Mark Norman

UK sanctions on Israel’s illegal settlements are a welcome first step, but more is needed. I’m joining @globaljusticenow.bsky.social in calling for: A full ban on arms Sanctions on companies who profit from occupation Suspending UK-Israel trade deal Take action: act.globaljustice.org.uk/node/4930

Israel seals off Hebron in West Bank as Palestinians forced from homes www.thenational.scot/news/2666701...

Vast carbon sinks and vital water regulators, Venezuela’s moriche palm forests are under rising pressure. Biologist Miguel Ángel Sánchez-Mercado argues that protecting this "tree of life" requires integrating science with Indigenous knowledge. Interview by Diego Ávila Muskus for #Mongabay.

Have you ever looked at a map of Europe through its bike infrastructure? 🚲 Every line on this map shows a cycle track, lane, or shared path. Where does your region stand? Map: VeloPlanner | Data: © OpenStreetMap contributors buff.ly/3nFHmfw

The Government's new Immigration and Asylum Bill seeks to introduce a tax of £10,000 on refugees who arrived destitute and were prevented by Home Office rules from working until their applications were decided.

Energising Futures are funded by BP. They run the Ultimate STEM Challenge giving children the chance to "create a planet-saving invention & win out-of-this-world prizes!" I have an invention for them, a machine that bungs up oil and gas wells to keep fossil fuels in the ground. Do I win a prize?

The new Chair of OfCom has rather oddly suggested I should set up a left wing version of GB News. This suggests he doesn’t quite know what his job is. But I have taken him at his word. app.prospectmagazine.co.uk/story/75420/...

Powerful speech yesterday from Baroness Smith of Llanfaes, calling on Labour to honour its promise to consult the public on Lords reform - and back it up with action. The unelected Lords helps make our laws. The public should have a say in who sits there, how they're chosen & what powers they have.

Who is the capitalist class? This new calculation shows that only about 1% of humanity has income from capital ownership greater than the median wage in their country. The rest of us - 99% of the world's population - live mostly on wage labour. Sources here: globalinequality.org/global-incom...

I had no idea of the scale of interference and management cowardice behind the scenes at SciAm. Ex-owners SpringerNature come out looking v bad. But worse is the White House trying to crush any scrutiny, even in specialist magazines. Read to the end.

Carbon emissions must be cut by about half within a decade to avoid disastrous overshooting climate targets. @fionaharvey.bsky.social reports on gaps btw climate goals & policies. Closing the gaps is a matter of political action not a lack of scientific evidence www.theguardian.com/environment/...

I talk a lot about major transport investment, but one of the biggest bangs for the buck policy-wise would be a full pavement parking ban and more rigid enforcement of traffic rules. Enforcement is so lax that this stuff is just completely normalised now, and it's unacceptable.

A #Mongabay investigation shows U.S. deep-sea mining claims in the Pacific now equal half the area managed by the U.N. International Seabed Authority. These overlapping high-seas claims spark intense legal conflicts and threaten fragile deep-sea ecosystems. Story by @elizabethalberts.bsky.social.

New statutory instrument: Councils in England can seize empty homes after six months, not two years, as of 5 November The Govt has amended the rules governing Empty Dwelling Management Orders (SI 2026/1085). 'Negative procedure' so it will go through quietly unless someone 'prays' against it

Looks like this Government consultation is heading towards introducing a new legal right for tenants and leaseholders in England to install a home EV charger. Could be quite important. Also: As of today, drivers in England no longer need planning permission to install cross-pavement EV chargers

NEW, from Bloomberg News: “Elon Musk has now given more than $445 million in the current election cycle.”

“Severe heat killed more than 50,000 people in European cities and towns this summer, according to peer-reviewed estimates released by scientists in London on Friday.” www.nytimes.com/2026/10/22/c...

Matt Finer, Director of MAAP & Senior Research Specialist at Amazon Conservation, highlights that: “...With 15% of the original Amazon lost to deforestation and fires, we are approaching the point at which the hydrological cycle that sustains rainforests may be permanently disrupted.”

It's really mystifying why Labour decided to tax employment rather than the rich Any thoughts? Why should they think you should pay less tax on income from investments than income from hard graft? Why would a *labour* party do this? Incomprehensible

Nuffield Trust finds that the NHS surcharge (at £1035/year + £776 for students + children) raises 60% more than the cost of the healthcare it covers, putting £2.5 billion into the NHS Rapid drops in immigration therefore hit the NHS finances www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/articles/ana...

Runaway AI poses a threat to us all. How humanity stays in control should be a priority for everyone Projection location: Slough, UK Narrated by @gavinesler.bsky.social

What a thing to approve the Jackdaw oil field on the very day the UN's Emissions Gap Report says we're heading for 2.8C of warming, well off track to meet Paris Agreement goals.

