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Simon Hedges

@simonhedges.bsky.social
707 followers 771 following 344 posts

Conservationist for >30 years most of them spent working on human-wildlife coexistence and focused on elephants (and Banteng, Dhole, et al.) with WCS, IUCN, & CITES/MIKE. Now at ZSL working to maximize impact; views my own, linktr.ee/simonhedges1

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Reposted by Simon Hedges
Paul Mainwood @paulmainwood.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Reminder that both the "mass vaccination = mass death" nutcases, and the "ongoing deadly pandemic" lot are proven wrong every day. Actuaries - whose jobs depend on getting death rates right regularly publish age-standardised mortality rates. Post-pandemic, back to a steady year-on-year improvement.
Chart showing standardaised mortality rates for England and Wales. After a steady improvement 2016-2019, and then a bunch of pandemic-driven bumps 2020-2022, the lines start improving again 2023-2026 which is shaping up to the best ever.
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Jessica McKenzie @jessimckenzi.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
“It’s not just about attacking warehouses so that we won’t have food. They also want to intimidate us — to make it so that we can’t work, study, do scientific research or really do anything at all.”
nytimes.com
Russian Drone Strikes Ukraine’s Science Academy, Causing Fire in City Center
A Russian jet-powered drone hit Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences, the source of almost all of the country’s major scientific discoveries.
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Simon Hedges @simonhedges.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I dare you I dare you to read this article about #management #consulting and not conclude it's a joke Gift article The greatest advance in consulting since the quadrant www.economist.com/business/202...
economist.com
The greatest advance in consulting since the quadrant
An exclusive extract from a new book
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
82% of Britons say protecting nature is important to them, new polling by @moreincommonuk.bsky.social shows “You don’t often get that degree of consensus” on any issue, says @luketryl.bsky.social - speaking at an event at Labour Party Conference with the heads of the big nature NGOs
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Emma Monk @monkemma.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
🧵 As front-page headlines go, this has to be one of the most misleading I've seen in a long time It's an out-and-out lie But notice the trick they use to get away with it...👀 *They're* not lying - they're just quoting someone else who is👍🏻 In this case, the leader of the opposition🙄 1/33
Daily Express headline:

"More Freedoms Handed to New Arrivals than British Citizens"

Above an image of Kemi Badenoch

All with a Monk Debunked stamp on top
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Tom Scott @tom--scott.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Some intelligence reports need to be kept confidential, for obvious reasons. This is not one of those - it's not about hostile foreign states, and it needs to be understood by ordinary UK citizens to inform decisions about their own safety and security.
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Anyone who believes this bunch of con artists represents their interests is either a billionaire or seriously misinformed. leftfootforward.org/2026/09/outr...
leftfootforward.org
Outrage as Reform-run council votes to shut 10 nurseries
Members of the public shouted “you should be ashamed” as Reform councillors approved the plans
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Alasdair Cameron @alasdaircameron.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Not surprised. The government, in fact all governments, seems to assume people are motivated purely by cash and retails politics - but we know that there is so much more that matters to people. Justice, rights, identity, the environment, security - these can all sway votes just as much if not more.
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Byline Times @bylinetimes.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
🔴 NEW UN Acknowledges ‘Conflicts’ of Interest After Byline Times Exposes AI Panel’s Ties to OpenAI and Anthropic Funders By @nafeez.bsky.social Read below. ↓
bylinetimes.com
UN Acknowledges ‘Conflicts’ of Interest After Byline Times Exposes AI Panel’s Ties to OpenAI and Anthropic Funders
The supposedly independent panel has close ties to donors who financed the AI giants they have assessed, a Byline Times investigation has found
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Simon Hedges @simonhedges.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
WCS's Olson said the findings lay the groundwork for better understanding bat physiology and, critically, how the mammals have evolved to be so resistant to disease: “How are they living with these viruses that, when they get into us, they cause so much damage?” www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Bats originated in Europe, rewriting mammals’ family tree, study reveals
Biggest study of its kind provides insights into bats’ evolution – a potential gamechanger for research into human virus and cancer treatment
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Watch our full conversation here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGE9...
youtube.com
Are Fascists Driving Us Towards the "End Times"? (In Conversation w/ Astra Taylor and Naomi Klein)
YouTube video by Robert Reich
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Annemarie van der Marel @annemariemarel.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Our paper is out in Ecology @ecologicalsociety.bsky.social! We found that an extreme drought year drove a local population of a social rodent to extinction. A sobering example of how climatic extremes can drive population collapse. Read it here 👉 doi.org/10.1002/ecy....
