@petercracknell.bsky.social
I tweet about the climate emergency & drug law reform.
BSc Geophysics
BA Psychology
BSc Geophysics
BA Psychology
Reposted
Tool use is well known in #chimps, #crows, dolphins and even #octopuses, but not #cattle, until now...
"Scientists have been forced to rethink the intelligence of cattle after an Austrian cow named Veronika displayed an impressive – and until now undocumented – knack for tool use." www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
Back-scratching bovine leads scientists to reassess intelligence of cows
Brown Swiss in Austria has been discovered using tools in different ways – something only ever seen in humans and chimpanzees
www.theguardian.com
January 19, 2026 at 8:20 PM
Tool use is well known in #chimps, #crows, dolphins and even #octopuses, but not #cattle, until now...
Higher #inequality, regardless of absolute levels of wealth, is associated with higher #crime, worse public health, higher #addiction, lower educational attainment, worse status anxiety (leading to higher #consumption of positional goods), worse #pollution and destruction, and a host of other ills.
It is the source of so many of our evils: the astonishing concentration of wealth in the hands of a very few, and the immense political power that gives them. We cannot solve our problems until we tackle it.
This week's column.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
This week's column.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
At the root of all our problems stands one travesty: politicians’ surrender to the super-rich | George Monbiot
There are many excuses for failing to tax the ultra-wealthy. The truth is that governments don’t tackle the problem because they don’t want to, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com
January 17, 2026 at 6:20 PM
Higher #inequality, regardless of absolute levels of wealth, is associated with higher #crime, worse public health, higher #addiction, lower educational attainment, worse status anxiety (leading to higher #consumption of positional goods), worse #pollution and destruction, and a host of other ills.
Reposted
"Though they cover just 3% of Earth's land surface, healthy, wet peatlands lock carbon underground, storing twice as much CO2 as forests. But over time, large swathes of the EU's bogs, moorland and swamp have been drained for agriculture."
Mostly for forestry in Finland.
www.dw.com/en/peatlands...
Mostly for forestry in Finland.
www.dw.com/en/peatlands...
How rewetting peatlands could help protect EU borders
Finland and Poland are considering rewetting drained peatlands as a defense barrier in case of a Russian attack. It could also help the climate.
www.dw.com
January 16, 2026 at 4:36 PM
"Though they cover just 3% of Earth's land surface, healthy, wet peatlands lock carbon underground, storing twice as much CO2 as forests. But over time, large swathes of the EU's bogs, moorland and swamp have been drained for agriculture."
Mostly for forestry in Finland.
www.dw.com/en/peatlands...
Mostly for forestry in Finland.
www.dw.com/en/peatlands...
Reposted
More of London's roads will have safer speed limits because there's irrefutable evidence it save lives:
📉 25% fewer main road collisions
📉 34% fewer people killed or serious injured on local roads
📉75% fall in children killed on local roads
@itvnews.bsky.social
itv.com/news/london/...
📉 25% fewer main road collisions
📉 34% fewer people killed or serious injured on local roads
📉75% fall in children killed on local roads
@itvnews.bsky.social
itv.com/news/london/...
January 16, 2026 at 5:29 PM
More of London's roads will have safer speed limits because there's irrefutable evidence it save lives:
📉 25% fewer main road collisions
📉 34% fewer people killed or serious injured on local roads
📉75% fall in children killed on local roads
@itvnews.bsky.social
itv.com/news/london/...
📉 25% fewer main road collisions
📉 34% fewer people killed or serious injured on local roads
📉75% fall in children killed on local roads
@itvnews.bsky.social
itv.com/news/london/...
Reposted
sales of internal-combustion engine collapsing in China, down by half since 2017. EVs have taken over
And, China's car exports are soaring.
US automakers getting completely left behind as they abandon EVs. Losing market share worldwide
www.ft.com/content/5b13...
And, China's car exports are soaring.
