Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

🌲🚜💨 Nature and farmland equivalent in size to that of the New Forest – 604 sq km – was lost to concrete and bricks and mortar in the UK

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

UK fifth-worst country in Europe for loss of green space to development

Exclusive: 1,680 football pitches of protected natural land in England, Wales and Northern Ireland lost in five years

www.theguardian.com

1 1

Pamela Duncan @porcelinad.bsky.social · 6d

An area the size of Cyprus – was turned from green to grey between 2018 and 2023, according to the data (which is v. clever...link to methododolgy at the end)

That's 9,000 km2 – 30km2 a week – or 600 football pitches a day 🤯

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Revealed: Europe losing 600 football pitches of nature and crop land a day

Investigation shows extent of green land lost across UK and mainland Europe to development from 2018 to 2023

www.theguardian.com

1 1

Pamela Duncan @porcelinad.bsky.social · 6d

🎅🏻 The “Santa Claus effect”: booming tourism in Lapland is eating into green space in Finland, with a huge number of UK and Irish Irish tourists descending in Nov/Dec

The finding is part of a major cross-border investigation into landtake in Euro 🧵👇🏻

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

The Santa Claus effect: how expanding tourism ate into Lapland’s green space

The number of visitors to the region has risen 160% in 30 years as concerns grow for its fragile ecosystem and indigenous practices

www.theguardian.com

1 5 3

Pamela Duncan @porcelinad.bsky.social · 8d

Also @michaelgoodier.bsky.social for the moral support/sense checks

1

Pamela Duncan @porcelinad.bsky.social · 8d

Thank yous to @hernandesraph.bsky.social @elenamorresi.bsky.social @lydia-rachel.bsky.social @robynvinter.bsky.social @pablogutierrez.bsky.social @c-aguilargarcia.bsky.social @olivialeejourno.bsky.social @aaronsharp.bsky.social and Garry Blight

Legends all!

1 2

Pamela Duncan @porcelinad.bsky.social · 8d

We used genAI for the categorisations, applying rigourous checks, in keeping with our editorial guidance on its use.
Our full methodology is here 👇

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

Reading the post-riot posts: how we traced far-right radicalisation across 51,000 Facebook messages

Tracing profiles of those charged with online offences in summer 2024 helped us map a thriving social ecosystem trading far-right sentiment and political disillusionment

www.theguardian.com

1 1

Pamela Duncan @porcelinad.bsky.social · 8d

Immigrants and muslims bore the brunt of the most vicious posts: you can see some of them here👇

Facebook told us it had reviewed the three main groups analysed by the Guardian but that the content did not violate its hateful conduct policy.

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

Far-right Facebook groups are engine of radicalisation in UK, data investigation suggests

Rioters were influenced by network that exposes hundreds of thousands of Britons to racist disinformation, Guardian research indicates

www.theguardian.com

1 4 1

Pamela Duncan @porcelinad.bsky.social · 8d

Experts say the posts include content that is far-right and extremist including far-right tropes, the use of racist slurs and evidence of white nativism.

1

Pamela Duncan @porcelinad.bsky.social · 8d

We analysed 51,000 posts from three of the biggest groups in the wake of the summer 2024 riots.

We found a community deeply distrustful of government and its institutions, trading in posts containing anti-immigrant sentiment, nativism, conspiracy and misinfo.

1