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Susan Board, PhD

@suseboard.bsky.social
1.9K followers 1.2K following 342 posts

Open University associate lecturer (the environment, global devt, international relations). Not afraid of science: global heating is accelerating; Covid is airborne. Cyclist. Yogi. Not at the same time. 💚

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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Prof Bill McGuire @profbillmcguire.bsky.social · 2h
[The] "National Risk Register....estimates the risk of a drought with a moderate impact... in the next five years at just 0.2-1%. What??" An excellent piece by @georgemonbiot.bsky.social on the complete disconnect between government advice on risks, and action www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Stockpile food – and wash your hands: is that really how to prepare for environmental catastrophe? | George Monbiot
The UK state is dumping its responsibilities on our doorsteps, while green-lighting policies that lead us closer to crisis, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 5h
The government has declared datacentres “nationally significant infrastructure projects” that can be forced through the planning system. This means getting preferential access to water. Yet it has no idea what they're used for. Our dwindling supplies might be prioritised for nudifying celebrities.
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 6h
The threats to our resilience are the same as the threats to our democracy: corporate lobbyists shaping policy, with dire consequences for our ability to withstand crises. Burnham seems to want to change this. But is he aware of scale of the task? My column. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Stockpile food – and wash your hands: is that really how to prepare for environmental catastrophe? | George Monbiot
The UK state is dumping its responsibilities on our doorsteps, while green-lighting policies that lead us closer to crisis, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Krasnov 🍃 @greennomad61.bsky.social · 16h
#Antarctica The real cost of the #ClimateCrisis, wildlife is disappearing. 👇🏼 Chinstrap #penguin colony, the world's largest - down by 2/3rds. “It is an enormous population crash, equivalent to half a million breeding individuals being lost from that island,” www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
World’s largest penguin colony suffers ‘enormous population crash’
Chinstrap penguins on Zavodovski Island in Antarctica down by two-thirds since 2011, probably due to climate crisis
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Plague Poems @plaguepoems.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
There are many things which plague our world as this week begins, but unfortunately as this week begins one of those many things is quite literally the plague.
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Prof Bill McGuire @profbillmcguire.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
This is how the UK prepares for the climate mayhem that is coming www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...
theguardian.com
Revealed: Government quietly dropped plan to prepare England for wildfires
FOI request shows wildfire risk scheme scrapped, as data highlights many fire services lack proper protective gear
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Rachel Millward @rachelmillward.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Greens have set the political agenda this year, and we'll continue to push Labour to cut people's bills and protect our planet. Here's me speaking to the News Agents about the Green Party's influence on Labour over the past year.
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Guardian Environment @environment.theguardian.com · 03/10/2026
The expansion of Heathrow would be an expensive disaster for Britain and the world. Burnham needs to block it | George Monbiot
theguardian.com
The expansion of Heathrow would be an expensive disaster for Britain and the world. Burnham needs to block it | George Monbiot
A third runway would fly in the face of reason. If we are to prioritise human life over short-term ‘growth’, we need to use planes less, not more, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Sam Burgess @oceanterra.org · 02/10/2026
Europe didnt just experience an exceptionally hot summer in 2026. It experienced a summer where multiple climate extremes reinforced each other. First - temperature records were broken at daily, monthly and seasonal scales across Europe Read more: climate.copernicus.eu/summer-revie...
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Susan Board, PhD @suseboard.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Thread 👇
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The dangers that lie hidden in Hegseth’s crazed speech.
chadbourn.substack.com
The War At Home
The Pentagon identifies a new enemy…in America
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Prof Bill McGuire @profbillmcguire.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Following on from the five great extinctions, the first great extermination accelerates Humanity, the death - bringer www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘The toll is huge’: El Niño-driven wildfires overwhelm Indonesia’s orangutan population
The global climate phenomenon has triggered devastating infernos in the ape’s Indonesian heartlands, with long-term effects on the animals still unknown
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
maura quint @mauraquint.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Yes every woman has been harassed, many assaulted. But every woman has also experienced invisible loss from moments she avoided harassment. She felt a space becoming unsafe, so she left, while men stayed on. And in leaving, she lost: opportunities, experiences, learning, promotions, even simply fun.
