🌡 Third-warmest August globally, 1.29°C above pre-industrial level, 0.49°C above the 1991–2020 average for the month. Western Europe saw major heatwaves, mostly in the Iberian Peninsula and southwest France. Third-highest sea surface temperatures on record at 20.82°C.

The true size of Africa For centuries, the maps used to understand the world have distorted Africa’s size compared to most northerly nations.

If you love a map like I do - have a read of this excellent Reuters data viz on the true size of Africa www.reuters.com/graphics/AFR...

Why the poorest neighbourhoods are dangerously hot | Context by TRF Same city, same heatwave - so why are poor neighbourhoods 3°C hotter?

Heatwaves in Europe are widening inequalities - to understand why - have a watch.
www.context.news/climate-just...

Can climate lawsuits slow global warming? | Context by TRF Landmark lawsuit against German energy giant RWE is thrown out, but court rules companies can be liable for emissions' impact

Climate inaction in the dock. A major case at the UN's top court is a major breakthrough for climate litigation (see article). Activists, farmers, scientists and young people are finding creative ways of using the law to slow global warming. www.context.news/just-transit...

ICJ Advisory Opinion on climate change:

As wildfires threaten cities, experts warn that Europe’s expanding suburbs and hotter, drier summers are raising the risk. Prevention, smarter urban planning, and resilient landscapes are key to protecting communities.

✍️ @jogill.bsky.social reports

🔗 www.context.news/climate-risk...

In Data: Fires are accelerating global forest loss | Context by TRF As heatwaves and droughts smash records, more frequent wildfires are devastating the world's forests

As Europe delays deforestation regulation - a look at wildfires and forest loss. www.context.news/climate-risk...

How is conflict in the Middle East affecting the climate? | Context by TRF As conflicts spread, military forces must do more to measure their carbon footprints and find sustainable ways to cut emissions

"Over the past months and years, we’ve seen all too clearly what armies and munitions can do to humans and the environment. Less visible, and less well understood, are the devastating effects of war on our climate." www.context.news/net-zero/opi...

Exclusive: EU visa rule change set to target Israeli citizens Mechanism to suspend short-stay visa-free travel into the EU has been reformed to include human rights breaches, and Israel could be one of the first countries affected. #EuropeNews

Israeli tourists could lose visa-free travel to the EU under new rules agreed by member states and the European Parliament, my colleague Vincenzo Genovese reports.

The rules foresee suspensions over a country’s severe breaches of international human rights or humanitarian law.

Brussels drafts law outsourcing EU climate efforts to poorer countries An early version of the 2040 climate target aligns with a German proposal on limiting CO2 offsets, officials familiar with discussions say.

🚨 A draft proposal from the European Commission would allow the limited use of carbon credits — up to 3 percentage points of the 90% target — from projects in other countries to meet the EU's 2040 climate goal.

Scoop w/ @karlmathiesen.bsky.social

www.politico.eu/article/brus...

Britain plans to extend a bottom trawling ban as governments ratify global oceans treaty

✍️ Beatrice Tridimas reports

🔗 www.context.news/nature/what-...

In light of the attacks between Israel and Iran, the European Commission has taken "appropriate measures" to reinforce the security of EU staff based in the Middle East and "mitigate risks".

The measures cannot be detailed for security reasons.

'Trump effect' hits Pride marches in Europe as sponsors pull out | Context by TRF LGBTQ+ activists say Trump's anti-DEI campaign has led companies to pull financial support for Pride marches across Europe

"We can certainly speak of a 'Trump effect' - as part of a global culture war against minority rights": Pride organisers in Europe are losing financial support, as major firms pull back from Pride. LGBTQ+ campaigners say Trump's anti-DEI drive is to blame. www.context.news/money-power-...

Why it’s better not to listen to Spotify playlists Two recent books reveal the business practices that influence the content offered by this music platform

Something I've suspected - algorithms aint got no rhythm. english.elpais.com/culture/2025...

If the focus is the EU's green policies - Critical Mess? The Melt?
More serious (positive focus) - The Shift, The Turn, Reset

Commission opens investigations to safeguard minors from pornographic content under the Digital Services Act The DSA aims to ensure a safer environment online for minors, in this context, the Commission has opened formal proceedings against Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX, and XVideos for suspected breaches of the ...

EU big tech law

- EU Commission starts investigations against four porn sites for alleged non-compliance with Digital Services Act

- one porn site delisted as 'very large online platform'

- coordinated action by national regulators against smaller porn sites

ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

Sara Brandstätter - Meta Platforms can start training its AI model with users' data in Germany after judges this afternoon rejected an urgent request for an injunction made over data protection fears.

Below is the press release: lnkd.in/dcJRqmHt.