US automakers getting completely left behind as they abandon EVs. Losing market share worldwide
www.ft.com/content/5b13...
January 15, 2026 at 5:27 PM
sales of internal-combustion engine collapsing in China, down by half since 2017. EVs have taken over
And, China's car exports are soaring.
US automakers getting completely left behind as they abandon EVs. Losing market share worldwide
www.ft.com/content/5b13...
And, China's car exports are soaring.
US automakers getting completely left behind as they abandon EVs. Losing market share worldwide
www.ft.com/content/5b13...
China added more than 300GW of #solar power and 100GW of #wind power in 2025, while India added 35GW of solar, 6GW of wind and 3.5GW of hydropower.
#Goodnews
#Goodnews
Coal power generation falls in both China and India for first time since 1970s
- ‘Historic’ moment in biggest coal-consuming countries could bring decline in global emissions, analysis says
#climatecrisis
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
- ‘Historic’ moment in biggest coal-consuming countries could bring decline in global emissions, analysis says
#climatecrisis
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Coal power generation falls in China and India for first time since 1970s
‘Historic’ moment in biggest coal-consuming countries could bring decline in global emissions, analysis says
www.theguardian.com
January 13, 2026 at 7:07 PM
Reposted
"Oxford's High Street booming, bucking national trend"
And this in a city where we've removed city centre parking and put in a congestion charge. Almost as if it's people who shop, not cars.
www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/2573227...
And this in a city where we've removed city centre parking and put in a congestion charge. Almost as if it's people who shop, not cars.
www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/2573227...
Oxford high street demand returns to pre-pandemic levels
Oxford’s high street is bucking the national trend, with demand rising and vacancy rates low
www.oxfordmail.co.uk
January 1, 2026 at 10:36 AM
"Oxford's High Street booming, bucking national trend"
And this in a city where we've removed city centre parking and put in a congestion charge. Almost as if it's people who shop, not cars.
www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/2573227...
And this in a city where we've removed city centre parking and put in a congestion charge. Almost as if it's people who shop, not cars.
www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/2573227...
Reposted
There are millions of abandoned oil wells across the United States. A group of unlikely activists in Texas is making sure no one forgets they need to be cleaned up.
Meet the TikTok stars demanding oil companies clean up their mess
There are millions of abandoned oil wells across the United States. A group of unlikely activists in Texas is making sure no one forgets they need to be cleaned up.
www.motherjones.com
December 29, 2025 at 5:41 PM
There are millions of abandoned oil wells across the United States. A group of unlikely activists in Texas is making sure no one forgets they need to be cleaned up.
Reposted
Need cheering up after a terrible year? I may have just the story you’re looking for | Martin Kettle
Need cheering up after a terrible year? I may have just the story you’re looking for | Martin Kettle
A single act of kindness reminded me that, despite so much evidence to the contrary, the better angels of our nature are not necessarily doomed, says Guardian columnist Martin Kettle
www.theguardian.com
December 28, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Need cheering up after a terrible year? I may have just the story you’re looking for | Martin Kettle
Reposted
Because the issue of population change is so widely misunderstood, here's a short thread which seeks to lay it out simply.
It explains why there is almost nothing anyone can do to change the global population trajectory, both as numbers rise, then as they fall.
🧵1/13
It explains why there is almost nothing anyone can do to change the global population trajectory, both as numbers rise, then as they fall.
🧵1/13
December 15, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Because the issue of population change is so widely misunderstood, here's a short thread which seeks to lay it out simply.
It explains why there is almost nothing anyone can do to change the global population trajectory, both as numbers rise, then as they fall.
🧵1/13
It explains why there is almost nothing anyone can do to change the global population trajectory, both as numbers rise, then as they fall.
