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Will McDowall

@willmcdowall.bsky.social
851 followers 212 following 40 posts

Academic at UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources. Check out my new book for kids: www.walker.co.uk/9781529509151/your…

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Reposted by Will McDowall
Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 29/09/2026
Your daily reminder - the Norwegian Consumer Council has really, really solid work on how to be anti-enshittification www.forbrukerradet.no/breakingfree/
forbrukerradet.no
Breaking Free
In the new report Breaking Free: Pathways to a fair technological future, the Norwegian Consumer Council has delved into enshittification and how to resist it.
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Reposted by Will McDowall
David Roberts @volts.wtf · 28/09/2026
Great commentary in Nature Energy: "Smart energy must address enshittification risks." I really don't think people are taking these risks seriously enough.
nature.com
Smart energy must address enshittification risks - Nature Energy
Nature Energy - Smart energy must address enshittification risks
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Reposted by Will McDowall
UKLA @uklitassociation.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The #uklabookawards2027 Longlist is here! Our 89 teacher judges now have until March to deliberate with their classes which titles they think should make the Shortlists. See the full list here: buff.ly/sHLtEsm #uklabookawards #bookawards #teachers #education
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
What makes a good ‘sustainability’ novel? I’m a judge for this year’s #SustainableStoriesAward, created by World of Books, and I want to crowdsource some help. What criteria would you use to judge fiction from a sustainability perspective? #ClimateFiction #ecofiction #CliFi #environmentalfiction
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Reposted by Will McDowall
ESCoE @escoeorg.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
In the face of the climate emergency and wider environmental challenges, how do we accurately measure the green economy? A new discussion paper by @ucl.ac.uk's @willmcdowall.bsky.social and @hamidngh.bsky.social explores this question: tinyurl.com/2n6nz39d
Photo shows a man fitting solar panels
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Reposted by Will McDowall
ESCoE @escoeorg.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Two pieces of ESCoE work are being presented in this session on net zero and environment: 🌊Water system accounting by Paul Ekins @ucl.ac.uk 🏭Environmental bads by @kevinfoxecon.bsky.social (UNSW)
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
The typical rate of ministerial resignation shifted after the financial crisis... ...at exactly the moment when the UK's productivity engine stalled. Plenty of other causes (brexit, covid), but I can't help seeing signs of the productivity collapse in this relentless instability
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
This #EarthDay, think about helping the kids in your life understand the importance of the environment--and what we can do to protect it... ...by buying them my book! Now out in paperback! www.walker.co.uk/978152950915...
walker.co.uk
Your Planet Needs You! Brilliant Jobs to Protect Your World - Walker Books
Find out about the positive ways we can all help solve the problem of climate change in this innovative illustrated book.Our climate is changing, and sometim...
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Happy Earth Day folks! Even though it keeps happening, I'm still amazed to see the UK grid operating with less than 1GW of fossil fuels
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Reposted by Will McDowall
Walker Books @walkerbooksuk.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
#EarthDay is just a couple of spins of the globe away, so our latest reading list is all about engaging curious young minds, sharing the beauty of our planet, and all the ways we can do our best to look after it 🌿 www.walker.co.uk/earth-day-re... @earthdayorg.bsky.social
walker.co.uk
Earth Day Reads to Empower Young Activists
A list of books for Earth Day, to inspire young readers to protect our planet all year round.
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Reposted by Will McDowall
Prof. Stefan Rahmstorf @rahmstorf.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Breaking: New study using observational constraints projects that the Atlantic Ocean circulation #AMOC will weaken ~50% by 2100, even for medium emissions and without Greenland melting. 🌊 More realistic models means stronger weakening - not entirely unexpected. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Science | AAAS
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
This is terrifying. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Critical Atlantic current significantly more likely to collapse than thought
Scientists say finding is ‘very concerning’ as collapse would be catastrophic for Europe, Africa and the Americas
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Less than 1 GW of the UK's power coming from fossil fuels Solar and wind delivering > 80%. Time to charge the car!
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
We (UCL BSEER) came 2nd place in this year's #CBQuiz! Definitely the first thing I'll bring up in my annual appraisal. Thanks as always to @carbonbrief.org for organising - and thanks to @octopus.energy for hosting
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Solar, wind and hydro just shy of 80% of power generation right now. I love spring.