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Prof Ian Hall @ianhall.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
🌊 The concerning thing isn’t just that global SST is at a record-breaking +0.75°C above the 1991–2020 baseline. It’s the trajectory 🤯
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Far from taking pride in it, the men who killed this magnificent animal should be deeply ashamed. That swift, sleek, wonderful monster, flashing with holographic colours, reduced to a dead black lump. www.devonlive.com/news/devon-n...
devonlive.com
Monster 282kg tuna landed in Brixham is 'heaviest ever' catch
Giant £4,000 Bluefin tuna caught off Devon coast could be heading to Michelin-starred restaurants
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Dr. Aaron Thierry @thierryaaron.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
“What we are seeing now is a complete explosion of these melt rates, leading to the disintegration of glaciers. They’re really just falling apart.” #Switzerland 🇨🇭 #ClimateEmergency
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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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Simon Evans @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org · 30/09/2026
Some people say UK should stop building clean energy and should extend its reliance on gas power instead Choosing my words carefully, I would say that it's an interesting time to be making that argument www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-win...
carbonbrief.org
Analysis: Wind and solar save UK from gas imports worth £5.9bn during Hormuz crisis - Carbon Brief
The UK has avoided gas imports worth £5.9bn since the start of the Hormuz crisis as a result of record electricity generation from wind and solar.
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Here's the full story that the Tony Blair Institute doesn't want to answer questions about, on Democracy for Sale
democracyforsale.substack.com
Tony’s minor tantrum: how Blair’s institute responded to fresh “cash for access” questions
We asked TBI about allegations of £500,000 corporate memberships and a logo that vanished at Labour conference. They said they’re not talking to us anymore
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
🔴 We asked Tony Blair's think tank about charging businesses £500k for political access at party conferences and why one of its sponsor's logos disappeared after our reporting last week on TBI's alleged cash for access scheme This is what they said
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Prof Ian Hall @ianhall.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
23,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 joules. That’s the amount of heat the oceans absorbed in 2025. A number so huge it’s almost meaningless…until you realise it’s roughly 40× humanity’s annual energy use. The ocean is buying us time. We’re running out of it. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
World’s oceans absorbed record heat equal to 40 times annual global energy use
The injection of thermal energy comes amid an increasing rise in sea levels and continuing acidification
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Adam Morton @adammorton.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Antarctic winter sea ice falls to third-lowest level on record as scientists warn of ‘now problem’ www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
theguardian.com
Antarctic winter sea ice falls to third-lowest level on record as scientists warn of ‘now problem’
Coverage levels fall a million square kilometres short of the long-term average, with global heating likely driving losses
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
“These cases are always treated in isolation by the media, a shocking incident, like a murder, borne of specific motivations. But they’re not like murders at all and they shouldn’t be seen as individual crimes — they’re symptomatic of a sickness in society that afflicts all countries everywhere.”
chadbourn.substack.com
The Man Problem
The Cornell Rape Case is a feature not a bug
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Susan Board, PhD @suseboard.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Just want to say that I found this really helpful as I’m plotting my way into my third life
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
The Booker Prizes @thebookerprizes.com · 26/09/2026
Mary Beard, Chair of the Booker Prize 2026 judging panel, on why she dislikes the phrase ‘I really love reading’. This clip is provided courtesy of the Southbank Centre, and you can watch the full Booker Prize 2026 shortlist event on their YouTube channel: youtube.pulse.ly/axkmrdaxr9
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Greens Against Covid @greensagainstcovid.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
We'd love to see conference made safe for all, but conditions could be ideal for the spread of Covid and Flu, etc. However, some precautions can really reduce that risk. #ventilation #ffp3mask @greenparty.org.uk #greenpartyconference
Top left: Green party logo with virus crossed out. Green text: GREENS AGAINST COVID. Key text: Heading off to conference soon?Subtext: promoted by covid and long covid campaign working group (green party), c/o PO box 78066 London SE16 9GQTop left: Green party logo with virus crossed out. Green text: GREENS AGAINST COVID. Key text: Be aware that covid and flu levels are rising rapidly (graph shows covid levels rising)Subtext: promoted by covid and long covid campaign working group (green party), c/o PO box 78066 London SE16 9GQTop left: Green party logo with virus crossed out. Green text: GREENS AGAINST COVID. Key text: buds estimates covid prevalence at around 1/306 as of 20/9/26 (graphic from BuDS shows covid wave rapidly rising, Influenza on the rise; risk level remains moderately high at 1 in 306) Subtext: promoted by covid and long covid campaign working group (green party), c/o PO box 78066 London SE16 9GQTop left: Green party logo with virus crossed out. Green text: GREENS AGAINST COVID. Key text: Remember, covid influenza, rsv, rhinovirus and measles are all transmitted at distance through the air anc can hang in the air like smokeSubtext: promoted by covid and long covid campaign working group (green party), c/o PO box 78066 London SE16 9GQ
