A rare sign of hope as mountain gorillas welcome two sets of twins in Africa Once close to extinction, the species is rebounding due to years of conservation work

A rare sign of hope as mountain gorillas welcome two sets of twins in Africa

Why Greenpeace is sending a ship to help the Global Sumud Flotilla sail to Gaza - Greenpeace International Greenpeace’s Arctic Sunrise is joining the Global Sumud Flotilla to support a peaceful civilian mission challenging the blockade on Gaza and demanding safe, unhindered humanitarian access.

Why Greenpeace is sending a ship to help the Global Sumud Flotilla sail to Gaza
www.greenpeace.org/internationa...

Reaching net zero by 2050 ‘cheaper for UK than one fossil fuel crisis’ Climate change committee finds move to renewable energy would also bring health, economic and security benefits

Achieving the UK’s climate goals costs less than the economic impact of one single oil shock - climate committee finds @suspol.bsky.social @fossiltreaty.bsky.social @greenpeaceuk.bsky.social @oilchange.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Fox swims with ducks and geese at RSPB Blacktoft Sands It is thought the fox is rearing young on an island in the middle of a nature reserve.

Fox swims with ducks and geese at RSPB Blacktoft Sands

Just 30 days before spring begins (in the northern hemisphere at least!) and we begin to see the magical flights of #bats🦇 as they catch insects in the night sky.

A wonderful set of potted biographies charting some of the network of freethinkers and scientists who inspired - and were inspired by - Charles Darwin. A belated Happy Darwin Day!

Adapt, shrink or die: the global crisis in humanitarian aid [FREE TO READ] On the road in Sudan with the UN’s outgoing High Commissioner for Refugees

Western countries are hitting refugees twice: they are making it harder to claim asylum *and* they are cutting aid to troubled regions.

I went to Sudan, the world's worst humanitarian situation, where the UN refugee agency has had to cut half its staff. Please have a read: as.ft.com/r/df593f1e-e...

The daffodils were in bloom late December at my local church 😟

Epitaph on a Tryant WH Auden porms on the Underground

All too timely poetry on the Tube.

We need much more #PublicArt - space for reflection, not just selling things

How bus stops and bike lanes can make or break your festive city trip Imagine cycling from your hotel to a historic site, hopping on an electric bus to a museum and strolling to dinner. That’s a blueprint for sustainable tourism.

Imagine cycling from your hotel to a historic site, hopping on an electric bus to a museum and strolling to dinner. That’s a blueprint for sustainable tourism.

Huge news from the UK today: after UN climate talks in which there was a massive fight over language on fossil fuels, the UK government today announced that it will in fact be keeping many millions of barrels of oil & gas in the ground. Deeds rather than just words for a change! 🧵

Beyond the negative headlines, some truly good things came out of Cop30 In this week’s newsletter: Ultimately, climate progress will come from real-world action, and this year’s summit made some promising strides on that front

Beyond the negative headlines, some truly good things came out of Cop30

“More than 80 countries supported a transition away from fossil fuels, but were blocked by countries that refused to support this necessary step. More than 90 countries supported improved protection of forests. That too did not make it into the final agreement.” Carolina Pasqualil, Greenpeace Brazil

An actual just energy transition needs two things: a clear plan to get rid of fossil fuels, and serious money for climate adaptation. COP30 ended weak on both.

We do have the Belém Action Mechanism (BAM), but what is a just transition mechanism w/o the money or political will to make it happen?

UK cuts contribution to Aids, tuberculosis and malaria fund by £150m Campaigners say 15% cut, which is smaller than had been feared, is serious setback in efforts to combat the diseases

NEW: UK confirms 15% cut to the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria for its next funding round, a decision aid agenices say will result in hundreds of thousands of otherwise avoidable deaths.

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

Booker prize 2025: the six shortlisted books, reviewed by experts Six works of literary fiction at its most adult.

Six works of literary fiction at its most adult.

BAD NEWS! Should the swift brick vote have taken place earlier today we would have won. Tories whipped YES but by the time of the vote, support had gone home just like 2 years ago. It is an AGONISING reality. Tell your MP & steve.reed.mp@parliament.uk what you think. GUTTED.

UK opts out of flagship fund to protect Amazon and other threatened tropical forests Decision is bitter blow to Brazil ahead of fund’s launch at Cop30 – and an embarrassment to Prince William

UK opts out of flagship fund to protect Amazon and other threatened tropical forests

Very sorry to hear that. Thank you for all you have done

Just come across this fabulous website...

'Rewild Your Street - transforming urban streets for wildlife'

What a wonderful idea... and so many useful resources!

If you want to attract more #wildlife to your garden/street this is a great place to start.

www.rewildmystreet.org

#nature

The world’s energy problem The world faces two energy problems: most of our energy still produces greenhouse gas emissions, and hundreds of millions lack access to energy.

Read our colleague Max Roser’s article, “The world’s energy problem”, for a global perspective on this issue: ourworldindata.org/worlds-energ...

Plans to weaken protections for national parks will have ‘disastrous consequences’ say green groups Exclusive: Letter from 170-plus organisations calls on government to drop proposed changes to planning law

Just extraordinary to witness this nature-hating government sabotaging Labour’s own legacy. And for absolutely no reason: nature protection isn’t blocking development - it’s a necessary prerequisite for it (& for everything else, come to that…)

Rare wildflower bloom blankets Chile's Atacama desert One of the world's driest deserts is transformed into a sea of wildflowers after a rare bloom.

Rare wildflower bloom blankets Chile's Atacama desert

Some good news.

London is meeting legal limits for toxic NO2 pollution for the first time – almost 200 years earlier than predicted – following the Mayor’s "world leading air pollution policies," City Hall announces.

The Ultra Low Emissions Zone - and similar policies - really do work.

Beijing + 30: Looking Back on Women’s Rights, Progress and Backlash Over eleven unusually rainy, cold days in September 1995, around 17,000 delegates from189 governments gathered in Beijing for the Fourth UN World Conference on Women. At the same time, more than 30,00...

The UN commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women today.

Mayra Buvinic looks back at the common history of the global women’s movement and the UN starting in the 1970s, offering takeaways on progress for women framed by this history:
https://bit.ly/46wDBBL

The words we use to talk about nature are disappearing. Here’s why that matters. We’ll need to do more than ‘touch grass’ to revive them.

The words we use to talk about nature are disappearing. Here’s why that matters.

We’ll need to do more than "touch grass" to revive them.

grist.org/language/nat...

#Climate #Language #Words #Dictionary #Environment #Culture #Librarians

Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor): 35cm (13.8in) Photographers Doug Gimsey & Tobias Baumgaertner captured these two widowed fairy penguins looking over the Melbourne skyline. The lighter penguin is an elderly female whose partner died. The darker one is a male who lost his partner 2yrs previously. 🐧

How Sweden’s ‘secondhand only’ shopping mall is changing retail Circular retail is not just about what we buy, but how and where we buy it.

Circular retail is not just about what we buy, but how and where we buy it.

Without nature, there is no economy: www.enlightenmenteconomics.com/blog/index.p...

‘Self-termination is most likely’: the history and future of societal collapse An epic analysis of 5,000 years of civilisation argues that a global collapse is coming unless inequality is vanquished

“But even if you don’t have hope, it doesn’t really matter. This is about defiance. It’s about doing the right thing, fighting for democracy and for people to not be exploited.” Luke Kemp, on his new book Goliath’s Curse.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...