'A turtle makes tracks on a beach after burying its eggs in the sand in June 2021 in the Ras Al Hadd Turtle Reserve in Oman. About 10,000 green turtles make the trip on this beach every year' (Haitham Al Farsi/Solent News/Shutterstock)

The Strait of Hormuz + surrounding seas are critical ecologically as well as politically.

Coral reefs, whale sharks, dolphins, endangered Arabian humpback whales, seagrass meadows supporting dugons, islands harbouring green turtles - just some of the creatures + ecosystems in + near the Strait.

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The stunning underwater world that’s at risk as the Iran war drags on | CNN Not far from the vessels stuck in the Persian Gulf is a one-of-a-kind marine ecosystem that’s home to dolphins, sea turtles and coral. How do oil slicks affect them?

A wildlife disaster unfolds alongside the human tragedy in the Strait of Hormuz

@greenpeace.org reports Iranian vessel Shahid Bagheri, stuck by a US warplane in early March, is still leaking oil near the Strait, with nearby wetlands at risk:

www.cnn.com/2026/04/17/s...
🧵 1/5

aaaand here's another (jp morgan chase):

for all the headlines about how finance doesn't care about climate anymore (there are many) the job postings are saying the opposite--they've truly never cared this much before

I'm biased, but I think this is the apex example of how our discourse has become detached from reality.

The reality has moved rapidly in one direction (dramatic fall in solar and battery costs; climate change seeming worse than expected). The discourse has moved in the exact opposite direction

I also beg him to visit France next year and strongly endorse Marine Le Pen or Jordan Bardella

i firmly believe that kennedy wants preventable diseases to rip through american communities since, in his warped mind, those who survive without vaccines will have proven themselves “healthy.”

Nearly 1 in 6 UK species are threatened with extinction.

We've lost 97% of our wildflower meadows since the 1930s.

We have 73 million fewer birds than in the 1970s - a decline of almost a third.

And yet some politicians still just see wildlife as a blocker to progress.

Absolutely remarkable statement from Pope Leo today.
One for the history books
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

"Half of the kingdom’s (Thailand) vast fishing fleet is already docked"

“This is worse than the Covid pandemic,” said Trailerk, the fisheries association president. “Then the situation was uncertain but stable. This is volatile in a way I’ve never seen"

amp.scmp.com/week-asia/ec...

Opinion | NASA Flew by the Moon, but Behind the Scenes, Its Science Is a Chaotic Mess

The images of Earth from Artemis are amazing. But if we destroy our ability to understand (and live on) our planet, all they are is pretty pictures

www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/o...

everything we are seeing now is the consequence of having a political environment in which indifference to the deaths and suffering of other people - even by the state whose supposed responsibility is to safeguard their welfare - is a superpower rather than a political liability

This is a threat to commit an atrocity crime of extraordinary proportions.

The statement appears to be designed to spread terror among the Iranian population, which would render the threat itself a violation of international law, as recognized in the DoD Law of War Manual.

Trump may not carry out the threat.

But the fact he even made such a threat means he should immediately be removed from office.

For that is the purpose of a constitution with checks and balances.

Engaging the head and the heart: why scientists turn to poetry Some researchers use verse to visualize complex problems or translate the wonders of science for wider audiences.

My latest for @natureportfolio.nature.com: A dream assignment.

Engaging the head and the heart: why scientists turn to poetry.

Poetry-writing scientists draw inspiration from trees, leaves, fish, hurricanes, the climate crisis and even electricity pylons.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

This is excellent. I choose not to use AI for my writing, but Naomi's piece reminds me that I'm in no position then to make uninformed judgements about its potential.

We @crisisgroup.org , and a range of prominent individuals, are calling for an initiative to protect global food security as the crisis deepens in the Strait of Hormuz.

With war raging between Iran, the U.S., and Israel, here's how to ease the transit of food

www.crisisgroup.org/stm/global/i...

Invisible plumes and ‘terrible pollution’: the reality of the US gas sites rated ‘grade A’ Exclusive: Guardian investigation into reliability of methane certification issued by MiQ reveals weakness of voluntary model

Thrilled to see this investigation out in @theguardian.com today (follow-on piece from @drilledmedia.bsky.social mañana) on the shocking news that voluntary certifications built on self-reported data are probs not going to meaningfully reduce methane emissions 🙃

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

‘Eye-popping’ levels of carcinogen found in UK gas supply, researchers warn Cancer-causing substance benzene was found in all 72 domestic gas samples collected in the UK, the Netherlands and Italy

"The study ... checked homes for gas leaks that occur chronically, when cookers were switched off and found 40 per cent of kitchens had gas leaks in the three countries they took samples from." IT, NL and UK.

Via @davidesabbadin.bsky.social

www.independent.co.uk/news/health/...

🚨 BREAKING: The European Commission has urged people to work from home, drive and fly less, and for EU countries to urgently roll out renewables, as it warned of a prolonged energy crisis as a result of the conflict in the Gulf.

Full story: www.politico.eu/article/euro...

New U.S. Missile Hit Iranian Sports Hall and School, Analysis Shows

Since the headline is a bit confusing, the NYT is reporting that on the same day we hit the girl's school in Minab, we also sent a missile full of tungsten steel pellets at a girl's volleyball tournament hundreds of miles away in Lamerd. Twenty one dead.
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/29/w...

Dozens of deep-sea species discovered as new crustaceans named | Natural History Museum Twenty-four new species of crustaceans have been discovered as part of a project to name 1,000 deep-sea animals by 2030

Scientists just discovered 24 new species in one of the least explored parts of the planet - the #DeepSea.

Same place some companies want to start #DeepSeaMining.

Incredible

Nothing more dangerous than a lie #shorts YouTube video by HBO

Someone reminded me recently of this quote from the show Chernobyl: "Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later that debt is paid."

www.youtube.com/shorts/cCXsN...

Octopus Energy boss: We've seen a 50% rise in solar panel sales since start of war in Iran The UK giant is optimistic but chief executive Greg Jackson tells the BBC he is making contingency plans.

#energycrisis

UK's political right bang out about North Sea oil and gas (red herring, see next post)

😎 Real people just do smart stuff 😎

- solar sales up 50%
- heat pump sales up 30%
- EV enquires up 30%
says Octopus boss (UK's biggest supplier)

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Inkcap Journalism that gets into the weeds.

Nice to see Inkcap relaunching today!

www.inkcap.co.uk?ref=inkcap-n...

I just resigned from NASA. It breaks my heart to leave, but I’ve become convinced the best path forward is to do the best science I can, and that can’t be here anymore. I’m still in love with the promise of those four magic letters. Ad astra per aspera, and remember: Earth is the only good planet.

Seriously one of the most hopeful things you’ll read today.

This is where the debate should be, rather than on the distraction of North Sea drilling. What can government do to move faster on clean tech and green buildings? Can it afford to be more ambitious and demand new homes are passivhaus and zero bill? How quickly can it bring down fossil fuel reliance?

The UK has loads of old draughty houses, where installation can be more difficult. But new homes should be the low hanging fruit for heat pumps and solar.
And if you mandate them across all new buildings you also help to grow a skilled workforce which is surely a key sticking point. Gah!

“The future homes standard has taken more than a decade to draw up”… and was supposed to replace a zero carbon homes standard by 2016 that was “scrapped by David Cameron” 🤦‍♀️