Dr Pete Knapp
LightNews LightNews
peteknapp.bsky.social
Dr Pete Knapp
@peteknapp.bsky.social
3.7K followers 200 following 470 posts
Air quality scientist/journalist. Making a film: Fires and Fascism https://fires-and-fascism.co.uk
Posts Replies Media Videos
peteknapp.bsky.social
Why would a government want to scrap juries?

Is it so they can pass sentences that the gov wants, but the people object to?

Feels very 1984 to me…

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

@defendourjuries.bsky.social
@amnestyuk.bsky.social
@lawyersfornature.bsky.social
Jury trials could be scrapped except in most serious cases
Only cases of alleged murder, rape or manslaughter will be decided by a jury under new proposals to cut court backlogs.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Reposted by Dr Pete Knapp
rutgerbregman.com
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.

They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM
peteknapp.bsky.social
Hoping to see @hammersmithandy.bsky.social there.
nebriefing.bsky.social National Emergency Briefing @nebriefing.bsky.social · 2d
Open letter from over 1,000 UK scientists urging all MPs to attend the National Emergency Briefing. A huge list full of highly respected names.

"Without much more urgent and decisive action, we risk seeing these impacts overwhelm our capacity to respond."

Please share with your MP #NEB2025
National Emergency Briefing
An unfiltered assessment of the latest threats to UK food supply, health and national security from eight leading experts to an invitation-only audience - also covering positive solutions. Westminster...
www.nebriefing.org
November 24, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Reposted by Dr Pete Knapp
stevecooke.org
Posters have appeared around the building. They suggest that geography, geology, & environment staff might be a bit angry at proposed redundancies, reorganisations & closures. Rightly so.
Poster reading "Because nothing says we care about the environment more than firing the staff that research it..."
November 24, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Reposted by Dr Pete Knapp
rishpardikar.bsky.social
COP30 is the first time that a decision text includes overshoot language. It is because of realities like this. The carbon budget for 1.5C (to say the least) is depleted

drilled.media/news/cop30-g...
November 24, 2025 at 11:59 AM
peteknapp.bsky.social
Great to see @mattywin.bsky.social's book 'Hot Mess' on Rolly's table in the latest @climatetown.bsky.social video about Exxon’s $600 Million Dollar Lie.

Always smashes it:
youtu.be/HUeC39CZO44
Matt Winning's book Hot Mess on a table next to Rollie Williams
November 23, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Reposted by Dr Pete Knapp
brenttoderian.bsky.social
Keep this in mind when people claim cars mean business — closing Central #Madrid to cars over holidays resulted in a 9.5% boost in retail spending on its main shopping street: STUDY.

There was also a 71% drop in air pollution.

Via @carltonreid.com in @forbes.com. #citymakingmath #citiesforpeople
Closing Central Madrid To Cars Resulted In 9.5% Boost To Retail Spending, Finds Bank Analysis
City of Madrid significantly boosted the takings of its shops and restaurants last Christmas by banning cars from the CBD, finds an analysis by Spain's second largest bank.
www.forbes.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:21 AM
Reposted by Dr Pete Knapp
zackpolanski.bsky.social
Huge.

And I meet more and more over 50s too who will be voting for the Green Party as well!

Join.greenparty.org.uk
greenelects.world Green Elects @greenelects.world · 7d
Under-50s Back Green Party as FIRST Choice in Latest YouGov Poll.
First place is The Greens with twenty-eight percent of the vote, a six-point increase. Second are Labour with twenty-five percent of the vote, a four-point increase. Third are Reform with eighteen percent of the vote, a five-point decrease. Fourth are The Liberal Democrats with fourteen percent of the vote, a seven-point increase. Fifth are The Conservatives on five percent of the vote with a five-point decrease. These figures compare results from November seventeenth to those from November tenth and represent the combined eighteen to twenty-four and twenty-five to fifty age groups.
November 18, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Reposted by Dr Pete Knapp
robinince.bsky.social
Why did Keir Starmer and the Labour Party decide to destroy EVERYTHING they could have been - to hand over the uk to the far right with such dainty gloves on - utterly disgusted by it all
@teamlabouruk.bsky.social - many people in the UK are NOT Nazis
betteblavatsky 5 Darnell Gill • How Low Can You Go (R&B Hip-... Immigration and asylum Asylum seekers' jewellery could be seized to pay for processing costs, says Home Office minister
November 18, 2025 at 11:24 PM
peteknapp.bsky.social
Tickets to see my film with a great panel afterwards:

- Helen Beynon, author of Twyford Rising
- Prof Rupert Read, director of @climatemajority.bsky.social
- Bridget McKenzie, from @climatemuseum.bsky.social

Norwich Cinema City, Wed 19, 7pm

Tickets:
web.picturehouses.com/order/showti...
November 17, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Reposted by Dr Pete Knapp
biofuelwatch.bsky.social
Interesting documentary by @peteknapp.bsky.social about forest fires in Spain, Portugal, Sicily and Greece, the political context and how communities are organising (e.g. against eucalyptus plantations in PT). See here for list of screenings across England: fires-and-fascism.co.uk
Photo with fire-coloured letters on black saying "Fires and Fascism"
November 17, 2025 at 3:08 PM
peteknapp.bsky.social
As the drummer for the Dead Leg Comedy house band, it’s a shame I can’t make tomorrow’s gig due to this film tour… especially as it’s FIRE THEMED!