You might like to remember this next time you hear someone claiming that net-zero is driving up bills

Today is World Earthworm Day, a celebration of these small yet brilliant creatures.

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba... #NCFC

Remembering the 116 Children and 28 Adults who tragically perished in the Aberfan Disaster 60yrs ago today. 109 children and 5 teachers died at the local school when it took the brunt of one of the 7 ‘spoil tips’ collapsing & burying all in its path.

"Jackdaw North Sea gasfield to get go-ahead in blow to climate campaigners" Or alternatively... Jackdaw North Sea gasfield to get go-ahead in blow to humanity" #FossilFools www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Credit unions can help people save and build wealth, in an economy where one in six UK adults has no savings. Yet while membership is 40% in NI and 64% in the RoI, in Britain it’s just 2%. Our new report, Banking on local places, makes the case👇 fairnessfoundation.com/banking-on-l...

A report demanding mandatory disclosure of financial information by charities, published by an organisation that keeps so much of its own affairs under wraps. What’s that saying about those in glass houses…?

Insulating Britain’s homes and investing in heat pumps would do more to cut the cost of living, create jobs and boost the UK’s economy than drilling for new oil @e3g.bsky.social

More dither & delay from DfE with no guarantee of putting climate in education. "The Department for Education said that it will “aim” to publish the final revised national curriculum by spring 2027 - giving schools four terms to prepare for the changes." Tick tock 🔥🌍⏰ www.tes.com/magazine/new...

British Broadcasting Company #OnThisDay On 18 October 1922, the British Broadcasting Company was set up by British and American electrical companies in the UK....

Well, he’s right in the sense there’d be economic growth - 0.05% according to UK govt’s impact assessment. Not much Same assessment also said the cost-benefit analysis, accounting for pollution, health impacts of noise etc would be negative by tens of billions of ££ www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Optimistic October - Day 17: Take a small step towards a positive change you want to see in society actionforhappiness.org/optimistic-o... #OptimisticOctober

For those unaware, John Cleese has fully endorsed Restore Britain

Meta took down the No Kings instagram; TikTok banned the Musk documentary account for supposedly violating its political posting policies. A reminder that platforms are owned by the wealthiest of people, control the means of media distribution, & put their thumbs on the democracy scale as they wish

Recommended read: A risk modeller in the insurance industry wrote about commercial pressures to “cut forecasts” for climate-related risks in an anonymous piece for the Guardian.

On 16 November, members of the UK Parliament will debate a petition on "holding a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks". It's still possible to sign the petition, so please do if you haven't yet! petition.parliament.uk/petitions/76...

1/ Very good news. @mothinali.bsky.social sued GB News presenter Alex Armstrong & "social media commentator" Bernadette Spofforth for defamation after they told inflammatory lies about him. Both have apologised and agreed to pay substantial damages. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

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"This is huge news from Brazil. The courts have recognized Meta's nefarious efforts to suppress PT content and accelerate Bolsonaro's own, and ruled in Lula's favor with immediate effect: a model of algorithmic accountability to be applied anywhere." - David Adler x.com/davidrkadler...

On day 2 of the global #ISDSDaysOfAction we gathered in Hyde, seat of Jonathan Reynolds, MP & Trade Secretary, to demand he act now to end dangerous corporate courts and the threat they pose to democracy, climate action, and our collective future! #StopISDS

Screening of the National Emergency Briefing in Wilmslow, Cheshire, 13th November 2026, starting 19:00. Please book your free tickets and find more info at: www.transitionwilmslow.org/event-detail... Thank you to www.nebriefing.org for your support.

New - A leading UK gas microgrid company is selling gas-powered AI data centre projects, paired with unproven carbon capture, as "net-zero." AVK is behind Ireland's first gas microgrid data centre, and hopes to expand across the UK and Europe. My work @desmog.com www.desmog.com/2026/10/14/u...

Time's running out! ⏰ We only have a few weeks before the government have to decide if they will listen to the people and kick Palantir out of the NHS Help us reach 100,000 emails before it's too late ✍️ Act now and if you've already take action, hit share! 💥 https://goodlaw.social/5c4e13

⚔️The sword & shield of corporate power🛡️ Big business is still allowed to sue our countries over public-interest policies, demanding billions in public money. All thanks to #ISDS. No more. Sign this petition for a world free from secretive corporate tribunals ✍️ friendsoftheearth.eu/news/take-ac...

UK MP John McDonnell raises 'alarm' about arrest of journalists at Palestine Action protest The Labour lawmaker tabled a motion that described the arrests in Leicester as 'police overreach' www.middleeasteye.net/news/mp-john...