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
A friend is running a citizen engagement process on local/community climate action in London In the interests of balance (while still acknowledging urgent reality of climate change), she's after voices sceptical of local community action - e.g. techno-optimists Suggestions?
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Reposted by Will McDowall
ECIU @eciu.net · 10/02/2026
ECIU analysis of UK harvest data suggests that extreme weather so far in the 2020s has played a major role in creating a total deficit in wheat production of over seven million tonnes. eciu.net/media/press...
eciu.net
Year's worth of British bread lost this decade as extreme weather…
New analysis suggests that wheat production is down by the equivalent of over a year’s supply of bread for the UK, after extreme weather hits harvests
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Looking for a xmas gift for the kids in your life? Want to give them an empowering message on climate action? My book is about the climate-saving jobs kids can grow up to do - educational, fun and hopeful! www.walker.co.uk/978152950915... #ClimateSky #EnergySky @walkerbooksuk.bsky.social
walker.co.uk
Your Planet Needs You! Brilliant Jobs to Protect Your World - Walker Books
Find out about the positive ways we can all help solve the problem of climate change in this innovative illustrated book.Our climate is changing, and sometim...
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Reposted by Will McDowall
ESCoE @escoeorg.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
Why do definitions of the ‘green economy’ matter for different outcomes? And how can we measure its impact more accurately? 🌿 Read more in the blog and paper by @ucl.ac.uk's @willmcdowall.bsky.social: tinyurl.com/32yu8peh
tinyurl.com
Rethinking "green" economic data: Why definitions matter - ESCoE
The report reviews the definitions of ‘green’ economic activity, and recommends ways to improve measurement.
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Reposted by Will McDowall
ESCoE @escoeorg.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
🌱 What counts as “green” economic activity? And how should we measure it? A new ESCoE paper by @willmcdowall.bsky.social & Janina Fuchs explores how we define and track the green economy, and why getting it right matters. tinyurl.com/32yu8peh #Research #Sustainability
tinyurl.com
Rethinking "green" economic data: Why definitions matter - ESCoE
The report reviews the definitions of ‘green’ economic activity, and recommends ways to improve measurement.
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Reposted by Will McDowall
Stand.earth @stand.earth · 02/07/2025
BREAKING: Over 100 U.K. advertising organizations have joined forces to back a nationwide ban on fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship. 💪 #FossilFuelAdsMakeMeSick #GreenSky 🗞️
forbes.com
U.K. Ad Agencies Call For Total Ban On Fossil Fuel Marketing
British ad industry organizations have launched a campaign calling on the government to treat fossil fuels much as it treats tobacco products.
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
Delighted to see my own book on this list! "Your planet needs you: brilliant jobs to protect your world" explains solutions to climate change, through the climate-saving jobs that kids can grow up to do. Order your copy now!
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
My children's book on climate action comes out today, from the brilliant @walkerbooksuk.bsky.social The book introduces kids to the solutions to climate change, through the climate-saving jobs they can grow up to do. Get your copy now! uk.bookshop.org/p/books/your...
cover of 'your planet needs you: brilliant jobs to protect your world'
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
#Heatflation is here: the UK's driest spring/early summer is pushing up the cost of food. File under #costsofinaction on #climatechange www.ft.com/content/aeef...
ft.com
Dry weather pushes up UK food inflation as harvests suffer
Price increases in June hit highest rate in more than a year, according to British Retail Consortium
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
Lots of young street trees in London are suffering and dying in these hot/dry conditions. If you live near a young street tree, give it a bucket of water today!
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
For the second time in two weeks, my son's school is being closed early because of extreme heat. It was built in 2012. The UK is shockingly under-prepared for climate change.
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
I'm delighted that my forthcoming children's book on climate change has been profiled by @thebookseller.com The book explains the solutions to climate change, through the jobs that kids can grow up to do. Pre-order here: www.waterstones.com/book/9781529...
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Reposted by Will McDowall
James Murray @james-bg.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
Genuinely shocked how far and fast the Conservative Party has fallen on climate change. They’re now at the accusing climate scientists of ‘bias’ and considering quitting the Paris Agreement stage of things. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
New paper! Should we ban adverts for polluting goods? Our case study shows that banning adverts of a harmful product can induce innovation in a benign alternative doi.org/10.1016/j.ei... @badvertising.bsky.social
sciencedirect.com
Advertising restrictions and sustainability transitions: does banning advertising of harmful products induce innovation in benign alternatives?
