Pallavi Sethi

Reform-run Kent council accused of fabricating £40m net zero savings Exclusive: Disclosures show figures cited by council leader rested on unfunded ideas listed briefly in budget papers

Beyond stripping away climate friendly language & shutting down climate committees, Reform led councils are not saving any money from ditching net zero because the savings were never there.

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

The Telegraph misrepresents 15-minute cities - Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment Despite extensive debunking of misinformation and conspiracy theories around 15-minute cities and Oxford traffic filters, some UK newspapers continue to misrepresent the concepts.

You would think the 15-minute conspiracy is old news but here we are with the Telegraph amplifying more such conspiracies. My words in @granthamlse.bsky.social

www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminst...

LBC Radio interview on high energy prices in the UK YouTube video by Jan Rosenow

Why are energy prices so high in the UK and is government doing enough to support people?

My take on @lbc.co.uk Radio this morning.

youtu.be/GRwFZfygvr4?...

The utterly shameless & widely covered "report" out today, claiming net zero will "cost" £9tn is based on:

* Assuming free fossil-fuel energy, free petrol cars, free gas boilers, free gas power plants etc

AND

* Including climate damages in the "cost" of net zero

I kid you not, it is that stupid

E.P.A. to Stop Considering Lives Saved When Setting Rules on Air Pollution

By pushing the EPA to ignore health benefits when weighing regulatory costs, this shift becomes a dangerous invisibility tactic. It vanishes the harm and the real benefits of clean air are reframed as debatable.

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/c...

Trump’s attack on climate science is an epistemic assault. It’s more than just denying science or delaying action. It’s about controlling who can create, share, and access knowledge.

RFK Jr. says U.S. will stop funding global vaccine alliance Gavi Gavi works to expand access to vaccines for children in some of the world’s poorest countries. Health experts say the move could have deadly consequences.

Let’s be absolutely clear. This decision, based on fringe conspiracy theories, will kill children.
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

many thanks for attending the talk. I didn’t get a chance to talk about media literacy but it is one of the most effective tools to tackle misinformation. Slow but effective intervention.

NEW ANALYSIS: Reform UK now runs 10 counties across England, putting 6GW of new clean-energy capacity at risk (mostly batteries)

However, Reforms' ability to block planning consent looks weaker than its leaders hoped

By Molly Lempriere & Josh Gabbatiss

www.carbonbrief.org/...

Voters should reject Reform UK’s anti-climate agenda in the local elections - British Politics and Policy at LSE Reform UK candidates in this year’s local elections have been promoting an anti-climate, anti-net-zero agenda. Pallavi Sethi argues that this campaign goes directly against the interests of the local…

#ReformUK candidates in the #LocalElections peddled an anti-climate, anti-net-zero agenda.

This campaign fails the local communities exposed to the risks of #ClimateChange these candidates seek to represent – @pallavis.bsky.social @granthamlse.bsky.social for @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social.

Local elections are taking place today in many parts of England, and Reform UK candidates have been promoting an anti-climate, anti-net-zero agenda.

In this blog, @pallavis.bsky.social argues that this campaign goes directly against the interests of the local communities they seek to represent.

In tomorrow's local elections, voters have a clear choice: support leadership that protects their future against climate risks or choose candidates whose policies may jeopardise their future.
blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...

🚨Some major errors & misleading claims from experienced presenter Nick Robinson on BBC Radio 4 Today, when discussing British Steel with Treasury Minister James Murray

I hope these are corrected on tomorrow's programme, and Robinson sticks to the facts in future.

Here's what he got wrong... 🧵

Speech by Lord Stern of Brentford during debate on ‘The affordability of achieving the net zero emissions target by 2050’ - Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment Text of a speech given by Lord Stern to the House of Lords on 3 April 2025.

Lord Nicholas Stern spoke during the debate in the House of Lords on ‘The affordability of achieving the net zero emissions target by 2050’

You can read his full speech here

It was an honour to speak at the Climate Information Integrity Summit in Brasilia. Deeply inspired by the collective dedication of scientists, civil societies, and climate activists working together to protect the integrity of information in the fight against climate disinformation 🙌🏽

Cutting clean investment in the Spring Statement would be bad economics and poor politics The Spring Statement and upcoming Spending Review cannot afford to de-prioritise investment in the clean transition, as it is crucial for the government's growth mission, writes Esin Serin from LSE's ...

The Chancellor’s Spring Statement and upcoming Spending Review cannot afford to de-prioritise investment in the clean transition which is crucial for the UK government's growth mission says Esin Serin in @businessgreen.bsky.social
www.businessgreen.com/opinion/4411...

That's actually kinda funny in a morbid unfunny way. Sadly the random country did fight a war, jointly with the U.S., 22 years ago... based entirely on disinformation on an industrial scale. Remember the mythical WMDs? So very apropos for disinformers now to omit. www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news...

Generative AI and the German Far Right: Narratives, Tactics and Digital Strategies This report examines how German far-right actors use generative AI, the narratives on which they concentrate, and the tactics they employ to disseminate this content.

ISD’s newest investigation examines the German far-right’s use of generative AI. A range of actors are using the technology to rapidly produce and promote videos, images, text and even songs. The spread of this content also exposes gaps in the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). ow.ly/GPIH50V2fWu

It’s no wonder that parties like the AfD & FPO oppose the Digital Services Act & villainise fact-checkers.

Meta chief lobbyist slams EU tech laws and fines Joel Kaplan told a Brussels Meta event that the approach Brussels is taking to tech resembles “a tax or a tariff.”

Yesterday Meta’s main lobbyist Joel Kaplan at a Brussels lobby event railed against data privacy and the AI Act. He also called EU tech fines a ‘tariff’".

When we registered for the event, Meta told us there was not enough room. No critical eyes allowed 🤔

www.politico.eu/article/meta...

The myth of Meta’s free speech places democracy at risk - Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment With algorithms working to trigger reaction, not discern the truth, misinformation – including on climate change – is flourishing and harming democracy, this commentary contends, calling for a…

Meta's recent decision to discontinue its third-party fact-checking program in the US has sparked significant controversy. In her new piece, Pallavi Sethi explores how this move, framed as protecting free speech, may actually undermine democracy and amplify misinformation.

Meta is lying to you when it says it is committed to free speech. True free expression requires more than just the absence of censorship: it demands a commitment to an informed and transparent public sphere. Algorithmic transparency is no longer an option, it is a necessity.

TIL: Austria’s far-right party FPO deeply cares about animal protection… resenting a far-party has never felt more confusing 🥴

Thanks to @iburrell.bsky.social in the i newspaper for highlighting new analysis published by @carbonbrief.org in his latest media column which focuses on how Trump's return will see a surge in climate misinformation.

Orwellian is alive 😇

Policy scepticism is the new, more nuanced, misleading narrative about climate

🚨BREAKING: The Supreme Court has DENIED Big Oil's requests to review Honolulu's climate deception lawsuit.

The decision keeps Honolulu and other communities on track to put Big Oil companies on trial for their climate lies.

It's time to hold Big Oil accountable and make polluters pay.

Exceeding the 1.5C mark, even temporarily, signals that the climate is approaching critical tipping points. This should serve as a wake up call for governments, corporations, industries to ramp up mitigation and adaptation measures.