Random movie musing. Why doesn't Disney Pixar do adult targeted animation? I'm thinking the next instalment of Inside Out - but the protagonist is going through menopause. Which emotions would be at the controls?

How could the next Pope influence global LGBTQ+ rights? | Context by TRF The papal conclave is preparing to select a new pope, but how could this affect the Church's relationship with LGBTQ+ faithful?

Francis opened a dialogue that had been "sealed shut" previously. So how could the next Pope influence LGBTQ+ rights? Read about it on @contextnewsroom.bsky.social www.context.news/socioeconomi...

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2024 saw the highest annual sea surface temperature on record for both the European region as a whole and the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean also reached its highest recorded daily sea surface temperature during a severe marine heatwave in August.
https://bit.ly/43J3fU6

#ESOTC2024 #C3S

Inside the Arctic vault where data lasts ‘forever’ | Context We visited an Arctic coal mine, where one company claims it can store your digital files for thousands of years. So what’s in here?

Seeking digital immortality? Take a look at this. www.context.news/big-tech/vid...

From water projects in Afghanistan to demining in Colombia, aid cuts from Trump, EU and UK stop work that makes the world safer.

✍️ Jo Gill talks to Charlotte Slente.

🔗 www.context.news/money-power-...

USAID cuts: HIV frontline workers battle funding 'nightmare' | Context From South Africa to the Philippines, Ukraine to Nigeria, healthcare workers are scrambling to plug gaps left by U.S. aid cuts

From South Africa to the Philippines, Ukraine to Nigeria, frontline workers are scrambling to plug gaps left by USAID funding cuts. Can these temporary measures last? Latest @contextnewsroom.bsky.social story with @jogill.bsky.social Bukola Adebayo & Mariejo Ramos www.context.news/money-power-...

Attacks on abortion rights 'catastrophic' for women's health | Context Rollback of gender equality and attacks on reproductive rights are taking place as other fundamental rights come under pressure

"Far-right and populist politicians in Europe are increasingly challenging access to abortion and other essential reproductive healthcare services – a stark reminder that these rights are not guaranteed and must be continually protected." www.context.news/money-power-...

How AI is helping to detect earthquakes | Context New technologies are helping detect earthquakes and minimise destruction, but predicting a specific tremor remains a challenge

"We are living a revolution in understanding the Earth." How is #AI helping #earthquake forecasting? Read on @contextnewsroom.bsky.social www.context.news/ai/how-ai-is...

Q&A: 'Flow' animation director says AI should be tool, not creator | Context Indie animated film "Flow" rattles big studios with Oscar win, spotlighting role of new tech in industry under pressure from AI

Indie animated film "Flow" rattled the big studios with its Oscar win, spotlighting the role of new tech in an industry under pressure from AI.

✍️ @jogill.bsky.social reports.

Q&A: 'Flow' animation director says AI should be tool, not creator | Context Indie animated film "Flow" rattles big studios with Oscar win, spotlighting role of new tech in industry under pressure from AI

Using AI without breaking the magic of animation - that's the task facing an industry in flux in an age of automation. I spoke to 'Flow' animation director Léo Silly Pélissier about the AI-free Oscar film & new projects dabbling with AI @contextnewsroom.bsky.social www.context.news/ai/q-and-a-f...

Q&A: "Moment of reckoning" in fight against AIDS, TB, malaria | Context Foreign aid cuts by U.S. and other donors puts decades of progress for AIDS, TB and malaria at risk, says Global Fund head

Foreign aid cuts by U.S. and other donors puts decades of progress for #AIDS, #TB and #malaria at risk, says Global Fund head. Read @jogill.bsky.social interview with Peter Sands on @contextnewsroom.bsky.social on #WorldTBDay
www.context.news/rethinking-t...

Futurism On Deaf Ears Mar 18, 10:15 AM EDT by Maggie Harrison Dupré Before Google Was Blamed for the Suicide of a Teen Chatbot User, Its Researchers Published a Paper Warning of Those Exact Dangers "A user," the Google researchers cautioned, could be "persuaded to take their own life." Image: a collage of kids staying up late on their phones, with several hiding under their covers.

NEW: Months before Google was accused in a lawsuit of facilitating the suicide of a teen user of the Google-tied chatbot startup CharacterAI, researchers at Google DeepMind warned in a paper that chatbots could target minors and manipulate vulnerable users into suicide.

futurism.com/google-suici...

Can climate lawsuits help to stop global warming? | Context A Peruvian farmer's lawsuit against German firm is part of mounting legal challenges against energy giants over climate change

A crucial climate case which could set a precedent for climate lawsuits resumes in Germany today. Read more about how climate litigation is evolving on @contextnewsroom.bsky.social www.context.news/just-transit...