Geoffrey Lean

Climate change is speeding up — the pace nearly doubled in ten years Earth is now warming at a rate of around 0.35 ºC per decade, fresh analysis finds.

Global warming accelerates even as political commitment slumps worldwide. A huge, historic betrayal. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

What is the ‘acid rain’ in the wake of US bombings in Iran? An atmospheric scientist explains This rain would include acids but also likely many other pollutants harmful to humans and the environment. It may be worse than the term ‘acid rain’ conveys.

The war’s other toll. It will go on taking lives long after hostilities cease. The numbers killed by air pollution from the felling of the twin towers, for example, far outnumber those who died on the day. theconversation.com/what-is-the-...

As the US/Israel attack on Iran is likely to tip the UK into recession, let's not forget that Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are trashing our rivers, ecosystems, communities, health and resilience for the sake of economic growth. But, as they are now discovering, it's not something they can control.

Reports: Stellantis plans £50m electric van investment at Ellesmere Port factory Vauxhall-owner said to be planning to ramp up electric van production at its Ellesmere Port assembly line, despite on-going concerns over UK's ZEV Mandate

This is really good news. Expect the grumbling about the ZEV Mandate to continue, but the UK is gradually building out EV production capacity. www.businessgreen.com/news/4526662...

Keir Starmer and David Lammy are taking an extraordinarily dangerous gamble with our individual liberty This week, MPs will vote on the second reading of the Courts and Tribunals Bill. Don’t let the anodyne name fool you – this is one of the most revolutionary pieces of legislation in our…

Labour's core voters, on which its re-election entirely depends, are crystal clear about this: they absolutely hate its illiberal, intolerant, draconian, rightwards turn. Hence the total collapse in support. So how does the government respond? #SuicideMission🤦‍♂️
thesecretbarrister.com/2026/03/07/k...

Good luck! Thinking of you….

THREAD: I got laid off from NYMag/Vulture after 14 years. The family lost 75% of income + medical. Now mzs.press bookstore, once a side project. is do-or-die for Judith & I. I feel weird telling you this because others are doing much worse. But if you could like or share this, we'd be so grateful!

Starmer’s grey belt policy turns green fields into battlegrounds Labour’s planning reform was meant to target car parks — instead, developers are eyeing up farmland. We examine the policy reshaping our countryside

Irony of ironies! . The derelict petrol station that ministers cited to justify their grey belt policy remains undeveloped green belt, while loads of hitherto protected open countryside is being sacrificed.
www.thetimes.com/life-style/p...

A Global Nuclear Power Renaissance Isn’t Living Up to the Hype China is building reactors at an unprecedented pace — but the rest of the world is lagging far behind.

Is the much-touted nuclear renaissance actually taking place? Doesn’t seem so…..
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Why you can remember every word of a song from 25 years ago – but not why you walked into the room Forgetting why you walked into a room isn’t a sign of cognitive decline. It’s your brain doing exactly what it evolved to do.

Here’s a comfort. Forgetting why you walked into a room is your brain operating the way it is meant to do. It’s called the doorway effect! theconversation.com/why-you-can-...

And here….

Carbon emissions now more than double the planetary boundary, analysis finds Earth is not infinite. Pollution beyond certain levels threatens the climate and ecosystems. To prevent this, scientists have proposed planetary boundaries, defining the safe operating limits of the E...

Ominous news. We are now emitting twice the Carbon needed to keep us below the 1.5 degree danger limit. Irreversible tipping points await…..https://phys.org/news/2026-03-carbon-emissions-planetary-boundary-analysis.html

Now there is hope! It's no longer a choice between grim and grimmer. We can vote for who we want and win. Anywhere.
It's just one constituency, but the Green victory in Gorton and Denton is an electric shock to our political system.

This waterlogged corner of England was once only habitable during summer. Climate change could make it so again As the UK experiences high levels of rain, Somerset Levels in the south-west of England is trying to cope with extreme flooding and its consequences.

Fascinating piece on the Somerset Levels. theconversation.com/this-waterlo...

The signal and the noise How media fragmentation is changing politics and what governments need to do to adapt

This from @samfr.bsky.social is much the most enlightening piece I have read about the fragmenting media landscape - and how to navigate it….
samf.substack.com/p/the-signal...

Lovely to see!

Thinking of you.

me too!

'The biggest win for nature in a generation': High Seas Treaty enters into force Landmark ocean protections enter into force - but green groups slam 'glacial' UK progress in writing treaty into law

The High Seas Treaty came into force today following ratification by over 60 countries. Multilateralism is not quite dead yet.
www.businessgreen.com/news/4524322...

This is a must-read.

UK aid cuts mean girls' education programmes axed or delayed A total of 12 projects have been delayed or cancelled this year as part of the shrinking of Britain's international aid budget

Educating women and girls is recognised as the single most effective use of aid. But Britain’s cuts are slashing it, while continuing to provide massive help for climate- harming fossil fuel production. Outrageous! inews.co.uk/news/girls-e...

The graph in this story actually destroys its thesis, that green levies and taxes cause the UK‘s high energy prices. It showe they are in fact among the lowest in the developed world, adding little to the cost! Blame gas instead...
www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202...

Glacier loss to accelerate, with up to 4,000 disappearing each year by 2050s Thousands of glaciers will vanish each year in the coming decades, leaving only a fraction standing by the end of the century unless global warming is curbed, a study showed on Monday.

Dreadful, if predictable, news on glaciers. Incalculable consequences, not least for water supply to much of Asia.

phys.org/news/2025-12...

Climate Models Got It Wrong: Plants Can’t Absorb As Much CO₂ As We Thought Overestimated nitrogen availability has led climate models to exaggerate how much plant growth can offset rising CO2 levels. Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are a major driver of cli...

scitechdaily.com/climate-mode... Seriously worrying research which shows that - once again - scientists have been gravely underestimating the dangers of climate change. also explodes the mouth that increasing CO2 will greatly boost crop yields.

Here’s some good news. India met half its vast power demand from clean energy on July 29th @ed-king.bsky.social told a Green Alliance webinar today. Just one, doubtless hot, day but quite an indication of the big energy transition gathering speed despite all the pro fossil fuel commentary.

Good news!. Good luck for the cash….

Goo

In further 'words no longer have any meaning' news, Lord Glasman wants 'clean, abundant' energy, including coal, fossil fuels, and North Sea gas. www.desmog.com/2025/11/28/l...

Watershed Pollution Map showing methane emissions around the UK.

You can also filter the map to show just how much methane - a potent greenhouse gas - is already being released by oil + gas extraction in the North Sea. Expanding this means releasing ever more of a gas that makes a huge contribution to climate change:

share.google/dZfNuOIn5LOu...