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policyrelevant.bsky.social
Rob Ralston
@policyrelevant.bsky.social
5.1K followers 2K following 410 posts
Lecturer in Public Policy at Edinburgh Uni researching corporate power and planetary health - currently global plastics treaty | ‘most improved PhD student’ 2017-18 | part-time Kieran Tierney Ultra
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policyrelevant.bsky.social
Rob Ralston @policyrelevant.bsky.social · 4h
and important to note that China's Operation National Sword (which massively restricted imports of plastic waste) has not halted OECD countries from exporting waste, but diverted it to countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam
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policyrelevant.bsky.social
Rob Ralston @policyrelevant.bsky.social · 5h
no coincidence that efforts by governments, development banks and the plastics industry to 'derisk' investment in risky, unproven recycling technologies has targeted countries like Indonesia, which have the highest imports of toxic plastic waste
dougparr.bsky.social
Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 6h
Sharp rise in UK plastic exports shows how behind the country is

The EU has agreed to ban exports of waste to poorer nations. The ban comes into force in November 2026

The UK does not have a similar ban in place

www.theguardian.com/environment/...
UK plastic waste exports to developing countries rose 84% in a year, data shows
Campaigners say increase in exports mostly to Malaysia and Indonesia is ‘unethical and irresponsible waste imperialism’
www.theguardian.com
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policyrelevant.bsky.social
Rob Ralston @policyrelevant.bsky.social · 1d
I'm not sure how far these developments have leaked beyond the global plastics sphere, but UNEP do not come out this looking good
UN plastics treaty chair to step down with process in turmoil
Exclusive: Luis Vayas Valdivieso says he is quitting for personal and professional reasons after reports of pressure behind the scenes
www.theguardian.com
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Reposted by Rob Ralston
dpcarrington.bsky.social
Damian Carrington @dpcarrington.bsky.social · 13d
Meat vs EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet: The dynamics of an industry-orchestrated online backlash

Report by the Changing Markets Foundation

changingmarkets.org/report/meat-...
Meat vs EAT-Lancet: The dynamics of an industry-orchestrated online backlash • Changing Markets
The EAT-Lancet Commission publish EAT-Lancet 2.0: an update to the planetary health diet 2019. One of the most influential academic studies ever released, it also faced significant online backlash – o...
changingmarkets.org
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Reposted by Rob Ralston
banalplay.bsky.social
L @banalplay.bsky.social · 1d
When your custom character appears in a cut scene
The Portland frog backing down an army of jackboots
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policyrelevant.bsky.social
Rob Ralston @policyrelevant.bsky.social · 6d
an advert so good that I joined the waitlist for a synthesiser I would have no idea how to use
"How to Orchid" by Telepathic Instruments
YouTube video by Telepathic Instruments
www.youtube.com
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policyrelevant.bsky.social
Rob Ralston @policyrelevant.bsky.social · 9d
biased as an arsenal fan, but newcastle play such a relentlessly cynical form of football. It’s fine to be conservative, but the constant time wasting is so frustrating to watch
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Reposted by Rob Ralston
jbwinters.bsky.social
Joseph Winters @jbwinters.bsky.social · 11d
Philadelphia filed an extremely thorough lawsuit on Wed against SC Johnson (Ziploc) and Bimbo Bakeries over claims that their plastic bags are recyclable, accusing the companies of engaging in a "coordinated campaign of deception." @grist.org grist.org/accountabili...
A ‘coordinated campaign of deception’: Philly sues 2 companies over misleading recycling labels
The lawsuit targets SC Johnson, owner of Ziploc bags, and Bimbo Bakeries, the country's biggest bread and snack food manufacturer.
grist.org
3 8
policyrelevant.bsky.social
Rob Ralston @policyrelevant.bsky.social · 12d
new blog by @benjaminfaude.bsky.social and @jacktaggart.bsky.social on the UN SDGs, drawing on a recent special issue in @globalpolicy.bsky.social

lots of great contributions, including a paper by myself and Jack Taggart on institutional hybridity in global plastics governance
The Sustainable Development Goals at 10: how global governance is undermining progress
This month marks ten years since the adoption of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Yet there is little cause for celebration: progress has been dismal. Benjamin Faude and Jack Taggart argue that...
theloop.ecpr.eu
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policyrelevant.bsky.social
Rob Ralston @policyrelevant.bsky.social · 13d
Yes! love that paper
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policyrelevant.bsky.social
Rob Ralston @policyrelevant.bsky.social · 14d
Ignorance can be strategically used to promote 'non-knowledge' and deny liability

Rather than view this in terms of a lack of knowledge, we need to understand how strategic ignorance is being used as a source of power
lbc.co.uk
LBC @lbc.co.uk · 14d
"We were told thalidomide was a safe drug and it wasn't..."

Nigel Farage says he has 'no idea' if Donald Trump is right about paracetamol being linked to autism.
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policyrelevant.bsky.social
Rob Ralston @policyrelevant.bsky.social · 14d
beyond healthcare, TBI's work on food systems / obesity is a another example of how AI is being promoted as a 'technological fix' to what is fundamentally a political problem

institute.global/insights/pub...
Fit for the Future: A Fair Deal on Food for a Healthier Britain
Fit for the Future: A Fair Deal on Food for a Healthier Britain
institute.global
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policyrelevant.bsky.social
Rob Ralston @policyrelevant.bsky.social · 14d
amateurish reporting that uncritically reproduces pseudoscientific and eugenic frames

@politico.com must retract this piece and issue an apology for using damaging and offensive phrases like the ‘autism problem’
politico.com
Politico @politico.com · 14d
Trump’s Tylenol diatribe was rooted in frustration.