Get your ticket, Oxford, Mon 17, 7:30pm, The Library. Also cash on the day.

@andrewoneillcomedy.bsky.social

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1967726874...
Dead Leg Comedy - NOVEMBER
FIRE SPECIAL! Stand-up comedy and a LIVE HOUSE BAND! Oxford's cult night finds a new monthly home at the Library on Cowley Road!
www.eventbrite.co.uk
November 16, 2025 at 11:44 AM
peteknapp.bsky.social
My film 'Fires and Fascism' got two reviews in @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social's Felix!

"The real merit lies in the space local people have to tell their story"

"Knapp shows how even the best intentions can be twisted when profit comes first"

Screenings: fires-and-fascism.co.uk#screening-da...
Fires & Fascism A documentary film on wildfires directed by Imperial alumnus Pete Knapp After completing a PhD in indoor air pollution at Imperial, Pete Knapp immediately started the production of this film. Focusing on the increasing number and violence of wildfires across Europe, Knapp seeks to push public awareness on how not only climate change, but corruption and far-right politics, contribute to their escalation. The film is a collection of drone footage and interviews, which together manage to push different perspectives. Both remind the viewer how large-scale the damage they cause is, and also how closely they affect the local population. He starts in Greece, in the Evros region, where the wall which separates Greece and Turkey is shown slicing the land unnaturally. A wildfire devastated the region in 2023, burning down almost 1,000 square kilometres of the Dadia Forest. Lasting for two weeks, it is the largest wildfire ever recorded in Europe. The government laid the blame on refugees who live in the forest – they mentioned nothing of the fact that nonprofit organisations such as the Panhellenic Federation of Volunteer Forest Protection and Firefighting Organisations in Athens tend to have more equipment than official fire-fighting services. Or that climate change affecting wind patterns, temperature and humidity all compound these issues of larger, longer and deadlier wildfires. In pointing the finger of blame, they find themselves no responsibility. Meanwhile in Sicily, fires have been linked to the mafia, who are known to control much of the wild farm construction business. They start fires strategically so that they burn farmland belonging to local, independent owners once their land is ruined, the farm owners are coerced into selling it to the wind farm companies – that is, the mafia. In Portugal, the mass industrial planting of eucalyptus, which burn much more easily than their local predecessors, have caused wildfires to start more often and gr…
November 15, 2025 at 3:41 PM
peteknapp.bsky.social
The same fascist rhetoric today as was seen in the German Reich regarding housing crises.

The real cause is capitalism.

My film ‘Fires and Fascism’ explores these links: fires-and-fascism.co.uk
November 14, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Reposted by Dr Pete Knapp
zacheverson.com
“Housing shortage – Jews to blame," letter sticker, German Reich, 1938

zwangsraeume.berlin/en/context
A stamped letter saying "Die Wohungsnot Schuld Der Juden"
November 14, 2025 at 2:16 AM
peteknapp.bsky.social
My film Fires and Fascism at Norwich (Cinema City) on Wed 19 Nov with a great panel to discuss the far right afterwards:
@rupertread.bsky.social @helenb92.bsky.social @bridgetmck.bsky.social

Get your tickets from Picturehouse: www.picturehouses.com/movie-detail...

Trailer: fires-and-fascism.co.uk
Cinema city, norwich WED 19 nov 6pm £10-£14 Panellists Pete knapp director Helen benyon author RUPERT READ climate majority project BRIDGET MCKENZIE climate museum uk
November 14, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Reposted by Dr Pete Knapp
imperial-clim-act.bsky.social
Tuesday 18th Nov - 6pm - Chemistry 640A

Come to our first journal club social! We will be discussing the work of @swaziadam.bsky.social:

The Wins Of The Grassroots Climate Movement In The University Of California: Never Doubt That A Small Group Of The Committed Can Change The World

Published ⬇️
thierryaaron.bsky.social Dr. Aaron Thierry @thierryaaron.bsky.social · 25d
Great to see 'Activating Academia for an Era of Colliding Crises' is now available as a FREE eBook📖

Thanks again to Dr. Alison Green, @swaziadam.bsky.social and @jamesgdyke.info for expertly shepherding this collection into this fantastic volume

Available here:
www.frontiersin.org/research-top...
November 14, 2025 at 10:03 AM
peteknapp.bsky.social
Last night’s screening of Fires and Fascism and Plan Z in Southampton @mayflower.org.uk was a huge success.