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The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 25/09/2026
The far-right ideologues and grifters running U.S. foreign policy are the vanguard of a movement that will alter not just America but the world, @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu reports.
bit.ly
Donald Trump’s Empire of Grift
Far-right ideologues have transformed American foreign policy into a tool of private gain and antidemocratic reaction.
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daughterofmrandmrss @nosregis.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Truly warms the cockles that the sublimely wonderful Lady In Blue on the fourth plinth has enraged all the right people. Absolute parcels the lot of them.
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daughterofmrandmrss @nosregis.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
The RNLI have got some great Christmas decorations, cards & gifts for sale online right now. It would be so lovely if you could take a moment to look, buy some cool festive items or just donate. Thanks for your time lovely people :) shop.rnli.org/pages/christ...
shop.rnli.org
Christmas | RNLI Shop
We have the perfect lifesaving gifts for you and your crew. Order them online at shop.RNLI.org and help us to save lives for another 200 years.
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Robin Ince @robinince.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Two people I knew took their own lives last week - we still view mental health with too much cynicism and not enough compassion - remember @samaritans.bsky.social and @calmzone.bsky.social - it is not weak to share how you feel #mentalhealth #depression #suicideawareness
Samaritans 116 123
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MP for Nature @mpfornature.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Godzilla El Niño: What Happens When Two Forces Collide? A comic explainer to debunk fossil fuel industry misinformation. Download from www.climatestorieslibrary.com/teaching @zekehausfather.com @davidho.bsky.social @charliejgardner.bsky.social @desmog.com @makepolluterspay.bsky.social
A black and white comic featuring a Godzilla demonstrating how El Niño works. Impacts of El Nino combined with global warming are shown in South Africa, India, Panama, the oceans and in the UK. A fossil fuel industry executive is then shown plotting to spread misinformation that all of these impacts are purely due to El Niño and hence not their fault.
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Nick Acheson @themarshtit.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
My friends at @norfolknats.bsky.social and @suffolk-nats1929.bsky.social are hosting a joint conference on nature recording for nature recovery. Details below. It’ll be good!
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Liam Connolly @connolly-lg.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I want my country back. By that, I mean a country where I would be confident that a thug who livestreamed himself stabbing an RNLI dingy on an active operation would a) Be universally condemned b) Be swiftly arrested, put on trial and if found guilty, face many years in jail. I miss that country.
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Miaganga @miaganga.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
🥹😍🤩✊🏽👏🏽👏🏽👀🗣️🫦✌🏽🔥💟💙💟💙💟💙
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Javi Ibarrondo @jibarrondo.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
White House move to seize control of NIH grant decisions upsets senators and scientists | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪
science.org
White House move to seize control of NIH grant decisions upsets senators and scientists
Budget chief Russell Vought reportedly wants more power to veto DEI-related funding
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DrArchivalGenomics @ehekkala.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🧪🌏🌏🌏🌏
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Nick Harkaway @nickharkaway.com · 19/09/2026
This happened within sight of my house when I was nine. I wasn’t there - I was at school in London by then - but Penzance and Newlyn felt it for *decades*. The memorial garden on the cliffs is a hundred metres from where I scattered my parents’ ashes. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penlee_...
en.wikipedia.org
Penlee lifeboat disaster - Wikipedia
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Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 21/09/2026
The correct answer to hate ♥️
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Simon Hedges @simonhedges.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The “jaw-dropping” El Niño currently heating up the planet has burst through the highest temperature ever recorded for the phenomenon, several months before its expected peak. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘Jaw-dropping’ El Niño bursts through temperature record months before peak
‘Godzilla-level’ phenomenon is supercharging the climate crisis and will have a huge impact on communities across the world
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Katharine Hayhoe @katharinehayhoe.com · 21/09/2026
When we stop talking about climate change like it’s a political issue and start talking about it as a shared challenge that we all need to work together to solve, that’s when we’ll finally be able to start talking about saving ourselves. That is our conclusion here!
