brendan's articles Environmental Science Military diverting critical materials from renewables A huge amount of critical mineral mining is ‘not essential’ for the green transition, new analysis from the UK-based campaigning organisation Global Justice Now has found. The analysis has today been published in a new report, titled ‘Material realities: who needs critical minerals and at whose expense?’. Global Justice Now is demanding the UK government […] Written by brendan August 8, 2025August 8, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science The global nappy poonami This vast growth has largely come from aggressive marketing in the Global South, often in countries whose infrastructure struggles to deal with the sudden surge in plastic waste. Trained Indonesia, for example, produces more marine detritus than any other country but China. A World Bank study of pollution in the rivers passing through its main cities found […] Written by brendan August 4, 2025August 4, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science Plastics production ‘a global threat’ More than 60 leading scientists from around the world have issued an urgent call for governments to agree on ambitious, enforceable action to tackle plastic pollution, as the final round of UN negotiations on a global plastics treaty approaches. The letters, published today in Cambridge University Press journal Cambridge Prisms: Plastics in the run-up to the […] Written by brendan July 31, 2025July 31, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science DO NOT PUBLISH /// Seeding ecofeminism in Rojava In 2012, a year after the civil war began in the rest of the country, Kurdish forces took advantage of the withdrawal of Bashar al-Assad’s troops from some northeastern areas to establish a form of political autonomy. Struggles People locally say that the move towards autonomy has been influenced by the ideas of Abdullah Öcalan, […] Written by brendan July 28, 2025July 28, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science Pump it up Pump it up Channel News brendan 19th July 2025 Teaser Media Written by brendan July 21, 2025July 21, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science Climate threatens ‘cascade of tipping points’ “The good news is that we know what to do to avert this – not least restoring nature and transitioning energy and food systems. But the time to act is now. Later is already too late. “Governments and businesses must rapidly align their policies and financial flows to limit global warming and halt the destruction […] Written by brendan July 17, 2025July 17, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science Afterwoke: from identity to unity The book tour for Minority Rule generated the kind of buzz most authors could only dream of. Ash Sarkar’s searing debut illustrates how culture wars keep most of the UK’s population divided. Buy: Minority Rule: Adventures in the Culture War by Ash Sarkar. A prominent left-wing journalist, writer, lecturer and political commentator, Sarkar made headlines […] Written by brendan July 14, 2025July 14, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science A tender moment in a troubled industry? Whistleblowers recently shared with me a clip from a fish farm. In it, a worker leans over the side of a boat and gently offers dead fish to a seal eagerly waiting by the sea cage. The seal accepts, almost gratefully. There’s something strangely touching about it – a quiet exchange between human and animal […] Written by brendan July 10, 2025July 10, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science A million tiny cows Regenerative agriculture is having a moment. From farming circles to food documentaries, it’s being framed as the answer to our broken food system. But there’s a central contradiction in the way the term is being used, and it risks locking us into another unsustainable paradigm. If regeneration means restoring soil health, halting wildlife loss, and […] Written by brendan July 6, 2025July 6, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science Communities working in concert In an age where computer algorithms are dictating the music we listen to, and artificial intelligence is beginning to write its own songs – can we remember the deeper power of music for building community? Listen to James Frost’s music on your favourite streaming service. Once upon a time, music was less about the revered […] Written by brendan July 3, 2025July 3, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science ‘Crunch time’ on climate He said: “I certainly tend to be an optimistic person but if you do look at this year’s annual update, things are all moving in the wrong direction.” “They’re not only moving in the wrong direction, we’re seeing some unprecedented changes.” Reflecting on the IPCC reports, he said: “What we had hope to see by […] Written by brendan June 29, 2025June 29, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science The apocalypse of beauty 28 Years After will be the film of this summer. At times scary, funny and gloriously weird, it is a story about nature and our fears of it. As such, it is worth asking what the wildness is in its story which threatens to overwhelm us? The film is the third in a five-picture series. […] Written by brendan June 26, 2025June 26, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Loading Load more