🧵1/13
Reposted
Experiences, favorite food or toiletries that will be used up for Christmas rather than accumulating unwanted junk. Good idea @georgemonbiot.bsky.social
December 18, 2025 at 8:05 AM
Experiences, favorite food or toiletries that will be used up for Christmas rather than accumulating unwanted junk. Good idea @georgemonbiot.bsky.social
Reposted
Today's column is on the relentless march of blithering idiocy, which includes denying climate science while your house is - literally in this case - burning down.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
A conversation between Joe Rogan and Mel Gibson summed up 2025 for me – and not in a good way | George Monbiot
From merrily dismissing climate science, to promoting irresponsible health claims, the podcast was an unintentional warning for our times, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com
December 27, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Today's column is on the relentless march of blithering idiocy, which includes denying climate science while your house is - literally in this case - burning down.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
8157 at 7.31hrs 24Dec25
This petition might just reach the 10,000 threshold, by 2Jan26, for a UK goverment response.
This petition might just reach the 10,000 threshold, by 2Jan26, for a UK goverment response.
The climate crisis is accelerating - 2025 looks set to become UK’s hottest year on record. Good to see focus on importance of resilience on #r4today- pls take a moment to sign petition calling on Govt to introduce a fully funded national climate adaptation plan petition.parliament.uk/petitions/73...
Petition: Fund a National Climate Resilience Plan: protect communities from climate impact
From floods to extreme temperatures, climate impacts risk damaging homes, health, businesses, services, and the economy. We want Government to prioritise adaptation; fund a new Resilience Plan that wo...
petition.parliament.uk
December 24, 2025 at 7:34 AM
8157 at 7.31hrs 24Dec25
This petition might just reach the 10,000 threshold, by 2Jan26, for a UK goverment response.
This petition might just reach the 10,000 threshold, by 2Jan26, for a UK goverment response.
Reposted
One of the most successful pedestrian streets in the world, the Strøget in Copenhagen, was filled with cars until a 2 year pedestrianization pilot project in 1962. The opposition argued “no cars means no business,” but the street has been a massive retail success, the city’s busiest shopping street.
December 24, 2025 at 4:56 AM
One of the most successful pedestrian streets in the world, the Strøget in Copenhagen, was filled with cars until a 2 year pedestrianization pilot project in 1962. The opposition argued “no cars means no business,” but the street has been a massive retail success, the city’s busiest shopping street.
Reposted
The climate crisis is accelerating - 2025 looks set to become UK’s hottest year on record. Good to see focus on importance of resilience on #r4today- pls take a moment to sign petition calling on Govt to introduce a fully funded national climate adaptation plan petition.parliament.uk/petitions/73...
Petition: Fund a National Climate Resilience Plan: protect communities from climate impact
From floods to extreme temperatures, climate impacts risk damaging homes, health, businesses, services, and the economy. We want Government to prioritise adaptation; fund a new Resilience Plan that wo...
petition.parliament.uk
December 23, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Reposted
The climate crisis is accelerating - 2025 looks set to become UK’s hottest year on record. Good to see focus on importance of resilience on #r4today- pls take a moment to sign petition calling on Govt to introduce a fully funded national climate adaptation plan petition.parliament.uk/petitions/73...
Petition: Fund a National Climate Resilience Plan: protect communities from climate impact
From floods to extreme temperatures, climate impacts risk damaging homes, health, businesses, services, and the economy. We want Government to prioritise adaptation; fund a new Resilience Plan that wo...
petition.parliament.uk
December 23, 2025 at 10:17 AM
The climate crisis is accelerating - 2025 looks set to become UK’s hottest year on record. Good to see focus on importance of resilience on #r4today- pls take a moment to sign petition calling on Govt to introduce a fully funded national climate adaptation plan petition.parliament.uk/petitions/73...
Reposted
My Sciencetalk interview.
#Nuclear too costly too late for #climate or energy crises.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiQq...
#Nuclear too costly too late for #climate or energy crises.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiQq...
Can Nuclear Power Solve Climate Crisis?
YouTube video by Science Talk
www.youtube.com
December 23, 2025 at 11:50 AM
My Sciencetalk interview.