Over 70 people from @standuptoracismuk.bsky.social @unitetheunion.bsky.social
@friends-earth.bsky.social

More screening dates: fires-and-fascism.co.uk#screening-da...
Panel discussion with directors of both films and a representative from Unite the Union Screen of Fires and Fascism with 70 people in the audience
November 12, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Reposted by Dr Pete Knapp
darrencullen.bsky.social
We got both billboards up tonight, in the background of this one you can see the gas flaring of a nearby oil refinery
Night time photo of a billboard that says Welcome to the Niger Delta, one of the most polluted places on earth, brought to you by Hell, with a flaming Shell logo. The text Niger Delta is illustrated inside each letter with the horrors of oil extraction in the region. In the background, behind the billboard itself, a gas flaring oil refinery burns toxic gas into the air.
November 9, 2025 at 7:09 PM
peteknapp.bsky.social
The new book ‘Science in Resistance’ written by @ferracimo.bsky.social features stories of scientists taking action.

London, 12th Dec, likely at Queen Mary (TBC) with @scientistsforxr.earth

Details will be posted by @scientistrebellion.bsky.social
scientistrebellion.bsky.social Scientist Rebellion @scientistrebellion.bsky.social · 18d
"Science in Resistance" on book tour! 📖

🚂 Fernando will be on a train tour over the next few weeks across various countries in Europe presenting his book.
1/4
November 11, 2025 at 10:09 AM
peteknapp.bsky.social
BREAKING

Marcus Decker won his appeal against deportation after his protest suspended on the Dartford Crossing after being given 3 years.

I’m happy to know the (indirect) donations from GB News interviews went to support this momentous day.

@just-stopoil.bsky.social
@gbnewsonline.bsky.social
annieleymarie.bsky.social Annie Leymarie @annieleymarie.bsky.social · 15d
@chrisgpackham.bsky.social, Jonathan Porritt, various @scientistsforxr.earth and many others were with the wonderful Marcus Decker at his deportation hearing.
All fingers crossed!
November 10, 2025 at 4:20 PM
peteknapp.bsky.social
Anybody want a laugh?

The MOD constantly fly their jets over Norfolk.

Their response to a complaint:
- military aircraft emissions don't cause climate change
- they are diluted anyway
- 0.5% of our fuel is from crops that destroy rainforests
Dear , Thank you for your email of 17 October to the Low Flying Complaints and Enquiries Unit, regarding disturbance from military flying over Attleborough, Norfolk. We have been asked to write to you on behalf of Headquarters Air Command. We can confirm the airspace over Norfolk is used by RAF flying units at Coningsby, and Marham and the United States Air Force (USAF) bases at Mildenhall and Lakenheath. You can therefore expect to see military aircraft operating at medium and high level as they make their way to areas in which to train, including over the North Sea. In addressing your concern regarding aviation fuel, there is no evidence to suggest that fuel emissions from military aircraft have a significant effect on the environment, even in locations where intensive low flying takes place, such as military training areas. Furthermore, due to the nature of aircraft operations, exhaust emissions are significantly diluted when emitted to the atmosphere. However, in recognising the importance of decarbonising our aviation capabilities, in July 2023, in consultation with our industry partners and the wider aviation industry, Defence issued the Defence Aviation Net Zero Strategy which sets out the five strategic steps which Defence will take on its journey towards decarbonisation. The RAF have now entered a strategic partnership with the Aviation Impact Accelerator (AIA), an international industry-academia partnership led by the University of Cambridge whose mission is to accelerate the journey to sustainable aviation. In the meantime, in relation to fuel specifically, the RAF continues to drive forward the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel in its platforms and will procure 5.15M litres in FY 24/25 increasing from 4M litres in FY 23/24. Whilst these quantities represent approximately 0.5% of the MOD’s overall aviation fuel procurement per annum, they will continue to increase year on year subject to wider market availability which is a key limiting factor. We hope this information is helpful and apologise again for any disturbance caused.
November 10, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Reposted by Dr Pete Knapp
badvertising.bsky.social
BREAKING! 🚨

📢 We’ve taken over the ad space at Southwark tube station, calling on the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to end adverts that promote pollution. 🧵 1/8

✍️ Use our template to write to the Mayor: actionnetwork.org/letters/time...
November 10, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Reposted by Dr Pete Knapp
plantbasednews.bsky.social
Have we got this the wrong way round? 

We are the only species who destroys our own habitat and calls it 'progress' 🤦‍♀️
November 9, 2025 at 4:01 PM