Environmental Science Military diverting critical materials from renewables A huge amount of critical mineral mining is ‘not essential’ for the green transition, new analysis from the UK-based campaigning organisation Global Justice Now has found. The analysis has today been published in a new report, titled ‘Material realities: who needs critical minerals and at whose expense?’. Global Justice Now is demanding the UK government […] Written by brendan August 8, 2025August 8, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science The global nappy poonami This vast growth has largely come from aggressive marketing in the Global South, often in countries whose infrastructure struggles to deal with the sudden surge in plastic waste. Trained Indonesia, for example, produces more marine detritus than any other country but China. A World Bank study of pollution in the rivers passing through its main cities found […] Written by brendan August 4, 2025August 4, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science Plastics production ‘a global threat’ More than 60 leading scientists from around the world have issued an urgent call for governments to agree on ambitious, enforceable action to tackle plastic pollution, as the final round of UN negotiations on a global plastics treaty approaches. The letters, published today in Cambridge University Press journal Cambridge Prisms: Plastics in the run-up to the […] Written by brendan July 31, 2025July 31, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science DO NOT PUBLISH /// Seeding ecofeminism in Rojava In 2012, a year after the civil war began in the rest of the country, Kurdish forces took advantage of the withdrawal of Bashar al-Assad’s troops from some northeastern areas to establish a form of political autonomy. Struggles People locally say that the move towards autonomy has been influenced by the ideas of Abdullah Öcalan, […] Written by brendan July 28, 2025July 28, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science Pump it up Pump it up Channel News brendan 19th July 2025 Teaser Media Written by brendan July 21, 2025July 21, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science Climate threatens ‘cascade of tipping points’ “The good news is that we know what to do to avert this – not least restoring nature and transitioning energy and food systems. But the time to act is now. Later is already too late. “Governments and businesses must rapidly align their policies and financial flows to limit global warming and halt the destruction […] Written by brendan July 17, 2025July 17, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science Afterwoke: from identity to unity The book tour for Minority Rule generated the kind of buzz most authors could only dream of. Ash Sarkar’s searing debut illustrates how culture wars keep most of the UK’s population divided. Buy: Minority Rule: Adventures in the Culture War by Ash Sarkar. A prominent left-wing journalist, writer, lecturer and political commentator, Sarkar made headlines […] Written by brendan July 14, 2025July 14, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science A tender moment in a troubled industry? Whistleblowers recently shared with me a clip from a fish farm. In it, a worker leans over the side of a boat and gently offers dead fish to a seal eagerly waiting by the sea cage. The seal accepts, almost gratefully. There’s something strangely touching about it – a quiet exchange between human and animal […] Written by brendan July 10, 2025July 10, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science A million tiny cows Regenerative agriculture is having a moment. From farming circles to food documentaries, it’s being framed as the answer to our broken food system. But there’s a central contradiction in the way the term is being used, and it risks locking us into another unsustainable paradigm. If regeneration means restoring soil health, halting wildlife loss, and […] Written by brendan July 6, 2025July 6, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science Communities working in concert In an age where computer algorithms are dictating the music we listen to, and artificial intelligence is beginning to write its own songs – can we remember the deeper power of music for building community? Listen to James Frost’s music on your favourite streaming service. Once upon a time, music was less about the revered […] Written by brendan July 3, 2025July 3, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science ‘Crunch time’ on climate He said: “I certainly tend to be an optimistic person but if you do look at this year’s annual update, things are all moving in the wrong direction.” “They’re not only moving in the wrong direction, we’re seeing some unprecedented changes.” Reflecting on the IPCC reports, he said: “What we had hope to see by […] Written by brendan June 29, 2025June 29, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science The apocalypse of beauty 28 Years After will be the film of this summer. At times scary, funny and gloriously weird, it is a story about nature and our fears of it. As such, it is worth asking what the wildness is in its story which threatens to overwhelm us? The film is the third in a five-picture series. […] Written by brendan June 26, 2025June 26, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
