built a popular movement over a century of organising—and now they're using state power to finance revolutionary politics. This is how Mexico City is building utopia. Listen now: www.planetcritical.com/ashwin-ravikumar/
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
We're looking at global food shortages in coming weeks due to Trump's illegal war on Iran and their retaliation by derailing traffic through the strait of hormuz. This is about so much more than oil. It's about how we feed the future. Listen now: www.planetcritical.com/feeding-the-...
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Thank you for reading it!
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
That feeling in your chest that threatens to crush your bones to dust? That's the fear and horror of billions of us. And it's why you can't make any of this singular moment of global unravelling make sense. www.planetcritical.com/how-to-make-...
planetcritical.com
How to make this senseless world make sense
It's all too much for any of us to handle alone
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Yes
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
I've read numerous articles characterising Epstein’s world as "paedophilic". But this analysis neglects how patriarchy actively works to undermine women’s empowerment in order to protect capital accumulation. I discuss the connection in this week's newsletter: www.planetcritical.com/thin-shaved-...
planetcritical.com
Thin, shaved and infantile: What the Epstein Files reveal about the misogyny shaping political power
Characterising Epstein’s world as "paedophilic" misses how patriarchy fears women’s empowerment
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
The feminist political project in the heart of the Middle East, Rojava, is a fierce assertion that other worlds are possible. They have defended their right to self-determination—for all our sakes. Journalist Matt Broomfield has spent years there. Listen now: www.planetcritical.com/rojava-the-f...
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Reposted by Rachel Donald
Jonathan Larsen @jonathanlarsen.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
EXCLUSIVE: At more than 30 installations, U.S. commanders told troops the war on Iran is a Christian war. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation has been “inundated” with more than 110 complaints. One NCO said they were told the U.S. war is to bring about Armageddon and the return of Jesus…
jonathanlarsen.substack.com
U.S. Troops Were Told Iran War Is for “Armageddon,” Return of Jesus
Advocacy group reports commanders giving similar messages at more than 30 installations in every branch of the military
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
I wrote about this Leftist phenomenon, and the history of Iran's oil politics, because this illegal conflict is going to be much longer than the last and we need to know the history to know where criticism is due. (Clue: Not at each other.) Read it now: www.planetcritical.com/the-enemy-of...
planetcritical.com
The Enemy of Your Enemy is Not Your Friend
The history of the Iranian regime shows just how closely political adversaries can work together to advance their own interests. Meanwhile, on the Left, criticising that regime makes you a political t...
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Today I saw a Leftist publicly criticise another Leftist for mentioning Iran's reputation in a post expressing solidarity with the Iranian people. We are never going to win ANY ground if it is more fashionable to take aim at each other than murderous regimes. www.planetcritical.com/the-enemy-of...
planetcritical.com
The Enemy of Your Enemy is Not Your Friend
The history of the Iranian regime shows just how closely political adversaries can work together to advance their own interests. Meanwhile, on the Left, criticising that regime makes you a political t...
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
How do we design liveable futures? Architects @jeremytill.bsky.social and Tatiana Schneider on how "sustainable architecture" is not just falling short, but even contributing to the intersecting social, economic and climate crises. Listen now: www.planetcritical.com/designing-li...
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
It hadn't even occurred to me that people might be interested in that.
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
@alybatt.bsky.social — I would love to interview you on the relationship between nature, reproductive labour and capitalism, and Free Gifts more broadly! DMs open!
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
How about an op-ed on that for Byline?
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Reposted by Rachel Donald
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
The SAVE Act requires citizenship ID to vote. It may be that some Republicans truly believe that lots of non-citizens are voting, but that is just not the reality. So who will the law impact? People without ID docs and people whose ID docs are not current - which is mostly women.
Married women who took their partners’ names — around 69 million of them — will be especially impacted by a citizenship requirement. Their current names don’t match the names on their birth certificate–and only about half of women have a valid passport. In practice, it will be far more complicated for these women to ‘prove’ their citizenship. The surest option–a passport or a paper trail reconciling their married name with the name on their birth certificate–requires significant investments of time and money.
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Rachel Donald @racheldonald.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
This also goes for EX-SUBSTACKERS across all genres who left Substack for ethical reasons. The transition away from that recommendation ecosystem is *tough*. Let's build our own!
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