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The Sunday Long Read @thesundaylongread.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Some excellent pieces this week by @evrat.bsky.social, @helenlewis.bsky.social, @mikesielski.bsky.social, @jenniferwilson.bsky.social, @annettemcgivney.bsky.social & more mailchi.mp/sundaylongre...
mailchi.mp
☀️ The Sunday Long Read: Mother Tongue, 9/11, Mustard
The week's best journalism. Every Sunday.
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Rainforest Action Network @ran.org · 20/09/2026
Indonesian women are at the frontlines of fires in Kalimantan 🔥 💪 The Power of Mama is the first female firefighting team. The group is made up of 146 women from 10 different villages in West Kalimantan, Borneo. Their goal is to protect the forest & fight the patriarchy 💚 bit.ly/4xrOGzl
theguardian.com
The women saving Borneo: battling fire, patriarchy and super El Niño on Indonesia's peatland frontlines
Fire threatens Kalimantan's rainforests. On the peatland frontlines, a group of local mothers is defending their community
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Ed Maibach @maibached.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
RIP @joeromm.bsky.social. Thanks for all you did to wake us up to the risks of climate change and the possibilities for climate solutions. @mason4c.bsky.social @docsforclimate.bsky.social @tccollab.bsky.social @coveringclimatenow.org @michaelemann.bsky.social
web.sas.upenn.edu
Remembering Dr. Joe Romm
It is with great sadness that the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media shares news of the passing of PCSSM Senior Research Fellow Dr. Joe Romm. Please find below an obituary prepared ...
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Simon Hedges @simonhedges.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
This small wildcat is the first member of a new feline species discovered in a century. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/s...
nytimes.com
New Species of Cat Discovered for First Time in a Century (Gift Article)
The species, called a tilcayo, is smaller than a house cat and lives in the cloud forests of the Andes Mountains in Bolivia.
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Harborne: “My £36M is a philanthropic gift to the nation” Delo: “My £36M creates a level playing field for Reform” Farage: “I’ll slash CGT to save you £100M/yr” Reform: bought by millionaires to enrich millionaires. Reform voters… They. Are. Laughing. At. You. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
independent.co.uk
Reform to hand crypto investors hundreds of millions in tax breaks
Exclusive: Analysis seen by The Independent reveals the wealthiest crypto investors would get £100m a year in tax relief from Nigel Farage’s party
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
British journalism and polling are both utterly implicated in the Farage funding scandal iandunt.substack.com/p/british-jo...
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Simon Hedges @simonhedges.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
100% this!
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Chaminda Jayanetti @cjayanetti.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Wrote about this for Comment is Freed last year samf.substack.com/p/the-someth...
samf.substack.com
The "something for nothing" myth
How should we value people's contribution to the country?
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Simon Hedges @simonhedges.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
To some the storks’ introduction restores a species that was presumed to have been wiped out in Britain some 600 years ago. To more skeptical naturalists, it is a misguided act that introduces a bird that had never made Britain its home www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/c...
nytimes.com
Does This Bird’s Return to Britain Restore History or Rewrite It? (Gift Article)
Conservationists set up a colony of white storks in southern England, touching off a debate over whether they truly belong there.
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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Cowardice versus Courage Cruelty versus Compassion Fascists versus RNLI volunteers podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
podcasts.apple.com
They terrorised lifeboat volunteers for saving lives
Podcast Episode · James O'Brien Daily · 18 September · 1hr 3min
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David Roberts @drdavidlroberts.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
BBC News - Record year for hen harrier chicks at Cumbria reserve - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Record year for hen harrier chicks at Cumbria reserve
The RSPB says despite the project's "amazing success" it fears the birds could be illegally killed.