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Jill Belch @jillbelch.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Not sure we can wriggle our way out of this one…. #ClimateCrisis
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Rupert Read @rupertread.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
NEW: Excellent Guardian explainer (from Fiona Harvey) on the meaning of the intelligence services’ suppressed National Security Assessment on ECOSYSTEM COLLAPSE. Building of food resilience is a primary priority. Do read and share! Crucial… www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Patrick Barkham @patrickbarkham.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Gorgeous visit to the sunny Lincolnshire coast yesterday to see the latest golf course given back to nature. Credit to @nationaltrust.org.uk for being brave. This is nature as human regen too – fantastic new green infrastructure for Mablethorpe and Sutton-on-Sea. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Skylarks and sandwich terns among new birdies on reserve created from ‘boring old golf course’
National Trust has transformed Sandilands in Lincolnshire into a nature reserve with wetlands and wading pools
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Lord, President Xi just insulted Trump and the USA, right to Trump's face-in the White House. Xi referred, yet again, to the "Thucydides trap". This is an reference to the US being in decline and China replacing it. And Trump sits their making moo eyes like a lovestruck teenager
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Prof Ian Hall @ianhall.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Climate change isn’t just about heatwaves and emissions targets. When climate and nature loss affect food, migration, economies and geopolitical stability, they become national security issues too. That conversation is long overdue. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
UK shares findings of damning climate crisis national security report suppressed under Starmer
El Niño poses critical threat to nations’ defences, says Ed Miliband in presentation to global foreign ministers
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Oceana UK @oceanauk.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
💔 Puffin numbers at one of the UK’s largest colonies have plummeted by 30% in just 2 years amid marine heatwaves & intense storms 🪶 The climate crisis is already pushing marine life to the brink #NoNewOil #ClimateJustice bit.ly/4dbp3Mb
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The Green Party of England & Wales @greenparty.org.uk · 23/09/2026
“We’re the only party looking seriously at how we can build a sustainable, thriving economy that doesn’t leave the planet broken for our children and grandchildren.” Rachel Millward on why electing Greens means choosing a future where people and planet can thrive.
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Simon Kuestenmacher @simongerman600.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Buckle up if you live in a brown or dark blue area on this map. Source: buff.ly/NPKPBPo
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Damian Carrington @dpcarrington.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Huge #ElNiño projected to cause 450,000 heat deaths in next six months - New report predicts a heavy toll from Nigeria to the US – and comes on top of existing impacts of the #climatecrisis Story by me www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Huge El Niño projected to cause 450,000 deaths in next six months
New report predicts a heavy toll from Nigeria to the US – and comes on top of existing impacts of the climate crisis
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Carbon Brief @carbonbrief.org · 22/09/2026
NEW – Explainer: How sea level rise poses an ‘existential threat’ to humans, heritage and nature ✍️ Written by @giulianaviglione.bsky.social Read here: buff.ly/jG1SPm9
buff.ly
Explainer: How sea level rise poses an ‘existential threat’ to humans, heritage and nature - Carbon Brief
For millions of people around the world, rising sea levels are already reshaping economies, livelihoods and cultures.
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Carbon Brief @carbonbrief.org · 21/09/2026
NEW – Analysis: ‘Super El Niño’ reaches ‘remarkable’ all-time record ✍️ Written by @zekehausfather.com Read here: buff.ly/4a9XUAK
Daily Niño 3.4 sea surface temperature anomalies, 1982-2026, each relative to a centred 30-year climatology (ONI convention). Chart by Carbon Brief.
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Prof Bill McGuire @profbillmcguire.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
“What is happening in the equatorial Pacific is jaw-dropping and could well mark one of the biggest global weather upheavals in a millennium,” said Prof Bill McGuire in the Guardian on Tuesday The hyper El Nino continues to obliterate records www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘Jaw-dropping’: Super El Niño bursts through temperature record months ahead of peak
The ‘Godzilla-level’ phenomenon is supercharging the climate crisis and will heavily impact communities across the world
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 21/09/2026
‘Planetary boundaries’ necessary for flourishing of life have been massively breached, scientists warn
theguardian.com
‘Planetary boundaries’ necessary for flourishing of life have been massively breached, scientists warn
New report shows key indicators of Earth’s health are ‘outside the safe operating space’ as climate disaster looms The planetary life support systems relied upon by humans have deteriorated to their worst levels ever recorded amid ongoing pollution and habitat destruction, according to a key yet grim annual update by scientists. Of the nine “planetary boundaries” that help determine whether life can flourish on Earth, seven are being breached at their highest ever levels of transgression, according to the latest planetary health check, a process that was established in 2009. Continue reading...