#Nuclear too costly too late for #climate or energy crises.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiQq...
#Nuclear too costly too late for #climate or energy crises.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiQq...
Reposted
They are among hundreds of people who have contacted the BBC about problems with poorly installed insulation.
BBC News - Our son can't come home for Christmas after insulation mould took over - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
BBC News - Our son can't come home for Christmas after insulation mould took over - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Our son can't come home for Christmas after insulation mould took over
Mr and Mrs Wadley's 19-year-old son has asthma and cannot come home for Christmas due to mould all over the walls.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 23, 2025 at 7:30 AM
They are among hundreds of people who have contacted the BBC about problems with poorly installed insulation.
BBC News - Our son can't come home for Christmas after insulation mould took over - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
BBC News - Our son can't come home for Christmas after insulation mould took over - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted
For more about the early history of solar power, Mouchot and Ericsson, check out this summary. It is fascinating to think about an alternative path of human advancement where coal and oil had not been so geologically accessible in the places where it was.
December 21, 2025 at 1:49 PM
For more about the early history of solar power, Mouchot and Ericsson, check out this summary. It is fascinating to think about an alternative path of human advancement where coal and oil had not been so geologically accessible in the places where it was.
Reposted
“Climate action” is just another way to say “we want our beautiful complex planet to continue to be a good place to live, and to continue to be both beautiful and complex”. So much climate damage comes from assuming that Earth is simple, that it is easy to control and that it will bend to our will.
December 18, 2025 at 8:44 PM
“Climate action” is just another way to say “we want our beautiful complex planet to continue to be a good place to live, and to continue to be both beautiful and complex”. So much climate damage comes from assuming that Earth is simple, that it is easy to control and that it will bend to our will.
Reposted
Africa’s forests have joined the Brazilian Amazon and Australian forests in becoming carbon sources rather than sinks. Around 2010 the previous storage of our carbon emissions flipped, mainly through deforestation and degradation.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#climatechange #deforestation #Africa
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#climatechange #deforestation #Africa
Loss of tropical moist broadleaf forest has turned Africa’s forests from a carbon sink into a source - Scientific Reports
Africa’s forests and woody savannas have historically acted as a carbon sink, removing atmospheric carbon and storing it as biomass. However, our novel analysis reveals a critical transition from a ca...
www.nature.com
November 30, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Africa’s forests have joined the Brazilian Amazon and Australian forests in becoming carbon sources rather than sinks. Around 2010 the previous storage of our carbon emissions flipped, mainly through deforestation and degradation.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#climatechange #deforestation #Africa
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#climatechange #deforestation #Africa
Reposted
Thick as mince and thick as thieves. A column about the absolute idiots European legislators have made of themselves over the naming of food, at the behest of meat lobbyists.
You laugh and then you weep.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
You laugh and then you weep.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
When is a sausage not really a sausage? Ask the meat lobby | George Monbiot
European legislators may ban plant-based products from using the name to prevent ‘confusion’. Just don’t mention beef tomatoes or buffalo wings, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com
December 20, 2025 at 10:26 AM
Thick as mince and thick as thieves. A column about the absolute idiots European legislators have made of themselves over the naming of food, at the behest of meat lobbyists.
You laugh and then you weep.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
You laugh and then you weep.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted
Science has named the seemingly unstoppable growth of renewable energy worldwide as the 2025 Breakthrough of the Year.
Learn more about this year's #BOTY and other big advances in science: https://scim.ag/493Tpgx
Learn more about this year's #BOTY and other big advances in science: https://scim.ag/493Tpgx
December 18, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Science has named the seemingly unstoppable growth of renewable energy worldwide as the 2025 Breakthrough of the Year.
Learn more about this year's #BOTY and other big advances in science: https://scim.ag/493Tpgx
Learn more about this year's #BOTY and other big advances in science: https://scim.ag/493Tpgx