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Simon Hedges @simonhedges.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Wow! www.nbcnews.com/science/envi...
nbcnews.com
New wild cat species is identified for first time in 100 years, researchers say
A type of tiger cat, the animal is slender, spotted and smaller than a house cat. It lives in the Bolivian cloud forest.
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The Wainwright Prizes @wainwrightprize.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The WINNER of the 2026 Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing is... Ancient, Luke Barley (@profilebooks.bsky.social) #WainwrightPrize #StoriesThatConnect
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StartingUpGood @startingupgood.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Impact investing should focus on meaningful outcomes for people and planet rather than chasing billion-dollar valuations, argues Acumen Founder & CEO Jacqueline Novogratz writing in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. ssir.org/articles/entry/impact-inve…
ssir.org
Beyond Unicorns (SSIR)
How impact investing should redefine success
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Plashing Vole @plashingvole.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
This is very good on the psychological damage caused by universities ripping themselves apart, but it presumes that leaders want to repair that damage. My experience is that they deny its existence or simply do not care.
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Dr. Merritt Rae Turetsky @queenofpeat.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
What is tiny but has a PLANET-sized influence? Sphagnum of course. A 🧵 on why this moss matters more than ever. Holding more than 20× its dry weight in water, halting decay, shaping entire ecosystems, thwarting fire. Never underestimate a moss. 1/
Close up image of a tiny red Sphagnum moss.
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Alick Simmons @parliamentarygoose.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
This happens so rarely that I thought I’d mark it with a BlueSky post.
A screen shot from a magazine showing the overall winner of a photography competition.  The winning photo is of two harvest mice perched atop an ear of wheat.
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SCB Social Science Working Group (SSWG) @scbsswg.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
📢 Sign up for our #ConSocSci26 workshop: “Resilience and Wellbeing for Conservationists” 🌱 Facilitated by Dr. Aadita Chaudhury from SCB Revive. 📅 22 Oct 2026 ⚠️ Only 50 spots! 🔗 Register: whova.com/portal/regis... #SSWG #ConSocSci
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Thomas I-G @thomasig.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Ian Berry passed away today, one of the greatest post-war British documentary photographers. Covered apartheid in the 60s, one of the few foreign photojournalists present in Prague in 1968, & took one of my favourite images of the changing face of 60s Britain www.1854.photography/2026/09/ian-...
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Simon Hedges @simonhedges.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Leading #AI companies are invoking unproven extinction warnings to justify measures that could protect their market position and expand their influence on industry oversight a Byline Times investigation argues See this article by Alt Reich author @nafeez.bsky.social bylinetimes.com/2026/09/15/b...
bylinetimes.com
Behind the AI ‘Extinction’ Power Bid: Soaring Costs Could Hit 10% of World GDP
AI firms are invoking unproven extinction warnings to justify restrictions on developments by their smaller rivals whilst seeking greater influence over regulation
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Gil Durán @gilduran.com · 15/09/2026
Today is the day! Cyberselfish—the book that nailed Silicon Valley's dangerous narcissism 26 years ago—is back in print!
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Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 15/09/2026
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston: "That's what the lifeboat does. It saves lives at sea. That's its job." "And this is an international duty. Everyone who goes to sea knows, in the event of someone being in difficulty, you go to their assistance." The abuse the RNLI have faced is a disgrace.
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Simon Hedges @simonhedges.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Farage chose to make Nathan Gill leader in Wales and he turned out a Russian asset. He chose to take £5m triggering an investigation. He chose to meet 2 men in a pub to discuss breaching electoral law. And he chose to make Dan Thomas leader in Wales and he's quit www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Leader of Reform UK in Wales stands down after arrest on suspicion of assault
Dan Thomas, elected in May, says he does not wish to be a ‘distraction’ on same day Reform MS defects to Plaid Cymru
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YouGov @yougov.co.uk · 14/09/2026
69% of Britons now have an unfavourable opinion of Nigel Farage (9-10 Sep 2026), the highest recorded by our tracker in the decade it has run Favourable: 24% (+1 from 13-14 Aug) Unfavourable: 69% (+2) Net: -45 (-1) yougov.com/en-gb/articl...
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