The president wants to stem rising autism rates even if it means pregnant patients don’t treat their pain and delay their kids’ vaccinations.
Trump’s Tylenol diatribe was rooted in frustration
The president wants to stem rising autism rates even if it means pregnant women don’t treat their pain and delay their kids’ vaccinations.
www.politico.com
5 9 23
policyrelevant.bsky.social
Rob Ralston @policyrelevant.bsky.social · 14d
not worries - I think it could be phrased a little more softly, but the interview is really pretty bad!
policyrelevant.bsky.social
Rob Ralston @policyrelevant.bsky.social · 14d
maybe this post reads a little harshly, but I think the way Sunstein talks about Hayek in the New Yorker piece is, to some extent, illustrative of his approach to political theory more broadly
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policyrelevant.bsky.social
Rob Ralston @policyrelevant.bsky.social · 14d
link to his paper: doi.org/10.1177/0263...
doi.org
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policyrelevant.bsky.social
Rob Ralston @policyrelevant.bsky.social · 14d
in terms of nudge, I this this paper by Nicholas Gane puts forward a persuasive case that this form of behavioural economic is not really the 'libertarian paternalism' that Thaler and Sunstein would claim
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policyrelevant.bsky.social
Rob Ralston @policyrelevant.bsky.social · 14d
the Cass Sunstein new yorker interview is as bad as everyone is saying, but I would say is not entirely unrepresentative of his work

the behavioural economics of 'nudge' is characterised by the same tensions and inconsistencies evident in this piece

www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
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policyrelevant.bsky.social
Rob Ralston @policyrelevant.bsky.social · 18d
almost have to laugh at how cartoonish the corporate donors to this are: big tobacco, the arms industry and tech companies specialising in citizen surveillance
yasharali.bsky.social
Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 18d
NEW

Companies donating money towards the construction of the White House ballroom may get their names etched inside the White House.

So far Google, R.J. Reynolds, Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin, Palantir and NextEra Energy have donated tens of millions of dollars to the ballroom fund.
Who's paying for the White House ballroom and what's in it for them?
President Trump has so far raised $200 million for a new White House ballroom from some of the nation's biggest companies.
bit.ly
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policyrelevant.bsky.social
Rob Ralston @policyrelevant.bsky.social · 18d
a month on, @magnuslovold.bsky.social comments on the final day of UN global plastic treaty negotiations in Geneva

there were rumours circulating in whatsapp groups about UNEP engaging in what might best be termed 'discretionary governance' - this blog details some of the chaos that unfolded
Palace intrigues
The plastics treaty talks in Geneva ended without a deal. As negotiators weigh their options about the way forward, troubling questions are…
medium.com
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policyrelevant.bsky.social
Rob Ralston @policyrelevant.bsky.social · 19d
treating peoples lives as if it’s some ‘cutting the red tape’ deregulation initiative
theguardian.com
The Guardian @theguardian.com · 19d
Eritrean man is second to be deported to France under UK’s ‘one in, one out’ deal
Eritrean man is second to be deported to France under UK’s ‘one in, one out’ deal
Home Office confirms man left Heathrow for Paris early on Friday after losing high court bid to block move An Eritrean man has been deported to France under the UK government’s “one in, one out” deal with the neighbouring country. The man – the second to be deported under the agreement – was on a flight that left Heathrow for Paris at 6.15am on Friday, the Home Office confirmed after he lost a high court attempt to block the move. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
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policyrelevant.bsky.social
Rob Ralston @policyrelevant.bsky.social · 20d
6 years in and I have finally figured out the unwritten rules of academic CVs that nobody tells you about
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Reposted by Rob Ralston
toxicsfree.bsky.social
IPEN: toxics-free @toxicsfree.bsky.social · 21d
This report explores the latest science on threats from plastics, petrochemicals, and climate change that impact Arctic People: stoppoisonplastic.org/blog/portfol...
It highlights the voices and testimonies of Indigenous leaders who are engaged in efforts to protect their land and People.
The Arctic’s Plastic Crisis - IPEN International Pollutants Elimination Network
Damage to the Arctic from the fossil fuel/petrochemical industry includes threats from chemicals, plastics, and climate. These have combined to poison lands, waters, and traditional foods of Arctic In...
stoppoisonplastic.org
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policyrelevant.bsky.social
Rob Ralston @policyrelevant.bsky.social · 21d
Pretty significant breakthrough in tackling undue corporate influence in global climate governance

After years of pressure from CSOs, UNFCCC will require observers to disclose who is funding their participation at COPs. More to do obviously, but a major step

kickbigpollutersout.org/COP30-next-s...
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Reposted by Rob Ralston
tgpb.bsky.social
Toby Bennett @tgpb.bsky.social · 24d
"the rise of reactionary politics is an epochal trend that reshapes markets and capitalist systems in depth"

@theobourgeron.bsky.social in @jcultecon.bsky.social

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Economic sociology and the far-right
Reflecting on the recent support of prominent business moguls for far-right movements, this comment article argues that reactionary politics are permeating deeply into socio-economic interactions, ...
www.tandfonline.com
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