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Damian Carrington @dpcarrington.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
🚨 🚨 🚨 ‘Jaw-dropping’: Super El Niño bursts through temperature record months ahead of peak 🚨 🚨 🚨 - The ‘Godzilla-level’ phenomenon is supercharging the climate crisis and will heavily impact communities across the world #climatecrisis Story by me www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘Jaw-dropping’: Super El Niño bursts through temperature record months ahead of peak
The ‘Godzilla-level’ phenomenon is supercharging the climate crisis and will heavily impact communities across the world
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
George Tsakraklides @tsakraklides.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
“Fascism and genocide have always hidden in plain sight behind the most disgustingly sweet bubble gum pop, and that’s why Ed Sheeran was the perfect hideout” georgetsakraklides.substack.com/p/when-art-f...
georgetsakraklides.substack.com
When Art Fails
Beware of people who tell you that art and politics should never mix: they have zero values and questionable morals and believe that a pretty picture or catchy tune can be judged in isolation, even th...
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Susan Board, PhD @suseboard.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
theguardian.com
Fifty billion trees by 2030: how Ethiopia is recruiting citizens across the country to plant, plant, plant
After losing much of its forests in recent decades, the country’s people have led the way in planting saplings across the country as part of the government’s Green Legacy Initiative
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
Fiona Harvey @fionaharvey.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Net zero is a description of scientific fact: if we do not meet that target, we are doomed to repeat summers much worse than that just gone, with all of the accompanying damage to food supplies and infrastructure. So why are our politicians so weak on the climate? www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Burning forests, emptying rivers, €180bn in damage: Europe’s politicians face reckoning after ‘summer of truth’
Amid record-shattering heatwaves and popular demand for climate action, why are politicians often timid or in denial?
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Reposted by Susan Board, PhD
We Own It @weownit.org.uk · 18/09/2026
Sewage dumping in our seas likely caused her infection and led to her wearing a colostomy bag But George is not resting until we have our water in public hands, so that it never happens to other people The government must stop burying their head in the ground - public ownership of water now
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Simon Oldridge @sioldridge.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
It’s extraordinary that as we breach 1.5° - which only in 2018, the IPCC said wouldn’t be reached until 2040 - that the PM is still holding up net zero by 2050 as an adequate response!

 The threat level has changed dramatically since the UK adopted its NZ by 2050 aim. Just a few examples: 🧵
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Nicola Kelly @nicolakellywrites.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I have spent weeks shadowing the RNLI and I can tell you, they do it out of nothing more than compassion. Wrote about the heroes I've met over the years in this free-to-read post. nicolakelly.substack.com/p/the-rnli-a...
nicolakelly.substack.com
The RNLI aren't traitors; they're heroes
I have spent weeks shadowing lifeboat crews. Here's what they do and what it's like.
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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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Richard Delevan @richard.wickedproblems.earth · 17/09/2026
£30 million *in total* for community renewables, as proof of UK govt seriousness on climate. £28 billion *per year* in UK subsidies for fossil fuels, per IMF (2024, converted from $36m USD). These are not serious people.
https://www.imf.org/-/media/files/publications/wp/2025/english/wpiea2025270-source-pdf.pdf page 34
https://www.imf.org/-/media/files/publications/wp/2025/english/wpiea2025270-source-pdf.pdf
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
A macho culture of performative selfishness might start on the roads, through racing, rolling coal, ever bigger SUVs ... But it doesn't end there. If we want to live in a decent country which values human life, we need to change this culture. My column. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Driving that’s too fast, too dangerous and utterly lawless: why do we tolerate this petro-masculinity? | George Monbiot
In towns and in the countryside, I see 4x4s and pick up trucks driven without care or consicence. It’s a Magafication of transport, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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Sian Berry MP @sianberry.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Hearing from constituents working at the University of Brighton who are desperately worried. In touch with unions and the University seeking clarity and assurances, because it is vital workers have a voice, especially when higher education is in such crisis. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
University of Brighton considers closing Falmer campus by 2030
The campus houses the university's library, sports and health complex, and two halls of residence.
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Susan Board, PhD @suseboard.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
It’s only leasehold!!
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