Helpfully Tim Leunig accepts as a premise that more North Sea drilling won’t make oil nor gas more affordable in the UK.

But his arguments about tax and the strategic benefit of allowing more North Sea licensing are flawed in key ways (as well as in ways that James has pointed out). Long 🧵 below:

🧵A political/media guide to the "truth" about net-zero

1) Add up costs to install & run a net-zero energy system
2) Pretend fossil-fuelled alternatives wld be free
3) Do say "eco zealots are bankrupting us"
4) Don't say "free cars if we scrap net-zero" cos it sounds ridiculous
5) That's it!

1/10

Voices in the Amazon call for climate justice Before COP30 opens in Brazil, Joe Ware learns about the Anglican Episcopal Church’s relationship with the region

Before #COP30 opens in #Brazil, @wareisjoe.bsky.social learns about the Anglican Episcopal Church’s relationship with the region #climate #climateaction

Psephologist Sir John Curtice told a Demos-sponsored event at the Conservative Party conference fringe that the Lib Dems “will almost undoubtedly win more seats” than the Tories at the next GE.

“The LD vote is now more geographically concentrated than your vote.”

In short, Starmer has taken a massive hit among Labour voters, for no gain elsewhere, while boosting Farage's popularity, including doubling his ceiling among Labour voters.

I.e., the political scientists were right, Morgan McSweeney was horrendously wrong.

Cut electricity prices now or miss the Clean Industry Boom, say leading businesses and climate groups A coalition of manufacturers, investors, and climate groups have called on the Chancellor to slash electricity prices to unlock growth, drive electrification, and secure Britain’s place in the global ...

Today a coalition of 17 businesses, investors, trade bodies & climate orgs wrote to the Chancellor urging the UK gov to remove policy costs from #electricity bills.

The public letter 👇 is a bold show of support across the board from 'green' groups to the private sector.

www.e3g.org/news/cut-ele...

NEW DATA: 23% of large EU companies now advocate in support of climate policy in the EU, up from 3% in 2019.

Our latest briefing shows that industry lobbyists pushing against further climate progress are unrepresentative of wider business sentiment.

➡️👀 influencemap.org/briefing/Eur...

The report itself here:

christianaid.org.uk/resources/our-…

Story also in today's Daily Mirror

Bananas are the world's 4th most important food crop after wheat, rice & maize.

But they are under threat from climate change.

A new report from Christian Aid outlines the scale of the problem & what needs to be done.

Today's report in the Daily Star 👇

BREAKING 🚨: 1 million people call on the UK Government to:

❌ Stop new oil and gas
✅ Create a solid plan for new jobs and new investments

Climate action and affordable energy now!

If Jesus had focused more on kitchen table issues and less on unpopular outcasts like lepers and prostitutes, he might have won more support from white working-class Judeans.

The idea that new oil & gas fields are a key lever for economic dynamism in the UK is completely at odds with the reality of the North Sea basin's inexorably declining contribution to the UK's economic & energy security--not to mention the costs of escalating climate change. Some thoughts:
/1

Extension of huge offshore windfarm in Sussex approved Plan to add 90 turbines to Rampion will create 4,000 jobs in construction and could power 1m homes

Extension of huge offshore windfarm in Sussex approved

"Plan to add 90 turbines to Rampion will create 4,000 jobs in construction and could power 1m homes"

Climate crisis on track to destroy capitalism, warns top insurer Action urgently needed to save the conditions under which markets – and civilisation itself – can operate, says senior Allianz figure

"Action is urgently needed to save the conditions under which markets – and civilisation itself – can operate, says board member of global insurance firm Allianz"

‘Ravaging shared heritage’: South Korea wildfires destroy ancient temple and threaten Unesco site At least 28 people have died in the fires, which are now the country's worst ever natural fire disaster

South Korea's worst ever wildfire disaster has seen a 1,300 year old Buddhist temple burnt to the ground and World Heritage Site's evacuated.

My report for The Art Newspaper on the threat of the climate crisis to our cultural heritage.

Just Stop Oil announces an end to its attacks on art The controversial climate campaign group, whose protests have included throwing orange cornflour at Stonehenge and supergluing themselves to various works of art, says its final action will take place...

With the Government adopting their primary campaign ask of no new oil and gas drilling, @juststopoil.bsky.social are hanging up their high viz.

My report for The Art Newspaper on how gallery managers are now breathing a sigh of relief.

Could be. Although I was also able to stream from a third party website.

Also, the dining car from Milan to Zurich is an absolute joy. Great alpine views, loads of space, jolly trilingual waiter takes your order from your seat.

And the 3 hour journey only costs 26 euros.

I'm currently on a train from Zurich to Paris. Logged onto the free wi-fi and they have a host of films to stream for free on your phone/laptop.

In the UK you can barely load a webpage with train wi-fi. Right now I'm watching Dune and it's not even buffering.

British Museum and Science Museum under increasing pressure to scrap BP sponsorship after oil giant drops climate targets The pair are the last two major cultural institutions taking funding from fossil fuel companies

The Science Museum requests sponsors to be aligned to the carbon reduction targets of the Paris climate accord.

But BP's new fossil fuel plans = calls for Science Museum, & British Museum, to end their 'artwashing' deals.

My latest for @theartnewspaper.bsky.social

Terrific resignation letter by Anneliese Dodds, this.

Britain’s net zero economy is booming, CBI says Green sector growing at triple the rate of the UK economy, providing high-wage jobs and increasing energy security

Britain’s net zero economy is booming, CBI says

Green sector growing at triple the rate of the UK economy, providing high-wage jobs and increasing energy security

Reform MP installed solar to cut bills but party calls renewables ‘massive con’ Exclusive: Rupert Lowe recently fitted panels on his farm, it emerges, as Reform claims renewables are more expensive

Well well well...

Reform's Rupert Lowe recently fitted solar panels on his farm, it emerges, as Reform claims renewables are more expensive.

Concerning article from the Sun on Sunday today on Rosebank, where the writer and Labour sources quoted clearly don’t quite grasp the economics of the oil and gas industry... maybe this thread can help 👇

archive.ph/Veh5p

Rosebank oilfield decision ruled unlawful by Edinburgh court Court of session said UK government go-ahead for Rosebank and Jackdaw permits did not take into account carbon emissions

Breaking: Uplift welcomes a very sensible decision from the Court of Session invalidating the decision to approve the Rosebank oil field. Rosebank is a disaster for the climate & will do next to nothing to create the prosperity & stability that the UK needs.
🧵
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Record year for UK heat pump sales and training New data from the Heat Pump Association (HPA) reveals that 2024 saw a significant 63% increase in hydronic heat pump sales, and a 15% increase in individuals completing a recognised heat pump training...

UK heat pump sales increased 63% last year and 15% more people completed a recognised heat pump training qualification! This is great news in a sector which has taken a while to get going. 1/4
www.heatpumps.org.uk/record-year-...

This is the main concern of particularly northern Labour MPs.

It's all very well to commit to building projects in the north as well but if you are building major southern airport capacity, the Lower Thames Crossing and a new silicon valley there are only so many engineers in the country...

Electric cars in UK last as long as petrol and diesel vehicles, study finds International research team based findings on 300m records from MOT data to estimate failure rates of all cars

Electric cars in UK last as long as petrol and diesel vehicles, study finds

An international team of researchers has estimated that an electric car will have a lifespan of 18.4 years, compared with 18.7 years for petrol cars and 16.8 years for diesels.

Environmentalism is the most popular ideology in Britain.

-It's 2nd among Conservative voters
-More than a third of Reform voters are also in favour of it