Environmental activists increasingly seek to ban advertising of polluting products. Advertising bans (of tobacco and alcohol for example) have been wi…
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
It's great to see this in print - I had fun commenting on an earlier draft. Hydrogen will play a very important role in decarbonisation... but we shouldn't expect it to be ubiquitous cure-all
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 22/12/2024
I'm *loving* these air quality stripes. Let's hope Saudi Arabia can sort out this horror show before the world cup in 2034. Air quality stripes plot for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: airqualitystripes.info/stripes/?con...
airqualitystripes.info
Air Quality Stripes
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Come and work at the UCL Energy Institute - We're hiring a lecturer in energy and life-cycle sustainability. Please share widely! www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
ucl.ac.uk
UCL – University College London
UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
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Reposted by Will McDowall
Policy and Society @policysociety.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
📢🆕Early view❗️ How do cultures of evidence vary across countries & policy domains❔ @willmcdowall.bsky.social focuses on energy policymaking & compares the culture of evidence in #UK #Germany #Netherlands 👇 doi.org/10.1093/pols...
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
Really pleased to see government supporting #HeatPumps today - scrapping the 1m rule, extending the boiler upgrade scheme, and getting the market-based mechanism going. www.gov.uk/government/n...
gov.uk
Help to save households money and deliver cleaner heat to homes
Up to 300,000 homes to benefit from upgrades next year, as government continues rollout of the Warm Homes Plan.
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
Check out my new paper - focused on differences in the understanding and use of evidence in energy policy. What makes evidence credible? Can we separate 'facts' from 'values'? Different evidence cultures appear to deal with these questions in different ways. doi.org/10.1093/pols...
doi.org
Exploring cultures of evidence in energy policymaking in the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands
Abstract. This paper explores different “cultures of evidence” in energy policymaking in the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands. The urgent energy system tra
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
Come and work with us at UCL! We're hiring a new teaching-focused lecturer in innovation & sustainability, to support our new undergrad programme in the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources Feel free to get in touch to ask about the role. www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
ucl.ac.uk
UCL – University College London
UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 07/11/2024
Delighted that we came 4th in the #CBQuiz - yesterday's most important global news, obvs. Thanks @carbonbrief.org for hosting!
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 07/11/2024
Interested in doing a PhD in energy/environment research at UCL's Institute for Sustainable Resources? Check out the UBEL doctoral training partnership. ubel-dtp.ac.uk/esrc-student... You need to find a supervisor and an outline project, and submit an outline application by December 2nd.
ubel-dtp.ac.uk
ESRC Studentships Main Competition - UBEL DTP
ESRC Studentships Main Competition The UBEL DTP’s fully funded ESRC studentships cover full payment of tuition fees per year and an annual maintenance stipend. What’s on offer UBEL DTP studentships co...
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 06/11/2024
Excited for the 10th annual #CBQuiz!
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Reposted by Will McDowall
Tim Durrant @timdurrant.bsky.social · 08/10/2024
"Nothing off the table" when it comes to reworking the centre of govt, according to news reports. If they're after ideas, Morgan McS and co could do worse than taking a look at the @instituteforgov.bsky.social Commission on the Centre for Government www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
Power with purpose: Final report of the Commission on the Centre of Government | Institute for Government
Why the centre of government has failed successive prime ministers – and seven recommendations for radical reform.
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Will McDowall @willmcdowall.bsky.social · 01/10/2024
Happy post-coal-Day everyone!
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Reposted by Will McDowall
Sam Macrory @sammacrory.bsky.social · 09/01/2024
"Weaponising net zero has backfired pretty spectacularly" Well worth reading @jillongovt.bsky.social for @instituteforgov.bsky.social on why "Rishi Sunak’s pointless oil and gas bill is exposing Conservative divisions" - as Chris Skidmore quit www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/rish...
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
Rishi Sunak’s pointless oil and gas bill is exposing Conservative divisions | Institute for Govern...
The government's oil and gas bill is performative politics and tarnishes the UK's already diminishing claims to moral authority on climate change.
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